Chapter 261: Hunting (1)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
If Zhao Yu didn’t know about Xu Meng Lan’s attempted to poison him, he might think she was used to being abused.
But now, she likely wanted to delay time, fearing that Zhao Yu would take action against her younger sister.
Zhao Yu shook his head and helped Xu Meng Lan up. “I’m tired, let’s leave it for now.”
Promising not to abuse her anymore would sound hollow now. A year had pa.s.sed, and people don’t changed over night. All he could do was gradually change their perceptions.
Xu Meng Lan stood still, her expression fluctuating, seemingly guessing whether Zhao Yu was genuinely tired or had ulterior motives.
She signaled to Xu Xiu Lan, who was watching from a distance.
Xu Xiu Lan quickly got up and quietly approached the door of the youngest sister’s room, knocking in a pattern of three long and one short knock.
Only after receiving a similar response from the room did Xu Xiu Lan relax and return to the side of her bicycle to start generating electricity.
There was a pressurized well in the shelter. Zhao Yu had used it when he was young and was familiar with its operation.
Pouring a scoop of water into the well and pressing the handle, cold groundwater soon gushed out.
“I’ll do it…”
Xu Meng Lan took the initiative, scooping some water to fill the kettle.
About ten minutes later, rice and two stir-fried vegetables were served.
There were still two pounds of stored rat meat in the shelter, but Zhao Yu found it hard to swallow, so he decided not to cook it.
“Have you eaten?”
As Zhao Yu was about to eat, he remembered Xu Meng Lan was beside him and casually asked.
“We ate, we don’t consume much, so we’re not hungry yet…” Xu Meng Lan replied with a pleasing smile.
“What about Su Lan?”
“She’s resting. She was too tired from her previous shift of generating electricity.”
“Okay.”
Without asking further, Zhao Yu began to eat on his own.
The rice was fine. Other than a musty smell, the texture was normal, but the vegetables were a little too bland.
The condiments in the house had long been used up, and most of the remaining ones had expired and tasteless.
After a simple meal, Xu Meng Lan’s eyes were sharp and her hands were fast. She quickly came up to collect the bowl.
Zhao Yu had wanted to wash the dishes himself, but seeing Xu Meng Lan’s appearance, he thought about it and just let her do it.
He checked the food reserves and found that there was indeed not much left. It could last for three days at most. This was even if the other three women ate very little. If they ate as much as they wanted, they could finish it in a day.
The most important thing now was to go out and find food.
Back in his room, Zhao Yu took out both guns, loaded the bullets one by one, bolstered them on his belt, and adjusted the pistol to a position where it could be easily drawn.
“Honey, are you going out?” Xu Meng Lan, having finished washing the dishes, had unknowingly reached the entrance to the master bedroom and carefully inquired, poking her head out.
“Yes, I’m going out to find food.”
Xu Meng Lan seemed to remember something and quickly ran towards the end of the hallway.
When Zhao Yu reached the entrance, he opened the hatch, ready to climb out. Xu Meng Lan was carrying a lidded metal bucket on her back, which gave off a foul smell that wafted in every direction.
Zhao Yu glanced at her without saying much and took the lead, climbing up towards the ground through the hatch.
Xu Meng Lan followed closely, with the metal bucket on her back.
The hatch was only about ten meters deep, with an exit at the top, resembling a manhole cover.
Outside the exit was an abandoned house, which was previously built by the former owner.
Upon reaching the exit, Zhao Yu scanned his surroundings to ensure there was no danger. Only then did he open the cover and crawl out.
Inside the hatch, Xu Meng Lan climbed up the ladder. Zhao Yu extended his hand to help her out.
Xu Meng Lan hesitated for a moment that Zhao Yu would think to help her. She felt puzzled but dared not refuse.
“Honey, I’ll handle this…”
Xu Meng Lan didn’t linger, running outside with the bucket full of feces.
Zhao Yu followed behind to ensure her safety.
In the past, Xu Meng Lan would usually handle this task alone, running over a hundred meters away to a forest to dispose of the waste.
The world was still relatively bright, with three moons overhead. Even without streetlights, at least they wouldn’t trip over rocks while walking.
A few scattered houses in the distance appeared desolate and silent.
Further away, various nocturnal creatures and insects could be heard.
Hearing these noises, both felt slightly rea.s.sured.
Compared to wild animals, mutated beasts were clearly more terrifying. In places with mutated beasts, insects and wild animals would flee. The sounds indicated there were no mutated beasts nearby.
The two quickly reached their destination. Xu Meng Lan dumped the contents of the bucket.
Not far away, a dozen pairs of glowing eyes stared at them, making her shudder and quickly turn around.
“Let’s go!”
Zhao Yu already had his pistol in hand, vigilantly watching those eyes.
While wild animals weren’t as terrifying as mutated beasts, they often attacked humans.
Zhao Yu could handle a small number of them unarmed, but if outnumbered, he might have to use his gun.
Firing could potentially attract larger wild animals or even mutated beasts, which would be counterproductive.
Xu Meng Lan was startled by Zhao Yu’s voice, not expecting him to sheltered her. But there was no time for her to think, and she hurriedly ran back towards the house..