Chapter 128: Your Doomsday Has Been Delivered (11)

An Changjing was a local of this city, and he had been staying here with a few companions for some time. They usually went out to scavenge for supplies, barely managing to survive. But as time passed, the resources they could find dwindled. After discussing, they decided to leave.

“I heard there’s a safe base outside,” An Changjing said while bandaging himself, sharing news he’d heard. “My friends and I plan to head there.”

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on their side—they hadn’t gone far before they got separated.

“I also heard from a survivor that someone outside has developed a cure,” he added.

Ling Qiong raised an eyebrow. “A cure?”

“Yeah. The virus came from the meteorite, right? But the meteorite landed over three months ago, and labs worldwide have been researching it. So some say there might be an antidote for the zombies.”

Perhaps feeling his explanation was shaky, An Changjing quickly added, “But it’s just hearsay—I’m only repeating what others said.”

“If there really is a cure, maybe our nightmare will end soon,” Ling Qiong mused.

She clicked her tongue, smirking lightly. “Daydreaming.”

According to the storyline, the heroine’s journey had gone on this long without a cure; she and the hero had to hold the world together. How could there possibly be a cure? Even if there was, it wouldn’t appear so soon.

Ling Qiong glanced at the person beside her. Jiang Xunchu was absorbed in studying the weapon in his hands, seemingly unaware of An Changjing’s talk about a cure. She raised her brow slightly, withdrawing her gaze thoughtfully.

“Hey handsome, what’s your name?” An Changjing leaned on the back of Jiang Xunchu’s seat.

“Jiang Li.”

“Jiang Li? So does your sister go by Jiang Wai?” An Changjing scratched his head.

Ling Qiong was speechless.

Jiang Xunchu shook his head.

An Changjing’s curious eyes flicked toward Ling Qiong. She smiled at him. “Quiet, or I’ll toss you out.”

An Changjing shivered and shrank back.

…

An Changjing was indeed familiar with City B. Even when roads were blocked, he could quickly find alternate routes. Before the apocalypse, he used to deliver takeout, so he knew every street and alley well.

Not far out of City B, Ling Qiong spotted a rather familiar truck.

She stopped the car, but the truck was empty. The ground around it was messy, hinting that something might have happened.

Ling Qiong opened the truck’s compartment. Everything inside was still there.

If it wasn’t a robbery… could it be zombies?

Having confirmed no one was inside, Ling Qiong got back in the car and restarted the engine.

Jiang Xunchu still held the weapon, sitting upright as if in a classroom, asking, “Was anyone you knew in that truck just now?”

“Yeah.”

Jiang Xunchu didn’t press further.

No one was on the truck, so those inside either left or… something else.

He changed the subject. “Where are you headed?”

“H City.”

Jiang Xunchu thought to suggest stopping somewhere, but he, too, was going to H City.

An Changjing said, “Funny, the base I mentioned is in the direction of H City. My friends and I agreed that if we get separated, we’ll regroup there.”

…

Ling Qiong had planned to ditch An Changjing on the way. But since he saved Jiang Xunchu once, she had no choice but to bring him along.

Jiang Xunchu’s wounds had fully healed, leaving only faint scars around the bite marks to prove he’d been bitten by a zombie.

An Changjing wasn’t very attentive, so even when Ling Qiong treated Jiang Xunchu’s wounds, he didn’t come close enough to notice anything unusual.

An Changjing had also learned Ling Qiong’s name during their journey.

Knowing the two had different surnames, An Changjing made up a plausible story in his mind—that one took their father’s surname, the other their mother’s.

“There’s a small town ahead where we can restock supplies,” An Changjing said, consulting the map.

The car was running low on fuel, so replenishing supplies was urgent.

By the time they reached the gas station at the town’s entrance, the car stalled completely.

An Changjing went inside to check; the gas was all gone, and a few zombies were attracted by the commotion.

Ling Qiong knocked on the car window. Jiang Xunchu rolled it down.

The young girl smiled gently. “Brother, want to practice a bit?”

“…”

The dilapidated, filthy gas station, the distant howls of zombies, and the girl’s bright, sweet smile felt like a warm breeze stirring ripples in the air.

Jiang Xunchu lowered his gaze and stepped out.

His leg wounds healed, he stood tall and upright like a pine tree, wearing a pristine white shirt, looking every bit the student sitting quietly in a library.

He pulled out his gun and, following Ling Qiong’s earlier instructions, disengaged the safety, chambered a round, and aimed.

“Don’t run this way. Circle around a bit more,” Ling Qiong directed An Changjing.

An Changjing: “…”

Am I just a tool?

Jiang Xunchu’s grip was inaccurate; Ling Qiong reminded him.

He tried twice but couldn’t get it right.

Suddenly, a warmth that didn’t belong to him touched the back of his hand. Ling Qiong took his hand gently and corrected his grip bit by bit.

Her voice was always soft—not in a deliberately coquettish way, but tender and sweet, like a cute, obedient girl’s.

Jiang Xunchu was momentarily distracted; only after she repeated herself did he regain focus.

He had always been a model student, the so-called academic prodigy.

He knew what to do for the best results.

But his body never cooperated.

In the words of his former classmates—he was hopeless at sports.

Jiang Xunchu missed the zombies with both shots, each time nearly hitting An Changjing instead.

“Brother, are you aiming at me?” An Changjing shouted, hopping about indignantly.

“Sorry.”

Jiang Xunchu’s hands were more suited to holding a pen.

He was better off sitting in a clean, bright room, writing or drawing—the refined, elegant young man straight out of a coming-of-age novel.

Fearing he might hurt An Changjing, he didn’t shoot again and got back in the car.

Ling Qiong took down the zombies swiftly, so fast that An Changjing barely reacted before they were all down.

“Brother, don’t lose heart,” Ling Qiong consoled, resting her arm on the car window. “Ice doesn’t freeze three feet overnight, and water wears through stone drop by drop. Just practice more.”

Jiang Xunchu exhaled and said seriously, “Give me some time. I’ll practice.”

His tone was earnest but carried a subtle hint of reluctance.

…

The gas station had no fuel, not even cooking oil.

An Changjing sighed. “Looks like we’ll have to walk into town.”

Ling Qiong stood outside the station, gazing thoughtfully into the void, then said slowly, “Not necessarily.”

“???”

What do you mean, not necessarily?

Could there be another way?

An Changjing followed Ling Qiong’s gaze. The empty space showed nothing but dust dancing in the sunlight.

(End of chapter)