"Hey! Are you getting in or not?"
Lu Muyang shouted impatiently at Xie Qi. He simply couldn't stand Xie Qi's finicky attitude. This was the apocalypse, after all—how could anyone still be such an extreme germaphobe?
Ever since they had decided to head back, Xie Qi had stood stubbornly in front of the car, refusing to get in. And his reason? He thought their vehicle was too dirty! If his older brother Lu Ze hadn't stopped him, Lu Muyang would have slammed on the gas and left him behind.
At that moment, Xie Qi looked at everyone inside the car with an apologetic expression and explained, "I'm sorry. I mentioned to you before that I have severe germaphobia. I really didn't mean to look down on you guys, it's just that I simply can't get past this mental hurdle..."
Sitting in the back seat of the off-road vehicle, Lu Ze watched Xie Qi's conflicted expression and shifted aside, his heart softening.
Right after that, he activated his water-grade ability, and a crystal-clear sphere of water instantly appeared before their eyes.
Lu Ze skillfully manipulated the sphere, making it tightly wrap around the seat beside him. Before long, the once transparent sphere of water became completely murky.
With a casual wave of his hand, Lu Ze tossed the dirty sphere of water out the window, then placed his hand over the damp seat and channeled his fire-grade ability.
A moment later, the remaining moisture on the seat rapidly evaporated, leaving it as if nothing had ever happened.
When he finished, Lu Ze looked up at Xie Qi and said softly, "Alright, it's ready now."
Xie Qi never expected Lu Ze to accommodate his quirk to this extent! A wave of indescribable emotion and surprise surged in his heart.
At that moment, Lu Ze appeared even more dazzling in his eyes, radiating a unique charm from head to toe.
"Captain, you're too good to me. I don't even know how to repay you," Xie Qi said gratefully as he quickly climbed inside.
Sitting nearby, Yu Tian chimed in with a tease, "This is the first time I've ever seen the captain treat someone like this. If you ask me, you might as well offer yourself to him in return, hahaha..." Before he could finish, he burst out laughing.
However, his laughter cut off halfway when he noticed the bizarre and dead silence in the surrounding atmosphere.
Yu Tian looked at the sharp gazes cast by the others, his throat feeling dry as he nervously swallowed.
At that instant, Lu Muyang glared at Xie Qi, pointing a finger directly at him, and warned in a threatening tone, "I'm warning you, don't you dare have any ideas about my brother!"
"Muyang, just drive properly." Lu Ze frowned slightly, speaking in a calm tone before leaning back against the seat and closing his eyes tightly, as if he didn't want to say another word.
Seeing this, though reluctant, Lu Muyang let out a resentful cold snort, turned his head back, and focused entirely on speeding the car forward.
Xie Qi glanced at Lu Ze beside him, a relaxed and pleased expression on his face, not taking Yu Tian's joke to heart at all.
Imitating Lu Ze, he leaned against the backrest, gently closed his eyes, and started a conversation with 948 in his mind: "Where is that transmigrator right now?"
948's voice replied promptly, "He's inside the base you're heading back to. What's more, using the experimental materials Professor Xie left behind in the research institute, he has become an important researcher there."
Hearing this, Xie Qi gained a deeper appreciation for the transmigrator's shamelessness. Yet, since a direct confrontation was impossible for now, he would just have to figure out a way to deal with him properly once they reached the base.
With that, the group set off on their return journey. The tires spun rapidly, emitting a harsh roar, shooting forward like a released arrow across the rugged, dust- and gravel-strewn highway.
The route was dead silent, accompanied only by endless wasteland and abandoned buildings. Occasionally, a few fierce-looking, rotting zombies would stagger out from the roadside, trying to block the vehicle's advance.
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Song Chen agilely picked up his weapon and resolutely opened fire on the approaching zombies. Lu Muyang gripped the steering wheel tightly, concentrating entirely on driving without a single moment of laxity.
For a few days, the group pushed forward with difficulty through this zombie-filled world.
Over these short days together, they gained a much deeper understanding and awareness of Xie Qi's extreme germaphobia.
Every time the vehicle stopped for a break, Xie Qi would eagerly drag their captain away from the others and into a room.
If they didn't know what the two of them went inside to do, just seeing Xie Qi look so impatient the moment he stepped out of the car would probably make everyone mistakenly think they were sneaking off to do something unspeakable.
After all, who would have thought that Xie Qi was merely dragging the captain into a room to shower and change clothes just because he couldn't stand the filthy environment outside? This level of cleanliness obsession truly left the others baffled.
Right then, as their convoy was speeding down the highway, Lu Ze looked at Xie Qi, who was leaning against his shoulder, and asked softly with a face full of concern, "Are you alright? Do you want to stop and rest?"
Yet, Xie Qi simply replied indifferently, "I'm fine. Keep going."
His tone was calm enough to make people somewhat uneasy, as if these abnormal symptoms had little effect on him. However, only those traveling alongside him knew that things were far from that simple.
Xie Qi's germaphobia had reached a point where people couldn't simply ignore it anymore. Every unintentional touch had the potential to trigger deep anxiety and unease within him.
Even Lu Muyang, sitting right beside Lu Ze, no longer mocked, teased, or made sarcastic remarks about Xie Qi like he used to.
At that moment, Yu Tian, who was driving, suddenly shouted, alerting Lu Ze: "Captain, we're almost out of gas!"
Hearing this, Lu Ze's heart tightened as he asked, "How much longer can we last?"
"Another half-hour at most. But I remember there's a gas station nearby. Should we go try our luck?"
Gazing at the desolate, ruined post-apocalyptic scenery outside the window, Lu Ze nodded helplessly.
At last, the car came to a halt on the barren road, and they cautiously approached the abandoned gas station.
The group, who had prepared to return empty-handed, found a pleasant surprise inside the station. There were actually several barrels of gasoline sitting right there.
"Brother, there really is gas here." Lu Muyang looked at Lu Ze with absolute disbelief.
Frowning deeply, Lu Ze told them, "Make it quick."
Ever since entering this area, Lu Ze had harbored an inexplicable sense of unease. The entire environment was permeated with a bizarre atmosphere, making him feel that things were far from as simple as they appeared on the surface.
Logically speaking, after enduring the apocalypse for so long, this place should have been thoroughly scavenged ages ago.
While keeping a vigilant eye on his surroundings, Lu Ze coordinated closely with his teammates, moving with agility to gather usable gasoline. On the other side, Lu Muyang carefully stashed the collected supplies into his spatial storage.
Just as everyone was busy and focused, Lu Ze caught a glimpse of Xie Qi sprinting toward them out of the corner of his eye.