Chapter 82: Finding a Car
The two hadn’t walked much further before rounding a street corner, where Lin Xiao’s eyes suddenly went wide. Pointing toward a parking space down the road, he shouted in pure excitement, “Whoa! Look at that, Little Bai! To think a small county town like this actually has a beast like that Land Rover! Just look at the frame, look at those rims! It’s absolute perfection!”
Su Mubai followed his pointed finger. Parked along the curb was a jet-black Land Rover. Though its exterior was coated in a thick layer of dust and dried mud, the grime couldn’t conceal its imposing, aggressive silhouette.
With its high clearance and rugged, wide all-terrain tires, the SUV stood out boldly against the sea of ordinary abandoned sedans and compact cars scattered along the road.
Su Mubai studied it for a moment before ruthlessly pouring cold water on his enthusiasm: “It’s a nice ride, but the fuel consumption must be monstrous. Our current gas reserves aren’t exactly overflowing; a gas-guzzler like that won’t last long.”
“Oh, who cares about gas mileage right now!” Lin Xiao was already jogging over, circling the vehicle with glowing eyes like a child discovering the ultimate toy. He reached out and slapped the sturdy metal door, producing a solid, heavy thud. “Look at that ground clearance! When we hit zombie roadblocks or debris on the road, we can just plow straight through without breaking a sweat! Think about how safe that is! Besides, the build on this thing is rock-solid—it might even have reinforced plating! I’ve never driven a luxury ride like this in my life!”
The more he looked at it, the more infatuated he became. He circled the SUV again, muttering under his breath, “So what if it burns a little extra fuel? We’ll just hit every gas station on the map and siphon whatever we can find!”
Surveying the Land Rover, Su Mubai had to admit the vehicle was indeed the sturdiest and most practical choice for cross-country travel through the ruined wasteland.
Some wealthy owner had likely driven it into town just before the outbreak, only to be forced to abandon it when chaos erupted.
Seeing Lin Xiao’s desperate, pleading expression—practically dying to climb into the driver’s seat—Su Mubai let out a helpless sigh and gave in: “…Fine. Can you get it open?”
“Leave it to me!” Lin Xiao immediately grabbed the handle, finding it locked tight just as expected. “Child’s play—watch this.”
Focusing his concentration, he pressed his bare palm flat against the door handle and the lock cylinder.
Channeling his Metal-type Ability, a subtle, invisible wave of magnetic control seeped into the internal mechanisms.
With a series of soft, precise clicks echoing from inside the door panel, the heavy lock snapped open.
“Bingo!” Lin Xiao pulled the door open triumphantly. A stuffy draft carrying the scent of aged leather and dry dust drifted into the open air.
He climbed inside without hesitation, settling into the plush driver’s seat. He stroked the leather-wrapped steering wheel and traced the controls on the center console, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
Su Mubai slipped into the passenger side, casually checking the interior for any hidden dangers before glancing toward the ignition. “Where’s the key?”
“Let me look. Luxury models like this usually have spares tucked away.” Lin Xiao ducked down, rummaging through the center console, checking the glove box, and lifting the heavy floor mats. After a thorough search, he managed to uncover a magnetic spare key securely hidden in a compartment beneath the steering column.
Grinning ear to ear, he pushed the button and turned the ignition.
The engine roared to life with a deep, throaty rumble! The digital dashboard illuminated brightly, the fuel gauge showing half a tank of clean gas remaining.
“Haha! What a stroke of luck! She actually purrs!”
The two took a moment to appreciate their new prize. Though the cabin had gathered a bit of dust, the interior was remarkably spacious and offered commanding sightlines over the road.
On the other side of town, Wang Qiang and Li Yu weren’t having nearly as much luck.
The couple had combed through half the district’s streets, finding countless broken-down vehicles clogging the lanes in tangled wrecks, but almost none were roadworthy.
Either the windshields were completely shattered with the cabins gutted, or the tires were deflated down to the rims, bogged deep in murky mud. Even worse were the crumpled frames that had clearly endured violent zombie stampedes or high-speed collisions, leaving behind twisted metal and mangled axles.
Every now and then, they stumbled across a vehicle that looked intact on the outside. But after forcing the doors open, they found fried electrical wiring or seized engines that refused to crank.
Most of the remaining options were low-clearance family sedans. In this chaotic apocalypse, such cars would struggle to navigate a simple pothole, let alone endure the rough highways ahead.
Li Yu kicked a loose pebble across the pavement, gazing wistfully at a dented sedan in the distance. She couldn’t help a small sigh: “Ah… if only we could stumble across an RV like the Boss’s.” Thinking of Jiang Jue’s armored motorhome, her eyes filled with envy. “You can sleep in a real bed, live comfortably, and even cook hot meals on the move. It’s so convenient.”
Wang Qiang offered a wry smile. “Come on, stop daydreaming. The Boss’s rig is clearly custom-built or heavily modified; you don’t just find luxury beasts like that sitting by the curb. We’ll be lucky if we can just track down a reliable four-wheel-drive.”
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly caught on something across the street. Pointing toward a relatively intact hardware storefront diagonally ahead, his tone picked up with excitement: “Xiaoyu, what do you think of that one over there? A Haval Dargo—a sturdy domestic off-roader. The lines on that frame look pretty tough.”
Li Yu looked over. Compared to the fragile sedans surrounding it, the SUV did look considerably more solid, featuring boxy, rugged body lines that promised durability.
“You know, Xiaoyu,” Wang Qiang said, staring at the vehicle with a nostalgic gleam in his eye, “my second uncle bought one of these Havals just last year. When he went to pick it up from the dealership, I tagged along just to check it out. I was so envious back then. I swore to myself that as soon as I graduated and started earning my own paycheck, I’d buy one just like it. Who would’ve thought… today it’s a completely free pick.”
As the memory settled, Wang Qiang’s expression visibly dimmed. Lowering his gaze, he muttered in a quiet, heavy tone, “I just… I have no idea how my uncle and his family are holding up right now…”
The outbreak had struck without warning. The catastrophic magnetic storms had severed all communication networks overnight, completely cutting him off from his relatives back in his rural hometown.
He had been raised by his uncle from a very young age, and their bond was as close as that of an actual father and son.
His university had been hundreds of miles away in a different province, and the opening days of the apocalypse had been pure, terrifying chaos. Lacking the power to travel back, he had been forced to bury his overwhelming worry deep in his chest.
Now, their intended route toward the N City Base happened to pass near the rural township where his uncle’s family lived.
When he had first realized this, a fragile spark of hope had ignited in his heart. Yet that hope was shadowed by dread—he desperately wanted to find his family, but was terrified of uncovering the worst possible outcome.
Noticing the grief and anxiety etched across Wang Qiang’s face, Li Yu’s heart softened. Stepping close, she wrapped her arms around him, gently patting his rigid back while whispering soothing words: “It’s okay… Don’t worry so much. Your uncle is a good man; he and the family are going to be fine. When our route takes us nearby, we’ll ask the Boss to take a short detour to check on them, alright?”
Wang Qiang took a deep breath, forcing down the turbulent emotions in his chest. Looking up, he managed a grateful smile and patted her shoulder. “Yeah, thanks. I’ll keep it together. Come on, let’s see if this car can actually run.”
The two hurried across the street to the SUV. Wang Qiang reached out and yanked on the driver’s handle, but the door refused to budge—it was locked tight.
