The rabbit collected scrap

Ye Ruan looked at him as though he were some kind of weirdo and uttered a single word.

"Money."

Gu Cheng laughed. "What do you need money for?"

That was a rather brainless question.

Still, Ye Ruan explained seriously:

"To buy food made with timothy hay, and carrots, fruit, and tasty rabbit feed."

Yu Jingjing chimed in, "I get it! Just like how I'm always buying dried fish and beef jerky and things!"

At the mention of food, Ye Ruan nodded.

"Mm-hmm! The food at headquarters' supermarket is really good. It's just... a little expensive."

On his salary, he couldn't afford to spend recklessly.

The Third Team went on few missions, so the pay wasn't high.

The leopard in the front passenger seat glanced back at them.

"We've reached the Scrap Yard. All you fellow pieces of scrap, please line up and exit through the back door."

Li Rang cursed with a laugh. "You're the fucking scrap."

Gu Cheng brushed the dust off himself and stood, smiling casually.

"Come on, Little Bunny. Get off with your captain."

Ye Ruan wasn't too pleased. He twitched his ears and swept his red eyes over the scene outside the window.

A large crowd stood outside the vehicle. Men and women, young and old, all wore excited expressions, delighted to see them return.

Understanding what Little Bunny was thinking, Gu Cheng chuckled.

"Don't worry. Once we get back, I'll send a report to the higher-ups and get you paid. Now listen to me and put your ears and tail away."

With something to gain, the rabbit cheered up a little. He reached up and rubbed his ears, and in the blink of an eye, only his silver hair remained.

The so-called base was actually where South City's survivors lived.

It wasn't very big, but there were plenty of buildings inside. Since the place had once been used to store scrap, the surrounding walls were very high.

The survivors had also taken it upon themselves to put up another tall ring of wire fencing inside the walls.

Since no level-three zombie monsters capable of flight had appeared yet, this was currently the safest place to be.

A middle-aged man saw them get out and hurried over, his face full of excitement.

"Captain Gu, can we leave South City now?"

The people around them had sallow faces, but their eyes were full of hope.

The smile on Gu Cheng's face faded considerably, and he sighed softly.

"The zombies are devouring one another, constantly mutating and growing stronger. But don't worry, everyone. We'll keep going out to scout routes over the next few days."

Yu Jingjing smiled and lightened the somewhat gloomy atmosphere.

"You can't rush these things. Speaking of food, I'm absolutely starving. Is there anything to eat, everyone?"

The people gathered around them dispersed. Only then did the driver who had brought them back open the door and climb out from the front passenger side.

"I didn't even dare say anything just now. They ask every single time we come back."

Gu Cheng took out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"Can't be helped," he said helplessly. "We're all they have to rely on now. Everyone wants to get out of this godforsaken place."

"Oh, right. Let me introduce our unofficial member who dropped out of the sky."

Gu Cheng draped an arm around Ye Ruan's shoulders.

"Ye Ruan, captain of the Third Team."

"Ye Ruan, this is Fang Ci. He's a husky."

Ye Ruan nodded politely, taking the opportunity to slip away from Gu Cheng's muscular arm.

"And me! I'm Lu Jiayi."

The leopard from the front passenger seat came over and shook Ye Ruan's hand with great friendliness.

"I've heard so much about you. You really are just as cute and handsome as the rumors say!"

That barrage of compliments was honestly a little strange.

Ye Ruan stiffly bared his teeth in a smile, dutifully showing several pearly whites, and replied, "You too."

Gu Cheng pointed at the man and woman gnawing on large radishes nearby.

"Yu Jingjing and Li Rang. You've already met them."

Fang Ci stepped forward. His smile was gentle, his manner refined, and his speech unhurried.

"Captain Ye, I saw you once before, briefly."

Back then, though, Ye Ruan had been training his team members.

The soft, adorable-looking young man was quite frightening when his expression turned cold.

At the time, Ye Ruan had been picking team members at random to spar with him.

Within two exchanges, Ye Ruan had swept out with his long leg and kicked his opponent a full two meters away.

They called him the "devil captain."

Yet the only thing Fang Ci remembered from that occasion was the fleeting glimpse he'd caught of Ye Ruan's profile.

His thick, downcast lashes, and those breathtaking red eyes.

Ye Ruan nodded at him, then asked Gu Cheng for his wristband.

Gu Cheng took out the wristband and waved it in front of him.

"Will you stay and help us?"

Ye Ruan puffed out his cheeks, then deflated and gave in.

"Okay..."

Even if he didn't stay, he had nowhere else to go. He couldn't survive alone in zombie-infested South City.

Ye Ruan voluntarily took the food out of his wristband and gave it to Gu Cheng and the others.

It was all portable combat rations, tasty and convenient to eat.

The survivors all had food, though their meals weren't particularly good. Most consisted of vegetables they grew themselves and porridge made with old rice.

These were supplemented with airdropped compressed biscuits, dehydrated cakes, and energy bars.

"The last airdrop was five days ago. Since then, the planes haven't been able to get in."

Yu Jingjing and the others huddled in a corner, eating the beef rice Ye Ruan had given them.

Li Rang picked up a large chunk of beef, tears welling in his eyes as he ate.

"I haven't had meat in half a month. Boo-hoo."

Gu Cheng gave a pointed snort.

"Buddy, did last week's pheasant end up in a dog's stomach?"

Fang Ci, the husky, replied reflexively, "What the hell does that have to do with me?"

Listening to them trade barbs, Ye Ruan wanted to twitch his ears, only to remember that he'd already put them away. He still wasn't quite used to it.

Everything here was so unfamiliar. Ye Ruan raked his fingers through his hair and sat in the corner, cradling a bottle of soy milk as he drank.

Yu Jingjing still wasn't full after finishing a tub of rice. She glanced at Ye Ruan and rubbed her stomach.

It wouldn't be right to keep asking for his rations, so Yu Jingjing was about to go get another white radish to gnaw on.

Ye Ruan noticed her gaze. After hesitating for two seconds, he took out several sandwiches his mother had made for him before his mission.

There were taro paste and pork floss sandwiches, egg and ham sandwiches, and New Orleans-style chicken sandwiches.

Each uncut sandwich was bigger than his hand.

The pumpkin bread held taro paste, pork floss, and a fried egg.

The ham sandwiches were thick, packed with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, a fried egg, and slices of ham.

The portions were substantial. Ye Ruan would be full after eating half of one.

Yu Jingjing pouted, her eyes sparkling.

"Thank you, Bunny. I'm still growing. I'm so hungry."

Ye Ruan pressed his lips together in a faint smile.

He took out three sandwiches, just enough for the six of them to have half each.

Special Persons ate separately from the survivors.

When Gu Cheng and the others went out, they also collected supplies along the way, which the survivors and Special Persons shared.

Special Persons needed a great deal of food. It affected their physical performance and whether they could reach peak condition.

Gu Cheng shifted his little stool closer to Ye Ruan and opened his palm for him to see in the dim corner.

Ye Ruan saw that Gu Cheng actually had a strawberry milk candy in his hand.

Although he really wanted it, he didn't reach for it.

Gu Cheng gave his hand a little bounce, his low voice laced with amusement.

"For you, little white rabbit."

"Thank you."

Only after confirming that it was meant for him did Ye Ruan take it.

Ye Ruan's fingers were slender, fair, and clean, their soft pads brushing across Gu Cheng's palm.

A faint tickle reached all the way to his heart.

Little Bunny was adorable, with pretty features and a faint trace of childishness in his expression, as well as a young man's resilience.

With his favorite milk candy in his mouth, Ye Ruan narrowed his eyes slightly, his soft, moist lips holding the sweet inside.

His fair, tender cheek bulged a little.

With his ears and tail hidden away, the rabbit could only twitch his nose to show his happiness.