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Jiang Ci had mentioned earlier that when no one was occupying the beds, he could sleep on one, but if someone needed it, he could also take the caregiver’s bed that was available.
Now, in the quiet hospital, Fan Zhipeng finally let out a sigh of relief. He fetched hot water from the bathroom to wipe the base leader’s face and hands, then quickly washed up himself before collapsing onto the bed.
He had fought his way out, protecting the base leader, and carried the unconscious man over long distances. Finally, when they neared C City, they had managed to board a train and arrived at the C City Gourmet City.
The familiar scent of the hospital filled his nostrils, bringing him an unusual sense of calm. He fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. The surroundings were eerily quiet, devoid of the growls of zombies or mutated beasts, with only the occasional sound of footsteps. It had been years since he’d slept so soundly.
He had a dream he dreamed of in a long time. Back then, the apocalypse had just begun, and he was just a young man of nineteen, carrying the body of his five-year-old sister, covered in blood, wandering aimlessly through the streets.
His mind was in chaos. He had just witnessed his parents being torn to shreds by zombies at their doorstep as they tried to protect him. When he rushed back to his sister’s room to take her with him, he found a zombie crouched by her bed, having already gnawed her into a bloody, unrecognizable mess. She was clearly already dead.
His hands trembled as he gripped the baseball bat. With a swing, he knocked the zombie away from his sister’s bed, grabbed her, and bolted out of the house.
Before leaving, he had taken a glance back. His mother’s head was turned toward him, her eyes, which had always been warm and smiling, were now dull and gray.
Tears welled up in his eyes, but the screams and roars outside forced him to keep moving as he dashed out of the neighborhood.
The outside world was in complete disarray. He didn’t know where to go, and he didn’t know why, in just a moment, the world that had been fine just a second ago had descended into this nightmare.
As a zombie roared and lunged at him, Fan Zhipeng even thought that it would be better to just die here instead.
But in the next second, he was rescued by a military team, led by the current leader of A City’s base.
At the time, he didn’t notice that he was the one being protected by so many people. He only felt that the leader was exceptionally kind, his words so gentle it managed to pull him back from the edge of the abyss.
After that, he began following the base leader. He had food, shelter, and a job that others envied.
The base leader not only saved him but also taught him many things, giving him so much, and shaped him into the person he would later become.
So, there was no way he could possibly betray or abandon him.
*
On the way back, Jiang Ci discussed the matter with Song Jinchuan. She felt there definitely had to be more to the story. After all, this base leader held great authority, not only in the base but across the entire nation, with his influence running deep. Without the confirmation of his death, his opponents definitely wouldn’t be able to rest easy.
Early the next morning, Jiang Ci went to the hospital to visit the old man who had never given up on the nation, both before and after the apocalypse.
The base leader’s hair seemed to have more white strands in it now. Lying in the hospital bed, his face was pale, looking as if he had aged ten years.
When Jiang Ci and the others arrived, the base leader was already awake. Alone in the room, he was staring at the white ceiling, lost in thought.
“Old Cheng,” Jiang Ci addressed him directly by his surname, Cheng.
“Boss Jiang,” Old Cheng replied with his usual calm smile, his voice gentle. “I heard what happened from Little Fan. Thanks to you this time. We might have to trouble you for a while longer.”
“It’s no trouble. Fan Zhipeng has already paid with crystal cores. You can stay here without worrying. In my territory, no one can harm you,” Jiang Ci said confidently.
“Thank you,” Old Cheng said gratefully. Acts of kindness in times of need were always remembered more vividly than those in times of plenty. He hadn’t expected that in his moment of crisis, it would be Boss Jiang who took them in.
At this moment, Fan Zhipeng also came in from outside, carrying food he had just fetched from the cafeteria.
“Boss Jiang, Brother Song,” Fan Zhipeng greeted them upon seeing the two.
In actual fact, they weren’t sure who was older between Song Jinchuan and Fan Zhipeng, but Song Jinchuan was more capable and had been with Jiang Ci for a long time, making him quite renowned among the survivors. In a world where strength was respected, such a form of address wasn’t strange at all.
When speaking of his future plans, Old Cheng’s eyes flashed with a glint of coldness, “Although I’m already an old man, I’m not so foolish as to wait for others to plot against me. I’ve left a backup plan in the base.”
Jiang Ci nodded, feeling that it was expected. After all, the other party had once been a leader of the entire nation, so how could he possibly remain so passive?
After visiting Old Cheng, Jiang Ci left first. As soon as she stepped out of the hospital, the wind outside cut into her face like a knife. She hissed in pain, and Song Jinchuan immediately took out a mask she had forgotten to bring with her that morning from his pocket and gently put it on her.
*
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
The rush to buy quilts and cotton clothes hadn’t subsided yet, and many survivors from other bases had also heard the news and had rushed over.
Zhao Mengqi prepared to go by herself to C City with her equipment. The sudden arrival of winter, despite their preparations, had still claimed several lives in the base due to the cold.
The base leader himself had already stocked up on all the necessary equipment, and with his gates closed, it wasn’t cold inside. Only the rest of the survivors were left to endure the bitter cold.
They had already lost hope in their base leader, and could only find a way out on their own.
So when they heard that there were cotton clothes for sale in C City’s Gourmet City, they decided to head there.
Before leaving, Zhao Mengqi put on the mutated beast skins, strapped a dagger to her waist, and carried a backpack filled with supplies.
She walked to the bed in the room and looked at the little girl sleeping soundly wrapped in mutated beast skins. Her usually cold eyes softened considerably.
“Mom, stay with my sister and try not to go out. Wait for me to come back,” Zhao Mengqi said to the woman beside her.
“Alright, be very careful. If there’s any danger, come back immediately,” the woman held her daughter with her thin hands, her face full of worry.
“Don’t worry,” Zhao Mengqi said, placing her mother’s hand back under the mutated beast skins before turning and striding out.
In the fifth year of the apocalypse, her father had unfortunately been infected and died after a mission. Her mother was already pregnant, and with the current medical conditions, abortion was unrealistic and not an option, so the child had to be born.
Not long after giving birth, her mother’s health deteriorated, and it was later discovered that it was due to toxin accumulation in her body, slowly wearing her down.
The doctors said that with the current medical conditions, there was no cure, and she could only live one day at a time.
After a good cry, Zhao Mengqi wiped her tears and continued to fight for crystal cores. No matter what, life had to go on.
But since she was still alive, she wanted her mother and sister to have a better life.
As she walked out of the base, Zhao Mengqi saw other survivors from the base, also fully equipped and seemingly ready to leave. After talking with a few of them, she found out they were all planning to go to Gourmet City in City C.
Zhao Mengqi simply decided to join them.
She was the quiet type, blending into the crowd and listening to their conversations, picking up some information about the gourmet city in C City.
She had never been to C City because there were still two people at home who needed her care. She even tried to only take on missions that were closer to home, so despite the fact that she had heard about the C City’s Gourmet City before it even became Gourmet City, she had still never been there before.
“I heard that Gourmet City in C City has expanded a lot now. I went there just a few months ago.”
“It’s not just expansion, they even built a train, though it only covers a few surrounding cities. We can hitch a ride when we get there later.”
“Wow, that’s quite a big project. And there’s the cotton clothes and down jackets they’ve been making too. When I was on a mission recently, I ran into a few survivors wearing a set of down jackets. They looked so lightweight and warm, and I was so envious of them. I heard a set like that costs five third-level crystal cores, which isn’t that expensive.”
“That’s definitely not expensive. I’ve sold moldy blankets and thick clothes for fifth-level crystal cores before, yet there were still buyers.”
“I’ve already stocked up on quite a few crystal cores. I’m thinking of buying two sets for each of my family members.”
Listening to their conversation, Zhao Mengqi gradually felt more at ease. It seemed this trip was destined to be fruitful.
The benefit of traveling with everyone was the safety factor. There were even ability users among them, and when they encountered the occasional zombies or mutated beasts, they worked together and barely suffered any injuries.
At night, they camped in a relatively safe place. After walking for three days, they finally arrived at the city that, according to the survivors, had a train.
Zhao Mengqi found it surreal. Amidst the ruins and debris, the train station stood out in stark contrast, as if it belonged to two different extremes of a spectrum.
She stood in front of the train platform. Unlike C City, which had a ticketing window and other facilities, this place only had three self-service ticket machines. After selecting her itinerary, she exchanged crystal cores to buy the tickets.
“These tickets are really cheap. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to use first-level crystal cores,” one survivor said with a laugh.
Seeing everyone start to buy tickets, Zhao Mengqi also took out some first-level crystal cores from her bag and bought a ticket. The train arrived not long after
It wasn’t just Zhao Mengqi, but everyone from the base was particularly excited. After not seeing such a mode of transportation for ten years, everything was filled with a sense of both novelty and nostalgia.
The train started moving, and naturally, it was much faster than them walking to their destination.
They reached the final station in just over two hours, whereas it would have taken them three full days to cross a city on foot.
As they stepped out of the station, Zhao Mengqi was greeted by the bustling noise of people and the scent of various types of food mixed together in the air.
She couldn’t help but take a deep breath, letting the aroma fill her lungs and linger there for a while.
“Wow, it smells amazing. I heard they have all kinds of food here. How about we grab something to eat before we go back?” the survivors discussed.
Someone who was more familiar with Zhao Mengqi asked if she wanted to eat something, but Zhao Mengqi just stood there in a daze, frozen in place.
While others first noticed the food, her eyes were immediately drawn to the hospital building in the distance.
Seeing the sign above, her fingertips trembled slightly. A hospital—there was actually such a large hospital here. Did that mean she could bring her mother here for treatment? Instead of just waiting at home for death to come?
the translator has nothing to add ◡̈
Hope she have time to bring her mother tp hospital