You say the cataclysm only comes after you've cleared the entire dungeon?

Lou Fengyue instinctively tried to dodge, but Lou Yunzheng grabbed her shoulder and pressed her to the spot.

"What are you running around for?" he whispered in her ear. "Luo Zeyan has been running around to several companies these past few days, bringing back a lot of storage batteries. The power supply for the safe zone depends entirely on him. Look how tired he is, his face looks terrible. Shouldn't you be concerned?"

Lou Fengyue's lips trembled, wanting to curse but unable to find the words.

Just as the brother and sister were whispering to each other, Luo Zeyan arrived in front of them.

"Brother Zheng, this week's supplies have arrived, and there are twelve people who know a bit about water pipes. Come and help." Luo Zeyan said businesslike, as if he hadn't noticed Lou Fengyue standing next to him at all.

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements." Lou Yunzheng finally let go of his sister, gave her a meaningful look, and walked away.

Lou Fengyue, with a lollipop in her mouth, wished she could drag Lou Yunzheng back and beat him up.

Is this how you dig a hole for your sister?!

After Lou Yunzheng left, Luo Zeyan's gaze naturally fell on Lou Fengyue.

He looked at her with his eyes slightly lowered, as if he were looking at a lost treasure that had been found again, or as if a wild beast had its eyes on its prey.

Have you been avoiding me lately?

He spoke, his voice low and slightly hoarse, like a stream mixed with sand, pleasant to the ear but not crisp.

"You're overthinking it," Lou Fengyue replied quickly, as if she had already prepared the answer. "We've both been busy lately, so have you. We just haven't had a chance to meet."

"Really?" Luo Ze's tone clearly showed disbelief. He bowed slightly and looked her straight in the eye. "I saw you at the building materials market last time. I thought you would come over and say hello, but you turned around and left."

Lou Fengyue was speechless. Who would have thought that his eyesight was so sharp that he could see her even from around the corner?

Have you ever trained for X-ray vision?

"You were busy looking for building materials at the time, what good would it do if I went over to say hello? Could you share some building materials with me?" She was both unreasonable and assertive, with a hint of accusation.

It was clearly telling him to stop making small talk.

To everyone's surprise, he simply and decisively uttered a single word: "Yes."

Lou Fengyue was stunned. She looked up at him and met his determined eyes, but she felt inexplicably guilty.

"I'm not a saint, I have selfish desires too." Luo Zeyan's voice was soft, but his words were frank and direct. "In front of you, I may not be so righteous."

"You..." Lou Fengyue's eyes trembled, and she was completely speechless.

She knew that Luo Zeyan was always direct in his actions and words, but she never expected him to be this direct.

Seeing that she couldn't utter a word for a long time, Luo Zeyan sighed helplessly and stopped pressing her.

The conversation shifted: "Is your new house ready? What materials are you missing? I'll go find them for you."

"It's all done, and we have everything we need."

Lou Fengyue lowered her eyelashes, feeling both grateful for his thoughtfulness and helpless about the current situation.

My brother is right. If we don't say some things now, who knows how many decades it will be before we meet again.

Or perhaps, there won't be a "next time."

But... what can I say?

What good would it do to say it?

I'll be leaving in a few days. I won't be staying in the new district; I'll head straight to Beijing after the extreme heat subsides.

She and Luo Zeyan may never have the chance to meet again.

Saying too much only adds to the reluctance at parting, it has no other meaning.

Luo Zeyan quietly looked at her, at her smooth forehead glistening with fine sweat, at her long, drooping eyelashes, and at the prominent bridge of her nose.

His eyes were so deep it seemed he wanted to etch her image into his heart.

Lou Fengyue.

"Um?"

"I want to go with you."

Lou Fengyue's movements stopped.

The sweetness of the lollipop melted on her tongue, but she seemed unable to taste it, and froze on the spot.

She thought of many possible conversations.

Ask her if she needs any help, and ask her if she will come back to visit.

I never expected this sentence.

"What did you say?" Her voice was a little hoarse.

Luo Zeyan looked at her and repeated, word by word, "I want to go with you."

Raindrops pounded against the shatterproof glass on top, making a dense, resounding sound.

The two were an arm's length apart, and the sound of the rain seemed to swallow up all other sounds.

"I..." Lou Fengyue managed to utter, her brows furrowed so tightly they could trap a mosquito, "I can't bring that many people."

If Luo Zeyan were brought along, he certainly couldn't abandon his parents.

Li Yichen will definitely be going along, which means the Li family couple will have to join him.

And Zhou Hao and Zhou Xuan might also pester me to come.

She couldn't care about so many people.

One is the issue of life safety, and the other is the issue of survival supplies.

There are plenty of supplies in the space; a dozen people can sit together and have a meal, but she can't possibly support a dozen people for several months.

The supplies were stockpiled for her parents and brother; she didn't want to share them.

Upon hearing her answer, Luo Zeyan's taut lips relaxed slightly, and a subtle curve appeared at the corners of his lips.

He understood; she wasn't unwilling, but rather unable.

She cannot afford to provide for so many people's basic needs.

"I know." Luo Zeyan took a half step closer, lowering his eyes to observe every change in her expression. "I don't intend to take over your new home, nor do I intend to consume your resources. What I mean is, after the extreme heat ends, if you want to leave Linjiang, I want to go with you."

Lou Fengyue stared at him blankly, the sweetness of the lollipop in her mouth had dissipated at some point, leaving only an indescribable bitterness.

Do you know where I'm going?

"I heard Qin Qian mention it; he said you planned to go to the central government."

"Yes, the central government, the capital, is over 700 kilometers away." Lou Fengyue's tone became more serious, her brow furrowed with confusion. "Who knows what monsters might appear on the road? Are you sure you want to take your parents on such a risk?"

"Then why did you take your parents on this adventure?" Luo Zeyan asked calmly.

Lou Fengyue was speechless.

Luo Zeyan then said, "You want your parents to go to a safer place, and so do I. If it were just Li Yichen and me, we might not dare to take four elderly people on this 700-plus-kilometer journey. But if we travel together, it seems like there's nothing wrong with it."

Lou Fengyue pursed her lips, unable to find a rebuttal for a moment.

He quickly began to calculate the pros and cons in his mind.

With her parents wearing SSS-level gold armor, the probability of them getting injured is extremely low. In addition, both she and her brother are capable of fighting, so the family of four should not encounter any trouble going to the capital.

Of course, you'll definitely have to kill a lot of zombies along the way.

Whether four people leave or ten people leave, the number of people killed is the same. It seems like there's nothing that can't be done.

The problem is that if they go with Luo Zeyan and Li Yichen, it means they have to bring their parents along.

With four more elderly relatives who have no protection or fighting ability, I'll definitely need to devote some energy to taking care of them on the way...

However, the situation in the capital is still unclear. If Luo Zeyan and Li Yichen go together, they can at least look out for each other in the future.

"I'll think about it." Lou Fengyue frowned, her expression somewhat grave. "I'll give you an answer before the extreme heat arrives."