Fatty listened to what I said and waved it off. "We're not so short on supplies that we'd take yours. You only brought back a handful of things, and didn't you share half with us, young lady? I, Old Niu, remember that favor."
I was just about to say that I'd promised to share those supplies from the start, but Fatty didn't give me the chance.
He continued, "Hurry up and get inside. It's not safe out here."
I could only nod gratefully at him and then led Yangyang and the other three toward the courtyard.
Just as we were about to pass through the gate, I suddenly remembered Xiao Xue—still in the gatekeeper's room.
My steps faltered.
I instinctively reached out and grabbed Yangyang, who was walking beside me.
"Sis? What's wrong?" Yangyang, still mulling over what had just happened, looked over in confusion at being tugged so suddenly.
I glanced at him.
The warmth and lightness I'd briefly felt seeing him safe vanished instantly.
I spent a long moment trying to figure out how to tell him about Xiao Xue, but I quickly realized—no matter how carefully I worded it, the weight of the truth itself would be too much.
Yangyang was bound to be hit hard.
With a sigh, I pointed toward the gatekeeper's room and said softly, "Xiao Xue… is over there."
Yangyang followed the direction of my finger, and his face shifted, shedding the thoughtful look he'd worn a moment ago.
Trying to keep things light, he forced a smile and said, "Sis Xue didn't even come out to greet me after I made it back safe? Tch, so stingy."
After he finished speaking, Yangyang turned his head and noticed the stiffness in my expression.
The ease that had just appeared on his face immediately vanished, and he stared at me for several seconds before stammering, "Don't tell me… that person… is Sis Xue?"
My nose started to sting again.
I tightened my grip on Yangyang's hand, sniffled hard, and couldn't stop my eyes from welling up with tears.
I looked at him, and when I spoke, the tremble and choke in my voice were impossible to hide.
"Yeah… it's her."
Yangyang's body jolted, and he stared at me in disbelief for a long moment before finally speaking, "Sis? You're joking, right?"
Tears were already streaming down my face.
I wiped them away hard and shook my head at him. "It's true."
Yangyang didn't say anything else.
He looked toward the gatekeeper's room, stared for a couple of seconds, and then slowly lifted his foot and walked over.
The three people who had come with him exchanged confused glances, clearly having no idea what was going on.
I turned to them and pointed in the direction of Building 6.
"Head over to that building. Just tell them you came with Chen Yang, and someone will help you get settled."
The three of them were stunned for a moment, then nodded at me and headed straight toward Building 6.
When Yangyang and I reached the gatekeeper's room, we saw the old man Zheng still squatting by the wall.
He looked up when he saw us, studied Yangyang for a second, and asked me, "Your family?"
I nodded and tried to keep my voice steady. "Yeah. My little brother."
Old Man Zheng nodded, then looked at Yangyang again and said, "Good, it's good to have a younger brother. It's good he made it back safe."
I didn't respond to Old Man Zheng's words—Yangyang had already noticed the situation inside the room.
The two black-clad men had also come out and were now standing outside the door.
The room was too small anyway, and since Xiao Xue no longer posed any threat, there was no need for them to stay on guard.
When Yangyang stepped into the room, Chen Pu, Xu Shu, and the others were clearly caught off guard.
All of them froze for a moment, then broke into surprised and delighted expressions.
Chen Pu had always gotten along well with Yangyang, and seeing him now, he was so excited he immediately rushed over.
"Brother Yang? You're okay? When did you get back? Did someone go out looking for you?"
Yangyang looked at Chen Pu, but didn't smile.
His throat was already hoarse, and now his voice was even more raspy: "I came back on my own."
Hearing Yangyang's tone, Chen Pu glanced back at the bed where Xiao Xue was wrapped in blankets.
Realizing what had happened, his joy quickly faded.
He patted Yangyang on the shoulder and quietly stepped back to stand beside Xu Shu.
Shen Feng was squatting at the bedside with his head buried in his arms.
When he heard the commotion, he looked up.
When Yangyang saw Shen Feng's expression, his own face changed.
He quickly stepped forward to stand beside Shen Feng.
After glancing at the bed for a couple of seconds, he turned to me with a questioning look.
I nodded at him, signaling that yes—it was Xiao Xue.
Then Yangyang turned his head away.
I couldn't see his expression, only noticed that his narrow shoulders first trembled slightly, then began to shake violently.
Soon after, a hoarse sobbing sound came from him.
I stood by the door watching Shen Feng crouched on the floor.
When he heard Yangyang's crying, his lips trembled, and his gaze returned to Xiao Xue's body on the bed.
He quickly looked away, then abruptly stood up and turned to me.
Trying to steady his trembling lips, he asked, "Can we go out now?"
I looked back at the two soldiers in camouflage waiting by the gate to open it for us, then nodded to Shen Feng. "We can."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng's eyes reddened further.
He turned around and gently pushed Yangyang, who was standing at the bedside, aside.
Then he reached out and picked Xiao Xue up again.
Yangyang, still covering his face and trying to stifle his sobs, saw Shen Feng lifting Xiao Xue and asked, "Brother Shen Feng, what are you doing?"
Jun Di stepped forward and pulled Yangyang to the side, his voice hoarse as well.
"We're burying Xiao Xue. You came back just in time. Come with us."
Yangyang turned to look at me, his eyes red with tears.
I gave him a nod and let out a deep sigh.
In the end, Shen Feng didn't let the two black-clad men help—he insisted on carrying Xiao Xue out of the shelter gates all by himself.
Across the street from the shelter was a small greenbelt, probably only a few hundred square meters.
After stepping through the gates, Shen Feng walked straight toward that green area, clearly intending to bury Xiao Xue there.
The two black-clad men and the two soldiers in camouflage, carrying shovels they'd somehow found, rushed over ahead of him.
They picked a relatively flat spot, cleared it briefly, and began digging.
I signaled Yangyang to go help Shen Feng, who stubbornly refused to put Xiao Xue down.
Jun Di followed along too.
Shen Feng didn't react at all—he just stood there, unmoving, eyes fixed on the steadily deepening hole ahead of him.
Xu Shu came up beside me and let out a sigh, probably meaning to say something comforting—but before she could speak, a sudden shout rang out nearby and cut her off.
Startled, I quickly turned to look, only to see several walkers staggering toward us from not far away, unclear where they'd come from.
Xu Shu and I exchanged a quick glance, and we both swiftly pulled out our daggers.
At the same time, I turned and gestured to the people who were just setting their shovels down to help, "You all keep going—we'll handle this."
I gripped my dagger tightly and charged toward the walkers.
Xu Shu followed closely behind.
Having learned our lesson from that oversized walker before, I quickly sized up the group as I ran, trying to determine whether I could knock any of them down with a single kick.
But just one look and my heart sank—why were they all built like tanks?
What kind of feng shui in this area was raising such massive bodies?
Thankfully, their flesh was pretty much rotted through.
Compared to the grotesquely bulky one from earlier, they were still relatively manageable.
Xu Shu and I weren't tall or strong enough to take them down in one swift strike, so after a quick pause, I gritted my teeth, picked up speed, and charged at the one in front.
I gathered all my strength and kicked it hard.
A chunk of rotted flesh from its stomach went flying, and the sight of it made my stomach churn with nausea.
Still, the force of the kick did its job and toppled the walker.
Xu Shu didn't hesitate—she stepped in and drove her blade straight through its skull.
But before I had a chance to catch my breath, the rest of them were already on us.
Xu Shu, still crouched from the last strike, hadn't had time to get up before one of the trailing walkers lunged at her and slammed her to the ground.
My heart lurched in panic.
Without thinking, I rushed forward.
I don't know where the surge of strength came from, but I shoved one of the incoming walkers so hard it staggered backward several steps.
Seizing that moment, I spun around and grabbed the collar of the walker pinning Xu Shu down—and with one brutal thrust, I stabbed my blade deep into its skull.
Just as Xu Shu's body was freed, she immediately sprang up from the ground.
Without saying a word, she mimicked what I had just done and launched flying kicks at the remaining two walkers.
I gripped my dagger, ready to move in and finish them off, when suddenly—bang bang!—two gunshots rang out from above.
Before Xu Shu or I could react, both walkers' heads shattered and their bodies collapsed to the ground.
I froze for a moment, then quickly snapped out of it.
I turned toward the direction of the gunfire and saw a figure prone on the rooftop of Building 3 in the distance.
It was that sniper from earlier?
But then I thought—wait.
The two shots had come almost simultaneously.
I immediately swept my gaze across the other buildings.
As my eyes scanned across Building 6, I spotted a quiet, still figure lying prone on the rooftop—and my heart skipped a beat.
Even from this distance, just from that familiar silhouette, I could tell at a glance—it was Suo Tian.
----------------
Exclusive access on patreon to Ch 140
Join now : p@treon*com/DeCakraWnloverz