At the same moment, Huo Yishen made his move. The boss holding the gun didn’t even see him act before a red mark appeared between his eyebrows. 

If he didn’t make his move, it would be fine. But if he made his move, he would be deadly. 

His pistol was equipped with a silencer. Huo Yishen emptied all his bullets, and seven bald heads fell simultaneously. 

Jiang Ning, who had no chance to make her move, “…” 

She hadn’t even fired a shot! 

An entire checkpoint was completely wiped out. 

Huo Yishen walked over to Doudou, raised his hand to wipe the blood from her face, and said, “Don’t be afraid.” 

Doudou jumped into her brother’s arms. She was trembling all over. 

The dog, however, was excited. It was circling around Jiang Ning to ask for praise. 

Jiang Ning shooed it into the car and walked towards the truck parked by the roadside. 

The tsunami had swallowed everything, and that drastically reduced the flow of goods. They hadn’t scavenged much today, only about half a truckload, including some dried seafood, coarse salt, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. 

In the distance, a group of survivors was approaching. 

Jiang Ning thought for a moment and decided not to take the supplies from the truck. 

The checkpoint had some cigarettes, alcohol, peanuts to go with the drinks, and a few barrels of clean, fresh water. 

Jiang Ning left the fresh water behind, while Huo Yishen took their guns. The three of them and the dog quickly got into the car and left before the survivors arrived. 

They were already in Fengcheng, where the sun was scorching, the ground was cracked and grey, and the air was so hot it made people feel dizzy. 

Huo Yishen turned on the air conditioning. 

Jiang Ning found a clean set of clothes and asked the dazed Doudou to change. 

A child of only six or seven was eventually forced by the apocalypse to pick up a knife. 

The dog, sensitive to human emotions, gently nudged the little girl to comfort her. 

The car sped along. Only a month had passed, but it felt like Fengcheng had become even more desolate. 

Jinrong community was the same; many people had left. They are either heading to the base or the coast. They were searching for the best place to survive. 

The apartment building was empty, and their footsteps were echoing clearly. 

Reaching the 18th floor, Jiang Ning took out a bathtub to wash the dirt off the two of them. 

While they were in the bathroom, she quickly took out the furniture, and with Huo Yishen, they hurriedly set up the room. 

Fengcheng was hotter than the coast. Even with the air conditioner blowing over, they were still sweating in their temperature-regulating clothes, so they had to bring the air conditioner outside. 

For lunch, they had ribs, bitter melon soup, ginger onion crab, and green vegetables. 

Doudou was a bit dazed. She was eating quietly with her head down. It seemed like she had a small appetite. 

After the meal, Jiang Ning sent Huo Yishen away and called Doudou over. “Doudou, are you scared?” 

Doudou clutched her clothes and lowered her head. “Sister, I killed someone.” 

Jiang Ning knelt down, stroking her head. “First of all, we didn’t provoke anyone, right?” 

Doudou nodded. 

“Things are different now. Surviving is the most important thing. We did nothing wrong. Why should we be mistreated by bad people or lose our lives?” 

“Right.” 

“They were the ones who did evil first. We acted in self-defense. If they hadn’t died, they would have robbed and killed more people. 

So, not only did you do nothing wrong, but you also got rid of bad people, which made you a hero.” 

Doudou was surprised. “Sister, I’m a hero?” 

“Yes, many people would be grateful to you, so don’t overthink it. You did the right thing.” 

Doudou finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Sister, you’re the best.” 

“Promise your sister that you’ll take care of yourself from now on and won’t be scared when facing these sorts of situations.” 

“Mm.” The little one nodded vigorously. 

Jiang Ning took two ice creams out of the refrigerator. “You and Coke were great today. Both of you get a reward.” 

With her worries eased, Doudou happily ate her ice cream. 

The whole building was almost empty, and the two families did not lock their doors, so people could come and go at any time. 

Huo Yishen came over, closed the door, and took a nap. 

Instead of playing poker, they shared a moment of intimacy as he lifted Jiang Ning’s shirt. 

After the nap, Jiang Ning took 20 pounds of sea salt and 10 pounds of dried seafood to the 17th floor. 

Seeing Jiang Ning return safely, Grandma Zhong was delighted. “Oh, you finally came back! I heard there was a sudden tsunami in Yuecheng, and the city council even sent people to help.” 

“We were lucky. We left a few days before, took a detour through Xiangshan City, and then returned.” 

Jiang Ning handed over the salt and dried seafood. “I brought these for you. Let me know if you need more.” 

Twenty pounds of sea salt would last a long time. Grandma Zhong was pleased, but 10 pounds of dried seafood seemed like too much. It took a lot of grain to trade for a pound of meat, and she felt reluctant but didn’t want to reject Jiang Ning’s kindness. 

Grandma Zhong stored the goods and took out the key to get some grain. “Thank you for the trouble, Little Jiang.” 

Jiang Ning stopped her. “Grandma Zhong, these are a gift for you.” 

“That’s not right.” Grandma Zhong had her principles. “You already helped me by bringing them back. I can’t let you suffer a loss.” 

“Really, it’s not necessary.” Being neighbors for almost two years, Jiang Ning never intended to take anything from her. “If it weren’t for you helping to take care of the rabbits this month, we wouldn’t have been able to go out. We’ve already earned what we should. Consider this our gratitude, and we might need your help again in the future.” 

Grandma Zhong insisted on giving something in return, but in the end, she couldn’t argue with Jiang Ning. “Alright, if you need any help, just let me know.” 

She talked about the rabbits’ situation. “After you left, the rabbits had a few more litters. Now there are over 20 more rabbits.” 

Jiang Ning got curious and went to 1702 to see the rabbits. 

To her surprise, the Zhong family had taken excellent care of them. The rabbits were well fed and hadn’t lost any weight. 

Despite a month’s absence, the rabbits still remembered Jiang Ning and gathered around her. 

The rabbits remembered their benefactor, but they were not as friendly to the dog. A rebellious spirit rose among them. 

Coke quickly subdued them. It pins each rabbit down and makes them submit. 

Jiang Ning counted the new rabbits. “Grandma Zhong, can you manage to take care of them? If you can, I can give you a pair of young rabbits.” 

Grandma Zhong was tempted. “I think we can manage.” 

In these times, many people couldn’t even dream of eating meat. If there was an opportunity, they had to seize it. 

Thinking of this, she told Jiang Ning something. “Little Jiang, we’re going to move.” 

After the flood went down, the research institute allocated several buildings to house the families of researchers. This way, their families could be together, and they could avoid the dangers of commuting and allow the researchers to dedicate more time to their work. 

Grandma Zhong’s son and grandson worked day and night, and every time they came home, she was anxious. She had persistently urged them to report their situation, and recently, her daughter-in-law had been given a job as a cleaner. 

Originally, they planned to move together, but Grandma Zhong insisted on waiting for Jiang Ning to return and hand back the rabbits. 

Moving with so many rabbits would cause a stir in the family housing, and it might attract unwanted attention to the Zhong family. 

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