The car quickly pulled up in front of the shelter.
As the gate opened, Fatty and his team went about their routine inspection—but in our current state, there was no way we could let them see what was inside.
Never mind how they'd react to the wound on Xiao Xue's arm—just the sight of Zheng Rongrong alone, who now looked almost indistinguishable from a walker, would've made someone as cautious as Fatty instantly refuse to let us in.
We had no choice.
I forcefully rubbed my face, then signaled Xu Shu to try her best to block Xiao Xue from view.
After that, I rolled down the window and forced a casual smile as I said, "Captain Niu, we managed to find some supplies. No need for inspection now, right? We got a bunch of sweet potatoes and corn. Once we've settled down, we'll bring some over for you."
Fatty's expression shifted slightly when he heard the word "supplies."
Having holed up in the house for so long before, I knew exactly what a secure shelter needed most.
Sure enough, when I said we'd send some over to them, he immediately broke into a smile and replied, "You're too kind, miss. Tell your boss I said thank you."
As he spoke, he waved to the people behind him, and with a loud clang, the gate was opened: "Go on in."
I gave him a polite nod of thanks before turning back to signal Jun Di to drive in quickly.
The bearded man and the middle-aged man seemed to have spotted us from a distance—they were already waiting with people at the base of Building 6.
My heart sank the moment I saw them—this was bad!
In some ways, these guys weren't all that different from Fatty.
If they saw Xiao Xue and Rongrong like this, would they also decide to "deal with" them for the sake of caution?
What if the commotion ended up drawing Fatty back over?
Then again, thinking about it, since Suo Tian brought the two of them back without any objections, it meant he was confident about handling the situation.
Unlike when I returned earlier, this time there were a lot of witnesses—everyone had seen that Rongrong was definitely not a walker, and they also knew that Xiao Xue's wound hadn't been caused by one.
Sure enough, Suo Tian got out of the car first, followed by the black-clad man carrying Rongrong.
When Big Beard and the others saw her, their expressions immediately shifted—they instinctively reached for their guns but were stopped by a wave from Suo Tian.
He spoke to them about something—I couldn't hear from inside the car—but I saw Big Beard nodding repeatedly, while the middle-aged man just stared thoughtfully at Rongrong.
Not long after, Suo Tian said something to a few of the other black-clad men, and a small group headed over to our car.
Xu Shu opened the door, and they quickly took the nearly unconscious Xiao Xue from Shen Feng's arms.
At first, Shen Feng didn't want to let go, still holding tightly onto Xiao Xue.
But Xu Shu tugged on his arm and whispered a few words to him, and with a deeply furrowed brow, he finally allowed them to carry his sister away—his gaze fixed on her the whole time.
They moved quickly—both Xiao Xue and Rongrong were soon relocated to an empty room on the third floor.
That entire floor had originally been empty—there simply weren't that many of us, and the black-clad men would never assign individual rooms for each person.
So most of the rooms in that building were left unoccupied.
Our group followed in a large procession up to the third floor.
Along the way, I motioned to Chen Pu, who had come upstairs after sensing the commotion, and to Jun Di, asking them to sort out some of the supplies from Suo Tian's vehicle.
We'd need to deliver a portion to Fatty and his people later.
Both of them readily agreed.
Chen Pu had seen Xiao Xue being carried upstairs surrounded by people, and with a worried expression, he asked me, "Sister Chen Yang, what happened to Sister Xiao Xue?"
I forced a strained smile and said, "She just got a little injury, it's nothing serious—she'll be fine in a couple of days. Don't worry."
"But… I saw so much blood on her," he said, lowering his head slightly.
After taking a deep breath, he looked back up at me and asked, "Was Sister Xiao Xue bitten?"
My expression froze for a second before I patted him on the head and said, "Of course not. With your amazing big sister around, how could Xiao Xue possibly get bitten? She just scratched herself on something by accident."
Chen Pu still looked doubtful, but after nodding hesitantly, he turned to help Jun Di sort the supplies.
Jun Di didn't look too good either.
As I stared at his back for a while, I suddenly remembered—this guy had a thing for Xiao Xue.
There was a medical kit in Suo Tian's vehicle, and with the gauze and other medicine I'd previously retrieved with him, we were fairly well-equipped.
After laying Shen Xue flat on the bed, all of us stepped aside while Suo Tian quickly stopped the bleeding, disinfected, and bandaged her wound.
Shen Xue kept letting out muffled groans, her face pale beyond belief.
With no other option, we gave her some painkillers.
Once everything was taken care of, Suo Tian handed a thermometer to Shen Feng and said, "Take her temperature every hour. Let me know immediately if she starts to run a fever."
Shen Feng took the thermometer with a dazed look still on his face.
I stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. Remember, I got bitten once too. No one took care of me, and I still managed to survive, didn't I?"
Shen Feng turned to glance at me, his lips twitching slightly before he replied in a low voice, "Chen Yang, you're stronger than Xiao Xue."
Even though I knew he meant it as comfort, I still spiraled into a bitter line of thought: Stronger? That's bullshit. I've always had no one to rely on but myself. If I hadn't held on, I would've died in that room back then—and after turning, you'd have been the ones stabbing a blade through my skull.
The human mind shouldn't be indulged.
And yet here I was, letting mine bend and twist.
I could clearly recognize it, but I just couldn't control it anymore.
Seeing Shen Xue finally asleep on the bed, and figuring that she was probably out of immediate danger, I quietly left the room.
Rongrong, on the other hand, was being treated just like Zhao Qiuting had been—locked in a room on the second floor by herself.
Two armed black-clad guards stood watch outside her door, not allowing anyone near.
Even with my status as the leader's wife, I wasn't allowed in.
I let out a sigh.
I didn't want to go back to my room—being alone with my thoughts would only drive me insane.
With no better option, I wandered aimlessly out of Building Six, heading toward the little park I'd seen earlier.
My mind was a chaotic mess, flashing through disjointed images and voices.
Frustrated, I smacked my forehead and quickened my pace.
Hopefully, the calm and peaceful environment of the park could help soothe the chaos in my head.
Just as I passed the two buildings in the middle, I ran into Uncle Gazi, who was carrying Wang Tingyun outside.
Caught off guard by the sight of the grandfather and granddaughter duo, I halted mid-step and looked from Uncle Gazi to little Tingyun, who was staring at me with wide eyes.
After a two-second pause, I forced a dry smile and said, "Taking Tingyun out for a stroll?"
Uncle Gazi didn't answer my question right away.
He studied my face for a couple of seconds, then asked with concern in his voice, "What's wrong, girl?"
Hearing his words made my nose sting with emotion.
Realizing it, I quickly masked it with a cough and forced a laugh.
"It's nothing—just feeling a bit weighed down inside, figured I'd go out for a walk."
The care given by elders is always the warmest, the most touching.
After a lifetime of weathering hardships, what they tend to carry most is kindness and compassion.
Uncle Gazi set Tingyun down on the ground and said to me, "There's a little garden up ahead. Looked like a peaceful spot to me. Come sit with this old man and chat a bit."
I nodded, and the two of us each held one of Tingyun's hands as we walked toward the park.
When I had gone out in the morning, the park had still been quite lively.
But by now, most people had probably returned to their shelters.
Only a few scattered individuals were still wandering around.
Since Uncle Gazi and I had just moved in yesterday, most people here hadn't seen us yet.
So when they spotted us from afar, they looked a little curious.
But once they noticed I was looking their way, they smiled and gave a friendly wave.
I waved back politely, then stopped glancing around and followed Uncle Gazi straight to the pavilion by the pond.
After we sat down, Tingyun stubbornly ran to the edge of the pavilion, wanting to play with the water.
I quickly reached out and scooped her back before she could fall in.
Uncle Gazi chuckled and ruffled her hair. "What am I gonna do with this granddaughter of mine, huh? She's like a little wild monkey."
I smiled without replying and gently patted Tingyun's little head, quietly signaling for her not to run toward the pond again.
"You didn't find anyone… did you?" Uncle Gazi suddenly asked.
I froze for a moment, then turned my head to look at him.
I sat down to the side as Tingyun leapt back into her grandpa's arms.
Watching the two of them together, I nodded and replied, "Mm, I didn't find my little brother."
Uncle Gazi gave a knowing smile and said, "I figured. Girl, you wear your heart on your sleeve. Anyone could tell something was wrong just by looking at you. So what happened? Tell old Gazi about it."
I stared at the pond behind him for a while, took a deep breath, and then poured out everything that had happened over the past few days, like venting all the bitterness that had been bottling up inside me.
I spoke for a long, long time.
During that time, Tingyun even dozed off for a bit.
Uncle Gazi sat across from me, nodding silently the whole time.
Whenever I paused, he'd offer a few thoughtful words in response.
By the time I finished, my mouth was dry and my throat parched—but the chaos that had been swirling in my mind finally felt a bit clearer.
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