Bai An’an instinctively nodded, then realized who had spoken. Her neck immediately stiffened.
For some reason, compared to the cold and expressionless Fu Shen and Lu Xi, who always seemed to look down on others, she was more afraid of the always-smiling Shen Hanzhou. She felt like there was a hidden blade behind his smile.
“How long have you known Fu Shen?” Bai An’an asked, regretting it the moment the words left her mouth.
Why did she ask that?
Was that even something she could ask?
Shen Hanzhou did not seem to mind. His tone was casual. “Fu Shen and I have known each other since we were in the womb. We grew up together in the same residential compound.”
Childhood friends?
The comment she had seen online about “pinning him against the wall and kissing him” immediately started scrolling through Bai An’an’s mind again.
They had grown up together, supported each other through the Apocalypse, lived and died together, and then one day, at some particular moment…
Stop.
Bai An’an fiercely scolded herself inwardly. Could she please stop thinking about things like this?
She was an evil supporting female character now. Her top priority was to stay alive. Her second priority was to stay alive while keeping as far away from the protagonists as possible. She was not here to ship couples.
“We’re here.”
Fu Shen’s voice came from ahead, interrupting Bai An’an’s mental drama.
“Is this the building?” he asked.
Bai An’an hummed in response.
The iron door to the building entrance was half open. There were obvious bloodstains and drag marks on the ground, but there were no moving zombies nearby.
Fu Shen stopped at the entrance and turned sideways to observe the situation inside.
While he was doing that, Bai An’an also took a look around the residential compound.
According to the original Bai An’an’s memories, this residential compound had been considered fairly decent, but now it looked no different from the scene of a horror movie.
The plants in the landscaped areas had grown wildly into dense patches. All kinds of household garbage were scattered across the ground, and there were several dark brown stains on the exterior walls of the buildings.
“Which floor do you live on?” Fu Shen asked, turning back.
“Third floor.” Bai An’an answered honestly. “302.”
Fu Shen nodded and entered the building first.
Lu Xi followed closely behind. Bai An’an hurried after them while holding Paopao’s hand. Shen Hanzhou continued to bring up the rear.
The stairwell was even darker than outside. Only a few strands of faint light filtered in through the damaged windows.
The air was filled with a damp, musty smell. Bai An’an instinctively held her breath, but Paopao remained completely calm. Her little legs moved steadily, and she showed none of the reaction one would expect from a child her age.
Bai An’an looked down at Paopao, feeling a little bitter inside.
She was still so young, yet she had already grown accustomed to the stench of decay in stairwells, accustomed to zombies appearing at any moment, and accustomed to staying quiet in the darkness.
These were not things a child her age should have to get used to.
She should have been running freely beneath the sunlight, laughing without restraint. She should have had a happy and beautiful childhood.
There was a corpse at the corner of the second floor.
It was not a zombie. It was a human.
There were no signs of mutation. Since the person had not been infected by the zombie virus, they could only have died at the hands of another human.
This was the Apocalypse.
Human lives were as worthless as blades of grass.
Bai An’an’s grip on Paopao’s hand tightened slightly, and her stomach churned.
Paopao looked up at her and said softly, “An’an Sister, don’t be scared. It can’t move anymore.”
Warmth filled Bai An’an’s heart. She bent down and picked Paopao up, doing her best to make her voice sound normal. “Sister isn’t scared. Paopao doesn’t have to be scared either.”
Paopao obediently wrapped her arms around Bai An’an’s neck and said in her childish voice, “Paopao isn’t scared because Big Brother is here.”
Lu Xi’s footsteps did not stop as he walked ahead, but Bai An’an noticed his shoulders move slightly, as if he had heard his little sister.
When they reached the third floor, Bai An’an pointed to the door on the right and took out the key from her pocket, handing it to Fu Shen.
Fu Shen took it. He turned back and gestured to everyone, then inserted the key into the lock and leaned his ear against the door, listening for several seconds.
Bai An’an could not understand what the gesture meant, but Lu Xi and Shen Hanzhou stopped as well. Even Paopao’s breathing became quieter.
Bai An’an also remained still.
Fu Shen bent down, gripped the doorknob, slowly turned the key, then suddenly pulled the door open.
There was nothing behind it.
He stepped inside and quickly scanned every corner of the room. Only after confirming that it was safe did he call out, “Come in.”
Bai An’an carried Paopao inside and finally saw her “home” with her own eyes.
The apartment was not large. It had two bedrooms and a living room. Though small, it was clean and tidy. Compared to the apocalyptic scene outside, the contrast was striking.
“Your place is pretty clean.”
Shen Hanzhou came in last and carefully closed the door.
Bai An’an ignored him. She bent down and placed Paopao on the sofa. The little girl immediately took off her shoes, sat cross-legged, and patted the spot beside her, signaling for Bai An’an to sit with her.
Fu Shen had already begun checking the windows for safety. He opened each one to look at the situation outside, then closed it again.
Lu Xi stepped forward and handed him a roll of tape that he had pulled out from somewhere. Fu Shen took it and began reinforcing the window frames.
“We’ll spend the night here,” he said. “We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.”
Bai An’an froze for a moment. “Leave? Where are we going?”
“An’an, I hope you’ll come with us,” Shen Hanzhou said as he walked over. “Your ability has a lot of potential. Staying here would be a waste, and the zombies might evolve their sense of smell as early as tomorrow. Then they could track you down by scent.”
“I… I’ll think about it.”
“This actually isn’t up for discussion. Fu Shen and I came out from the base to carry out a secret mission. In addition, we have another task, which is to search for surviving ability users and bring them back to the base. So, whether for public duty or personal reasons, we can’t possibly leave you out here alone.”
The corner of Bai An’an’s mouth twitched.
Not up for discussion.
In other words: Whether you agree or not, you’re coming with us.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something in protest, but when she met Shen Hanzhou’s smiling eyes, the words at the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.
His smile looked gentle, but Bai An’an always felt that there was an unspoken message hidden underneath it: If you dare say no, I’ll tie you up and take you with me.
“Fine… I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
Bai An’an had no choice but to agree.
But she was already making another plan in her mind.
Fine, she’d go with them. Her legs belonged to her. She could find an opportunity to slip away, couldn’t she?
There was no way they could keep an eye on her twenty-four hours a day.
Shen Hanzhou smiled in satisfaction. “Lu Xi, help An’an pack the supplies she wants to take.”
“How many supplies do you still have at home?” Lu Xi asked.
“Not much. There are still a few packs of dried noodles, half a bag of rice, and some canned food and instant noodles in the cabinets. I stocked them up before.”
Lu Xi nodded and walked into the kitchen. He opened the cabinet, glanced inside, then waved his hand. Everything inside disappeared.
“How many bedrooms do you have?” Shen Hanzhou asked.
“Only one. I turned the second bedroom into a study, but there’s a folding bed inside.”
“Then, An’an, you’ll have to take Paopao and sleep in the master bedroom tonight. The three of us will sleep in the living room so we can take turns keeping watch.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Paopao said, “Then can An’an Sister tell me a story tonight?”
Before Bai An’an could answer, Lu Xi’s voice drifted over from the side.
“Paopao will sleep in the living room too. I don’t feel comfortable letting her sleep with a stranger.”
“Why?” Paopao pouted, looking unhappy.
“Paopao wouldn’t want other people to see her drooling in her sleep, would she?”
Lu Xi said it with a completely straight face.