Lu Xi'an just casually mentioned it, not expecting Yao Wei to turn the steering wheel immediately.
But come to think of it, in this world where everything seems to have come to a standstill, moving towards ruin, how could one not worry about running out of gas while driving?
If you don't stop by gas stations along the way to refill the tank constantly, like Yao Wei did before, where you have to abandon the car in a hidden spot to fetch gas with a canister, it will inevitably become a common occurrence.
And if you're unlucky, even without finding gas stations, the canister-fetching will become regular.
Lu Xi'an once thought range anxiety was something only electric car drivers experienced, but unexpectedly, even riding in a gas-guzzler, he is now feeling it too.
The refueling process remains the same: first scout to ensure safety, find the electrical box, attempt to connect the circuit, then grab the gas nozzle to refuel.
Luck was on their side; the gas station was still deserted, but the shop had been ransacked and was devoid of anything useful, not even a toy motorcycle was left.
These places have probably been stripped of resources and are thus useless to people, so they generally don't come here.
Lu Xi'an wondered if Fengcheng County still had resources left, untouched by scavengers. As he hoisted up the mechanical dog for Gou to connect the circuit, he pondered whether to search for resources in villages or enter cities in this area.
Reflecting on his journey from north to south over the past year, combined with Yao Wei's words and the World Map One, he's come to a rough conclusion about this world—
That the further north you go, the more desolate it becomes, and the less suitable it is for human habitation.
Perhaps, like Earth, beyond the celestial equator, the other hemisphere presents a different situation, but as of now, this seems to be the case.
So he headed south, freely scavenging whether in cities or villages, rarely encountering anyone.
But on entering Mozhou City previously, the Wolf Gang and Dog Gang appeared.
He's uncertain whether the people barely surviving here place their strongholds in rural or urban areas, or perhaps neither.
Nonsense!
With a local by his side, why think so much?
"Where should we head to next to scavenge some stuff?"
Lu Xi'an asked.
Gou connected the circuit, and the "whirring" sound of the pump started up.
As the two walked towards the pump, Yao Wei answered, "Depends on our luck."
Lu Xi'an asked again, "Is it easier to encounter people in the city or in the village?"
Yao Wei still replied, "Depends on our luck."
Lu Xi'an: "..."
Alright then.
This gas station had four pumps, and after Gou powered them, all four screens lit up.
Looks like they were in luck.
Yao Wei tried three gas pumps in succession, but no fuel came out of the nozzles.
On the last try, both Yao Wei and Lu Xi'an were a bit tense, but the moment they plugged in the nozzle and Yao Wei started the pump, it "whirred" into action, filling the car tank with gasoline until it auto-shut off.
Out of four machines, there was actually still one that wasn't broken.
So they really were lucky!
They then continued their journey, with Lu Xi'an like a navigator, directing Yao Wei according to the map.
After about twenty minutes, a village appeared in front. Lu Xi'an glanced at the map; it showed this village as "Gaojiazhuang."
Yao Wei drove in, slowly passing through the village without any intention of rushing to get out of the car.
Lu Xi'an had witnessed Yao Wei's caution before, and suddenly grasped her intent—
She wanted to first circle the village, ensuring no people were there, before getting out to search for resources.
This was the safest and most secure approach.
And it seemed to have worked.
As the car drove further into the village, suddenly gunshots rang out.
But it seemed the shooter wasn't a good shot, missing everything.
The gunfire came from their side. Lu Xi'an turned his head, following the sound, spotting someone in a small two-story courtyard house in the second row outside the road, shooting from a second-floor window.
Heads were poking out over the wall, unclear of what they intended to do.
"Quite a few people,"
Lu Xi'an remarked, picking up his submachine gun.
He kept his submachine gun close at hand, and though he no longer needed to guard against Yao Wei, he remained wary of potential dangers at any time.
—Like now.
Yao Wei didn't hesitate, flooring the pedal to speed up the car.
Lu Xi'an had no chance to waste bullets; looking back, through the dusty rear window, figures could faintly be seen pursuing along the road, stopping in vain.
Yao Wei drove straight out of Gaojiazhuang village, clearly intent on not stopping or lingering, just abandoning the place.
Lu Xi'an naturally understood, compared to the safety of their lives, an ego clash was trivial.
His aim wasn't good; there was no need to risk his life over a shot. Besides, if someone were to shoot Yao Wei's car tire, that would be a loss outweighing the gain.
"The next stop straight ahead is Wanhu Village... yet another Wanhu Village."
Lu Xi'an navigated for Yao Wei.
The name Wanhu Village seems common, probably indicative of ancient times when villagers gathered to make up ten thousand households, hence its name.
Reflecting on how this place, along with the one to the north in East Gate County, shared the name "Wanhu," yet now stands abandoned and desolate like this, the fragility of humans really is something to sigh over.
Driving ahead for another twenty-plus minutes brought them to Wanhu Village in this Fengcheng County.
As usual, Yao Wei drove through the village, confirming no one was there before stopping to explore target locations.
They didn't plan to explore the whole village. Earlier, as Yao Wei drove through, she'd already scanned the area; the houses were dilapidated, much more desolate than Gaojiazhuang.
No wonder people chose Gaojiazhuang as their base instead of here.
Among the houses, only one remained intact. Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei reckoned someone had already checked it, yet they decided to take a look anyway.
Yao Wei found a corridor nearby this house, where she parked the car slyly hidden, not easily spotted, with a clear access for escape in special circumstances, avoiding road blockade issues.
After parking, the pair equipped themselves and entered the house.
The house indeed had been searched before; walls collapsed, gates open, weeds overgrowing the yard, the front door of the lower floor knocked off, smashing the tiled floor.
Inside were a television and fridge; the fridge door open, entirely emptied, and bullet holes marked the door—evidence of past conflict.
Seeing this, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei hastened their search.
The previous vibrancy only indicated many had looked around before.
Many visitors naturally meant few if any good things left.
—Or perhaps nothing remained at all.
Unexpectedly, as they rifled through drawers and corners, Gou slid over to a floor tile in the corner, its eyes suddenly lit up with a flicker.