The atmosphere in the carriage was frozen solid, making even breathing feel difficult.
Xiao Han’s speculation, like a giant rock, pressed on everyone’s heart, suffocating them.
If it were truly as he thought, the suffering and hopelessness Xiao Lei experienced were probably something they could never comprehend.
His so-called betrayal was merely a struggle in desperation.
His self-sacrificing protection was both an atonement for himself and a way to carve out a path to survival for Xiao Han.
“Then… that Mo Yao… Xiao Lei’s sister…” Li Kui’s voice was dry and hoarse, breaking the deadly silence with difficulty.
Xiao Han suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes filled with struggle and pain.
“Xiao Lei’s last request to me… He said, if… if there was still a chance, I must find his sister.”
He looked at Lu Shiyan and Su Wan, his words filled with unconcealed hesitation: “A Shi, Sister Su Wan, I… I don’t know whether this matter should be… or not…”
Lu Shiyan met Xiao Han’s gaze, pondered for a moment, and nodded slightly.
“The Scorpion is gone, and his ragtag followers are not a threat. Finding Mo Yao is not difficult.”
His tone suddenly turned cold: “But Xiao Lei did scheme against us and put us in danger. Think clearly about the consequences. Find Mo Yao, and then what? How to settle her, how to face her, these are all things you need to consider.”
Lu Shiyan’s words were incisive, and Xiao Han’s chaotic thoughts instantly cleared up a bit.
That’s right, no matter what hidden circumstances were behind Xiao Lei’s actions, the harm he caused them was real.
The off-road vehicle bumped forward through the ruins, driving into the boundless night, leaving the hustle and bloodshed of Area A far behind.
The atmosphere inside the car remained suffocatingly heavy.
Xiao Han tightly held Xiao Lei’s cold body, the chill penetrating through the thin clothing and piercing his heart.
He lowered his head, not saying a word, but his shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Su Wan moved closer to him, took out a soft blanket from her space, and carefully covered Xiao Lei.
Lu Shiyan glanced at this scene in the rearview mirror, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
“First, let’s find a safe place to rest and treat our injuries,” his low voice broke the oppressive silence in the car.
A Mo quickly unfolded a yellowed old map, his finger swiftly tracing over it.
“The safe points around Area A are probably no longer safe now; Lei Laohu’s people will definitely be checking them thoroughly.”
“About thirty kilometers to the east, there’s an abandoned material transfer station. Rumor has it there’s an air-raid shelter there. If it’s still usable, we could temporarily avoid Lei Laohu’s eyes and ears.”
Lu Shiyan nodded: “Let’s go there.”
With a turn of the steering wheel, the off-road vehicle plunged into deeper darkness.
Li Kui and Li Xinhu in the back seat still had not fully shaken off their fear.
Li Kui reached out and heavily patted Xiao Han’s shoulder, his voice suppressed: “Brother, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Try to let go. That child Xiao Lei… he truly was pitiful.”
Li Xinhu added gruffly: “Trapped in the hands of someone as inhumane as the Scorpion, what could a child like him do? To act like that at the very last moment, he was quite a man!”
The car bumped along the rough road for nearly an hour, finally stopping at the foot of a desolate hill.
A Mo was the first to jump out, his agile figure scouting the surroundings. After confirming it was safe, he gestured to the car.
The entrance to the air-raid shelter was hidden behind dense vines, a heavily rusted, thick iron door silently recounting the passage of time.
Lu Shiyan stepped forward, pushed aside the tangled vines, and examined the old military mechanical lock on the door.
“A Mo, the tools.”
A Mo immediately took out a small tool kit from his backpack and handed it over.
Lu Shiyan took it, his fingers deftly manipulating the lock cylinder.
After a few faint metallic scraping sounds, a crisp “click” rang out, and the heavy iron door was pushed open a crack.
A gust of wind, mixed with damp mold and earthy smells, rushed out.
Lu Shiyan didn't hesitate, stepping in first, with Su Wan and the others following closely behind him.
The entrance to this air-raid shelter was indeed well hidden, and it was relatively dry inside.
They simply cleared out a space, finally able to temporarily breathe a sigh of relief.
Su Wan took out the first-aid kit and first helped Li Kui and Li Xinhu bandage their wounds.
Xiao Han silently placed Xiao Lei’s body on the blanket Su Wan had laid out. Su Wan had said earlier that once things were settled, she would find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to properly bury him.
After treating their wounds, Su Wan walked over and sat beside Lu Shiyan. Her face was a bit pale, and her eyes showed signs of fatigue.
Perhaps sensing his mother’s weariness, the little one in her belly gently wiggled.
Su Wan unconsciously reached out to cover her slightly bulging lower abdomen. Lu Shiyan noticed this unintentional gesture.
He stopped examining the energy stone, his attention shifting to Su Wan’s face, then lingered for a moment on her lower abdomen.
“Are you feeling alright?”
Su Wan gently shook her head: “I’m fine, just a bit tired.”
Being pregnant in this apocalypse was inherently more dangerous than for ordinary people, and the constant travel and fighting had indeed taken a toll on her energy.
Lu Shiyan was silent for a moment, then suddenly handed the colorful energy stone to Su Wan.
“Hold it.”
“Put your hand out.”
Su Wan was slightly surprised but still extended her hand as instructed.
Lu Shiyan opened his palm, and the energy stone, shimmering with colorful light, lay quietly in his hand, emitting a warm glow.
He carefully placed the energy stone in Su Wan’s slightly cool palm.
“This is… an energy stone?” Su Wan’s breath hitched slightly.
An indescribable warmth rapidly spread from her palm, instantly flowing through her limbs, sweeping away the accumulated fatigue and chill of the past few days.
She instinctively used her other hand to protect her lower abdomen.
Just then, a faint fetal movement came from her belly, clear and full of vitality.
Su Wan trembled all over, her face instantly filled with surprise, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards.
“He moved! Lu Shiyan, the baby… he seems to really like this thing!”
Immediately after, there was another movement, clearer than the last, with a joyful vigor.
This kind of force was something she had never felt since her pregnancy, full of vigorous life force.
“Mm.” Lu Shiyan responded, his voice much gentler than usual, “Its energy can strengthen the foundation and cultivate the origin.”
Su Wan could feel every cell in her body eagerly absorbing this pure energy.
Strength continuously surged, and her body became lighter. She even felt that some dormant functions were being awakened.
Everything around her became exceptionally clear in her perception.
The tiny dust particles floating in the air, Xiao Han’s deliberately suppressed breathing, Li Kui’s faint sighs, all clearly entered her ears.
Lu Shiyan had been observing her changes. Seeing her complexion quickly return to rosy and her spirits lift considerably, his tightly pursed lips finally relaxed slightly.
He could clearly sense that the power contained within the energy stone was repairing and nourishing her body with astonishing efficiency.
Su Wan was immersed in the joyful vitality transmitted by the fetus in her womb when suddenly, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
A peculiar sensation came from deep within her lower abdomen; it wasn’t pain or discomfort, but rather a… an indescribable, strange resonance.
Lu Shiyan immediately noticed the subtle change in her expression and promptly asked, “Where do you feel uncomfortable?”
