The second day of the journey also went smoothly, and Evelyn Ford could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She suspected she had some kind of post-disaster trauma, always worried that an accident would happen at any moment.
"The temperature difference between day and night has been pretty big these past two days. The high during the day is six degrees Celsius, while the low at night is negative twelve degrees."
While they were having a late-night snack, Evelyn shared this observation with everyone.
"It’s true. It gets really cold at night, and the wind is stronger. Following this trend, the cold spell should end soon."
"The extreme cold probably won’t be completely over for another year or so, but it shouldn’t get too cold from here on out. After the deep freeze, we need to be careful of extreme heat or major droughts. Honestly, compared to the extreme cold, the scorching heat and drought are the most miserable."
Over the past few years, everyone had accumulated a lot of experience. They knew that just because one type of natural disaster ended didn’t mean it wouldn’t reappear. Sometimes it was alternating cold and heat, other times it was earthquakes combined with torrential rain—an endless, repeating cycle.
"Exactly. I’m more scared of the heat than the cold. The heat can be deadly. You can’t even set foot on the ground and have to hide in a cellar." Wyatt Vaughn’s mood soured just thinking about the days they’d lived through during the periods of extreme temperatures.
"I wonder if we can still trade for supplies in Frelia."
At the mention of this, everyone looked toward Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick.
"Should we try to trade for some supplies?"
Evelyn nodded. "Let’s see when we get to Frelia. If we can, we could trade for some mechanical equipment."
Taylor Vance was sitting in a corner, looking somewhat distracted. After the late-night snack, he found Evelyn and asked in a low voice, "Evelyn, do you know the Hooper Family’s address in Frelia?"
"I do. Once we reach Frelia, we’ll go find them."
Evelyn hadn’t forgotten about it. The actions of the Hooper and Holloway Families that day were no different from treason. They had to pay the price.
Taylor Vance seemed to let out a sigh of relief, his brow unfurrowing slightly. "It’s about time we paid them a visit."
Back in the RV, Ronan Kendrick was already in the driver’s seat. Evelyn patted her stomach, content, and settled into the passenger seat to sleep.
After so many years, to be honest, Evelyn wasn’t sure if all the members of the Hooper Family were still alive. But as long as Frelia hadn’t been hit by any natural disasters, they wouldn’t have left.
They had been driving day and night for the past two days, so they were using up gasoline quickly. Worried about tire wear, Evelyn checked them several times a day.
Ronan’s driving was very steady, and Evelyn quickly fell asleep. Her appetite had been good lately, and she was sleeping well. Although she’d had some side effects after being struck by lightning, they had since faded, and Evelyn felt completely refreshed. She was also much stronger. Just a little while ago, there had been a rock on the road, weighing over a hundred pounds, and Evelyn had lifted it with ease.
’If getting struck by lightning can strengthen my body,’ Evelyn thought, ’I wouldn’t mind it happening a few more times.’
—
"Evelyn, wake up! Stop sleeping, stop sleeping, get up!"
Startled awake by Quincy, Evelyn immediately swung a hand and slapped him. Quincy clutched his forehead, yelling that Evelyn was trying to murder him.
Opening her eyes, Evelyn saw a beautiful scene before her. The sky was bright; although there was no sun, the rising temperature had made it much warmer. And just a few hundred meters away, an oasis burst into view.
The oasis wasn’t large, shaped like a teardrop. It was lush with greenery, and in its center lay a small, crescent-shaped pond. Evelyn got out of the vehicle and walked with the others to a large rock up ahead. Feeling the cool, gentle breeze, she began to admire the oasis’s beauty.
"It’s so beautiful! To think such a gorgeous oasis is hidden in such a desolate place. It even has trees, green grass, and a pond. How magical."
"Those trees look like ginkgos. Come on, let’s go have a look! We’re not in a rush. Evelyn, take a picture of me."
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Quincy, you’re too old to be so vain. You’re unbelievable."
Though she acted disgusted, Evelyn still took out her phone and handed it to him, letting him take all the selfies he wanted.
Quincy took the phone, scooped up Zoe, and headed toward the oasis.
"Let’s go take a look too." Evelyn reached out, grabbed the hem of Ronan’s shirt, and pulled him along, skipping as she ran.
"Slow down, don’t fall."
Evelyn laughed heartily. "I’m not a three-year-old, I won’t fall. Let’s go!"
"Evelyn, they really are ginkgo trees! Let’s dig one up and take it with us."
Evelyn shook her head. "We wouldn’t be able to dig it up. Besides, this place is nice. Let’s let them grow freely here."
"Alright, then we won’t disturb them."
Quincy took out a dagger and started carving something on a nearby rock. Evelyn tutted. "Are you a dog? You have to leave your mark everywhere you go."
"I’m not carving on the trees. This rock is so small and ugly, it doesn’t count as vandalism. I won’t carve my name, I’ll just carve these four words: ’Have a safe trip.’"
Zoe snickered on the side. "Auntie Evelyn’s giving Dad a hard time again."
Evelyn patted Zoe’s head. "He’s just asking for it."
Zoe nodded seriously. "Dad is just asking for it."
Quincy deliberately rubbed his eyes. "You’re all ganging up on me."
Evelyn took Ronan’s hand with one hand and Zoe’s with the other and walked away, leaving the drama king to his one-man show.
"The water is so clean! And a little sweet. This place is amazing. Before the apocalypse, you could have developed this into a tourist spot, set up a parking lot, and built a bed and breakfast." Ethan Dawson lay on the ground and drank a mouthful of water from the pond, unafraid of any leeches or nematodes inside.
Evelyn gave him a thumbs-up. "You’re a real business genius. Opening a B&B in a place like this? You’d lose your shirt for sure."
"How could I? You don’t know, young people before the apocalypse had a huge appetite for novelty. Forget the desert—people would go exploring haunted houses deep in the mountains and dense forests. A place this beautiful would go viral as soon as you posted it online."
Evelyn noticed a lot of aquatic plants and moss in the pond. This oasis probably hadn’t formed in recent years. The ginkgo trees were very tall, their age clearly considerable.
"Hey, look. There are some instant noodle packets here. Someone else must have rested here before."
Seeing the familiar braised beef instant noodle packets, everyone gathered around curiously.
"There’s a wallet here too." Underneath a rock, Miles Vaughn spotted a black bi-fold wallet.
Opening the wallet, Miles took out five red banknotes, a few bank cards, and an ID card.
"Wayne Crane, from Avia. Two years older than me." Miles Vaughn cleaned off the ID card, and everyone got a clear look at the person in the photo.
"He’s a handsome guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes. Why would he leave his ID here?"
Wyatt Vaughn shrugged. "Money, bank cards, ID cards... they’re all useless now. Maybe he left it here on purpose."
Miles Vaughn put the items back, found a clean rock, and placed the wallet under it.
"Ethan Dawson, there’s something I need to tell you. You should prepare yourself."
Evelyn said suddenly, staring at the pond.