The middle-aged woman led Wen Xian through the alley toward the rows of houses behind the Square Plaza.
Wen Xian observed along the way and noticed that there were hardly any plants or animals. Most people stayed inside the houses, but she did encounter a few men patrolling, some carrying old-style rifles, more holding various knives. When they saw her, they all gave unpleasant grins, openly sizing her up.
Wen Xian’s expression remained calm. When the middle-aged woman brought her into a room, also marked as part of the inn, Wen Xian suddenly said, “Sister, I just arrived and don’t know the rules here. Are there any things I should pay attention to? Could you kindly tell me?”
The woman stopped, glancing at her coldly. Wen Xian quickly pulled a strawberry-filled sandwich from her bag and offered it shyly: “I haven’t eaten much. Please don’t mind it, Sister.”
The woman looked at the sandwich, it was about the size of a man’s palm. Once, this would have been an ordinary treat anyone could afford, but now… she took it without hesitation and led Wen Xian upstairs, speaking quickly: “There’s not much you need to pay special attention to. Life is still bearable for women here. The men gather in the plaza at seven every morning to train for an hour. Some go out to rescue people and collect supplies, while others patrol here.”
She paused briefly. “Oh, and don’t go to the shrine in the east, that’s Bawang’s territory. It eats people.”
Wen Xian stiffened and asked quickly, “Bawang is?”
“A dog, a Tibetan Mastiff, Old Qiu’s pet. It mutated and now is as big as an ox. One meal of it can devour two of you.”
Wen Xian didn’t know what to say. The woman, thinking she’d frightened her, grinned smugly: “But don’t worry. Its food is brought back every day. There are still plenty of cats and dogs outside.”
But if it really only ate cats and dogs, why did she say the mutated Mastiff ate people? It must have done so in the past. Looking back, Wen Xian realized that she had rarely encountered mutated animals these past days, probably because the Mastiff had already eaten most of them.
The two of them reached the second floor. The middle-aged woman led her to the innermost room, opened the door, and gestured for her to enter. “These rooms were prepared to house survivors. Basic needs are covered, but anything beyond that, you’ll have to manage yourself.”
Wen Xian looked around. The place was slightly worse than the inn she had stayed in before, but the essentials were there. She turned to ask the woman, “What can I do?”
The woman glanced at her. Wen Xian had gone out almost fully disguised, her skin dulled with makeup, wearing a hat and mask, leaving only a pair of slightly cold eyes visible. Sometimes, though, a person’s eyes reveal more than words.
The woman smiled meaningfully. “For women… if you’re an ability user, like Sister Li and the others, you can either go out with the search team for supplies or attach yourself to a man. One warning, don’t set your sights on Boss Xiang. Sister Li doesn’t like it. The last young girl who thought that is now nothing but food for Bawang.”
A shiver ran down Wen Xian’s spine. She didn’t expect this seemingly cold woman to be so cruel.
The woman continued, “I see you’re not lacking in looks. If you’re bold, you could try your luck with Old Qiu. He wouldn’t refuse, and being a local, half of the survivors here are from this area. If you latch onto him, you won’t have to worry about anything later.”
Wen Xian forced a smile and thanked her, then the middle-aged woman left.
Afterwards, she locked the door, put down her backpack and stick, and plopped onto the bed, feeling a chill run through her whole body.
Ever since Xiang Yuyang and the other two had tried to force her to stay, she’d felt something was wrong. Alone at that time, she hadn’t dared to resist and had only thought about finding another way, but after listening to the middle-aged woman, she had no desire to remain here for even a moment.
How long had it been? Less than a week, and human nature was already decaying?
The men went out to train while the women stayed at home. On the surface, it seemed the women were being protected, but in reality, they had lost their freedom and autonomy. The hard-won rights of gender equality were being shattered by this disaster, and if it didn’t end, women would inevitably become subservient to men. Their fate might even be far worse.
Even that so-called Sister Li, just because she had an ability, she gained some power and could easily take the life of a young woman? Just because someone showed Xiang Yuyang attention, she got fed to the dog?
Why must it come to this!
Wen Xian felt both fear and sorrow, trembling uncontrollably. If the apocalypse had truly come, how were women like them supposed to survive?
“Knock, knock.”
Wen Xian jolted upright. She had drawn the curtains over the window in front of her, but the soft knocking came through clearly.
“Knock, knock.”
The sound was neither loud nor urgent, pausing and resuming with endless patience.
It didn’t seem malicious, yet the curtain obscured whatever was outside, making it even more frightening. She didn’t move, thinking that if she remained silent, whatever was outside might just leave.
But suddenly, realization hit her, and her face went pale.
She was avoiding it.
Behind the thin curtain, she instinctively hid in that fragile sense of “safety,” unwilling to face a possible threat. Just a moment ago, she had been mourning the plight of women in this chaotic world, and now, she almost became one of them.
Today, she didn’t even dare glance at what was behind the curtain. Tomorrow, how could she possibly have the courage to survive in this apocalypse?
Shame and anger surged within her. She sprang to her feet, refusing to let weakness conquer her, and strode to the window. With a swift motion, she pulled back the curtain, and came face-to-face with a tender little branch with fresh leaves.
Tears streamed down Wen Xian’s face. In her heart, she told herself: Look, the world really has become frightening, but not everything behind the curtain is dangerous.
She wiped her tears and peeked through the window at the alley outside. Seeing no patrolling guards, she opened the window a crack. The small branch with long leaves instantly slithered inside, happily curling around her fingers and acting playful.
It was the same vine that had guided her earlier.
Wen Xian couldn’t help but smile, communicating silently: “You came back?”
The small branch brushed its tender tip against her palm, and she heard a soft voice in her mind: “I came to find you.”
Wen Xian was stunned, almost doubting her own hearing.
“You can talk? Can all the mutated plants talk?”
The little branch tilted its head, as if thinking, then said, “Here, only I can.”
Wen Xian didn’t fully understand and was about to ask more when she heard a man’s voice in the distance. She hurriedly said, “You need to leave here quickly. Plants aren’t allowed here. Wait until nightfall and avoid people before coming back, okay?”
“Okay.”
The little branch agreed, lingering to brush her palm once more before reluctantly retreating.
Wen Xian remained uneasy, nervously watching the approaching man. She turned and saw the little branch vanish in a flash. She paused, then relaxed, marveling at how fast it had gone.
She drew the curtain back just as the two men arrived nearby. Wen Xian overheard them talking, they were discussing Xiang Yuyang taking people to find Chen Lian and the others.
Although they said they were “picking them up,” the implication was that over twenty fully armed men were going. Whether her friends wanted to go or not, they would come anyway.
Wen Xian felt no guilt about “betraying” Chen Lian and the others. To her, the two sides were merely the difference between wolves and tigers; if the dogs fought, she would even be pleased.
It was just a pity, these two “dogs” likely couldn’t bite each other.
As Wen Xian had expected, when Xiang Yuyang and his team arrived, the inn was in chaos.
When Wen Xian and Shouzi had been dragged away by the vines, Shouzi’s shouts had alerted Chen Lian and the others, who hadn’t gone far and immediately returned to rescue them.
But Shouzi wasn’t as lucky as Wen Xian. On the way, he was attacked by other mutated plants. His hands and feet were bound, leaving him almost defenseless, and he suffered serious injuries. The blood on him then attracted two mutated wild dogs. Although he had a strength ability and reacted quickly, he was overwhelmed. By the time Chen Lian and the others arrived, one of his hands had been bitten off, and one side of his face was shredded.
Chen Lian and the others managed to drive the dogs away, but the mutated plants continued to ambush them, leaving almost everyone injured. Cai Cai, however, accidentally gained a water ability. As she was originally a nurse, she managed to save Shouzi after he was brought back to the inn.
But Shouzi was badly injured. The severed arm was infected, and without surgery, the situation was extremely dangerous.
Everyone’s faces darkened as they looked at Shouzi’s barely breathing form. Ding Wei hissed in anger: “It must be Wen Xian’s fault! She knew Shouzi had bad intentions toward her, so she took the opportunity while he was alone. She’d rather he die outside, otherwise, when she returns, I’ll make her pay!”
Cai Cai shot her a glance. At that time, Shouzi had insisted on being in the same group as Wen Xian; everyone understood his intentions. Now he was gravely injured, Wen Xian was missing, and Ding Wei twisted the facts. Even though Cai Cai considered Ding Wei a friend, she couldn’t agree.
Chen Lian stood by the window, puffing on his cigarette. Smoke blurred his expression, but everyone could sense his foul mood.
It was at this moment that Xiang Yuyang arrived with his people. Ignoring the group’s wariness, he smiled gently: “Are you Wen Xian’s companions?”
Chen Lian shot a glare at him, and Ding Wei pushed Cai Cai aside, stepping forward with a dark expression: “What do you mean? That bitch is with you?”
Xiang Yuyang raised an eyebrow at their reaction and nodded: “Yes. She escaped to the Sifang Square and we rescued her. I invited her to stay, but she said she had companions. She was alone, how could we men let her face danger alone? That’s why I brought people to pick you up.”
He smiled warmly: “She’s already settled at Sifang Square, just waiting for you to come and reunite.”