Lu Chuan tidied up the bedroom and placed Tang Yun on the bed. There was still gas in the kitchen, but the tap water had been cut off. Fortunately, there was a well in front of the house. He fetched water, cleaned the room briefly, boiled some hot water, and fed Tang Yun her medicine.
“Wake up, Tang Yun.”
“Tang Yun, time for your medicine.” Lu Chuan sat by the bed and gently tugged her hand.
Tang Yun had fallen into a coma, her consciousness hazy, but she forced her eyes open to take the medicine and drink water.
She felt as if she had been placed somewhere warm and comfortable. Though not fully conscious, her survival instinct remained strong.
Before long, she opened her eyes and tried to speak, only to find her neck aching terribly.
“How… how long have I been asleep?” She saw Lu Chuan lying on a camp bed opposite her, looking exhausted, while the scent of rice porridge drifted through the room.
Lu Chuan turned to look at her, his expression calm. “A day.”
So, it was now the twenty-eighth day of the Apocalypse.
Tang Yun struggled to turn over, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Two days left.
If she couldn’t reach Shelter No. 3, she would truly be finished.
Lu Chuan pinched the bridge of his nose, sat up from the bed, and walked to the kitchen to ladle a bowl of porridge.
“Let me help you up to wash up?” He approached, placing his hand on Tang Yun’s forehead. “The fever’s gone.”
“Mm.” Tang Yun pushed aside the blanket and sat up with his support.
After a journey of hardship and displacement, hot water was a rare luxury. Tang Yun sat in the bathroom, wiping herself down.
“Ouch!” She accidentally brushed against her wound, the pain shooting through her head.
“What’s wrong? Don’t move recklessly.” Lu Chuan’s stern voice came from outside the door.
Tang Yun paused for a moment. After finishing, he carried her back to bed.
After being fed a bowl of porridge, Lu Chuan urged her to rest.
She didn’t know how long she slept before the sound of water woke her.
Following the noise, she saw the bathroom door open. Lu Chuan stood there, shirtless, drying his hair, revealing his firm abs and a seductive V-line. Their eyes met.
Tang Yun spoke earnestly, “I wasn’t intentionally staring at you.”
Lu Chuan was silent for a moment before his pleasant voice replied, “Mm, I believe Tangtang wasn’t intentionally looking at my body.”
Tang Yun: “…”
As Lu Chuan dressed, Tang Yun hesitated but finally decided to speak. “Can we set off soon?”
She saw Lu Chuan glance back at her, seemingly aware of her urgency to reach Shelter No. 3, though he didn’t ask.
“Sure.”
Tang Yun was wrapped in a blanket and carried to the back seat of the car. His tone was gentle yet slightly resigned. “Don’t move, or your wound might reopen.”
She curled one corner of her lips and nodded in agreement.
Who knew the cool guy had such a tender side.
Without overthinking it, she hugged the blanket, curled up in the back seat, and fell asleep.
It was snowing outside, making the road difficult to traverse.
Tang Yun didn’t sleep long before the jolting woke her. She stared motionlessly out the window.
“Barring any surprises, we’ll reach Shelter No. 3 in an hour.” Lu Chuan pressed his fingers to his temples, rubbing them wearily. His voice was slightly hoarse.
The System required her to enter a safe haven within thirty days, but Tang Yun didn’t know what would happen after arriving. Would she live in the shelter from then on?
The off-road vehicle passed through deserted villages and snow-covered fields. The number of rotting zombies had also dwindled.
An hour later, they entered what was once a bustling urban district.
“Is that Shelter No. 3?”
“According to the map, it should be.”
The two parked their vehicle on high ground and got out, gazing at the tallest building in the city.
The building’s walls were covered with special glass, and the area around it was empty, clearly having been cleared out.
“There’s movement.” Tang Yun, with her keen hearing, suddenly sensed something approaching rapidly.
“Get back in the car.” Lu Chuan took the driver’s seat and started the engine.
Suddenly, two cars closed in from the distance.
With a roar of the engine, Lu Chuan sped off.
“Another ambush.”
“Let’s hurry into the base.”
Lu Chuan accelerated toward the towering building, while Tang Yun rolled down the window, gun in hand, and fired at the pursuing vehicles.
Besides the relentless cars, zombies were staggering from all sides, closing in.
Tang Yun frowned. “This isn’t right. These zombies seem to be controlled.”
Could it be that the people chasing her had a Supernatural Ability to control zombies?
Her marksmanship was poor; she couldn’t hit the tires of the vehicles behind them at all.
Things were looking grim—the zombies were converging.
Lu Chuan made an emergency turn, breaking through in another direction.
“Bang!” The off-road vehicle leaped forward, tires screeching against the ground.
Tang Yun was thrown upward, her head spinning from the impact.
Lu Chuan wasn’t faring well either, but he struggled to keep control of the steering wheel, leaving the chasing zombies behind as he drove straight toward the base.
A long line stretched in front of Shelter No. 3, with an isolation zone established around it. Those waiting in the zone had to remain for 24 hours before they could register to enter the safe haven, and even then, further isolation was required.
Tang Yun and Lu Chuan got out of the car. She retrieved some supplies from her Space, stuffing two backpacks full.
While waiting in line, they saw many people arguing outside, unable to afford the supplies required for entry into the safe haven.
Seeing Tang Yun and Lu Chuan approaching with large backpacks, several people crowded around, begging for food.
The military only guarded the inside of the safe haven, paying no attention to the chaos outside.
Tang Yun, still recovering from serious injuries, was shielded by Lu Chuan as they moved forward, avoiding the crowd.
Upon entering the isolation zone, Tang Yun once again felt the sensation of being watched. She tugged at Lu Chuan’s sleeve and whispered, “The people trying to kill me have infiltrated this place.”
Lu Chuan subtly positioned her to one side, his hand gripping a gun inside his coat pocket.
“Let’s use some supplies to exchange for a private isolation room.”
Just as the two were about to leave, the crowd grew chaotic. Several people armed with weapons charged directly at them.
“Bang!” Without hesitation, Tang Yun fired at the attackers.
“Ah!! Murder!” The crowd erupted instantly.
The commotion drew the attention of the stationed soldiers, and those involved in the attack were detained.
Lu Chuan, being a doctor and skilled in combat, met the criteria for talent recruitment. Once the cause of the conflict was clarified and they passed isolation, they could quickly be arranged to enter Shelter No. 3.
Tang Yun followed Lu Chuan into a small isolation room. Having fought earlier, her wounds had reopened.
“Come here, let me bandage you up.” Lu Chuan took out a medical kit.
Tang Yun was fully conscious now, remembering that it had been Lu Chuan who changed her dressings and bandaged her while she was unconscious. Her ears suddenly grew warm.
Lu Chuan remained as cool and handsome as ever, though his movements were gentler than before.
On the evening of the twenty-ninth day of the Apocalypse, Tang Yun finally entered Shelter No. 3.
Beep—
[Congratulations to player E01 for completing the novice mission, earning 20 Points, and becoming a Junior Executor of the Survival Paradise.]
[System 007: Friendly reminder, the host will be teleported back to the Paradise in 3 minutes, leaving the current world.]
Tang Yun stopped in her tracks, her mind filled with questions she wanted to ask.
What did it mean to leave the current world?
What kind of place was the Paradise?
What were Points used for?
But she suppressed all these thoughts. Tang Yun took out the flashlight that served as a “space artifact” from her backpack.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Chuan noticed her sudden stop and turned to look at her.
Tang Yun handed the flashlight to him. “Brother Lu, thank you for taking care of me along the way.”
“You… are you leaving?” Lu Chuan’s usually cool expression softened slightly. “Where are you going? Can’t you take the flashlight with you?”
Tang Yun shook her head. “I don’t know where I’ll end up either.”
“Mm.” Lu Chuan took the flashlight, nodded, and added one more thing.
“Tangtang, protect yourself.”
Suddenly, a flash of Red Light appeared before her eyes. When Tang Yun woke up, she found herself lying in an unfamiliar place.
She also realized that all the serious injuries she had sustained were completely healed, and her energy and spirit were exceptionally full. It was nothing short of miraculous.
In an instant, a light screen appeared before her eyes.
[Personal Panel]
Name: Tang Yun
ID: E01
Level: Junior Executor of the Paradise
Points: 20
Beep beep—
Her phone vibrated, and that rogue app named “Paradise” kept popping up with messages.