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

"We're still a long way from the military base. Your earlier attempt to get out and help her shows you felt sorry for her. Now your desire to kill her shows you find her hateful. Whether she's pitiful or hateful is not a reason for you to waste your time and bullets."

Lin You's words were too rational, leaving Mu Xue speechless.

"Our only goal on this trip is to get to the military base and then return alive. Anything unrelated to this goal is not worth doing. Stopping to help her is not worth it. Turning around and killing her is even less worth it. You gave her that packet of fever reducers and bread because it was the cheapest way to keep them from attacking. Now that she has the things, she knows we have guns and are not to be trifled with, so she won't chase after us. This is the best outcome."

"To take her down, you need to stop the car, draw your knife, clean up the scene to avoid attracting monsters on the way back, and confirm if she has any accomplices lurking nearby. If any of her accomplices are superhumans, our escape will be in jeopardy. For what? For someone you'll never see again?"

Mu Xue tightened her grip on the shotgun, but did not object.

She recalled that outside the solar energy warehouse, Lin You had shown no mercy to the eight robbers, killing them all on the spot.

At that time, she didn't ask why they didn't leave any survivors, because the answer was obvious—those people had already made their move, and if they weren't killed, they would turn around and kill them.

But this woman today didn't make a move; she was just testing the waters.

The cost of testing is very low, and the only consequence of being discovered is not being able to obtain more supplies.

That woman wasn't a desperate person who would only act when there was something to gain and then back down when there wasn't; she was a complete opportunist.

Lin You doesn't go all out against speculators because it's not worth it.

The enemy must be eliminated.

Lin You's tone softened slightly. "You don't need to feel cheated or taken advantage of today's situation. She took the things and backed down, which is a worthwhile deal. If she hadn't backed down and had continued to pester you, then she would have changed from an opportunist to a threat. You and I both know what to do with threats. You didn't do anything wrong just now; you just lacked experience. You'll learn in time."

Is it really true that you'll know after a long time?

Mu Xue remained silent for a while, recalling the woman's terrified expression when Lin You took out the pistol.

Mu Xue took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. "So you said before that in the apocalypse, being feared is more effective than being respected. The same goes for enemies."

"The same goes for the enemy." Lin You continued driving.

The carriage quieted down, with only the deep rumble of the engine and the soft patter of tires rolling over the gravel road.

The morning light grew brighter.

The rain shone through the windshield onto Lin You's bandaged arm.

Xiao Yuan, sitting in the back seat, leaned against the car window, watching the increasingly clear outline of the signal tower on the distant ridgeline. Suddenly, he spoke up: "That woman, could she be deceiving other people?"

"Yes." Lin You didn't open her eyes.

"Then why didn't you kill her?" Xiao Yuan's voice was serious. "You're strong. I know you could kill her, so you could definitely kill them too."

"Because it's not worth it." Lin You stared at the boy in the rearview mirror. "I only kill for two kinds of people—those who are worth protecting, and those who are worth killing. She's not worth it. You'll understand later."

Xiao Yuan didn't press further and fell silent under Zhou Wenqing's worried gaze.

He simply stared out the car window at the barren fields rushing past, remained silent for a moment, and then softly said, "Could you teach me someday?"

Lin You smiled and said, "Okay, as long as you're willing."

Around two or three in the afternoon.

The SUV stopped. It wasn't that Lin You didn't want to drive any further, but there was a barbed wire fence in the middle of the road, and at the end of the fence was a guard post built with sandbags and wooden planks.

A general-purpose machine gun was mounted on a sandbag next to the guard post, with its muzzle pointing directly at the road.

The SUV that drove up was exposed to the machine gun barrel.

Lin You pushed open the car door, raised both hands above her head, and opened her palms.

Mu Xue sat in the driver's seat, her finger resting on the trigger guard of the shotgun. She neither raised the gun nor made any dangerous movements, nor did she get out of the car.

The guard post was empty, with only the lone machine gun standing there.

The machine gun was wiped clean, without a speck of dust.

Lin You knew there must be other people nearby.

"Hi, is anyone there? We need help."

There was no sound from the surroundings except for Lin You's shouts.

Mu Xue looked around through the SUV, but the surroundings were quiet and there seemed to be no one around.

However, just as Mu Xue was about to get off the bus...

From a patch of grass nearby, a sentry dressed in woodland camouflage emerged, rifle resting on his shoulder, the muzzle pointed at Lin You's chest.

Then more people appeared, a total of six fully armed soldiers.

The first soldier to step out glanced at Lin You's bald head, then at the two mantis knives she carried on her back, and finally at her empty hands.

"Halt. Military restricted area. Unauthorized personnel, please leave immediately."

Lin You shouted, "Don't shoot! I'm here to find someone. Now I'll produce the token."

The leading soldier nodded hesitantly.

Lin You then slowly slipped her right hand into the inner pocket of her tactical vest, moving so slowly that the sentry could see the movement of each of her fingers.

She gripped the medal and held it up to her chest.

The medal gleamed with a dark bronze sheen in the afternoon sun, and the eagle claw and lightning bolt relief was clearly visible above the ribbon.

The red of the ribbon had faded to a dark red, and there were several loose threads along the edges.

"I'm not an unrelated person. My name is Lin You, and I'm from the Orchid Mountain Survivor Base. I need to see your duty officer, and this is my token."

The sentry's gaze fell on the medal.

He stared at the eagle with outstretched wings for a few seconds, then lowered the muzzle of his gun a few inches.

He neither accepted the medal nor made way for them; he simply turned his head and called out into the guard post, "Squad leader, come out and take a look."

In the previously empty sentry post, an old soldier with the rank of corporal on his shoulder strap emerged from the post.

He was a full twelve years older than the young sentry, with fine wrinkles around his eyes. He held his rifle and squinted at Lin You and his group.

There was a woman, a man, and two children in the car.

The threat didn't seem significant, but the veteran had a feeling of being targeted by a wild beast.

This feeling is terrible, and it's somewhat frightening.

The veteran walked up to Lin You, but instead of looking at her face, he looked at her medals first.

He leaned closer to examine the eagle claw and lightning relief, then flipped the medal over to look at the back, where two lines of text were engraved.

"Military and police cooperate to safeguard peace," followed by a name and a series of dates.

"Where did you get this?" The corporal's voice was more composed and assertive than the young sentry's.

"It's Song Jihuai. He asked me to show this to you."

Who is Song Jihuai?

"The criminal investigation team leader of the Z City Public Security Bureau should be listed in your unit's records."

The corporal was silent for a few seconds, then returned the medal to Lin You.

He turned to the young sentry and said, "Go and call the platoon leader. Tell him someone has come with the eagle badge and wants to see the person in charge."

The young sentry responded and ran into the camp behind the sentry post.

The corporal slung his rifle over his shoulder, carried a folding chair from the guard post and placed it inside the barbed wire fence, then leaned against the sandbags. "Please sit down. Your men shouldn't get out of the vehicle until the platoon leader arrives."

Lin You did not sit down.

She stood outside the barbed wire fence, put the medal back into her inner pocket, and held her right hand at her side.

Footsteps echoed through the camp—it wasn't just one person running, but the soles of several people's boots pounding on the gravel road.

A moment later, an officer with the rank of lieutenant on his shoulder insignia walked over with two soldiers.