As it was getting late, they didn"t continue their conversation in the open. The local survivor group had planned to use the motel for the night, so they went there. Except for Lu, who was invited in the Doomsday Ride so she could be with her sister.Once she got inside, she moved slowly as she looked around with wide eyes. Xiaotian stood behind her, and watched her with barely hidden amus.e.m.e.nt.
"Whoaa! Brother Jiang, your truck is sooo cool..."
Jiang Liushi couldn"t help but feel proud of himself. Yes, Xiaotian was in awe of the truck when she first got in, but she never praised it like her sister did. He left the driving c.o.c.kpit to join the sisters. Lu, who was looking around turned to him when she heard him move. In 2 fast steps, she was in front of him and bowed deeply.
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"Thank you again, brother Jiang, for saving my dear sister and taking care of her. Without you, she would have had an unpleasant fate. And you even brough her home to look for the rest of her family and allowed us to be reunited. I"ll be forever in your debt."
Liushi was surprised by the formality. When she was outside, she seemed like a more easy going girl. He felt that she didn"t need to act that way, but understood her feelings on the matter. He would kowtow to anyone who would save his sister from certain doom and treat her well.
"It was no trouble, Wen Lu. But you"re welcome. Besides, Xiaotian has been helpfull..."
Seeing Xiaotian getting embara.s.sed at the praise, Liushi got into teasing mode. He found the woman to cute when she was in that state.
"She didn"t have the chance to tell you what happened earlier today when the mutant bees attacked us. She drove like a boss!"
Lu had a stunned expression on her face, and turned around to look at her elder sister. Said sister had turned her face away from both people. Her exposed neck was several shade darker than usual, and the same could be guessed about her face. An excited gleam entered Lu"s eyes, and she started to pester her sister about her heroic actions. Liushi let them be for a bit, enjoying the sight. Besides, it didn"t hurt to have a bit of fun once in a while, especially considering the circ.u.mstances. Both sisters needed it. He couldn"t help but imagine himself and his sister in the same positions.
"Ok, girls, calm down a little. It"s been a long day. And I"m sure you want to stay close to each other, so it"s fine for Lu to stay with us tonight. Xioatian, why don"t you show her the shower and prepare some spare clothes for her?"
"Sure. Come on, Lulu."
"Thanks again, brother Jiang!"
"Hmm, I"ll have to put a curtain or a foldable screen to separate the bed-bathroom part from the kitchen-livingroom part" though Liushi as he turned his head away from the attractive ladies.
While Wen Lu was enjoying the shower, Xiaotian got started on diner. Since they had a lot of mutant meat available, he didn"t mind sharing some of them with the other 4 survivors. It would also help loosen their tongues, and reduce their greed seeing that he was generous. So he got out of the truck, went into the trailer and took out around 20kgs of mutant meat. Then he went to see the other survivors. He found them in the first floor, sharing 2 rooms between the 4 of them.
"Hey, since we are staying in the same place tonight, I though I could share this with you."
"Ho? What is it?"
"Xiaotian and I came from Jiangbei. On the way, we were attacked by a mutant boar. We scavenged as much meat from it as possible. Here, have a look."
He unwarped the bundle and presented the meat to the group. Their eyes widened as they smelled it, and some had their stomach gargle. They could tell it was high quality.
"This is meat from 2 days, nearly 3 days ago, kept at room temperature, and still quite fresh."
"Are you serious?" asked the youngest of the group.
"Quite serious. Mutant meat can be kept for days without cooling devices, even longer with them. And it"s quite nutritious as well. It will help you a lot for the next few days. I"ll leave you while you prepare and enjoy your meal. We can talk more about everything that happened later."
After being thanked by them, he went back into the truck. With both girls busy, he focused on the drones he planned to make. At first, he wanted the drones to be remotly controlled, but he realised that it would limit their range. It would be better if they were autonomous, but then they would need better hardware to support their programing, better batteries to sustain the hardware and engine, and better engine to support the increased weight. The remotes controled drones would be good only for close range surveillance. He would need autonomous drones for scouting. He would have to test the range at which wireless communication still works.
Shortly before Xiaotian finished cooking, Lu finished ger shower and got dressed, then went straight to Liushi. As she called him, he turned to her, and got a really good look at her now that she was fresh and relaxed. She was just as attractive as her sister, though her traits were more chidlish, but her lips were a little more full. Her hips were also a little wider than her sisters, so she filled Xiaotion"s cargo pants rather well. With him sitting and her standing near, he got a nice view. As for the spare clothes, Xiaotian got them from an abandonned store when they took a break for lunch earlier.
After thanking her once more, they talked a bit, mostly her talking about herself at Liushi"s request. She was more outgoing than Xiaotian, and more of an outdoor girl than her. She was a bit of a tomboy when she was young. She was in her 3rd year of highschool, more at ease with hand-on tasks than intellectual ones, but not stupid either. Whatever she would have liked to do for the future wouldn"t have involved spending a lot of time on a chair behind a desk.
Soon enough, the diner got ready, and Lu joyfully stuffed herself with the delicious mutant meat. Xiaotian used the oportunity to relate their encounter with the mutant boar. She also joked about how Liushi let her store the meat on her own while he was sleeping. It was apleasant diner for all those involved. Once done, they left to meet the other survivor in the lobby of the motel. The Sta.r.s.eed was connected to the electronic of the Doomsday Ride, so in case of an emergency he could transmit command to it.
"Young man" said the elder of the group, "The meat you shared with us was quite exquisite. Once more I thank you for that. But I"m curious though. Judging by the size of the mutant bees here, the boar you got the meat from must have been big. How did you deal with it, if you don"t mind me asking?"
"I used one of the construction tool the back of my truck is equipped with, in this case, a pile-driver. On the topic of the mutant beasts, Xiaotian told me that the trees on the way into the town were used by beekeepers. Since you"ve been here since the day of the outbreak, do you have any idea of which beekeeper these beasts are from, or if all the hives got the same mutations? We need to know which area of the town to avoid while I help Xiaotian and Lu look for their parents."
"The apiaries are located on the outskirt of the town, on 3 differents areas that are around the same distance from each others, though 2 of them are on the side leading toward Jiangbei" said Lu.
"There were 6 beekeepers in town before all that madness began" replied the middle aged man. "I used to live not far from the Yan couple apiary. I went there once to get some supplies, and I didn"t come across a single beast at that time. Just the zombies from the neighborhood. I don"t think the bees there changed."
The rest indicated that they had no idea where the bees came from. They had to avoid several areas of the town, either due to the possible presence of the mutant bees, or due to the number of zombies.
"Wait. When we met outside, you said that the beasts took some of the zombies and people alive with them."
"Yes, what of it?" shouted the hot blooded youth, with warning in his tone.
"I know it must have been horrifying to witness, but I can"t help but wonder. Did you notice in which direction they took them?"
After wincing at the recollection, the survivors though about it for a few seconds, and it"s the girl, an aquitance from Lu who answered.
"I think they went somewhere in the direction of the Zedong farm. I"m not absolutly certain, but I think they went toward that area."
"But there is no apiary there" remarqued the elder of the group, which made Liushi pause. There was something wrong.