Old Man Zheng seemed to have heard the barking too.
With a puzzled look, he muttered, "Someone actually brought a dog with them today?"
I didn't answer him.
I stared at the gate for a few seconds, then quickly took off toward it.
That bark—there was no mistaking it.
That was Zheng Yiyi's voice.
That high-pitched yapping with a touch of bluff and bravado...
Only that little overconfident mutt could bark like that.
If Yiyi was here, that meant Yangyang must be here too.
The group in camo-clad had already gone outside, so no one stopped me as I ran toward the gate.
But just as I was about to step out, I suddenly froze.
My racing steps came to a halt as hesitation hit me—what if... it wasn't Yangyang out there?
Thankfully, that doubt lasted only a second—because right then, I heard the voice I'd been dreaming of day and night.
Yangyang sounded like he had a cold; his voice was hoarse, but not the least bit panicked.
"I'm here to find my sister and brother-in-law."
Fatty's voice followed after a short pause. "Who's your sister?"
"Chen Yang."
Yangyang's tone was full of pride and certainty, and in that instant, my chest swelled with a wave of emotion I couldn't put into words.
The pride in his voice as he said my name—it was like he'd just declared the name of some great hero.
I couldn't help but let out a bitter smile—what on earth had I ever done to make him so proud to call me his sister?
As I slowly stepped forward and crossed the threshold of the gate, the moment I looked up, I saw him—Yangyang—surrounded by people in camouflage uniforms, in the same aggressive stance they had used to surround us earlier.
His whole body was stained with dark, dried blood.
The sleeve of his jacket had been torn open with a large gash, and tufts of down from his coat clung to the edges, occasionally fluttering off into the air.
My eyes dropped slightly, and that's when I saw Yiyi—tucked into the wide front pocket of Yangyang's coat.
Her little front paws and furry head were sticking out, barking fiercely at the camo-clad soldiers around them in defiant warning.
The moment I stepped out of the gate, Yangyang spotted me too.
His eyes immediately lit up with joy, and he shouted, "Sis!"
Then, instinctively, he lifted a foot to run toward me—but a tall soldier beside him raised his rifle and forced him back at gunpoint.
That only made Yiyi bark even louder:
Woof woof woof woof woof woof!
Fatty followed Yangyang's gaze and turned his head to see me.
The moment our eyes met, his brows furrowed even tighter.
I quickly looked Yangyang up and down.
Aside from his ragged, messy appearance, it seemed like he hadn't sustained any real injuries.
I let out a long breath—one that had been stuck in my chest for the past two days.
In that moment, the heavy weight on my heart finally lifted a little.
I turned and walked toward Fatty.
Maybe it was seeing Yangyang safe that finally allowed the heavy weight on my chest to settle, but my mind suddenly felt much clearer.
My thoughts raced, trying to figure out how best to convince Fatty to let Yangyang stay.
"He your brother?" Fatty asked as I reached him.
"Yes, he's my younger brother," I answered honestly with a nod.
"Then why didn't he come with you guys?"
"We got separated along the way."
"Oh?" Fatty said, his tone shifting slightly as if something had just occurred to him.
Then he added, "So that trip out before—you left to find them, didn't you?"
I froze for a moment, then nodded again.
At this point, making up lies would only make things worse.
It was better to be honest.
But something about the way he said them caught my attention.
I looked back at Yangyang—and that's when I noticed there were two men and one woman standing beside him, all of them just as battered and bloodstained as he was.
One of the men was tall and burly, holding a machete and watching the people around him warily.
The other man was short and thin—his build was about the same as the short-haired girl standing beside him, who was surprisingly pretty despite her disheveled appearance.
As I sized them up, the girl's eyes also flickered with curiosity as she looked me over from head to toe.
The moment our gazes met, she even gave me a wide smile.
And in that exact moment, my heart skipped a beat… Xiao Xue used to smile just like that when she was alive.
"You people really know how to stir up trouble, huh?" Fatty said, his voice full of displeasure.
"Coming in wave after wave—what's next? Are there more of you on the way? Planning to pack my little shelter to the brim? Maybe toss in a few more half-dead ones while you're at it, infect everyone, and call it a day?"
I didn't respond immediately.
Instead, I gave him a faint smile and took a moment to organize my thoughts.
Ever since the government forces pulled out, Fatty had basically been leading this small group of just over twenty people, struggling to keep this shelter running with limited supplies.
Maybe he was doing it for his own survival, but the fact remained—this place was still keeping a lot of helpless survivors alive.
That couldn't be ignored.
Resources were scarce.
Weapons were probably even scarcer.
In a situation like this, all Fatty could do was set strict rules—harsh ones—in hopes of keeping the shelter barely holding together.
And now, we'd shown up and broken his rules again and again.
This time, we'd even triggered his biggest fear: an infected person appearing inside the shelter.
Even though Xiao Xue was… dealt with quickly, in Fatty's eyes, we were probably already marked as a top-level threat—dangerous people who brought more danger wherever we went.
At that thought, I forced a smile and said to Fatty, "Captain Niu, you've misunderstood. We really didn't mean to cause you any trouble—it's just that we didn't have a choice. The girl was still alive at the time, and we had no idea what her condition really was. We were hoping we could save her. Who would've thought… sigh, we're truly sorry. Fortunately, it didn't turn into a major disaster."
I was convinced Fatty wasn't a cruel man.
The reason he'd brought people over earlier to try and kick us out was probably because he'd found out someone in our building was infected.
Without knowing the full picture and acting on urgency, it made sense he'd respond that way.
I paused briefly, and before he could say anything, I added, "Captain Niu, you've seen what kind of people we are. We may not be as well-trained as your team, but we're not idiots either. Even if you hadn't said anything, we'd never let anything dangerous happen right beside us—don't you think?"
Fatty narrowed his eyes and stared at me for a moment, as if trying to figure out the hidden meaning in my words.
I stood there quietly, waiting for him to respond.
What I'd just said was a very subtle hint: keeping us around wouldn't bring him trouble—in fact, we might even help him better protect this shelter and keep things absolutely secure.
Yangyang, standing nearby, finally seemed to catch on to what I'd just said to Fatty.
His voice grew urgent as he turned to me, "Sis? What did you mean—someone might've died? Someone died? What happened? Who got hurt?"
He bombarded me with questions, and before I could even answer, something must've suddenly occurred to him.
He quickly followed up with, "Was it you guys who picked up Rongrong?"
I gave Yangyang a subtle look, signaling him to hold off for now—that this wasn't the time to talk about it.
He furrowed his brows tightly, clearly frustrated, but still obediently clamped his mouth shut.
Even so, the worry on his face was obvious.
He was probably trying to figure out in his head who among us had died.
After thinking it over for a while, Fatty's expression indeed softened compared to before.
He looked me over a couple of times, then suddenly cracked a smile and asked, "What did you do before all this, miss?"
His question caught me off guard.
I blinked, then quickly responded with a wave of my hand, "Elementary school teacher—just played with kids all day."
Fatty burst out laughing. "No wonder you've got such quick thinking."
I smiled awkwardly along with him.
After a brief pause, I pointed toward Yangyang and the others and said, "Captain Niu, then about my brother and his group…"
Upon hearing that, Fatty's grin faded a bit.
He turned to one of the camo-clad soldiers beside him and said, "Give them all a full checkup."
Then he looked back at me and added, "You understand the rules here—it's non-negotiable."
I nodded, understanding, and smiled. "Of course. No way we'd let you take another risk on our behalf, right?"
Fatty waved his hand. "Good. But let me be clear—your people, your food. You'll be responsible for their rations. Also, that old man and his granddaughter from Building Four, the young guy who came with them, and now these newcomers… once they pass the check, they're all moving in with you at Building Six."
I nodded and, after a brief thought, replied, "That's how it should be. We're staying in your place—how could we expect you, Captain Niu, to feed and provide for us too?"
At that moment, the inspection on Yangyang and the others had also finished.
A soldier in camouflage jogged up to Fatty and reported, "Captain, all checked. No issues."
Fatty glanced at him and asked, "You sure?"
The soldier nodded firmly. "Don't worry, sir. Absolutely certain."
"All right then." Fatty turned to me and said, "Take your people inside. Get those filthy clothes dealt with later—we've still got some spares here. I'll have someone bring them to you shortly."
I looked at Fatty, a bit flattered and surprised.
"Captain Niu, are you sure? You've got so many people to take care of already…"
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