“Then let’s go check out Pujie first. I’ve never been there,” Zheng Yi said with a smile. “We can also stop and check on the situation in other cities we pass through.” Their current supplies were limited, and they would need to restock.
She also needed to find a supermarket; otherwise, it would be hard for her to reasonably explain where she got down jackets and quilts. Alternatively, if they found a relatively large and stable camp, she could claim she had traded for the items with the people there.
Hmm… It wasn’t out of the question to go back and fleece the leader of that last camp one more time.
She had been so kind and friendly; that leader must be dying to see her again. After all, it had been a long time since Zheng Yi had received Saint Points from a stranger’s approval.
“Alright. There’s a gas station nearby, so let’s check it out first,” Yu Yinan said. “We’ll rest for the night. I’ll study the map.”
“Mhm, I’m not in a hurry.” Zheng Yi tilted her head and smiled. “As long as I can be with Jiejie, I’m happy to go anywhere~”
“…” Yu Yinan lowered her head slightly. She really wasn’t used to Zheng Yi being so direct.
But she liked hearing those words. She liked this feeling of trust and dependence.
Poor little Yu, being played like a fiddle. Zero One silently provided the narration in its mind, not daring to voice such a thought to Zheng Yi. After all, everything Zheng Yi did was for Saint Points.
Yu Yinan didn’t respond. Instead, she opened the map, found the Genbin area, and confirmed the gas station’s location. Then she fastened her seatbelt and said to Zheng Yi, “Close your eyes and rest for a while longer.”
The sharp mental pain from overusing a special ability was excruciating. Yu Yinan had experienced it before when she secretly practiced late at night behind Zheng Yi’s back, trying to improve her control, and had accidentally pushed herself too far.
She casually tucked in the corner of Zheng Yi’s blanket. As she was about to pull her hand back and start the car, Zheng Yi reached out and caught her hand.
“Jiejie, eat this.”
It was the same chocolate bar.
For a moment, Yu Yinan was at a loss for words. She had intended to refuse, but Zheng Yi was gazing at her expectantly. Her glistening dark eyes were unblinking, filled with a hint of apprehension and timidity, as if she feared another rejection, feared that Yu Yinan was still angry about what had happened before.
And here was Zheng Yi, sharing her scarce food.
For some reason, Yu Yinan was reminded of her childhood. What grade had she been in? She couldn’t remember, only that she had been very, very young. She’d forgotten what she learned in school back then, but she remembered the feeling of anticipation. She had made a gift box out of colored construction paper, carefully fastening it with clear tape and a glue stick. Inside was a card she had made all by herself, filled with birthday wishes and everything she wanted to say to her mother.
She had worked on it in secret for a month.
She had crudely drawn their family, little flowers, blades of grass, and small animals. She had cut abstract shapes of flowers, trees, and houses from other colored paper and pasted them on. She had tried to pour the very best of what she could create into that gift, and on her mother’s birthday, she presented it to her.
“Instead of wasting your energy on this, you should be looking after your little brother.”
“You never think about your studies, just messing around with this frivolous nonsense all day.”
Yu Yinan couldn’t recall the rest. Or perhaps she could, but she refused to let herself.
She, too, had once expressed her most sincere feelings, full of hope and trepidation.
It was, admittedly, a crude and even ugly birthday gift. Perhaps the clashing colors of the paper box and card truly had no aesthetic value. It wasn’t pretty at all and could hardly be called a proper present.
“Let’s share it, okay?” Yu Yinan’s tone softened. She took the chocolate, tore open the wrapper, broke it into two large pieces, and handed one to Zheng Yi. “A child who’s too generous won’t have any candy left for herself.”
Zheng Yi accepted the other piece, her bright, sweet eyes gazing at Yu Yinan, so clear they seemed to peer right into her heart. She broke off a chunk and popped it into her mouth, her eyes curving into happy crescents. “But I’m not a child. Besides, Jiejie will share with me.”
“It tastes even better than before.”
Is that so?
The rich, slightly bitter chocolate melted on her tongue. As Yu Yinan ate it piece by piece, she felt a prickling in her nose.
“You don’t have to pay so much attention to my opinion,” Yu Yinan said suddenly. “I’m not always right, and no one knows the correct way to navigate this world.”
“If you want to save people when you can, if you want to help those you’re able to help, then go ahead and do it. It might be dangerous, it might be risky,” Yu Yinan said. “It’s just… I’m not that kind of person. I’m not like you. I’m cowardly, selfish, and cold. If things get too dangerous, I might abandon you and run. I won’t always stay by your side.”
In the Wasteland, being indifferent to the suffering of others, prioritizing self-preservation above all else, hoarding resources and refusing to share… that might be one way to survive, but it isn’t the only way. There’s no definitive rulebook on how to act in the apocalypse.
Everyone is different.
“I know Jiejie cares about me,” Zheng Yi said softly. She stuffed the rest of the chocolate into her mouth, quickly wiped her hands, and reached for Yu Yinan’s. “Saving people is my choice, and I don’t want to drag Jiejie into danger. You wouldn’t be abandoning me to run away; you’d just be waiting in a safe place for me to join you.”
Zheng Yi’s cheeks were puffed out, yet she still managed to enunciate clearly. Yu Yinan found it rather endearing. Instead of taking her hand, she reached out and poked Zheng Yi’s cheek. Only after the fact did she seem to realize what she’d done, her other hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the wrapper with her remaining chocolate.
Zheng Yi caught her hand before she could pull it away, pressing her cheek against it. Her long lashes trembled as she gazed intently at Yu Yinan. “Jiejie… you’re a very good person.”
“…” A sudden heat rushed through Yu Yinan, almost making her toes curl. Her body went rigid as she met Zheng Yi’s gaze, which was so sincere it felt like it could burn her.
The tips of her ears burning red, she snatched her hand back. Feigning composure, she grunted in acknowledgment, quickly started the car, and focused on driving.
My dear Zero One, tell me, why did you bind with me of all people? Zheng Yi lowered her hand, relaxed into the passenger seat, and snuggled into her small blanket, obediently closing her eyes.
[Dear Host, it was the best possible choice,] Zero One replied softly. Of course, at that very moment, it was also thinking that Yu Yinan seemed like a promising Saint candidate herself. Despite always putting herself down and not wanting others to have high expectations of her, she had real potential!
But what was done was done; it had chosen Zheng Yi, and there was no changing it now. Besides, while this expert’s core personality might be a little… “dark”? “unhinged”? Or some other word? Zheng Yi was powerful, a superb actress, and she could even find loopholes in the system’s logic!
Zero One suspected that if it hadn’t bound with Zheng Yi and had chosen someone else instead—anyone else—Zheng Yi would have thrived in the Wasteland, unrestrained and with no need for pretense. And if one day she grew bored… who could say for sure that this world’s incubation wouldn’t fail because of her?
The mere thought of that possibility solidified Zero One’s conviction. It repeated, [This was the best choice!]
Thank you for the compliment. I’m deeply honored.
But Zero One couldn’t detect a shred of honor in her tone.
Yu Yinan had to check three gas stations before she found one that still had fuel. By now, she was proficient at both filling the car’s tank and finding jerrycans to fill and seal for storage.
The only problem was the limited space in the trunk; it couldn’t hold very much.
After resting for the night, Yu Yinan finished studying the map, and they set off for Pujie.
She deliberately avoided the route where they had encountered that leader. Even though the group’s attitude toward Zheng Yi had been bizarre, less trouble was always better than more, and Yu Yinan didn’t want to put Zheng Yi at risk.
As Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan began their new journey, the atmosphere back at Li Yunhan’s survivor camp had grown unbearably awkward and tense.
The divergence in their values was too great. Even though Jiang Jue’s group had finally agreed to go out and search for supplies, a thorn of resentment remained lodged between them.
What’s more, despite going out to search for supplies, they had returned at dusk empty-handed. Li Yunhan’s group had no way of knowing if Jiang Jue and the others had genuinely tried to find anything, or if they had just idled away the time somewhere safe. It was also possible they had found supplies but had hidden them or consumed them all outside. In any case, even if they had been serious and put in the effort, they had brought nothing back.
Of course, no one said anything out loud; all such thoughts were kept hidden. But they all knew that the most basic trust between them had vanished.
“Maybe we should find a chance to talk with Jiang Jue’s group,” Wang Youfei suggested. “We can’t keep going on like this.”
But they had no idea how to start the conversation, or even what to say.
On the surface, however, Jiang Jue’s group seemed to have come around. They were no longer so cold, and would even occasionally go over to the married couple to coo at the baby or pour a cup of warm water for the old woman.
This continued until the sixth night after their parting with Zheng Yi.
They were jolted awake by the harsh sound of the iron gate being kicked. Wang Youfei scrambled up and rushed outside just in time to see Jiang Jue, the portly middle-aged man, and two other unfamiliar young men. After kicking the main gate open, they tossed aside the bolt and lock, jumped into a small blue car they’d found somewhere, and began laying on the horn, the blaring noise frantically drawing in zombies.
When he saw Wang Youfei and the others running over, Jiang Jue even had the audacity to lean halfway out of the car, flash them a provocative gesture, and let out a long whistle.
The “survivor camp” was officially disbanded.
“Fuck!” Yan Han cursed viciously. For a moment, in a fit of rage, he wanted to chase after the car, drag those bastards out, and beat their faces to a pulp.
But the loud crash of the gate and the incessant honking had already drawn all the nearby zombies toward them.
Li Yunhan gritted her teeth. “Close the gate first! Find something to barricade it with! We’ll wait for the zombies to scatter a little, then figure things out tomorrow.”
The few remaining survivors in the factory trembled in fear. The husband got up to help Wang Youfei and the others secure the gate, making it harder for the zombies to break through. His wife, tears streaming down her face, tried to soothe their wailing baby.
The old woman also got to her feet, trembling, trying to find some way to help.
Wang Youfei and the others didn’t even have the energy to curse Jiang Jue. Only after they had hastily finished their work did Li Yunhan suddenly think of something and dash toward the “little storeroom” where they kept their food.
