Survival Guide in the Age of Cataclysm

Chapter 8 Whoring for free

Ok? !

Xu Yang instinctively followed behind Lily, and the girl leaped out of the window.

With a loud bang!

She jumped onto the hood of a car downstairs, and her petite figure nimbly rolled to dissipate the force before running forward without hesitation.

Without thinking further, Xu Yang threw his backpack downstairs and jumped out of the window, just like everyone else.

With a loud thud, his entire back slammed into the hood of the engine.

"Ahem!"

Damn it, this isn't quite what I expected.

Xu Yang got up rather disheveled, grabbed the bag beside him, and hurriedly rushed in the direction the girl had left.

Even now, he still doesn't know what he's hiding from. Realizing this, he slowed his pace slightly.

He glanced back.

Just now, a hideous gray head pierced through the window, and a muscular body creaked and filled the entire window.

Hulk?!

Xu Yang hurriedly turned his head away, unable to bear to look again. His thighs tensed even more, squeezing his muscles with an unprecedented determination.

After the small, thin figure disappeared into the depths of the alley, he followed closely behind until a hollow in the wall appeared on the left side of the alley, large enough for him to hide in.

Both of them stopped there.

"call……"

Xu Yang leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

After the burning, suffocating feeling in his lungs subsided slightly, he cautiously peeked half his head out from the recess in the wall and looked towards the place he had just left.

Bang!

The monster squeezed out of the window, its body crushing the hood below into a pile of scrap metal. Numerous tiny wounds clung to its twisted muscles, likely caused by breaking the window.

Its entire body was covered in blood, which made it look even more dangerous.

Rusty Zombie Beast

Rather than a weak zombie, it had evolved into a more ferocious beast. Beneath its gray skin, its muscles showed signs of rust, a part of them transforming into steel.

[Note: Did you work out today?]

The zombie beast lay supine on the abandoned vehicle.

It flailed its limbs wildly, as if it had expended a great deal of effort, and finally stood up unsteadily. It scanned its surroundings, but its prey had already vanished without a trace.

"roar!"

The zombie beast roared and burrowed back into the clinic, seemingly believing its prey was still hiding there. Clearly, its intelligence had been converted into invincible muscles.

We're safe for now.

Xu Yang withdrew his gaze and let out a long sigh of relief. He leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground.

"Where did you get that crowbar?"

At that moment, a cold, hard female voice rang out.

Xu Yang looked over.

The girl was also leaning against the wall, one hand hidden behind her back, about two meters away from him. The way she looked at him was as if he were a character in some kind of story.

"I found it."

Xu Yang replied casually.

He only realized what was happening after recognizing the deep wariness in the other person's expression.

She knew the brother who was split in two!

"Hey, don't get me wrong, the owner of this crowbar is already dead..."

Lily took a few steps back, and finally pulled out her hand from behind her back, holding a dagger in front of her.

"..."

"What I mean is, he was already dead before I picked up the crowbar," Xu Yang explained again. "His body was split in two, and there were some claw marks on the corpse."

Lily's eyes flickered slightly.

"What claw marks?"

Xu Yang scratched his head: "How would I know? It's probably some kind of monster. You can go and see for yourself if you don't believe me."

"A pharmacy with the same name as that clinic, located nearby."

"..."

Lily looked at him in silence for a while, then finally put down the dagger.

"No."

Xu Yang asked with some curiosity, "Are you friends?"

"Enemy".

"Uh..." Xu Yang scratched his head, "Then why are you so concerned about whether he lives or dies?"

Lily asked, "Aren't you from around here?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't know about the Doomsday Caravan?"

Xu Yang shook his head: "What is that?"

"A raiding organization that hunts down survivors evacuated from the quarantine zone."

Lily twirled a strand of hair at her collar with her fingers, her brows furrowing slightly.

"So you're worried I'm one of their people?"

"Um."

"and you--"

"Stop talking." She interrupted Xu Yang, took the composite bow from her back, and turned to walk deeper into the alley. "Let's get out of here first."

Xu Yang was a little confused. Following behind Lily, he glanced back again.

Downstairs from the clinic, at the place where they originally escaped.

Because of the earlier commotion, monsters have begun to gather in scattered groups, and one of them is swaying as it walks towards this side.

Xu Yang quickened his pace, looking at the girl in front of him, lost in thought.

Some kind of experience?

He shook his head, ceasing his thought, and obediently followed behind the other person...

"Hey bro, what's your name?"

Xu Yang was trying to get closer to him.

At this moment, the girl in front suddenly stopped.

boom.

She smashed the window in the wall next to her and climbed inside.

Xu Yang was taken aback.

Did I offend her?

Before he could think any further, he heard the girl's voice coming from inside the window.

"Come in quickly."

He glanced at both sides of the alley but didn't notice anything unusual.

But her actions were decisive; it seemed that since the experienced survivor had spoken, what was there for her to hesitate about?

He threw his bag inside, then climbed through the window into the house. The room was very dark, and the layout looked like a bedroom.

Before Xu Yang could get a good look at him, a small hand pulled him down.

"Hey, you—"

Lily squatted down beside the bed in the bedroom and covered Xu Yang's mouth with her hand.

In the very next moment,

Boom!

A muffled thud came from outside the window, like something had fallen to the ground.

Xu Yang held his breath instantly, and time seemed to slow down.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

"It's gone." Lily suddenly let go, her eyes showing no emotion.

Xu Yang took a few deep breaths, and his heartbeat calmed down.

"What was that just now?"

"I don't know, but we're safe now."

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Xu Yang asked:

"How did you know something was coming? You were over there earlier—"

The girl didn't answer the question, but interrupted, saying, "There shouldn't be any danger around here. Go out the window and walk to the end of the alley to leave this place."

As soon as she finished speaking, she walked towards the living room on her own.

Xu Yang glanced at the window, then at the girl's back, and decisively chased after her. He had finally encountered a living person, who seemed to be a seasoned survivor. He had been foolish enough to go off to explore the wilderness alone.

That's not very principled!

Besides, although this girl seems a bit cold, she's genuinely helpful when things get tough. Whether it was her earlier warning to run quickly or the way she covered her mouth after letting me through the window.

A loyal and virtuous person!

Xu Yang found the girl rummaging through items in the living room. He approached her with a grin, saying quite solicitously, "What are you looking for, sir? Let me help you find it."

Lily got goosebumps on her back, frowned, and took a half step back.

"What are you doing? Didn't I tell you to hurry up?"

"Hey, I was just helping you out because you were looking for something, I wanted to repay the kindness!"

A hint of suspicion flashed in Lily's red eyes as various stories about women and men surfaced in her mind.

She said, "You want to... get something for nothing?"

"what?"

Xu Yang was frozen in place.

This girl might possess a language system as powerful as thunder.

The embarrassment of having one's thoughts exposed is like that of a captain whose takeoff has failed and who is being watched by onlookers.

He wanted to use the girl to more easily integrate into the still-unknown human society while ensuring his own safety; this behavior could indeed be called freeloading.

He wanted to explain further.

But Lily didn't care about his thoughts and turned back to continue ransacking the room. "You can leave now, I don't need your help."

Xu Yang stood there for a while, feeling somewhat ashamed. He was a man, after all; when had he ever asked someone for help in such a grand and proper manner?

……

Inside the living room, Lily walked to a glass display case.

Two crystal handicrafts that looked almost identical were displayed among them.

She opened the glass and picked up two handicrafts to compare them.

He frowned, unsure which option to choose. His backpack had limited space; he couldn't take everything with him.

At that moment, Xu Yang's voice came over: "If you're comparing value, take the one on the left."

He stood behind Lily.

The latter turned his head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

How did you know?

Because I cheated...

Of course, the art of language prevented him from being so direct.

Xu Yang touched his chin, his tone full of confidence: "I have studied many handicrafts before, and I have some insignificant experience in this area."

"The one on the left is the genuine limited edition. There should be an engraving on the bottom of the base, which is the designer's signature. The one on the right is just a poor imitation."

Lily picked up the craft item on the left with some skepticism and looked at its base—

Kahoz Reint.

Crafts with an autograph are more valuable.

She quietly put the handicraft on the left into her backpack.

"Do you really need something of high value?"

"……Um."

"I can help you find more."

Xu Yang looked into Lily's red eyes.

"Perhaps we can make a deal?"

Her face was hidden behind the mask, but Lily's brows were furrowed tightly.

Without much hesitation, she said in her ever-cold voice, "I won't let you sleep with me."

Xu Yang: So this is what prostitution is?

"..."

"I never even considered that." He paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "Although I did have some... intentions before, it wasn't what you're thinking."

Lily didn't even look up.

"So you want to use me."

Xu Yang's lips twitched slightly, and he said frankly, "More or less. To be precise, I hope to get your help."

"What?"

"I don't know where to find other humans."

Lily: ?

"Where are you from?"

"refuge."

The girl tilted her head to look at him, her voice unusually tinged with uncertainty, "A shelter survivor?"

"Probably." Xu Yang shrugged.

He can't exactly tell everyone that he's from another time, it's not that he can't tell them, but the problem is that people have to believe him.

Lily stared at the latter's face for a long time before slowly saying, "The shelter was used more than forty years ago. You've been in the shelter for at least forty years?"

Xu Yang: ...

"Would you believe me if I said I came from another world?"

Lily simply pursed her lips and didn't answer, creating a moment of silence.

After a few seconds, she turned and asked, "You want to use me to find other humans, and I can use you to find something even more valuable, right?"

"Um, that's roughly it, but actually it's called 'each taking their own'..."

"I agree."

"what?"

Xu Yang hadn't reacted yet.

Lily had already turned around, opened her backpack, and taken out some of the things she had collected earlier.

"Which ones are worthless?"

Xu Yang paused for a moment, then started the guide.

After looking through them all, he picked up two of the jade artifacts and set them aside.

"It's an apprentice's work, throw it away, it's worthless."

"Hmm." Lily didn't doubt it, and simply put away the remaining items, adding, "My name is Lily, Lily Lancaster."

"Xu Yang".