Lin Qinghe pulled up You Rong’s jacket zipper a little higher, covering the black mark on his neck, and then pulled him to his feet to open the rolling door of the small convenience store.
As soon as the door opened, the group of people who had been there earlier quickly aimed their weapons at her and asked nervously, "Who?!"
Lin Qinghe flashed a benevolent smile. "Calm down! Everyone, calm down. We're not zombies. I'm also a survivor, just passing through. We stayed here for a night and came out when we heard movement outside!"
The leader of the group, a man among the three men and one woman, scrutinized Lin Qinghe carefully. After confirming she wasn't a zombie, he waved his hand, signaling his companions to lower their weapons.
Seeing this, Lin Qinghe introduced herself openly. "Hello, my name is... Lin Qing. I've been traveling all the way from the south, hoping to find an organization in the north that would take us in."
Lin Qinghe thought about how the R organization was still hunting her, so she decided not to reveal her full name.
The man in the lead nodded, his eyes narrowed slightly. "We are survivors from the next city over. My name is Zhang Yuewen. That blonde kid is my brother, Zhang Yuehua. The other guy is Jiang Chuhe, and she is... Bai Qianqian."
Zhang Yuehua said excitedly, "We've traveled through so many towns without seeing anyone. It's great, we've finally met living people! Otherwise, I would have thought the whole world was filled with zombies, and only the few of us were left alive! Do you want to travel with us? We're also looking for an organization to join!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Qianqian pouted in dissatisfaction and whispered, "You can travel with us, but we can't share food with them... We don't have enough for ourselves."
Zhang Yuehua looked a bit embarrassed. "This..."
Zhang Yuewen's expression was unreadable.
Lin Qinghe smiled and said, "I don't need you to share your resources with me. It's enough to travel with you. I'm from the south and I'm not familiar with the northern routes. I've taken many wrong turns. I just hope to travel with you and have you guide me."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuehua tugged on Zhang Yuewen's arm. "Brother! Since that's the case... let them travel with us. Having an extra person is always an extra pair of hands!"
Zhang Yuewen remained silent, his gaze fixed on You Rong. After a while, he frowned. "What's going on with the man next to you? He looks... not right. Was he bitten by a zombie?"
As soon as he said this, Bai Qianqian and the others' expressions changed drastically, and they quickly retreated several steps.
Lin Qinghe quickly explained, "No, no... He's my boyfriend, You Rong. He had an accident and fell years ago, resulting in cerebral palsy. He doesn't understand anything now and can't speak, like a child... I have to pull him for him to take a step. He was definitely not bitten by a zombie!"
Hearing Lin Qinghe's explanation, Zhang Yuewen's frown deepened. "...We don't want an extra burden."
Bai Qianqian clutched his arm. "Right! We don't want to bring a burden, and besides, our car can't fit that many people!"
"I don't need to ride in your car. I can drive myself, and I have a car too. You just need to guide us along the way until we find an organization willing to take us in."
Although Lin Qinghe said this, she didn't hold much hope. She decided that if they refused, she would continue traveling north with You Rong alone.
Everyone was deep in thought. No one noticed that Jiang Chuhe's gaze towards Lin Qinghe shifted slightly. He casually said, "She's already said that, Brother Wen. Let's travel with them. We have nothing to lose. If we encounter zombies, we'll definitely prioritize ourselves and won't worry about them."
After some thought, Zhang Yuewen nodded. "Alright, then you can travel with us."
Lin Qinghe smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll go get the car!"
When Lin Qinghe brought out the car, Zhang Yuewen and the others had searched the vicinity thoroughly but found no food. However, seeing Lin Qinghe's car, their expressions were a little surprised.
Zhang Yuehua exclaimed, "This car has been modified, right? It's really nice... You can tell it's a good car at a glance!"
"I was lucky. I found it at a car dealership."
Jiang Chuhe's eyes flickered, and he suddenly said, "Since that's the case... I'm afraid you'll get lost. How about I ride in your car and give you directions?"
Lin Qinghe's smile remained unchanged, and her vigilance did not lessen. She feigned helplessness. "That probably won't work. Don't mind that my boyfriend has cerebral palsy, but he doesn't like riding in the same car with strangers. Otherwise, he might attack and bite. I'm really sorry, but you drive ahead, and I'll follow!"
With so much supplies and weapons in her car, and given how unpredictable people could be in the apocalypse, she naturally had to be cautious.
Seeing this, Jiang Chuhe's expression darkened, and he said nothing.
Zhang Yuewen then spoke up. "Stop dawdling and get in the car. Let's keep moving. We need to reach the next city before dark and find a suitable place to stay."
Jiang Chuhe then gave up and turned to walk towards their minivan.
Lin Qinghe drove her car behind them. The ordinary minivan and her modified SUV were naturally incomparable, so she drove at a moderate pace, neither too fast nor too slow, to keep up with them.
Lin Qinghe noticed that Zhang Yuewen seemed very familiar with the area. They didn't take the highway, and by taking detours, they significantly shortened the journey. The roads they took were also less problematic, and they didn't encounter many zombies even after driving all day.
Night fell.
The group stopped their cars in a third-tier city. Zhang Yuewen, familiar with the area, led them to a civic center.
The staff had long since evacuated the civic center, but the doors and windows were intact, and there were no zombies inside.
After entering, the four of them found a place to sit. Lin Qinghe pulled You Rong to a chair and took out the water and compressed biscuits they had brought to fill their stomachs.
After filling her own stomach, Lin Qinghe looked at You Rong and carefully examined him. She found that his condition remained unchanged, and she frowned, feeling completely helpless.
Perhaps she had gotten used to feeding You Rong over the past few days. With outsiders present, Lin Qinghe didn't pay much attention and fed You Rong water directly mouth-to-mouth.
This scene caused the expressions of the other few people to change slightly.
At night.
Lin Qinghe fell asleep leaning against You Rong. Suddenly, she heard light footsteps approaching her. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw Jiang Chuhe walking towards her.
Her eyes sharpened, and she said displeasantly, "What are you doing up in the middle of the night?"
In the dim light, Lin Qinghe vaguely saw a flash of desire in Jiang Chuhe's eyes. He lowered his voice. "Your boyfriend is like this, and you're still devoted? Can he satisfy you? How about... you dump him and be with me?"
"Hmph! I advise you not to come any closer! Otherwise, I won't be polite!" Lin Qinghe's hand had already reached for the pistol hidden on her body.
If Jiang Chuhe dared to take another step forward, she would shoot without hesitation!
Jiang Chuhe gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at Lin Qinghe. Perhaps fearing he would wake up Zhang Yuewen and the others, he turned and left.
After he left, Lin Qinghe leaned back against You Rong, feeling quite agitated.
It was clear that Jiang Chuhe had ill intentions, but it wasn't suitable for her to split up from them yet. Firstly, she wasn't as familiar with the area as Zhang Yuewen. Secondly, she needed to find a stable place to settle down quickly before she could focus on figuring out how to help You Rong recover.
"Forget it," she thought, "I'll just be more careful from now on. Besides, with the weapons I have, I can handle all of them even if they come at me together."