Today was the second day of the apocalypse, and there were already far more zombies than yesterday. They were even appearing on the small country roads now.
Gu Nuan took out a carton of milk and sipped it, then glanced at Chen Qingzhou’s dry, cracked lips. Only then did she realise how little attention she had been paying to him. He had been completely focused on driving while keeping watch for zombies, and earlier he had fought through such a large horde. He must have used up a tremendous amount of energy. She really had been careless, not even offering him any water or food.
She peeled open a sausage and held it to his mouth.
“Eat something quickly. You must have exhausted yourself just now.”
As she spoke, she also lifted the carton of milk she had been drinking and held the straw to Chen Qingzhou’s lips.
He glanced at it, wrapped his lips around the straw for a sip of milk, then took a bite of the sausage.
Only then did Gu Nuan realise that she had already drunk from that carton. Wasn’t this basically an indirect kiss? Embarrassment immediately flooded her face, and she lowered her head to hide her awkwardness. Seeing how flustered she was, the corners of Chen Qingzhou’s lips curled upward.
Her embarrassment only lasted a moment.
Whatever! We already have children, so what am I even shy about? We’ve done far more intimate things than this.
After that, the two of them took turns eating from the same food, finishing two sausages and two cartons of milk together.
Unfortunately, they were not as lucky today. They had encountered several waves of zombies along the way, and by the time darkness fell, they still had not reached the outskirts of the city. Surrounded by wilderness and pitch blackness, Gu Nuan felt uneasy despite how reliable their motorhome was.
“Stay inside the vehicle and don’t come out. I’ll check the surroundings and light a few fires to keep wild animals away. We’ll have to spend the night here.”
Chen Qingzhou parked the motorhome behind a tree with a broad canopy. After getting out, he carefully surveyed the area and found no zombies nearby.
Although his eyesight was much sharper now, it was still nowhere near as good as the Psychic Ability he had possessed in his previous life. Back then, he could scan everything within hundreds of kilometres. He wondered if he would awaken his abilities again in this life.
In his previous life, he had possessed two abilities. One was the Psychic Ability, which allowed him to control zombies. The other was a Lightning Ability with tremendous offensive power.
In truth, he had also possessed a third ability, but it had remained in a dormant grey state until the day he died. Even then, it had never awakened, and he still had no idea what it actually was.
Chen Qingzhou lit three campfires around the motorhome. By the time he climbed back inside, Gu Nuan was already cooking.
The small kitchen in the motorhome was surprisingly well equipped. There was a countertop and sink above, with an oven and microwave underneath. Beside them was a built-in refrigerator. She cooked using a portable gas stove, and since Gu Nuan had stocked plenty of gas canisters in her System Space, fuel was never an issue.
Today, she was craving rustic hot pot. After searching through her System Space for a while, she found a suitable pot. Then she prepared the ingredients, washing all the vegetables, frying the hot pot base, adding everything into the pot, and letting it simmer.
“You’re back. Wash your hands and get ready to eat. How about hot pot tonight?”
She carried the pot to the dining table beside the window, laid out bowls and chopsticks, then placed a glass of fruit juice and a glass of cola on the table.
She actually wanted cola too, but because she was pregnant, she worried it would affect her calcium levels. Still, cola and hot pot really were the perfect combination.
After washing his hands, Chen Qingzhou sat across from her. Gu Nuan placed two dipping sauce bowls on the table before smiling at the bubbling pot.
“It’s ready. Dig in.”
She picked up a slice of meat with her chopsticks and placed it into his bowl before serving herself. The moment the meat, coated in rich dipping sauce, entered her mouth, its delicious flavour spread across her tongue.
During the day, they had been rushing along the road, surviving on bread, sausages, and other convenience foods. Having a proper hot meal now felt absolutely wonderful. She had added plenty of beef, enough for both of them to eat their fill.
After dinner, Gu Nuan wanted to take a shower. Chen Qingzhou filled the electric water heater with hot water and even placed a non-slip mat on the bathroom floor for her.
“Be careful in there. Call me if you need anything.”
“Mhm.”
Listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, Chen Qingzhou suddenly remembered how passionate Gu Nuan had been that night, and those soft, alluring lips of hers.
He quickly shook his head.
What’s wrong with me? What am I even thinking about?
His body instantly grew hot. Grabbing his large blade, he hurried out of the motorhome.
Standing outside, he let out a long breath, added more firewood to the campfires, checked the surroundings once more, and allowed the cool night breeze to calm him. Only then did the heat coursing through his body finally subside.
When he returned, Gu Nuan had already finished showering and was blow drying her hair. Without a word, Chen Qingzhou naturally took the hairdryer from her and began drying her hair for her.
“Chen Qingzhou, I want to apologise to you.”
“What are you apologising for?”
Gu Nuan reached out and clasped his hand.
“For hurting you in our previous life. That day, I only said those things out of anger. I never thought you’d take them seriously. After that, you disappeared, and I searched for you for a very long time. I’m sorry.”
He sighed softly.
“It’s all in the past now. In this life, let’s just stay together and live well.”
He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.
“I’ve actually always been curious. I heard that you established a base during the apocalypse. So how did you die and end up being Reborn?”
“One of my subordinates betrayed me. He drugged me, and I died while fighting the Zombie King.”
“What? How could someone be that despicable?”
Gu Nuan’s heart ached for him. Wrapping both arms around his waist, she held him tightly.
“I won’t ever hurt you again in this life. We’ll face the apocalypse together until it’s over.”
“Mhm, I’ll protect you and our children.”
The night passed peacefully without incident.
Early the next morning, Gu Nuan was awakened by a series of knocks on the door. She nudged Chen Qingzhou.
“Someone’s knocking.”
Chen Qingzhou got up and walked to the door. Outside stood several unfamiliar people.
“Can I help you?”
“Hello, sorry to bother you. We’re survivors from a nearby town. We passed by and saw your camp. We were hoping to borrow some fire. We lost our lighter while running.”
The speaker was a young man in his twenties who looked like an office worker judging by his clothes.
Chen Qingzhou stepped out and handed him a lighter.
“Thank you!”
He casually looked around. Including the young man, there were six people altogether, four men and two women.
“Are you from around here too?” an older man asked.
“No! We came from another city.”
The older man sighed.
“How are things in the other cities? Are there many zombies?”
“There are still quite a lot of zombies in the cities.”
“Ah… We were thinking there would be more supplies in the city. We thought we’d have an easier time if we went there.”
The older man’s expression immediately turned anxious after hearing there were so many zombies.
“It’s alright, Uncle Xu,” the young man reassured him. “We’ll just search around the outskirts of the city when we get there.”
“Hello. I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Shao Yang, and I’m the temporary leader of our group. That’s Uncle Xu, that’s Ah Wang, that’s Xiao Lei, and these two are my younger sister Tingting and her friend Xu Hui.”
Shao Yang introduced everyone in his team.
“I’m Chen Qingzhou. My wife, Gu Nuan, is inside the motorhome.”
“There are only the two of you? Where are you heading? Why don’t we travel together? There really is strength in numbers.”
Seeing Chen Qingzhou, Shao Yang instinctively felt that he was no ordinary person. He seemed incredibly capable, and Shao Yang wanted to recruit him into their group.
“We’re heading to Haicheng. It’s quite far away, so we won’t be travelling together.”
“Oh, Haicheng really is quite a distance. We’re planning to go to Chuancheng instead.”
“Qingzhou, breakfast’s ready.”
Just then, Gu Nuan called from inside the motorhome, and Chen Qingzhou turned and went back.
Shao Yang watched his departing figure thoughtfully.
“Shao Yang, what’s wrong?” Uncle Xu asked.
“I think he’s very strong. I wanted him to join us so we’d have another capable fighter, but he turned us down.”
“It’s alright. They have their own plans.”
Back with their own group, the two girls had already finished cooking noodles.
Although there were only six of them, they had gathered a large amount of supplies from a supermarket earlier. They had filled an entire minibus with goods, and the six of them were travelling in two minibuses.
Meanwhile, Gu Nuan had prepared preserved egg and lean pork congee along with pan fried dumplings for breakfast.
“What took you so long?”
“We ran into a group of survivors. They’re heading to Chuancheng.”
“I see! It’s not easy to stay alive during the apocalypse. Come on, let’s eat.”