It was almost September, a time when the weather should have been turning cool. Yet the sudden arrival of the apocalypse had caught everyone completely off guard.
Even with the car’s air conditioning turned to maximum, Mu Yining still felt stifled. The temperature outside was simply too high, and she estimated the car wouldn’t be able to drive much longer—at her current speed, a tire blowout was bound to happen before long.
She pulled the car into a recycling station. Since it was likely too early for work when the outbreak hit, the yard was completely deserted, save for a single zombie wandering inside the security booth. Its back was hunched over; just last night, it had been a normal human being.
Sensing someone outside, hunger filled its mind as it frantically banged against the doors and windows of the security room. Unsure if there were other survivors around, Mu Yining quietly dispatched the security guard, grabbed the keys from the desk, and headed inside.
After checking around to ensure no one was there, she stored the car away. Dripping with sweat and unable to bear the heat any longer, Mu Yining recited a thought in her mind and returned to her spatial domain.
Mo Yao was still sleeping. When she brought him inside earlier, she hadn’t quite figured out how to explain all of this to an eight-year-old child, so she could only take things one step at a time. Trying to hide her space from Xiaoyao wouldn’t work for long anyway. Besides, since she now regarded him as her younger brother, she should trust him.
Alan had already run over to the river to drink. Finding that insufficient to cool off, he climbed straight into the water and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Mu Yining lifted Xiaoyao out of the car and placed him on the bed where she had slept before, then went to clean the vehicle. It wasn’t out of squeamishness; as long as conditions allowed, she ought to let herself live as comfortably as possible. No one could be sure what lay ahead, so living each day to the fullest in the present was enough.
Once everything was tidied up, Mu Yining took a quick rinse and lay down to rest.
She remained asleep until a burst of laughter woke her.
Rolling over, she saw Alan and Xiaoyao playing together in the distance. Xiaoyao was riding on Alan’s back, running all over the space. Like a attentive host, Alan carried fresh fruit grown in the spatial domain in his mouth to feed Xiaoyao. Seeing Yining wake up, the child and dog bounded over together.
“Sister, is this your home? It’s so pretty! Xiaoyao has never been to such a beautiful place before!” Children always wore their emotions on their sleeves—pure and adorable.
“Yes, and it’s Xiaoyao’s home from now on too. Are you hungry? I’ll make food for us.”
The two humans and one dog enjoyed a sumptuously rich meal. Mu Yining had previously worried about not being able to finish all the fresh milk in her space, but now Xiaoyao could take care of it for her. The milk was so fresh it required no secondary processing at all—this truly was a wonderful place that nourished both people and creatures alike.
When they stepped outside again, it was no longer as hot as during the day. As the sun set, the zombies gradually regained their mobility, as though the night were their true paradise.
Mu Yining gathered supplies along the street. Whenever she came across an auto dealership—regardless of its size or type—she swept everything into her spatial domain just in case. Food was also a case of the more, the better; after all, food hadn’t spoiled yet, and storing it in her space would keep it permanently fresh.
It wasn’t until night fell completely that the temperature gradually dropped. Chilled by the cold wind into a slight shiver, Mu Yining retrieved some clothes she had just collected and put them on Xiaoyao. Luckily, the shopping mall had a massive inventory, with clothes for every season.
Alan, however, posed a dilemma for Mu Yining. She would just have to make something for him herself when she had time—she could simply plant more cotton. Ah, what a headache!
Worried they might catch a cold, Mu Yining parked the car outside a nearby supermarket. But just as she reached the entrance, her graceful eyebrows knit together tightly.
Through the glass doors, despite the poor lighting, the interior was clear enough to see: it was packed with zombies—at least two hundred of them—swarming together in pursuit of a man. The man wore what looked like mercenary attire and held a gun, wildly firing at the zombies while shouting at the top of his lungs like a madman, “Dammit! Come on and bite me, all of you! Hahaha, I’m not afraid of you bastards! Chu Yu, listen up! Use every ounce of strength you’ve got to stay alive! Don’t let me see you down in hell! Your brother is taking the first step today!”
Just as Mu Yining was about to turn and leave, hearing the name “Chu Yu” made her pause dead in her tracks.