Jiang Miaomiao raised the hammer and swung it recklessly at him.
The other person lifted his hand and easily blocked her attack, looking surprised.
“Do you hate me that much?” he asked.
She heard the familiar voice and couldn’t help but take a look, shocked.
“Liu Qiming?!”
Liu Qiming raised an eyebrow. “So, you weren’t intentionally trying to murder me.”
Jiang Miaomiao looked bewildered. “Weren’t you supposed to have left already? Why did you come back?”
“I…” He had intended to come up with an excuse, like there were too many zombies outside, or he was sick and needed a couple of days to rest before leaving, and so on.
But looking into her eyes, he suddenly didn’t want to lie anymore. He decided to tell the truth and sat down on the ground, saying, “I’m not leaving.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I’m afraid that if I leave, there will be no one to open the gas canister for you.”
He raised his head, with a hint of a smile in the corners of his mouth.
Living in the basement for so long had made his complexion even paler than before, accentuating his thick eyebrows and large eyes.
Jiang Miaomiao remained silent for a while, unsure, and asked tentatively, “Are you really not leaving?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what about your friends?”
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure where they are now. I need to go and look for them specifically. Maybe staying here has a better chance of survival.”
Jiang Miaomiao stared at his face, repeatedly confirming that he wasn’t lying. Her heart finally returned to its place, and she felt a light, unreal sense of comfort.
Liu Qiming looked around and said, “Have you been outside since I left?”
She shook her head and returned to lie on the bed, feeling dejected.
“Why bother going out? Just to seek death?”
Liu Qiming rubbed his chin, where there was a faint bluish stubble. He only carried three things with him all the time: cigarettes, a lighter, and a razor.
“When I came back, I saw a house with solar panels on the roof. It should have a solar power system.”
Jiang Miaomiao hummed, “So what? I have a solar power bank in my hands; it’s useless.”
“That’s not the same level as what I’m talking about. Look at the area of those solar panels; they can power the entire house with appliances.”
Her eyes brightened, and she sat up, looking at him expectantly.
“Really?”
Liu Qiming nodded, not looking entirely relaxed.
“However, that house is quite far from here, and I haven’t figured out the situation inside. If it’s better than this place, we can move there.”
Jiang Miaomiao stood up and reached out to him. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
There’s electricity!
If someone asked her about her last wish before dying, she would definitely answer, “Being in an air-conditioned room, watching TV, playing games, having ice cream in the refrigerator, cooking with an induction cooker, taking a bath with a water heater, and having lights in the room. I’d be willing to live ten fewer years for such a comfortable life in the apocalypse!”
Liu Qiming frowned. “Are you planning to go out like this?”
“Yes, you said there are far fewer zombies outside now, right?”
Seeing him coming in and out freely, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
Liu Qiming raised a finger and shook it. “There are fewer, but they’re still there. I haven’t been bitten because I run fast. With your speed, you’d be a guaranteed target for them.”
“I… I can sprint pretty fast.”
She retorted, feeling unconvinced, but her momentum weakened under his gaze.
“What should we do then? Are you going to live there alone? I don’t want to stay here; it’s too smelly and stuffy.”
She looked pitiful, like an abandoned puppy.
Liu Qiming sighed and stood up. “I’m going to check if Jin Ban-Tun is still there.”
Jiang Miaomiao understood his meaning; he wanted her to smear Jin Ban-Tun’s blood.
It was truly disgusting, and she didn’t want to experience it a second time.
However, if they could really move to a new house with electricity, even if they asked her to drink a little of Jin Ban-Tun’s blood, she would probably grit her teeth and agree.
Liu Qiming left, and she nervously guarded the door.
He came back not long after, shaking his head at her.
“It’s gone.”
It probably left with the zombie tide.
Jiang Miaomiao exclaimed in disappointment and slid down the wall, feeling utterly dejected.
Liu Qiming paid no attention to her and rummaged around the basement for things.
He must be preparing to leave; who would want to stay in a dirty basement when there’s a good house to live in? Jiang Miaomiao felt upset and held her knees, whispering softly:
“You can take anything else, but can you leave some gum for me? I want to taste the orange flavor again before I die.”
Liu Qiming sneered. “Nonsense. Just come over and help me find things.”
She didn’t understand. “What are you looking for?”
“Plastic bags, bedsheets, anything.” Liu Qiming already had a rope in his hand. “Since Jin Ban-Tun is gone, let’s catch another one.”
In these times, zombies were an endless resource.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Miaomiao became instantly delighted and eagerly ran over to help find the items.
They couldn’t find any plastic bags or bedsheets, so they decided to take the duvet cover off the bed to use as a covering for the zombie’s head.
As long as they cover its mouth, they won’t have to worry about it biting them.
However, capturing zombies was still a difficult task.
Most of the zombies outside moved in groups, densely packed, not as easy to deal with as the isolated Jin Ban-Tun from before. Once they attacked one, the others would surely swarm, putting their lives at risk.
The best plan was to separate them and deal with one at a time.
Liu Qiming looked at the bathtub and came up with an idea. He grabbed a hammer and a small shovel and started digging a pit behind the bathtub.
Jiang Miaomiao knew he was doing this for her, so she was very attentive, offering him water and food from time to time, and asking, “Do you need any help?”
Liu Qiming looked at her thin arms and legs and felt that even if she walked a little faster, her bones would break, let alone helping to dig a pit.
Digging a pit in the basement was not an easy task. Just removing the moisture-proof layer took them a whole day.
On the second day, he dug a pit about half a person’s height. He jumped in to test it, estimating that the zombie falling into it wouldn’t be able to escape easily. Then he moved the bathtub slightly to create a gap and stood in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity.
Once a zombie came in, he would close the door.
When the zombie fell into the pit, it wouldn’t be able to climb out immediately, giving him time to catch it.
The plan sounded perfect, but reality was disappointing.
Both of them had been standing for so long, and no zombies had come in.
“These zombies nowadays are so unprofessional!” Jiang Miaomiao suggested, “How about we shout a few times?”
Liu Qiming looked at her and opened his mouth to shout, “Hey!”
Jiang Miaomiao joined in, “Come over here! There are people here!”
“Do you eat human flesh or not? It’s not fresh, but it’s free!”
They competed to shout for a while, but outside remained quiet.
Jiang Miaomiao felt deflated and was about to walk out directly.
Suddenly, Liu Qiming picked up a knife and started scratching his arm.
She was shocked and quickly stopped him, “What are you doing? I haven’t attempted suicide.”
“Who said I’m trying to commit suicide?”
He rolled his eyes and made a shallow cut on his arm. He used a tissue to absorb the blood, then threw it into the pit. After that, he took out the hemostatic spray and bandages he had brought from the pharmacy when Jiang Miaomiao was injured and wrapped up his wound.
Jiang Miaomiao looked at the red tissue in the pit, and suddenly it dawned on her.
“So, you wanted blood, why didn’t you just tell me? I’ll… in a few days, I’ll…”
Her face turned red, and she felt too embarrassed to continue.
Liu Qiming made a gesture for her to be quiet, “Shh.”
Outside the door came a “hehe” sound, like an old man blowing a broken trumpet, hoarse and piercing.
The zombies were drawn by the scent.
Both of them held their breath, focused their attention, and stared at the door.
After a few seconds, a hand reached in.
Liu Qiming waited until the little zombie had fully entered, then immediately pushed the bathtub and closed the door.
Jiang Miaomiao picked up the bedsheet to cover it, but after searching for a while, she couldn’t find the target.
“Where’s the head???”
Liu Qiming looked down and was quite surprised.
“Oh, it’s a little zombie.”
It looked about five or six years old, only half the height of an adult, and when it fell into the pit, it couldn’t jump out, but it roared at them with its teeth bared.
He took the bedsheet from Jiang Miaomiao’s hand, knocked on the little zombie’s head.
“Stop making noise, be quiet.”
The little zombie was furious, wanting to bite his neck in one gulp.
Liu Qiming heartlessly covered its head with the bedsheet, tied its hands and feet with a rope, and made a neat bow at the back of its neck. Then, he lifted it out of the pit and threw it on the ground.
Jiang Miaomiao had never seen a zombie so small up close and squatted down beside it, curious.
The little zombie’s neck was bitten off, so its head was tilted. Its features were still relatively intact. If its skin were normal, it would undoubtedly look like a cute little boy.
It had a golden longevity lock hanging on its neck, engraved with auspicious cloud patterns and the words “May you be safe every year.”
Jiang Miaomiao felt a bit sorry, thinking about its family giving it the longevity lock. They surely didn’t expect it would end up like this.
Liu Qiming was an emotionless butcher. He wiped the blade and was about to cut its artery.
Jiang Miaomiao said, “Do we really need to use its blood? It’s still so small.”
“It had quite some strength when it bit you.”
She thought about it and realized he was right. After all, even when she ate roasted chicken, she knew to pick the tender parts. There was no need to be saintly in times like this.
The little zombie became like a pig on the chopping board, ready to be slaughtered by them.
Liu Qiming skillfully cut its thigh and collected a small basin of blood.
Jiang Miaomiao pinched her nose and spread the blood all over her body. Liu Qiming did the same.
Both of them used torn cloth to cover their mouths and noses and walked out of the basement.
It was the first time in nearly a month that Jiang Miaomiao had stepped out of that damp and dark place.
When the sunlight fell on her, she was so excited that she almost cried.
As Liu Qiming had said, the villa was severely damaged. There were large holes in the walls, and the windows and doors were not spared either. It looked like it could collapse at any time.
Outside the villa, the number of zombies was visibly reduced compared to before.
The last time they went to the villa, they could see thousands of zombies roaming in groups when walking a few kilometers. Now, there were only a few scattered ones.
She walked with a zombie-like gait, unsteadily following behind Liu Qiming.
When they passed by the peach tree, they couldn’t help but stop.
The peach blossoms had withered, and the tree branches were full of small green peaches.
She quickly swept her gaze over and discovered dozens of them.
Jiang Miaomiao swallowed her saliva and made a secret decision: if she was still alive in the summer, she would definitely come to pick and eat the peaches.
“Keep up.”
Liu Qiming turned around and noticed that she was far behind, so he reminded her in a low voice.
She hurriedly caught up, and together they walked through streets and alleys for over an hour until they finally reached the solar-powered house he mentioned.
It was a lakeside villa located in the city center, much larger in size and more luxurious in appearance compared to the villa she rented before.
The rooftop was covered with black solar panels, and the garden even had a private swimming pool.
Outside the residential area, there was a supermarket in front and a middle school behind. On the left was a commercial area, and on the right was a government building.
The backyard connected to a small pebble path, leading to an artificial lake about a hundred meters away, with inexhaustible water.
It was like paradise!
Jiang Miaomiao was so excited that she couldn’t hold back and hugged Liu Qiming, planting a happy kiss on his cheek.
The latter was stunned, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.
Liu Qiming coughed twice, trying to say something, but Jiang Miaomiao had already let go of him and was impatiently heading towards the new “home.”
He had to catch up and follow her. When they entered the house, he couldn’t help but touch his cheek, recalling the sensation and warmth of her lips.
The villa gate was locked, and Jiang Miaomiao tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. She stepped back a few steps, looking up at the towering walls in distress.
“Should we…?”
Before she finished her sentence, a light breeze brushed by her. Liu Qiming had already climbed onto the villa wall, crouching there and extending his hand to her.
She was dumbfounded, giving him a thumbs-up, and then grabbed his hand, trying hard to climb up.
Liu Qiming lifted her up like dragging a sack of linen.
“Thank you.”
Finally stabilizing herself, she thanked him while looking up. However, he had already jumped down and landed steadily on the ground.
Jiang Miaomiao: …You may have long legs, but it’s not a big deal.
She held onto the wall and clumsily climbed down. Liu Qiming supported her under her armpits and carried her to his side.
He withdrew his hand, proudly lifting his chin.
“If I hadn’t come back, you wouldn’t have been able to climb over this wall.”
The gratitude in Jiang Miaomiao’s heart instantly vanished, and she gave him a middle finger gesture, then turned and walked towards the main gate.
Halfway through, she looked at the tightly closed gate and suspected that it was locked too. So, she changed direction, went around to the back window, and climbed in.
Liu Qiming followed behind her, chuckling softly.
“It seems you’ve finally grown a brain. The young can be taught.”
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t stand it anymore. She squatted on the windowsill and turned around to say, “Either shut up or find your friends. Your choice.”
She hoped to have a reliable partner to stay with, not a nagging pest.
Liu Qiming sneered, “You’re feeling guilty, that’s why you don’t want others to say anything.”
She widened her eyes, looking like she wanted to bite him.
He could only make an “OK” gesture and carried her inside with one hand, while he effortlessly flipped inside the room, supporting himself with the windowsill.
Jiang Miaomiao had been fantasizing about the wonderful life in the new house, but as she looked around, it felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over her excited heart. The four walls were all bare, and there wasn’t even a simple stool in sight, let alone any luxurious decoration!
Liu Qiming explained, “It was probably just recently built, so they haven’t had time to decorate it yet.”
She sat on the ground dejectedly, feeling very disappointed.
There was electricity here, but without appliances, what use was it?
Liu Qiming looked down at her and asked, “Don’t you like it?”
Jiang Miaomiao replied listlessly, “I don’t dislike it.”
“So, should we move in?”
“How can we live here? There’s no bed, no furniture, no stove. How are we going to live?”
Liu Qiming had already thought it through, “Let’s make do for two days and explore the surroundings during that time. There are many other houses nearby, and the supermarket is also close. We can bring back whatever we need. It won’t be long before we can meet our normal living needs.”
She let out a sigh, “Should we just go to other people’s houses and take things? Isn’t that stealing?”
She felt more accepting of taking things from the supermarket, as the food there would spoil anyway. However, directly going to other people’s houses to take things felt strange and went against the education she had received for so many years.
Liu Qiming said, “It depends on how you choose. You can compete with mice for food in the basement, or you can sleep on the floor here. Or you can do as I suggested and take whatever you need.”
She struggled in her mind, finding it hard to break her moral boundaries, but also yearning for a life with electricity.
After a few minutes, the latter won, and Jiang Miaomiao stood up and said, “Okay, let’s do it your way. Should we go get things now?”
“No rush, let’s go back first and bring back everything useful.”
Especially that little zombie, with its low physical strength and weak attack, it was best to keep it close as a blood source.
The two returned, and when they climbed the wall, Jiang Miaomiao confidently reached out her hand to him.
Liu Qiming helped her climb over and couldn’t hide his pride in his words, “Can’t do without me, can you?”
She snorted lightly and brushed off the dust from her clothes, “Just a stepping stone. Look at how happy you are.”
Liu Qiming suddenly felt disgusted as if he had eaten shit, and he didn’t even want to say a word.
Jiang Miaomiao successfully teased him, and her mood was greatly improved on the way back. Her steps were much lighter than when she came.
The two returned to the basement, and the little zombie was lying on the ground wriggling like an eel, becoming even more restless when it saw someone approaching.
They didn’t pay any attention to the little zombie and took out the shopping cart they brought from the supermarket and put all the things they needed into it.
Food was a priority; no one was producing food after doomsday, and even a small portion was precious, like a piece of potato chip.
Water was too heavy to carry, but fortunately, there was a lake nearby the new house, so they shouldn’t have a water shortage.
The blankets and clothes hadn’t been washed for several months and were incredibly dirty. She would rather freeze to death than wear them.
After collecting and packing for half an hour, they filled half a shopping cart with food.
Looking at all their belongings, Liu Qiming couldn’t believe it. “Is this all?”
“Yes, flashlights, power banks, paper, pens… and food, everything that can be useful is here.”
Well, fortunately, they were moving soon; otherwise, their quality of life would be worse than even that of beggars before the doomsday.
Jiang Miaomiao pushed the cart, and her gaze fell on the little zombie. “How do we bring it along? Should we tie it to the cart?”
Liu Qiming shook his head and tore a strip of cloth from the blanket, tying one end to the rope around the little zombie and holding the other end in his hand. “Let’s go.”
He tugged on the cloth, and the little zombie stumbled forward two steps. It roared, obviously dissatisfied with this treatment. But its head was wrapped tightly and couldn’t bite or see anything, so it could only follow the rhythm of the cloth like a headless fly.
Jiang Miaomiao pushed the cart, while Liu Qiming led the little zombie, and they left the basement, arriving at the new house before it got dark.
Evening was the most dangerous time in the city. Zombies didn’t have to endure the scorching sun, making them more sensitive and likely to sense their presence.
As soon as they entered the house, Liu Qiming locked all the windows and put the little zombie in a separate room. He and Jiang Miaomiao slept in a small room on the second floor, which had no windows.
There was no stove or fuel in the room. For dinner, each person had two pieces of instant noodles.
The weather was getting warmer, and not covering with a blanket was not cold. However, the floor was too hard, and Jiang Miaomiao’s wounds had scabbed, making it uncomfortable to lie down on the floor. She kept tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position.
After listening in the dark for a while, Liu Qiming suddenly got up and took off all his clothes, leaving only a small pair of underwear, which he spread on the floor, saying, “You sleep here.”
She felt it and was surprised, “Aren’t you going to wear clothes?”
“I’m hot.”
Was the temperature that high?
She touched his shoulder and thought it was better to have something to cushion than nothing. So she lay down.
Liu Qiming lied naked on the cold floor, and soon, a faint snoring sound came from him.
Jiang Miaomiao used to find snoring annoying, but now, listening to it made her feel calm and peaceful. Soon, she also felt drowsy.
Her eyelids gradually closed, and when she was about to fall asleep, a heavy body suddenly pressed against her.
A strong arm was draped over her chest, and the breath was so close, next to her ear, the warm breath made her ears feel hot.
Jiang Miaomiao was startled and instantly became alert. She asked cautiously, “What do you want to do? Are you trying to do something inappropriate?”
The response she received was a series of slight snoring sounds.
His skin was cold, like a tomato soaked in well water during the summer, and it felt very comfortable leaning against him.
Due to the lack of bathing facilities after being stained with zombie blood, he smelled bad. But Jiang Miaomiao was also smelly, and they were in the same boat. Neither could complain about the other.
Not having a pillow was uncomfortable. She touched his arm and found it to be a good substitute, so she quietly changed her position, using his arm as a pillow. She even pulled his other arm over and covered her belly button with it before falling asleep peacefully.
The next morning, Liu Qiming woke up.
Through the faint light shining in from outside the door, he saw the girl lying in his arms, sleeping soundly. Her rosy lips moved slightly with each breath.
He held his breath and leaned closer.
Suddenly, Jiang Miaomiao opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a long time, as if she just remembered her surroundings. She stretched lazily like a little cat.
Liu Qiming quickly closed his eyes and pretended to still be asleep.
She sat up, patted his face, and said, “Wake up, wake up. Are you a pig? You sleep early and wake up late.”
Only then did he slowly open his eyes and looked at her, saying, “Did you secretly chop off my hand in the middle of the night?”
“Huh?”
“Otherwise, why can’t I feel its presence?”
Jiang Miaomiao blushed, stuttering, “Maybe you had a bad sleeping position. I sometimes do that too. Let me massage it for you.”
She enthusiastically approached him, hugging his long arm and massaging it.
As the blood gradually circulated, Liu Qiming clenched his fist, and his muscles became firm.
They opened the door and went out, pausing at the corner to listen to the outside movements.
Fortunately, the windows and doors were intact, and the zombies didn’t come in during the night.
Liu Qiming went to check the condition of the little zombie while Jiang Miaomiao rummaged through the food in the cart for breakfast.
All the delicious items were already gone, and what was left was either biscuits or instant noodles.
To be honest, they were fine as occasional snacks, but eating them consecutively for months made her feel nauseous just by looking at them.
She found two packs of braised beef instant noodles and two bags of scallion-flavored soda crackers, barely enough for a balanced breakfast.
Both of them sat cross-legged in the empty living room and finished the dry and bland breakfast.
Jiang Miaomiao groaned in pain, holding her throat. “My throat feels like it’s cut… I should have brought some water yesterday. I was so stupid.”
Liu Qiming also struggled to eat, finding it hard to swallow the remaining half pack of biscuits. He left them aside and stood up, saying, “Let’s go, time to get to work.”
“Where are we going?” Jiang Miaomiao asked.
He looked around and set his sights on a nearby villa, gesturing with his chin. “Let’s start from there.”
Jiang Miaomiao wiped her mouth, first replenishing some zombie blood on her body, and then followed him to the destination.
Unlike their new home, the villa they approached was inhabited before, and it seemed like the previous occupants had left in a hurry. The doors were not locked and stood wide open, and there was a white BMW X5 parked in the garage.
Liu Qiming went to check the car but couldn’t find the keys after a brief search, sighing with regret.
When he turned around, he found Jiang Miaomiao had already entered the house, so he followed her inside. He saw her standing expectantly in front of a double-door refrigerator, her eyes shining like stars.
The next moment, she opened the fridge, stared for two seconds, and then bent over to vomit violently.
The fridge had been without power for a month or two, and inside were stored eggs, bread, meat, fish, shrimp, fruits, and more. They had all begun to rot in the refrigerator that acted like a greenhouse.
The stench had been trapped inside, getting stronger and stronger. As soon as she opened it, the foul smell surged out…
That smell, it was unbearable!
Jiang Miaomiao regretted having a nose at this moment.
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