Crying won’t solve the problem.
The zombies are downstairs, and they could come up at any moment. They have two choices: either give up and sit here waiting to die, or take the risky route as Lu Qiming suggested.
After crying for a while, Jiang Miaomiao tried to compose herself. She lifted her head from his embrace, took the knife she had pushed away, and divided the cake into three portions.
She had wanted to share the cake with the elderly couple, but now there was no chance.
She picked up her portion and took a bite. Upon seeing the “21” on the cake, tears welled up again.
Lu Qiming said, “Stop crying, we’re adults, it’s embarrassing to cry so much.”
She gave a cold snort and ignored him, wiping away her tears as she continued to eat the cake.
Seeing that she seemed to have calmed down, Lu Qiming also began eating while thinking about their plan later.
The cake tasted good, not too sweet, and the various fruit jams compensated for the lack of fruits they hadn’t eaten in the past six months.
After finishing her big piece, she burped and put down the plate, wiping her mouth.
“I’ll go.”
Lu Qiming, who was about to pour water for her, was taken aback.
“What?”
“You’re injured, you shouldn’t take more risks. I’m smaller, and there’s a good chance I won’t be able to hold onto the rope. So, let’s switch roles. You teach me how to make the generator explode and which direction to throw the rope. You stay in the room and wait.”
Lu Qiming immediately opposed the idea.
“No, are you kidding me? How can I let you go and sacrifice yourself?”
“Am I supposed to watch you sacrifice yourself?”
She controlled her volume, afraid of attracting zombies, and her tone was resolute as she spoke.
“In the past, you were strong, and I was weak, so it made sense for you to be in the front. But this time, it’s different. We have to switch.”
“What if I don’t agree?”
In the darkness, her eyes glimmered with a faint light, and she stared at him without blinking.
“Then after you die, I’ll jump down too.”
The plan to lure the zombies was meant to ensure everyone’s survival. If both of them ended up dead, then the plan would be meaningless.
She was threatening him.
With her own life.
Lu Qiming smiled bitterly, “Miaomiao, do you have to force me like this?”
“You’re the one forcing me.” She said, “You forced me to stay alive until now, and you can’t just abandon me now.”
Jiang Rou Rou had finished her cake and sensed the tense atmosphere between the two. As usual, she ran to Jiang Miaomiao’s feet and squatted down.
She picked up the dog and handed it to Lu Qiming.
“Promise me, okay?”
With things having reached this point, who could refuse?
Holding the dog with one hand, Lu Qiming muttered to himself, “This is the most cowardly decision I’ve made in my life.”
Jiang Miaomiao didn’t respond. Instead, she ran to find the rope.
The length of the rope had to be long enough to reach from the rooftop to the outside of Gu Changzhou’s house, and it also needed to have a good load-bearing capacity. The climbing rope she had was nearly 100 meters long, with a load capacity of not less than 1800 kilograms, so it should be sufficient.
The room was too dark, and she forgot where the rope was. She was about to turn on the light to search for it.
Lu Qiming suddenly stopped her.
“Don’t move!”
Jiang Miaomiao, who was already at the switch, immediately froze in place and asked cautiously, “Have they come up?”
If that were the case, wouldn’t they lose the opportunity for their plan?
Lu Qiming shook his head and listened carefully to the sounds coming from outside the window.
After a few seconds, Jiang Miaomiao also heard it.
There was a faint rumbling noise, somewhat like the generator she had bought before, but also quite different.
What was that sound?
She tiptoed to the window, trying to see.
Lu Qiming shouted, “Get down!”
Then he rushed over, pressing her and Jiang Rou Rou to the ground, using his body to shield them.
At the same time, there was a burst of flames outside the window, as if something hit the wall, causing the entire building to tremble.
The zombies were howling frantically, and things kept falling, and the sound of glass shattering was endless.
Jiang Miaomiao had never experienced such a scene before and was directly scared.
The deafening noise made her ears ring, and the bright light flashed, making her eyes dazzle.
She felt like a fragile little boat struggling to survive in the stormy waves. The only thing she could feel was the familiar warmth of the person on top of her.
She didn’t know how long it had passed, maybe just a few seconds, or maybe a few minutes.
The bombing stopped, and the light disappeared.
She turned her head from under Lu Qiming’s arm and saw a shocking scene—a plane flying diagonally against the building.
This plane was different from the one they had seen before.
The previous one seemed to be a large cargo plane used for transporting goods or passengers, without any weapons.
But the one in front of her had the fierce appearance of an eagle, with a conical nose that looked extremely sharp.
The moonlight fell on the fuselage, reflecting a cold silver-metallic luster, like a fighter jet she had only seen in movies.
The massive wings covered the window, plunging the room into darkness, making her heart race.
Fortunately, the plane quickly flew past and circled around the building.
Seeing that the danger was over, Lu Qiming crawled to the window and looked outside.
The cabin door of the plane opened, and several ropes were lowered. Figures jumped down from the plane and landed on the top of the building.
He then observed the situation downstairs.
The once solid building, which even withstood floods, had been shot full of holes, especially from the fifteenth to the twentieth floors.
The zombies that had previously almost covered the walls were now scattered.
Jiang Miaomiao approached him and saw this, exclaiming in astonishment, “Are they here to rescue us?”
Lu Qiming shook his head, “Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Then why are they here? To kill the zombies?”
He lowered his gaze and said:
“No matter what their purpose is, they won’t ignore survivors. Should we go out now and find them, follow them to the base?” Jiang Miaomiao felt hesitant.
Before, she absolutely didn’t want to do it. They had food and water here, and they could handle the zombies. Why bother going to the base and fighting with others over resources? Dealing with the complex interpersonal relationships there was already enough of a headache.
But now, it was different.
The zombies’ attacking power far exceeded what they could endure. If they continued to stay isolated, death would come soon.
She didn’t want to die, really didn’t want to die.
She wanted to stay alive with Lu Qiming, celebrate every birthday with him, raise Jiang Rou Rou together, and have a child of their own someday.
When the apocalypse was over, they would build a small house with a yard full of flowers and vegetables.
She wanted to live until that day.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Jiang Miaomiao made up her mind and held Lu Qiming’s hand, ready to go out.
However, he pulled his arm back and sat on the ground, saying, “You go, I won’t go.”
“What?” she asked in surprise.
“I’m injured, probably bitten by a zombie. If I go rashly, I might get shot. If you stay close to me, they might suspect that you’re already infected and won’t take you back to the base.”
Upon his reminder, Jiang Miaomiao realized the seriousness of the problem.
His concern was not unfounded. In the original story, there was a scene where supporting characters hesitated to abandon their already infected companion, which almost led to the group’s demise.
The way they looked now was indeed similar to a character who had been infected but not mutated.
The people who came to rescue them were not really here to help; they had no special and important identities that would make others risk their lives for two ordinary people.
Thinking about this, she sat down abruptly.
“Then I’m not going either.”
“Don’t act stubborn at a time like this, go quickly, or it will be too late.”
Lu Qiming pushed her, but she threatened, “Shut up! If you say another word, I’ll hit you.”
“…”
“If I wanted to go to the base alone, I would have gone a long time ago. Why wait until now? You really are a fool.”
Lu Qiming was scolded to the point of speechlessness and could only say, “Don’t regret it later.”
“I already regret it. I regret not meeting you earlier.”
If she had met him when she first transmigrated into the novel, before the zombie outbreak, and made more preparations based on his experience, their life afterward wouldn’t have been so passive.
Jiang Miaomiao leaned against his uninjured left shoulder and held his waist.
Regardless of the bloodshed outside, she wanted to be with him.
After a while, they heard footsteps coming from the stairs. It seemed that the soldiers were running down.
They passed through the 25th-floor fire escape without stopping and arrived downstairs, firing a few shots.
Lu Qiming listened to every sound and guessed their intentions.
They probably wanted to capture the zombies and conduct experiments on them.
As for why they came today… maybe they had really released poison before and had been observing all this time.
Had the base discovered them?
Although the two of them rarely exposed themselves outside, the traces of their life couldn’t be concealed.
At this moment, the aircraft descended again, lowering a rope that interrupted his train of thought.
He looked up and saw the rope dropping just outside the balcony not far from them.
The soldiers sent the captured zombies back to the aircraft using the rope. Suddenly, someone said, “Is there someone living here? I just saw half-eaten rice and those chairs in the corridor…”
A teammate replied, “Someone probably hid here during the initial outbreak of the zombies. They must have died by now.”
“But it’s strange that these zombies gathered here. Should we search the place?”
“When there’s a need to rescue people, we’ll receive orders. We can’t act on our own. Now, completing the mission is the priority. Let’s return to the base.”
“Alright…”
Jiang Miaomiao heard the conversation from the next room, and her heart almost jumped to her throat, fearing that they would rush in and shoot Lu Qiming recklessly.
Fortunately, they eventually gave up and climbed onto the aircraft one by one.
When she saw the last person grabbing the rope, she heaved a sigh of relief and wanted to talk to Lu Qiming.
Suddenly, a zombie jumped out from inside the building, grabbed the person’s leg, and bit him.
He screamed in agony, begging his teammates for help.
The person inside the aircraft glanced a few times, then fired a shot to break the rope, causing him and the zombie to fall together.
The horrifying and painful screams sent chills down people’s spines. Jiang Miaomiao didn’t want to see it and buried her face in Lu Qiming’s embrace.
The aircraft cabin slowly closed, and the plane ascended into the sky, disappearing quickly.
The soldiers left, and the zombies were mostly dead.
The remaining ones were scattered on the ground, wandering around, looking for corpses to feast upon.
Jiang Miaomiao lifted her head, her face full of relief. “We’re safe now.”
Lu Qiming wanted to touch her face, but as he moved his right hand, he couldn’t help but gasp in pain. “Ah, it hurts so much…”
“Is it very painful? Let me find some painkillers.”
“Wait.”
He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
She fell onto him and was about to get up, but his soft lips pressed down on hers.
Lu Qiming kissed her urgently, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
Initially surprised, Jiang Miaomiao soon began to respond and got lost in the kiss.
After parting, both of them were panting heavily. Lu Qiming’s eyes were slightly red as he kissed her forehead and then hugged her close.
“Miaomiao, I love you.”
Thump, thump, thump…
His heartbeat was so clear, the rhythm she never wanted to leave in her life.
Both of them were exhausted, and seeing that it was temporarily safe, they decided to rest.
The next morning, the bright sunlight poured in through the window, illuminating every corner.
Jiang Miaomiao opened her eyes and subconsciously looked for Lu Qiming.
She saw him sleeping soundly beside her, and her anxious heart settled. She got out of bed gently, afraid of waking him up.
Jiang RouRou didn’t dare to stay alone and crouched under the bed. When she saw Jiang Miaomiao waking up, she immediately wagged her tail and followed her.
Jiang Miaomiao hushed her and went to the door to listen.
It was very quiet outside, as if everything from last night was just a dream.
She walked to the window and looked outside. The dilapidated building reminded her that they had indeed experienced a life-threatening situation.
The building was in such a mess; would it collapse?
Jiang Miaomiao became deeply worried and was suddenly hugged from behind, almost screaming in fright.
Lu Qiming leaned against her shoulder with a smile, and his chin hurt her shoulder.
“You woke up and didn’t call me. I thought the zombies had taken you away.”
“Dream on! Do you think zombies would take me and not you?”
Jiang Miaomiao mocked, then turned around and looked at his shoulder wrapped in gauze, her voice gentler.
“Is it still painful?”
Lu Qiming half-squatted and tilted his face up.
“It doesn’t hurt when you kiss me.”
“Seems like you won’t die.”
Jiang Miaomiao turned away coldly and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Soon, she came out holding a frying pan.
Lu Qiming evaded, “Let’s talk nicely. Don’t touch me. Do you have the heart to hit a wounded person?”
“Who’s hitting you? There’s no electricity.”
Last night’s attack probably damaged the electrical system or solar cells. Now, the suite couldn’t even turn on a light, let alone cook.
The two of them had to settle for eating biscuits as breakfast. During this time, Lu Qiming suggested going out later to fix the electricity.
Jiang Miaomiao was worried. “Or maybe we can do without electricity for now. It’s not too hot at the moment, and we can manage without air conditioning. As for cooking… we can just light a fire like we used to.”
Lu Qiming disagreed, “They have taken away the test subjects they needed. They might not come again in the short term. If the zombies gather and attack again, how long can we hold out in this room?”
“Then what do you suggest? I’ll listen to you.”
He thought for a moment, “While it’s relatively safe now, let’s fix the electricity quickly and move all the supplies we can to the hotel. Seal off all the doors and windows to prevent them from climbing in. If it still doesn’t work… we’ll have to find a way to leave.”
Leave.
But where to go after leaving?
They didn’t have an aircraft, so they couldn’t reach the base thousands of miles away. Other cities also had zombies; it might not be safe elsewhere.
It seemed there was no way out, but with him by her side, she felt less hopeless.
Jiang Miaomiao quickly finished the biscuits and used the hot water from the thermos to make two cups of hot coffee. After finishing, she picked up her weapon and followed him out.
There were two zombies in the hotel corridor, probably attracted by their presence.
Lu Qiming’s left hand wasn’t very functional, so he couldn’t hold a rifle. Instead, he used a mini pistol, shooting each zombie with accuracy, hitting them right between the eyebrows.
Jiang Miaomiao praised, “Your marksmanship is excellent!”
He smiled and twirled the pistol gracefully between his fingers.
“Live a little longer, and I’ll teach you.”
“No problem.”
The two of them walked down and arrived at the supermarket, encountering five zombies in total, all of which they dealt with.
Inside the supermarket, there were no signs of zombies, but it was in a mess from last night’s bullets, resembling ruins.
There were many bullet holes on the walls, and the glass was shattered.
The broken bodies of the zombies mixed among the supplies, with severed legs or arms occasionally seen.
It was obviously unrealistic to try to make this place safe again by repairing it. After discussing with Jiang Miaomiao, Lu Qiming decisively gave up and decided to move food items like chocolate, candy, powdered milk, and biscuits, which didn’t require cooking but provided high nutrition and high sugar, to the hotel, along with some drinking water.
As for items like rice and flour that were inconvenient to eat and particularly heavy, they would be left behind for now.
As for other daily necessities they didn’t need immediately, they didn’t bother with them.
Lu Qiming’s right hand was injured, making it inconvenient to carry things, so most of the work was taken on by Jiang Miaomiao.
After a day’s effort, they barely finished moving everything. While it was still daylight, they hurriedly went upstairs to fix the circuit.
Jiang Miaomiao’s knowledge of electrical circuits was limited to middle school physics, so she couldn’t be of much help and could only stand by as an assistant, handing him tools.
There was a sharp screwdriver in the tool bag, but she didn’t notice and cut her finger with it, causing a few drops of blood to fall.
Lu Qiming turned around, “What’s wrong?”
She hid her hand behind her back, “It’s nothing.”
“Really?”
“I want to drink water. Let’s go back first.”
The screwdriver was metal, so she needed to apply some antiseptic to prevent tetanus infection.
Lu Qiming was also thirsty, so he put down the tools and stood up, taking a few steps forward. He sniffed and felt an odd smell lingering around him, something he couldn’t ignore.
Night fell quickly, and it wasn’t safe at night. The two decided to rest for the night and continue tomorrow.
In the living room, Jiang Miaomiao tended to her wound, and Lu Qiming, sweating profusely, went to the bathroom to shower.
The water supply was limited, so they couldn’t shower like before. They could only wet a towel and wipe themselves with it.
While wiping himself, Lu Qiming suddenly hissed, put down the towel, and touched his fingertip, which had blood on it.
He had cut his skin.
How could he have cut himself with a towel and not a steel scrubber?
Lu Qiming couldn’t figure it out, so he rinsed it with cold water and found a band-aid to put on.
For dinner, they had biscuits again. Afraid that it wouldn’t be enough, they each had a piece of chocolate.
After eating, Jiang Miaomiao felt the wound again in the dark. Frowning, she said, “It feels like it’s getting worse.”
There were originally two rows of bite marks, but now the skin around the bite marks had turned black.
Lu Qiming turned his face sideways, “Really? You must be mistaken.”
The lighting was too dim, and she wasn’t sure, so she hurriedly applied the ointment and re-wrapped the wound with a clean gauze.
Both of them lay on the large round bed, too tired to move, but unable to fall asleep.
Lu Qiming looked out at the night outside and thought of something.
“If we have to leave in the future, where do you want to go?”
She thought about it seriously.
“Of course, it’s a place without zombies, but I doubt we can find such a place. So let’s just choose a scenic place.”
“By the seaside?”
“Not a good idea. I’m not a good swimmer, and if we encounter a typhoon, we’ll be in big trouble.”
“Then how about in the mountains?”
“How would we live in the mountains? Hide in the trees? The zombies can jump higher and higher now; it’s not safe.”
“Caves might be a good option.” Lu Qiming said, “I went to a cave with a guide during my vacation. As long as it’s deep enough, zombies can’t go down without using tools. There’s usually an underground river inside with fish, so we won’t starve immediately.”
“That sounds quite good, but have you ever read a tomb-raiding novel?”
“No.”
“They say caves like that have good feng shui and are easily regarded as natural tombs by ancient people. If there are no zombies inside, there might be zombies… Oh, it’s scary.”
Lu Qiming helplessly said, “So you don’t want to go anywhere?”
She hugged him with a smile, her face against his arm.
“If I were alone, I definitely wouldn’t go anywhere. But if I’m with you, I can bear even the scary stuff.”
He felt warm in his heart, wanting to hug her, but accidentally touched the wound, causing him to suck in a breath from the pain.
Running out of painkillers, Jiang Miaomiao thought for a moment, then went to the living room and brought him a pack of cigarettes, lighting one up and handing it to him.
Lu Qiming chuckled, “Are you sure you want me to smoke in bed? I can’t sew the sheets if I burn them now.”
“Go ahead, go ahead.”
She waved her hand generously, lying down and covering herself with the blanket, “We have dozens of packs in stock, and I guess even if you die, you won’t feel satisfied until you finish them all.”
He took a deep drag, and the pain lessened.
Curious, Jiang Miaomiao said, “Is it really that effective? Let me try.”
Lu Qiming evaded her and scolded, “Why would a little girl like you want to smoke? Go eat your cotton candy.”
“… But you’re still smoking, it’s not fair.”
“It’s precisely because I’ve been through it that I can’t let you do it. Besides, we’re almost out of toothpaste. If you get addicted and end up with yellow teeth, what will we do?”
“Ew… that’s gross.”
The thought of that image made her lose all interest, so she gave up on smoking and lay back down.
Lu Qiming finished one cigarette and didn’t light up another. He held her in his arms and went to sleep.
After lying quietly for a while, Jiang Miaomiao asked curiously, “Did you not take a shower?”
“I did.”
“Then why is there still a smell?”
His face reddened as he raised his arm to sniff, but he couldn’t smell anything. Instead, he felt that her scent was even more enticing than before, making him restless and tempted to take a bite.
Jiang Miaomiao found a bottle of perfume from the bedside table and sprayed it on his neck and waist, then sniffed and lay back down, satisfied.
“All right, now it’s not smelly anymore. Go to sleep.”
Lu Qiming closed his eyes and fell asleep in that alluring fragrance.
In the morning, the sound of teeth brushing came from the bathroom.
Lu Qiming rubbed his hair and felt uncomfortable all over.
It was sticky, like he had smeared himself with syrup, but when he reached out to touch it, there was nothing there.
He put on slippers and walked into the bathroom, where Jiang Miaomiao was brushing her teeth in front of the mirror, greeting him with a mouthful of foam.
“Awake? Let’s have cereal for breakfast.”
Soak it in hot water, add some raisins, much more comfortable than eating cold biscuits.
Lu Qiming made a sound of agreement and stood behind her, resting his chin on top of her head, looking at the reflection in the mirror and smiling.
“You’re so short.”
Jiang Miaomiao: “…”
“I never noticed before that you’re so short. I can lift you with just one hand. Didn’t you eat enough when you were a kid?”
Jiang Miaomiao spat out the foam and retaliated with an elbow strike.
“Who cares about being tall? You silly giant.”
Lu Qiming playfully messed up the hair she had just combed, and then kissed her on the top of her head as if he were kissing a watermelon.
“After washing up, go and make the cereal. I’m starving to death.”
She rolled her eyes in exasperation, “Why should I do it? Make it yourself.”
He pouted with a pitiful look. If his ears were a bit longer, they would probably be drooping.
“I’m injured, can’t you take care of me? You’re a 22-year-old adult now.”
“Yes, I’m 22 and an adult. But I have to take care of this 26-year-old little brat like you.”
Jiang Miaomiao put down her toothbrush and cup, splashed water on her face, seemingly helpless but actually happy, and went to the kitchen.
Lu Qiming stood in her place, brushing his teeth in front of the mirror. Because he felt uncomfortable all over, he scratched himself and pulled off a piece of skin.
He stared at the thin layer of skin on his finger for a moment, locked the bathroom door, took off his clothes, and examined himself in the mirror.
On his previously healthy and strong body, numerous visible black spots appeared overnight.
Some were as big as a palm, and others as small as table tennis balls.
Lu Qiming held his breath, more nervous than when facing a group of zombies. He used his index finger to press on one of the black spots.
The skin was numb, and he felt nothing at all.
The muscles underneath seemed to be dead.
He hastily removed the bandage and examined the wound on his shoulder.
A large area of the skin turned black, and a thick black pus oozed from the bite marks.
He dipped some on his finger and brought it to his nose. The familiar smell sent shivers down his spine, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
He lost his strength and leaned against the cold tiles, his pale face reflected in the mirror.
He remained motionless for a long time, and outside the door came Jiang Miaomiao’s lively voice. “Haven’t finished washing up yet? You said you were starving to death just now, and now that it’s done, you’re not coming out to eat. If you don’t eat soon, it will be gone, you know.”
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