Chapter 35
Fu Jingqiu really had not thought of those two people.
The incident had happened suddenly. Aside from worrying about what things would become after the “zombie virus” outbreak, his future route and life with Jiang Qingyu were also matters he needed to carefully consider.
It had to be said that, in terms of route alone, they had accidentally chosen the optimal solution.
At a time like this, places with fewer people were safer.
If their worries became reality, then for a very long time after this, they would probably have to live in the RV, rather than simply travel for a month or two.
From an objective perspective, he could be considered a burden to Jiang Qingyu.
Their current location meant that the number of zombies they could encounter was limited, and Jiang Qingyu had the vehicle. He could either avoid them or ram straight through them.
Food and daily supplies were the most important things, and Fu Jingqiu was the side with greater consumption.
If it were only Jiang Qingyu alone, the supplies he had stockpiled could probably ensure that he had no worries about food and clothing for a very long time.
Even if Fu Jingqiu transferred Jiang Qingyu more money, the RV’s space was ultimately limited. How many things could it possibly hold?
As for household chores, it was not as if Jiang Qingyu could not do them. They would merely take a little more time and effort.
He was not that useful to Jiang Qingyu. If they encountered a special situation, he would be the one dragging Jiang Qingyu down.
And at this moment, Jiang Qingyu was rummaging through the space for ingredients and stealthily transferring them into the refrigerator.
No matter what, they still had to eat.
For lunch, he would make baked egg with pumpkin and shrimp, stir-fried beef with pickled peppers, dry-pot ribs, and tofu fish head soup.
He pretended to take the ingredients out of the refrigerator. Seeing that the RV had already set the automatic driving route, he called Fu Jingqiu over to help him and prep the vegetables.
He took two baby pumpkins, cut off the tops, and hollowed out the centers. After putting them in the air fryer for a few minutes, he took them out again, cracked in two eggs, added peeled extra-large shrimp, evenly sprinkled on black pepper and sea salt, sprayed olive oil twice, and put them back into the air fryer to bake for another dozen minutes. Then they were done.
Simple and delicious. They could even be eaten as afternoon tea.
The beef for stir-frying had to be marinated first, so it would be more flavorful. The pickled peppers were ready-made ones he had bought online before. There were several hundred glass jars of them, all stuffed into his space, enough to eat until the end of time.
Inside the pickled peppers were also pickled cabbage and lantern peppers. He chopped them all up and stir-fried them over high heat until fragrant. Once the aroma was brought out, just smelling it made people salivate nonstop.
Before taking it out of the pan, he sprinkled in a handful of cilantro. This was something he loved, and it went extremely well with rice.
The dry-pot ribs were even simpler. Jiang Qingyu could handle it with complete ease. The whole vehicle was filled with the fragrant scent of home-style dishes, making one’s appetite stir and making it hard not to want a taste immediately.
Jiang Qingyu was too absorbed in cooking and did not notice anything unusual about Fu Jingqiu.
When three dishes and one soup were served, they still used the tableware Fu Jingqiu had bought earlier, a full set with beautifully fired glaze that made the already colorful, fragrant, and tasty food look even more appetizing.
Meimei now had her own small plate, designed with an elevated base specifically to protect a cat’s cervical spine. It had been carefully selected by Fu Jingqiu and was truly very thoughtful.
What she ate was the unseasoned version, while the humans sat facing each other and ate a beautiful meal together.
It was only at this moment that Jiang Qingyu realized Fu Jingqiu’s expression seemed just a little off.
He asked in confusion, “You’re not hungry?”
That should not be right. Hadn’t he just exercised?
Besides, these dishes smelled so good. Even if he were not hungry, he would still feel the urge to try a few bites.
Fu Jingqiu shook his head. “No.”
Jiang Qingyu had worked hard to make all this delicious food. He could not say anything that would dampen the mood.
The other party had said before that his family never scolded children at the dining table.
After thinking briefly, Jiang Qingyu guessed, “Are you still thinking about that video?”
Fu Jingqiu said vaguely, “Something like that.”
“Ah.” Jiang Qingyu pushed the beef toward him. This flavor was stronger, and he liked eating it.
“Before the matter is confirmed, thinking too much won’t be useful.”
Fu Jingqiu hesitated. “If it really is as you guessed, do you have any plans?”
“Plans…” Jiang Qingyu organized his words. “When I was little, I often had a dream. I dreamed that I lived in a small wooden cabin, and outside, it kept snowing, as if the snow were going to bury the entire world. I would stay inside my little cabin, sit on the sofa in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket, quietly staring at the firelight in a daze.”
“When I was in university, I once talked about this dream with my roommate. He said I was the kind of person who could stay at home for a month without going out. The life I liked was exactly that kind of life. Three meals a day, the seasons changing and cycling. Even if I did nothing but sleep and stare into space, I would still be very happy.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “If zombies or the apocalypse really come, I’ll run far away and live my own life well, just like what I described just now.”
Fu Jingqiu slowly put down his chopsticks.
He suddenly said, “I wonder if it’s still possible to buy another RV now.”
Jiang Qingyu: ? Hm? Hmmmmm? Are we talking about the same thing?
Fu Jingqiu hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth. “I’m afraid my joining you will become a burden.”
With a “clack,” the chopsticks in Jiang Qingyu’s hand fell onto the table.
Fu Jingqiu was still explaining his plan. “So I want to buy another RV and stockpile some supplies. We can travel together…”
Whatever he said afterward, Jiang Qingyu did not listen at all. He only suddenly thought of a saying: this was truly taking off one’s pants just to fart—completely unnecessary.
Since he had already decided to go with him and protect him, why still buy another RV and stockpile supplies? What was all this about being his backup? What nonsense.
Could a newly bought RV have equipment as high-end as his?
Did he really think ordinary RVs could be modified like this?
With the money for adding an expandable cabin, why not simply smash the pots and sell the iron to buy a luxury Mercedes RV?
For the first time, Jiang Qingyu could be said to have impolitely interrupted Fu Jingqiu’s hypothetical arrangement. He made a stopping gesture. “Come, come, come, brother. Stop. Let’s pause for a second.”
Sure enough, Fu Jingqiu stopped speaking. He pressed his lips together and glanced at him, looking a little uneasy.
Jiang Qingyu met his gaze for more than ten seconds and then somewhat wanted to laugh.
What was this? Was low self-esteem a man’s best dowry?
Jiang Qingyu said, “Do you know how many supplies on this vehicle were bought with your money?” He showed Fu Jingqiu a number with his fingers. “This much, you know.”
He was lying. In truth, he had not used a single cent of Fu Jingqiu’s money.
Fu Jingqiu immediately said, “I gave you that money willingly.”
Jiang Qingyu raised an eyebrow and spoke even faster. “So the supplies I stockpiled are something I willingly let the two of us use together.”
If this were someone with bad intentions, they might already be thinking about taking the vehicle, kicking Jiang Qingyu out, abandoning him on some desolate desert highway, and occupying his property, supplies, and little cat.
Who would take the initiative to suggest buying another vehicle and following behind to protect him, just to preserve Jiang Qingyu’s supplies?
He had not misjudged him after all.
Jiang Qingyu said, “Of course I could survive alone, and I could live very well.”
After a pause, he added, “But I want you to come with me even more.”
As he spoke, he leaned a little closer to Fu Jingqiu, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, “There’s something I forgot to tell you. You have to keep it secret for me.”
Seeing him act like this, Fu Jingqiu truly thought Jiang Qingyu had something important to tell him. He hurriedly leaned closer and likewise said in a breathy voice, “Okay. Tell me.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “Actually, I’m an immortal. A koi immortal, you know? As long as you make the immortal happy, there will be endless food to eat.”
Fu Jingqiu: “………”
Jiang Qingyu was overjoyed. “Your expression is so funny.”
Fu Jingqiu said helplessly, “I’m being serious.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “I’m being serious too. I’m not a three-year-old child. I understand everything you mean.”
“But since you said before that I saved you, then this life of yours belongs to me. As for what exactly to do, please listen to me.”
Jiang Qingyu picked up his chopsticks and wiped them with a tissue as he said, “Overthinking is useless. It only affects your mood.”
Fu Jingqiu was silent for a moment before he finally said, “All right. I’ll listen to you.”
Jiang Qingyu hummed twice in satisfaction. “Eat, brother. Today’s food is so delicious. Don’t let it affect your appetite.”
Just as he finished speaking, the shadow of a road sign flashed quickly past the window. This meant they had officially entered the no-man’s-land.
He did not know whether it was his imagination, but the rain seemed to have become much fiercer. On both sides of the road, weeds grew thickly, and broken stones covered the ground. Clearly, human traces were rare here.
In a few more hours, the temperature would drop to more than ten degrees below zero, and night would descend once more.
At the same time, the system’s voice rang in his mind.
“Congratulations on completing the first stage of the apocalypse: stockpiling!”
“The mission rewards are now being issued to the player. Please choose two of the following three upgrades: countermeasure / medical / second floor.”
Whoa! This time, it had given him something big. He could actually choose two rewards?
So there was still a second stage, right?
Jiang Qingyu asked, “What does second floor mean? Don’t tell me it means adding another floor on top of my RV.” Was it that simple?
The system said, “That’s right. The second floor also supports customization. You can choose to use it as a home space, increasing the number of rooms and activity areas, or as a second-floor balcony. You could even play golf on it if you wanted.”
Not very useful for the time being. Pass.
Jiang Qingyu said simply, “Then explain the first two to me too. There’s no manual, so I don’t understand.”
“…” The system said, “All right.”
Simply put, countermeasure was also a facility used to protect the RV and the players inside. Not only could it defend against ferocious zombies and allow the vehicle to escape from a zombie horde as if walking on flat ground, it could also completely defend against the looting and destruction of people with malicious intentions.
Jiang Qingyu asked, “Defend to what extent?”
The system said, “Against fire and artillery shelling.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “Whoa~~!!”
The medical function could be understood as the kind of one-click injury treatment in a game. As long as it was not a bite from a zombie, all external injuries, knife wounds, burns, collision injuries—as long as the person still had one breath left, if they were placed into the medical cabin, they could be saved. However, the treatment time would vary depending on the severity of the injury.
After hearing this, Jiang Qingyu sucked in a breath. It was actually that amazing???
The system’s voice was rarely tinged with a trace of pride. “Of course. Our equipment is the highest grade. So, have you decided which functions to upgrade?”
Jiang Qingyu thought seriously. Judging from the current situation, the first two functions were obviously more practical.
Advancing, they could defend against zombies and people with ulterior motives. Retreating, they could treat injuries, and it also solved the problem of not being able to perform surgery.
These two paired together were simply a match made in heaven!
Confirm selection. Confirm upgrade!
