Chapter 2

December 16, 2012, 3:00 AM,

Lin Chen kicked Xia Nuan awake.

"Shift change." He handed her the steel pipe,

curled up in the corner of the cellar himself, and fell into a deep sleep the moment his head hit the wall.

When he opened his eyes again, Xia Nuan was staring blankly at the system panel.

She poked the words "Safe house reinforcement progress 15%" with her fingertip,

looked up at Lin Chen: "Can this thing be turned off? It's making my eyes dizzy."

"No." Lin Chen climbed up,

fished out compressed biscuits, and handed them over, "Eat."

Xia Nuan took a bite, biscuit crumbs falling onto her clothes.

She suddenly remembered something and dug a thermos out of her bag:

"It's hot; I filled it with hot water yesterday."

Lin Chen took it and took a big gulp.

The water flowed down his throat, warmth trickling down his esophagus.

The system prompted: 【Target favorability +5.】

"We're going to Xia Nuan's house today." Lin Chen wiped his mouth,

"For the things you didn't bring back yesterday,

and the supplies her parents might have left behind."

Xia Nuan nodded and stuffed the thermos into her bag:

"My mom has a medical kit on the top shelf of the wardrobe."

The two locked the warehouse door; the snow was already up to their ankles.

Lin Chen found a tricycle left behind by the warehouse owner;

the chain was badly rusted, making a clicking sound as he pedaled.

Xia Nuan sat in the back, using a rope to tie herself to the cart,

to avoid falling off.

Passing yesterday's supermarket, the rolling door was pulled down,

and several trash cans were piled outside, rummaged through and left in a mess.

Lin Chen glanced at it; the system didn't prompt any supplies,

so he just pedaled forward.

Arriving at the Sunshine Residential gate, the security guard had been replaced by a young one,

who was huddled in the guard booth playing on his phone.

Lin Chen rode straight in; curses came from the booth,

but he didn't look back.

The door to Building 3 wasn't locked; it had probably been smashed by someone last night.

Lin Chen had Xia Nuan wait downstairs while he went up with the steel pipe.

The door to 502 was still ajar; he pushed it open, and there was a puddle of water on the living room floor—it hadn't been mopped dry yesterday.

In the bedroom, the medical kit Xia Nuan mentioned was indeed on top of the wardrobe.

Lin Chen moved a chair over and stepped up; when he reached for it, the box hit his forehead, making him wince in pain.

The system prompted: 【Obtained primary medical kit, containing antibiotics x10, bandages x20.】

There was a photo album in the nightstand drawer; he flipped through it casually, finding a photo of Xia Nuan and her parents at the beach,

her smile revealing her canine teeth.

Lin Chen closed the album and shoved it back into the drawer,

turning to search the balcony.

On top of the washing machine were several bags of laundry detergent, and next to them was a bottle of disinfectant.

He stuffed them all into the snake-skin bag he had brought,

and the system prompted: 【Obtained cleaning supplies, safe house rating +2.】

"Lin Chen!" Xia Nuan shouted from downstairs, her voice urgent.

Lin Chen grabbed the snake-skin bag and rushed down,

bumping into a man in pajamas at the stair corner, who was trembling while holding a kitchen knife.

"Don't come over!" the man roared, "This is my house!"

Lin Chen ignored him and ran straight down.

On the first floor, he saw Xia Nuan being blocked by two people in security uniforms;

one was the young guard from the morning, and the other was Wang Dama, who had stopped him yesterday, actually holding a crowbar.

"She's a thief!" Wang Dama shouted,

"She was acting suspicious yesterday, and today she brought a man to move things!"

Xia Nuan was so anxious her face turned red: "This is my house!"

The young guard reached out to grab her bag; Lin Chen rushed over and smashed his steel pipe onto the guard's wrist.

The guard screamed and retreated; Wang Dama lunged over with the crowbar, but Lin Chen sidestepped and casually threw the snake-skin bag at her.

The medicine bottles inside the bag clattered,

and Wang Dama was knocked back two steps, cursing, "You've gone mad!"

Lin Chen grabbed Xia Nuan and ran toward the tricycle,

footsteps following behind—it was the man with the kitchen knife chasing them down,

shouting "Catch the thief."

Lin Chen pushed Xia Nuan onto the cart, jumped on, and pedaled,

but the chain suddenly jammed, and the cart almost flipped.

"Damn it!" He looked down to kick the chain,

and the man had already caught up, swinging the kitchen knife. Lin Chen raised his steel pipe to block it; with a "clang,"

his arm went numb from the vibration.

Xia Nuan fished the thermos out of her bag,

and smashed it directly onto the man's head. The thermos bounced off, and hot water splashed onto the man's face,

making him scream and cover his face as he retreated.

"Go!" Lin Chen finally kicked the chain loose and pedaled hard; the tricycle lurched forward crookedly,

almost hitting the curb.

The barrier at the residential gate hadn't been raised,

but Lin Chen didn't slow down, rushing straight through. The barrier creaked as it was hit, and the falling iron bar

grazed Xia Nuan's hair.

"My parents' things..." Xia Nuan looked back,

her eyes red.

"We'll come back next time." Lin Chen didn't look back,

"Stay alive first."

Halfway there, the tricycle chain broke completely.

Lin Chen cursed, threw the cart to the side of the road,

and picked up the snake-skin bag: "We'll walk back."

The snow was heavier, and the wind whipped snow foam against their faces like small knives.

Xia Nuan followed, stepping heavily, and suddenly said:

"My dad has a hunting rifle, hidden in the cellar of our old house."

Lin Chen stopped: "Where is the old house?"

"In the western suburbs, not far from the warehouse." Xia Nuan wrapped her coat tighter,

"I lived there when I was little; it's been empty since we moved."

The system prompted: 【Triggered side mission: Obtain hunting rifle.

Reward: Bullets x50, gun maintenance kit.】

The two changed course toward the west side of the city; on the way, they encountered a breakfast stall,

and the owner was packing up to go home. Lin Chen walked over and took out all the loose change he had:

"All the buns, I want them all."

The owner paused and hurriedly packed the buns from the steamer into plastic bags.

Xia Nuan stood to the side and suddenly pointed into the distance:

"Isn't that Su Qing?"

Lin Chen looked in the direction she pointed; Su Qing was running out of a pharmacy,

carrying two large bags, with Zhang Hao following behind,

his arm in a cast, his face ashen. The two got into a taxi and drove toward the city center.

"She's hoarding medicine too," Xia Nuan said.

Lin Chen didn't speak, took the buns from the owner, and handed half to Xia Nuan: "Eat fast."

By the time they reached the old house, it was already noon.

It was a single-story house with a courtyard; the gate was too rusted to open,

so Lin Chen kicked it open...