Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

Watching her sister cleanly slice off the zombie’s head with a single stroke, sending it rolling across the ground, Song Kexin couldn’t help but flinch.

’She’s definitely letting out some frustration...’

"That’s about enough! Xiao Ning, come over, wash your hands, and have some water."

Xie Ning walked over to Zuo Li’s group, raising an eyebrow at the stretch Lincoln parked by the side of the road.

Song Kexin sidled up to her and said, "Badass," before muttering under her breath, "If I’d known Huang Shi Yao was coming too, I wouldn’t have come."

’Are they here to kill zombies or to go on vacation? Cruising around in a stretch limo, tsk tsk.’

Xie Ning held out her hands and washed them in the Water Ball that Xiao Qi Zi tossed out.

She turned and shot her sister a sideways glance. "You’re afraid of her?"

Song Kexin scrunched up her little face. "I just hate the trouble she brings."

Xie Ning dried her hands, pulled a thermos from her backpack, and had Xiao Qi Zi fill it with water. She then said impassively, "If trouble insists on sticking to us, then we should eliminate it completely. Avoidance is not the way to solve a problem."

She patted her sister’s shoulder. "I don’t advocate for killing the innocent, but some people are just a waste of air."

Song Kexin’s mouth fell open, her expression dumbfounded.

’What does that mean?’

’Is my sister encouraging me to personally get rid of that huge pain, Huang Shi Yao?’

Song Kexin stroked her chin, lost in thought.

"Song Kexin! Song Kexin!"

Song Kexin turned to look at the source of the voice.

She saw Meng Lanfang leaning out of the front passenger window of the stretch limo, smiling and waving enthusiastically at her. "Song Kexin, come here, come here."

Song Kexin scoffed, completely ignoring the self-important woman, and turned to walk away.

Meng Lanfang glared at her daughter’s resolute, retreating back, her face immediately darkening.

"Don’t be in such a hurry." Huang Shi Yao, on the other hand, appeared completely composed. She flipped through the foreign classic in her hands and said lightly, "There will be plenty of opportunities to get along later."

"That damn girl. She’s just like her father," Meng Lanfang cursed repeatedly.

Huang Shi Yao turned a page, looked up, and asked calmly, "How are things with Zhu Zihao? Have all the problems been resolved?"

"Rest assured, Miss. With that Healing System user around, Zhu Zihao’s injuries are no longer an issue. I’ve assigned Amo and Zhao Dun to protect him. I don’t expect any more incidents."

Huang Shi Yao nodded slightly. "Be careful. He is our base’s number one Space Ability User. If he dies, it’ll be a huge problem."

"Yes."

"Also, have Amo and Zhao Dun keep a close watch on him at all times. That man is dishonest, and his hands aren’t clean. Don’t let him be alone and pocket supplies."

"You are very thorough, Miss. I will instruct Amo and the others later."

"That Healing System user, is he still not getting along with the team members?" Huang Shi Yao asked, putting down her foreign classic and frowning.

"The young man is quite withdrawn, and his personality is... difficult to describe. Everyone has been trying their best to get on his good side, but he still seems very distant with people."

"Bring him to me later. I’ll have a good talk with him."

"Yes, Miss."

After dealing with the small group of zombies on the road, everyone got back in their vehicles and set off again.

It was now after four in the afternoon. Zuo Li was studying a map, looking for a place to stop before nightfall.

Xie Ning handed the thermos to her sister, telling her to precisely control a flame to heat it up.

"Why the sudden urge to drink hot water?"

Xie Ning gave her an expressionless look. "Because I feel like it!"

Xie Ning was a little frustrated. She’d discovered that her period had arrived just before they left. What could she say?

The first three days with their heavy flow were the worst. Since it was inconvenient to be on the road and they couldn’t just stop anywhere, Xie Ning had to use a large, overnight pad.

Although it was extremely annoying, compared to her previous life where she had to make do for half a day with strips of cloth sewn with leaves, this was pure bliss!

Looking back now, she had no idea how she had survived those days.

The current Xie Ning was never picky about food, clothing, or other necessities. Because even at its worst—eating a radish washed with plain water—it was infinitely better than her past life of boiling mud and bugs or peeling off and eating tree bark.

For her, life now was truly good. Very good.

After taking a sip of hot water, Xie Ning pulled out a compressed biscuit and broke off half for her sister.

Song Kexin’s mouth twitched.

’Her sister’s stinginess must be bone-deep.’

’There were clearly two biscuits in the small pack, but she still broke one of them in half to split it between them...’

Xie Ning glanced at her sister’s constipated expression. "Not enough for you?"

"It’s enough, it’s enough." Song Kexin stuffed it into her mouth. It was so dry she could barely speak, and she quickly bent her head to take small sips of water.

"Besides, for girls our size, half a biscuit is more than enough for a snack."

"Sis, I just asked around," Song Shijun said, turning his head to whisper to them. "Besides us and Captain Zuo, people from the Jian Country Team and Special Ability Special Combat Team Three are also on the clearing and rescue mission to Zone C."

Xie Ning nodded. She had known this ever since she saw the stretch limo earlier.

’How could Miss Huang travel without any protection? And just as I thought, her father sent a Superpower Special Team with her.’

"The Jian Country Team has twenty people, and more than half are ordinary team members. The Superpower Special Team has forty-five people, mostly Power-type Superpower Users."

Song Shijun grinned. "I heard the Left Base Commander also sent Superpower Special Team One to clear out Zone B. Li Dawei and Zhuang Lei went to Zone A, along with Zheng Heng’s team."

"Oh, right, that Special Combat Team Three supposedly has a really incredible Space Ability User. He’s only First Rank, but his Space is a full eighty square meters, and twenty of those square meters are said to be fertile land. He can even raise live poultry and grow crops in there—even an apple tree."

"Wow, does it have a Spiritual Spring?" Song Kexin’s eyes widened, shining brightly as she still couldn’t get her mind off that Spiritual Spring Water.

"No, what Spiritual Spring? If the Space even had its own water source, wouldn’t that be completely overpowered? In this apocalypse where water is so scarce, having water, fields, chickens, and ducks... wouldn’t that just be a cozy little farm stay?"

Song Kexin pouted. "Then what’s the use of just having fields? Without water for irrigation, how can seeds even grow?"

"Exactly. So, the other members of Special Combat Team Three provide him with water to irrigate the fields. I heard a few fruit trees inside have already borne fruit, and the apples are way better than the unripe-tasting ones that Wood Element Superpower Users can force to grow."

"Their main goal on this trip, besides collecting medical supplies along the way, is to head to a livestock farm and see if there are any unmutated pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, or ducks."

"Wow, does that mean they’ll get to eat fresh chicken and pork for every meal from now on?"

Song Shijun rolled his eyes at her. "Don’t exaggerate. Their team has over forty people. With that Space Ability User’s output, how could they possibly eat meat every meal? Adding it to a meal once in a while is probably more like it."

Xie Ning smiled as she looked at her brother. The weak, bookish boy from before who knew nothing of the world could now trade a couple of cigarettes to gather a round of information.

His growth, she had to admit, was quite remarkable.