Chapter 661: Clues
"Thank you!"
Hong Yu gently said thank you to the slowly departing bus and then carefully tucked the game console into his coat pocket.
Afraid of losing it, Hong Yu zipped up the pocket.
This was his first item for entertainment, it’s not a good-looking eraser nor a bottle of high-quality ink.
He can set aside ten minutes a day to play games from now on.
Feeling a bit guilty about playing games, Hong Yu immediately decided to sleep half an hour less each day and do a few more practice tests to calm his nerves.
Only this way could he offset the indulgence of playing games.
Inside the bus.
The Water Python and Qin Yuan had already climbed onto Bai Xiqin’s shoulders.
The Water Python, with its white jade-like little snake face, bore a hint of embarrassment, its small tail covering its face, somewhat ashamed to meet its master.
Qin Yuan, with a face like a hornet’s, also felt uneasy, using its transparent wings to shield its face — which was as useless as not covering it.
Shameful.
Failed to find the person they were tasked to find.
Only managed to locate the area where he recently disappeared.
The two little creatures felt a bit frustrated and thus weren’t particularly lively, occasionally pointing out directions to Bai Yifan.
Heading to where the Base Commander last appeared.
The route followed was the same path the Base Commander took after leaving the Yunhua Safety Base.
Bai Yifan and Leng Yebai stood next to the windows on either side, carefully observing the scenery outside.
Actually, there wasn’t anything particularly special.
The sun had risen, its scorching rays casting over the cracked earth, extracting moisture from the soil.
Water resources were becoming increasingly scarce.
Many water sources were polluted by the zombie virus; people dared not drink from open rivers and streams for fear of accidentally contracting the virus.
Big bases like Yunhua Safety Base could manage because there were quite a few Water Ability Users and Ice Ability Users to help cool things down.
In smaller safe bases, perhaps the entire safety base didn’t have a single Water Ability User, so to drink water, it’d require endless searching for water sources.
Unpolluted water sources are always scarce and are occupied by strong forces. To reliably obtain clean water, one must use crystal cores to purchase it.
Another round of exploitation.
No matter the time, there are always those who figure out ways to profit.
The road traveled was a bit bumpy due to uneven surfaces, and the bus kept shaking.
If you look carefully at the road surface, you’ll see that because the ground is dry and there’s usually no water sprayed for maintenance, the asphalt has already disintegrated; no one knows if the road ahead is passable.
Even Bai Yifan, who loves speeding, tapped the brakes several times, inching towards the direction pointed out by Qin Yuan’s little beasts.
Afraid of overturning the bus.
The journey was surprisingly peaceful, occasionally encountering a few ordinary zombies which met their end at the bus’s bumper.
"Sis, why is the ground so dry, yet the roadside flowers, grass, and trees grow so lush? Don’t they need water?"
Bai Yifan muttered, somewhat puzzled by the surroundings, inwardly complaining.
These wild grasses are truly resilient; he recalled that in the past, such green plants would wilt and dry under the sun’s exposure.
Now they don’t seem lacking in water at all?
Bai Xiqin’s eyes slightly squinted, "That means they aren’t short of water."
Bai Yifan: ???
Didn’t understand.
Bai Xiqin slightly moved her fingers, stretching out her hand from the window, her fingertips adorned with faint frost.
The frost didn’t melt under the sun, appearing like tiny sparkling fragments.
Frost tilted out from Bai Xiqin’s palm, falling directly to the ground, then merging into the dry asphalt.
Bai Xiqin closed her eyes, carefully sensing the surrounding water molecules.
The essence of ice is water; her control over water wasn’t as strong as over ice, and what she cast was an ice seed, even colder than ice, containing more Ice Ability energy.
Though it was merely scintillating frost, once on the ground, the temperature did not rise as high as before, a faint mist puffed up along the surface.
It seemed the temperature rapidly dropped to the extreme.
"There’s an underground river right below, coinciding with the route we’re on, we’re essentially walking over the river," Bai Xiqin slowly opened her eyes, revealing her findings.
Due to the recent lack of rain and extremely hot temperatures, the surface appeared very dry, where a pinch of land turned to dust.
The surrounding plants weren’t the same as before, their resilience had grown stronger, their roots more developed.
Even if their roots couldn’t reach the underground river, they could absorb the slight water molecules below.
Just a little bit is enough for them to flourish.
Whether by coincidence or not, the Base Commander’s path aligned with the direction of the underground river.
"So that’s how it is."
Bai Yifan didn’t bother with these details, seeing that the upcoming road remained uneven and continued driving slowly, suppressing the urge to speed up.
"What do you think the Base Commander is off to do?"
Bai Xiqin asked Leng Yebai, who had been silent and reticent all along.
Leng Yebai hadn’t spoken since the start; he didn’t like talking just like before.
Yet Bai Xiqin could sense a faint feeling of loss emanating from him.
"No idea."
Leng Yebai lightly shook his head, took two steps toward Bai Xiqin, slightly leaned his body toward her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
It seemed only by relying on Bai Xiqin he wouldn’t feel like he has nothing, whereas he possesses an unparalleled wealth others don’t.
Life in the orphanage was too lonely, and adulthood didn’t bring happiness, no family, no friends.
With Xiao Niu around, he wasn’t as lonely, he had family.
Later, meeting the Base Commander who claimed to be his father, Leng Yebai felt this world hadn’t abandoned him, as things were still quite decent.
Bitterness before sweetness, perhaps that’s what it’s like.
Gaining, brings the fear of losing.
He’s afraid of losing Xiao Niu, afraid of losing his hard-won family, and afraid of losing the father he just met...
"Don’t worry, the Base Commander is so strong, he will definitely come back," Bai Xiqin comforted.
"Whether he returns doesn’t matter, just don’t lose yourself!"
Leng Yebai still finds the mood to banter.
Bai Xiqin noticed that Leng Yebai’s fingers slightly trembled as he spoke.
"Say it when the Base Commander is around; if you say it now, he won’t hear or be annoyed."
Bai Xiqin grasped Leng Yebai’s fingers gently.
Signifying that he could now express his dissatisfaction and sadness openly.
After all, the Base Commander couldn’t see it, it’s not embarrassing.
Leng Yebai pursed his thin lips, his face somewhat aggrieved, "Can’t you at least relay this to him?"
He might manage as much manly courage as able, yet what’s man’s bravery without sentiment!
He couldn’t just see the Base Commander and throw his arms around him, murmuring a string of sappy nonsense, right?
Wouldn’t that make living impossible!
"Mhm! I’ll definitely tell him when I meet the Base Commander; surely, it’ll annoy him!"
Bai Xiqin nodded obediently, nearly pulling out her notebook to jot things down.
Leng Yebai glimpsing Bai Xiqin’s appearance, gave an amused and slightly exasperated chuckle, wanting to flick her forehead but hesitated to exert strength, merely touching her forehead lightly with his thumb.
"Don’t upset him too much; otherwise, it’ll be hard to ask for more dowry!" Leng Yebai quipped.
Bai Xiqin: ...
He’s got a point!