Transmigrating into a Wasteland Cannon Fodder Slag A [GL Yuri] - Chapter 30

Right in front of Gu Xia, Yan An freely exposed her spatial ability, going on a wild shopping spree.

While everyone else was busy grabbing food, she was in the general merchandise section, collecting anything and everything that might come in handy.

Gu Xia watched her, impressed by the perks of having a spatial ability. It was like watching someone move house in real-time. But some of the things Yan An was grabbing were a little strange.

There were batteries, flashlights, candles, personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies, alcohol, various ropes, duct tape, tools, pots, a multi-functional blender, raincoats, salt, white sugar, and even a whole bunch of seeds.

Gu Xia could understand most of the items, but she couldn’t figure out the seeds.

Yan An saw the puzzled look on her face and explained with a smile, “In case we get trapped somewhere later, we can be self-sufficient.”

Next, she grabbed a tent, sleeping bags, a waterproof mat, swim rings, life jackets, gloves, masks, and a whole stack of books, including a “Gardening Encyclopedia” and a book on “Mechanical Science.”

Gu Xia let out a small, helpless laugh and started helping her pick things, asking from time to time what she needed and going to get it for her.

If it were peacetime, they’d look just like a couple shopping together at the supermarket.

Once they had taken most of what they needed from the general merchandise area, they finally went for food.

But instead of the main aisles, they went straight to the warehouse. Inside, two former stockers had turned into zombies. The two of them worked together, quickly taking them out with a few well-placed shots.

The warehouse was far better stocked. While they had managed to get some things from the store aisles, the real treasure was the food.

They chose items with a long shelf life, high energy content, and that were ready-to-eat. They grabbed things like: beef jerky, chocolate, powdered milk, compressed biscuits, nuts, various canned goods, cereal, and instant hot pots and rice.

Then they stacked box after box of water inside her spatial pocket.

With that done, Yan An saw that they still had some time to spare. Thinking of the shops next to the warehouse, she said, “There’s a pharmacy next door. Let’s go get some things.”

“Okay,” Gu Xia replied, following right behind her, looking almost docile.

Yan An smiled, took Gu Xia’s hand, and they walked into the pharmacy.

“We need to find water purification tablets,” Yan An said. They could only carry so much water, and they had no idea when they would be able to resupply again. The tablets would make contaminated water safe to drink. Yan An was grateful for all the things she had learned from her wilderness survival training; now they were coming in handy.

Because she was so knowledgeable about the supplies they needed, Gu Xia trusted her without question. It wasn’t just a trust in her as a person, but also in her abilities.

The pharmacy had many things they needed: disinfectant tablets, antiseptic, cold medicine, antiviral drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, antibiotics, first aid kits, medicine for diarrhea, tourniquets, insect repellent, and heatstroke prevention medication.

Yan An’s healing ability was powerful, but she didn’t want to reveal it. Medical supplies were the best way to keep that secret.

They found more in the back storage room: protective gloves, hazmat suits, and even face shields that were covered in dust, obviously never used by the pharmacy staff.

She put these items into her spatial pocket, putting some of them in her backpack to hide the existence of the pocket.

Just then, Gu Xia tugged on her hand and pointed to the building across the street. “Firefighting equipment.”

Yan An looked up. She had initially dismissed the place, thinking it was just fire extinguishers and the like.

But Gu Xia had studied architecture and clearly knew more about this kind of equipment. “They’ll have masks, alarms, and heat-resistant suits.”

As soon as Gu Xia said those names, Yan An understood. Those items, and what else might be in there, could be crucial for an emergency. With only five minutes left, the two of them didn’t hesitate and ran into the store.

They didn’t encounter any zombies along the way. The car had already attracted and eliminated all the nearby ones.

They made it inside, and it was just as they had expected.

The store had more than one type of gas mask, and the alarms could be used to draw zombies away. The material of the heat-resistant suits was so tough that Yan An gave it a hard tug. She figured zombies wouldn’t be able to tear them. They were also fireproof.

Since there were so many, she put one on and stored several more in her spatial pocket. Gu Xia also put on a new one at the very least, it would prevent them from getting scratched by a zombie.

They also grabbed emergency lights, rope ladders, fire blankets, and safety ropes.

Yan An even found a fire axe. She threw away her old one and took a new axe with a sharp tip on the other end. She tested it out, and it felt just right.

“Fire suits,” Gu Xia said, holding up a real treasure.

These suits covered them from head to toe, including their face and hands, but the material wasn’t as good as the fireproof jacket’s. So Yan An only took the helmets.

There were also figure-eight descenders. Yan An was familiar with these from her rock climbing days. They would ensure their safety when rappelling from a high place.

It was a successful trip, and Yan An’s spatial pocket was now packed to the brim. She had even thought about putting an electric moped inside so they could ride in front and the zombies would be left behind, but her space wasn’t quite big enough.

“Let’s go.”

With everything they needed, Yan An straightened Gu Xia’s collar, then picked up a few sets of suits in her arms and walked out.

*******

When they got back to the RV, she threw the suits onto the ground.

Hei Ye and her people were just coming out of the warehouse. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the suits, clearly understanding their value.

“Thanks,” Hei Ye said.

Yan An nodded, pointing at Xiao Hua. “Wrap her up in one.”

Hei Ye and her group didn’t bother with formalities. They grabbed the suits and put them on over their clothes. They had all gone through life and death situations, so they didn’t care about getting a little dirty. Besides, they had all showered before leaving the mall, so they were ready to go.

Just then, Fang Qiang came out and also noticed the suits. “Where did you get these?”

Yan An pointed to the equipment store across the street. Fang Qiang immediately ordered his men, “Go. Take everything you can use and load it into the car.”

Yan An didn’t say a word. She just took Gu Xia and got into the RV. She noticed that Fang Qiang was one man short, but she didn’t need to ask. It was obvious they had encountered a zombie.

Yan An and Gu Xia sat in the back of the car, showing no intention of driving. So Hei Ye got in the driver’s seat. She no longer dared to entrust the driving to anyone else. Another incident like Xiao Feng’s could get everyone killed.

They waited in the car for Fang Qiang’s men to finish loading the equipment before finally setting off.

Hei Ye turned to Yan An. “Would you mind looking after Xiao Hua?” Xiao Feng’s unreliability had left her with no choice but to ask Yan An for help.

Yan An nodded. Xiao Hua was a very well-behaved child, and her ability was crucial to the group’s survival.

Yan An could see Xiao Hua’s stats:

Physical Strength: 180

Awakened Ability: A-class Healing (Can grow; heals all diseases and injuries.)

An A-class ability? Xiao Hua’s ability was actually A-class. No wonder her physical strength was 180. After only a short time, her strength was already so great. If she were trained, she would become an excellent fighter.

This ability was different from Yan An’s own. Her ability was a repair that fixed everything, while Xiao Hua’s was specifically healing. But Xiao Hua’s ability was A-class, so she had no idea just how powerful it could get.

Gu Xia was also staring at Xiao Hua, thinking of her own sister who was the same age.

“What’s your name?”

Gu Xia had barely spoken the entire trip, only answering Yan An. Yan An was surprised that she was initiating a conversation with Xiao Hua.

Even though everyone thought Gu Xia was unapproachable, Huang Yunyun saw her as a benefactor who had given her food and a gun. So she answered for Xiao Hua. “Her name is Xiao Hua.”

Gu Xia ignored her and continued to look at Xiao Hua, her eyes soft, encouraging her not to be afraid.

Children are very sensitive to people’s emotions. After meeting Gu Xia’s gaze for a while, Xiao Hua finally spoke. “My name is Hei Hua.”

Hei Ye, Hei Hua? Yan An looked at Xiao Feng curiously. “Is your name Hei Feng?” As in, Hei Feng the monster?

Xiao Feng immediately shook his head. He had seen Yan An’s power while she was killing zombies, and she had pulled him away so easily. He was terrified of her and didn’t dare to lie. “My name is Jiang Feng.”

Before Yan An could ask, he confessed everything. “I’m Hei Ye’s neighbor. We escaped together when the outbreak happened.”

So that was it. Hei Ye and Hei Hua were the sisters.

Yan An suddenly thought of something and leaned in to whisper in Gu Xia’s ear. “Both of them have awakened abilities. Do you think our sister will, too?”

“What kind of ability do you think our sister would awaken? She’s like a little princess with her pink room. It’ll probably be something very gentle, right?”

Gu Xia gave her a gentle pinch on the waist. “Our sister, our sister…” they weren’t even an official couple yet.

Yan An let out a small laugh, then turned to Hei Hua. “Xiao Hua, do you want some chocolate?” She took a chocolate bar from her pocket and held it out.

Xiao Hua looked at her, then at the chocolate, but even though she clearly wanted it, she turned her head away and ignored her.

Yan An: “?”

Gu Xia couldn’t help but laugh. She took the chocolate, unwrapped it, and, holding it with the wrapper, was about to put it to Xiao Hua’s lips.

Yan An grabbed her hand, twisted it around, and put the chocolate to her own mouth instead. She let Gu Xia feed her the chocolate, mumbling, “This is my chocolate.”

“So childish,” Gu Xia said with a light laugh. She pulled out a new chocolate bar and offered it to Xiao Hua.

This time, Xiao Hua took the chocolate and even smiled at Gu Xia.

Yan An was speechless. “I’m so good-looking. Why does this kid like you but not me?”

“Because you’re an idiot,” Gu Xia said with a soft laugh. She took out a wet wipe from her bag and started cleaning the dirt off Yan An’s face, revealing her fair skin beneath. She had been rolling around on the ground, so her face was filthy. It was no wonder the child was scared of her!

Yan An obediently leaned in, letting Gu Xia clean her face. She just kept looking at her, at her eyes, her nose, and her alluring lips. As she stared, she suddenly felt an urge to kiss them. Thankfully, she didn’t act on the impulse. She was afraid Gu Xia would actually beat her up.

Gu Xia was actually very gentle. The cold expression was just a front to hide her true self.

********

As they got farther from the city, the number of zombies decreased.

After they got on the highway, they realized something was wrong. There were too many cars and too many zombies. Everyone must have thought they could escape by taking the highway. However, the sheer number of cars had caused accidents and traffic jams. The zombies were everywhere, and even with the armored car leading the way, their speed was slowing down.

From over 100 kilometers per hour, they were now down to 80 and still dropping.

Seeing this, Yan An recalled the route from Pingzhou City to Pingzhou Island. She then grabbed the walkie-talkie. “We need to get off the highway. If we stay on, we’re going to get trapped.”

Huang Yunyun nervously slammed the door shut and collapsed onto the floor, too scared to speak.

“When do we get off the highway?” Gu Xia turned and asked Hei Ye.

“Five more minutes,” Hei Ye said, having seen everything that happened in the car through the rearview mirror. She didn’t intervene, knowing that neither Yan An nor Gu Xia would sit by and allow Huang Yunyun to point a gun at her or her people.

Huang Yunyun had killed Fang Qiang’s men, but they had tried to steal her gun first, so they had it coming. Yan An and Gu Xia didn’t have a habit of getting involved in other people’s fights. They wouldn’t have stepped in no matter who died. Of course, as a woman, Hei Ye was still hoping Huang Yunyun would survive, a completely irrational bias.

Hei Ye glanced at Huang Yunyun in the rearview mirror. “Miss Yan, can I borrow your axe?”

Yan An didn’t ask why. She simply handed the axe to her.

Taking the axe, Hei Ye swung it at the already shattered windshield, knocking out the dash cam at the same time.

Yan An understood what she was doing. She was helping Huang Yunyun hide the evidence.

Huang Yunyun was no fool. She picked up the bald man’s steel pipe and slammed it against the glass of the back trunk. After more than a dozen swings, it only had a few cracks. Huang Yunyun then shot the glass to shatter it, and used the steel pipe to break the glass even more, until a large hole appeared.

Just then, a zombie lunged and widened the hole in the back of the car. Huang Yunyun shot the zombie in the head, and it got stuck in the hole.

The back of the RV was connected to the back seats, unlike a sedan where the trunk is separated. So the trunk could be opened and would lead directly into the car. With the back window shattered, they could say the two men were grabbed by zombies, got infected, and were then killed and thrown out. It would all make sense.

Yan An looked down and sat back in her seat, carefully watching her surroundings to make sure no zombies would sneak in.

Fortunately, they were off the highway, and there weren’t many cars or zombies on this road, so the RV could speed up.

The RV was fast, and even with the wind rushing through the front and back, making it uncomfortable for the people inside, the zombies couldn’t catch up.

Yan An held the walkie-talkie. “Fang Qiang, turn right. In ten minutes, you’ll pass a resort village. Outside the village is a farmhouse inn. We can rest there.”

“Why do we need to rest?”

Taking the smaller roads would add an hour or two to their trip. Fang Qiang had wanted to get to the pier before noon.

“We need to change cars,” Yan An said calmly, her tone giving nothing away. The RV was done for. If they kept driving, the wind would be unbearable, especially for the driver, whose eyes would probably be stinging.

Fang Qiang grabbed his binoculars and looked at the RV for a while, only then noticing that the windshield was shattered. He let out a scoff. “I knew this piece of junk wasn’t as tough as they advertised.”

That was why he had chosen the armored car, which was, more accurately, a hardcore armored off-road vehicle. Its hardness was comparable to a tank’s, and it could take on anything.

After a moment of mockery, he pressed the walkie-talkie. “Fine. See you in a bit.”

The people in the RV were all strong, and they had no idea how many more zombies they would encounter down the road. To get to Pingzhou Island, they would have to stick together, which would increase their chances of making it. So he didn’t want to offend them.

Inside the RV, Yan An hung the walkie-talkie on the pocket of her chest, then turned to Xiao Hua, who was being comforted in Gu Xia’s arms. Yan An pouted.

“Sis, am I not enough for you?” She said, feigning an injured tone. Her words broke the tense atmosphere in the car and, more importantly, made Gu Xia’s furrowed brow relax.

Gu Xia followed her gaze and knew exactly what she was talking about. “She’s just a child.”

“But you’re hugging her,” Yan An huffed. Gu Xia had never even hugged her.

Her words made the people in the car laugh. Hei Ye smiled. “I didn’t know Miss Yan would get jealous of a child.”

Yan An blurted out, “Of course. That’s why we’re childfree.”

Gu Xia: “?” Did I agree to this? No, who said I don’t want children? Gu Xia was thrown off by Yan An’s words. Her mind was a mess, and she was almost roped into the joke.

“Guzi, tell me, am I enough for you?”

They were pretending to be a couple, and Yan An was shamelessly showing her “love” in public.

Gu Xia quickly reached out and covered Yan An’s mouth. “Don’t say such nonsense.”

Yan An pouted. “Fine, I won’t.” She looked like a good little wife who was terrified of her husband. She knew when to stop and didn’t want to anger her “wife.”

But Gu Xia still reached out and pinched her cheek, then leaned in and whispered in her ear, “What you say doesn’t count.”

A question mark popped up in Yan An’s head. What didn’t count?

Seeing her confusion, Xiao Hua kindly explained. “Big Sister Gu Xia means she doesn’t agree to not having a child!”

Huh? Yan An was stunned. She was just joking around to cheer Gu Xia up. She didn’t mean anything by it. When she finally understood, her neck quickly turned pink, and she looked away in embarrassment.

Xiao Hua was aptly named. Hei (Black) as in hei (devious). She explained again. “Yan An is shy!”

Gu Xia also looked at her, intrigued. This woman, who was always teasing her, could get shy, too?

Yan An let out a dry cough, her voice feigning sternness. “Why don’t you call me ‘Big Sister Yan An’? Why do you call me by my name?”

“Nyeh!” After the joke, her demeanor was much softer. Xiao Hua wasn’t scared of her at all.

Yan An huffed. “From now on, I’m not calling you Xiao Hua. I’m calling you Xiao Hei.” The little devious thing was now teasing her.

Gu Xia couldn’t help but laugh. She suddenly found this person a little cute.

Hei Ye, who was driving, immediately spoke up to protect her sister. “That sounds awful, like a dog’s name.”

It did sound a little like that, but Yan An asked with a smile, “Doesn’t ‘Xiao Hua’ sound like a dog’s name, too?”

Uh… Hei Ye didn’t want to admit it. “‘Xiao Hua’ sounds much better. It’s so cute.”

“Then since such a cute name isn’t suitable for your devious little sister, she should be called Xiao Hei.” This little devil Hei Hua had exposed her to Gu Xia. She pretended to be tough but was actually a coward. If Gu Xia ever teased her back, she would have no defense.

But Gu Xia never teased her back. She would only get shy or angry, and sometimes indulge her. Otherwise, how would she have the guts to talk to the female lead like this? According to the novel’s summary, Gu Xia was a ruthless killer.

Just then, the car pulled up to the inn, where Fang Qiang’s armored car was already parked out front.

While parking, Hei Ye didn’t forget to get in one last jab. “Then should I call you ‘Yan Zi’?”

“You big ‘Black,’ give me back my sunglasses.” Just now, worried that things might fly in and hit Hei Ye’s eyes while she was driving, Yan An had given her a pair of sunglasses.

Hei Ye parked the car and immediately jumped out, running away. “You want something back after you’ve already given it away?”

Yan An huffed and leaned on Gu Xia’s shoulder like a little wife. She scooped up Xiao Hua, carried the little girl out of the car, and tearfully said, “Guzi, she’s bullying me.”

Gu Xia: “…”

“The two of you are pushing fifty combined, and you’re even more childish than Xiao Hei.”

Even as she criticized them, Gu Xia had naturally adopted the name “Xiao Hei.” She patted Yan An on the head. “You gave the sunglasses to Hei Ye. How can you ask for them back?”

Even though she was teasing her, Yan An instantly cheered up. See? Guzi still doted on her. Gu Xia’s face remained impassive as she said those words, but her voice held a hint of amusement.

Hei Ye rolled her eyes at the two of them, took her sister’s hand, and said, “Our family name is ‘Black,’ but you two are ‘black-hearted’—a black-hearted couple!”

Yan An didn’t care what she said. She was happy.

“I knew it. Guzi loves me the most,” Yan An said, nuzzling against Gu Xia’s shoulder.

Gu Xia gently pushed her head away and curved her lips into a smile. 

“Childish.”

This childish banter brought them closer. In the midst of escaping, they could steal a moment of levity. It was better than going insane.