Chapter 57: Treasure
His expression became complicated. "Who would have thought that the corpse had been infected with the zombie virus?"
Lu Yucai’s expression changed slightly. Huang Wen continued,
"What’s strange is that this happened inside Burning Star Base. How could an infected corpse be left unattended like that?"
Lu Yucai didn’t comment on the matter. Instead, he merely patted his shoulder. "Take care of your wife. If you need any help, let me know."
Huang Wen nodded gratefully. "I will."
That was the last time Lu Yucai saw him for several weeks. When they met again, three weeks had already passed. Huang Wen looked completely different.
His face was haggard, his clothes were messy, and his eyes were bloodshot as though he hadn’t slept properly for days.
Lu Yucai immediately walked toward him. "Huang Wen, what happened?"
Huang Wen visibly flinched. He quickly looked away. "Nothing. Everything is fine."
Lu Yucai narrowed his eyes. He could tell that Huang Wen was lying. Before he could question him further, Huang Wen hurriedly said,
"I have some business to attend to. I’ll talk to you later."
Then he left. Lu Yucai watched his retreating figure with a strange feeling in his heart. Later, he learned that Huang Wen had resigned.
Confused and concerned, Lu Yucai went to look for him. But when he arrived at Huang Wen’s former residence, he discovered that the man had already stopped renting the house.
He had disappeared. With no way to find him, Lu Yucai eventually had to let the matter go.
.............
Back in the present.
Ni Mengxue remained silent. After a while, Lu Yucai asked quietly, "Do you know what happened to him?"
Ni Mengxue thought for a moment. "His wife’s child must have been infected with the zombie virus."
Lu Yucai nodded grimly. "Not only the child."
Ni Mengxue’s expression changed. "His wife was infected too?"
"Yes."
Lu Yucai’s voice became heavy.
"To protect her, Huang Wen even made the painful decision to abort the child. But by then, his wife had already been infected."
He lowered his gaze.
"Unable to bear abandoning her, Huang Wen and his other husbands eventually decided to take her somewhere deserted. They wanted to live there together until the end."
Ni Mengxue’s heart sank.
"But..."
Lu Yucai’s voice became hoarse. "The ending was still tragic."
His fingers tightened around the armrest of his wheelchair. "His wife eventually turned into a zombie and infected all of them."
Ni Mengxue’s face paled. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Lu Yucai stared at her.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to control his emotions. "I don’t want to lose you, Mengxue."
Ni Mengxue’s eyes trembled.
"I’ve already lost too much."
Lu Yucai’s voice cracked slightly.
"I lost my parents when I was born. I lost my best friend because of my own stupidity. I lost my orphanage director because of the apocalypse..."
His eyes reddened. "I even lost the little ones from the orphanage. If I lose you too... I’ll be left with nothing."
Ni Mengxue’s eyes immediately moistened. She walked over and gently hugged him. "It’s okay. I’m here."
Lu Yucai closed his eyes and quietly leaned against her. After a while, they finally parted.
Ni Mengxue wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes before speaking. "Let’s plan our exit."
Lu Yucai nodded.
"I’m planning to leave this base two days from now. Are all the preparations finished on your end?"
"I have thirty people."
Ni Mengxue grinned. "I have ten, excluding Aunt Ruo and her husband."
Lu Yucai paused, then, as casually as possible, he asked, "How many of them are men?"
Ni Mengxue blinked. She began counting. "Five men, four children, and one old woman."
Lu Yucai’s expression remained calm. "Five men?"
"Yes."
He nodded thoughtfully. "Are any of them handsome?"
Ni Mengxue frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"In case they attract unnecessary attention."
Ni Mengxue stared at him. "Would a handsome married man attract negative attention too?"
Lu Yucai immediately narrowed his eyes. "Are all of them married?"
Ni Mengxue gave him a suspicious look. "Why are you asking?"
Lu Yucai remained silent. Inside his heart, however, he was already cursing.
’These men must be dissatisfied with their own wives. Why else would they be following my wife? They must be some kind of vixen and want to attract my wife’s attention. My wife too... She has only been here for a short time, and she’s already attracted five men.’
Ni Mengxue had no idea what was going through his mind. Instead, she answered honestly,
"I’m more worried that someone will covet you."
Lu Yucai froze.
"As for the others, they can fend for themselves. They’re not my responsibility."
She walked closer. "I only need to protect my treasure."
Then she leaned down and kissed his cheek. "My treasure."
Lu Yucai’s ears instantly turned red.
He looked away, trying desperately to maintain his dignity.
But the corners of his lips had already betrayed him.
After dinner, both of them were about to sleep when their doorbell rang. Frowning, Lu Yucai opened the door and saw Ruo Chiwu standing outside with a worried gaze.
"Aunt Ruo?"
"Call Ni Mengxue. Quickly!" Ruo Chiwu insisted.
Before Lu Yucai could move, Ni Mengxue walked out and asked, "What happened?"
"Mengxue, let’s leave tomorrow night. The zombie horde will arrive by tomorrow." Ruo Chiwu stated, her eyes full of worry.
Ni Mengxue blinked before saying, "Alright, I understand."
Seeing her plain reaction, Ruo Chiwu was stunned, but she sighed and left. "I have some preparation to make. I will leave first."
"How did she know?" Lu Yucai asked with a deep gaze.
"She must have her sources. Now go and sleep." She said softly and stayed awake all night to make a plan.
.......
The next day, Ni Mengxue first handed Ruo Chiwu a list before making her way to Romeo’s shop.
"Miss Ni! You are finally here! The RV is ready. Would you like to inspect it?"
"Sure." Ni Mengxue walked to the backside of the shop and saw a sturdy RV capable of holding 10 people.
[Ding! A hidden mission has been triggered!]