NOVPUBChapter 109: Chapter 109 Friendship
Chapter 109 -109 Friendship
Lin Mengmeng sighed, “Grandpa had an argument with his elder brother’s family, so now he’s living with me and Brother Yuan Jiang.”
Gu Pan nodded, and to be honest, she had a certain amount of respect for Lin Mengmeng’s filial piety, since in these times, it was easier for her and Yuan Jiang to survive on their own than with an elderly person.
So, Gu Pan didn’t hold back and said candidly, “Honestly, assembling a team secretly under their noses is really dangerous. No one could tolerate having someone with a divided loyalty in their territory. So if you want to stay here and organize a team, it’s like hanging a sword over your head, which is not a wise choice.” This wasn’t to exaggerate the danger but honest advice.
Yuan Jiang furrowed his brows, “But Grandpa Lin has been kind to us, we can’t just ignore him, let’s think about it some more.”
Lu Ruisheng didn’t offer any suggestions, but like Gu Pan, he admired their filial piety. He then asked, “Do you have any other questions you’d like to ask?”
Yuan Jiang continued to inquire, “Where can we find weapons? We want some things for self-defense.”
Gu Pan didn’t hesitate, “One way is to loot, but with your current abilities that may not be suitable. Another way is to trade goods—the former night market in the city now has exchange points, where you can get anything you want, as long as you have goods to trade.”
Yuan Jiang fell silent for a moment then said, “Understood.” Then he asked, “I’ve seen Miss Gu’s sleeve arrow; did you make it yourselves?”
Gu Pan didn’t deny it, “Yes, we made it ourselves. You can also try to make similar weapons yourselves. You have the basic skills, and they should be no worse than what amateurs like us can make.” 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
Yuan Jiang nodded, “Hmm, we’ll try to make some weapons ourselves when we get back, and then we’ll also think about what to do next. If Grandpa Lin can leave with us, we’d still like to leave.”
Gu Pan was supportive of this, “If you can leave, head to the slum area in the city, below Iron West Bridge. No one has claimed that area. You can recuperate there, expand your strength, and there’s an abandoned tool factory which might have materials suitable for making cold weapons.”
After hearing all this, Yuan Jiang expressed his gratitude to both Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng, “Thank you for telling us all this useful information, we’ll keep it in mind.”
Gu Pan said, “In the apocalypse, I think anyone trying to survive on their own is brave. I hope you can safely get through the apocalypse.”
Yuan Jiang said, “And we hope all you good people can stay safe and sound.”
Lin Mengmeng said, “Great kindness does not require thanks. I hope one day we can all live in a new era.”
Perhaps that was the best blessing one could hope for at this time.
After they finished talking and exchanged some pleasantries, everyone said their goodbyes.
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng didn’t go home but walked around a few neighboring homes, chatting.
The two also discussed the mentality of people at this time. Some wanted to depend on others, some wanted to scrape by and survive, some lived day by day, and some thought about how to survive better.
Those who rely on others can never last long. In her past life, Gu Pan had seen women who depended on men treated as playthings, to be discarded when the men grew tired of them, and without the ability to survive on their own, they could only seek out another protector. Of course, it wasn’t just women; men also relied on capable women. The apocalypse wasn’t like ancient times; it was an era where those who were strong had the say.
The ones merely scraping by were actually okay. They always lived in the most challenging conditions and ate the worst food, but they were the kind of strong people who could keep on living, even if not comfortably.
Those who lived day by day often died easily because they themselves didn’t care about tomorrow, so dying at any moment seemed to be expected for them.
Those who really survived in the long run were like them, who had foresight. People must first establish goals in order to go further.
In the case of Yuan Jiang and Lin Mengmeng, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng were willing to give them advice, partly because of their filial piety, but more importantly because they had goals and hope in their hearts. These kinds of people were suited for the apocalypse, and they were willing to lend a hand. Having one fewer enemy like them was a good thing for them.
That night, some slept soundly, some couldn’t sleep at all, and others died in some unknown corner, from hunger or sickness. This was the harsh reality of the apocalypse—every day, countless people died.
Of course, for Gu Pan and the others, this no longer caused much of a stir in their hearts; habituation had made it second nature.
The next morning, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng took Cheng Yang and Chen Lang to check the rabbit traps in the mountains, and to breathe in the fresh air. Though most trees had died in the heat, they occasionally still saw some greenery. In this extreme heat, that little bit of green could somewhat soothe their inner restlessness.
Today was another day of no catch, which had become the norm. Perhaps going up the mountain wasn’t really about the hunt, but just for a walk.
Since the Lin family’s Inner Circle members were expelled, Gu Pan had told Squad Leader Fang about the secret water source. The previous agreement no longer existed, and now Squad Leader Fang and Fang Lanlan were sneaking to fetch water daily.
While hiking up the mountain, they met Fang Lanlan carrying water bottles on the way down, she didn’t run away but greeted them instead.
When Cheng Yang saw Fang Lanlan, his eyes overflowed with a smile, and he quickly took out a small bag from his pocket and handed it to Fang Lanlan, “I found this chocolate yesterday.”
When Chen Lang heard this, he looked at Cheng Yang in disbelief, “Bro, seriously? You’ve been hiding food from me, and here I thought we were best buddies?”
Cheng Yang awkwardly explained to Chen Lang, “No, it’s not like that. Aren’t we men? As long as we have food we’re okay. Lanlan is a girl, and if they can’t find food, this chocolate could be an emergency ration. Plus, girls are physically weaker and more prone to low blood sugar.”
Gu Pan listened to Cheng Yang’s not-so-scientific explanation, trying to stifle her laughter along with Lu Ruisheng.
But Chen Lang believed these haphazard explanations, “Right, I’ll save some sugar and chocolate for Sister Lanlan if I find any in the future.”
Fang Lanlan’s face turned red, and she didn’t dare look at everyone. Taking the chocolate from Cheng Yang, she said with her head lowered, “I have things to do, so I’ll head home first, goodbye.” With that, she ran off quickly.
Chen Lang was clearly impressed, “Did you guys see that? Sister Lanlan seems to have gotten faster.”
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng nodded, then walked ahead, trying not to laugh directly, but they found it hilarious.
Cheng Yang blushed like a monkey’s butt, lost in thought as he followed Gu Pan and the others.
Chen Lang kept babbling about Fang Lanlan’s speed, clearly envious.
The morning was filled with joy, as everyone descended from the mountain, laughing and talking, unconcerned about the lack of catch.
Of course, on the mountain, it was common to encounter people digging for wild vegetables, stripping bark, or hunting. In truth, everyone’s haul wasn’t much; they were all just trying to survive.
