Chapter 37: Parting Ways
After getting into the van, Ye Duo began panting heavily—partly from running, partly from fright.
“Bang!”
The door was slammed shut. The other zombies, like cats smelling fish, lunged toward them, slapping frantically at the doors.
“Drive,” Chaolu said. “Find a safe place first.”
“Got it!” Zhu Dafu answered, flooring the gas pedal and speeding away. “By the way, we’re running low on fuel. We’ll have to refill soon.”
“This morning, when we were circling around, I saw a gas station. The other vehicle should need gas too. Later we’ll take turns, same plan as before,” Chaoyang said.
From the passenger seat, Zhao Xuehua chuckled. “Got it. Lure the tiger from the mountain.”
Same trick as always—old, but reliable.
As for this girl who suddenly appeared halfway…
“Miss, are you alright?” Zhao Xuehua asked with concern, looking at the still-breathless Ye Duo. After thinking for a moment, she took out half a bottle of water from her bag and handed it over. “Would you like some water?”
Ye Duo stared at the bottle, almost unable to believe it.
Water… clean water…
The power and water in her neighborhood had been cut off long ago. The last time she drank was two days ago, when she got two sips from the final bit of her household’s water reserve.
Ye Duo licked her parched lips and, trembling, accepted the bottle. “Thank you… thank you!”
She didn’t dare hold back, afraid the water might be taken back.
The others in the van silently watched her drink. Clearly, this girl hadn’t had water in a long time.
Naturally, that also meant she probably hadn’t eaten in a long time.
So, Mibao took a small bag of bear-shaped biscuits from her own little pouch and, after Ye Duo finished drinking, handed it over. “Big sister, this is for you.”
Ye Duo froze, staring at Mibao, hesitant to take it.
Could a child really make such a decision?
Ye Duo couldn’t help but lift her head to look at Zhao Xuehua in the passenger seat. “Auntie, can I… can I eat this?”
The expressions of everyone in the car immediately turned a little strange.
“These are Mibao’s biscuits. If she wants to give them to you, of course you can eat them,” Zhao Xuehua said, puzzled. “You don’t need to ask me.”
Ye Duo froze for a moment. “Oh, oh… th-thank you.”
She took the biscuits from Mibao and began eating in big bites, not wasting even a single crumb.
Sitting beside Chaoyang, Mibao couldn’t help leaning closer and whispering, “Brother Chaoyang, this big sister is so pitiful.”
It was obvious she hadn’t eaten in a long time.
Chaoyang glanced at Ye Duo but said nothing—just reached out and patted Mibao on the head.
When Ye Duo had finished the entire bag of biscuits, Chaolu finally spoke: “Alright, tell us what happened.”
At that, Ye Duo immediately straightened up. “There wasn’t much food left in our neighborhood…”
She described the situation in her apartment complex, how people upstairs had started eating human flesh, and how her own family had run out of food.
“…If I didn’t run, I’d be the next meal,” Ye Duo said, her eyes reddening again. “I didn’t want to become food, so I thought I’d gamble on escaping.”
Hearing this, Chaolu patted her on the shoulder. “That really is pitiful. I’ve decided—we’ll take you with us!”
Ye Duo grew uneasy at that. She couldn’t help but look toward the three adults in the car, then back at Chaolu. “Shouldn’t… shouldn’t you ask the others first?”
Especially the adults.
In Ye Duo’s mind, of course children were supposed to listen to adults. Adults were always stronger than kids.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that she was about to be eaten, she never would’ve had the courage to run out.
“Haha, but Chaolu is our little teacher. She’s the most capable one here,” Zhao Xuehua said with a laugh.
Driver Zhu Dafu couldn’t help but laugh as well. “That’s right!”
Qian Suiyou, who had been quiet the whole time, naturally had no objections. After all, these adults had been rescued by the kids—and besides, he was still hoping to benefit from staying on good terms with them.
Ye Duo looked at Chaolu in amazement. “Wow, you’re incredible…”
Chaolu tilted her chin slightly, a little proud. “Heh, it’s nothing special~”
And just like that, Ye Duo’s place with them was decided.
Everyone then introduced themselves, and Ye Duo finally learned the situation of everyone in the van.
She couldn’t help feeling shocked, as if she were listening to something out of a storybook.
Oh my God—Chaolu and Chaoyang, this brother-and-sister pair, were way too impressive!
As for Mibao, Ye Duo didn’t hear of anything particularly impressive about her. After all, she was still just a five-year-old toddler.
Well…
Of course, the matter of the system wasn’t something they could tell others; even the adults hadn’t been told.
As for the master key, they had all agreed on a cover story: that they’d stolen it from the bald thug.
Before long, Chaoyang used the walkie-talkie to contact the other van and discussed the matter of refueling.
After they’d finished making a sweep of the neighborhood and notifying everyone, the two vans headed to the gas station.
Once they’d refueled one after another, it was time to part ways.
“Oh, right. They’re heading to the southern base—it’s closer. Do you want to ride with them instead?”
Before separating, Chaolu asked Ye Duo.
Ye Duo thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I’ll stay with you.”
After all, there were kids her own age here. That other van was full of four adults, and she felt a bit afraid.
Their van rattled along toward the Oasis Base. Since the Oasis Base was located closer to the central region, that meant they’d have to pass through several cities on the way.
It wasn’t until nightfall, when they found an empty shop to rest in, that Ye Duo finally learned from Chaolu why they were heading for the Oasis Base.
“…To… find Mibao’s dad?” Ye Duo blinked, unsure how to feel. “You people are really kind, going together just to help her.”
Since third grade, Ye Duo had been living with her uncle and aunt, while her parents worked away from home.
Chaolu didn’t catch the deeper meaning in Ye Duo’s words and instead laughed brightly. “Mibao and I are friends~ I treat her like my own little sister. Everyone here is really nice.”
While Chaolu and Ye Duo were talking, Chaoyang was busy combing Mibao’s hair.
In the afternoon, Mibao had been so sleepy that she’d dozed off in all sorts of positions, leaving her hair a complete mess.
“Brother Chaoyang, we’re going to bed again soon, so my hair will get messy anyway. Why bother combing it?” Mibao asked, her face full of confusion.
Chaoyang sighed helplessly. “It’s still a long while before bed. Do you really want to keep walking around with a bird’s nest on your head?”
Mibao thought it over and realized he had a point, so she obediently let Chaoyang comb her hair, while she herself nibbled on a piece of instant corn.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xuehua had boiled a pot of hot water. When everyone started making instant noodles, Mibao’s bowl got an extra boiled egg.
It was one of the last few they had brought from the town supermarket before leaving.
Seeing this, Ye Duo couldn’t help but feel a little envious of Mibao.
How wonderful…
To have such kind people around her.
Ye Duo lowered her head slightly as she ate her noodles. The instant noodles smelled delicious, and after days of hunger, her stomach finally embraced the warmth of hot food.
The night passed in peace, and the next morning the van set off again.
Meanwhile, in the distance, a certain skeletal figure finally struggled its way down the mountain.
