Chapter 381 - 181: Moving Forward

Chapter 381: Chapter 181: Moving Forward

About twenty minutes later, Old Chen came back to the RV.

"Come on. I’ll take you to see the vehicle."

Xu Mo nodded and followed him through the camp.

People bustled about the camp, and a few children were running back and forth between several scrapped trucks, their laughter echoing in the air.

Old Chen noticed Xu Mo’s gaze and glanced at the children as well.

"There are twenty-three of them in total," Old Chen said wistfully. "Only seven still have both parents. The rest are either orphans or have only a single relative left."

"Mm," Xu Mo acknowledged with a nod.

The two of them kept walking, passing several rows of trucks until they reached a black SUV.

The SUV was covered in a thin layer of dust, but through it, he could see that the original paint job was well-maintained. Its body had aggressive lines and a high chassis.

Two young men were next to the vehicle. One was lying underneath, checking its condition, while the other was loading things into the trunk.

"See what you think," Old Chen said, smiling at Xu Mo from beside the SUV.

Xu Mo walked a lap around the vehicle. It was large, standing much taller than a standard SUV, with a ground clearance of at least thirty to forty centimeters. The tire treads were deep and the wear wasn’t too severe; he estimated it could probably last for another ten to twenty thousand kilometers.

"This is a good vehicle," Xu Mo said with a satisfied nod.

"The roads are rough in the apocalypse," Old Chen explained. "A sedan’s chassis is too low; they get stuck on bad roads. We learned that the hard way. We lost several cars because they got stuck in ruts, couldn’t move, and were swarmed by zombies."

As Old Chen spoke, his tone was tinged with sorrow, clearly recalling some unpleasant memories.

"SUVs are more practical," Old Chen continued. "They can handle most road conditions, at least. We found this one in an abandoned convoy. The original owner must’ve been an off-roading enthusiast; it’s been modified. The chassis is reinforced, and the fuel tank was expanded."

Xu Mo pulled open the driver’s side door and leaned in to take a look.

The interior was reasonably clean, and the numbers on the dashboard were clearly visible. He turned the key, and the engine started with a low rumble. It ran smoothly, with no odd noises, and sounded like it had been well-maintained.

It seemed they had already filled the tank, as the fuel gauge read full.

Xu Mo checked a few other functions and nodded in satisfaction.

After a moment, Xu Mo suddenly remembered something.

"My powered paraglider is still in Bingbing’s vehicle."

Old Chen froze for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Don’t worry, we already put it in the trunk for you."

Xu Mo glanced at the trunk. The orange paraglider bag was already there; he just hadn’t noticed it before because it was hidden behind some supplies.

"Bingbing brought it over just a little while ago," Old Chen said.

"Thank you."

"Don’t mention it." Old Chen waved a hand dismissively. "You saved my people. It’s the least we could do."

Xu Mo did another walk-around, and after confirming there were no other issues, he closed the door.

Just then, Old Chen took two things out of his pocket—a folded piece of paper and a flash drive.

"Here’s what you asked for." Old Chen handed the two items to Xu Mo. "The paper is a written statement from me, with my signature and thumbprint. The flash drive has some video files on it, recorded on a phone by someone around the time Ming Pearl Port fell."

"Thank you, Leader Chen." Xu Mo took the items and nodded solemnly.

"Don’t thank me," Old Chen said. "This stuff is no use to me. If you hand it over to your people in Jiang City, maybe it’ll do some good."

After handing the items to Xu Mo, he added, "Be careful with that flash drive. I’ve seen what’s on it. Some of the footage... is pretty grim."

Xu Mo understood what he meant. He secured the flash drive and the paper in an inner pocket.

After another ten minutes or so, the two young men finally finished their work. One of them climbed out of the back, dusted off his hands, and walked over carrying two metal cans.

They were standard military-issue jerry cans, each marked with "25L". They were covered in oil stains and looked like they had seen a lot of use.

"All set." The young man put the jerry cans in the back and clapped his hands.

Xu Mo nodded and started loading his own gear into the SUV.

Once everything was packed away, Xu Mo closed the door and turned to Old Chen.

"Well, I won’t keep you any longer."

Old Chen looked surprised. "What’s the rush? Why not stay and rest for a day? It’s almost noon. Leaving tomorrow wouldn’t be too late."

Xu Mo smiled. "It’s still early. I can make some good distance. I’ve been delayed too long already. Every bit of time I can make up helps."

Old Chen watched Xu Mo in silence for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Alright then, I won’t keep you." He held out his hand. "Take care."

Xu Mo shook his hand. "Take care."

Their hands clasped. Old Chen’s was rough and calloused, the result of years of holding a gun and doing hard labor.

After the handshake, Xu Mo opened the door and got into the SUV. The black vehicle slowly pulled out of the camp, heading southeast.

In the rearview mirror, Xu Mo could see Old Chen still standing there. His figure grew smaller and smaller, eventually blending in with the other vehicles until he was impossible to make out. The entirety of Nomad’s House shrank in Xu Mo’s view, becoming a tiny black speck on the horizon.

Xu Mo pulled his gaze away from the mirror and kept driving.

...

The SUV sped across the wasteland, its wheels bouncing over the cratered ground and kicking up a long plume of dust.

As he drove, Xu Mo thought about what had just happened. He could sense that Old Chen didn’t welcome him.