Still hoarding supplies in the apocalypse? I'll just go on a killing spree and looting!

"Whoosh!"

The window was opened.

Lin You pointed her pistol diagonally towards the direction below the window, and her mantis knife was already resting on her shoulder, ready to be swung at any moment.

"Oh my god! That scared me to death!"

A man's exclamation came from below the window, and the finger on the trigger paused slightly.

"Who?!"

The man under the window stammered.

"I... just want to sleep down here, where it won't get rained on. If you don't want to, I'll find somewhere else."

Lin You looked out the window and saw a dark figure standing below, holding a folded cardboard box in his hand.

Lin You certainly couldn't just let the other party leave. After all, with so many empty houses, why choose this particular house downstairs?

Lin You will not be at ease until she understands this issue.

This is one of the basic rules for survival in the apocalypse: treat anyone who sneaks up on you as an enemy.

But it's not the end of the world yet.

The four college students she encountered made Lin You realize that this was not yet the post-apocalyptic world, and that the world had not truly collapsed.

Order still exists; humanity has not yet reached a point of life-or-death competition where any means are justified.

"Come in, I have something to ask you."

Lin You stared at the man below and began her first probing.

If the other party has something to hide, they will try to escape.

Whether you chase after them to find out the truth or find another place to rest, the initiative is in your own hands.

The man downstairs paused for a moment, then let out an unguarded "oh," and carefully put down the tattered cardboard box.

Then they walked towards the front of the house.

Lin You frowned, went downstairs to the front yard, and heard a man's voice coming from the gate, "Sister, what do you need me for?"

Lin You looked at the mantis knife in her hand, then aimed it at the door lock and slashed down.

The mantis knife was exceptionally sharp; it sliced ​​through the door lock bolt in one swift motion and placed the knife behind the door.

That was a spot that Lin You could reach out and grab.

He then opened half of the door from the inside, hiding the pistol in his other hand out of the other person's sight.

The door opened from the inside.

The man stood blankly at the door, not making any other move when the door opened. He grinned sheepishly, revealing his white teeth, and asked, "What do you need? I'll definitely help if I can."

Are you a local?

He shook his head. "No. I came here with some fellow villagers."

Lin You breathed a sigh of relief. After all, she had essentially taken over someone else's place and was afraid of encountering unnecessary trouble with the locals.

"Where are you from?" Lin You asked casually.

"Liujiagou. You might not have heard of it, it's a really small place." He smiled as he said this, a kind of embarrassed smile that came from someone who felt their hometown was nothing special.

"It takes most of the day to get north from here by car. Our place is remote, with only one dirt road leading to the town. When it rains, the road becomes rotten, and even motorcycles can't get out."

Lin You asked, "Why aren't you staying in your hometown?"

He was silent for a while, then gave a silly smile and said, "I can't stay at home anymore, so I have to come out and do some manual labor to earn some money."

Lin You frowned. Could it be that a strange beast had appeared there?

"Can't stand it anymore? Why?"

"There's a family at the entrance of our village, surnamed Liu. His father and my grandfather were of the same generation. Back when the reform and opening up was in full swing, the bank gave them... yes, interest-free loans, so his father started a small factory. At first, everyone thought it was a good thing. With a factory in the village, young people wouldn't have to go out to work; they could earn money right at their doorstep. My grandfather gave him the land by the river to build the factory, without asking for a single penny."

He paused for a moment, then plucked a foxtail grass from the ground and slowly twirled it between his fingers.

"Later, the factory started discharging water into the river. It wasn't clear water; it was yellowish-black water with a layer of oil floating on top. Fish started dying in the river. First, the small ones rolled belly up, and then the big ones died too, floating on the surface. When the sun shone on them, the stench was so strong that the whole village could smell it. When I was a child, I used to go down into the river to catch fish, but later my grandfather wouldn't let me go down into the river anymore."

Lin You frowned and asked again, "Did your father contact his family?"

"We searched. The whole village searched. His father initially denied it, saying it was cooling water and not toxic. But later he admitted it, took my grandfather's hand and said, 'Brother, we grew up together, would I cheat you? The factory isn't making money right now, but once it's operational, I'll definitely install equipment and treat the wastewater properly.' My grandfather believed him."

"Has it been cured?"

He shook his head.

"Two years later, we went to look for him again. He said the equipment had been ordered and was on its way. Two years later, he said the factory wasn't doing well and we should wait until next year. Two years later, he said his son was going to take the college entrance exam and that when his son became successful, he would come back to help the factory with environmental protection. My grandpa and the others believed him again."

"Your father has always believed in it?"

"I've always believed." He snapped the blade of grass in half.

"For over twenty years. I've grown up from a naked baby to now, and that river has never been clear. The water from our well started turning yellow two years ago. My grandfather drank it and suffered from vomiting and diarrhea. He went to the county hospital and was diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis. The doctor told me privately that it was a problem with the water."

"And then what?"

"Last year, his father died. His son came back to take over the factory. He's called Boss Liu, and he's educated in the city. My grandfather thought that young people are reasonable, and those who have been educated are always different. So he took the test results to him."

He threw the broken blade of grass on the ground, dusted off his hands, and said, "I'm going too."

"What did he say?"

He didn't answer immediately; the wind blew again, and he squinted.

"He was leaning against the stainless steel gate at the factory entrance, his hands in his pockets. My grandfather handed him the lab report, but he didn't take it. My grandfather said, 'Little Liu, look at this, it's from the county.' He glanced at the paper, then at my grandfather... The look in his eyes when he looked at my grandfather, how should I put it, wasn't hatred, wasn't fear, it was... ridiculous?"

He didn't know what Xiao Liu's expression was at that moment, but his own face was slightly flushed.

That was probably a mocking smile, laughing at their foolishness, their stupidity, their misplaced kindness and ignorance.

"What did he say?"

He said... what does this have to do with me?

Lin You fell silent, unsure how to respond.

After a series of rapid questions, the man's tone and logic seemed to be sound.

You can't tell from their lying.

Could it be that I'm just overthinking things? Lin You wondered.

"My grandpa was stunned. I was stunned too. My grandpa said, 'Your dad promised to cure him back then. He said, 'That's his dead father's business. If you want to find someone, go find him down there. It has nothing to do with me.'"

He pronounced the last four words very slowly, as if he were repeatedly chewing on something that couldn't be chewed properly. "He said, 'Why don't you go to court and sue me?'"

Did you go?

"Hmm." This time he didn't speak, but just blinked and smiled sheepishly.

It seemed that what they were talking about had nothing to do with him, but there was always an indescribable sadness about the world on his flushed smiling face.

Lin You remained silent for a moment, then did not ask any further questions.

The outcome is already quite clear: if things were going well, he should be in the village now, not here.

To become a... homeless person.

Lin You didn't think the other person was lying, but being cautious, she didn't let the man in front of her leave.

Instead, they conducted further observations to determine whether the other party's actions were truly accidental or had ulterior motives.

Perhaps the simplest way is to kill him and dump his body in the lake.

But Lin You can't fight alone in the apocalypse forever. Now that he has a reliable helper, he will have a lot more time.

After a moment's hesitation, Lin You stepped aside and said, "It's chilly outside, you'll get sick if you sleep like this. There's no one else in the house, just find any room."

The other person was stunned for a moment before hesitatingly saying, "Won't this bother you? My grandpa says I'm as strong as an ox and won't get sick."

"Afraid I'll eat you up?"

"How could that be? I'm a good person. I just felt that being from the countryside might be a burden to you."

"No." Lin You completely stepped aside.

The other person hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "Thank you, thank you, sister. I'll go get my things."

He started to run back to get his tattered cardboard box.

Lin You didn't stop them, but waited quietly for their reaction.

The country man returned quickly, smiling憨憨地, and said, "My name is Shunzi. Sister, what's your name?"

"Lin You." Looking at the tattered cardboard box and snakeskin bag Shunzi was carrying, "You only brought that little bit of stuff?"

Shunzi scratched his head and said, "Actually, there were still some, but something happened and they were all gone."

The two had arrived in the courtyard, and Lin You reached out and closed the gate.

Seeing the broken lock, Lin You casually picked up a piece of wood and propped it against the back of the door.

This was the first time Lin You had ever entered the lobby of this house.

Lin You, acting as if she were the hostess, said to the reserved Shunzi, "Please, sit wherever you like."

Shunzi carefully placed the tattered cardboard box at the doorway, hesitated for a moment, and then put down the snakeskin bag as well.

Only then did he walk in, somewhat awkwardly.

"Sis, your house is so big!"

Lin You smiled and said, "Really?", then carried the snakeskin bag in and placed it on the table.

The snakeskin bag was heavy, and it seemed to contain a lot of things.

"What's inside? It's so heavy."

Shunzi smiled awkwardly and said, "It's sweet potato, potato."

"Why are you carrying this?"

"Things are expensive in the city, so we're fine with whatever we eat."

Lin You paused for a moment before asking, "Why do you want to live in the back of the house?"

Shunzi blushed again, feeling extremely embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I saw an older woman fall down on the road. I saw her fall on the main road, and the cars were speeding by. I was afraid she was in danger."

"You went to help him up?"

"Yeah. She said I hit her, but I don't have a car, how could I have hit her? She's trying to extort money from me."

"...."

"Later, I was arrested, and the fellow villager who brought me here was also arrested, and his motorcycle was impounded... They said it was some kind of no-fault compensation, but I don't understand what that means. But I knew my money was gone, and my fellow villager didn't want to take me anymore, so I came here."

Lin You didn't know how to comfort the other person, after all, these kinds of things were happening more and more frequently, and it seemed that the whole society had suddenly become indifferent.

Or rather, people are becoming more aware of reality.

The chivalry, public spirit, universal love, and selflessness built up over five thousand years of culture have vanished in just a few short years.

Have you eaten?

Shunzi nodded quickly and said, "I ate, I ate two roasted sweet potatoes. I need to be full so I'll have the energy to go find the waiter tomorrow."

Lin You shook her head and said, "Someone will be coming here tomorrow. You take them to work. They'll get two hundred a day."

Shunzi was slightly taken aback, then happily replied, "Okay. Fifty a day is fine too."

Lin You shook her head again. "Wait for me a moment." She then went upstairs.

He quickly came downstairs, holding a pork leg wrapped in a plastic bag, and placed it on the table, saying, "It's already smoked. I saw there's firewood in the kitchen, could you get some?"

Shunzi looked at the wild boar's hind legs and nodded happily.

Lin You watched as Shunzi went to the kitchen, then went back upstairs to tinker with the drone.

The drone hovered over the yard, watching Shunzi cooking in the kitchen.

This is Lin You's third test, and also her last.

Do we have the right to be our own companions in the end times?