Chapter 746: Chapter 746: Pollution

Ronan Kendrick’s injuries were incredibly severe this time. Though he did his best to hide it, Evelyn Ford had lived with him for so many years that she could see right through him.

Evelyn’s own injuries had already scabbed over, but his wounds hadn’t even begun to close. Given his physical constitution, he shouldn’t have been recovering so slowly. Evelyn tried every remedy she could think of, nourishing him with special foods and medicinal supplements, along with red fruits and other powerful medicines. Ten days later, some color finally returned to Ronan’s face, and his wounds slowly began to heal.

"Let’s rest for two more days, and then we’ll set off."

Evelyn looked at Ronan, surprised. "Can you handle it? We’re not in that much of a hurry. We’ve both only recovered to about fifty percent. To be safe, let’s just rest for a few more days."

Ronan shook his head. "I’m mostly fine now. The air quality here is terrible. We should leave."

For the past few days, they had spent all their time in the vehicle, only leaving to use the bathroom. Every time they opened the door, a pungent odor and a sky full of carbon ash made it impossible to breathe. Evelyn had to get fully geared up each time she went outside. Without her gas mask, the stench would have been suffocating.

Although Evelyn could now freely take items out of her space and put them back in, she couldn’t physically enter it herself. Every time she tried, her body had a violent reaction—at best she would faint, at worst she would vomit blood.

Since she couldn’t enter her space, she had no choice but to adapt and overcome the extreme environment outside.

"Alright then. Which direction should we go?"

"We can only go by feel. If it’s like you said, and the fireballs fell all over Azure, then everywhere we go will be a wasteland. But if we can find a water source, the environment should slowly improve."

Water was the source of life. Even contaminated water had its value.

They couldn’t stay here forever. Officer Graham, Quincy, Wendy, Ethan Dawson... they were still at the base. The fifty truckloads of salt ore were still in her space, and she had to get them back to the residents of the base.

The two planned to set out at seven the next morning. Ronan would drive in the morning, and Evelyn would take over in the afternoon. They would stop and rest for the night at six-thirty in the evening.

Before bed, Evelyn took out two buckets of water from her space as usual and poured the brewed medicinal broth into them. She reminded Ronan to hurry up and soak. After a few days of these medicinal baths, the aftereffects of his injuries had lessened considerably, and the various toxins remaining in his body had been cleansed. Tonight, she had increased the dosage. After all, they had to travel tomorrow, so they needed a good night’s sleep to get their bodies into optimal condition.

Soaking in the medicinal bath felt like having one’s bones and muscles completely reforged. Evelyn stuffed a wad of cotton cloth in her mouth and gripped the edges of the tub tightly, the veins on her forehead bulging from the pain. By the time the pain subsided, the water had grown cold. Though the process was agonizing, the results were excellent. She still had to soak for over twenty more days before the medicinal baths could end and her body fully recovered.

After coming out of the bathroom, Evelyn dried her hair and lay down immediately. The wind outside was a bit strong, and carbon ash had already plastered the windows. Even with the wipers on, the windshield was useless. Evelyn sighed. Life was just one accident after another. Just when everyone thought peace had finally arrived, a sudden catastrophe had dealt them all a fatal blow.

The small courtyard had a tiny cellar. When it was being dug, everyone thought it was unnecessary. After all, Evelyn had her space and wasn’t short on food. But Officer Graham had insisted on digging it to store pickled vegetables. ’I hope they made it into the cellar in time.’ Evelyn prayed for them all, hoping everyone was safe and sound.

"What are you thinking about?" Ronan lay down, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and whispered in her ear.

"I wonder how Wendy and the others are. I’m a little worried about them."

"As long as they were all at home, they would have had time to get into the cellar to escape the fireballs."

Evelyn turned over, facing Ronan and leaning into his embrace. "So many places are in ruins. Everyone’s life had finally stabilized, they could finally eat their fill and wear warm clothes, and then this happened. We were lucky to survive, but how many others were as fortunate as us? Ronan, I’m afraid the base will end up looking like what’s outside our window."

"It won’t be. We fell from high up. The base has concrete and brick buildings, and their roofs are covered in snow. A large fire wouldn’t have been able to start."

"Ronan, I’m so glad you’re here." Only in front of Ronan would Evelyn reveal her vulnerable side.

"I’ll always be with you. Don’t be afraid."

During the five days Ronan was missing, Evelyn experienced for the first time just how terrifying it was to feel like the only person left in the world. There was no sun, no flowers or trees. This place was even more desolate than Devil’s City.

Over the past few days, Evelyn had told Ronan countless times how lucky she was to have him. But in truth, he felt the exact same way.

Evelyn needed him, and he needed her just as much. During those few days when he lay on the ground, unable to move, he had worried that Evelyn would be scared if she couldn’t find him. He had survived those days on sheer willpower and the conviction that he had to see Evelyn again. The moment he found her, only one thought filled his mind: he would never be separated from her again, not even for a second.

The wind howled outside the RV, sounding like a child crying in the night—a ceaseless, mournful wail. Carbon ash and sand, swept up by the gale, pelted the vehicle. Evelyn glanced at the window, and Ronan reached out to cover her eyes.

"It’s just the wind. Don’t be scared."

"That sound... it sounds like someone is tapping on the window."

"If you’re scared, just hold me tighter."

Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Am I really that much of a scaredy-cat? Don’t underestimate me."

Ronan chuckled and ruffled Evelyn’s short hair. "You worked so hard to grow it out, only to have it cut short again. Are you going to try growing it long again?"

Evelyn nodded, gritting her teeth. "I am. I refuse to believe I can’t manage to grow my hair out just once in my life without something going wrong. The first time I had to cut it short was because I got struck by lightning and it got scorched. This time, while it wasn’t lightning, it was close enough—the fire almost burned it to my scalp."

"Does your hair have some kind of special energy in it?" Ronan parted her hair with a serious expression, examining it closely.

Evelyn huffed. "Then you’d better give it a good look. That way I can take precautions next time there’s a thunderstorm."

"Maybe the energy is in your brain?"

As he spoke, Ronan placed both hands on Evelyn’s head, continuing his serious inspection.

"So, is there something different about my head?"

Ronan nodded. "It is, actually. It’s rounder than other people’s. You have a really nice head shape. It’s perfect for shaving bald."

At that, Evelyn gave Ronan a sharp pinch on his waist.

"You’re the one who’s suited for a shaved head! I’m a beauty. How could I possibly not have hair?"

"A beautiful woman is still beautiful without hair. Especially you."

For a moment, Evelyn couldn’t quite tell if he was complimenting her or making fun of her.

"No matter how pretty the face, a head without hair just looks like an egg."

Ronan couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that.

"Alright, we won’t be eggs."

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