Tiedan's voice echoed in his head. Chen Yuan's heart tightened. He immediately slung the compound bow off his back and nocked an arrow.
"Where are they? How many? What's their temperature?"
「Report, Master. Two moving objects. Body temperatures are 36.8 and 41.」
Chen Yuan was taken aback. They have body temperature? They're alive?!
His gaze followed the direction Tiedan's head was pointing and settled on a conference room from which a faint light was emanating.
Chen Yuan frowned slightly. There were so many people in the world; it was impossible for all of them to have made it to the shelters. Some were inevitably left behind to await their fate. But he wasn't a saint, obligated to help everyone he came across.
He was just about to turn and leave when the door to the conference room burst open with a bang.
A woman with short hair charged out, holding an axe in one hand and a fire extinguisher in the other.
"Who's there?!" Qi Yan shouted, her eyes locked on Chen Yuan.
Seeing the compound bow in the man's hands, her heart leaped into her throat. The hand gripping the fire extinguisher trembled slightly, whether from the cold or from fear, it was hard to tell.
The corner of Chen Yuan's mouth twitched. Great. I knew I shouldn't have come in here.
He slowly lowered his compound bow, his expression calm. "My apologies. I was just looking for a place to rest."
Seeing that the man seemed reasonable, Qi Yan's brow furrowed, and she said in a deep voice, "This isn't a convenient place. You should go."
Chen Yuan nodded, not intending to argue. The office building was huge; he could just find another floor.
As he turned to leave, Qi Yan let out a huge sigh of relief. If this man had robbed them of their supplies, she feared she would die here. She hadn't reached the camp yet, and she didn't want to die.
"Cough, cough... Xiao Yan, who is it?" a voice came from within the conference room. Another woman emerged, leaning on the doorframe for support.
Chen Yuan glanced back. The woman's face was flushed with fever, her eyes bloodshot. Her wavy hair was disheveled and draped over her shoulders. But even so, it couldn't hide her delicate features. If anything, it added a touch of frail, vulnerable beauty.
"It's nothing, Sister Anna. You should go back inside and rest," Qi Yan said, shaking her head slightly, her gaze never leaving Chen Yuan.
Anna sighed softly and looked up at the man not far away. Sharp features, a stern expression, clear eyes...
"Excuse me, do you need something to eat?" Anna's voice was a bit hoarse and weak, but it didn't detract from the genuine concern in her words.
Chen Yuan looked her up and down, then shook his head. "I have food. I don't need any."
With that, he prepared to turn and leave again.
"Please wait..." Anna called out, her voice faint.
Chen Yuan's steps halted. He turned to face her, a look of confusion on his face. "Is something wrong?"
"I… I'd like to ask a favor of you," Anna said, her eyes filled with a deep hope, her heart beginning to pound with nervousness.
Chen Yuan's brow furrowed. "What is it?" If it was something he could do easily, he didn't mind helping. The world was a difficult place, and a beautiful, sick woman... well, he didn't have the heart to refuse.
A small smile appeared on Anna's face. "I want to give you all of my supplies. I hope that you can take her with you when you leave. You must be looking for a camp as well, right?"
"Sister Anna, how can you do that?! Without supplies, you won't make it!" Qi Yan immediately protested.
"Silly girl, with me dragging you down, you'll never reach the camp. You should leave now, while you have someone to travel with."
Qi Yan's eyes instantly turned red. She bit her lip and shook her head firmly. "No. I'm definitely taking you with me."
Anna's elegant nose twitched, tears welling in her eyes.
Chen Yuan watched this scene, and he, too, was moved. To be willing to give up one's own supplies to give another person a chance to live—that was no small bond.
However, her guess about him was wrong. He wasn't looking for a camp at all.
He looked at the woman and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't need your supplies. And I'm not looking for a camp."
Hearing Chen Yuan's words, both women were stunned. They stared in disbelief at the young man before them.
In this day and age, there was someone who didn't need supplies? But besides supplies, she had nothing else to offer as payment.
"Then…" Anna's face was etched with disappointment. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. He didn't want supplies, and he wasn't going to a camp. What could she do?
She looked at Qi Yan beside her, a profound sense of helplessness washing over her. If she weren't sick, the two of them, with their supplies, would have had a very good chance of reaching the camp safely. But now...
Anna's eyes drooped, and her heart filled with despair.
Chen Yuan stood his ground, rubbing his chin. From their conversation, he had basically guessed the woman's intentions. If he didn't help, these two would never make it to the camp.
But if he did help, how could he? He wasn't going to any camp, at least not now. Give them some compressed biscuits? The thought popped into his head only to be dismissed. A woman with a high fever couldn't travel far. And if they had bad luck and ran into some burly man, it was likely they would lose both their supplies and their lives. Even worse, what if they ran into zombies on the road?
Forget it...
After a moment's thought, Chen Yuan spoke. "I may not be going to a camp, but I have some antibiotics here." As he spoke, he took a bottle of Mineral Life Water from his backpack. "If you drink this, it should help with the fever. Then the two of you can take your supplies and hit the road. You might just make it to the camp safely."
Hearing his words, the two women's expressions were polar opposites.
A look of suspicion appeared on Qi Yan's face. This man is being so kind? Giving his precious antibiotics to Sister Anna? Isn't he just trying to drug us both... The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She raised the fire extinguisher again.
Anna, on the other hand, had a look of gratitude. She spoke with a hint of apology. "Thank you for your kindness. Actually, we've already tried some antibiotics, but my condition hasn't improved. I think it's a viral infection; antibiotics don't seem to work."
Chen Yuan's expression didn't change. He simply twisted open the bottle cap and, right in front of them, drank half the bottle in several long swallows. He then placed the remaining half on a nearby table.
"If you trust me, you might as well give it a try."
He was only being this patient because of the woman's sincere attitude. If it had been anyone else treating him this way, he would have already turned his back and left.
Anna looked at the half-full bottle of... antibiotics... on the table, her expression complex. That was a whole bottle of precious antibiotics, and he had just drunk half of it? What a waste!
"Okay. I trust you," Anna said, nodding heavily. She steadied herself on the nearby table and started to walk toward him.
"Sister Anna!!!" Qi Yan took two steps forward, blocking her path, her face filled with anxiety.
Even though the man had drunk half of it to show it wasn't poison, he was still a stranger. It was best not to drink anything from him. What if it had some strange ingredients?