Helping each other with countless me.

Chapter 524: The Collapse of Rituals and Music
"Are you leaving here? Do you have somewhere to go? Can I go with you?"

After a moment of contemplation, the girl suddenly posed three soul-searching questions.

This caught Li Zhongren somewhat off guard.

"Why do you want to follow me?"

As he spoke, Li Zhongren threw a piece of wood into the campfire, and the crackling flames immediately leaped up.

It made this somewhat chilly night a little more comfortable.

"My mother told me that it's hard to find someone you can trust in this world, and if I do, I must hold on tight."

As she spoke, the girl sat up straight.

"I'm very good at fighting. Apart from being a big eater, I have no other problems!"

"That's right, that's the problem. You're a great fighter, so why do you want to follow another person? Wouldn't that be a burden?"

"Because you're amazing too."

"Oh? How did you know?"

"I felt that the reason I was able to escape from the city was because of this feeling, but it was too fast at the time, and by the time I felt it, it was already too late."

"Similar to spider-sense?"

Li Zhongren remained silent, but thought to himself that this was the thought.

“I don’t mind following me, it would be good to have someone to talk to. But I don’t know where to go, and I’m completely clueless about this world.”

"Then think of a goal. What do you want to do?"

"Target."

Li Zhongren looked at the silent night sky and the silent city.

"Living quietly, occasionally interacting with human society, exchanging some goods or something, that's probably what life is like."

"By the way, it would be best if you could sit in a rocking chair and watch the rain outside or something."

“Although I don’t know why you’re looking at the rain, if that’s the case, then your goal must be to build your own safe house within the area of ​​a certain camp. I know the location of most of the camps in this area, and I can give you directions.”

"But before that, I'd like to ask, what is your approach to conflict resolution?"

The girl paused for a moment and then asked.

"Please answer carefully, as this will determine which camp we are choosing to be near."

"I will not attack unless attacked; if attacked, I will exterminate their entire family."

Li Zhongren offered his own explanation.

"Hehe, you're serious. Then it seems you're really strong. In that case, we can choose this place as your safe house area."

As she spoke, the girl pulled a map out of her tattered clothes.

The map is covered with scribbling, circles, and text.

Clearly, these are areas that she and her parents documented and explored.

"This is the largest settlement in the area, protected by high walls. It has a full range of workshops, but the order is also very chaotic. The people living here are exploited severely, and all resources outside the camp are plundered in a plundering manner."

"However, if you are strong enough, you can exchange for anything you want here."

"Then here."

Li Zhongren stretched.

"By the way, what's your name? My name is Li Zhongren."

Li Zhongren

The girl repeated the name, intending to remember it firmly. This was the first person she had met in this world, besides her parents, who had shown her no malice whatsoever. Her perception was quite accurate, which was why she insisted on staying by Li Zhongren's side.

"My name is Yi Yi, the 'one' in 'one two three four'."

"What about the last name?"

"I don't have a surname."

The girl shrugged.

“My parents never say their surnames. I don’t even know my parents’ first names. I’m the only one in the whole family who has a name.”

"This"

Li Zhongren shrugged.

"Alright, go to sleep early, Yi Yi. If you're recovering well tomorrow, we'll continue our journey. After all, there aren't many supplies left here."
-
It's early morning and the sun is shining brightly.

Incredibly, Yi Yi's foot healed.

After eating enough food, including about three pounds of chocolate that had expired some time ago, the girl's feet not only stopped swelling, but the wounds had also healed.

In a world like this, this recovery speed is already considered a very powerful ability.

So, with Yi Yi leading the way and Li Zhongren following behind, the two embarked on their journey.

"So, shall we go straight to the camp?"

"Do not."

They all shook their heads.

"I want to take a shower first."

Is there a water source nearby?

"I guess so. I found one, but it was a little dangerous. Of course, I meant when I was injured. Now that I'm healed, it shouldn't be dangerous anymore."

The two walked and stopped for about an hour, finally stopping near a sewer manhole.

"Let's go down, right here."

With that, Yi Yi jumped down first.

Li Zhongren followed closely behind.

Let's ignore the narrowness of the entrance.

Below was a huge collapsed space.

This resulted in a pool of water forming below.

Moreover, what he cared about most about this pool was that the water was running.

After analyzing the system's analytical methods, it was found that the water here is pure, natural, unpolluted, and exceptionally clean.

"Pfft."

Then, the girl jumped directly into the lake and began to wash herself. She did not shy away from Li Zhongren at all during the whole process. As for Li Zhongren himself, he did not pretend to be serious. If others did not care, why should he care?

"Oh!"

Finally, when Yi Yi untied her chest binder, two splashes of water immediately appeared.

"This is unexpectedly interesting."

Li Zhongren thought to himself that this was the thought.

Aren't you going to wash it?

In the water, they all turned their heads and looked at Li Zhongren.

At this moment, she seemed to be the woman in the bathing painting.

Her fair skin and smooth hair were almost unbelievable, since Yi Yi hadn't used any shampoo or anything like that. Li Zhongren could only say that it was pure talent, and it was very likely related to her abilities.

Perhaps it was the dirt on her body that dissolved upon contact with water?

"Being not."

Li Zhongren waved his hand, saying he didn't have that ability. Simply washing with water wouldn't get him very clean. He planned to buy some different shampoos before considering taking a bath.

What danger are you referring to?

"On the way back."

They emerged from the pool one by one, twisting their bodies from side to side, just like hairy mammals emerging from the water, instantly shaking off all the water.

"Near this entrance lives a werewolf. It usually hides in the nearby buildings, waiting to ambush people when they come out of this well."

"Werewolf?"

"A mutated organism."

He explained each point in detail.

"Human bodies, wolf-like features—my father told me these monsters seem to be the result of experiments in some kind of laboratory." "So, should I intervene?"

"Need not."

She wrapped her corset around her neck as if no one else was around, then draped her tattered clothes over her body, and finally drew the short knife from her waist.

“My dad said that when I meet someone I can entrust my life to, I should also demonstrate my value.”

"Be careful."

Li Zhongren nodded with a smile.

It was obvious that he now understood that the parents were choosing a husband for their daughter, but they hadn't said it outright.

However, Li Zhongren was not opposed to the girl. In the apocalypse, there were no complicated matters. If two birds with one stone are attracted to each other, then it's okay.

He just inspected it, and the quality is very high.

Yi Yi didn't say anything more, but took a deep breath, held it, and came down to the wellhead.

The area is only a little over a meter wide. On one side of the wall, there is a rusty ladder. From above the well, vines are hammered down from the mountain, like a curtain.

She climbed the ladder step by step, but when she was almost at the exit, she suddenly pushed off and jumped from the direction of the ladder to the direction of the vines, grabbing the drooping vines with one hand.

Almost at the same time, a large, hairy hand swiftly reached down from the well, but just missed Yi Yi.

However, just as the large hand was about to retract...

Yi Yi's dagger had already pierced its forearm with precision and ruthlessness.

With a mournful cry, the enormous arm began to retract.

Yi Yi released the vine with her other hand and instead gripped the dagger handle with both hands, while her body was upside down, following her arms upwards.

"Certainly!!"

With a furious shout, Yi Yi's two feet were stuck in the well opening in the opposite direction, and at the same time, she used her waist to pull down forcefully!
A huge wound that almost split the arm in two vertically appeared.
"sharp."

Below the cave entrance, Li Zhongren clapped his hands.

The actions Yi Yi just performed were practically extreme sports; one wrong move and she would have been caught by that so-called werewolf.

"Hehe, thank you for the compliment."
-
As dusk fell, Li Zhongren approached the camp that Yi Yi had mentioned, the Happiness Garden.
Looking at the map structure, this should have been a huge residential area, which was converted into a doomsday camp after the apocalypse.

Of course, the most important thing was the addition of a huge, thick wall.

To be honest, Li Zhongren couldn't quite understand how this "what if" had been built. After the apocalypse, humanity's industry had declined so much, so he strongly suspected that there might be traces of so-called superhumans involved.
Happiness Garden is only open during the day and closes at 3 pm. No one is allowed to leave or enter, but there is nightlife available at night.

"Let's go."

"Aren't we going in?"

"No, let's find a base of our own first."

"Ah."

He nodded in agreement.

Then, the two disappeared into the night.

"It's nice here."

Guided by the map, Li Zhongren finally found an ideal safe house.

Stay away from populated areas.
-
This is outside the city.

It has a water source.
-
This is a dam.

He has a low-key appearance.
-
The dam collapsed, apparently due to some kind of attack, and is now covered in green vegetation.

It contains a universe within.
-
The road leading inside remained and is still passable.

In short, aside from being a bit damp, the place even has generators left over from the dam that can produce electricity.

Without a doubt, this is a place blessed with good feng shui.

Therefore, there are already people here.

From a high vantage point, Li Zhongren located everyone using his system map.

There were seventeen people in total.

"Li, I think I've seen that person before."

Beside Li Zhongren, Yi Yi was also lying prone, holding a pair of binoculars in her hand. These were something she had obtained when she and her parents were wandering, and they had always been kept in her worn-out backpack. At this moment, she was using the binoculars to observe the dam.

"where?"

On the map, these seventeen people were all blood-red dots, and without a doubt, they were all bad guys. However, Li Zhongren naturally couldn't reveal this secret, so he casually asked.

“Just a few days ago, in a small town, when my parents were still alive, we were hiding in the shadows and saw them capture a family of three from that town, and then they ate them.”

"The moral order has collapsed!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhongren couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

"Once humans are freed from the constraints of order, they can do many unimaginable things with their intelligence. In the apocalypse, cannibalism is something that can be easily imagined."

However, this is a good thing for him, at least he won't have any psychological burden when cleaning up these guys.

This is similar to what is known as PTSD, or battlefield syndrome.

In his past life, the number of soldiers with similar diseases in his homeland was very small. Among these few, a considerable number were those who survived out of guilt because their comrades had all perished. Apart from these, the remaining group was simply overly sensitive to danger. Only a very small number of people had the true PTSD seen in the United States.

This is the advantage of having a legitimate reason to be a teacher.

“This place is nice.”

After a moment, Li Zhongren spoke.

"How about we clear this place out and move in?"

"it is good."

Yi Yi thought for a moment and nodded.

"So, follow my orders. Come on."

After saying that, Li Zhongren led Yi Yi toward the dam.

Along the way, with the help of various obstacles and the system map, Li Zhongren and Yi Yi easily arrived at the dam area.

This place was destroyed by that unknown event.

Everywhere there were upright and collapsed walls and buildings.

Li Zhongren and Yi Yi relied on two methods to avoid the enemy's line of sight.

"In a moment, I'll throw a stone forward."

"Then you slit his throat from behind."

"Ah."

They nodded one by one.

A pair of eyes were fixed intently on a hidden sentry.

From the outside, you can't tell anything, but in reality, it's a small triangular area, with the angle formed by the leaning walls and the surrounding walls, and the view is excellent, allowing you to see the scenery in one-third of the direction.

ding~~
Suddenly, the crisp sound of pebbles colliding caught the attention of the sentry.

But it was only this one second of fluctuation in consciousness.

Yi Yi had already reached the person's back.

The sharp dagger was pressed against his neck, and then pulled hard.

Warm blood gushed out immediately, and the sentry, whose back was being choked, convulsed, making whimpering sounds, and collapsed to the ground.

"pretty."

Li Zhongren opened his mouth and spoke silently.

Then it pointed to another place.

Yes, that's how the two of them cooperated.

The four hidden sentries were eliminated one after another.

At the same time, a quarter of the team members were also eliminated.

After all, there were only seventeen people in the whole team.

(End of this chapter)