Chapter 214: A Man of Great Significance

"Professor Duan, I remember when you left Shengqin Home, you and about six or seven others set out together—how come now you're alone?"

Once seated in the RV, Zhang Su unfolded the coffee table and sofa, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and placed it on the table, gesturing for Duan Wu to help himself.

Duan Wu didn't refuse; he took a cigarette, lit it, and sighed with a face full of sorrow: "Fuck, I can't even look back at those days, Brother Zhang—I regret it so much…"

"Heh…" He exhaled smoke, then continued: "Seeing you and Little Zheng safe and sound now, I realize I took the wrong path back then. To be honest, I was too superstitious about the power of numbers…"

"I understand your thinking. Where did you go after that?"

Zhang Su didn't dwell on those events; the disaster had only just erupted about a week earlier, and everyone was trying to escape the "beginner zone"—different plans were normal. From their brief contact, he found Duan Wu acceptable. Had Duan not been dragging along a useless younger brother, he would've actively recruited him.

"That day, we left Shengqin Home and headed straight for the Olympic Center shelter. But it was nothing like we expected!"

"What happened?" Zhang Su pressed.

At the time, the Olympic Center shelter had given them great hope—he'd even considered going himself—but ultimately, for various reasons, he'd abandoned the idea.

"That place wasn't an official shelter at all. When we arrived, there were only seven or eight people. They'd indeed sealed off the entire Olympic Center area—zombies couldn't easily break in—but as for living conditions, there was basically nothing."

"It barely provided shelter. We had to scavenge for everything ourselves, which was understandable. Officer Qin led us around to gather supplies, and we barely survived. Later, scattered survivors gradually joined the shelter."

"We all thought things would get better. But after holding on for about a week, a huge horde of zombies suddenly appeared—truly massive, too many to count. I felt there were more than a school assembly. They smashed through the metal fence effortlessly—and it happened at night. That's when my brother died."

Duan Wu's mind replayed that scene as he smoked furiously, his scar glowing eerily in the smoke.

"More than a school assembly…" Zhang Su frowned, thought it over, then whistled: "That's gotta be two or three thousand?"

Duan Wu nodded: "Yes, definitely. They covered the sky."

When zombies reached a certain number, people lost the will to fight. Once morale broke, even armed men became useless—utterly routed.

"I remember Officer Qin brought a kid along?"

Zhang Su clearly remembered that brat lecturing him on being good, all full of moralizing.

"You mean Liu Xuanyu?" Duan Wu crushed his cigarette and shook his head: "He's gone too."

"Gone too…"

Zhang Su muttered softly. He'd remembered that brat vividly. Though he'd long predicted the child wouldn't survive the apocalypse, hearing of Liu Xuanyu's death still stirred a pang of sorrow.

He opposed Zhao Dezhu's desire for children, but he knew clearly: children were the future, the hope. If this generation aged without reproducing, human civilization would still perish.

Though these matters weren't his immediate concern, he couldn't help worrying.

Zheng Xinyu leaned gently against Zhang Su's arm. Hearing others recount tragedies, she recalled her own journey and felt melancholy.

"How many died in the zombie horde attack at the Olympic Center?" Zhang Su asked.

"Liu Xuanyu didn't die in that horde attack. Only my brother got caught off guard. Everyone else escaped—Officer Qin, Yu Nuo, Tian Fan, me, and three other survivors in the shelter…"

"We tried returning to the Olympic Center afterward, but one look inside made us give up—it was packed with zombies, like a massive sports event. Later, we went to Xinfu Mall in the university district. That's where Liu Xuanyu died."

Zhang Su didn't press for details, but Duan Wu rambled on anyway, explaining Liu Xuanyu's death: the brat had sneaked into a snack shop for food and was attacked by a zombie stuck between shelves.

"The kid was under ten. He suffered through all our wandering—honestly, death was a kind of relief."

In the apocalypse, people often used this phrase to comfort each other—but whether they truly believed it, only they knew.

Duan Wu pulled a bottle of purified water from his backpack, twisted open the cap, and took a sip, then continued: "That night after Liu Xuanyu died, Officer Qin sat on the rooftop smoking all night. The next day, he was gone… He left behind all his food and drink, taking only his weapons."

"I understand why Officer Qin left. Later we learned he survived only because of Liu Xuanyu's father—he'd been entrusted by Liu's father to care for his son. And then…"

Duan Wu shrugged helplessly.

"Officer Qin pushed himself too hard. It's lucky he didn't end up dying with him…" Zheng Xinyu spoke in a low, heavy tone.

Zhang Su nodded slightly, fully agreeing with Zheng Xinyu. Had Liu Xuanyu not been there, he might've persuaded Qin Ya to stay—because even the worst among them still had potential. Even Yu Nuo, with her foul mouth, could've been reformed!

But a child under ten was too hard. He didn't deny the child's vast potential for growth—but without the beginner's protection, he couldn't develop.

"What about the others? Weren't you five or six people?" Zhang Su pressed. Sometimes, fewer people meant more flexibility.

"After Officer Qin left, the three who escaped with us from the Olympic Center also vanished. Bastards stole a lot of our supplies. Only me, Yu Nuo, and Tian Fan remained. We held out in Xinfu Mall for over half a month—then a gang of bandits drove us out."

"Why didn't you join them?"

Zheng Xinyu asked curiously. In this world, what difference did "bandits" make anymore? Robbery, murder, theft—commonplace.

Duan Wu rubbed his nasal scar and shook his head: "Those guys had no sense of reason. We had zero bargaining power then—only escape was possible…"

Zhang Su understood perfectly. With Duan Wu and his two companions at that time, they were mere prey. He raised his hand: "And after you left Xinfu Mall?"

"After leaving the mall, we wandered for a while. During a sudden accident, Tian Fan got lost. Only me and Yu Nuo remained. Later—about half a month ago—we encountered a group called the Survivors' Alliance and joined them!"

"Damn it, the moment we joined, Yu Nuo crawled into the boss's bed. I thought she'd use it to get me some favors—but she said we were just strangers who met on the road, nothing more, and forgot everything I'd done for her!"

Speaking of this, Duan Wu was furious—rarely did he curse so bitterly, his eyes filled with cold rage.

Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu exchanged glances. They remembered Yu Nuo well—her mouth had been foul back then, and now she proved just as bottomless in action.

It wasn't that sleeping with the boss was immoral—using one's assets to gain resources was natural. But abandoning a companion who'd shared life-and-death with you? That was unforgivable.

If she lacked ability, fine—but betraying loyalty was too much.

Of course, all this assumed Duan Wu was telling the truth.

"We've heard of this Survivors' Alliance. Their headquarters is… somewhere in Jinyuan Mall?"

Zhang Su probed.

Duan Wu shook his head: "Not Jinyuan. It's in Yuegou Mall nearby. Jinyuan Mall caught fire recently—it's now just a hollow shell."

Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu exchanged glances. They knew Jinyuan Mall's condition perfectly—they'd been testing Duan Wu.

"Then why did you leave the Survivors' Alliance, Professor Duan? Was it that bad?" Zhang Su asked.

Duan Wu shook his head grimly: "It's not about how hard it is to survive. With my skills, I got by fine in the Alliance—but some things… I just couldn't accept."

"Oh?" Zhang Su was surprised. "After all this time in the apocalypse, we've seen everything bizarre. What could possibly be unacceptable?"

"Brother Zhang, some things are truly unimaginable! Hey, haven't you wondered why I'm dragging around a disabled man?"

Duan Wu glanced at the Jinbei and asked mysteriously.

"Hah…" Zhang Su gave a dry chuckle. "I've been wondering. Honestly, I thought Brother Duan was a decent guy—even in the apocalypse, he still cared for a disabled person. What's the real story?"

"That guy's got some serious background!"

Duan Wu pointed at the Jinbei: "The man in the car is Fu Weijun. Don't let his paralyzed legs fool you—he's a Ph. . in biomedical research, recently returned from the U. ., with major academic achievements. He was the lead researcher in the Alliance, mainly studying zombies!"

(End of Chapter)