Once they had finally shaken off the previous group, Xie Lingfeng let out a long sigh of relief, and Father Xie also felt secretly grateful—thank goodness his son and daughter were both clear-headed when it came to such matters.
Once they had distanced themselves far enough, Xie Lingruo took over the driving, something she had proactively suggested. After all, it wasn't realistic to rely solely on her brother to drive all the way to the base.
Her plan was for the three of them to take turns driving, to keep their energy up and better handle any unexpected situations.
After spending several days together, Father and son Xie had also grown used to Xie Lingruo's personality shift, believing that the cruel apocalypse had forced her to grow—transforming her from a spoiled princess into a warrior.
In reality, this was all deliberately orchestrated by Xie Lingruo. She was using the apocalypse as an excuse to change her behavior, because she was tired of pretending to be someone else for so long.
By the time the three arrived at the auto dealership, it was already growing dark. Thankfully, the place was in the outskirts, and there were no signs of other people.
Xie Lingruo first used her psychic powers to scan the area, and once she confirmed there was no danger, she called for Father Xie and her brother to get out of the car—then stored the SUV into her space.
Standing in front of the towering building, she noticed the door was still tightly shut. It made sense—the apocalypse had broken out at 6:00 AM, and the shop probably hadn't opened yet by that time.
Looking at the locked main door, Xie Lingfeng hesitated, as the rest of the walls were made of glass. They couldn't afford to break any windows, since zombies are extremely sensitive to noise. Doing so could put them in danger and also ruin their mission.
To minimize noise, Xie Lingruo took out a hydraulic bolt cutter she had previously stored in her space—it was the silent type.
A few minutes later, the three successfully entered the dealership. As soon as they were inside, Xie Lingruo locked the door behind them, a precaution to prevent malicious people from barging in and to give them early warning if someone tried.
Xie Lingfeng didn't question where she kept pulling supplies from. In his mind, it was all her stuff anyway—he and Father Xie were just lucky to benefit from it.
Of course, Xie Lingruo always told them the same story: that her deceased mother helped her awaken a space-type ability early, and that her space was roughly the size of two football fields.
But the real secrets—like the preservation ability and the actual space being far bigger—were things she would never tell anyone.
Once inside, the group was stunned by the selection. Especially Xie Lingfeng and Father Xie, who had loved cars even before the apocalypse.
But now, priorities had changed. Durability and crash-resistance were all that mattered—survival came first.
Under the guidance of the car-savvy Xie Lingfeng, they ultimately chose:
A snow SUV
A high-chassis Mercedes-Benz
A specially-made RV
Xie Lingruo glanced at the rows of untouched cars and decided that she would stay behind a little longer to collect a few more durable vehicles.
While they were busy sorting through vehicles, time slipped away, and the sky outside had already turned completely dark.
Around dinner time, Xie Lingruo took out rice, two potatoes, some dehydrated vegetables, cookware, and bottled water from her space.
But she knew this couldn't go on forever. She was planning to use the "crystal nucleus" upgrade as an excuse in the future to claim her space could now store fresh goods.
The three of them worked together to make dinner, finishing quickly. After eating, they prepared to rest, laying out sleeping bags on the second floor.
Just as they were settling down, it began pouring outside, and under the dim lighting, they realized—it was red rain.
The sight shocked them to the core.
Xie Lingruo knew what it meant: After being drenched by this red rain, the zombies would upgrade, and crystal nuclei would begin to form in their brains.
Just then, a vehicle began approaching from the distance, heading straight for the dealership…