Chapter 387: Returning 17.

someone had placed medical supplies for anyone who

needed them.

A hand-painted board telling survivors where to find clean water.

The apocalypse had destroyed many things.

But it had not destroyed the human habit of leaving signs for the next

person.

Bai Li looked at the board as they passed.

"Someone is trying."

Yan Cijin looked too.

"Yes."

The motorcycle slowed at another intersection.

A few survivors were clearing broken glass from the road.

One of them recognized Yan Cijin first.

"Hey!"

Yan Cijin turned.

The woman waved enthusiastically.

"You’re back!"

"Yes."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

Bai Li glanced at Yan Cijin.

Neither needed to explain the golden fruits.

Yan Cijin answered simply, "We did."

The woman smiled.

"Good."

She pointed ahead.

"The apartment road is clear. We cleared it this morning."

Bai Li nodded.

"Thanks."

The woman looked at the motorcycle.

"And your bike survived too."

Bai Li smiled.

"It did."

One of the men clearing glass gave a thumbs-up.

"Nice ride."

Bai Li gave him a small nod.

They moved on.

Yan Cijin smiled behind her.

"You’re becoming famous for the bike."

"Apparently."

"Not for saving people."

"The bike is easier to recognize."

"Fair point."

The road bent toward the river.

A sudden gust of wind came across the water.

The motorcycle shifted slightly.

Bai Li corrected it immediately.

Yan Cijin’s hand touched her waist for balance.

"You okay?"

"Fine."

"Good."

A few seconds later Yan Cijin moved her hand away.

Neither mentioned the brief contact.

They did not need to.

A larger road opened ahead.

This one had more survivors.

Several people were carrying boxes from a warehouse.

Someone was repairing a generator.

Two others were digging through a pile of rubble.

The sight surprised Yan Cijin.

"There are more people here than I expected."

Bai Li nodded.

"That’s good."

"It almost looks like a settlement."

"Maybe it is becoming one."

They passed slowly.

A little boy standing beside the generator stared at them.

He pointed at the motorcycle.

"That’s cool!"

The adults laughed.

One man said, "Everyone says that."

The boy answered seriously, "Because it is."

Bai Li smiled.

She gave the throttle a tiny twist before moving away.

The engine answered with a deep growl.

The boy’s eyes widened.

Yan Cijin laughed.

"You did that on purpose."

"Maybe."

"Show-off."

"You already called me that."

"Because it keeps being true."

They continued.

A few streets later, the road became rough.

Several sections of pavement had been torn apart by roots from nearby

trees.

Bai Li avoided the deepest cracks.

The motorcycle bounced once.

Yan Cijin tightened her grip.

"This road is terrible."

"Still better than the mall."

"Everything is better than the mall."

Bai Li laughed.

"Except the fruit."

Yan Cijin became quiet for a second.

"True."

The five golden pomelos remained hidden in Bai Li’s storage.

Neither woman had examined them.

Neither had touched them again since leaving the mall.

They could wait.

The important thing was that they had made it this far.

The motorcycle moved over another damaged section.

Bai Li slowed, then accelerated.

A zombie emerged from behind a concrete barrier.

Yan Cijin lifted her revolver.

Bai Li looked at the creature.

"One."

"I can get it."

Bang.

The zombie dropped before it reached them.

Yan Cijin lowered the revolver.

"Easy."

"Very."

The road continued.

A second zombie appeared.

Bang.

Then a third.

Bai Li did not even slow.

The third fell behind them.

Yan Cijin smiled.

"We’re almost boring now."

"That’s a good thing."

"For once, I agree."

They rode on.

The river disappeared behind the buildings.

The streets became more familiar again.

Bai Li recognized a small bridge crossing a drainage channel.

She had passed it many times before everything changed.

Now the guardrail was broken on one side.

Someone had placed large concrete blocks there to prevent vehicles from

falling in.

A handwritten warning had been painted across one block.

SLOW.

Bai Li obeyed it.

The Ninja 400 crossed smoothly.

On the other side, a group of survivors were resting beneath an awning.

One of them raised a hand.

"You’re almost home!"

Bai Li looked at him.

"How do you know?"

He laughed.

"Everyone around here knows that bike."

Yan Cijin leaned toward Bai Li.

"I told you. Famous."

Bai Li sighed dramatically.

"I have no privacy anymore."

The survivors laughed.

Bai Li accelerated away.

Yan Cijin’s laughter followed the engine noise.

They rode for another minute without speaking.

The sound of the city returned around them.

Footsteps.

Distant voices.

A hammer striking metal.

Someone calling for water.

A dog barking somewhere behind a wall.

A generator humming.

The world was damaged.

But it was moving.

That mattered.

Bai Li looked ahead.

The tower of the Riverside Apartment was now visible above the nearby

buildings.

She recognized the upper floors.

Their home was somewhere high above the streets.

She felt the tiredness in her body more clearly now.

Yan Cijin seemed to feel it too.

"Do you think we should sleep for a whole day?"

Bai Li considered it.

"Maybe half a day."

"Half?"

"We have things to do."

Yan Cijin looked at her.

"You’re unbelievable."

"I’ll sleep if you order me to."

Yan Cijin blinked.

"You would?"

"Probably."

"Probably?"

Bai Li smiled.

"Depends how you ask."

Yan Cijin gave her a look.

"Don’t make me regret caring about you."

The words came out naturally.

Then silence.

Yan Cijin seemed to realize what she had said.

Bai Li looked at the road.

Neither woman mentioned it.

The motorcycle continued forward.

The moment passed quietly.

Not ignored.

Just left where it was.

That was how they handled many things between them.

They did not have names for every feeling.

They did not need them yet.

The apartment tower grew larger.

A few balconies near the upper floors had people standing outside.

One person waved when they saw the motorcycle.

Then another.

A third leaned over the railing.

Yan Cijin waved back.

"They saw us."

"Good."

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TO BE CONTINUED.