"This is KLKB. We provide food and shelter to all nearby living survivors. If you hear this broadcast, come here!"
"So there really are survivors… Should we go check it out?" Jill asked with a smile, looking at the radio station she had just set up.
After five days of long travel, they had finally reached Salt Lake City. Jill's hands had mostly recovered.
Though there were still a few ugly scars on her arms, it was a blessing that there were no lasting consequences.
She truly lived up to her reputation as a post-apocalypse survival expert. After dismantling a few cars, she had built a makeshift radio station and even reinforced and lightly modified the bus they were traveling in.
Along the way, they had come across several usable cars. But after weighing the pros and cons, Li Qingyuan thought it was still better to stick with the bus.
Sedans had limited capacity—they couldn't carry much.
If possible, getting a motorhome would have been ideal.
Then he could drive around with Jill: sightseeing during the day, and at night… well, let's just say the big bed in the motorhome would offer plenty of private time. Turning the zombie apocalypse into a traveling adventure wasn't a bad idea.
But unfortunately, they hadn't spotted a single motorhome so far.
"KLKB? What kind of place is that?" Li Qingyuan recalled the story and realized it seemed to be the opening of Resident Evil 3.
"KLKB is a car manufacturing chain, about sixty kilometers from here," Jill said, checking the map to confirm the location.
"Perfect! Then we can find a nice motorhome. That way, you won't have to keep complaining about your back at night!" Li Qingyuan's interest immediately peaked. He had originally planned to ignore the gang, but finding out that their base was an auto factory changed his mind entirely.
Talk about luck!
The bus seats were fine for sleeping, but anything else… would be uncomfortable.
"Ugh, just drive your bus properly!" Jill muttered helplessly. This guy was such a pervert.
She had thought her own physical fitness was excellent, but after meeting Li Qingyuan, she realized there was always someone stronger. Her legs were weak just from keeping up with him.
Sixty kilometers wasn't far by car. After a few hours of joking and messing around, they arrived at the gates of KLKB.
The American West was already largely desert. The T-virus had destroyed most of the vegetation, worsening desertification.
The car factory stood in the vast sand, looking rundown and desolate.
"So there really is a survivor base here," Jill said, seeing the massive SOS sign hanging over the factory gates. Her mood lifted.
"You seem happy?" Li Qingyuan asked curiously as he parked the bus.
"This proves there's still hope in the world. Look—they're still recruiting survivors. These people must be good," Jill said, a radiant smile spreading across her face.
"Not to burst your bubble, but I hope you're able to smile after we deal with this," Li Qingyuan said, lifting his suitcase with one hand while helping her down from the bus with the other.
"Newcomers, huh!" A few burly men heard the parking and came out with weapons in hand.
These men were all disheveled, reeking of alcohol. Considering their build and expressions, in normal times they'd probably be regulars in prison.
But in the apocalypse, only people like this survived.
"We want to… order a motorhome. Do you have any in stock?" Li Qingyuan shouted from outside the iron fence separating them from the gang.
"Buy a car, my ass… wait, you want a vehicle? Come on in then!" The initially irate thug's tone changed immediately when he saw Jill.
This girl was far more attractive than any of the women locked inside. Her looks, her figure… a true star if it had been a year ago.
"You want a car? I'll show you!" The men hurriedly moved the gate and grinned maliciously.
Jill tightly held Li Qingyuan's hand. Though she had been excited to see a survivor base, her instincts—honed by years of survival—told her something was wrong.
Li Qingyuan patted her hand lightly. He already knew what kind of place this was.
The apocalypse tested the human heart. In such times, all law and morality vanished. Some heroes would emerge, but far more were the bottom-feeders who had abandoned all sense of decency.
Seeing their prey walk into the trap, the men quickly blocked the exit and looked at the two of them with evil smiles.
"God must have blessed us, sending such a beautiful girl since the other women weren't up to it!"
"Kid, for sending us this girl, as long as you behave, I won't kill you!" The lead thug, with golden teeth, strode toward them, reaching to grab Jill under her shoulder.
"See? Not one of these people is good!" Li Qingyuan stepped across, putting Jill safely behind him, and slapped the thug's hand away. He shook his head.
"Fine, I give up!" Jill shrugged helplessly. Even with several guns aimed at them, she showed no fear.
After all, the man in front of her was reliable.
"You bastard, are you trying to die?!" The golden-toothed thug roared in anger at being scorned.
Since few survivors remained in the repair factory after their previous partying, he had initially planned to make Li Qingyuan do chores. But he hadn't expected the man to dare defy him. There was no need to keep him alive.
"Kill him, but don't hurt the girl!"
"I knew it," Li Qingyuan sighed. Before the men could pull the trigger, he snapped his fingers.
You have to admit, the trick he learned from Director Mie looked quite impressive in action.
With the snap, the crowd surrounding them exploded outward, collapsing in a flower-like pattern.
"What's going on? What happened?" The previously drunk thug broke into a cold sweat, feeling the wind chill him.
Where were his men?
Hearing explosions from outside, several more people rushed out of the building.
The auto factory, with its sturdy walls and internal generators, had become a survivor base after the disaster.
But eventually, it was taken over by a gang. They killed the original organizers and turned the base into a feeding ground for the strong.
They even broadcast false messages daily, luring unsuspecting survivors straight into their trap.
(End of Chapter)