Zhang Yi's face twisted with disgust.
This despicable woman was truly revolting.
She was now calling Uncle You "husband," but why had he never heard her call him that before?
Unbelievable! Now, she was using the fact that Uncle You had taken a bullet for him to morally blackmail him into taking care of her and her daughter.
She really deserved to die!
Zhang Yi glanced at Uncle You. He was barely hanging on to life, and whether he survived would depend on Zhou Ke'er.
If Uncle You weren't still alive, Zhang Yi would have already slapped Xie Limei senseless, sending her spinning in confusion!
But with Uncle You still breathing, Zhang Yi had to hold back his temper.
After all, the man had taken a bullet for him. He couldn't very well deal with his mistress and her child while the man was still alive, could he?
So, Zhang Yi kept a cold, silent face.
Xie Limei cried for a long time. When she saw that Zhang Yi wasn't reacting, she grew anxious inside.
Uncle You was her carefully selected long-term meal ticket.
Now, with her meal ticket about to expire, she needed to find a new one quickly to support herself and her daughter.
She wasn't particularly sad about Uncle You dying.
But using this opportunity to morally coerce Zhang Yi into taking care of them? She was more than willing to do that.
So, Xie Limei wiped her nose and, with teary eyes, turned to Zhang Yi and said, "Zhang Yi, will my husband be alright?"
Husband, my foot!
Zhang Yi remained calm on the outside but was cursing inwardly.
"Don't worry, I will do everything I can to save Uncle You! Zhou Ke'er is a chief doctor from a major hospital. With her here, there's hope for Uncle You's recovery."
He had many medical supplies stored in his alternate space, including three shipping containers' worth of drugs and medical equipment he had later found in a warehouse district.
Zhang Yi's only promise: he would do everything possible to save Uncle You!
But whether he succeeded or not would be up to fate.
Xie Limei cried, "If something happens to him, I don't want to live anymore!"
Zhang Yi remained silent, not wanting to engage with her on that topic.
Seeing Zhang Yi's indifference, Xie Limei cursed him inwardly: Zhang Yi, you heartless man! Uncle You took a bullet for you, and you won't even look after us because of that?
She resented Zhang Yi inside but didn't dare voice it aloud.
Still sniffling, she held out the baby wrapped tightly in her arms.
"Zhang Yi, if my husband dies, I won't want to live. But I beg you, for his sake, take care of the child. Please!"
Zhang Yi quickly responded, "Sister Xie, what are you saying? I will do my best to save Uncle You!"
He waved his hand, clearly refusing to take on the responsibility of caring for her child.
Xie Limei pressed further, "But what if he doesn't make it?"
Zhang Yi's gaze grew serious. "I will do everything I can."
"But what if all efforts fail?"
"Rest assured, I will try my best. And I believe you hope Uncle You survives too, right?"
Zhang Yi locked eyes with Xie Limei, speaking firmly.
Xie Limei was left speechless by Zhang Yi's retort.
Her eagerness to ask what would happen if Uncle You died made it seem like she was hoping for his death.
"Of course, I... I definitely want my husband to live!"
Seeing Zhang Yi's sharp reasoning, Xie Limei didn't dare argue further and resumed crying while holding the baby.
Zhang Yi instructed the neighbors to carry Uncle You to his apartment. Since they were on the 24th floor, the task required swapping out two groups of people along the way.
Even so, they were all out of breath by the time they arrived.
However, no one dared complain, not even a whisper.
They all knew that if Zhang Yi became displeased, he could kill them without hesitation.
Once at his apartment door, Zhang Yi had them put Uncle You down and said, "You all can go now."
The others were relieved and quickly made their way back downstairs.
Xie Limei, still holding her baby, stood by Uncle You's side, sobbing.
Zhang Yi frowned. "Sister Xie, you should go back for now. We're about to perform surgery to remove the bullet from Uncle You, and there's nothing you can do to help here."
Upon hearing this, Xie Limei stubbornly replied, "No! He needs someone by his side right now, and I can't leave him!"
With that, she knelt down and quickly grasped Uncle You's hand.
Oddly enough, Uncle You's expression, which had been filled with pain, seemed to ease slightly.
Zhang Yi really wanted to put a bullet through her, but with Uncle You lying there, it wasn't the right time.
Saving Uncle You took priority, so Zhang Yi didn't waste any more time and opened the door.
To Xie Limei, it was as if the door to paradise had opened.
After surviving a month in the freezing post-apocalyptic world, she had endured the harshest conditions. If it hadn't been for Uncle You warming her and her child each night, they would have died long ago.
Feeling the warm air from inside the apartment and seeing the familiar yet distant furnishings of a civilized world, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
This time, her tears were genuine, not an act.
Zhang Yi called Zhou Ke'er over to help him move Uncle You.
Meanwhile, Xie Limei, without hesitation, entered the apartment, baby in her arms.
She immediately noticed the water dispenser in the corner, swallowed hard, and hurriedly grabbed a cup from the table. She filled it with hot water and began drinking greedily.
Both Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er noticed this.
Zhou Ke'er looked at Zhang Yi with a hint of surprise, wondering why he allowed her inside.
But when she saw Uncle You, covered in blood at the door, she understood.
Zhang Yi's gaze, however, was full of disdain—especially since Xie Limei was using his cup!
After filling her cup, she blew on the water a couple of times and took a long sip, smiling contentedly.
"Ah... Hot water is so good!"
Xie Limei wore a look of bliss.
Suddenly, she remembered something and looked at the baby in her arms.
"Zhang Yi, do you have any formula at home?"
Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er were busy moving Uncle You, but when Zhang Yi heard this, his expression darkened.
"What did you say?"
Xie Limei was startled by Zhang Yi's icy stare and quickly realized the gravity of the situation.
Holding the cup, she nervously said, "The baby needs something to drink too! My husband really loved the baby."
Zhang Yi's cold eyes fixed on her. "Come help, or I'll throw you out!"
Xie Limei dared not argue further and reluctantly followed with the baby in her arms.
Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er carried Uncle You into a spare room.
Zhang Yi's apartment had three bedrooms and a living room. Besides his and Zhou Ke'er's rooms, there was an extra room.
Normally, it was unused, and Zhang Yi had repurposed it to store a silent generator.
The entire safe house's power supply came from three silent generators.