Outside, there was a cacophony of screams, filled with fear, darkness, slaughter, and bloodshed.
Inside the underground parking lot, the sporadic zombies wandering aimlessly appeared desolate.
Jianyi woke up groggily from the large bed on the RV's first floor. Hearing the howls from outside, she couldn't help but feel a strange familiarity.
The large bed on the right side of the vehicle's window was where Jianyi had been sleeping. She sat up, picked up her coat hanging on a hook by the bed, and put it on as she pushed aside the curtains.
The early autumn morning was still chilly, and Jianyi, with her fragile body, made sure to stay warm. In this world, even a slight cold could be deadly.
"Hah," Jianyi yawned widely, stretched, and her eyes welled up with tears.
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and turned to look out of the window. Suddenly, a pair of bloodshot eyes were pressed against the window, staring at her fixedly. The grotesque mouth, covered in blood, was panting heavily, and drool dripped down.
At first, Jianyi was taken aback, but then she decisively pulled down the curtain, her heart unmoved. She had expected that the zombie outside would linger for a while after spotting prey, but to her surprise, as soon as she pulled down the curtain, she heard the shuffling footsteps moving away.
A strange feeling suddenly welled up in Jianyi's heart. Why did she feel like this zombie didn't see her as prey?
The image of the zombie's bloodshot eyes pressed against the window flashed in her mind. It seemed like it wasn't in a rush to find prey; it was just curiously looking at her.
Jianyi furrowed her brow; this was indeed strange. However, the odd feeling that had surged in her heart quickly dissipated. Perhaps it was because she had seen so many zombies in her previous life, and her inner strength had grown, making her find this disgusting zombie somewhat cute?
Jianyi raised an eyebrow, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom in the middle of the RV to freshen up. Then she made her way to the front of the vehicle and ate the pancakes that Chen Junsheng had brought her.
"It's still a bit hot, sis, take your time," Chen Junsheng, wearing a pink apron, looked like a homely chef as he gently advised her.
Jianyi nodded, blowing on the pancakes while munching them crisply. Her teasing gaze lingered on Chen Junsheng in front of her.
Following her gaze, the young man noticed the pink apron he was wearing and blushed slightly. He explained, "We only had one apron, and I didn't want to get the clothes you bought for me dirty, so I put it on. Please don't make fun of me, sis."
Hearing this, Jianyi glanced at the sportswear he was wearing. She had picked it up at an outdoor equipment store initially for him, just in case. She never expected him to treasure it so much.
Jianyi raised the pancake she held in her hand and smiled, "It's quite nice."
"Nice? What's nice? Is it the pancake or the apron? Or maybe both?" Chen Junsheng raised his head, and his eyes sparkled as he looked at her. His bright smile, accompanied by his perfectly white teeth, almost dazzled Jianyi's eyes.
In her previous life, her comfortable life had taken a nosedive after losing Chen Junsheng. In this life, even for the sake of delicious food, she wouldn't push him into a horde of zombies again.
Jianyi looked at his radiant smile and shook her head helplessly. She quickly finished the pancake in her hand and moved to a small stool by the car door, opening her phone to check the news.
It was the third day of the apocalypse, and the internet had already gone wild. Fortunately, the power grid was still intact, so surviving netizens could still vent their frustrations online. However, the most common posts were cries for help. Jianyi remained unmoved as she watched videos of girls crying in despair.
Unable to resist, she left a comment under one of the posts: "Instead of begging others for help, it's better to rely on yourself. If you don't have the courage to survive in this world, you might as well end it yourself to avoid suffering. Sincerely yours."
After posting the message, Jianyi casually closed her phone. She rarely showed kindness, but she hoped the girl would recognize her own good fortune.
She lifted a portion of the curtain to look outside again, observing the wandering zombies and the survivors trying to escape by car but getting surrounded by zombies due to the noise they generated. She had no intention of lending a helping hand.
Soon, the zombie squad in the parking lot had one more severely injured member, missing an arm and a leg. If the timing had been right, Jianyi would have already left this boring and dim underground parking lot.
She turned to look inside the car. Chen Junsheng was busy making dry rations by the oven. Although he claimed to have learned it online just now, he seemed to be doing a great job.
Jianyi couldn't help but ask, "Chen Junsheng, aren't you afraid of the monsters outside?"
He held a knife in his knotty hands, as if the zombies wandering outside didn't exist. Focused on his work, he responded with just a soft voice, "As long as you're by my side, I'm not afraid."
"What if I'm not by your side anymore?"
Jianyi asked out of pure curiosity. Unexpectedly, Chen Junsheng stopped his movements abruptly, turned to her with a cold tone, and said, "That won't happen."
Seeing Jianyi's puzzled look, he realized that he had spoken too harshly. He softened his tone and forced a smile, adding, "I will always protect you and make sure you don't wander off, sis."
Jianyi was still pondering whether it was appropriate for Chen Junsheng to say such things when suddenly, from outside the car, she heard the excited shouts of the zombie squad discovering prey.
The siblings exchanged a glance and lifted the curtain to look outside. They saw a woman in her thirties covered in blood, holding a six or seven-year-old girl in her arms. They had rushed out from the safety corridor near the elevator, with several slow-moving but terrifying-looking zombies following behind.
Jianyi had no intention of watching any further. The mother and daughter were weak, and even though these zombies moved slowly, they wouldn't be able to escape the encirclement.
However, just as she was about to let go of the curtain, the young woman suddenly hugged her little girl tightly and, like a bull, charged at the zombies in front of her!
Never underestimate the strength a mother can muster to protect her child. In that one moment, the zombie that was lagging behind in the squad was knocked down by the woman, collapsing to the ground along with a few other zombies.
The zombies chasing behind the woman let out angry roars, and one of them gave her a kick, stepping on the fallen zombie's body. They continued pursuing the mother and daughter with fury.
Seeing this, Jianyi couldn't help but comment, "She's got guts."
As she finished her sentence, the woman outside delivered another powerful kick to the fallen zombie's head, crushing it with a sickening sound.