When Xu San San returned to the side door of Barracks 8-006, she already had three bottles of Nutrient Solution she had just bought tucked in her pocket.
Although it had only cost 12 Contribution Points in total, Xu San San still felt the pinch. Who told her she was poor!
Looking at the balance of 26 points displayed on her Bracelet, she was genuinely worried at this moment.
Suddenly, she felt the sorrow of not knowing where her next meal would come from.
Sorrow was sorrow, but humans are iron and rice is steel—missing even one meal makes one unbearably hungry!
So, standing at the barracks entrance, she channeled her grief into appetite and downed an entire bottle of Nutrient Solution in one go.
Although the Nutrient Solution was nearing its expiration date, its quality was indeed still good. Xu San San soon felt a strong sense of fullness.
It seemed it wasn’t a counterfeit.
Pushing open the side door, she briskly pulled the cart into Barracks 8-006.
But the moment she entered, she sensed something subtle.
Unlike the situation in the morning, this time she distinctly felt countless pairs of eyes from all corners of the barracks fixed on her—or more accurately, on the small cart behind her.
What was going on?
Was there something wrong with my cart?
Xu San San turned her head to look.
The buckets were buckets, the basins were basins—nothing unusual.
She scanned the room again. It was still the same group of emaciated elderly people lying lifelessly on the ground, their hollow eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
Was it just her imagination?
Not thinking too much about it, she quickly walked to the wall, found the medical kit hidden in the shadows of the corner, and opened it. Fortunately, everything was still there.
The young man was still lying quietly in the same spot, his chest rising and falling slightly, indicating stable breathing and vital signs, though his face remained swollen and bruised.
Xu San San quickly crouched down to examine his injuries.
Perhaps sensing someone approaching, the young man opened his eyes just as Xu San San reached out. His right hand clenched into a fist, clearly ready to attack.
But perhaps recognizing who it was, the murderous intent in his eyes vanished in an instant, and his clenched fist relaxed.
Xu San San’s attention was entirely focused on his injuries, completely unaware of the young man’s reaction.
“You still have a slight fever, but the wound has stopped bleeding. You’re recovering quite well.”
As she spoke, she took out an Anti-inflammatory injection from the medical kit.
“I’ll give you another dose of anti-inflammatory medicine and check on you again tomorrow morning.”
After the injection, she took a bottle of drinking water from the plastic bucket on the cart, supported the young man’s back, and fed him sip by sip.
“Have you not had any water all day? This is drinking water I fetched from the Water Room in the city…”
While explaining the source of the water, Xu San San didn’t forget to pat his back to help him swallow more easily.
Xie Yuan stared intently at the young woman before him, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Since birth, no one had ever taken care of him like this. Not only did the person before him not disdain his injuries and illness, but she also used precious medicine on him.
Am I dreaming?
Xie Yuan couldn’t believe what was happening.
Xu San San waved her right hand slightly and noticed that the young man had suddenly stopped drinking. He was just staring straight at her, his eyes reddening and his lips trembling slightly.
Oh no! Did I accidentally touch his wound just now? Look at how much pain he’s in—he’s trembling and almost crying.
“Where does it hurt? Is there another bleeding spot in your abdomen?”
As she spoke, she pressed her fingertips around his wound one by one, trying to locate the source of the bleeding as quickly as possible.
“Hiss!”
A piercing pain successfully jolted Xie Yuan back from his dazed state.
So painful! Definitely not a dream!
Xu San San quickly finished her inspection and, finding no new bleeding points, felt completely relieved.
But just then, she once again sensed countless pairs of eyes watching from all directions. This time, the gazes were faint and elusive—sometimes sweeping over the plastic bottle in her hand, other times lingering on the plastic barrel on the cart.
Are they thirsty?
Wanting water?
Xu San San wasn’t quite sure. She glanced around, and soon the feeling of being watched vanished.
Huh?
Strange…
At that moment, the young man suddenly gripped her hand tightly, his eyes filled with anxiety.
Xu San San’s eyes widened as she finally understood—
Hollow stares, cracked lips, emaciated frames—these were clear signs of long-term deprivation of food and water.
They must think there’s food on the cart!
So they’ve been targeting us since we entered!
Oh no, oh no! I’ve fallen into a den of wolves!
No, no!
I have to get out of here fast!
Xu San San maintained a calm expression, but inside she was frantic.
I could escape on my own—just pull the cart and run—but what about this injured young man?
Xu San San stood at a moral crossroads, torn between two choices.
Should I pull the cart out first and come back later to rescue the young man?
No, no. The cart is only a little over a meter long—it can’t fit him.
And even if I manage to escape once, can I pull it off a second time?
But if I try to save the young man… maybe I could drag him along, but that would mean abandoning the cart…
Ah, why is she still standing there foolishly? Run! Did I not give a clear enough warning earlier?
Xie Yuan was frustrated. Why hadn’t this girl taken action yet?
He knew exactly what those covetous, watchful eyes meant. He didn’t want this kind-hearted girl to be surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves.
Xie Yuan’s inner turmoil went completely unnoticed by Xu San San, as she was still wavering between saving the cart or saving the young man.
Suddenly, Xu San San noticed that the edges of the metal sheets on the cart seemed to have special splicing buckles.
That’s right! The original owner must have prepared these splicing panels specifically for setting up a tent!
Thinking quickly in a crisis, Xu San San gave herself a mental pat on the back. Not daring to waste time, she quickly took out three metal panels, connected buckle to buckle, and in less than a minute, assembled a large metal sheet over three meters long.
She then laid the large metal sheet horizontally across the cart, instantly upgrading the small cart into a medium-sized one.
Xu San San subtly signaled to the young man with her eyes, indicating that he should follow her lead.
She raised her right arm and shouted, “Look! There’s Nutrient Solution!”
Then, quickly reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the empty plastic tube she had drunk from and threw it into the distance!
Without waiting to see how the prone figures scrambled like starving ghosts toward the “Nutrient Solution,” Xu San San grabbed the young man by the collar and desperately dragged him onto the cart.
Xie Yuan was momentarily stunned by the sudden commotion.
But he quickly regained his composure and, using his left arm—the only limb he could currently move—joined in the effort of dragging himself onto the cart.
After much struggle, Xie Yuan finally lay on the cart. Xu San San then wedged the bucket-and-basin set between his legs.
Carrying the medical kit, she grabbed the hemp rope and began pulling outward.
Xie Yuan: …
“Urgh~ aahhh~~~ up you go!”
Xu San San mustered all her strength in one go, yet the cart didn’t budge.
Meanwhile, the ravenous “ghouls” had begun turning around, closing in on Xu San San’s direction. Fortunately, they were severely weakened by hunger, their physical strength insufficient to keep up, and hadn’t yet completely blocked the escape route.
“Ah! How is there another nutrient solution over there!”
Cornered, Xu San San had no choice but to reuse her old trick, pointing toward a more distant spot and shouting wildly!
Unexpectedly, this tactic proved remarkably effective!
The “ghouls” that had turned back now scrambled toward the new target.
Seizing this opening, Xu San San slung the hemp rope over her shoulder, pushed off hard with her back foot,
“Urgh~~~~~~~ move it!”
The cart finally started moving.
Once the cart was in motion, static friction no longer hindered it, and the two escaped Barracks 8-006 quite smoothly.
The sun had already dipped westward, yet its rays still scorched the skin. Xu San San took out a small cloth to wrap around her face, then thoughtfully adjusted the burlap scraps on the young man to cover his exposed head and face, striding resolutely toward the 9th District.
She had only one thought now: only the dead are truly safe!
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Barracks 9-001, several Dawn Guard members in black combat suits were verifying the morning’s “corpse resurrection” incident with Captain Wang of the 9th District.
“You’re saying the survivor from this morning was a young girl?”
One particularly tall guard member with a scar near his right eye inquired again.
Captain Wang produced the detector, answering very respectfully: “Yes, sir. This is the girl’s data.”
The scarred man glanced at it but didn’t speak, merely furrowing his brow and nodding to indicate he understood.
The hunchbacked middle-aged man standing behind Captain Wang was so nervous he nearly wet his pants.
Because the number of deceased he scanned this morning didn’t match last night’s count—it should have been off by one person, but after several additional scans this morning, the discrepancy remained two people!
Meaning either he’d made a counting error last night, or he’d missed another survivor this morning.
But whichever the case, it constituted negligence.
He’d been waiting to earn merits soon to transfer into the Base City Patrol, so at this critical juncture, he absolutely dared not reveal his mistake publicly.
Thus he remained on edge until he’d seen the Guard officers off, finally breathing a complete sigh of relief…
And the departing Dawn Guard members happened to pass by Xu San San and her cart heading toward the 9th District—on two parallel streets, missing each other by mere moments…