Chen Xu sat by the river for more than an hour, and his eyes grew tired from watching. The five bobbers on the water didn't move at all, not even a single fish, not even a tiny shrimp in sight.
"It looks like the fish in the river, like other animals, have all disappeared."
He was a bit disappointed. Originally, he thought he could catch some fish to eat fresh fish meat. As expected, this route didn't work.
Having stayed here for a month, he discovered many illogical things about this world.
For example, all the living animals had disappeared, from dogs, to cats, chickens, ducks, geese, fish, shrimp, and even rats... none to be found.
No matter if it was at the supermarket, food market, pet store, aquarium, or even the zoo, no living animals could be found.
So far, the only living creatures he discovered were mosquitoes and flies.
Clearly, these animals had disappeared into thin air, just like other humans.
The second illogical thing was that everywhere on the road were cellphones and wallets, bags, and other such items left behind after humans disappeared. But oddly enough, he'd never seen any clothes.
That is, clothes disappeared with them.
Why did clothes disappear with them, yet cellphones and wallets remained?
Just a little thought is enough to notice the anomalies of this world.
Chen Xu thought this must be intentionally designed this way, meant to remind him that this was a dream, preventing him from losing himself completely in the dream.
He checked the time; it was almost five o'clock. He packed up his things, got into the car, and hurried in the direction of the base camp.
Driving not far, when passing an intersection, he habitually glanced to the right, a region he hadn't yet explored.
He vaguely remembered that there seemed to be a subway entrance here.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw several unusual vehicles and instinctively hit the brakes.
They were several black SUVs, with the words "SWAT" painted in white on the body.
This month, he focused mainly on renovating his living space; the area he explored was not large. It was the first time he'd seen such vehicles.
Not sure if the SWAT vehicles parked here were on duty.
He was very curious, got out of the car, and walked over. Peeking into the deeply tinted windows, he saw something inside. His eyes lit up; there were indeed guns inside.
He tugged the door handle; it was locked.
From his backpack, he took out a glass-cutter, used it on the window a few times, easily making a hole, reached inside, and managed to open the car door. He took the guns from inside.
From the three vehicles, he found nine handguns, nine rifles, and quite a bit of ammunition.
He was very excited; hardly any man doesn't love playing with guns, though it was impossible to have contact with them before. Now, finally, he could satisfy his craving.
He found an empty suitcase, packed the guns and ammo into it, planning to study them carefully after returning.
Just zipped up the suitcase when suddenly he heard a loud bang behind him.
He jolted, whipped around.
For the past month, he had gotten used to the silence of this world. The sudden unexpected noise brought him indescribable shock.
He saw on the main road opposite him, a black Hummer had crashed into several cars, the hood continuously emitting smoke.
Screech—
An overturned orange car slowly tipped over, making a teeth-grinding metallic twisting sound.
Chen Xu suddenly dropped what he was holding and rushed toward the black Hummer disregarding everything.
Although he didn't know where the car came from, the fact that it moved proved there was someone inside.
In this desolate world, he had survived for a month, each day waiting for the person who should have appeared long ago to appear before him. And he waited a full month.
He always thought he could withstand loneliness; now, he realized he was wrong.
Humans are social animals. When the entire world has only one person left, it is tougher than imagined.
Daytime was tolerable; when night fell, and darkness surrounded outside, the loneliness and solitude were unbearable. At such times, he desperately wished he had someone to talk to.
To find Luo Xiyun, he tried many methods, set off fireworks, shone powerful searchlights, broadcasted radio signals. But she never showed up.
A month passed; he had given up hope. He figured she must have left the city. The world is so big, where would he find anyone?
Thank heavens, at this moment, she finally appeared.
At this moment, Chen Xu was beside himself with joy.
In a sprint, he covered the several dozen meters distance.
The Hummer's front was somewhat deformed; through the shattered windshield, he could see inside—a woman lay motionless over the steering wheel, only the back of her head visible.
Chen Xu's heart sank, hoping she wasn't dead.
"Are you okay, hey, hey—"
He shouted loudly while trying to pull the car door, but it didn't budge; it was locked.
The woman inside the car moved her head slightly upon hearing the noise.
Seeing her respond, Chen Xu was delighted and called out, "Don't move. I'll get you out right away."
After saying this, he ran back.
The Hummer's windows were completely shut. He had tried before; the car's windows were very sturdy, hard to break open without proper tools.
In just a few strides, he was back to the truck, where he found a box under the passenger seat. From it, he retrieved a glass cutter and rushed back.
Using the glass cutter, he opened the passenger side window and got the door open. Half carrying half dragging her, he finally got the woman out of the car.
It was her!
When Chen Xu carried her out, her head drooped down; it was indeed Luo Xiyun.
Her forehead was covered with alarming blood stains. He hurried to the roadside, laid her down, and began to check her injuries.
Her eyes were tightly shut, thoroughly immersed in unconsciousness.
Chen Xu checked her briefly; all over her body, only her forehead had a wound.
He wasn't a doctor and didn't know how serious her injury was. Luckily, her breathing was calm, her body temperature and heartbeat relatively normal, relieving him a bit.
Confirming she wasn't in immediate danger, Chen Xu carried her into the car and returned to the base camp.
On the way back, he drove slowly, fearing too much shaking would worsen her injury.
Back at the base camp, Chen Xu carried Luo Xiyun into his room, laid her on his bed, cleaned the blood from her face with a clean towel, then treated, disinfected, and bandaged her wound.
"I hope you get well soon."
Chen Xu thought. After being busy for a long time, his stomach began to growl. Glancing at the time, it was already past seven. He took another look at Luo Xiyun lying on the bed and gently closed the door.