Chapter 16: Searching for the Generator

"Xiao Cheng, turn right at the next intersection, then when you see a red sign, turn left again. It's just ahead!" 

Following Lin's father's directions, Lin Cheng soon arrived at his father's workplace. 

The main gate was locked, and Lin's father didn't have the key. Standing in front of it, he hesitated for a moment. This was where he used to work, and the thought of breaking in himself brought a wave of reluctance. 

But he didn't hesitate long. After all, it was the apocalypse. If he was too soft-hearted, he'd become a burden to their survival. 

Just as Lin's father was about to force the lock open, a voice called out from behind.

"Old Lin? You're alive? That's great!" 

Lin Cheng turned to see who it was. It was one of his father's former colleagues, if he remembered correctly, the man's name was Li Cai.

However, Li Cai now looked completely disheveled. His hair was greasy, and his clothes were stained and dirty. 

"Old Li?" Lin's father was shocked. How had his old friend ended up like this?

"What happened to you?"

Li Cai sighed heavily, a look of despair crossing his face. "Three days ago, a few monsters broke into my house's basement. My wife and child... they're gone." 

"If I hadn't been out scavenging for supplies, I would've died too..." 

Lin's father fell silent for a moment. There's no real way to understand another's suffering. And when you haven't experienced their pain, it's hard to offer comforting words. 

A thousand thoughts crossed his mind, but all he could say was, "I'm sorry."

"There's no bringing them back, but you have to keep going—for yourself, and for the memory of your wife and child." 

Li Cai nodded slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Lin's father tensed. Before they left, Lin Cheng had repeatedly warned him not to reveal anything about their shelter, no matter who asked—even close friends. 

"We came to see if we could find anything useful here. There's not much food left at home." 

"And you? What brings you here?"

Li Cai shook his head. "I'm not sure what I'm doing. I heard some noise outside, saw people gathering, and thought I'd come out for some air." 

He glanced at the stone in Lin's father's hand, the one meant to break the lock. "Need some help?"

"No, it's fine. You go ahead and do your thing."

Li Cai nodded but didn't leave. Instead, he lingered, occasionally peeking through the gates as if hoping for something. 

Lin's father, who had lived for over half a century, quickly realized what Li Cai was after. He, too, wanted to search the workplace for supplies. 

After all, it wasn't just Lin's father's place—it belonged to them all. Whoever found something useful first could take it. 

Lin Cheng stayed outside, guarding the car. In an apocalyptic world, having a good vehicle was critical. His pickup truck had already caught the attention of several shady onlookers from the moment he parked. 

Lin Cheng was sure that if he left the truck unattended, someone would try to steal it. Even if they couldn't drive it away, they might still damage it out of spite. In times like these, people's darker instincts would emerge without restraint. 

As for his father's safety, Lin Cheng wasn't worried. His father was now extremely alert and was armed. Although Li Cai's behavior was somewhat suspicious, Lin Cheng had no choice but to trust his father. After all, they were only here for a generator, not food, so there shouldn't be any major conflict. 

Time passed slowly. 

Just as Lin Cheng was getting anxious and thinking about taking the car keys and going in to check, his father finally emerged from the building, pushing a reasonably new-looking generator on a cart.

Lin Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. Everything had gone smoothly. He quickly got out of the truck and helped his father load the generator onto the back. 

The generator was heavy, and it took the two of them quite some effort to hoist it into the pickup truck.

"A lot of the generators inside are faulty," Lin's father explained. "This one looked the newest. Some others are usable, but honestly, they're not worth it. They'll probably break down soon, and with tools and repair materials in short supply, it'd be a nightmare to fix them." 

Lin's father shook his head in frustration. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have spent so much time searching. 

Lin Cheng trusted his father completely. After all, this was his blood relative. If he couldn't trust him, who could he trust? Besides, his father had been an electrician for many years and knew far more about these things than he did. 

"Xiao Cheng, there's still some bottled water in the truck, right? Could you spare two bottles for Uncle Li?" 

His father suddenly spoke in a serious tone, adding, "I've never asked much from you, but I really hope you'll consider this."

"Uncle Li was my best friend for years. Even though it's the apocalypse now, and we shouldn't let compassion get the better of us, seeing him in this state... I can't help but feel sorry for him."

"Before all this, your Uncle Li had a beautiful family. He always bragged about his loving wife and adorable daughter. But now… he's the only one left. When I saw him earlier, his lips were pale, like he hadn't had water in days."

Lin Cheng couldn't refuse. People aren't made of stone, and years of friendship aren't easily forgotten. 

Besides, the water they had wasn't exactly precious mineral water. Before they left, Lin Cheng had filled several empty water bottles with well water, just in case they got delayed or encountered unexpected situations. 

Even if they gave all the well water to Uncle Li, it wouldn't be a big deal. 

"We have six bottles in total. How about this? We'll keep one bottle each for ourselves, and the remaining four can go to Uncle Li."

Lin Cheng pulled four bottles from the storage compartment under his seat and handed them to his father. 

To his surprise, his father firmly placed two bottles back. "I said two bottles, and I meant two. We're a family of three—we need to survive too!"