New member

Zhang Yi was now following every instruction to the letter. At those words, he hurriedly pulled a handful of Corpse Crystals from his backpack and ran off. After a few steps, though, he doubled back, grabbed a bottle, and ran off again.

Watching the man limp away, Nan Shao sighed inwardly. It seemed that no one could stay calm when it came to someone they held closest to their heart. Even this man, who might not so much as change his expression if the sky fell, was no exception.

"Here." Along with a somewhat familiar woman's voice beside his ear, a mineral water bottle half full of water appeared in front of Nan Shao.

Nan Shao looked up and saw that it was the woman who had ridden in the same vehicle. Without standing on ceremony, he took the bottle and unscrewed the cap. He first fed Zhang Ruiyang a little water, then patted the rest onto his forehead, neck, and armpits. Before long, the boy opened his eyes.

"Handsome uncle..." Only after spending quite a while in a daze did the little boy recognize who was holding him.

"Mm." A smile appeared on Nan Shao's face, and his heart finally settled. Falling ill at a time like this was no good thing.

The boy moved his head and looked around, as if searching for something. Confusion rose in his eyes when he saw the woman, but he still obediently greeted her. "Auntie."

The woman froze. Only after a moment did she manage a stiff smile. Clearly, it had been far too long since she had dealt with this sort of interaction, so commonplace before the apocalypse.

"Your dad went to trade for water. He'll be back soon." Noticing the boy's searching gaze, Nan Shao understood. He rubbed the little boy's head and gently asked, "Does anything feel bad? Are you hungry?"

Zhang Ruiyang shook his head. He really just wanted his dad.

Seeing how listless the boy looked, Nan Shao thought he had yet to recover, but they were already out of water. After some thought, he put the boy down, then went back into the shack and brought out a lollipop.

"Look, what's this?"

The colorful wrapper, printed with a green apple, had always been irresistible to children. Yet Zhang Ruiyang merely gave it a listless glance, then made an effort to perk up and answered obligingly, "A lollipop."

Nan Shao suddenly felt incredibly foolish. Just as he was at a loss, Zhang Yi returned.

Carrying three bottles of water, Zhang Yi hurried back through the idle crowd in the shantytown. When he saw that Yangyang was awake and sitting on the ground, holding a lollipop with his head lowered, saying something to Nan Shao, who was crouched before him, he forgot to keep moving. He simply stood there, panting and drenched in sweat, staring blankly.

"Daddy!" As if father and son shared a connection, Zhang Ruiyang abruptly raised his head and looked over, finding exactly where Zhang Yi stood. A smile brighter than sunshine instantly spread across his little face. He scrambled up and raced toward him.

Zhang Yi bent down and spread his arms, still holding the water, to catch the boy. Then he hugged him tightly and buried his face in his son's neck. His shoulders trembled for a long while before he raised his head, his eyes somewhat red. The shock of regaining what he had lost nearly broke him.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" With one little hand around Zhang Yi's neck, Zhang Ruiyang touched his eyes with the other, somewhat confused. He did not understand why his dad had suddenly become sad again when everything had been fine.

"Nothing's wrong... Daddy's just so happy to see you, Yangyang." The corners of Zhang Yi's lips lifted into a broad smile. As he spoke, he planted two hard kisses on the boy's face. His stubble prickled the boy, who cried out and dodged while giggling, drawing quite a few people's attention.

"Were you scared when Daddy didn't come back yesterday?" Zhang Yi picked the boy up and asked as he walked toward the shack.

"No!" Zhang Ruiyang shook his little head with exaggerated vigor. "If Daddy doesn't come back, I hide in the hole and wait for Daddy." At this, his little brows knitted, and he rested his head on Zhang Yi's shoulder, all his earlier energy seeming to drain away at once. "Daddy, Yangyang's head feels dizzy..."

Zhang Yi turned his face and kissed his son's sweat-scented hair. Having regained his usual composure, he said softly, "Then lean on Daddy and sleep for a while. Daddy isn't going out again today."

"That's great. Will Daddy wait for Yangyang to wake up?"

"Mm. When you wake up, Daddy will make you something tasty."

Reassured, Zhang Ruiyang closed his eyes, draped over Zhang Yi's shoulder just like that, and soon began snoring softly.

Nan Shao walked over and took the water bottles from his hand. "Let's sit outside a little longer while the sun isn't too strong."

Zhang Yi nodded. The boy spent all day either cooped up in the shack or hiding in the hole. It was time to let him get some air. After all that commotion just now, anyone who would find out had probably already found out. There was no point in continuing to hide. As for what to do in the future, they would deal with that when the time came.

Only when Nan Shao had put down the water and gone into the shack to fetch several pieces of woven plastic sacking to rig up some shade overhead did the two men realize that the woman had been standing beside them all along.

The woman's name was Li Muran, and she lived not far from them. Since she was alone and could not kill enough zombies to obtain the Corpse Crystals needed to rent a room, she simply gathered only enough Corpse Crystals and supplies to last a day or two each time she went out. Otherwise, with nowhere to hide the surplus and no way to carry it with her, she would only be benefiting someone else. Someone had once tried to take advantage of her because she was a woman and sneaked into her shack in the middle of the night. She had killed him, castrated him, and thrown him outside. After that, no one dared provoke her again. After all, the capable men had no interest in her looks, while the incapable ones, who did not even dare kill zombies, feared death far too much. Thus, she had gained some temporary peace.

In a world like this, life was far too hard for a woman on her own, especially one without a powerful ability. Even so, she had never considered teaming up with anyone, until she saw Yangyang. The instant she met Yangyang's clear eyes and heard him call her Auntie, she resolutely made a decision.

Chapter 15: New member

Women were always emotional, sometimes so emotional that men could not understand them. Perhaps a detail others considered insignificant could lead them to make a major decision. Even women who appeared tough on the outside were no exception.