"With hail this big, shouldn't the wild animals be getting ready to hibernate?"
"Then why is there such urgent knocking all of a sudden?"
Su Chen felt a surge of tension. Outside, the relentless hail pounded against the windows of the RV.
A chill ran through him, yet his face felt hot.
Er Bao hurriedly hid behind Su Chen. Ever since the encounter with the giant spider last time, the little dog had become fearful of wild creatures at night.
The knocking gradually weakened, but Su Chen remained seated on the sofa, uninterested in responding. If it was a monster, he'd deal with it when it actually got inside.
He had full confidence in the RV's defenses. However, the sound of knocking brought back a lingering psychological shadow from the last encounter. Now, whenever he heard knocking, his reflex was to assume some wild beast was pounding on the door.
He finished a can of Coke.
"Ahh~ that hits the spot."
Lying down on the bed, he was about to sleep when—
"Woo... woo... help me... is anyone kind enough to help?"
A faint cry for help reached his ears, but after a moment, it disappeared.
"Hmm? Maybe I imagined it."
"So cold... is there anyone inside the RV?"
Hearing the voice a second time, Su Chen was now certain it wasn't his imagination. Someone was really calling for help!
Without hesitation, he opened the window and saw a figure huddled in a corner, wrapped in a tattered quilt, muttering softly.
"W-Water... water..."
The voice was trembling and hoarse.
So the knocking wasn't from a wild beast—it was someone in trouble.
Su Chen let his guard down and opened the door.
"Hey, buddy, do you want to come in and warm up?"
At this point, he no longer cared if the person was pretending to be harmless but was actually a cannibal. Even if they were, he had his pistol strapped to his waist at all times—there was nothing to fear.
The figure slowly lifted their head, stepping into the RV wrapped in the quilt.
Curly hair draped over slender shoulders, a delicate oval-shaped face, and pale, flawless skin.
"Here, have some water. You must've been out there for a while, right?"
"You look frozen to the bone."
The girl hesitated for a moment before taking the water bottle. After confirming the seal was intact, she began gulping it down ravenously, draining the entire bottle in one go.
Although she was wrapped in a quilt, it was easy to see that she was wearing a JK uniform, her long legs accentuated beneath the fabric.
"What's your name? How old are you?" Su Chen asked absentmindedly.
The girl lifted the empty bottle, looked at him, and smiled.
"My name is Tang Guo'er. I just turned 18."
"So young? Are students these days developing this well?"
Tang Guo'er's face instantly turned red at his comment. She immediately tightened the quilt around herself and turned slightly to the side.
"I... I think I said something wrong, huh?"
Feeling a bit awkward, Su Chen opened the fridge and took out some fruit, placing it on the table.
"Eat something. You look like you haven't had a proper meal in a long time."
"Why are you wandering around alone at night instead of going home?" Su Chen asked curiously.
Tang Guo'er grabbed a banana and stuffed it into her mouth, finishing it in three seconds, nearly choking herself.
At first, she was on high alert, but after observing Su Chen for a while, she felt that he didn't seem like a bad person.
With a trembling voice, she began telling her story.
"Woo... woo... I was a senior at Dingcheng High School, one of the top students in my class. A few days ago, I was brought to this godforsaken place."
"Luckily, my parents came with me. If I had been alone, I don't know if I could have survived the first day."
"Today... my parents and I drove here. While out for a walk, we found a blind box on the roadside. Inside, there were slices of meat and some vegetables. We hadn't had meat in so long, so we planned to go back and cook together."
"But on the way home, I suddenly realized my ribbon—the accessory for my JK uniform—was missing."
"I'm a huge JK enthusiast, and this uniform's essence is in the details! How could I let that piece go missing? So I told my parents I had to go back and find it."
"They were strongly against it. At first, I returned to the RV with them, but while they were busy preparing the meal, I secretly slipped away to look for my ribbon."
"The weather was freezing, and my parents and I couldn't find any proper coats—only a few tattered quilts."
"So I wrapped myself in one and wandered aimlessly along the road, searching for my ribbon. After much effort, I finally found it lying on the roadside!"
"But I never expected that would be the start of my biggest mistake. I shouldn't have been so stupid... woo woo woo~"
Su Chen listened quietly as Tang Guo'er recounted her story. Midway through, she suddenly burst into tears.
"Don't cry. Just tell me everything honestly. I'm not a bad person."
Tang Guo'er kept wiping her tears, her voice growing even more choked.
"When I returned to where my parents were, I found... they were gone!"
"They had disappeared along with our RV!"
"I think they must have realized I was missing and went searching for me."
"The thought of it makes my heart ache. I was such an idiot..."
"I shouted and searched desperately, convinced that one day I would find them."
"They must also be looking for me somewhere I can't see."
After hearing her story, Su Chen roughly pieced together what had happened.
"Don't worry. Stay here for the night. We'll look for clues in the morning. I'm sure we'll find your parents."
He tried to comfort her.
Tang Guo'er's eyes widened, and she bowed deeply, a full ninety degrees.
"Thank you!"
"But... my chances of finding them alone are slim. Can you help me?"
"Uh... I'll try my best."
Su Chen wasn't particularly eager to get involved, but for now, he needed to calm the girl down. Tomorrow, he'd figure out the next step. Besides... she was pretty cute.
Tang Guo'er's mood improved significantly. With Su Chen's help, her hope of reuniting with her parents grew much stronger.
Looking around the RV's luxurious interior, she marveled at how it was far superior to her family's old van.
She could tell at a glance that Su Chen was someone impressive. She had made up her mind—this person was reliable.
"Oh! Such a cute little dog!"
Tang Guo'er scooped up Er Bao, who was rolling on the floor, but the little dog bared its teeth in protest.
Su Chen pointed to the overhead bunk.
"You can sleep there tonight. The RV doesn't have much extra space."
This was already a pretty good arrangement. Tang Guo'er nodded in agreement.
For tonight, she had no choice but to make do. As for finding her parents, that would have to wait until morning.
A mixture of emotions swirled inside her.
"I hope Mom and Dad aren't in danger..."
_____
NEW FANFIC IS OUT- DRAGON BALL: MULTIVERSE TRAVEL