A Bowl of Instant Noodles

Cheng Yao consciously followed behind Zhao Tianlei, not wanting to slow him down. She occasionally scanned their surroundings for movement from behind and from the sides. Cheng Yao knew she was just a weak woman, and Zhao Tianlei's protection moved her deeply.

However, Cheng Yao also knew that if she wanted more of Zhao Tianlei's care and protection, she had to do something for him. Even though she was afraid to face the terrifying zombies, she had to find a way to earn her own value in Zhao Tianlei's eyes.

The canteens they passed along the way were all closed. Only a few internet cafes had their doors ajar, and through the glass, they could see shadowy figures moving inside. Coupled with the pool of blood at the entrance, it was obvious what had happened inside. To avoid being discovered by the zombies, Zhao Tianlei crouched down and motioned for Cheng Yao to do the same.

Thus, after passing through several internet cafes and restaurants, the two arrived directly in front of a convenience store. Before they even reached the entrance, Zhao Tianlei heard chewing sounds and immediately made a shushing gesture to Cheng Yao.

Zhao Tianlei then slowly entered with the fire axe in hand. The anti-theft door of the convenience store was wide open, and next to the cash register, there was a pool of blood. A figure was squatting on the ground, chewing on something. Zhao Tianlei strode forward and brought the axe down. The zombie didn't even let out a groan before it lay dead on the ground.

The convenience store wasn't large, at most about twenty square meters. Behind it was a small kitchen where the owner usually cooked. After a quick scan and confirming there were no other threats, Zhao Tianlei signaled Cheng Yao to come in. He handed her the fire axe and walked over to the body on the ground, grabbing it with each hand. He dragged it outside the store and threw it far into the roadside.

When he returned, Zhao Tianlei saw three figures slowly approaching from not too far away. Although their gait resembled that of zombies, Zhao Tianlei knew they were the people who had crashed their car earlier and fled. Looking at them, Zhao Tianlei snorted and walked back into the store, closing and locking the anti-theft door from the inside. He then took the fire axe from Cheng Yao.

"Tianlei, there's so much food here. What do you want to eat?" Cheng Yao's eyes lit up at the sight of the abundance of food and drinks in the store, realizing she could eat whatever she wanted without paying. However, she consciously refrained from eating on her own and first asked Zhao Tianlei what he wanted.

Zhao Tianlei glanced around and pouted, "Just eating these snacks won't fill me up. Why don't you go to the kitchen and cook me a pack of instant noodles, and bring two hot dogs too."

After he finished speaking, Zhao Tianlei suddenly looked up at Cheng Yao with a confused expression. "But I have to say, you art students are all pampered. You're used to being waited on hand and foot. Do you even know how to cook instant noodles?"

"Hmph, how can you look down on me like that? I may not cook much usually, but how could I not know how to cook something as simple as instant noodles? Since you want instant noodles, I'll have them with you. Wait here, I'll go make them and bring them to you." With that, Cheng Yao grabbed two packs of instant noodles and several hot dogs from the counter and headed to the back kitchen.

As Cheng Yao began to boil water for the noodles, Zhao Tianlei immediately started examining the goods on the counters. Although these instant noodles were delicious, they took up a lot of space. Moreover, during future escapes, they wouldn't have hot water to cook them. If eaten dry, these cup noodles and bagged noodles were clearly not as good as dry snacks.

However, Zhao Tianlei's gaze was now focused on the boxed items stacked behind the shelves. Besides boxes of instant noodles, there were also cases of hot dogs, drinks, and dry snacks. Zhao Tianlei immediately activated the storage space in his ring and moved five to six boxes of canned fruits. These had a long shelf life, and it would be difficult to get fresh fruit in the future, making these cans very valuable later on.

Afterward, Zhao Tianlei moved several cases of purified water into his storage. When thirsty, this purified water would be the most precious commodity. As for beer and cigarettes, although they were luxuries in the apocalypse, Zhao Tianlei had no need for them during this escape period. Furthermore, Zhao Tianlei had lived a hard life and never touched such things. Seeing them now, he wasn't tempted at all.

Carrying things that wouldn't fill him up or quench his thirst would only cause trouble. It was better to store more food instead. Besides the canned goods and purified water, Zhao Tianlei began to stuff in several cases of hot dogs and dry snacks. He didn't leave out any of the chocolates or candies either. These were good items and took up very little space.

Later, Zhao Tianlei added some toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, towels, and other necessities. As he passed by some feminine hygiene products, images of Ye Sitong and Shen Xinyu flashed through his mind. Thinking that girls are naturally vain, Zhao Tianlei grabbed some sanitary napkins, shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser, and face creams without even looking, even taking a few boxes of face masks.

By the time Zhao Tianlei had almost filled his storage space, Cheng Yao had finished cooking. Just as Cheng Yao walked out with the steaming bowls of instant noodles, Zhao Tianlei closed his storage space. When Cheng Yao approached and saw the mess of items, she didn't pay much attention, assuming Zhao Tianlei was just selecting food for their future escape. She didn't notice anything missing.

"Eat, it's freshly cooked and smells delicious." Cheng Yao placed a bowl in Zhao Tianlei's hands before turning back to get her own.

Zhao Tianlei directly used several stacked boxes as a table and brought over two stools. They began to eat. Worried that Zhao Tianlei wouldn't be full, Cheng Yao had cooked two extra packs. Zhao Tianlei ate until he was almost burping, then let out a long sigh. "Sigh, I wonder if I'll ever be able to eat such hot meals again. I also never imagined that one day, a beautiful art student like you would personally cook noodles for a poor loser like me."

Hearing Zhao Tianlei's words, Cheng Yao immediately retorted, "What poor loser? In my eyes, you're Prince Charming arriving on a cloud of colorful auspicious light. No matter how rich those people are, they've all become selfish in this apocalypse. Only you risked danger to save me, a stranger. From now on, as long as you're willing, I'll cook for you every day, as long as you don't mind my cooking being unpalatable."

Regardless, at this moment, Cheng Yao had a clear understanding of the indifference of human nature in the apocalypse. After suffering immense humiliation and harm, she thought she would die in the mouths of zombies. However, Zhao Tianlei's appearance gave Cheng Yao new hope for survival.

Although she knew Zhao Tianlei's name, Cheng Yao also knew that the man before her was often bullied by rich second-generation students at school. But Cheng Yao didn't care at all. Because in the current apocalypse, whoever could rescue her and let her survive was the true man in her heart.