During breakfast, Jiang Miaomiao felt that Lu Qiming was acting strangely, as if he was hiding something. She waited for a while, but he didn’t bring it up, so she took the initiative and asked, “What are you still worried about?”
Lu Qiming shook his head. “I’m not worried about anything.”
“Then why have you been absent-minded all morning?”
Usually, when they had breakfast, he was enthusiastic and even wanted to snatch the food from her bowl.
But today, he was scooping the cereal slowly, lacking interest.
Cereal doesn’t require much processing, so it couldn’t be that she made it taste bad, right?
Moreover, he used to like walking around shirtless, wearing only boxers.
Now, he was dressed in long sleeves and long pants, covering his whole body, with only his face exposed.
The temperature wasn’t low today, so why was he so cold?
After thinking for a while, she came up with a shocking guess.
“You… could it be that you…”
Lu Qiming became nervous. “Could it be what?”
“You’re not really experiencing kidney deficiency, are you?”
No appetite, feeling cold; these might be signs of kidney deficiency!
Lu Qiming: “…No.”
“Then what’s wrong with you?”
Jiang Miaomiao slapped the spoon on the table, determined to get an answer.
He took a deep breath and looked serious.
“Let’s leave this place.”
“Why?” Jiang Miaomiao was puzzled. “Didn’t we agree to stay for a while and leave only when there’s no other choice? It’s quite safe here now.”
His eyes flickered, staring at the tabletop without lifting his head.
“After careful consideration, I feel it’s still not safe enough.”
She was silent for a few seconds and agreed.
Well, her original plan was to go wherever Lu Qiming went. They didn’t have to stay here.
But there was one question that needed to be clarified.
“Where are we going?”
Going to the base was not feasible; it was too far away, and they didn’t even have a bicycle.
The vehicles in the city had been soaked in the flood before and were long broken. How could they walk to a base far away in Tibet?
But the neighboring city was equally dangerous. Any place that was relatively safe wouldn’t be too close.
It could either be deep in the mountains or the desolate wilderness, both of which were unreachable for them.
While Jiang Miaomiao was still pondering, Lu Qiming seemed to have made a decision long ago. He said without hesitation:
“We’re going to the base.”
“How are we going to get there?”
“Since they’ve released the drugs here, they must be observing. We’ll figure out a way to lure them over.”
“But didn’t you say before that they wouldn’t accept you? What if they mistake you for being infected and want to kill you?”
Lu Qiming said, “There’s indeed a possibility, but I want to give it a try.”
Jiang Miaomiao frowned, finding it hard to understand him. “Why did you suddenly change your mind? Isn’t it good for us to stay here? There’s no need to take risks. Even if there might be danger in the future, it’s still the future, not now. Can’t we just live in the present?”
Leaning back on the chair, Lu Qiming raised his eyes slightly. “I had a dream last night.”
“What dream?”
“I dreamt that all the zombies were dead, and humans returned to the city. You and I found our respective families, got married, and had children, building our own lives. On the day of our wedding, you wore a beautiful wedding dress, and I gave you a diamond ring. It was such a beautiful scene…”
His gaze didn’t focus on anything in particular, seemingly lost in the memory of the dream, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
Jiang Miaomiao said, “But it’s just a dream.”
“Yes, it’s a dream.” Lu Qiming brought back his scattered thoughts and looked at her seriously. “But if we go to the base now, and fight to survive, then there’s a chance to turn that dream into reality.”
Her emotions were complicated as she looked at him, not knowing what to say.
Suddenly, Lu Qiming stood up, knelt in front of her, and held her hands.
“Miaomiao, will you promise me?”
He was tall, and even kneeling down, he wasn’t much shorter than her.
The look in his eyes was sincere, making her feel guilty even thinking of rejecting him.
She hadn’t had any other thoughts to begin with, so she nodded.
“Okay, we’ll go to the base.”
He was delighted, keeping that posture as he hugged her and buried his face in her chest.
Jiang Miaomiao held his head, “But how can we attract their attention?”
Even if the base was observing the city, they couldn’t possibly observe every corner.
The city was so big, and they were so small.
Even if they shouted every day, until they lost their voice, the other side wouldn’t be able to hear them.
Lu Qiming confidently said, “I have a plan.”
“What plan? Tell me.”
“Let’s eat first, and you’ll know when the time comes.”
Jiang Miaomiao was curious about his so-called plan and quickly finished her meal.
Lu Qiming probably wanted to start quickly, but he strolled leisurely, not in a hurry at all, following her slowly. As a result, Jiang Miaomiao had to turn back and wait for him from time to time.
They climbed from the 25th floor and found a wedding company on the way.
Lu Qiming found a bunch of balloons and inflatable tubes in their warehouse, put them in plastic bags, and continued to climb upstairs.
Jiang Miaomiao suddenly realized and clapped her hands. “You want to place balloons on the top floor, right? It will indeed be eye-catching. But won’t it be too high? What if they install the surveillance cameras on a lower floor, then they won’t be able to see it. How about we place them on the first floor instead?”
Lu Qiming shook his head without explaining, using his weak steps to climb to the last floor and find a window to start inflating the balloons.
Jiang Miaomiao acted as his assistant, following his instructions to tie the inflated balloons on each window.
Their work covered almost forty floors, with only a few windows on each floor. Most of their energy was spent on climbing the stairs.
When Lu Qiming said the word “done,” she was so exhausted that she sat directly on the floor, feeling sore and out of breath.
“Huff… I’m so tired… What exactly did you do?”
She thought he would spell out an “SOS” or “help” on the windows, but the more she spelled, the less it looked like that. The stroke order was obviously different.
Lu Qiming squatted on the floor, organizing the remaining balloons.
She came up with an idea and crawled to the window to check her achievement through the reflection on the opposite building’s windows.
The building was relatively short, and the shadow on the glass was not clear. However, the letters were huge, and she could still see the word “cci” clearly.
What on earth was “cci”?
She turned back and asked Lu Qiming, who finally spoke.
“It’s a code.”
Curious, Jiang Miaomiao walked to his side and asked, “What code is it? Is it specific to mercenaries?”
“You could say that.”
“What does ‘cci’ mean?”
“It means…” He looked out the window, a barely visible hint of sarcasm in the corner of his mouth, “there’s something precious here that can’t be missed.”
Jiang Miaomiao became more confused as she listened and wanted him to explain further.
However, Lu Qiming had already stood up and walked outside.
“Let’s go back to the hotel; they’ll be here soon.”
“Are you sure? What if there are no mercenaries in their group, and they can’t understand your code? Why don’t we use ‘SOS’? More people can understand that…”
Jiang Miaomiao chattered behind him, but he suddenly stopped without warning, causing her to collide into his back, making her dizzy and her nose sore.
Leveraging his large frame, he didn’t even sway, nor did he speak. He just stood still, looking down with a firm expression.
She covered her nose and muttered, “Is there something you forgot?”
“No.”
“Then why did you stop? You’re acting really strange today. What’s wrong with you?”
Lu Qiming didn’t dare to turn around, as the intoxicating scent enveloped him, making his bloodthirsty impulse stronger and stronger.
He didn’t explain, quickened his pace, and hurried back to the hotel.
Jiang Miaomiao hurried to catch up, determined to find out the truth no matter what.
However, upon returning to the suite, Lu Qiming didn’t go to the master bedroom but walked towards the room where he used to stay.
She immediately blocked his path, asking, “What are you trying to do?”
Lu Qiming held his breath, trying hard to ignore the alluring scent coming from her.
“Just want to rest a bit.”
“If you want to rest, you can go to the master bedroom.”
“That’s your room.”
“Yes, but you’ve been sleeping here for months. Why are you being coy now?”
Jiang Miaomiao’s face was full of suspicion, but he turned his face away, looking at Jiang Rou Rou next to her and said, “I’m a bit tired. I’ll rest here for a while.”
“Let’s continue sleeping separately for these few days; it will improve our sleep quality,” he said, avoiding her and attempting to enter the room, but a disappointed voice followed him.
“Are you starting to dislike me?” Jiang Miaomiao asked.
Lu Qiming stopped, “Of course not.”
“But if you don’t dislike me, why won’t you even stay in the same room? Suddenly suggesting to go to the base must be to get rid of me, to avoid entanglement, right?”
Her voice choked, “If that’s the case, just say it. I might be useless, but I’m not cheap, and I won’t cling to someone who dislikes me.”
Lu Qiming turned back, gazing at her in a daze.
Her eyes were red, “Tell me! Do you dislike me or not?”
Lu Qiming had been shot before.
In a hostage rescue mission, the other side was too cunning, deceiving the employer with false evidence, making them misestimate the number of people. As he rushed forward, a 5.8mm bullet pierced his scapula, and he spent over two months lying in bed to recover.
He had always remembered that unforgettable pain, reminding himself constantly that what he did was a risky business, and he had to be extremely careful and cautious. Any negligence could lead to death.
But at this moment, he couldn’t tell which one hurt more—the bullet wound or his heart.
“Miaomiao, calm down…”
He spoke, his voice hoarse, but he only tried to console her, unwilling to embrace her like before.
Jiang Miaomiao widened her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks and hanging on her chin.
“You answer me; as long as you say you dislike me, I’ll leave immediately.”
Lu Qiming’s lips moved, but in the end, he surrendered, tightly hugging her.
“How could I dislike you? I like you too much.”
She leaned against his chest, clutching his shirt, sobbing softly for a long time.
Lu Qiming’s plan went awry, and they entered the master bedroom together.
It was getting dark, time for dinner.
But neither of them felt like moving, lying quietly on the bed.
Suddenly, Jiang Miaomiao crawled silently on top of him and started unbuttoning his shirt.
Lu Qiming was startled, quickly hugging his chest.
“What are you doing?”
“Do things with someone you like.”
“But we haven’t taken a bath.”
“I don’t mind.”
“But I do.”
“If you mind, just endure it!”
With a snap, she tore his shirt in half and threw it on the floor.
Lu Qiming didn’t hesitate, reflexively hiding under the blanket and refusing to come out.
Jiang Miaomiao felt speechless, “Don’t you want to?”
They had experienced too much in these few days, and they hadn’t been intimate for a long time. She could clearly feel his contours just now.
Lu Qiming held the blanket, showing only his head, feeling helpless and amused.
“Miaomiao, even if you’re a woman, rape is still a crime.”
“You can call the police to arrest me.”
“…We should restrain ourselves a bit. We’ve done it too much before.”
“We might not have a chance in the future, so we should cherish the present, right?”
His gaze wandered, luckily it was dark, and she couldn’t see clearly.
“Who said there won’t be a chance? Once we reach the base, we’ll have plenty of time.”
“What I mean is that you’ll get old.”
“…”
“You’re already twenty-six. In a few more years, you’ll be thirty, and your physical strength will decline rapidly. Your muscles will atrophy, you’ll gain a big belly, suffer from hair loss, and become a disaster. You’ll gain weight, and you won’t even be able to climb stairs, let alone do this kind of thing.”
Lu Qiming: “…I’ll work out hard, so I won’t disappoint you.”
“I don’t care, I want it now.”
She crawled towards him with her hands and feet, blinked her eyes, and said, “Unless you admit you can’t do it.”
How could a real man admit that he couldn’t do it?
Lu Qiming took a deep breath and lifted the blanket.
“I…”
He smelled her scent distinctly, instantly losing his drive and snuggling into her embrace.
“I’m really tired. How about another day?”
Jiang Miaomiao wasn’t a nymphomaniac, seeing him like this, she had to give up.
Seeing that he had escaped a predicament, Lu Qiming got out of bed and put on a new long-sleeved hoodie, covering every inch of his skin.
After returning to bed, he maintained a distance of more than half a meter from her all the time.
Jiang Miaomiao suspected that Lu Qiming was sick.
Since he couldn’t be infected by the virus, it was most likely due to another inflammation.
Ever since he was bitten by the zombie, he had been sluggish all day, lacking energy, clearly affected by inflammation.
He needed sufficient nutrition for recovery. Eating biscuits every day wasn’t enough; they needed to find another way to supplement his diet.
The next morning, without waking up Lu Qiming, she went to the kitchen alone.
She made a fire and boiled water, preparing a large cup of powdered milk for him and then brought it to the bedside, calling him.
“Wake up, wake up.”
Lu Qiming was sleeping heavily, he murmured twice but didn’t open his eyes.
The milk was too hot, so she placed it on the bedside table and reached out to nudge him.
Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and bit down.
Jiang Miaomiao was frightened and screamed, desperately trying to pull her hand away.
Lu Qiming opened his eyes, glanced at her, then at the hand he had bitten, quickly letting go and hiding under the blanket, explaining awkwardly.
“I thought it was a zombie.”
“Even if you thought it was a zombie, you shouldn’t bite it. It’s so dirty.”
She covered her palm with lingering fear.
He nodded, “Hmm, next time I’ll be more careful.”
“Come on, drink this cup of milk.”
Jiang Miaomiao picked up the cup and handed it to him. Lu Qiming smelled it and felt nauseous, but he didn’t want to worry her, so he forced himself to finish it.
Handing the cup back to her, he said, “I’m feeling a bit tired today, I want to…”
Before he could finish speaking, he pounced to the edge of the bed and vomited messily.
The milk he had just drunk all came out, mixed with some greyish-green gastric fluid.
Jiang Miaomiao stood beside him and couldn’t avoid getting splashed all over.
Lu Qiming vomited until he felt weak, and he looked up in embarrassment, “I’m sorry, how about you go out first for a few days, don’t come in…”
She hugged him, crying, “What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think I’ll leave you alone? I’m not that kind of person! You lie down, and I’ll go get some water for you to rinse.”
She rushed out and came back with a cup of water in hand, as well as a mop and a cloth.
First, Jiang Miaomiao helped him rinse his mouth and cleaned his face, then she started to mop the floor, wiping off the milk that had splashed onto the mattress and the bedside table. She did it back and forth several times before dealing with the stains on her own clothes.
Lu Qiming lay weakly on the bed, watching her. Although he was deeply touched, he had an overwhelming desire to rush over and bite her fiercely.
His teeth could easily break her tender skin, and the fresh blood flowing inside her body must taste very sweet…
Lu Qiming shuddered and pinched his palm hard, forcing himself not to think further.
Jiang Miaomiao changed her clothes and came back to sit by the bed, looking at him with concern.
“Are you feeling really uncomfortable? Take some medicine again.”
He shook his head, staring at her intently.
“You’re really beautiful.”
Jiang Miaomiao blushed slightly.
“I’m nearly dying, and you’re still saying such deceiving words.”
“I’m not lying to you.” He smiled wryly, “I really want to keep looking at you like this forever.”
But wasn’t it the same for her?
Before, when she was alone with food, drinks, and a computer, she would feel bored.
But after meeting him, even if they did nothing and just looked at each other, time wouldn’t feel monotonous.
Lu Qiming’s lips were pale, without a trace of color.
She leaned down, wanting to kiss him, and then she heard the roar of an airplane from outside the window.
Jiang Miaomiao turned her head and said excitedly, “They’re here!”
The base must have doctors, and as long as they found a way to prove that Lu Qiming wasn’t infected, he could receive treatment.
She couldn’t wait to pack up their things, called the dog, and wanted to take Lu Qiming to the rooftop to greet those people.
Suddenly, he reached into the bottom of the pillow and pulled out the mini handgun, pointing it at his head.
She froze with all the bags in her hands.
“What are you doing?”
“Miaomiao, I’m sorry.”
Lu Qiming said, “I really want to go with you, but I can’t burden you with a guilty conscience. With me here, they won’t take you to the base. So, I’ll stay behind, and you go on your own.”
Jiang Miaomiao’s tone turned cold, “Are you trying to threaten me?”
“It’s not a threat, it’s a request.”
He tried hard to smile, wanting to leave a good impression on her, but the smile looked worse than crying.
“This is the last request of my life. I beg you to go to the base with them, to live on in my place, to achieve the dreams I haven’t had a chance to fulfill, to…”
He couldn’t continue speaking, and the rest of his words turned into a gaze as light as a wisp of smoke, full of fondness, falling all over her.
It was then that Jiang Miaomiao noticed that the palm of his hand had been cut and was bleeding.
The blood seemed somewhat sticky as it slid down his wrist, staining the cuffs of his sweatshirt red.
Footsteps approached from the stairs, and Lu Qiming urged, “Go now, quickly.”
“I will hate you forever.”
Jiang Miaomiao wiped her eyes forcefully, one hand holding the dog, the other carrying the bag filled with food. With determination, she turned and walked away.
The door slammed shut, venting her strong anger.
Lu Qiming waited for a while, seeing that she didn’t come back, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, put down the gun, and stared blankly in the direction she left.
She left.
She was so good that as long as she went to a safe place, even without him by her side, she would live well.
She would have new friends, a new home, a new job, and maybe even… a new boyfriend.
She was like a seed in the cracks, as long as she got some sunlight and water, she would grow, thrive, and cover everything with her lush green shade.
No matter how dull her life might be, she would make it vibrant.
As for him…
Lu Qiming had never regretted being a mercenary. Even when he was shot, he only thought about recovering quickly and healing the wounds to continue working.
But now, he deeply regretted it.
If he had been like his classmates, not encountered those things, just finished university normally, became a coach in an ordinary way, and then met her, wouldn’t that have been so much better?
The room was eerily quiet. He hid back under the covers, closed his eyes, pretending that she was still lying beside him.
When she woke up, she would cuddle up to him, demanding a kiss before she would get up.
Jiang Miaomiao met the rescue team on the twenty-seventh floor.
There weren’t many of them, four or five, all well-equipped men.
The leader was a middle-aged man, tall and wearing a bulletproof vest. His skills were evident, and his face faintly revealed the handsomeness of his youth, while his eyes carried the depth that only someone of his age could possess.
His subordinates also noticed her, and their first reaction was to raise their guns.
Jiang Miaomiao stood still where she was.
The middle-aged man looked at her for a moment and asked, “Did you arrange those balloons outside the building?”
She had no expression, “Yes.”
“Who are you?”
“Just an ordinary person.”
“How could an ordinary person know that abbreviation?”
“With the internet being so advanced, is it strange that I know some random things?”
Jiang Miaomiao was impatient, even tempted to drive them away by swearing at them.
“Do you want to save me and go to the base? If you don’t want to, forget it.”
The middle-aged man responded, “…At least we need to know who we are saving.”
She recited like reciting a book.
“My name is Jiang Miaomiao, 21 years old. Before the appearance of the zombies, I was a college student. Because I had some food at the time, I didn’t evacuate with everyone else. Since then, I have been living in this city. Until recently, the zombies became fierce, and supplies were running out, and I couldn’t survive.”
The middle-aged man looked skeptical, “You are just an ordinary college student, yet you managed to survive alone in a city filled with zombies for half a year? That’s impossible.”
“At first, there were many zombies, but they left after the flood.”
“Yes, but they came back even stronger.”
The middle-aged man’s gaze was sharp, as if he could see through her lies.
“Since we came here, it means we are willing to save you, but the condition is that you must tell us everything.”
After watching him for a while, Jiang Miaomiao suddenly deflated.
“Forget it, you guys go. I won’t go with you.”
She didn’t want to interact with strangers at the base, and even more, she didn’t want to leave Lu Qiming here alone waiting to die.
If he couldn’t get out of bed, who would cook for him when he was hungry? Who would get him water when he was thirsty?
The thought of him dying all alone in this building made her heartache to the point of shattering.
The middle-aged man hit the nail on the head.
“You still have a companion, right? Why isn’t he here?”
Jiang Miaomiao became alert, glanced at the cold and icy weapons in their hands, and shook her head.
“No, I’m the only one.”
“Why are you not telling the truth? What are you afraid of? Don’t want us to find him?”
The other side’s guessing was terrifyingly accurate, approaching step by step, and the powerful aura pressed her breathless.
“Little girl, we flew nearly seven hours to come to rescue you. Do you know how much fuel it takes? Do you know the risks we are facing? In both reason and emotion, you shouldn’t hide anything. Tell us, where is he?”
If Jiang Miaomiao hadn’t experienced half a year of the apocalypse and developed resilience, she might have blurted out the truth.
The other side indeed had some skills, but she didn’t have her toughened experience in vain for half a year.
She took a step back, pondering what excuse to use to let them leave so that she could stay and die with Lu Qiming. Her gaze swept over the badge on his collar, and suddenly felt a great sense of familiarity.
The badge was pink, with the head of Hello Kitty on it. It was incongruent with his appearance, obviously not something issued by the government or the military. It looked more like a toy for little girls.
In the original story, only one person would wear it.
That person was Gu Changzhou.
The badge was the first and only gift his daughter gave him to praise him as a good dad.
Jiang Miaomiao was shocked to discover this secret. She asked tentatively, “What’s your name?”
The middle-aged man said, “My name is Gu, Gu Changzhou. Formerly the Chairman of Changzhou Security Company, now Deputy Staff Officer of the Sixth Corps of Huaxia Survivor Base, and Captain of the Changzhou Assault Team.”
Jiang Miaomiao: … It really is him!
The character she had seen in books now stood before her alive.
Although his appearance was unfamiliar, she had never seen him before, but she even knew what color of underwear he liked to wear, and she knew him well, including his personality and goals.
This feeling was so peculiar that it gave her a sense of meeting a long-lost relative.
Gu Changzhou was a scheming person, but not a bad one.
In the original text, he made great contributions to humanity’s return to the city and sacrificed his own life to save the female lead.
Perhaps… she could trust him?
Gu Changzhou observed her expression, somewhat puzzled, and calmly said, “I can assure you that I can provide safety for you and your friend. So, tell me.”
Jiang Miaomiao pursed her lips and weighed the options for a while, then turned around and said, “Follow me.”
Gu Changzhou signaled to his subordinates, and they followed her.
Under Jiang Miaomiao’s guidance, they arrived at the hotel.
Before opening the door, she specifically said, “We are just ordinary people, without any abilities, and we pose no threat to you. If you are willing to help, I will be very grateful. But if you don’t want to, please don’t bother us, just leave directly, okay?”
Gu Changzhou said, “Don’t worry, we are a regular military force, and we won’t harm civilians for no reason.”
Jiang Miaomiao nodded and pushed open the door.
From behind the door, Lu Qiming heard the sound and asked, “Why are you back? I told you not to bother with me.”
She walked in, put the dog down, and opened the room door.
Lu Qiming saw her and also saw the people behind her.
Their eyes met, and his heart sank suddenly. He calmly grabbed the mini pistol hidden in the blanket.
Gu Changzhou frowned in confusion.
“Have I seen you somewhere before?”
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