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

Mu Xue wanted to say that she could do it too, thinking of what Lin You had said about her future self.

Mu Xue opened her lips, but didn't say anything; she was filled with immense worry.

Lin You's voice continued to come through the walkie-talkie.

"Even if the two of us are incredibly strong, we can't kill all the alien beasts. But if I can establish a powerful base, then no one can harm us."

Upon hearing this, Mu Xue pressed the call button. "So this is why you've been saying 'the base needs these.' Not just now, but even more so in the future."

"Yes." Lin You's voice revealed a very faint, almost imperceptible certainty.

"I chose Team Leader Song not because I trust his character, but because I assessed his abilities, his principles, and his loyalty to the team. These three things are more precious than gold after the apocalypse."

"Moreover, he has more than a dozen men under his command," Mu Xue said with a smile. "More than a dozen men, armed, experienced in combat, and disciplined."

Lin You continued, "The important thing is that I don't need to train them from scratch. I don't need to spend time on mental preparation. They can be ready to fight right now. This advantage is more valuable than any material reserves."

There was a moment of silence on the walkie-talkie.

Mu Xue seemed to be processing these words, wondering what would be most important after the apocalypse.

Food? Water? Safe house? Medicine? Energy?

They are all important, but the most important thing is people. Without people, what's the point of all this!

Then Mu Xue's voice rang out again, her tone more relaxed: "Sister Lin, were you a teacher before? You speak so eloquently."

"no."

"Then how come you're so good at analyzing people?"

"I learned my lesson in my past life." Lin You's voice remained completely calm. "Having learned so much from those experiences, I naturally learned a lot."

Mu Xue leaned back in her seat, watching the taillights of the armored vehicle ahead glow steadily in the gray fog.

After a long while, she pressed the call button and said, "From now on, you can analyze people, and I'll keep an eye on them for you. Two people are always more accurate than one."

A very soft, almost inaudible "hmm" came from the walkie-talkie.

It could also be electrical noise.

Around 4 a.m., the convoy turned into the Orchid Mountain Scenic Area.

The fog here was no different from that in the city; several cars braked.

The car lights went out.

A dozen or so people jumped off the vehicle, their boots making a soft crunching sound as they stepped on the gravel road.

Lin You pointed to the outline of a building emerging from the gray fog: "Visitor center. This place is more than enough for you. But I suggest you find another place later."

Team Leader Song frowned as he looked at the massive shadow and asked, "Why?"

"It's too big, with too many entrances and exits, making it difficult to set up a defense."

Team Leader Song looked at the dark visitor center and nodded.

He turned his head and glanced behind him. Two armed police officers were helping a colleague with a leg injury off the command vehicle. The injured man gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound, but his forehead was covered in sweat.

Team Leader Song looked at Lin You and asked, "How much medicine do you have left? I have a few wounded soldiers here."

"We'll keep enough," Lin You said readily, without trying to raise the price. "We don't have much food in stock, but the visitor center should have some enough for a few days."

"How long can it last?"

Lin You frowned and thought for a moment. "Three to five days, at most a week. Rest tonight, I'll come over tomorrow, and we can talk in detail then."

While listening to the two's conversation, Mu Xue returned with the medicine.

Antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, gauze—not much, but enough.

When she placed the medicine packet in Team Leader Song's hand, Team Leader Song glanced at her and nodded.

Mu Xue didn't say anything, turned around and went back to the car.

The two cars left the visitor center and drove a few more minutes before stopping in the courtyard of an abandoned resort.

Shunzi heard the engine and ran out of the house, just in time to see Lin You getting out of the car.

"Sister Lin, you're back?" He was taken aback when he saw Mu Xue jump out of the passenger seat. "I thought you weren't coming back today; the fog outside was too thick."

"This is Shunzi," Lin You said, gesturing as she introduced it.

A smile spread across Mu Xue's face as she extended her hand and said, "Mu Xue."

Shunzi wiped his hands on his pants before shaking hands: "My name is Shunzi. Have you eaten yet?"

Before she could finish speaking, Mu Xue's stomach emitted a series of clear rumbling sounds.

Shunzi grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "I'll go get it right away, you guys wait."

He turned and ran into the yard.

Lin You carried An An out of the back seat.

The child was still asleep, his head resting on her shoulder, his face pale, and his breathing very light.

Mu Xue glanced at the pale little face, then at the cautious Lin You.

When Shunzi brought out several bowls of noodles.

Lin You had already carried An An upstairs to the second floor.

The noodles were dried noodles, with some greens and a few slices of luncheon meat added. The soup base was made with instant noodle seasoning packets.

Mu Xue ate very quickly, her cheeks bulging, her chopsticks never stopping.

After finishing the last bite of her noodles, she looked up and saw that the lights on the second floor were on.

Lin You put An An on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

The child pursed his lips in his sleep, turned over, and curled up into a small ball.

She reached out and touched his forehead, her fingers very light, as if touching something extremely thin and fragile.

A hint of tenderness appeared on his previously indifferent face, and even his icy tone gradually warmed up.

"This time, it's my turn to protect you."

The voice was very soft, but in this room with only two people, every word was clear.

Silent all night.

It's dawn, if you can call it dawn even in the gray fog.

The fog faded from a dark gray to a murky white, improving visibility and allowing us to see the outlines of most things in the yard.

Lin You slept for four hours. When she sat up from the sofa, An An was still asleep.

He kicked half of the blanket off, so she covered herself up again before going downstairs.

Looking at An'an who was still sleeping, I quietly left the room and went downstairs. Outside, the air was still thick with gray fog.

The color was much whiter than at night.

It's more like a thick fog that hangs in the air in the morning.

Lin You knew this was not a simple naturally formed fog phenomenon, because naturally formed dense fog could not possibly last for three days.

The dense fog persisted throughout the three days, both day and night.

Shunzi was still the first one to get up.

Seeing Lin You coming downstairs, Shunzi smiled sheepishly and said, "Sister Lin, the food is ready. Why did you come back so late last night?"

"Something happened. By the way, was anything unusual before we got back last night?"

"Something unusual? Now that you mention it, I do have something to say."

Tell me about it.

"There's a lot of noise over there by the lake, it sounds like... it sounds like..." Shunzi frowned, trying hard to describe the sound.

But I don't know how to describe it for a moment.

Lin You wasn't in a hurry. She brushed her teeth and washed her face while waiting for Shunzi to come up with the 'adjectives'.

Finally, Shunzi, her face slightly flushed, said, "I don't know how to say it, it's like something fell into the lake, like when people in the village use homemade cannons to blast fish. The sound was very muffled."

Lin You frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "Don't go near the lake recently."

Why?

"A meteorite has fallen into the lake."

Shunzi's eyes widened. "A meteorite...? A star that fell from the sky?"

"...I guess so, you never went to school?"

Shunzi scratched his head sheepishly and said, "I've been there, but not for long. Sister Lin, let's eat first."

Seeing Shunzi deliberately changing the subject, Lin You didn't press further, but simply smiled and sat down to eat.

After finishing the meal.

Lin You told Shunzi that she needed to go to the visitor center area.

When Mu Xue and An An got up, let them eat first.

The visitor center was very busy.

When Lin You arrived, she saw a large group of people gathering, seemingly about to leave.

Lin You only needed to think for a moment to know what was going to happen.

After all, unlike those who are all alone, they all have family or friends. Now that the apocalypse has arrived, it is questionable whether the original order and laws will still exist.

More importantly, there were those strange beasts that appeared last night.

"Hello, Ms. Lin."

An armed police officer spotted Lin You and came right up to her.

He first saluted Lin You, who was slightly taken aback before hurriedly returning the salute.

Because they had never done it before, their movements looked very stiff.

The armed policeman lowered his arm and said, "Our team leader wants to see you."

Lin You nodded: "Perfect timing, I also have something to discuss with your team leader."