Chapter 30: Before My Brother Left, He Told Me to Watch Over You
Pei Dong, who had been away for several days, unexpectedly returned in the middle of the night.
She even brought a big pickup truck.
Rubbing her eyes, Su Tao came out to help her “smuggle” supplies, being extremely cautious to avoid other tenants seeing or hearing anything.
Although her intention was humanitarian aid, it would be hard to explain if others found out. It would seem unfair—like “the magistrate is allowed to set fires, but commoners aren’t allowed to light lamps.” After all, everyone else was subject to purchase limits, so why was she giving special treatment to the deputy commander of the city defense force?
To avoid misunderstandings, it was better to do things quietly.
Pei Dong understood this well. She instructed those who came to help to remain silent, and they tiptoed while moving supplies batch by batch.
By the time the truck was fully loaded, dawn was approaching. Su Tao urged:
“Sister Pei, that’s enough. You can’t become a big fat person in one bite. Come back next time—I’m not going anywhere.”
Only then did Pei Dong stop her raid-like sweep, though she still seemed reluctant to leave. She asked:
“When will you have more rooms available for rent here? Can you reserve forty for me?”
Instead of moving supplies out of Taoyang, it might be better to bring more people in.
Su Tao almost spat out blood. “There’s no way we have that many. Give up on that idea.”
Pei Dong looked a bit disappointed. “Alright, then I’ll come back in a bit. I heard you got someone from Shi Zijin to protect you, but you still can’t be careless. Try to go out as little as possible. That beast has already killed over ten people, and there might be more bodies we haven’t discovered yet.”
Su Tao shivered. It was that brutal?
“If you really need to go out, let me know in advance. I’ll ‘watch’ over you.”
Su Tao realized Pei Dong intended to use her “Eagle Eye” ability to help her avoid danger. Even if she had the misfortune of encountering danger, Pei Dong could quickly locate her.
Su Tao was deeply grateful. “Sister Pei, you’re the best. I’ll definitely report to you before going out.”
After sending Pei Dong off, Su Tao went back to sleep for a bit. Once she woke up, she called Guan Zining to accompany her to buy a car.
With the bodyguard from Shi Zijin and Pei Dong’s oversight, Su Tao felt much more confident about going out.
“What kind of car do you want? I’ll help you choose,” Guan Zining asked.
“The looks don’t matter. As long as it’s fast and sturdy, that’ll do.”
As for the price, she aimed to get something decent for around 300,000 federal coins.
Good cars were hard to come by in the apocalypse, especially since automotive production lines had been shut down for over a decade, making finished vehicles increasingly scarce.
She was grateful for the 80,000 federal coins she earned from Sister Pei’s bulk purchase of daily necessities last night.
Adding her previous savings, she had about 370,000 to 380,000 federal coins in total.
After buying a car, she’d still have 60,000 to 70,000 left as a safety net.
Guan Zining teased, “A getaway vehicle, huh? Got it. You really cherish your life.”
Su Tao remained unbothered. “Yes, I do cherish my life. I’m greedy for life and afraid of death. I also enjoy comfort.”
Guan Zining scoffed, “Material wealth has corrupted your spirit.”
…
To buy a car, they had to go to the military district. After the apocalypse, vehicles became scarce, so most were controlled by governmental and military forces.
If a civilian wanted to buy one, they needed an introduction.
Su Tao had arranged this with Shi Zijin earlier and was smoothly escorted to the garage.
There weren’t many options—mostly small private cars with limited cargo capacity that the military rarely used.
But they fit Su Tao’s requirements perfectly.
Not knowing much about cars, she let Guan Zining choose for her.
After walking around, Guan Zining pointed to a low-slung sports car and said:
“How about this one? Before the apocalypse, it was used for racing. It has great performance, is fast, and has a long lifespan. The only downside is that it doesn’t have a roof. You could find someone to modify it.”
Su Tao asked, “Can you drive this car?”
She was a child born after the apocalypse and knew nothing about driving.
Guan Zining looked proud. “Of course.”
Su Tao decided immediately. “Alright, then this is the one. How much is it?”
A two-seater car shouldn’t be too expensive, right?
The person showing them the cars lifted his eyelids slightly. “800,000 federal coins.”
Su Tao: “I can’t afford it. Next.”
Guan Zining was quite surprised. “You don’t have 800,000? Those houses of yours are worth hundreds of luxury cars.”
She spoke as if 800,000 was nothing. Su Tao asked:
“How much do you earn a year?”
Guan Zining replied, “My rank and position aren’t high—about 1.2 million a year.”
Although she earned a lot, the scarcity of resources in the apocalypse meant she had savings but little opportunity to spend them.
But since her goal wasn’t to splurge and enjoy life, she didn’t really mind.
Su Tao, the hedonist: “Well, excuse me. Come on, keep helping me pick. Remember, under 300,000. Anything more, and I can’t afford it.”
Damn, the Pioneers really made bank. Even with Guan Zining’s rank, she could make over a million a year.
Wouldn’t that mean Shi Zijin’s annual salary is at least double that? No wonder he’s so generous.
Is it too late for her to change careers and join the military?
Maintaining a system was really burning through her money.
In the end, they chose a Jeep for 280,000 federal coins. It was a bit old, but its performance and condition were still decent.
Su Tao was quite satisfied and asked Guan Zining to take the driver’s seat and give her a ride.
After all, she had never ridden in a car before.
Reluctantly, Guan Zining started the car and drove her around:
“First, I’m your personal bodyguard, and now I’m your chauffeur.”
Su Tao said, “Yeah, yeah, just drive. Take me around the government and military districts, then head north to the outskirts, and finally go south back to Taoyang.”
“Are you on some kind of day tour of Dongyang? You’ve lived here for over ten years. What’s there to see? It’s the same old rundown buildings. With the mutated zombie situation lately, everyone’s hiding at home. You won’t even see a single person.”
Su Tao said, “I just need some fresh air.”
If she could, she wouldn’t want to wander around aimlessly. The TV, sofa, hot springs, and delicious food at home—everything was so much more comfortable.
But she had to go out and wander if she wanted any chance of triggering a hidden quest.
Guan Zining muttered “lunatic” in her heart but accepted her fate and drove around.
They drove until sunset, yet the system gave Su Tao no prompts or responses.
Did she guess wrong?
Or did she need to walk on her own two feet instead of riding?
Su Tao scratched her head, but no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t figure it out. She decided to drop it, eat dinner, and go to bed early.
At the crack of dawn, she dragged Guan Zining out of bed to go driving again.
If she couldn’t trigger anything inside the Dongyang base, she’d explore the surrounding outskirts.
Busy with schoolwork, Shi Ziyue couldn’t help but ask when she saw Su Tao going out again:
“Sister Tao, why are you always going out lately? Dongyang isn’t safe right now. The zombie that snuck into the base has killed so many people. Now when we go to school, we need the school bus and the city defense troops to escort us.”
Su Tao said, “I’ve got city defense troops protecting me too—one-on-one protection. It’s fine, don’t worry.”
Shi Ziyue looked at her with concern. “Before my brother left, he told me to watch over you. If you keep doing this, I won’t even dare to go to school. I’m afraid if something happens to you, my brother will skin me alive.”
Su Tao thought back to the socially mortifying scene the day before and was instantly at a loss for words.
She really didn’t want to hear the name “Shi Zijin” right now.
“Just go to class.” She then slipped into the passenger seat.
With a deadpan expression, Guan Zining started the car and sped out of Taoyang.
She drove a bit, stopped a bit, and let Su Tao out to wander around. This process made her feel like she was wasting her life, wasting the resources the military spent training her, wasting the powers bestowed upon her by the heavens, wasting—
The sudden ringing of the communicator interrupted her thoughts.
“Hello? Sister Pei, what’s up?” Su Tao answered.
“Su Tao! Get out of there!! Run!!”
