The cramped and crowded houses, piled with all sorts of messy items outside, sometimes made it hard for people to even walk through. The noisy and chaotic atmosphere was completely different from where Ruan Ning was currently staying, as if they were in two separate worlds.
…She didn’t expect the male lead and his group to be living in such a down-to-earth place.
Following Lin Yang through the area, Ruan Ning saw a wide range of people—from elderly folks in their fifties and sixties to children as young as three or four.
There were even some who saw her small frame and the backpack she carried, thinking she’d be easy to rob. But before they could succeed, Lin Yang chased them away with a punch.
Honestly, if Lin Yang hadn’t brought her here, Ruan Ning would never have known that such a disorderly place existed inside the safe zone. Even when she had been at the marketplace, she hadn’t seen anyone blatantly trying to steal things like this.
But then again, it was her first time venturing out of the safe zone since she arrived, so it wasn’t surprising that she didn’t know about it.
According to Lin Yang, the elderly, the weak, and the sick often got bullied when moving around alone. Most of these defenceless people had been brought back by rescue teams from outside. On the other hand, those who had come to the safe zone on their own, after hearing the broadcasts, were mostly young, strong individuals or teams with some self-defence capabilities.
With the number of survivors in the safe zone increasing, managing everyone had become a major problem, and housing had turned into a serious issue.
People coming in from outside no longer had free housing. They had to trade some supplies to secure even a temporary place to stay in the safe zone.
Naturally, prices varied depending on the location—things like the living environment or proximity to the safe zone’s perimeter were all factors that affected the cost.
The place where the male lead and his group were staying was very cheap. One room only cost a loaf of bread, the size of a fist, and that was enough to stay for a week.
However, some people were too frugal to even spend that much on a loaf of bread, opting instead to set up makeshift shelters or tents beside the buildings. After all, this place was a chaotic mix of all kinds of people.
Ruan Ning was a little surprised after hearing all this. She had been staying in a villa for the past few days, and perhaps she had been too well-protected. Aside from the food not being as good as before the apocalypse, she hadn’t really felt any drastic changes in her life.
However, the situation Lin Yang described was something she had read about in the novel. She had just assumed that such conditions would only occur later, perhaps another half a month or so into the story.
After all, the safe zone hadn’t yet cut off the free porridge distribution, so life shouldn’t have been this difficult just yet.
Ruan Ning didn’t know much about others, but she certainly didn’t think the male lead would be lacking in supplies. So why was he staying here?
When she tentatively asked Lin Yang about it, he responded nonchalantly, “We’re not staying in the safe zone for long. We’ll be heading out to City B soon, so it doesn’t really matter where we stay. This place is convenient—just give them some food and you’ve got a room. Besides, when we were in the city, we stayed in places right after killing zombies there. This place might be a bit messy, but it’s no big deal.”
Well, Ruan Ning hadn’t really considered that.
She was the delicate type, prone to all sorts of minor discomforts. She remembered the first time she had to sleep outside at the gas station; she had been awake almost all night, unable to sleep no matter what. If there were no other options, she’d endure it, but if she could stay somewhere more comfortable, she definitely wouldn’t make herself suffer—her body just couldn’t handle it.
The male lead and his group were staying on the fifth floor, the top floor of the building. To avoid being disturbed, they had rented out both apartments across from each other.
Lin Yang knocked on the door to the right. After a short while, Jiang Jingchao opened it.
When he saw the young girl standing behind Lin Yang, he froze for a moment and asked, “What is she doing here?”
Lin Yang grinned. “We just happened to run into Ruan Ning on the way back. She said she wanted to see Brother Gu, so I brought her here.”
Jiang Jingchao and Lin Yang were both childhood friends of Gu Yicheng, the male lead. Their bond was deep, and they were among the few people the male lead still trusted after his rebirth.
Since Ruan Ning was intent on cozying up to the male lead, she knew she had to maintain decent relations with those around him.
So, when she saw Jiang Jingchao, she politely greeted him.
Jiang Jingchao didn’t say anything further and stepped aside to let her in.
From the outside, the apartment seemed plain and unremarkable, but inside, it was neat and spotless.
And there, sitting in the living room in a black, casual outfit, was a man who was impossible to overlook.
“Brother,” Ruan Ning called softly, sneaking a glance at the male lead. For the first time, she felt a bit nervous inside.
She couldn’t tell if Gu Yicheng would be angry that she had asked Lin Yang to bring her here.
In the novel, it was written that Gu Yicheng had a very strong sense of territoriality.
Truthfully, if she hadn’t been worried about him leaving the safe zone without her knowing, she wouldn’t have acted so impulsively, rushing over without hesitation.
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