As the saying goes, if someone suddenly becomes overly polite for no reason, then they are either plotting something or hiding malicious intentions.
Lin Mingmei was absolutely certain that Gao Lang’s sudden kindness meant he wanted something from her.
She silently shook her head, indicating that she would not drink the water.
To Gao Lang’s surprise, he actually felt relieved. He immediately pulled back the half bottle of water in satisfaction. None of them knew how long they would remain trapped in this miserable place, and that bottle was the warehouse’s last remaining supply of water. Earlier, he had even worried that Lin Mingmei might greedily take several large gulps.
Seeing how quickly he withdrew it, Lin Mingmei instantly regretted refusing.
Even if she had no intention of drinking it, she should have accepted it first and then poured it out afterward.
“Mingmei, I’m really glad you came to find me,” Gao Lang said softly, lowering his voice. “Brother Yueming told me the outside is complete chaos right now, zombies are everywhere. How did you even make it here?”
Lin Mingmei casually lifted the iron hammer in her hand.
“I fought my way through.”
The hammer was still stained with some unknown, foul-smelling substance. Gao Lang instinctively leaned backward in disgust. Forgetting he was crouching, he nearly lost his balance and fell onto the floor.
His face immediately twisted with obvious revulsion.
“If even you can deal with them,” he muttered, “then those zombies probably aren’t that terrifying after all.”
“…”
Lin Mingmei sincerely suggested, “Why don’t you go outside and test that theory yourself?”
The corner of Gao Lang’s mouth twitched awkwardly, but he still forced out a fake smile.
“No need. What I mean is, we can’t just stay here waiting for death. We still need to find a way out.”
“Mm.” Lin Mingmei nodded calmly.
Gao Lang smiled again.
“Brother Yueming is a soldier, and he specifically came here to rescue Xinxin. Once we escape, he’ll take us back to the military base. With the army protecting us, we’ll be completely safe.”
Lin Mingmei paused slightly.
Qin Yueming came here specifically for Luo Xinxin?
Gao Lang lowered his voice mysteriously.
“You probably don’t know this, but Xinxin’s father is a high-ranking military commander. He has enormous authority.”
Lin Mingmei silently frowned.
She truly had not known this before.
In her previous life, Qin Yueming had never appeared. Later, a group of soldiers had indeed arrived at the school, and everyone naturally assumed they were there to rescue the students.
So that had all been a misunderstanding?
Those soldiers had actually come only for Luo Xinxin. Since they failed to find her, they simply escorted the remaining survivors out along the way.
Suddenly, everything connected in Lin Mingmei’s mind.
She finally understood why, in her previous life, Gao Lang had stubbornly refused to leave with the military no matter what.
He had been afraid.
Afraid that Luo Xinxin’s death would be exposed.
Afraid of retaliation from her commander father.
After piecing everything together, Lin Mingmei looked at Gao Lang with an indescribably complicated expression.
This man truly was the ultimate scumbag.
How blind had she been in her previous life to fall in love with someone like him?
“What?” Gao Lang frowned when he noticed her silence. “You don’t believe me? Mingmei, have I ever lied to you?”
Lin Mingmei thought coldly, When have you ever told the truth?
“Trust me,” Gao Lang continued earnestly. “As long as we can escape successfully, we won’t have to worry about anything afterward.”
“Oh.”
Completely tired of looking at his hypocritical face, Lin Mingmei spoke directly.
“So what exactly do you want me to do?”
Gao Lang smiled warmly, looking extraordinarily sincere.
“When we rush out later, you already have experience fighting zombies. You can cooperate well with Brother Yueming, right?”
The hidden meaning was painfully obvious.
You’ll charge ahead and act as my shield, right?
Lin Mingmei desperately wanted to grab his legs and throw him straight into a zombie horde so he could personally experience the agony of being ripped apart alive.
But in the end, she simply nodded.
“I will.”
Of course she would protect him.
Her precious human-shaped superpower reservoir needed to remain intact until the perfect time to harvest it arrived.
Gao Lang looked deeply moved.
“Mingmei, you’re so good to me,” he said emotionally. “Don’t worry, I definitely won’t let you down.”
Lin Mingmei nearly vomited on the spot.
Pretending to wipe away nonexistent tears, Gao Lang whispered softly,
“Get some rest first. I’ll go discuss things with Xinxin and Brother Yueming. We can’t stay here much longer.”
Lin Mingmei did not even bother responding. She simply closed her eyes and forcibly suppressed the urge to throw up.
Endure.
For the sake of obtaining the fire-type superpower, she could endure anything.
Meanwhile, Qin Yueming had been silently observing them from nearby.
After overhearing the entire conversation between Gao Lang and Lin Mingmei, he felt utterly disgusted, as though he had swallowed a fly whole.
What a foolish girl…
“Brother Yueming…”
Gao Lang walked over together with Luo Xinxin.
Suppressing his irritation, Qin Yueming listened expressionlessly while they spoke. After hearing everything, he frowned slightly.
“My abilities are limited,” he said coldly. “I can only guarantee Xinxin’s safety. As for you, you’re a grown man. You should at least be capable of protecting yourself, right?”
The words were extremely blunt.
Gao Lang’s expression stiffened instantly, rage surging inside him.
Qin Yueming had not spoken this way before.
Was he planning to abandon him now and take only Luo Xinxin away?
What a bastard.
Once he successfully returned with Luo Xinxin and gained Commander Luo’s favor, he would absolutely make sure Qin Yueming suffered for this humiliation.
Still, those were matters for later.
Right now, escaping alive was the most important thing.
Thinking about Qin Yueming’s fire-type superpower filled Gao Lang with jealousy.
Why had other people awakened abilities after the apocalypse while he remained completely ordinary?
Now he even had to depend on this man to survive.
Suppressing his resentment, Gao Lang forced a smile.
“Don’t worry, Brother Yueming. I won’t drag you down. Mingmei can fight zombies too.”
The moment those words came out, Qin Yueming’s expression darkened.
“You want her to protect you?”
Gao Lang instantly sensed the dangerous undertone and hurriedly corrected himself.
“How could a girl protect me? Naturally, I’ll be the one protecting her.”
“Gao Lang!” Luo Xinxin complained unhappily. “I want you to protect me too.”
“Xinxin,” Gao Lang said hurriedly, “Brother Yueming is much stronger than me. Stay close to him so I won’t worry.”
Luo Xinxin puffed out her cheeks unhappily but said nothing more.
Gao Lang smiled apologetically at Qin Yueming.
“Brother Yueming, please don’t mind her. Xinxin is still young and spoiled.”
Qin Yueming’s face remained expressionless.
“She is Commander Luo’s daughter. Bringing her back safely is my assigned mission. I will protect her.”
The unspoken message was crystal clear.
You are not part of my responsibility.
Gao Lang cursed him viciously in his heart.
At that moment, Luo Xinxin suddenly whimpered softly.
“Gao Lang, Yueming, I’m so hungry. I feel like I’m starving…”
“Be good,” Gao Lang comforted gently. “Once we get out, we’ll find food.”
Then he looked toward Qin Yueming.
“Brother Yueming, please don’t blame Xinxin. She hasn’t eaten for an entire day and night. She’s only had a few sips of water.”
Luo Xinxin immediately nodded pitifully.
“I want real food…”
For some unknown reason, watching Luo Xinxin act spoiled only made Qin Yueming think of Lin Mingmei swinging her hammer at zombies.
Covered in wounds.
Exhausted and battered.
Yet still so stubbornly resilient.
He suddenly wondered whether she had eaten anything at all.
Quietly sighing, Qin Yueming focused his hearing on the sounds outside. The zombie commotion had gradually quieted somewhat.
Checking the time, he realized they had already rested for two full hours.
Commander Luo had repeatedly instructed him to find Luo Xinxin and leave Jiangbai City immediately.
The meaning behind those orders was obvious.
Jiangbai City had already fallen.
If they continued wasting time here, the number of zombies outside would only continue increasing, making escape even more difficult.
Finally, Qin Yueming spoke in a deep voice.
“Wait here. I’m going to discuss the plan first.”