Su Ling's pupils trembled slightly. She looked at Shang Qi, who was waiting for her answer, her eyes glistening, and nodded.
Her hand, kissed by the dawn's rosy glow, reached out and took the bundle of preserved roses. Su Ling blinked, and her long eyelashes immediately became adorned with crystal-clear tear drops, which playfully clung to them.
Su Ling tilted her head slightly and looked up at Shang Qi, "Shang Qi, you will never go back on your word to me."
This bouquet of roses, though a lifetime late, she had finally received.
Shang Qi pulled Su Ling into his arms, his large hand holding her head and stroking it gently, "Forever and ever."
Gu Shangse watched the sunrise, his peripheral vision casually sweeping over Su Ling.
This glance made him witness the scene of Shang Qi embracing Su Ling. A smile gradually appeared in his eyes, and then he shifted his attention entirely to the sunrise, appreciating this rare and beautiful sight.
By the time the sun had completely emerged, the shock and awe had subsided.
Su Ling and the others moved to a new location. Gu Shangse and his group were responsible for preparing breakfast, while Su Ling and Shang Qi were in charge of piloting the ship.
They had studied the map and used binoculars. After sailing a little further, they would reach an island independent of the sea.
That island was rich in resources and could serve as a temporary resting place for Su Ling and her companions.
Once they landed on the island and confirmed whether it was safe and suitable for establishing their base, they might stop there and not continue towards the southernmost city.
Su Ling and her group ate breakfast at sea. After filling their stomachs, they steered the ship towards the isolated island.
As their ship drew closer to the dock, they were met with a deserted and desolate pier.
After docking the ship and completing all disembarkation procedures, Su Ling and the others disembarked one by one.
As a precaution, Su Ling collected the docked ship into her space, and then retrieved a tourist vehicle capable of seating multiple people.
The pier was clean, with no sign of wandering zombies.
This made Su Ling and her companions highly vigilant. After all, this was the apocalypse, and this island, before the end of the world, was a popular tourist destination with a constant influx of visitors.
However, considering factors such as the departure time of the merchant ship, it was possible that zombies would be heavily concentrated in the center of the island, in densely populated areas, rather than at the pier, which was a place where tourists came and went at specific times.
Shang Qi drove the tourist vehicle, while Su Ling and the others remained on high alert.
Since they were not very familiar with the island, Su Ling and her companions specifically picked up multiple copies of the island map from the work counter when they exited the gate.
If the absence of wandering zombies on the pier could be explained by the fact that it wasn't a time for tourists to arrive or depart, then the absence of zombies at the visitor center and staff workstations made it difficult not to suspect that someone had arrived in advance and cleared the island.
At least for now, the island gave Su Ling and her companions the feeling of being a desolate place, devoid of life.
The vehicles were neatly parked in the parking area, but there was no sign of any people.
Moreover, the entire island was remarkably clean. The orderliness and cleanliness indicated that someone was regularly cleaning and tidying up the place every day.
The tourist vehicle followed the route on the map. Tropical fruits lined both sides of the streets, laden with ripe fruit.
Due to the uncertainty of the population distribution on the island, Su Ling and her companions drove the tourist vehicle around the island.
The purpose was simple: to create a stir and attract the attention of survivors on the island.
Alternatively, they could spend a week surveying the situation, searching for zombie activity, or looking for survivors.
The sun rose high in the sky, and the tropical scenery flashing by on both sides of the road made Sister Na and the others feel quite novel.
Gu Shangse, holding the map, recalled seeing a circular object with a camouflage pattern at the pier. He spoke at the opportune moment, "Perhaps we can drive towards the center of the island. I suspect the survivors are gathered there. If nothing unexpected occurs, this group of survivors should be the official personnel stationed here."