Chapter 68: Pandora

Jiang Si didn’t want to make everyone feel sick, so she shook her head and said, “There were only some imprisoned victims inside. No trouble, just that they wanted to come with me.”

Given that it was already the apocalypse, saving their lives was already a big favor. No one asked further questions.

Having an RV made things convenient—not only was it less tiring, but everyone could also take turns getting proper rest.

Shen Baoying, Zhang Qingfang, and Jiang Si didn’t know how to drive, so the others took turns teaching them how to steer and control the vehicle.

One more survival skill meant one more way to stay alive.

In addition, since there was always a risk of getting separated in the future, Jiang Si gave everyone a GPS tracker, claiming she found them in the villa they had just left.

Zhang Qingfang had never seen such a device before. Curiously, she asked, “How do you use this? Can it work without a signal?”

Everyone’s phones currently had no signal.

Jiang Si smiled. “GPS tracking has nothing to do with mobile signal. Even in places without signal, it can still work. It relies on satellites in the sky, not on regular mobile towers.”

She had paid a hefty price for ten of these trackers, saving them for when the electromagnetic field recovered—then they could be used.

Shen Baoying’s eyes lit up as she held the tracker, confused on how to operate it. “So how do you find everyone’s location? Can you see all positions at once?”

Jiang Si picked up her own tracker. “Yes, you can see all of them at once. Just tap here—blue is your location, red marks everyone else. Besides tracking, it also has recording, navigation, and flashlight functions.”

After Jiang Si demonstrated, everyone practiced a bit and soon got the hang of it. That gave them peace of mind—if someone got lost, they’d be easier to find.

Lu Zhifeng was especially fond of the gadget. He repeatedly warned Niuniu not to lose it.

Niuniu shook her wrist. “Don’t worry, Daddy, I won’t lose it—even if I fall, it won’t come off.”

The bracelet-style tracker fit tightly, so it wouldn’t fall off easily.

Everyone chuckled. Jiang Si added, “The only downside is that it’s not waterproof, so be careful not to get it wet.”

Shen Baoying asked, “Should we carry a power bank just in case?”

What if it runs out of battery and becomes useless?

Jiang Si laughed. “This brand is a custom-made model from abroad. A single charge can last 8,000 days on standby. Most importantly, it has a solar charging system on the back—so power won’t be a problem.”

Lu Zhifeng was even more grateful now. As long as electromagnetic interference didn’t destroy it, Niuniu wouldn’t lose her lifeline.

As they traveled, two more meteor fragments fell. Though small, they still caused quite a bit of disruption.

The RV’s windows nearly got smashed.

Jiang Si had originally planned to find a place to take out the helicopter and fly north faster.

Now, she was glad she hadn’t done it.

The meteors were too fast. A single misjudgment could destroy both machine and lives. Their high-temperature magma could also corrode the aircraft’s shell.

She only had one helicopter in her space, and she needed to save it for the most critical moment.

Even the roads weren’t smooth—traffic jams were common.

Each time, everyone had to get out, push the vehicle, or find a way to clear the roadblocks.

At night, the RV often became a target for wild beasts and desperate survivors.

In just a few days, the luxurious RV was already covered in scars. Each time it was damaged, Jiang Si regretted not stocking up more of them.

By the time they entered the Nancheng city limits, they had collected several animal hides and the storage compartments were packed with unexpected supplies.

They hadn’t planned to enter the city at all. After all, the extreme heat of the early apocalypse had lasted for months, and most city resources were already depleted.

Then came a series of disasters—especially torrential rains. Now, with things suddenly stabilizing, there was a risk of electric shocks and collapsing high-rises.

But all other highways and roads had been destroyed by meteor fragments or floods. The only viable road left was this one into the city.

Jiang Si switched driving duties with Jiang Linhai. Not long after taking the wheel, she suddenly felt short of breath and chest pain.

She thought she was about to have an episode and quickly pulled the car to the roadside. Just then, Qin Shen arrived with an oxygen mask.

Jiang Si instinctively grabbed it and took two deep breaths—finally, she felt a little better.

Turning her head, she noticed everyone else was already using oxygen tanks.

It turned out it wasn’t her getting sick—the oxygen levels in the air had drastically dropped.

This had happened in her past life too.

Meteors had fallen from the sky, leading to the rapid growth of an alien plant species.

These plants didn’t produce oxygen—they survived by consuming it.

When an area’s oxygen level dropped too low, the plants would die off on their own.

In her past life, Jiang Si had been lucky enough to avoid areas infested with these so-called “Pandora” plants—and that’s what had saved her life.

Now, the oxygen level had dropped so low that everyone needed to use oxygen tanks just to move—her heart sank.

Looking ahead, she saw the ground was suddenly covered with beautiful little purple flowers.

In an instant, the brutal post-apocalyptic world was dressed like a fairy-tale landscape.

But underneath that beauty lurked horrifying danger.

They had to leave immediately, or they’d be trapped.

Once the oxygen was gone, all the tall buildings would crumble into dust.

Without oxygen, they’d suffer burns, ruptured eardrums, and even the pooled water would fuse together like molten metal.

At that point, even pulling out her oxygen generator from storage would be useless.

They had no time to lose.

The fastest way to escape now was to use the helicopter.

Jiang Si put on her oxygen mask and drove straight toward Nancheng Airport.

There would definitely be helicopters there. Even if not, she had one in her space she could take out.

Jiang Si sped down the road, the RV kicking up clouds of dust, and soon reached the deserted airport.

Maybe people had been there before, but when the oxygen dropped, they probably all died.

Jiang Si drove the RV straight into the hangar—and saw a row of helicopters neatly lined up.

Immediately, she shouted to everyone, “Get out! Take your oxygen tanks—forget everything else. Get on the first helicopter!”

Everyone obeyed and grabbed their emergency packs, quickly boarding the first private helicopter.

It was large enough to hold fifteen to twenty people, and it had parachutes and full safety equipment.

Jiang Si got into the cockpit and asked Qin Shen, “Do you know how to use a parachute? If not, the manual is right next to you. You learn fast—help the others.”

Qin Shen nodded. “Got it.”

He didn’t even look at the manual. He had already strapped on his parachute with practiced ease.