After Xu Shu and Shen Xue left, I leaned back on the sofa and tilted my head to look at the sky, which had long since darkened.
The moonlight was still bright—tomorrow would probably be another good-weather day.
I quietly reflected on everything that had happened over the past few months.
It all started with Yangyang going out to rescue Zheng Rongrong, then Suo Tian saving me.
The four of us formed a small team.
I had to admit, ever since Suo Tian joined us, surviving had indeed become a lot easier for Yangyang and me.
Then, because I insisted, we rescued Shen Xue and Shen Feng.
At that time, I didn't even know who was in that vehicle—just followed my instincts and forced Suo Tian to help me save the siblings.
After that came Li Jianguo and his group.
When we had no choice but to give up our supplies and find a new shelter, we brought back Song Meijing.
Then at the warehouse, we saved Wang Jun and Lili, the married couple.
After that, we rescued Jun Di and Yin Shangtang, those two young guys.
Finally, when we were cornered at the school, those students showed up...
At that thought, I stopped myself from going any further.
My heart was a mess of emotions.
Again and again, I had saved others—trying to preserve the last shreds of my humanity and kindness in this hellish world.
But now... my little brother is out there, his life or death unknown, and not one of the people I saved is willing to go out and look for him.
I think… somewhere deep down, in some corner of my mind, something has already begun to shift.
Suo Tian didn't return until very late.
I was lying on the bed in the bedroom.
Since the floors here were relatively higher, the rooms probably received sunlight all year round.
The quilt taken from the wardrobe didn't have the slightest trace of mildew.
Covered under the thick blanket, I felt a sense of inexplicable comfort and security.
When I heard the door open, I shut my eyes.
In the darkness, I figured he probably couldn't see my face anyway.
His footsteps paused in front of the bedroom door, then headed toward the side of the bed where I lay.
As Suo Tian reached my side, I simply opened my eyes.
There was no point pretending to be asleep right in front of him.
Sure enough, when Suo Tian saw me open my eyes, his expression didn't change at all.
He just sat naturally on the edge of the bed and reached out to hold the hand I had left outside the blanket.
"I'll take people to search," Suo Tian said, his eyes calm and steady as he looked at me.
I looked at him and opened my mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, I found myself unable to form any words.
After a while, I could only nod slightly as a response.
Right now, finding Yangyang was the top priority.
I had no intention of being polite.
I still held a grudge against those black-clad men for not being willing to search earlier, but at this point, as long as someone could help me find my little brother, I wouldn't refuse anyone.
Seeing my reaction, Suo Tian frowned slightly and tightened his grip on my hand just a little.
I could feel that his palm was rough—covered in calluses, it seemed.
As I glanced at Suo Tian, the doubt I had earlier crept back into my mind again: What exactly did he do before all this?
"Chen Yang," Suo Tian suddenly called my name.
"Hmm?"
He stared at me for a couple of seconds, then sighed and said, "There are many things that have no explanation."
"What?" I didn't quite understand this sudden statement.
"If you want to survive, you have to become stronger," Suo Tian said, his expression returning to his usual calm demeanor, but his tone carried an indescribable firmness.
I didn't respond to his words. I just stared at him for a moment, then shifted inward on the bed to make room for him. "Go to sleep. It's late."
The rest was silence between us.
After Suo Tian lay down, I instinctively curled up in his arms like always.
He gently wrapped an arm around me but didn't make any other moves.
With Yangyang's fate still unknown, I thought there was no way I'd be able to sleep.
But maybe because I had completely exhausted myself during the day, I actually ended up falling asleep not long after.
I dreamt a lot—chaotic and scattered—but I vaguely remembered that one of the dreams seemed like something I had dreamed before.
No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't recall it clearly.
So the moment I opened my eyes, I was overwhelmed by a deep sense of foreboding.
At some point, Suo Tian had already gotten up.
I heard the click of the gas stove igniting from the kitchen.
By the time my mind fully cleared from sleep and I got dressed to walk into the living room, I found that Xu Shu and Shen Xue were already sitting there.
When they saw me come out, Shen Xue got up, pulled me onto the sofa, and pointed toward Suo Tian in the kitchen, asking, "They're going too today?"
"Mm." I zipped up my jacket and glanced at Shen Xue and Xu Shu.
"Why are you two up so early? Where are Shen Feng and the others?"
Xu Shu replied, "They went down to refuel the car and check it over."
"Got it." I nodded, and just as I did, Shen Xue suddenly blurted out, "Hey, hey, Chen Yang, are you using your charms to get help finding Yangyang?"
"Xiao Xue!" Xu Shu snapped at her.
I was stunned for a second, then chuckled and waved my hand.
"Charm your ass. Me and him? We're basically an old married couple. Those bastards like Big Beard wouldn't help before, but now that my man's back, of course he's stepping in—what, you thought he wouldn't?"
I lied through my teeth without blinking.
Even though it was true that Suo Tian offered to help on his own, I really had been planning to use my charms to get him to help… it's just… he didn't want them.
After breakfast, Shen Feng and Jun Di had already finished checking the car.
Right before we set off, a few of the black-clad men came along.
The bearded guy and the middle-aged man didn't show up, but I didn't care—clearly, they thought looking for Yangyang and Rongrong was a waste of time and energy.
Xu Shu, Shen Xue, Jun Di, Shen Feng, and I got into the minivan, while Suo Tian rode in another vehicle with the black-clad men.
Chen Pu had originally insisted on coming, but Xu Shu scolded him and sent him back.
Seeing his face full of frustration and unwillingness, I curled my lip in a faint smile.
That kid probably couldn't understand his sister's desire to keep him out of danger.
Yangyang had probably been the same back then.
Just before we drove off, Fatty came over with some men and, clearly unhappy, asked why we were leaving without telling them.
I didn't want to start any trouble, so I quickly stepped forward with a smile and said, "We left some supplies behind outside, so we're heading out to retrieve them today. In all the rush and panic, we totally forgot to inform Captain Niu. Really sorry about that."
Maybe because Fatty had been getting the short end of the stick a lot lately, once he saw how polite I was being, his previously annoyed expression immediately eased.
With a big grin, Fatty said, "Hey now, isn't this the big boss's lady? Heh heh… It's dangerous out there—are you sure it's a good idea for a woman like you to be tagging along?"
I forced a laugh and waved him off. "What's gender got to do with it? Out there, if you can take down a walker, you live. If not, well… even the strongest young guys would be useless if they can't swing a blade hard enough, right?"
Fatty chuckled and cupped his fists playfully. "Then I'll be waiting for your triumphant return."
With that, he waved to the people behind him. "Well? Go on and open the gate already!"
I nodded my thanks, then turned and got back into the car.
That Fatty probably wished we'd all go out and die so he could reclaim some turf.
After all, no one's happy when someone else comes along and takes a piece of their territory for free.
As the vehicle slowly rolled toward the main gate, my eyes drifted toward the small park nearby.
I noticed a few kids laughing and running around, and some adults wandering nearby, likely keeping an eye on their own children.
What caught my attention most was a young couple sitting in a small pavilion in the pond—they both looked quite young, maybe around twenty, even from this distance.
And in their arms, they were cradling a baby.
Shen Xue must've noticed where I was looking, because she spoke up before I could even ask.
"Those two have lived in this complex since before everything went to hell. They're just kids really—seventeen or eighteen, still in high school back then. They made a mistake, the girl got pregnant, but neither of them could bear to get rid of the baby. Their families didn't know what else to do, so they let them move in together and planned to have them register for marriage when they were old enough. But not long after the baby was born, the world changed."
"Seventeen or eighteen?" I couldn't help but glance over at them again.
Then I turned to Shen Xue and asked, "What are their names?"
"The guy's name is Jiang Chen, the girl's Jiang Yun."
"They related or something?" I asked, surprised.
"No, no," Shen Xue waved it off. "No relation. The names just happen to sound similar."
"Oh." I pulled my gaze away from the young couple and looked ahead at the now-open gate.
I shook off my curiosity—it wasn't the time to be nosy about other people's lives.
As the van rolled out through the dark, heavy iron gate of the shelter, I couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The sun was already up, and most of the snow on both sides of the road had melted away.
Silently, I made a promise in my heart: Yangyang, wait for your sister—I'm coming to save you.
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