Song Qing had the most comfortable week she had experienced since being transported into the apocalypse. During that time, the wounds on Jiang Chenyu’s body had healed, and she began preparing to leave.
Her spatial storage was filled to the brim with food enthusiastically given to her by the villagers. The goal she had originally set when she entered the village—to exchange crystal stones for food—had been more than accomplished.
There were no second-order ability users in the village, only a few first-order ones. Song Qing left all the dozens of first-order crystal stones in her possession with them, hoping they could improve their abilities and properly protect the village.
Once everything was ready, Song Qing and Jiang Chenyu waved goodbye to the simple, honest villagers who had gathered at the village entrance to see them off.
Before she could get into the car, Wang Haiting threw himself onto the ground and clung tightly to her leg, looking pitiful.
“Qingqing, just take me with you. Please.”
Song Qing bent down and tried to pry his hands off her leg with all her strength, her tone helpless.
“I already told you. Following us will be very dangerous. You could lose your life at any time. It’s not that I don’t want you to come with us. I’m doing this for your own good.”
Ever since he learned a few days ago that she was leaving, Wang Haiting had said that he wanted to go with them, but Song Qing had rejected him without hesitation.
They could encounter ability users hunting Jiang Chenyu at any time on the road, making it extremely unsafe. She was not even sure she could protect her own life and Jiang Chenyu’s, so she simply did not want to take on another companion.
Although she was very tempted by Wang Haiting’s cooking skills, she had never considered dragging him into this dangerous situation.
Although she looked cheerful every day, she knew very well what she was getting herself into. It would not be easy to send Jiang Chenyu to a laboratory and let him research medicine against the zombie virus in peace. There were too many bastards in this world who would do anything for their own interests.
“I’m not afraid. Even if I die, I won’t blame you. Take me with you.”
Wang Haiting was a man over 1.8 meters tall, yet he shamelessly clung to a girl barely over 1.6 meters tall, throwing a tantrum and rolling around on the ground.
Of course, it was not that he did not care about his own life. He simply did not want to remain in this village.
Although the villagers had not shown it openly, he could sense that every time they saw him, it brought back painful memories of the past.
He had no face to stay.
Even though what happened in the village had not been his intention, it was indeed he and Ji Guohao’s group who had come here and brought disaster upon them.
Besides, following Song Qing and the others did not necessarily mean he would die. Thinking of Jiang Chenyu’s unfathomable abilities, Wang Haiting looked up at him.
He saw Jiang Chenyu staring expressionlessly at the hand he had wrapped around Song Qing’s leg.
Wang Haiting instantly felt as though the throat of a terrifying beast had clamped around his neck. He immediately released his grip and turned to look pleadingly at the soft-hearted girl.
He was practically about to burst into tears on the spot.
Song Qing helplessly turned to look at Jiang Chenyu. She really did not know how to refuse him, so she could only seek his help.
Jiang Chenyu remembered the satisfied expression she always had whenever she ate Wang Haiting’s cooking. He spoke to her gently.
“If he wants to come with us, let him. He won’t really be a burden.”
He was already calculating that the hard work of moving obstacles out of the road and dealing with low-tier zombies could be left to Wang Haiting.
That way, the tiny bit of conscience remaining in his heart would not have to constantly stir and condemn him for making a little girl handle everything while he did nothing but eat and drink.
Hearing Jiang Chenyu’s words, Wang Haiting excitedly scrambled to his feet, grabbed the backpack he had packed long ago, and rushed into the back seat of the car, afraid that if he was even one second too late, they would change their minds about letting him come along.
His actions left Song Qing both amused and exasperated, but she was still happy. Having a chef as a companion on the road meant she would no longer have to cook with her terrible culinary skills.
“Sister Xia, uncles, aunties, we’re leaving. Hopefully, we’ll meet again someday.”
Song Qing said goodbye to Wang Xia and the villagers who had been standing nearby to see them off.
Little Li Yiqi reluctantly tugged at her clothes and looked up at her.
“Big Sister, remember to come back and play with me!”
“Okay. If I get the chance, I’ll come back. You have to listen to your mother, okay?”
Song Qing rubbed his little head.
The three of them got into the car and set off toward Zhuguang Base in the north.
This time, having Wang Haiting take turns driving with her made things much easier for Song Qing.
She no longer had to drive and get out to kill zombies at the same time like before, handling everything herself without a moment to rest.
The farther they traveled from Hua’an Base, the more zombies there were along the roads. Second-order zombies were no longer uncommon and appeared from time to time.
Fortunately, Song Qing’s ability had already advanced to the second order. If she were still at the first order, she did not even know what she would have done.
When there were fewer zombies on the road, she and Wang Haiting took turns getting out of the car to kill them. When there were many zombies, they fought together. By the end of the day, she had accumulated a small bag of first-order crystal stones and seven or eight second-order crystal stones.
There were many abandoned vehicles along the road. They not only had to kill the zombies blocking their path but also had to clear away the vehicles from time to time. After driving for an entire day, they had only traveled a few dozen kilometers.
As the sky gradually darkened, Song Qing drove the car into a small town they passed through, planning to rest there for one night before continuing their journey.
They drove to a quiet two-story house. The three of them got out of the car and went inside.
Song Qing was responsible for checking whether there were any zombies or people in the house. Wang Haiting was responsible for cooking, while Song Qing made Jiang Chenyu sit on the sofa and told him to rest properly.
By the time she came downstairs, Wang Haiting had also finished preparing the meal. The staple food was the fermented flatbread given to them by the villagers, while the dish was yellow-braised chicken with potatoes and other side ingredients. It looked incredibly appetizing.
The sofa could only seat two people, so Wang Haiting sat opposite them on a small plastic stool, holding a piece of flatbread and chewing on it while enviously looking at Jiang Chenyu on the sofa.
Jiang Chenyu was clean from head to toe, without a speck of dust on him. Wang Haiting could even faintly smell the fragrance of Chinese soapberry from him.
As for himself, Wang Haiting lowered his head and glanced at his own body.
He immediately frowned in disgust.
He was filthy from head to toe. There was even zombie fluid staining the hems of his clothes and trouser legs, and his body reeked of sweat.
Song Qing sitting opposite him was not exactly clean either.
After spending these past few days together, especially today, Wang Haiting had discovered that Song Qing treated Jiang Chenyu like someone weak and incapable of taking care of himself. She would not let him do anything. Even when Jiang Chenyu got out of the car to stretch his arms and legs, she would nervously urge him back inside, as though she were afraid the zombies would chew him up.
Wang Haiting guessed that Song Qing did not know how terrifying Jiang Chenyu’s abilities were. If she knew, how could she possibly behave like this?
He certainly would not tell her.
He was not tired of living. What if Jiang Chenyu became unhappy and killed him without anyone knowing?
“Hey, what’s wrong with you? Are you so tired that you’ve gone stupid?”
Seeing him holding the flatbread near his mouth without eating it, his eyes staring blankly in her direction, Song Qing waved her hand in front of his face.
“I’m not stupid. I was just thinking about something. I was thinking, fine, you don’t let Jiang Chenyu kill zombies, but why don’t you even let him drive or help me prepare the food?”
Wang Haiting waved her hand away and complained.
Although he did not dare reveal the secret Jiang Chenyu had kept hidden, he was still willing to say other things to Song Qing.
Why was it that they were both men, yet Jiang Chenyu could remain clean and fresh while he looked as though he had crawled out of a garbage dump?
It was fine now that he did not have a girl he liked. But if he ever did, would he not die of frustration when she compared the two of them?
Song Qing: “……”
She was a young girl who did everything herself without complaining, yet this grown man was making such a fuss over something so trivial.
Once again, Song Qing experienced the girlish chatterbox personality hidden beneath Wang Haiting’s burly exterior.
“What kind of person is he, and what kind of person are you? Can you even compare?”
Song Qing turned her head toward Jiang Chenyu, whom she had been taking care of until he had gradually gained a little weight and no longer looked quite so gaunt. A satisfied smile appeared on her face, and she felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
Jiang Chenyu was the hope of the apocalypse, as well as the hope of her and her family. Nothing could happen to him. What if he hurt those precious hands while doing something?
Wang Haiting looked at her infatuated expression and shuddered all over. This was way too exaggerated.
He stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth and mumbled, “Yes, yes, yes. Jiang Chenyu is your treasure, while I’m just grass. We’re completely incomparable.”
Jiang Chenyu also felt somewhat uncomfortable under her heated gaze. He pinched her cheek and turned her head toward the coffee table, then cleared his throat lightly.
“Eat. If you don’t eat now, Wang Haiting will finish all the meat.”
The meat was going to be gone?
Hearing that, Song Qing instantly forgot everything else and entered the battle for food.
After driving and killing zombies all day, she had been starving for ages. At noon, they had only casually eaten some cold red bean paste buns on the road before continuing their journey. This was the only proper meal they had had all day.
Even while eating greedily, she did not forget to put pieces of chicken into Jiang Chenyu’s bowl. She had never seen him eat enthusiastically, so she could not let him go hungry.
Wang Haiting’s teeth ached just watching them.
“That’s enough, isn’t it? Is Jiang Chenyu a three-year-old child? Do you need to feed him the food yourself?”
Song Qing ignored him and continued eating.
Seeing that the large bowl of yellow-braised chicken on the coffee table had almost disappeared in the blink of an eye, Wang Haiting could no longer care about anything else and joined the battle for food.
When there was only one last piece of chicken left, both of their chopsticks reached into the bowl at the same time and grabbed it.
They looked up at each other and began competing with all their strength.
Song Qing puffed out her cheeks and glared at him angrily.
“Can’t you let me have it? I’m a girl!”
“Then can’t you let me have it? I’m the newest member of your group.”
Wang Haiting had never been in the habit of giving way to girls. Otherwise, he would not have remained single for twenty-five years.
The veins on his arm bulged as he strained with all his might, yet he still could not beat Song Qing for the last piece of chicken in the bowl. He was extremely surprised.
He was naturally strong to begin with. On top of that, he had dropped out of school at thirteen or fourteen and started working as an apprentice in a restaurant. After more than ten years of experience handling heavy woks, his strength had only grown greater.
Yet he still could not overcome Song Qing, who was barely over 1.6 meters tall and weighed around fifty kilograms. He had no idea where she had gotten such strange strength.
Just as he was grumbling inwardly, his vision suddenly blurred, and the strength in his hand disappeared. The piece of chicken was swiftly snatched away.
When he came back to his senses, he saw Song Qing chewing the piece of chicken in her mouth with a triumphant expression.
Wang Haiting, who had been secretly sabotaged by Jiang Chenyu, was furious but did not dare say anything. He could only glare at him resentfully before dejectedly chewing on his flatbread.
This was too much.
The two of them protected each other and always thought of each other, while he was the only clown here, wasn’t he?
That night, they divided up the rooms as usual. Song Qing shared a room with Jiang Chenyu, while Wang Haiting’s room was right next to theirs.
She was already accustomed to sleeping in the same room as Jiang Chenyu, prepared to rescue the fragile male lead at any moment something happened. No matter who was in danger, Jiang Chenyu absolutely could not be the one.
What if someone with ill intentions kidnapped him in the middle of the night? She would not even know where to look for him.
Like Sister Xia’s house, this house did not have the habit of placing sofas in the bedrooms. Song Qing moved the two-seater sofa from the living room into the room. She was small and liked to curl up while sleeping, so the sofa was more than enough for her.
“Good night.”
After blowing out the candle, Song Qing lay on the sofa and softly spoke to Jiang Chenyu, who was lying on the bed a short distance away.
Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Within a few minutes, her breathing became steady as she entered dreamland.
Jiang Chenyu lay on his side on the bed, quietly watching the small lump of a figure curled up on the sofa in the darkness.
After spending these days together, he could naturally tell that she was genuinely trying her best to protect him and make his life easier.
But what was her purpose?
Would someone really be kind to another person for no reason?
Jiang Chenyu did not believe so.
Especially with all the mysteries surrounding her, he was deeply puzzled.
Why had she gone to the garbage dump in the middle of the night to look for him? Why had she seemed to know his identity from the very beginning, as well as knowing that people were hunting him, and pulled him around from place to place to hide?
There was also how unfamiliar she had been with the apocalypse at first. She did not look at all like someone who had survived in the apocalypse for two years.
In short, there were so many things wrong with her that Jiang Chenyu could not even begin to count them.