Zheng Rongrong had always been quite close with Shen Xue, so none of us dared to say anything that might provoke her at this point.
It was clear that she had been terrified by something.
Shen Xue kept trying to communicate with her, but it was no use.
In the end, all she could do was coax and threaten at the same time, repeating, "Come on, sweetheart, come to big sis. Don't throw a tantrum now, it's not safe here."
But it seemed like Rongrong wasn't listening at all anymore—maybe she couldn't even clearly recognize who we were.
Her lifeless eyes just kept darting around at all of us, staring and screaming nonstop.
My heart gradually clenched up.
She had been screaming like this for quite a while now, without even a pause except for the quick, shallow breaths.
Her little face had already started turning slightly purple from the lack of oxygen.
We couldn't let this continue.
Shen Xue turned back and looked at us pleadingly. "What should we do?"
"Just drag her out," Xu Shu said bluntly—her methods were usually straightforward.
Shen Xue frowned slightly, seemingly not too keen on that idea.
But after thinking for a bit and unable to come up with a better solution, she tried talking to Rongrong a couple more times.
When that didn't work, she gritted her teeth, leaned into the cabinet, and reached in to grab Rongrong.
Rongrong was clearly frightened by Shen Xue's movement.
Her little face, which had previously been pale and screaming with a dry, vacant expression, suddenly filled with fear and panic.
She kept shrinking back into the corner, retreating over and over again, her screams growing louder and more desperate, to the point where her voice was nearly torn apart.
As Shen Xue reached her hand toward her, she was still trying to communicate with her.
But Rongrong just kept retreating, reaching out to push away Shen Xue's arm.
"Sweetheart, sweetheart, it's okay. Be good now, big sis will take you home, big sis will take you home," Shen Xue's voice was so gentle it could practically melt water.
I knew she was truly heartbroken for Rongrong at this point.
Ever since she'd joined our group, aside from the early days when Rongrong would cling to Yangyang to sleep, it had always been Shen Xue who took on the role of a mother—taking care of her food, her sleep, everything.
And just as all of us were watching Shen Xue's outstretched hand, something unexpected happened.
Rongrong, who had been constantly shrinking away and screaming, suddenly froze—and fell silent.
Her body went still, and the screaming stopped altogether.
Her mouth remained wide open, and her messy hair covered almost her entire little face, so I couldn't see her expression clearly.
Shen Xue also stopped moving, seemingly puzzled by Rongrong's sudden silence.
But in the very next second, Rongrong suddenly jerked her head up.
Her messy hair, which had been covering her face, flew to both sides—and the moment I saw her face, my heart gave a violent jolt.
I instinctively shouted at Shen Xue, "Xiaoxue, get back!"
But it was already too late.
Rongrong suddenly grabbed Shen Xue's arm, which had been paused in front of her, and sank her teeth into it with a vicious bite.
None of us could make sense of what had just happened.
A lot can happen in the span of a single second.
Rongrong bit down with full force, and in the instant her teeth sank in, I saw blood immediately gush from the corner of her mouth and Shen Xue's arm, bright red and shocking to the eye.
At the same time, Shen Xue's brain seemed to unfreeze, and a scream of agony burst from her mouth.
Suo Tian quickly stepped forward, deftly jumped into the cabinet, grabbed hold of Rongrong, and clamped down hard on her jaw, forcing her to open her mouth.
Rongrong, after all, was just a child—she couldn't withstand Suo Tian's strength.
She let go almost immediately.
And in that moment, I clearly saw that chunk of Shen Xue's arm—bloodied, mangled, and raw.
Under Suo Tian's restraint, Rongrong started screaming again.
But this time, probably because of the blood she had accidentally swallowed while biting Shen Xue, her throat let out a strange gurgling sound.
Her deathly pale little face, now stained with a mouthful of vivid red, took on a horrifyingly twisted and feral look—one that sent chills down our spines.
Bloodshed caused by a child is, in itself, something that should strike fear into the heart.
Those two things—children and violence—were never meant to be connected.
Rongrong was thrashing wildly.
Suo Tian frowned deeply and struck the back of her neck with a swift knife-hand blow.
I didn't know if Suo Tian had paid attention to how hard he hit her, but at that moment, it was clear no one cared whether she might be hurt by it.
What mattered was that she finally went quiet.
Cradled in Suo Tian's arms, her small body went completely limp, as if all the bones had left her.
He reached out and pried her mouth open slightly, tilting her body to the side and patting her back a few times.
A mouthful of blood, thick with a metallic stench and mucus, spilled out from her lips.
Whether it was a subconscious physical reflex or not, Rongrong, still limp in Suo Tian's arms, even gagged twice as if cooperating, finally emptying her throat of blood before completely passing out.
Shen Xue clutched her own arm tightly, biting down hard on her lip in an effort to endure the pain, but still couldn't help letting out several muffled groans.
Shen Feng seemed stunned, standing there blankly, just staring at his little sister.
It was Xu Shu and Jun Di who reacted first, rushing forward to catch Shen Xue just before she collapsed to the ground.
"Chen Yang, Shen Feng! What are you two spacing out for?! Hurry up and get her to the car!" Jun Di shouted at me and Shen Feng.
Shen Xue had always been protected and cherished by her older brother since she was a child.
Even after the chaos began, we had never let her get hurt—not even once.
And now, to suddenly have a chunk of flesh nearly bitten off her arm, her mental state crumbled almost instantly.
She clutched the wound tightly, drenched in sweat so profusely that her hair was completely soaked through.
Once Shen Feng snapped out of it, his face turned completely pale.
He stumbled forward in a few quick steps, scooped up Shen Xue—who had gone limp from the overwhelming pain—and turned to dash out of the house with her in his arms.
The black-clad men also took Rongrong from Suo Tian's arms and followed closely behind.
I still stood frozen in place.
That look on Rongrong's face the moment she raised her head—maybe the others didn't recognize it, but I knew it all too well.
It was exactly the same expression Zhao Qiuting had when she went berserk and bit that student to death—right before she attacked me.
There wasn't a single difference.
..............
I stared blankly at the wooden chest—so... Rongrong had gone mad?
Suo Tian didn't follow the others outside.
He glanced at me a couple of times but said nothing.
Then he walked over, grabbed my arm, and pulled me toward the door.
I followed him in a daze, but one thought became painfully clear in my mind:
For the foreseeable future... no one was going to come with me to search for Yangyang anymore.
Maybe worrying about Yangyang in a moment like this was selfish—but I couldn't help it.
That's just who I am.
I care about Xiao Xue, I feel sorry for Rongrong... but they're not my family.
Yangyang is.
He's my little brother—my blood, my family.
We share the same blood. I'm his big sister.
I turned to glance back at the house behind me, and in that moment, I nearly wanted to scream out just like Rongrong had moments ago!
Where is my brother?! Where is my brother?!
I had to admit—Suo Tian and the others had really thought ahead.
They'd packed up Uncle Gazi's things into the car beforehand.
Otherwise, on the way back, none of us would've had the heart or energy to worry about those supplies.
Rongrong was placed in their car by Suo Tian, limp in his arms.
Shen Feng was holding tightly onto Shen Xue, his lips trembling.
Normally so calm and composed, even he had red eyes now.
His gaze darted everywhere—everywhere but down, because he couldn't bring himself to look at his own sister.
I knew then—he was truly heartbroken.
In the apocalypse, the emotional strength that family provides is beyond what most people can imagine.
No matter how many people you team up with, the bond of shared blood makes the dependence between family members inevitable.
In the end, everyone else is just a temporary companion, someone you rely on only because you want to survive.
Jun Di drove fast, but still managed to keep pace with Suo Tian's vehicle.
Xu Shu kept turning around to urge Shen Feng to move Shen Xue's hand away from her wound.
Shen Xue had just fought off a walker—who knew if any of its blood had splashed onto her hand?
Shen Feng reached out, trying to pull her hand away.
But when Shen Xue, sobbing and trembling, cried out that it hurt, Shen Feng suddenly wiped his eyes, pulled her into a tighter embrace, and never reached for her wound again.
I looked at the two siblings, and while feeling heartache for Xiao Xue, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh inside.
Compared to a brother like Shen Feng… have I, as a sister, been too unfair to Yangyang?
Is he also hiding in some corner right now, holding on with all his strength, waiting for me to rescue him?
Yangyang is actually a very strong child.
All these years, I've spoiled him so much that, compared to other boys, he definitely lacked a bit of that masculine toughness—and instead carried a certain delicate softness, more like a girl.
But after the apocalypse began, aside from being terrified and panicked on that very first day, he's been incredibly strong ever since.
He doesn't cry, and he never says he's scared.
He always just quietly listens to everything I say, hoping to help us in some way—yet I've turned him down again and again.
I buried my face in my hands, overwhelmed with emotion.
My eyes were dry. I didn't want to cry.
I just really, really missed my little brother.
----------------
Exclusive access on patreon to Ch 120
Join now : p@treon*com/DeCakraWnloverz