The peaceful days lasted less than three days.
The second earthquake came again.
Although it didn't last long, both of them finally abandoned their wishful thinking.
Shen Yi began to contemplate an escape route.
He brought back a large jeep he had found earlier.
The vehicle was well-preserved overall, except for a slightly deformed front bumper.
The two began to modify the car.
The modification mainly involved removing the back seats to create more space.
They loaded it with easily storable food cans, bottled water, and liquor.
Batteries, camping lights, portable stoves, gas canisters, bowls, utensils, and cookware - almost everything they could think of was loaded into the car.
They also prepared two cans of gasoline and strapped a tent to the roof.
In short, they were ready to flee at any moment.
They aimed to be able to jump in and drive away at the first sign of trouble.
Another four days passed.
The third earthquake arrived.
Cheng Jun speculated it might be expanding its territory.
Each tremor represented the underground roots absorbing nutrients and stretching.
This meant that sooner or later, its surface roots would spread to where they were.
On the afternoon of the 99th day after the apocalypse.
Shen Yi and Cheng Jun had ceased all unnecessary outings.
Cheng Jun irritably pushed aside the chessboard, unable to concentrate.
Shen Yi understood her anxiety but could do nothing about it.
What else could they do besides waiting passively?
"Squeak... squeak..."
Hearing the familiar sound, they exchanged glances and immediately stood up.
Going downstairs, they found the same rat.
It stood on its hind legs, and the black flower on its head swayed and turned as they approached.
Shen Yi tried to stop Cheng Jun, intending to go alone.
"Wait."
Cheng Jun grabbed Shen Yi's hand and, taking a deep breath while suppressing her discomfort, said:
"It might be trying to convey some message... look at the flower on its head."
At this reminder, Shen Yi recalled their previous encounters with it. Back then, they were either too surprised by its appearance or suspicious of its intentions to notice this small detail.
Shen Yi walked over and stared intently at it,
"Are you suggesting there's something in that direction?"
The rat made no response except for the gentle swaying of the flower on its head.
Shen Yi had a sudden realization and asked again,
"Are you asking me to follow you?"
This time, instead of disappearing immediately, it squeaked once, and the black flower turned again to indicate a direction.
Shen Yi finally understood that each time this rat appeared, it had been trying to give him hints and guidance, but he hadn't understood its meaning then.
Seeing it hadn't left, Shen Yi turned to Cheng Jun and said:
"This might be a blessing in disguise. Following it might lead to something valuable."
"Is this... safe? It's just a guess."
"If it wanted to harm us, it wouldn't go to such lengths. There must be something else going on."
"Then this time I'm coming with you!"
Cheng Jun looked at Shen Yi with determined eyes and spoke decisively.
"Alright!"
Seeing her stubborn expression, Shen Yi couldn't refuse this time.
They had too many questions in their minds, so even though they knew following it might be risky, they chose to go anyway.
The feeling of groping in the dark was too uncomfortable.
Having made their decision, Shen Yi tentatively said to the stationary rat,
"Let's go."
With a whoosh, the rat transformed into a black shadow and disappeared, reappearing ten meters away in the blink of an eye.
It stopped and looked back at them, as if asking why they weren't following.
Seeing this, Shen Yi immediately pulled Cheng Jun along to follow.
Thus, the two humans and one rat proceeded down the street.
The journey wasn't long; after walking for less than ten minutes, it finally stopped in front of some ruins.
"This is..."
Cheng Jun murmured,
"This is where I woke up."
Though only a hundred days had passed, returning to this place gave Cheng Jun a sense of unfamiliarity.
Following the rat deeper inside, Cheng Jun pushed aside the thick undergrowth.
"This is where I was lying when I came through."
Pointing at the ground, Cheng Jun turned to tell Shen Yi.
Shen Yi hadn't known this, as he had found Cheng Jun already crouching on the main road.
He thought for a moment and said to Cheng Jun:
"Perhaps the rat was guiding you even then, don't forget you were the first to meet it."
"That's possible, I was just too afraid of rats at the time to notice..."
Cheng Jun realized this could be true, considering the rat had come to find her right after she crawled out.
As they ventured deeper into the ruins, darkness swallowed everything.
Shen Yi took out a salvaged phone and turned on its flashlight.
This was all the device was good for now; Shen Yi usually just used it to check the time.
Following the rat, they came to a large cavity.
The flashlight's beam reflected off the walls, dimly illuminating the entire space.
Their footsteps splashed in water, and distant dripping sounds echoed far through the quiet space.
The air was thick with the smell of mold mixed with decay and a hint of blood, presumably due to the perpetual darkness and damp conditions of this place.
The environment was very unsettling, and Cheng Jun gripped Shen Yi's hand tightly, her palm sweating.
Shen Yi continued forward; having come this far, there was no point in turning back.
Cheng Jun was afraid but couldn't let him go alone, so she tried to stay calm.
Finally, the rat stopped in front of a half-open large door.
The moment Shen Yi stepped forward—
"Hum."
An electrical sound rang out, and phosphorescent white lights came on, illuminating the entire space.
"There's still electricity?"
Shen Yi wondered aloud.
Regardless, having light made things feel much more reassuring.
Stepping inside, Cheng Jun observed the architectural style of their surroundings.
"It looks like some kind of underground laboratory."
"You think so too?"
Along the long corridor, a pungent smell wafted toward them.
Shen Yi carefully walked forward and discovered something difficult to describe.
It was something between moss and fungus, with large white tendrils connecting them, forming a spiral network-like structure.
It looked strange and disgusting yet possessed a complex beauty.
They covered large areas of the walls and floor in an eerie manner.
Regardless, touching them without knowing their nature wouldn't be wise, so Shen Yi led Cheng Jun carefully around them.
Past the corridor's corner, the rat was already waiting.
Upon entering, they saw chaos everywhere - scattered documents and papers, dried blood, and more of those strange fungal plants.
Crossing various glass partitions, Shen Yi followed the rat into an office.
The room could be called either an office or a research lab.
It contained many incomprehensible tools and instruments, with papers and documents scattered across the desk.
On the other side was a transparent incubator, though it had a large hole in the middle.
While Cheng Jun began examining the documents, Shen Yi compared the size of the hole with the rat's form.
He privately estimated that this rat might have escaped from the laboratory.
Since entering the office, the rat had been struggling with a small cage on the desk, trying to squeeze into it.
However, its body had grown too large, and even breaking the cage wouldn't let it fit inside.
Suddenly, it transformed into an oil-like liquid and flowed into the cage, but after returning to its original form, it couldn't move.
So it had to flow back out of the cage again.