Mi Li, why aren't you eating?

The closer they got to home, the more unsettled Mi Ling felt. She was afraid she would return to find her worst fears realized, or Mi Li gone.

Mi Ling led the way, with Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu behind her.

Just looking at those two exhausted her.

They did all right when the odds were in their favor, against one or two zombies, for instance. But when there were more, all they did was hide behind her and run faster than she did.

They were useless at everything except eating her out of house and home.

She couldn't say they were completely useless. When they encountered other survivors, the two could at least bolster their numbers. Against small groups of zombies, they saved her a tiny bit of effort.

They kept saying they would help her find her sister, but Mi Ling felt they mostly wanted someone strong to cling to, along with a chance to get close to her.

At least pull your weight a little.

If she found Mi Li, it would be best to cut ties with them, Mi Ling thought.

At last, Mi Ling reached the entrance to her residential complex, already prepared for a fight.

How could she not know how many people normally lived here? There had to be plenty of zombies.

The final stretch was the hardest. She couldn't let her guard down and stumble right at the finish line.

But after entering the complex, she was puzzled to find barely any zombies at all-just two or three.

Why were there so few zombies?

Whatever the reason, it was good news for Mi Ling.

As she passed a supermarket, Mi Ling instinctively glanced inside. It would be even better if she could bring some supplies home along the way.

Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu were even quicker than she was.

But they were disappointed. Every supermarket they checked was completely empty.

Throughout their journey, aside from one stocked supermarket they had found a few days earlier, eight out of every ten supermarkets they came across had been empty.

The remaining two had so many zombies that they didn't dare go inside.

That was only natural. Zombies were frightening, but hunger was even more frightening.

Encountering zombies didn't necessarily mean death, but starvation really could kill.

Someone brave enough to make several trips could empty an entire supermarket.

Mi Ling couldn't worry about all that now. She ran straight to the foot of her building. With hardly any zombies around, she had nothing to hold her back and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Mi Li! Mi Li, are you there?"

"We're having barbecue tonight. Sister Yu, do you know how to make it?"

Chen Luo wanted a change of pace and suddenly realized he hadn't had barbecue in over half a month.

And paired with ice-cold beer? How great would that be?

Chen Luo had specifically prepared a barbecue grill, along with every kind of seasoning.

Ma Yu smiled. "I can't compare to the best barbecue chefs, but it'll definitely be as good as anything you'd get eating out."

"I'll start preparing the marinade now. Just tell me what kinds of skewers you want."

"Also, barbecue makes too much smoke. We can't do it inside."

Chen Luo said with satisfaction, "That's fine. We'll grill up on the rooftop."

Chen Luo wasn't worried about anyone noticing. Even if it caused a little trouble, that was nothing compared to the delicious barbecue.

Chen Luo was just about to ask Su Dazhu and Mi Li what skewers they wanted when a shout came from downstairs.

Mi Li jolted, her face lighting up with sheer delight as she exclaimed excitedly.

"It's my sister! My sister's back!"

Wearing slippers, denim shorts, and a short-sleeved shirt, Mi Li rushed downstairs without a moment's hesitation.

Chen Luo muttered inwardly, I've waited so long, and you're finally here, Mi Ling.

Chen Luo followed Mi Li downstairs.

As Mi Li ran, she called back loudly.

"Sis, I'm here!"

Hearing Mi Li answer, Mi Ling was just as excited. Then she saw Mi Li come down the stairs.

Before she could get a proper look, Mi Li spread her arms and threw herself at her.

The sisters hugged each other joyfully.

Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu stared at Mi Li in shock.

Mi Ling was the campus beauty, and her younger sister Mi Li was every bit as pretty.

Holy shit. If I could win over both these gorgeous sisters, wouldn't that be heaven?

Chen Luo looked over. He hadn't expected Mi Ling to bring two refugees with her.

Wait, no. Three refugees. Mi Ling was one too.

After more than ten days without a bath, exposed to the sun and wind, eating and drinking poorly, and worrying day and night, even the most stunning beauty would look haggard.

Mi Ling's face was drawn, with dark circles under her eyes and dry, lifeless hair. Only a faint trace of her former cool beauty remained.

Her face was dirty, too.

That was partly due to her circumstances, but also deliberate. Mi Ling had made herself look less attractive to avoid trouble.

Only her magnificent bust remained as striking as ever.

Chen Luo's appearance immediately put Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu on alert.

Who was this guy? Why was he with Mi Li? They hadn't heard anything about Mi Ling having a brother, older or younger.

Mi Ling caught sight of Chen Luo out of the corner of her eye and immediately gave him a wary look as well.

Rice lay in Chen Luo's arms and lazily meowed at Mi Ling.

Rice had sensed long ago that Mi Ling would be all right, so there had been no worry at all.

Mi Li smiled. "Sis, this is Brother Chen Luo. While you were gone, he took care of me."

Mi Ling's brow eased slightly. Took care of her? In what way?

Still, judging by Mi Li's healthy complexion, he did seem to have taken very good care of her.

And Rice was actually lying obediently in his arms.

With Mi Li safe, the heavy weight on Mi Ling's heart finally lifted.

Meeting Mi Li for the first time, Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu both decided they had to get on her good side.

Mi Ling had always been lukewarm toward them and hard to approach. Maybe they could work through Mi Li? Or pursue Mi Li directly?

Mi Li was clean from head to toe, but they simply assumed that was because she had stayed home.

They thought her rosy complexion came from the joy of seeing her older sister, Mi Ling.

They didn't give it any deeper thought, judging Mi Li's condition according to their own assumptions.

She had to be starving, right?

Their journey had given them a clear understanding of just how important food was.

They decided to bite the bullet and offer her a few welcoming gifts.

Zhang Zhen was just about to try to win Mi Li over when Wang Xinwu beat him to it.

Wang Xinwu carefully pulled a crumpled bag of bread from his trouser pocket. There were still three slices inside.

Wang Xinwu offered it to Mi Li with both hands. "Mi Li, you must be hungry. I've got some bread here. Take it and eat."

Looking at the crumpled bag of bread, Mi Li was genuinely speechless.

Mi Li smiled awkwardly. "No, that's all right."

Wang Xinwu thought Mi Li was only being polite. Gritting his teeth, he took out his only remaining corn sausage, the kind that cost one yuan a packet.

"Mi Li, don't be shy. Bread and sausage are a perfect match."

Zhang Zhen stared at Wang Xinwu in shock. Damn, you're really going all out!

Finding supplies in the supermarkets out there was hard now, unless you risked going into one packed with zombies.

Did you not care about surviving anymore?

Zhang Zhen had originally planned to give Mi Li his packet of instant noodles, but seeing Wang Xinwu splurge like this, he decided there was no point in competing.

You're amazing. I'm bowing out.

I'll just focus on winning Mi Ling over.

Seeing that Mi Li had no intention of taking it, Wang Xinwu froze.

"Mi Li, why aren't you eating?"