[edited]

Seeing Jiang Ning’s complexion, Huo Yishen comforted her, “You don’t have to worry. Coke is very intelligent, and it’s the most loyal companion to humans. I believe it won’t do anything like that.”

Jiang Ning wasn’t reassured.

After all, the extreme cold lasted for a year, while Coke only endured it for three months in her previous life, it still saved her from being chopped to death.

At that time, it only wanted to protect her and wouldn’t let go even when beaten to death…

The scene was too bloody, and Jiang Ning didn’t want to recall it; she just held onto Coke tightly.

This time, it was her turn to protect it.

Sensing her abnormal emotions, the dog leaped into her arms: What’s wrong with the pooper scooper?

“Don’t worry, I’ll train it well.”

Train it well? Coke is already trained, isn’t it!

Huo Yishen rubbed its head, “Training is like practice; we have to practice until old age.”

The dog smirked, whatever!

Back home, Jiang Ning measured its height and weight. She recorded all the data of its various body parts.

Not only Coke, but even Da Hui and Xiao Bai had to be measured.

After touching them over for a few times, she felt they had changed, and their courage was growing too.

After spending a few days, they made over two thousand bamboo arrows, and their crossbow shooting skills were also improving.

Feeling that the aisle wasn’t far enough, the group challenged their limits on the rooftop.

In a negative 40-degree weather, they wrapped themselves up like bears and continued rolling.

Everyone wanted to just lie down, but no one dared because they were afraid that lying down meant they would never have a chance to get up again.

But it was really too cold, and their hands trembled like they had Parkinson’s disease.

Zhang Chao saw Jiang Ning was standing so steadily and began to doubt his life, “Ning, how did you do it?”

She wasn’t wearing as much as he was, but she didn’t seem to feel cold at all; this was unscientific!

Jiang Ning glanced at him, “Chao, I’m not frail or weak, and I have a passionate heart.”

Lu Yu, who was feeling frail, “…”

Who did he manage to provoke this time? Even during the apocalypse, they didn’t miss the chance to call him out.”

But who exactly are they calling frail? Even his wife mentioned he’s been great lately!

When being overpowered became a habit, the two didn’t resist and completely gave up. Moreover, with Jiang Ning having Huo Yishen as her personal trainer, her strength truly became abnormal.

Jiang Ning also felt like she was soaring to the heavens; not only did her martial arts get better, but her physical fitness also improved.

Although this damp cold air seeped into her bones, and it made her feel like her soul was frozen, what kind of weather didn’t she have a clue about?

But looking at her now, and then looking at Huo Yishen…

Uh, well, he wasn’t wearing nearly as much as the two of them, and she really envied his extraordinary physical fitness.

Anyways, that’s all right!

It’s not comparable, especially with his injury.

It’s much better to focus on improving their crossbow shooting skills first.

After a few days of rest, Huo Yishen issued an invitation for sparring.

Jiang Ning was puzzled, “Your arm doesn’t seem to be healed yet.”

“It’s okay, I can use just one hand, as long as you don’t grab my sore spots.”

Sore spots? Ah, did he mean his shoulder, or was it something else?

Well, Jiang Ning admitted she was a bit off.

She still had some martial ethics, and she really didn’t attack his sore spots. She even actively avoided them.

But Huo Yishen was really skillful; even if he became a one-armed martial monk, he still didn’t let Jiang Ning take advantage of him.

At the same time, his independence was also commendable.

When Doudou fell while cooking dumplings, Jiang Ning thought he would take the opportunity to ask for her help in cooking or give pointers to Doudou’s culinary skills.

Since the incident started because of her, she was mentally prepared if he asked for help.

However, Huo Yishen didn’t mention anything; he solved everything on his own.

This made Jiang Ning breathe a sigh of relief.

Even up to today, despite the harmonious atmosphere on the 18th floor, her vigilance remained unchanged.

If Huo Yishen asked her. She would definitely help, but in the future, she had to maintain her distance.

To put it bluntly, his shoulder soft tissue injury wasn’t really preventing him from moving; he just couldn’t lift heavy objects or make large movements. There were no major issues in his daily life.

If she were to owe him a favor, there must be something he wanted in return. And what did he want? It was probably not ordinary supplies.

There was no way of helping it. After struggling for years in the apocalypse, even if she started over, her mindset couldn’t reset to zero. She couldn’t help but feel suspicious of everyone’s intentions.

Moreover, she still has her secret space; she couldn’t afford to take risks!

In any case, his several actions made her look at him in a new light.

Grandma Zhong knocked on the door again. They feel both happy and worried.

Mr. Zhong and Zhong Ping were technical researchers. After the interview, they effortlessly got the job. They were given fifteen pounds of rice or flour as compensation each month.

Mrs. Zhong was a teacher. She didn’t meet the technical requirements, but she successfully applied for the lowest-level corpse collection team.

Despite the ominous nature of corpse collection, the income was low, but there was no shortage of applicants.

Every month, they only received five pounds of rice, but a meal was provided at work. They didn’t dare to claim they were completely full. After all, it was hard labor, and being seven or eight-tenths full was fine, and there were other benefits.

The elimination rate was extremely high, so the possibility of Mrs. Zhong being hired was very low. However, Grandma Zhong was a crafty old lady; she secretly stuffed two pounds of wild kudzu powder to the people conducting the interviews, and that’s how it happened.

“Jiang Ning, who wants to go for an interview? I’ll ask Zhong Ping to take you there.”

She was worried that these young kids were too stubborn and wouldn’t want to use connections or give gifts. A job was the guarantee of life; they couldn’t be arrogant or impulsive.

But, unfortunately, the residents of the 18th floor simply wanted to keep a low profile, yet they still thanked Grandma Zhong for her kindness.

As expected, Grandma Zhong looked worried and said, “Those who collect protection rations have already reached Building 8 and will soon come to our building. What are your plans?”

Food was life; who would willingly give up their life?

Grandma Zhong had lived to this age and wasn’t afraid of death, but if there was a chance to live, who would choose death?

Even if she didn’t consider herself, she had to think about her family.

Moreover, greed knows no bounds.

Each person received three pounds of food, and if they could successfully collect it, they would surely ask for five pounds next time.

She had lived through the famine era and had seen various sinister forces. These beasts who annihilated humanity wouldn’t stop until they squeezed out every last bit of their bones.

Once they got a foothold, it would definitely be hell.

But the Zhong family were all civilized people who couldn’t shoulder heavy loads or lift heavy objects; let alone fight them, they probably couldn’t even touch a hair on their heads.

So, they had to come to the 18th floor and thicken their faces to ask for help.

Jiang Ning understood her intentions but didn’t rush to answer. “Our community is so large. If everyone works together, aren’t they afraid we can’t deal with them?”

Grandma Zhong sighed, “Those people have many tricks up their sleeves. First, they’ll take care of the building leader who can speak up, give them some benefits, and then they become accomplices.”

Jiang Ning was a bit surprised, “No one’s resisting at all?”

“There are some. The leaders of Building 15 and Building 16 are upright. They lead the survivors to resist. They even went to the police station to report it. The next day, their bodies were thrown at the door. The leader of Building 16 was a woman but those beasts…”

“The police didn’t intervene?”

“It’s not that they didn’t want to intervene; they just couldn’t handle it.”