Grasping Zhong Xiaoshan

Qin Ya ignored Tian Fan’s question, closed the door while observing the situation on the rooftop, and then walked towards the parapet, muttering to herself, "Did any of you see people on that building across the street this afternoon, right when the music started playing?"

Yu Nuo had already crawled up from the floor, walking unsteadily over to Qin Ya. Hearing the question, she quickly replied, "I saw them. There was a man in his twenties and two women, also around their twenties. Did they break any laws, Officer?"

"No way, right? They were just trying to attract zombies with sound. That shouldn't break, break the law, right?" Tian Fan asked in disbelief.

"So there were three people..."

Qin Ya shook his head, dismissing the guesses of Tian Fan and Yu Nuo. His gaze searched through the pitch-black windows of Building No. 3 one by one, hoping to find a clue. Unfortunately, the result disappointed him; there wasn't a single glimmer of light, making the entire Building No. 3 look like a haunted house.

Tian Fan’s vision gradually recovered. He also walked over to Qin Ya and asked hopefully, "Big Brother Officer, has the situation outside improved?"

From his perspective, the fact that the special police could spare manpower to rescue him and Yu Nuo meant there must have been positive progress, especially since neither he nor Yu Nuo were important figures.

Qin Ya looked at the hopeful Tian Fan with a pair of desolate eyes, sighed inwardly, and kept his face expressionless. "There are no signs of improvement whatsoever, at least not from what I've seen."

With that, he walked towards the rooftop door and said, "Quickly gather your things and follow me down!"

"Ah, right, okay."

Before Tian Fan and Yu Nuo could fully react, they hurriedly grabbed their remaining belongings and quickened their pace to follow Qin Ya.

"Be careful not to step on the corpses of the walking dead."

Qin Ya gave a cold reminder, shining his flashlight beam onto the two completely motionless bodies.

"Ah!"

Yu Nuo hadn't expected to witness such a terrifying sight and let out an involuntary scream.

Ah, ah, ah...

The terrified screams echoed everywhere throughout the stairwell, giving off the surreal vibe of a Southeast Asian horror movie.

"Keep it down!"

Qin Ya gave Yu Nuo a disgruntled glare and said, "It's a good thing there are no more zombies in the stairwell, otherwise your scream could have attracted every zombie on the first floor right up here!"

Awooo.

Thump, thump, thump.

As if responding to Qin Ya's words, the roars of zombies suddenly rang out, accompanied by the sound of doors being battered.

Tian Fan’s bladder tightened with fear, and he instinctively gripped the stainless steel pipe in his hand.

"Those are resident zombies, don't be nervous. You have to stay calm when facing zombies; the more nervous you are, the easier it is for things to go wrong!"

Qin Ya offered a word of reassurance and then beckoned the two of them.

Soon, the three of them returned to 902.

"Uncle Qin, Brother Tian Fan, Aunt Yu!"

As Qin Ya opened the door, he saw Liu Xuanyu standing behind it, holding a candle.

"Right, how could I forget? Big Brother Liu is a special police officer. Comrade, you must be Big Brother Liu's colleague, right?"

Walking into the room and sitting down, Yu Nuo's lingering terror subsided slightly as she nervously made small talk.

Qin Ya removed his equipment and checked the rice bowl on the table, finding that Liu Xuanyu had done a decent job and essentially finished the noodles. He looked at the puzzled expressions of Yu Nuo and Tian Fan.

"That's right, I was entrusted to come and pick up Team Leader Liu's son!"

Yu Nuo clutched at the news like a drowning person grasping a straw, hurriedly asking, "Officer Qin, your special police force has been deployed, but what about the military? There should be stationed troops in Qin City, right?"

Mentioning the stationed troops, Qin Ya fell into a long silence. Frowning, he said, "We lost contact with them the very day the disaster broke out. Afterward, we didn't see any military forces either. I'm afraid they're in grave danger."

This news drained half the blood from Tian Fan and Yu Nuo's faces.

"Alright, don't ask any more questions about the rest. Do you have any thoughts of escaping, or better yet, a plan? Let's hear it!" Qin Ya interrupted their frantic thoughts.

Yu Nuo and Tian Fan exchanged glances, both pressing their lips together and shaking their heads. Neither of them had any idea what to do, and upon hearing how dire the situation was outside, they felt completely lost.

Qin Ya didn't look discouraged by these two novices; instead, he handed each of them a bottle of water.

"I know you must be panicking, but panicking is useless. You've seen the current situation in Shengqin Garden—no water, no electricity, no gas. Supplies are diminishing with every use. If we want to survive, we have to break out!"

"Th-that, Officer, what's your last name?"

After gulping down several mouthfuls of water, Yu Nuo asked hesitantly.

***

"Aunt Yu is so silly. I just called him Uncle Qin earlier, so of course his last name is Qin."

At that moment, Liu Xuanyu walked over to them holding a toy dump truck. With more people around, the little guy's mood had improved significantly. He walked up to Tian Fan and said, "Brother Tian Fan, do you want to play Three Kingdoms Kill with me?"

Tian Fan smiled helplessly: "Xuanyu, play by yourself. Brother has things to do."

"Okay..." Liu Xuanyu walked away somewhat reluctantly.

"Qin... um, Officer Qin." Yu Nuo didn't know how to address Qin Ya, so she casually picked a title and continued, "In our current situation, shouldn't we just stay at home and quietly wait for the authorities to clear out... the zombies outside? If we rush out, wouldn't we just be causing trouble for the authorities?"

Qin Ya said in a deep voice, "On the very day the disaster broke out, our brigade lost contact with the authorities. The terrible situation far exceeds all our expectations. I really hate to break this unfortunate news to you, but... there are no authorities coming to rescue us!"

"Wh... what!"

One shocking piece of news after another left Yu Nuo and Tian Fan staring at each other in dismay.

"Alright, knowing this much is enough! I'll ask you this: do you want to survive or not!"

Qin Ya wasn't afraid that the two were novices; on the contrary, he liked novices. Novices were much easier to lead than those biased smart alecks.

"I want to!"

"Of course..."

Yu Nuo and Tian Fan nodded repeatedly. All the hope they had previously harbored was now shattered, and in an instant, they realized that all their hopes of escaping alive were pinned on this special police officer surnamed Qin.

"Since you want to escape, you must strengthen your bodies, fortify your resolve, and listen to my commands in everything from now on. Understand?"

"Understood!"

Tian Fan and Yu Nuo's expressions steadied considerably. Having someone take charge was definitely a good thing for them.

"Good. I've formulated a plan. First of all, the two of you quickly recall what usable resources you still have at home..."

Qin Ya's first task was to lead Tian Fan and Yu Nuo in gathering supplies, otherwise the food stored in Team Leader Liu's home would barely last four people two or three days.

"I have, I have, Brother Qin, I have plenty of food and drinks at home, right downstairs."

"Officer Qin, I don't have much food at home, but I do have a few cases of water. I just bought them recently."

"Very well, we'll go gather the supplies shortly!"

Resolute and decisive, Qin Ya immediately decided to start working under the cover of night.

***

"Aren't you cold sitting by the window wearing so little? You mustn't catch a cold at a time like this!"

Zheng Xinyu walked up to Zhang Su with concern, placing her hand on his strong, muscular arm.

"Calluses formed in just a few days. You're certainly working hard."

Zhang Su felt the calluses graze his skin, turned his head, and smiled at Zheng Xinyu. If one still indulged in self-pity at a time like this, dreaming of being a pampered vase, the ultimate end would be utterly tragic.

Zheng Xinyu pinched her palm, shrugged, and smiled: "There's no choice without hard work. Zombies don't care about cherishing precious jade, and I definitely don't want to be a food delivery person!"

What Zheng Xinyu practiced most these days was swinging her baseball bat. She practiced not only during scheduled training sessions but also gave it a few swings whenever she had a moment to spare. The weighty bat was not only her weapon but also her training equipment.

"This mindset is great, keep it up!"

Zhang Su squeezed Zheng Xinyu's cheek with great satisfaction. In the current environment, only by fighting for your life together could you have a greater chance of survival; he didn't need a useless vase.

Zheng Xinyu nodded heavily. She could clearly feel her own growth and changes. Compared to the sheer terror she felt when she first saw a zombie, she could now face them calmly. She believed that as long as she wasn't ambushed suddenly, she could completely handle a single zombie in a frontal confrontation.

At first, she had thought about hiding completely under Zhang Su's wing, but putting herself in his shoes, she figured Zhang Su's personality made it clear which was more important: life or carnal pleasures.

"Hey, was there a flash of light over there just now?"

Leaning against Zhang Su's shoulder and letting her imagination wander, she suddenly pointed ahead and asked.

"That's right." Zhang Su pointed toward Unit 1, Building No. 4, and said, "That special police officer rescued the two people on the rooftop and is currently leading them to search for supplies."

Due to the distance and the obstruction of the walls, he couldn't hear the commotion on the other side clearly, but he could make a rough judgment from the snippets of information occasionally drifting into his ears.

"Ah... the two people on the opposite building were saved? Special police officers receive long-term professional training after all; they're different. They can adapt to the environment and start scavenging for supplies so quickly." Zheng Xinyu nodded in praise.

Zhang Su smiled with the corners of his lips upturned: "Special police officers are definitely formidable, but we aren't bad either. As long as we're willing, scavenging for supplies in this unit would be a breeze. You have to have confidence!"

"Brother Su, how much longer do you think we can stay here?"

Zhong Xiaoshan also walked over. Hearing that someone opposite was scavenging for supplies, she asked out of a sense of sentiment.

Zhang Su glanced downstairs. Some zombies had once again appeared between the two buildings. After the music stopped playing in the afternoon, the hordes of zombies had dispersed, and they were now slowly wandering around.

"There's a problem with the ratio of food to water. On the premise of ensuring the effectiveness of our workouts, the food will last at most ten days. The water is more abundant, so it can last half a month."

"Is it that tight?"

Zheng Xinyu asked, instantly feeling worried.

Zhang Su nodded: "We work out every day now, so our consumption of food and water is very fast. Did you think we were just sleeping and waiting to die? If we did that, we could survive even a month and a half. But what happens at the end? We'd just die..."

After increasing their training intensity, the appetites of the three Zhang Su trio had grown sharply, even exceeding their normal food intake. Compared to times of low consumption, the amount they consumed in a single day was enough to scrape by for three or four days by rationing.

"Yeah, if there was hope of rescue, we could grind it out, but right now it's obviously..." Zhong Xiaoshan shook her head and said dejectedly, "Obviously there's no hope at all."

"If you have any objections to my plan, you can bring them up. I'm also worried about missing something. Let's pool our wisdom; our goal is only one—to survive!"

Zhang Su patted both of their arms at the same time.

Zheng Xinyu raised her hand repeatedly and said, "Brother Su, I was thinking... since we have so much water, could we spare just a tiny bit for personal hygiene? Hehe."

Hearing Zheng Xinyu's suggestion, Zhong Xiaoshan quickly chimed in, "That's right, Brother Su, we haven't... you know, washed up in days. You also know that bacteria easily breed in women's intimate areas and cause illness..."

"Ahem! That indeed is a problem. Well, I'll make a special exception today: one bottle of water for each of you, the half-liter kind. That's enough, right?"

Zhang Su felt a slight awkwardness in his heart. Men and women were different; his own hygiene was easy to manage, but women were a bit more troublesome. Still, this couldn't be ignored. If any real medical issue arose, it wouldn't be easy to deal with right now.

"Enough, more than enough!"

"Enough, hehe, thank you Brother Su!"

The two women beamed with joy upon receiving approval. Zheng Xinyu even kissed Zhang Su directly on the cheek before pulling Zhong Xiaoshan away.

Zhang Su touched his slightly warm cheek, smiled, and sighed: "You have to find joy amidst suffering, otherwise what's the point even if you survive..."

Surviving was the fundamental basis, but one shouldn't live solely for the sake of surviving. When you are alive, you should try to make yourself as happy as possible. You can endure hardship, but you shouldn't go looking for suffering. If you live forever in fear of the future, you will waste the most precious present.

After quietly watching the opposite side for a while, Zhang Su didn't continue paying attention to the actions of the special police squad. He tidied up a bit and went to bed.

In the pitch-black night, time slowly slipped by. After not knowing how long he had spent in a daze, a wisp of cool air suddenly crept into the quilt, followed by warm softness pressing against his body.

"Huh?"

Zhang Su's brow twitched. The sensation today was clearly different from before. He turned his head and asked in surprise, "Why is it you!?"

His question was laced with astonishment.

Zhong Xiaoshan's heart thudded heavily, and an invisible blush bloomed on her cheeks in the darkness. She said weakly, "Brother Su, I... I came to warm the bed for you. Please don't look down on me..."

Her gentle voice carried a hint of pleading.

Zhang Su understood Zhong Xiaoshan's motivation for doing this. In a sudden disaster where survival was arduous, the probability of an individual surviving on their own was close to zero. To survive, one had to bind themselves to him, and the methods for building a solid relationship were countable on one hand.

"Are you thinking that once you warm my bed, I will go all out and risk my life to protect you in the future?"

Zhang Su pillowed his head on his arm, looking at the woman right before him in the dim light.

Ever since he agreed to let Zhong Xiaoshan join the team, he had also thought about possessing this woman, whose temperament and figure were both quite good. His protection wouldn't come that cheaply, but he hadn't expected her to throw herself into his arms before he even brought it up.

Zhong Xiaoshan's body stiffened at Zhang Su's question. She offered a sheepish smile and said, "I... I just ask that Brother Su doesn't abandon me within your capability... I'll work hard, I won't hold you back!"

To survive, a delicate woman could become strong.

Zhang Su looked at the tag above Zhong Xiaoshan's head—[Decisive], [Holds Grudges], [Mistress]—and shook his head inwardly, thinking: *Being a mistress really is your destiny...*

The timing might not be entirely ripe, but in such an enclosed and intimate environment, if men and women don't pierce that final layer of window paper, things will always be awkward.

Seeing that Zhang Su didn't express his stance, Zhong Xiaoshan assumed he had reservations and whispered, "I... I discussed it with Sister Xinyu. She said it's fine as long as you're willing."

??

Zhang Su blurted out, "When did you two discuss these things?"

He was very surprised. He clearly hadn't heard the two of them talking about this, and he suspected Zhong Xiaoshan was making it up to lie to him!