"Let’s have some soup dumplings then," she said as she grabbed Lu Chen’s kneading hand and smiled, "Let’s eat first, the numbness will fade soon."
"Okay," he gently let go of her leg.
"Jianxiong, turn off the lights," Su Mo reminded Jianxiong, knowing that soup dumplings were a rare delicacy nowadays, and eating them so openly might lead to trouble.
Jianxiong, understanding the situation, swiftly turned off the lights.
Aside from the occasional flashlight passing outside, the car was pitch black, and Lu Chen had four whole plates of soup dumplings, each piled two layers high.
He and Su Mo kept one plate for themselves and gave the remaining three to the front seat.
The enticing aroma of the buns wafted through the cabin, causing stomachs to growl one after another.
Ling Ye, too, was awoken by the smell; he shifted uneasily on Su Niang’s lap and stared at the dimly visible buns in the dark, remaining silent.
"Are you hungry?" Su Niang, having held him all day, was starting to feel the strain. She placed him in the middle and handed him a bun from the plate.
Ling Ye stubbornly kept his mouth shut, refusing to eat no matter how much Su Niang tried to please him.
Su Mo, irritated by his petulance, deliberately said, "You could starve to death by refusing to eat; that way, your mom wouldn’t even need to claim your body."
His mother was his weak spot, and Su Mo had pinpointed it exactly. As a result, Ling Ye gave in and took a bite of the bun.
The rich meaty flavor caught him off guard. It had been so long since he had tasted meat... but the food was given by the person who killed his grandmother!
Thinking of this, his expression darkened, and the taste of the meat seemed to fade in his mouth.
Su Mo knew the child held a grudge against her. As she ate a bun, she watched Ling Ye’s head, pondering how to win him over and make him see the world clearly.
After eating only six soup dumplings, she couldn’t fit anymore and let out a satisfied burp. She pushed the plate towards Lu Chen, "Eat more, you expended a lot of energy today."
Seeing her satisfied expression, Lu Chen asked.
"Yes," Su Mo nodded and leaned back in her chair.
The man surveyed her up and down, frowning thoughtfully. She was too thin; he had almost been able to encircle her thigh with one hand.
His long fingers picked up a bun and brought it to her mouth, "Eat another one."
Su Mo patted her stomach, about to shake her head, but meeting his undeniable gaze in the dark, she obediently opened her mouth.
His fingertips felt wet; Su Mo had bitten his hand and pulled the bun away.
Lu Chen’s throat moved up and down, his eyes fixed on her tempting lips, his expression deep.
Su Mo’s face reddened under his intense gaze. Why did she have to have such good eyesight? Even in the darkness, she could clearly see the expressions on his face.
She silently shifted her gaze to the plate of buns and gestured, "Eat quickly, there’s still a lot left."
Lu Chen looked away and began to eat the buns.
In the military convoy upfront, soldiers set up tents, and Li Chuan was invited to Rong Bai’s tent at the very front.
Inside, a dim light was on. He walked in with his hands in his pockets, looked around, and noticed no one else but the tall man sitting in front of a small table.
Li Chuan raised an eyebrow, "Where’s Lu Chen?"
"Lu Chen?" Rong Bai was taken aback, "Is he here too?"
"He’s in the car right in front of us," Li Chuan seemed amused. He swaggered over, sat down on the stool, and nonchalantly reached for the military canteen on the table, pouring himself a cup of water.
Rong Bai, looking puzzled, nevertheless stood up and called a soldier over.
"Go ask the person in the Special Soldier of Jiang Mansion’s vehicle from the civilian convoy to come over," he said.
The soldier received the order and retreated. Given the massive length of the convoy, which stretched out for a kilometer, finding the vehicle was no simple task.
"Lu Chen, let’s get out of the car and walk around a bit. I’m so full," Su Mo burped uncontrollably. The small steamed buns made by Su Niang were indeed substantial for her petite frame. She felt stuffed.
"Wait until the smell dissipates a bit," Lu Chen said as he rubbed her head, his eyes somewhat helpless.
Only when the smell in the car had dissipated a bit did Su Mo dare to open the trunk and get out of the car.
The long string of vehicles was brightly lit in the pitch-dark night. Many private cars were equipped with things like tents, which they set up along the roadside, glowing with a dim light inside.
A row of people coming and going truly looked spectacular.
Although the two of them looked disheveled from a day of killing zombies, their striking appearances still drew attention from the people around them.
Despite Lu Chen intentionally concealing his aura, his upright posture from long battles in bloody fields was hard to ignore.
Their noses, filled with the stench all day, indeed felt much better upon contacting fresh air.
Su Mo and he, fingers intertwined, slowly walked along with the flow of vehicles, enjoying this rare moment of safety.
Along the road, many people had laid out various daily necessities or food for sale, all essential items for life. Su Mo specifically noticed their method of trading—money had been eliminated, replaced by bartering items directly.
Each took what they needed.
"It’s just like a bustling market," Su Mo muttered.
"Is there anything you’d like to exchange for?" Lu Chen stopped and looked down at her.
Su Mo shook her head. They lacked nothing.
"This army has really shown some strength by protecting so many people up to here," she observed.
Lu Chen nodded. He was so tired at the time that he hadn’t noticed which troop it was.
They hadn’t gotten far when Su Mo sharply felt someone approaching from behind. Lu Chen let go of her hand and caught the rough hand that was reaching for her buttocks.
A scream like slaughtering a pig erupted.
Lu Chen looked stern, his eyes filled with ferocity as he twisted that hand and then kicked the man on the knee, making him kneel on the ground in a posture of bowing his head.
The man lay on the ground, crying out in pain, attracting many spectators.
Seeing that large middle-aged man, most of the crowd coldly watched and discussed without intervening.
"It’s Wang Wu again. I’ve heard he has relatives in the army up ahead,"
"That old tortoise, sigh, looks like another young couple is in trouble,"
The crowd stirred, and several underlings quickly pushed forward: "Boss!"
Su Mo lazily turned her head, a cold smile on her face: "In a lawless society, all sorts of scum come crawling out."
Wang Wu was helped up by his subordinates, groaning incessantly. He looked at her small face and suddenly became furious: "Stupid girl, I was honoring you by hitting on you. You dare act pure and I’ll kill you," he shouted.
His entire body’s muscles swelled, and his skin surface hardened, clearly a Level 2 Power Superpower User. He pushed aside the underlings supporting him and charged directly at Su Mo.