“Sir, I would like to report something to the Lord. Could you please make an exception?”
“What a joke. You, a piece of trash from the lower district, want to see the Lord? What could you possibly have to report!”
The guard looked at the ragged man in front of him with open disdain and had no intention of entertaining him.
Yet the man was stubborn. He refused to leave without seeing the Lord and eventually began shouting.
“Lord! I have something important to report! Lord!”
Although this was the upper district, the houses in the civilian area were not well soundproofed. After shouting for quite some time, his voice was finally heard inside.
“Pi San, go see what is going on,” Yuan Gaofei ordered impatiently, though he did not stop what he was doing.
Pi San let out an annoyed breath. Yuan Gaofei was inside enjoying himself while he had to stand guard at the door. His injuries had not fully healed yet.
Thinking of those injuries, Pi San subconsciously touched his arm. It was all because of that woman. One day…
He stepped outside. “What is all this noise about?” He looked down the steps and saw that it was just another useless lower district bum.
He barked at the guard, “You cannot even handle something this simple? Why is this trash still shouting here?”
The guard was unhappy about being scolded but did not dare to argue. He responded and began dragging the man away.
“Third Master! I have something to report! It is about that restaurant!”
In his panic, the man blurted out the word restaurant.
Pi San narrowed his eyes. “Wait. Bring him here.”
The man was dragged back and thrown in front of Pi San, landing heavily on the ground with a painful cry.
Pi San walked down the steps. Before the man could get up, he stepped on his face. “Speak.”
The man’s name was Yang Fu. He had not expected to be treated like this and was stunned, whether from shock or pain.
When Pi San heard no reply, he kicked him again. “If you do not speak now, I will throw you out to feed the zombies.”
Freed from the pressure on his face, Yang Fu hurriedly said, “Third Master, I know that two people secretly went to the restaurant outside the base and then snuck back in. They are in the lower district right now!”
Pi San frowned. “Oh? And how do you know that?”
“They brought flyers back and handed them out. I saw it and came immediately to report!”
“Well done. Get two men to come with me to the lower district to arrest them,” Pi San said perfunctorily to Yang Fu before giving orders to the guards.
“Third Master, I was wondering…”
Summoning his courage, Yang Fu blocked Pi San’s path. After all, this was the reason he had come.
Pi San did not want to waste another word. He took a piece of chocolate from his pocket and tossed it onto the ground. “Get lost.”
Yang Fu wanted to say more. He wanted food and some additional reward. A single piece of chocolate seemed too little.
But when he saw the impatience in Pi San’s eyes, he swallowed all his words. If he continued talking, he might not be the one who survived.
Once Yang Fu finally quieted down and the men had gathered, Pi San led them straight to the lower district.
“Why is Pi San in the lower district?”
“No idea. He looks in a hurry. Maybe someone offended him again. That poor soul.”
“Stop talking. If he hears you, it will not end well.”
Many people saw Pi San arrive, though most did not know why. Only a few sharper minds guessed the reason.
But even if they guessed correctly, what could they do? They had no power or influence. Even if they wanted to help, they were incapable.
Among the crowd, a little girl slipped away and began running as fast as she could.
“Uncle! Run! Pi San is coming to catch you!”
She panted heavily. In her urgency, her voice was not quiet at all. Many nearby heard her and cast strange looks at her.
They had not expected her to tip someone off.
But the girl ignored them and stared straight at Shang Da and Feng An.
“Little girl, how do you know?” Shang Da asked gently. Since she was just a child, he had not immediately believed her.
“Uncle, I saw Pi San enter the lower district with my own eyes. Please run. I am not lying!”
She was anxious. Her mother had been taken away by Pi San’s group and never returned. She grew tense whenever she saw him.
When she overheard others saying that Pi San had come to arrest Shang Da, she hurried to warn him. After her mother was taken, this uncle had once given her food. She did not want anything to happen to him.
Shang Da had long forgotten that incident and did not recognize her. But seeing how serious she looked, he believed she was not lying.
“Little girl, when you saw Pi San, where was he?”
“At the entrance of the lower district. He does not know exactly where you are yet, so he is still searching. Uncle, please run!”
Shang Da and Feng An exchanged a look and nodded. Then they scattered the remaining flyers into the air.
Since they had decided to leave, there was no point wasting them. Perhaps someone might still find them useful.
After that, the two men turned to flee in the opposite direction.
They had already taken a few steps when Shang Da glanced back. The little girl was still standing there, smiling and waving at them.
His heart tightened. If they left like this, she would likely suffer retaliation.
If Pi San failed to find them, he would certainly question others. With food as leverage, someone might betray her.
Grinding his teeth, Shang Da turned back and crouched in front of her. “Do you want to come with me, or do you want to stay here?”
Her eyes lit up instantly, but soon dimmed again. “They took my mother away. Other uncles said she died. They all call me a burden. Uncle, if you take me with you, you will get caught. I should stay here.”
Hearing this only strengthened his resolve. “Just tell me. Do you want to go or not?”
“I do!” she answered firmly. She did not want to remain in this place any longer. She wanted to leave with this kind uncle.
Shang Da did not hesitate. He picked her up. “Alright. I will take you. From now on, as long as I have something to eat, you will too.”
The girl wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled brightly, burying her face against him.
Soon he felt dampness soaking into his collar.
He held her tighter and followed Feng An discreetly toward the base gate.
The kindness one gives eventually returns.
This was true for Shang Da, and true for the little girl as well.
The base gate was nothing like an ancient city wall. Gaofei Base was overcrowded, so even the entrance was packed with people.
That worked in their favor. They had already planned this escape route on their way in, so they did not hesitate.
Pi San was overly confident. He believed no one could escape his base and had not considered the possibility of someone tipping them off. The gate was left unguarded.
Shang Da and Feng An slipped out quickly. Once beyond the gate, all three of them let out a quiet sigh of relief, but they did not slow down. They hurried toward the restaurant.
Only when the base disappeared from sight did Shang Da finally relax. He set the girl down and held her hand as they continued forward.
He could not carry her forever. Since she had chosen to leave, she would need to learn how to survive in this world. Building strength was the first step.
Of course, when she grew too exhausted, the two men took turns carrying her until they reached the restaurant.
“Welcome back! Wow, where did you pick up a child?”
He Lingyu had been relieved to see Shang Da and Feng An return.
The system had long shown the task as completed, yet they had not come back. She had worried they were exposed. Now they returned, bringing a child with them. Naturally, she was surprised.
Shang Da quickly explained, “Thanks to this kid, Old Feng and I might not have made it out. She lost her mother and warned us. I was afraid she would be retaliated against, so I brought her back.”
Afraid He Lingyu might think they were causing trouble, he added hastily, “Boss, do not worry. She can stay in my room. We will not cause you any inconvenience.”
He Lingyu immediately said it was fine. Her goal was to expand the restaurant. The more good deeds they did, the better.
She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a crystal core she had taken from Pi San, handing it to the girl. “Little sister, put this into that box and I will treat you to something delicious. What is your name?”
“Thank you, sister. My name is Hongdou. Song Hongdou.”
Hongdou obediently dropped the crystal core into the payment box.
He Lingyu smiled and patted her head. “Good girl. Sit down and I will get you something tasty.”
“Uncle, thank you for bringing me here. It is really nice here. Sister is nice too.”
Children were not ignorant. They could easily tell good from evil. She felt that everyone in the restaurant was kind and was happy to be here.
“I should be thanking you. If you had not warned me, that bad man might have caught me.”
As they spoke, He Lingyu and Hua Yue brought over plates of food. The aroma made Hongdou swallow.
When the food was placed on the table, she reached out instinctively, then hesitated and pulled her hand back shyly, looking up at everyone.
“Let me take you to wash your hands first,” Hua Yue said gently.
Hongdou’s cheeks flushed as she followed Hua Yue.
When she returned, He Lingyu had already wrapped slices of roast duck and spring rolls neatly on the plate.
“Hongdou, come try it!”
Though she was still clumsy with chopsticks, she managed to pick up a duck roll and take a bite.
Her eyes sparkled. “Sister, it is so delicious! This is the best thing I have ever eaten!”
Before the apocalypse, she had once been her parents’ little princess and tasted many delicacies. But after so long, she had forgotten those flavors. This roast duck was now the best in her memory.
“Eat slowly. It is all yours. There is juice too. What flavor do you like?”
“Strawberry.”
She ate with such enthusiasm that the two men beside her swallowed unconsciously as well. In the end, everyone joined in and shared the lavish afternoon meal.
[Ding. Side quest activated.]