Luo Xiaole felt a headache coming on, looking at the group of people in the vehicle.
What kind of rotten luck was this?
Why did everyone she met seem to be against her!
Oh, except for that short-haired, mature older sister.
Luo Xiaole turned away, no longer looking at Da Beitou and the others.
Out of sight, out of mind.
"We meet again. My name is Luo Xiaole, and I'm truly grateful to you this time!" she said, walking towards the black-haired girl with a genuine smile that showed all eight of her teeth.
"It's nothing, just on the way," the older sister replied in her usual concise and capable tone.
Luo Xiaole scratched the back of her head.
She saw that the sister had specifically circled back.
This good sister must have said it was on the way to avoid making her feel burdened.
A truly good person, making her like her even more!
"My name is Lin Xia," the girl introduced herself as well.
Luo Xiaole nodded, finally knowing her name!
"And these few, are they your companions?" she asked, as she hadn't seen anyone with Lin Xia last time.
"We are the lady's subordinates," one of them, wearing black sunglasses and with a shaved head, spoke up. He didn't look like someone to be trifled with.
Subordinates?
Luo Xiaole was a little surprised.
Hearing the respectful tone of this person, Lin Xia's status was probably not simple either.
Luo Xiaole introduced her teammates to Lin Xia one by one. Everyone thanked Lin Xia and greeted her.
Mo Chen didn't speak, but merely nodded slightly, though his attitude was not dismissive at all.
"If you don't mind, shall we travel together for a while?" Lin Xia wasn't usually one to join in the fun or pry into others' business.
But for some reason, she always felt a sense of curiosity towards Luo Xiaole, yet couldn't express it.
She felt that this slender young girl seemed to have many secrets.
She wanted to observe Luo Xiaole for a longer period.
"I have no objections!" Luo Shu was the first to respond.
Just for saving them, her attitude and decisive demeanor left a deep impression.
Mo Chen and Zhou Xiaojun exchanged glances and also agreed.
Although they hadn't talked much with Luo Xiaole on the way,
they had witnessed firsthand how reliable this little sprout was.
It seemed Luo Xiaole and Lin Xia weren't meeting for the first time. Since it was someone Luo Xiaole trusted, they were willing to trust her too.
Traveling together might not be a bad thing.
They hadn't gone far from the airport.
A car that had been parked in a secluded corner outside the airport quietly started and followed them in their direction of travel.
It was the man with the cigar.
Seeing the direction the bus was heading, he was a little surprised, but then let out a light laugh.
"That little sprout is going to the base? Heh, she's actually delivering herself... Truly, heaven rewards the persistent."
Outside the car window, the sky suddenly changed, and a light rain began to fall.
Inside the bus, there was silence, and no one spoke.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, coupled with the gloomy weather, everyone stared out the window blankly.
They felt a sense of unreality, having escaped from a near-death experience.
They dared not imagine the consequences for those left behind at the airport.
When they escaped, the bat zombies had already attacked the camp once. Except for those holding weapons, everyone else fell in the bloody water.
The number of zombies surrounding the airport was also astonishing.
Anyone who remained inside the airport, trapped by the horde, would likely now be a pile of minced meat, lying nameless on the cold ground.
Just the thought alone made them tremble uncontrollably.
It took a while for someone to break the silence in the bus.
"Where do we go next?" asked one of the people who had escaped later.
"There's no 'we.' We'll drop you off up ahead, and you can each fend for yourselves," Lin Xia's tone was decisive, but also very cold.
"What? You're abandoning us? You're just a girl, don't be so heartless!" the person started to bluster.
"Exactly! Since you brought us out, you should see it through! Where can we go if you drop us off now? Be a decent human!" another person chimed in, grumbling.
"If you say that, I can't stand it," Luo Shu said, picking at her ear. "Miss saved us out of kindness, not obligation. We should be thanking her, not gossiping about her! Where's your conscience?"
Luo Xiaole was clapping wildly in her heart.
Luo Shu's words were so reasonable!
"There seems to be a gas station ahead, and the convenience store inside should have supplies," Luo Xiaole couldn't help but speak up. She looked at those people carefully, remembering that some of them had bought weapons from her.
"Since everyone has weapons," Luo Xiaole turned to Da Beitou and his group, "and you have abilities, why don't we split up at the gas station ahead? We should be able to find other vehicles there."
Choosing teammates carefully was a lesson she learned from the battles at the airport.
With these people's behavior, she definitely didn't want to travel with them.
She would rather protect a brave older sister like Lin Xia.
"Zzzzt..." At this moment, a crackling sound of electricity suddenly came from somewhere in the bus.
It sounded like it was coming from the radio.
Lin Xia gave a look.
The bald man quickly walked to the driver's side.
He fiddled with the radio, switching between different channels.
"Zzzzt..." Another crackle of static.
Everyone's ears perked up, looking eagerly at the radio, hoping to receive some information.
Ever since the signal went down, they hadn't been able to contact the outside world for a long time.
They hadn't even managed to find a walkie-talkie.
The feeling of being cut off from everyone made them frantic.
Following that, the channel seemed to suddenly come alive, and a voice began to speak intermittently.
"All... survivors... Luocheng... Base... please come quickly... welcome..."
"Did I hear that right?" Luo Shu's eyes widened.
"Are they saying Luocheng has established a survivor base?" Luo Xiaole's mouth also fell open.
"We know about that base!" the two people who had tried to steal Luo Xiaole's ring finally dared to speak.
"That base was built half a month ago, and it's already sheltering quite a few survivors," the person swallowed, revealing the situation.
"To be honest, we just came out from that base to search for supplies. We're very familiar with it, and we can take you there."
The remaining few people, hearing that the two weren't bragging, became excited.
"It's not easy to survive out here. Why don't we all go together? Once we get to the base, it'll be safer than wandering around like this. They have guns and weapons!"
"Yeah, there are so many forks in the road ahead. If they lead the way, we might be able to avoid many detours and get to Luocheng Base sooner..."
The others were also very excited, seeing a glimmer of hope.
"Are you sure you know the way there?" Lin Xia asked, half-believingly.
She and Luo Xiaole had some friction with these two before, but if there was hope for survival, there was no need to be confrontational now.
"I know we had some trouble before, but it was out of necessity. You're magnanimous people, please don't hold it against us. We guarantee to take you safely to the base," the person said, afraid Lin Xia would disbelieve them and kick them off the bus.
"We also know there's a military base about a few dozen kilometers ahead! If we don't have a place to stay tonight, we can go there first. They offer a night's shelter to passing survivors."
Lin Xia and Luo Xiaole exchanged glances.
It sounded like it was worth a try.
"Okay, lead the way. We'll aim to reach that military base tonight to rest," Lin Xia said.
Luo Xiaole also exchanged glances with Mo Chen and the others. This should be the military base they had been planning to go to earlier.
What a coincidence.
"That's great!" the others exclaimed excitedly.
The sickly boy who had saved Zuo Ran and the others earlier, however, huddled in a corner, feeling an increasing discomfort in the back of his neck.
It was not only itchy but also caused an unspeakable pain that tormented him constantly.
He felt chills from time to time and had already started shivering violently.