Chapter 50: Insight into Zhong Xiaoshanyi (4K, continuing to add 2K today)

Qin Ya ignored Tian Fan's question. While observing the situation on the roof, he closed the door and walked toward the parapet, asking to himself, "This afternoon, when the music started playing, did you see anyone on top of that building across the way?"

Yu Nuo had already climbed up from the ground and walked to Qin Ya's side with shaky feet. Hearing his question, she hurriedly said, "I saw them. It was a man in his twenties and two women, also around their twenties. Did they commit some crime, SWAT comrade?"

"No way, they were just trying to use sound to attract the zombies. That wouldn't break the law, would it?" Tian Fan asked, feeling a bit incredulous.

"So there were three people..."

Qin Ya shook his head, dismissing Tian Fan and Yu Nuo's speculation. His gaze searched the dark windows of Building 3, hoping to find some clues, but the result disappointed him—there wasn't a single light, as if the entire Building 3 had become a ghost building.

Tian Fan gradually recovered his vision and also walked to Qin Ya's side, hoping, "SWAT big brother, has the situation outside improved?"

In his view, since the SWAT team could spare the manpower to save him and Yu Nuo, there must have been some decent progress. After all, neither he nor Yu Nuo were important people.

Qin Ya looked at the hopeful Tian Fan with a lonely gaze. He sighed inwardly, his face expressionless as he said, "There are no signs of improvement at all, at least from what I've seen."

After saying this, he headed toward the rooftop door, adding, "Hurry up and grab your things, then follow me down!"

"Eh, eh, okay."

Tian Fan and Yu Nuo didn't have time to react; they hurriedly grabbed their few remaining belongings and followed Qin Ya's footsteps.

"Be careful not to step on the corpses of the walking dead."

Qin Ya gave a cold reminder, shining his flashlight on the two corpses that had finally gone completely still.

"Ah!"

Yu Nuo hadn't expected to see such a horrifying scene and couldn't help but scream.

Ah, ah, ah...

The terrified screams echoed throughout the floor, giving a sense of déjà vu from a Southeast Asian horror movie.

"Stay quiet!"

Qin Ya glared at Yu Nuo, annoyed. "It's a good thing there are no more zombies in the hallway, otherwise, that scream of yours would have drawn all the zombies from the first floor up here!"

Awoo.

Slap, slap, slap.

As if in response to Qin Ya's words, zombie roars suddenly erupted, accompanied by the sound of doors being slapped.

Tian Fan's bladder tightened in fear, and he hurriedly gripped the stainless steel pipe in his hand.

"Those are zombies in the residents' homes. Don't be nervous. You have to stay calm when facing zombies; the more nervous you are, the easier it is for something to go wrong!"

Qin Ya offered a word of comfort, then beckoned to the two.

Soon, the three returned to 902.

"Uncle Qin, Brother Tian Fan, Auntie Yu!"

Qin Ya opened the door and saw Liu Xuanyu standing behind it, holding a candle.

"Right, how could I forget? Big Brother Liu is SWAT. This comrade, you must be Big Brother Liu's colleague, right?"

After entering the room and sitting down, Yu Nuo felt her panic subside slightly and asked, just to make conversation.

Qin Ya took off his equipment and checked the rice bowl on the table. He found that Liu Xuanyu had done quite well, having basically finished the noodles. He looked at the confused Yu Nuo and Tian Fan.

"That's right. I was entrusted to come and pick up Captain Liu's son!"

Yu Nuo seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and hurriedly asked, "Officer Qin, since you SWAT have mobilized, what about the army? Our Qincheng should have a garrison, right?"

When the garrison was mentioned, Qin Ya was silent for a long time. He frowned and said, "They lost contact on the day the disaster happened. Later, I didn't see any military forces. I'm afraid they're in grave danger."

This news made Tian Fan and Yu Nuo's blood run half cold.

"Alright, don't ask about other things. Do you have any thoughts on escaping, or rather, a plan? Let's hear it!" Qin Ya interrupted their wild thoughts and asked.

Yu Nuo and Tian Fan looked at each other and shook their heads, pressing their lips together. Neither of them knew what to do, and hearing that the situation outside was so bad made them feel even more lost.

Qin Ya didn't seem discouraged by these two novices; he handed each of them a bottle of water.

"I know you must be panicking, but panicking is useless. You've seen the situation in Shengqin Garden—no water, no electricity, no gas. Supplies are dwindling. If we want to survive, we must escape!"

"Th-that, SWAT big brother, what is your name?"

After Yu Nuo gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, she asked timidly.

"Auntie Yu is so silly. I just called him Uncle Qin, so of course his surname is Qin."

At this moment, Liu Xuanyu walked over to them holding a toy dump truck. With more people around, the little guy was in a much better mood. He walked to Tian Fan's side and said, "Brother Tian Fan, shall we go play Three Kingdoms Flash?"

Tian Fan smiled helplessly. "Xuanyu, play by yourself. Brother has things to do."

"Okay..." Liu Xuanyu walked away, looking a bit reluctant.

"Qin... um, Officer Qin." Yu Nuo didn't know how to address Qin Ya, so she picked a title at random and continued, "In this situation, shouldn't we just stay at home and wait for the authorities to clear... the zombies outside? Wouldn't rushing out just add to the authorities' trouble?"

Qin Ya said in a deep voice, "Our brigade lost contact with the authorities on the day the disaster broke out. The situation is worse than any of us expected. I really don't want to tell you this unfortunate news, but... no authorities are coming to rescue us!"

"Wh-what!"

One shocking piece of news after another left Yu Nuo and Tian Fan staring at each other.

"Alright, knowing this much is enough! I'll just ask you one thing: do you want to live!"

Qin Ya wasn't afraid that they were novices; on the contrary, he liked novices. Novices were much easier to lead than those who came with prejudices.

"I do!"

"Of course..."

Yu Nuo and Tian Fan nodded hurriedly. All the hope they had previously built up was shattered. In an instant, they realized that their hope of escaping alive rested entirely on this SWAT officer surnamed Qin.

"Since you want to escape, you must strengthen your bodies and firm up your beliefs. From now on, you must follow my commands in everything you do. Understand?"

"Understood!"

Tian Fan and Yu Nuo's expressions became much calmer. Having someone in charge was a good thing for them.

"Good. I've formulated a plan. First, you two quickly recall what resources you still have at home that can be used..."

Qin Ya's first task was to lead Tian Fan and Yu Nuo to collect supplies; otherwise, with the food stored in Captain Liu's home, they could barely support four people for two or three days.

"Yes, yes, Big Brother Qin, I have plenty of food and drink at home, just downstairs."

"Officer Qin, I don't have much food at home, but I have a few packs of water. I bought them recently."

"Very good. We'll go and gather the supplies in a moment!"

Qin Ya was decisive and immediately decided to start working under the cover of night.

"Aren't you cold sitting by the window with so little on? You must not catch a cold at a time like this!"

Zheng Xinyu walked to Zhang Su's side with concern and placed her hand on his firm, powerful arm.

"Calluses formed in just a few days. You're really working hard."

Zhang Su felt the calluses brush against his skin and turned to smile at Zheng Xinyu. If one still indulged in self-pity and thought about being a flower vase at a time like this, the final outcome would be miserable.

Zheng Xinyu squeezed her palms and shrugged with a smile. "I have no choice but to work hard. Zombies won't show mercy to a pretty face, and I don't want to be a delivery person!"

What Zheng Xinyu practiced most these past few days was swinging a baseball bat. She didn't just practice during training; she would swing it a few times whenever she had a spare moment. The heavy bat was not only her weapon but also her training equipment.

"That's a great mindset. Keep it up!"

Zhang Su felt very gratified and pinched Zheng Xinyu's cheek. In the current environment, only by fighting for their lives together would they have a better chance of survival. He didn't need a flower vase.

Zheng Xinyu nodded heavily. She felt a clear sense of growth and change. Compared to the extreme terror she felt when she first saw a zombie, she could now face them calmly. She believed that as long as she wasn't suddenly ambushed, she could completely handle a zombie in a head-on confrontation.

At first, she had thought about hiding completely under Zhang Su's wing, but thinking about it from his perspective, she felt that with Zhang Su's personality, he knew very well what was more important: life or intimacy.

"Eh, was there a light over there just now?"

Just as she was leaning on Zhang Su's shoulder, lost in thought, she suddenly pointed forward and asked.

"That's right." Zhang Su pointed to Unit 1 of Building 4 and said, "That SWAT officer saved the two people on the roof and is currently leading them to search for supplies."

Due to the distance and the obstruction of the walls, he couldn't hear the movements across the way clearly, but he could make a rough judgment based on the information that occasionally reached his ears.

"Ah... the two people in the building across the way were saved? SWAT officers receive long-term professional training, so they really are different. They can adapt to the environment and start searching for supplies so quickly." Zheng Xinyu nodded in approval.

Zhang Su smiled, the corners of his mouth curling up. "The SWAT officer must be very capable, but we aren't bad either. As long as we're willing, searching for supplies in this unit will be easy. Have confidence!"

"Brother Su, how much longer do you think we can stay here?"

Zhong Xiaoshan also walked over. Hearing that people across the way were searching for supplies, she asked out of concern.

Zhang Su glanced downstairs. Some zombie figures had appeared between the two buildings again. After the music stopped playing in the afternoon, the zombie horde had scattered, and zombies were slowly wandering over.

"The ratio of food to water is a problem. While ensuring the effectiveness of our training, our food will last at most ten days. Water is more abundant and can last half a month."

"Is it that tight?"

Zheng Xinyu asked, feeling worried.

Zhang Su nodded. "We're training every day now, so our consumption of food and water is very fast. Did you think we were just sleeping and waiting to die every day? If we did that, we could last a month and a half without a problem, but what then? We'd just die..."

After increasing the training intensity, the food intake of the three of them had increased dramatically, even exceeding their normal appetite. If compared to a low-consumption state, their current daily intake was enough to last three or four days if they were frugal.

"Yeah, if there was hope for rescue, we could hold out, but now it's obvious..." Zhong Xiaoshan shook her head, disappointed. "It's obvious there's no hope at all."

"If you have any opinions on my plan, you can bring them up. I'm also worried about omissions. Let's pool our wisdom; we have only one goal, and that is to survive!"

Zhang Su patted both of their arms at the same time.

Zheng Xinyu raised her hand repeatedly. "Brother Su, I think... since we have so much water, can we spare a tiny bit for personal hygiene? Hehe."

Hearing Zheng Xinyu's suggestion, Zhong Xiaoshan hurriedly echoed, "Yeah, Brother Su, we haven't, um, washed in several days. You know, it's easy to get sick from bacterial growth in that area..."

"Cough! That is indeed a problem. Um, I'll specially approve one bottle of water for each of you today, the half-liter kind. That's enough, right?"

Zhang Su felt a little embarrassed. Men and women are different; his own hygiene was easy to handle, but women's was a bit more troublesome. However, this had to be taken seriously. If they really developed some ailment, it would be hard to deal with at a time like this.

"Enough, enough!"

"Enough, hehe, thank you Brother Su!"

The two women were delighted to get approval. Zheng Xinyu even kissed Zhang Su on the face before pulling Zhong Xiaoshan away.

Zhang Su touched his slightly warm face and sighed with a smile. "One must find joy in suffering, otherwise, what's the point of living even if we survive..."

Survival is the foundation, but one cannot live just for the sake of living. While alive, one should try to be as happy as possible. One can endure hardship, but not seek it out. If one lives forever in fear of the future, one will lose the most precious present.

After watching the other side quietly for a while, Zhang Su stopped paying attention to the SWAT team's actions and, after tidying up a bit, lay down on the bed.

In the pitch-black night, time passed slowly. He didn't know how long he had been staring blankly when a cool breeze suddenly slipped into the quilt, followed by a warm, soft body pressing against him.

"Hmm?"

Zhang Su's eyebrows twitched. The sensation today was clearly different from before. He turned his head and asked in surprise, "Why is it you!?"

The question was filled with surprise.

Zhong Xiaoshan's heart was pounding loudly. A blush that couldn't be seen in the darkness rose on her cheeks. She said weakly, "Brother Su, I, I came to warm the quilt for you. Please don't despise me..."

Her weak voice carried a hint of pleading.

Zhang Su understood Zhong Xiaoshan's motive. With a sudden disaster and a difficult struggle for survival, the possibility of surviving alone was slim. To survive, she had to bind herself to him, and there were few ways to establish a reliable relationship.

"Do you think that by warming the quilt, I will do my best to protect your life in the future?"

Zhang Su pillowed his head on his arms, looking at the woman within arm's reach through the faint light.

Since accepting Zhong Xiaoshan into the team, he had thought about possessing this woman with her good temperament and figure. His protection wouldn't be that cheap; he just hadn't expected her to take the initiative to throw herself into his arms before he could even speak.

Zhong Xiaoshan's body stiffened at Zhang Su's question. She gave a sheepish smile and said, "I, I just ask that Brother Su doesn't leave me behind within your capabilities... I will work hard, I won't hold you back!"

To survive, a weak woman can become strong.

Zhang Su looked at the tags above Zhong Xiaoshan's head: 【Decisive】, 【Repays kindness and grudges】, 【Mistress】. He shook his head inwardly, thinking: Being a mistress really is your destiny...

The timing might not be ripe, but in a close environment, if the last layer of window paper between a man and a woman isn't pierced, it will always be awkward.

Seeing that Zhang Su didn't express his stance, Zhong Xiaoshan thought he had concerns and whispered, "I... I discussed it with Sister Xinyu. She said it's fine as long as you're willing."

??

Zhang Su blurted out, "When did you two study these things?"

He was very surprised. He clearly hadn't heard the two of them talking about this, and he suspected Zhong Xiaoshan was lying to him!

I'm very happy to be on the strong recommendation list. Many readers have reacted that the pace is slow, so I'll add more words. I hope the readers like it. Thank you all for your support.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 51 =====