CHAPTER 182: CHAPTER 180 SAFETY ISSUES

"Hiding at my house? How could they be so brazen?" Qin Lan’s words made Chen Xin chuckle: "Apart from mentioning that your special police team comes to exchange supplies once a month, I and Longniang, plus the survival group friends like Little Long, have regular contact every day. If I don’t report for a day or two, nothing might happen, but if I go silent for three to five days, others might not react, but Longniang will definitely sense something amiss and report it."

"But the problem is, even if Qingyan or someone else notices something is wrong and comes to check, by that time, something bad might have already happened to you! Those people are terrorists, and it’s the apocalypse now; if they want to seize your place, how could they be polite about it?" Qin Lan was well aware that Chen Xin was stating the truth, but she was still deeply worried about him.

Because all these actions are just remedial measures after something goes wrong, if something actually happens to Chen Xin, it’s highly likely that those terrorists or other criminals seizing his shelter will kill him at the first opportunity, leaving no chance for others to rescue him.

Though it may not be appropriate to say so, in such situations, the survival rate of males is significantly lower than females.

In most cases, males are perceived as more threatening and would be killed sooner, while females are not, because many subconsciously view women as much weaker, thus sparing the less threatening females for enslavement or lust, rather than killing them right away, has become a subconscious choice for many people.

As for enslaving males, if it were ordinary criminals, there might be a possibility, but with the fearless terrorist types they previously encountered, Qin Lan didn’t think they would be so lenient.

Another possibility... Qin Lan glanced at Chen Xin’s face and immediately dismissed the thought from her mind that affected her appetite.

Chen Xin didn’t know what Qin Lan had just thought about, but regarding what she’d said, he thought for a while and then replied: "My safe house is still secure. Without heavy weapons or explosives, getting into my safe house is practically impossible."

"Besides, I do have the ability to resist. At the very least, I have the capability to hold them off for a while and send a distress signal to call for help."

Upon hearing Chen Xin say this, Qin Lan had to admit he was right, but she still said worriedly: "Axin, your safe house is indeed secure, but you go out every day. What if someone targets you and attacks you when you’re outside? Why don’t you stop bringing me meals for now and just stay at your safe house instead of going anywhere!"

In Qin Lan’s view, while Chen Xin wasn’t completely defenseless, when facing real criminals or more dangerous terrorists, his resistance abilities seemed negligible.

But Chen Xin thought otherwise, mainly because of the upgraded, self-aiming smart gun he had, along with its matching tactical goggles.

Imagine in this dark environment where everyone else has poor visibility, but Chen Xin, equipped with infrared-vision tactical goggles, perceives the battlefield almost transparently on his terms.

Combined with the smart gun that can automatically lock on and aim at the head, as soon as Chen Xin sees an enemy, he can take them down with a single shot.

Under these circumstances, Chen Xin didn’t feel particularly threatened by small groups of criminals or enemies, especially since gun control in Flame Country was incredibly strict. Even in the apocalypse, acquiring guns wasn’t easy.

So Chen Xin didn’t have much concern for his personal safety.

Nevertheless, understanding Qin Lan’s concern, Chen Xin responded, "Aran, you make a good point. When you’re discharged, I won’t bring you meals anymore."

Upon hearing Chen Xin say this, Qin Lan wanted to persuade him further, but after hesitating, she didn’t continue, given her wound was healing quite fast, she would be discharged shortly. Furthermore, Chen Xin wasn’t one to easily heed persuasion; his willingness to concede was already commendable.

Despite this, Qin Lan still cautioned Chen Xin, "Then Axin, be extra careful when you go out these days. Those terrorists we encountered before are extremely dangerous. Make sure you carry the gun with you, and if there’s any danger, don’t hesitate to shoot!"

As a police officer, she shouldn’t have advised Chen Xin this way, but out of concern for his safety and considering the previous incident, Qin Lan thought Chen Xin might be apprehensive about firing, so she specially reminded him.

More than anything, Qin Lan hoped Chen Xin would remain safe and sound.

Naturally, Chen Xin agreed compliantly, acknowledging that above all else, preserving his own life was most important.

Especially in these apocalyptic times, one must survive to deal with everything else; death would leave nothing.

After feeding Qin Lan and chatting with her for a while, Chen Xin stayed until Ding Ning arrived at the hospital with Qin Lan’s change of clothes before he prepared to leave.

Seeing Chen Xin about to leave, Ding Ning followed him out of the room under the pretense of sending him off and stopped him in the corridor to ask, "Axin, is there room for two more where you are?"

"At my place? If we squeeze a bit, there’s space. Why?" Chen Xin asked, thinking for a moment before nodding.

"When Lan-jie is discharged, I’ll take her to stay at your place for a while." Ding Ning’s expression was somewhat serious, and she spoke with a sincere tone.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xin found it a bit odd. He recalled the string of events happening recently, and couldn’t help but feel wary as he asked, "Are you both moving in? Is something wrong?"

Ding Ning gave Chen Xin a look that said, "You guessed it," but she didn’t explain. Instead, she deliberately raised her voice and said, "What could be wrong! You mean to say that Lan-jie and I moving in isn’t welcome? Hurry back and tidy up your place! Don’t let us come and see your place in chaos!"

With that, Ding Ning pushed Chen Xin outwards, seemingly slipping something into his pocket during the process.

Catching on to Ding Ning’s hint, Chen Xin played dumb and let himself be pushed out of the hospital by her.

After leaving the hospital and getting into his car, Chen Xin drove home, and just before exiting the city, he fished out the item Ding Ning had slipped into his pocket. It turned out to be a small slip of paper.

On it, written in tiny characters, were the words "Coordinate action, protect Qin and Ding, burn after reading."

Seeing these words, Chen Xin immediately understood. He lit the cigarette lighter in the car to burn the paper, and once it was charred beyond recognition, he tossed the remnants out the car window, watching them disappear without a trace.