Chapter 83

On October 17, 3034, an autumn rain fell near Yu City, and the temperature suddenly dropped.

Xue Ling sat inside a modified minivan, sharpening her machete with a sharpening stone. Recently, she had noticed that zombie necks were becoming tougher, and she often had to deal with the blade curling after only a few strikes. She had to constantly sharpen it.

The minivan had been modified so that, except for the driver’s seat and passenger seat, the rest of the back was cleared for storage. Xue Ling was sitting on a small, uncomfortable stool surrounded by tools and miscellaneous items.

The small space was cramped with stuff, and a few people were sitting around. The windows were tightly shut, and the air inside was thick with an unpleasant odor.

The vehicle was moving along the road when the left side suddenly hit something, causing the vehicle to bump and stop.

“What’s going on?” her mother in the passenger seat asked.

“It looks like the left tire is punctured. Let’s get out and check,” her stepfather said from the driver’s seat.

Xue Ling rolled down the window, and a cold gust of wind carrying a mix of rotting smells blew into the van. This scent suggested that either a person or a zombie had decayed nearby.

When Xue Ling saw her uncle’s car stopping behind them, she grabbed her machete and opened the door to get out.

Her stepfather called out to his half-asleep son: “Gao Bin, get out with your sister and check the situation.”

“It’s just a deserted area; no one has reported any robberies or zombies. What’s there to check?” Gao Bin muttered, but after getting a glare from his father, he reluctantly got out of the car.

Xue Ling had already gone to the back of the van to check the tire. She said to her stepfather, “Uncle Gao, the rear tire has two long nails stuck in it.”

Her stepfather got out of the car and said, “Gao Bin, give me a hand and change the tire.”

Gao Bin grumbled, “People these days are all messed up. They can’t stand to see anyone else doing well,” as he went to the car to grab the spare tire.

“Brother-in-law, what’s the matter?” her uncle, who was following behind in his car, asked.

“Another punctured tire. We’ll change it and keep going.”

It had been two years since the end of the world. Most of the bases were operating normally, and some people could even find work within the base. Those with more courage went out scavenging, while others had turned to robbery and murder.

These criminals would set up obstacles on the road or hide nail boards, waiting for vehicles to stop before ambushing them. Some were pure troublemakers, intentionally placing nails on the road to puncture others’ tires.

For people like them, who frequently went scavenging by car, this kind of thing happened almost every time.

The group of six, traveling in two cars, couldn’t go far on their scavenging trips and usually stuck to nearby cities to search for leftover supplies. While their haul wasn’t much, it was relatively safe.

Xue Ling crouched by the car, watching her stepfather and stepbrother change the tire, when she suddenly felt a sensation of being watched.

She turned to look toward the side of the road. There were only two old houses with collapsed frames, but nothing else.

“Alright, everyone, get back in the car. Ling Ling, hurry up,” her stepfather called out.

“Okay, I’m coming,” Xue Ling replied as she grabbed her machete and got back in the car. The two cars quickly set off again.

Their scavenging destination was Xinyan City, which was still two hours away.

After the cars left, a figure emerged from behind one of the crumbling walls of the old house.

The person was tall, and despite the chilly weather, he was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt. His exposed arms had a pale, deathly hue.

He stood in the spot where Xue Ling had been crouching earlier, gazing at the direction the two cars had disappeared. He then looked down at the grass stalks Xue Ling had been fiddling with. He bent down and picked up one of the stalks, twisting it into a small ring.

Xue Ling had changed a lot since they last met two years ago. Back then, she had long hair that reached past her shoulders, but now, her hair was so short it barely covered her scalp. Her once fair skin had tanned, and she wore dull, gray clothes. At first glance, she looked like a thin, dark young boy.

She appeared to be living with her family, so things shouldn’t have been bad for her, but he couldn’t help but feel like she had lost a lot of weight.

——-

Xue Ling pressed a modified riot baton against the wall, pinning a zombie down. Her stepbrother, Gao Bin, swung a machete to decapitate it, but the first two strikes failed to sever the head. Only after the third strike did the head finally roll away.

The zombie had struggled fiercely, and its strength was great. Xue Ling had used all her strength to pin it down, almost losing control as it nearly broke free.

Gao Bin, his forehead covered in sweat, complained, “You didn’t hold it tight enough. It almost grabbed me.”

This wasn’t their first time scavenging or fighting zombies, but every time they faced these snarling, frenzied creatures, they couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Xue Ling let go of the riot baton, shaking out her tired hand. “Next time, you hold it down, and I’ll kill it, okay?”

Gao Bin snorted, muttered something under his breath, and then sat down to rest.

As night fell, they found a previously cleared yard to spend the night. After an afternoon of fighting zombies and searching for supplies, everyone was exhausted, so they sat down and ate some simple food.

Their scavenging team, which was made up of family members, wasn’t as daring as the all-young teams, and their finds were never very rich. Therefore, they had to be frugal with their food and supplies.

Xue Ling was eating some dry noodles, a type commonly made at the base. They could be broken into pieces and eaten directly or soaked in hot water to soften. Eating them dry was hard to swallow, and soaking them didn’t improve the taste much either.

Feeling exhausted, Xue Ling lost her appetite. She ate half a pack and sat down with the simple packaging bag, taking a moment to rest.

Her mother brought over a cup of hot water and said, “Ling Ling, drink some hot water.”

Xue Ling made room for her mother, took the thermos, and took a sip. It tasted sweet with a hint of milk.

She looked at her mother, who patted her head and said, “Go ahead and drink.”

They were all living together now in the same compound. Her stepfather had a son and a daughter, both married with children.

Her stepbrother and his wife had two children. Her sister-in-law was in poor health and could only lie in bed at home. Her stepsister’s husband had passed away, leaving behind a young daughter. The family reserved most of the sugar and milk powder for the children and her sick sister-in-law.

Xue Ling hadn’t had sugar for a while, so she had no idea where her mother had secretly saved sugar and milk to give her.

“Has your period come this month?” her mother suddenly asked in a low voice, her face full of concern.

“Mm, it’s fine if it hasn’t come. If it did, it’d be troublesome. It’s hard to kill zombies when I’m on it,” Xue Ling replied.

Her mother suddenly pulled her into an embrace, her voice choked with emotion. “My dear, why are you so strong? Why do you have to come out with us to scavenge and kill zombies? It’s so hard. I’m really afraid that one day you’ll get hurt…”

Xue Ling understood what her mother was implying, but didn’t respond.

Sure enough, after a moment of silence, her mother continued, “Ling Ling, I’ve been thinking about it. You shouldn’t keep going on like this. Like your cousin, you could marry someone suitable and settle down in the base. You wouldn’t have to go out and take such risks. Look at your cousin, your stepsister, and your sister-in-law—none of them live like you do, working so hard.”

“Remember that man Mom mentioned last time? He has three brothers. You wouldn’t have to go out and fight zombies if you married him. He’s interested in you, and if you agree, you can stay at home and take care of yourself. You don’t need to shave your head again, either. Others think you look like a boy…”

Xue Ling listened to her mother’s endless chatter, feeling more and more helpless inside.

This wasn’t the first time her mother had said these things.

She knew her mother meant well, but Xue Ling didn’t want the “well” her mother envisioned for her.

Instead of marrying some man she barely knew like her cousin did, she’d rather come out and kill zombies.

She didn’t feel bad about her period being absent due to malnutrition; at least she could eat enough, which was more than many girls could say.

“Mom, I’m going to the bathroom,” Xue Ling said, wanting to avoid her mother’s persistent persuasion.

“You can go behind the house. Just don’t go too far, take a flashlight, and be safe. Should I go with you?” her mother asked.

“No, I’ll be careful. You go rest,” Xue Ling replied, already walking away.

She habitually grabbed her riot stick and knife before heading to the back of the house.

She didn’t really need to go to the bathroom; she just wanted some quiet time.

Squatting in a secluded corner behind the house, Xue Ling slowly exhaled, staring blankly at the dim corner of the wall.

Marriage?

When she was little, she saw her parents fight and tear each other apart over their marriage, leaving a deep impression on her.

As she grew older, she decided she didn’t want to get married. She’d rather live alone, avoiding all the arguments and hurt.

But then she had once thought about marrying someone. Someone like Wen Jiuze.

She first had the thought one evening while preparing for an important exam, feeling unsure and stressed for days.

The kids downstairs were making a racket, making it hard for her to concentrate.

Wen Jiuze was making noise in the living room too, and Xue Ling couldn’t take it anymore. She shouted, “Can you stop making so much noise?”

She didn’t hear his reply but only the sound of him closing the door as he left.

After shouting, she felt uneasy, worried he might be angry, but soon enough, she heard him downstairs.

He had sent the noisy kids away. Then, he came upstairs with a small bag and asked, “Green mung bean soup, want some?”

Xue Ling, in her pajamas, hesitated as she sipped the soup. “I shouldn’t have shouted so loudly just now.”

Wen Jiuze responded, “If you didn’t shout, how would those kids downstairs hear you?”

After a pause, he added, “Oh, so you were talking about me?”

But he wasn’t offended. Instead, he teased, “Your voice isn’t much louder than a bird’s chirp. If it weren’t for my good hearing, I might not have even heard you.”

Xue Ling: “…”

When she was with other people, Xue Ling was usually the more stable one. But when she was with Wen Jiuze, he was the one with the most stable emotions.

Was it true that the closer you were to someone, the more easily you could hurt them?

Living with her mother and uncle, Xue Ling realized just how terrifying and unstable emotions could be and silently vowed never to be like them.

But with Wen Jiuze, she found herself becoming what she hated—someone who would vent emotions on those they were closest to.

“Come kiss me,” Wen Jiuze lazily pointed to his cheek, smiling like someone who would never be deflated.

If she married him, would they end up like her parents? Xue Ling wondered.

Indeed, they weren’t like her parents, as they broke up before they even got married.

Why, after so long, when I think of getting married, I still think of this damn ex-boyfriend?

Xue Ling was lost in thought when she suddenly heard footsteps. She thought it was her mother, worried she’d been gone too long, coming to hurry her. She barely managed to stand, but the approaching figure was too tall.

Her stepfather, stepbrother, and uncle were not this tall, and the figure’s silhouette in the dark seemed eerily familiar.

Xue Ling switched on the flashlight.

The light flickered across a familiar face, revealing pale, stiff skin and dark red eyes.

“Clunk.” The flashlight dropped to the ground, casting its light on the ceiling.

“…Wen Jiuze?” Xue Ling recognized him at the same time she realized—this was a zombie.

Her ex-boyfriend had turned into a zombie.

Her damned ex-boyfriend was really dead.

Xue Ling froze for a moment before grabbing the riot stick leaning against the wall. Her hand trembled as she gripped it tightly.

She had no idea how her ex-boyfriend had ended up here, but with his horrifying zombie appearance, he suddenly reached out towards her in a threatening gesture.

Her heart skipped a beat. She raised the riot stick and skillfully jabbed it into his neck, knocking the tall figure to the ground.

—

It’s here 🙂