"Are you hurt?"
Zhang Su, though pretty sure Zhong Xiaoshan hadnât been in a fight, still asked worriedly.
"No, absolutely not, donât worry!"
Zhong Xiaoshan shook her head repeatedly; she cherished her life more than anyone.
"Thatâs good. Be careful, if youâre bitten, youâre basically done for. Even scratches arenât great! You sit and rest for a bit first. Xinyu, get her a drink."
Zhang Su gave a command, walked to the backpack, unzipped it, and asked Zhong Xiaoshan, "Howâs Brother Liâs place?"
At the mention of this, Zhong Xiaoshanâs face darkened. "His place... itâs dreadful."
Not wanting to recall, Zhong Xiaoshan just summed it up.
Zhang Su took out the contents of the backpack one by one and looked up at Zhong Xiaoshan after hearing her words. Seeing her gloomy expression, he asked in a slightly softer tone, "It shouldnât have taken long to pack these items. What took you so long? Did you run into some trouble?"
"Sip slowly, donât choke."
Zheng Xinyu handed a disposable cup filled halfway with an energy drink to Zhong Xiaoshan.
Zhong Xiaoshan looked gratefully at Zheng Xinyu, smiled in response, and took a slow sip. It was orange-flavored.
"When I went in, I saw the place covered in bloodstains, and I thought... I thought no one was there, no, I thought there were no zombies. I found a backpack and went to the kitchen to pack stuff. Suddenly, an uncle-turned-zombie appeared out of nowhere and blocked my way, wandering into the living room."
"I hid in the kitchen until the uncle left and then hurriedly ran down!"
Recalling the encounter, Zhong Xiaoshanâs heart raced, and the paper cup in her hand deformed, almost spilling the drink!
Zhang Su had already emptied the backpackâs contents onto the coffee table, scratched his head, and said, "Looks like you really only made a trip to the kitchen..."
On the coffee table, there were all sorts of kitchen items, from a peeler, forks, and spoons, to cling film bags, a kitchen scale, and a kitchen knife, to two packs of noodles, clumped together frozen dumplings, over three pounds of flour, and a sealed jug of peanut oil labeled 1.8L.
There were also items like luncheon meat, instant noodles, fresh ginger and green onions, and raw eggs â all very domestic items, quite different from Zhang Suâs kitchen.
"So... did I pass?"
Zhong Xiaoshan finished her drink, her lips moist and a bit more colorful, and she asked hopefully.
Zhang Su touched his chin, glanced over Zhong Xiaoshan, and suddenly said, "Take off your clothes."
"Wha-what?"
Zhong Xiaoshan looked at Zhang Su in disbelief. The request was so sudden. He didnât want it yesterday when she threw herself at him, but now he wants her to take off her clothes, what is this...
Zheng Xinyu was also stunned. Even though she wasnât jealous, doing this in front of her was too much!
"Take off your clothes, and your pants. You can choose not to comply, but in that case, these supplies are mine. Iâll give you a couple of extra packs of instant noodles, and we can part ways."
Zhang Su spread his hands and said.
Seeing that Zhang Suâs eyes held no evil intent, Zhong Xiaoshan quickly understood his intention and swiftly took off her sweater, saying, "You want to see if Iâve hidden anything, right? I havenât hidden anything at all!"
Hulalala.
Understanding Zhang Suâs intention, Zhong Xiaoshan was straightforward, standing cleanly in the middle of the living room. The chill of the air made goosebumps rise on her arms.
Zheng Xinyu stood awkwardly to the side, knowing it was necessary for Zhang Su to make such a demand, but still felt he was bad. There were clearly other ways to verify, yet he insisted on making her take off her clothes...
"Alright, itâs cold. Put your clothes back on quickly!"
Zhang Su, seeing that Zhong Xiaoshan was shivering from the cold, nodded satisfiedly, "Letâs reintroduce ourselves. My name is Zhang Su, and this is my, uh, girlfriend, Zheng Xinyu."
Just now, he used the Insight Label on Zhong Xiaoshan, and now he could see three bubbles floating above her head.
[Decisive] [Third Party] [Vengeful]
The real reason Zhang Su was willing to accept Zhong Xiaoshan wasnât because of [Decisive] and [Third Party], but [Vengeful]!
A vendetta spanning nine lifetimes can still be avenged; a mealâs kindness must be repaid.
If the Insight Label is correct, a person like this can be taken in!
"Brother Su, Sister Xinyu, Iâll be counting on you in the future."
Zhong Xiaoshan, excited, dressed while flattering them internally, thinking she finally found someone to rely on. Although older than Zheng Xinyu, sometimes age doesnât define who is an elder sister or younger sister.
Zhang Su shook his head, smiling, "No oneâs taking care of anyone else. We all help each other while managing ourselves. Thatâs how I am, and how Xinyu is. Youâre no exception."
"I understand, Brother Su. Just tell me any rules. Iâm very rule-abiding and wonât mess around."
Soon, Zhong Xiaoshan was fully dressed again, a slight blush on her face. Being seen nude by a stranger was still somewhat embarrassing.
"Since weâre all in this together now..." Zhang Su picked up the clumped dumplings from the floor and smiled, "Letâs cook these dumplings together to celebrate Nurse Zhong joining us."
"Sure, sure, Iâll do it, Iâll do it!"
Zhong Xiaoshan was overjoyed. She did all this just for a meal and a safe place to stay.
A bag of frozen dumplings left at room temperature for over a day â three people wouldnât have glanced at it before, tossing it in the trash instead, but now itâs a rare treat.
Zhang Su handed the dumplings to Zhong Xiaoshan and watched as she happily headed to the kitchen. Then he and Zheng Xinyu started sorting supplies again. Just after finishing repacking the items, they saw Zhong Xiaoshan emerging from the kitchen, looking distressed.
"Weâre out of gas."
Zhong Xiaoshan stood at the kitchen door with a worried expression.
"This..."
Zhang Su, surprised, quickly walked to the kitchen and tried to ignite the stove, but there was no response, causing frustration. He was about to hit the pot but restrained his anger.
"With explosions everywhere, itâs not surprising the gas is out..."
Itâs not surprising, but still, without gas, they couldnât cook dumplings, and most of their snail noodles were effectively useless.
Instant noodles could be soaked or chewed, but snail noodles required boiling â there was no alternative cooking method.
Looking at their current stocks, without fire, edible resources instantly dropped by seventy percent!
"The waterâs gone, the internetâs out, and now the gas is out. Could this virus be destroying facilities..."
Zheng Xinyu puzzledly complained.
Zhang Su shrugged, "I watched a science video about what happens when humans disappear from the Earth. Science suggests that within five days of humankind disappearing, everything you mentioned would cut off... The current situation isnât much different from humanity vanishing."
Without human maintenance, many facilities would come to a standstill!