Chasing after the wild boar was a grueling task, and carrying back a boar weighing over a hundred pounds after climbing hills and crossing ridges naturally proved to be an even greater challenge. Luo Xingyu not only couldn't help but also turned out to be a significant drag.
It took Gao Yuan a good four hours before he finally returned to the refugee shelter with his catch and the Luo Xingyu he had picked up.
Luo Xingyu looked around Gao Yuan's shelter with a curious and amazed gaze.
It was a small village in the mountains, where the entire population had already relocated, thus rendering the places abandoned. However, the houses were all built using stone from the mountains, and even though they had been deserted for decades, the structures remained sound.
Gao Yuan's shelter was in one of these stone houses in the village, relatively intact and well-situated.
To Luo Xingyu, who had presumably lived in far worse conditions, the deserted stone house seemed like a mansion.
Even though it was small, a house with doors, windows, and a roof was a mansion to her, especially here in the Taihang Mountains where the winters could be extremely cold. She reasoned that the houses would definitely have heated brick beds, which, being a fixture, wouldn't have been moved or be likely to break despite the houses being abandoned.
So, of course, this was a mansion.
"Your house is really nice!"
"Yes, it's quite nice. The brick bed keeps it warm at night."
After admiring the house with envy, Luo Xingyu's gaze drifted back to the wild boar lying at Gao Yuan's feet.
"When do we eat meat?"
Luo Xingyu began to salivate.
"I know you're hungry right now, but there are some things I must make clear to you."
Gao Yuan seemed very serious, while Luo Xingyu appeared somewhat worried. She furrowed her brow and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let me listen to what you have to say first."
Gao Yuan said irritably, "I knew you would misunderstand. Can you have a bit of self-awareness? Maybe you should look at yourself in the mirror again?"
"You... never mind, just say it."
"We have no idea what the situation is like outside, nor do we know what will happen in the end. It's very possible that we'll stay in these mountains indefinitely, or we could all die very soon. I can take you in, but in order to live together for a long term, I need to establish some rules."
"Okay."
"I have a lot of supplies, some of which I'm willing to share with you, but you must not touch any supplies without permission, understand?"
"Understood, they are all yours, I promise not to harbor any ill intentions."
Gao Yuan shook his head, saying, "No, what I mean is that we need to have a plan for using anything, and I am the one to make the plans."
"Understood, that's reasonable, very reasonable."
In a low voice, Gao Yuan said, "I'm taking you in not to treat you like a slave, nor to mistreat you in any way, so you don't have to worry too much. However, if there is work to be done, you must do it. I don't want a slave, but I also don't want someone freeloading."
"Reasonable, very reasonable. You don't really need to specify that, I'm not stupid."
Gao Yuan smiled, saying, "Still, it's better to say it out loud, after all, kids your age tend to be spoiled."
"But one must face reality, right? Um, Uncle, can we eat now?"
Gao Yuan's face turned stern as he said, "How old are you?"
"I'll be 14 soon."
Gao Yuan took a deep breath, saying, "You still want to play games with me, huh?"
Luo Xingyu quickly replied, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, actually..."
"How old!"
"Eighteen, I'm a senior in high school."
Exhaling, Gao Yuan said, "Call me Brother, from now on I'm your brother. I'm only twenty-four this year, you think it's appropriate to call me Uncle?"
"Twenty-four? Doesn't seem like it... Brother! Is there anything to eat? I'm really starving!"
Gao Yuan rolled his eyes helplessly and said, "We have food, but our dinner is wild boar meat, because those supplies that can be preserved for the long-term cannot be eaten until it's absolutely necessary."
"Alright, that makes sense. So, what should we do now?"
"First thing is to skin this boar." As he spoke, Gao Yuan glanced at his watch, and upon seeing the time, he quickly added, "Wait, the butchering can wait."
Entering the house with Luo Xingyu's puzzled and expectant gaze following him, Gao Yuan fetched a large tin can, one that held compressed biscuits.
Upon opening the tin, he took out a radio.
Luo Xingyu's eyes widened immediately, and she became ecstatic in an instant.
Gao Yuan connected the shortwave radio to the outdoor antenna, then powered on the radio.
Luo Xingyu simply watched Gao Yuan, yet what Gao Yuan heard on the fixed frequency that he had to monitor was still just a burst of static.
Amidst the crackling sound, Luo Xingyu couldn't help but say, "That's the radio, right? Who are you trying to contact? Who can you contact?"
Gao Yuan didn't answer Luo Xingyu. He was merely holding the microphone while whispering as he pressed the transmit button, "This is Bladesmith, calling Pipe, calling Ham, can you hear me? Over."
Letting go of the microphone, there was still static, the perpetual static, the perpetual disappointment.
"This is Bladesmith, I'm at Camp One, the camp is in good condition, supplies are plentiful, I'm waiting for you here, if you hear this, you have to come find me, remember, we're meeting here."
Gao Yuan's voice was already choked up. He covered his mouth with his hand, took a moment to compose himself before continuing with a calm tone, "Today I saw a girl, the first person I've seen since entering the camp. I've brought her here to the camp. If there are any new developments, I will inform you, this transmission ends now, I'm Bladesmith, waiting for you at Camp One, over!"
Still static, after silently listening to the noise for a few minutes, Gao Yuan finally turned off the radio.
"Why did you stop calling? Is there nobody out there? Keep calling for a bit longer! Call others!"
Luo Xingyu appeared somewhat anxious, but Gao Yuan shook his head and said softly, "It's no use."
After disconnecting the outdoor antenna and putting the radio back into the metal can, Gao Yuan took out a tin biscuit box.
Luo Xingyu, somewhat impatient yet not daring to say too much, hesitated before whispering, "Maybe if you wait just a little longer, someone will hear it."
Without responding, Gao Yuan simply opened the biscuit box and then took out a walkie-talkie.
Upon turning on the walkie-talkie, a man's voice immediately came through, and Luo Xingyu instantly fell silent, listening intently.
"...The virus is a new type of virus mutated from rabies, capable of airborne transmission, highly pathogenic. If you were pre-vaccinated with the new rabies vaccine, you don't need to fear the rabies spreading through the air.
However, it is critical to understand that the virus carried by a person after developing rabies has mutated again, and the vaccine is ineffective against this new mutation. In other words, if bitten by a person with rabies, the vaccine will not work, so you must absolutely avoid being bitten, absolutely avoid any contact!
If you find a person exhibiting symptoms of rabies, protect yourself first, and you may take any measures to prevent being attacked. It is unfortunate, but those infected with the virus can no longer be considered human, whether they are your family, lover, friends, no matter who it is, if they begin to show symptoms, you must not make contact, you can only choose to flee or kill them. This is hard, but it's a matter of life for everyone, please be cautious.
Fellow citizens, the current situation is very dangerous and tough, but please have faith in our country, have faith in our soldiers, our military has launched a counterattack against the aliens. Whatever the outcome might be, to keep on living, we must unite and fight to the end!
Fellow citizens, this is not the end of the world, this is war! It's a war against the aliens, but even if our enemy comes from space, we will fight to the very end!
This is not doomsday! This is war! Let's unite and resist to the end.
Listeners, this broadcast is on repeat, whoever hears this broadcast, please make sure to spread the message.
We've been attacked, the aliens have released the virus, the virus is..."
There was no need to listen further, so Gao Yuan turned off the walkie-talkie.
Luo Xingyu's face was streaked with tears; she was no longer able to stand, slumping against the door frame and crumbling to the ground.
"Why did you stop listening?" Luo Xingyu sobbed, looking at Gao Yuan with a puzzled and angry expression, "Why did you stop? Didn't you hear? He said it's not the end of the world!"
"Two months, the same words have been repeating, always these same words, no change. If... there's no need to listen anymore."
Luo Xingyu sobbed, "If what?"
"If there had been any improvement, no, if there had been even the slightest change, the content of the broadcast would have changed. But it's still the first day of the virus outbreak message, so there's no point in listening any longer."
Luo Xingyu closed her eyes, and after a moment, she looked at Gao Yuan with a look of despair, "So it's all over, is that it? The virus was released by the aliens, and since the aliens could travel the vast distances to Earth, it means their technology far surpasses ours, so we're all going to die, it's all over, isn't it?"
Gao Yuan pondered for a moment, then spoke softly, "At least we're still alive."
"What's the point of living like this..."
Luo Xingyu's composure was relatively good considering all hope was shattered; not being hysterical meant she was quite resolute.
Of course, Luo Xingyu might have also completely lost hope; after being despaired so many times, numbness naturally follows.
Gao Yuan did not answer Luo Xingyu's question, he simply said softly, "Let's start butchering the pig, later we'll eat meat, pork stewed with cabbage."
Luo Xingyu immediately lifted her head; she looked at Gao Yuan and said earnestly, "Okay!"
As Gao Yuan reached out his hand, Luo Xingyu grabbed it. She was quite weak, having walked a great distance and feeling drained from the emotional turmoil, and now she struggled to get up even with Gao Yuan's help.
After standing up, Luo Xingyu looked at Gao Yuan seriously, "Can I ask you a question? Why do you have a radio and a walkie-talkie that can still be used?"
Luo Xingyu had posed a very critical question.
Gao Yuan answered seriously, "I'm a survivalist, so I have a radio, and I've always kept the radio in a Faraday cage, that's why it still works."
As a high school student, Luo Xingyu naturally understood what a Faraday cage meant.
Now Luo Xingyu's eyes shone brighter; trembling, she said, "Then you must have a mobile phone, right?"
Gao Yuan nodded and said in a serious tone, "I have a mobile phone, and it works."