Jack led the three of them to search slowly on the first floor. They decided to rest here today, so no one wanted to be surprised by a zombie or two while sleeping. They could only patiently search every inch of the place. If they encountered a lone zombie, A Xue and the others would handle it, while Boss Hu would take care of one. If they encountered a small group of three or more zombies, Jack would take action himself, killing down to one or two before handing them over to Boss Hu and A Xue.
Two hours later, as Jack confirmed that the first floor had been thoroughly cleared, everyone's backpacks had also accumulated quite a few small items. For instance, Boss Hu had stuffed his pocket with top-quality Cuban cigars, while Cao Mei and A Xue each wore a six-digit diamond necklace around their necks. Jack, too, was not exempt from temptation, swapping his somewhat old TAG Heuer flight watch for a Bulgari six-hand diving watch. When he took the watch, everyone clearly saw that behind the damaged counter, an advertisement stated that this watch could dive to a terrifying depth of 5,000 meters, with a price that naturally reached an astonishing one million.
The four of them sat together in a noodle shop called Wei Zhen La Mian, enjoying the knife-cut noodles made by Boss Hu. No one expected that the seemingly fierce Boss Hu could actually make such exquisite knife-cut noodles. Under A Xue's questioning, Boss Hu shyly revealed that before the apocalypse, he was actually a chef, not a mafia boss, and he was even a certified top chef. It was just a twist of fate that led him to snatch a gun filled with bullets from someone else and become the leader of the survivors in a small processing factory.
However, regardless of whether he had been a boss or not, his knife-cut noodles were absolutely authentic. The flour in the noodle shop was well-preserved, so the quality was quite good. Moreover, people nowadays didn't care if it had gone bad; as long as it wouldn't kill them, they would just swallow it down. Additionally, there was still plenty of liquefied gas in the gas cylinders. With a flick of a lighter, the stove began to roar with flames.
Bowls of steaming knife-cut noodles accompanied by exquisite condiments were served by Boss Hu, nearly making the two girls, who hadn't had a decent meal in a long time, swallow their tongues. Even Boss Hu himself was nearly overwhelmed. Finally, at A Xue's strong request, Boss Hu went to make four more bowls, which barely satisfied everyone, each of them rubbing their bulging bellies in delight.
The four of them leaned back in their chairs, feeling accomplished. However, who would have thought that half an hour ago, when they searched this relatively upscale noodle shop, they had discovered a dozen zombies in the small restroom? If it hadn't been for Jack's quick reaction, kicking one zombie away and shutting the restroom door again, a dozen zombies would have rushed out, and at least one or two of them would have been bitten.
However, in the apocalypse, nothing was good; it was just that humanity's mindset had adjusted to the best. After seeing through some things, they realized that what they used to care about seemed to no longer matter. Otherwise, with a dozen stinky zombies locked in the restroom behind them, who could still have the mood to sit here leisurely eating knife-cut noodles!
"Creak…"
After the glass door of the noodle shop let out an unpleasant sound, it was pushed open, startling Hu Laoda, who was smoking, to jump onto his chair. Once he saw what had come in, Hu Laoda exclaimed in surprise, "You... how are you still alive?"
"What kind of talk is that? You're the one who should be dead! I'm still alive!" Michael retorted, flicking his tail and rolling his eyes without any courtesy.
This time, Michael speaking human words made Hu Laoda jump even higher. He leaped onto the table, knocking over several bowls, and tremblingly pointed at Michael, saying to everyone, "Did you... did you hear that? This... this isn't just my imagination, right? This dog actually spoke human language!"
Even Cao Mei's little face turned pale, and she nervously leaned against Jack, asking, "Lin, Lin Ye, how did your dog... how did it start talking?"
"What's wrong with talking? Do you want me to sing a song for you, little girl?" Michael said proudly, raising an eyebrow at Cao Mei. Although she had never imagined what a lewd dog would be like, Michael's expression clearly told her that it was definitely a lewd one—absolutely lewd!
"Hehe, the world is in doomsday, so what's impossible!" A Xue smiled and playfully beckoned to Michael, saying, "Come here, good doggy, let sister hug you!"
"No!" Michael surprisingly shook his head firmly. Even Jack, the owner, thought that maybe it had been hurt outside and had damaged its brain; otherwise, given Michael's personality, it would never refuse a beautiful woman's hug unless it had been castrated. However, what Michael said next completely dispelled Jack's concerns.
"I want her to hug me!" Michael raised his front paw, pointing at the astonished Cao Mei, with a lewd expression on its face.
"Why do you want her to hug you?" A Xue frowned and pouted, asking unhappily.
"Of course, it's because her chest is bigger than yours! I have no reason to want a girl with a smaller chest!" Michael proudly shook its dog leg, looking extremely pleased as it gazed at the blushing and surprised Cao Mei. She probably could never have imagined that in her lifetime, she would be teased by a dog. The feeling was utterly absurd; when did even dogs start liking big breasts?
Jack was smiling ambiguously beside them. He understood his dog, which was born with such a messed-up demeanor, simply a devil among the colors, especially when facing female humans. Perhaps... this was also related to another soul within it. Thinking of this, Jack couldn't help but sigh sadly.
After Hu Laoda had fed the five people from the Mikael group five bowls of knife-cut noodles, it was already two hours later. The group, having rested enough, finally pushed open the door and walked towards a campsite they had previously scouted. It was a specialty store selling bedding, and the large beds used for display were just enough for everyone to sleep on. After all, they were all Americans, and sleeping on a bed felt more secure.
The group entered the bedding store named "Luo Meng" one after another. The shop wasn't very large, with an area of about a hundred square meters, containing four large and one small Thomas beds. However, the exquisite bed sheets and duvet covers were already covered in dust. Jack casually lifted a duvet, intending to sit on it, but was stopped by A Xue, who frowned and said to him, "Isn't it dirty? Wait a moment, let me change all the sheets before you rest!"
Jack smiled and nodded, lit a cigarette, and casually found a Thomas stool near the cash register to sit down. He then saw A Xue flitting around the store like a happy little butterfly, picking and choosing here and there. If one set didn't look good, she would immediately swap it for another, dragging the uninterested Mikael along for her reference.
"Hey~ This store is doing pretty well, it actually has so much money!"
While rummaging through the cash register, Hu Laoda suddenly shouted in surprise, pulling out a thick stack of cash from the pried-open drawer and holding it up. There was at least twenty thousand, but immediately after, he made a rather vulgar move.
He pulled out a thick cigar and put it in his mouth, then took out a lighter from his pocket. He lit all the hundred-dollar bills in his hand in one go. When the green flames shot up, Hu Laoda tilted his head to light the cigar in his mouth, finally exhaling a puff of smoke mixed with the smell of ink from his nostrils. He said with satisfaction, "I never expected I could be so extravagant in my lifetime. Damn! Smoking money is just so fragrant!"
"Hmph~ A country bumpkin is just a country bumpkin!"
At that moment, Cao Mei, who had disappeared for a while, walked in holding a steaming plastic basin. She completely ignored Hu Laoda's darkening face and cheerfully walked over to Jack, placing the plastic basin down. Squatting on the ground, she extended her hand and said to him, "Come on, Lin Ye, let's warm your feet. My foot massage skills are quite good!"
"Why don't you say your tongue bath skills are even better?" Hu Laoda finally found an opportunity for revenge, leaning over the cash register and winking at Jack, saying, "Bro, later you should try her 'Poison Dragon Drill.' Not only will it feel amazing, but it can also treat hemorrhoids! Her tongue is even more skilled than an old Chinese doctor's! Hahaha..."
"Yes, I have plenty of skills, but unfortunately, someone like you will never get to enjoy them!" Cao Mei's face first turned pale with anger, and then she glared at the smug Hu Laoda with gritted teeth. Her hands, resting on Jack's calf, instinctively tightened. However, Jack was completely unconcerned about the tension between the two and softly said to Cao Mei, "Wash your feet!"
"Okay, sir." Cao Mei's pretty face was filled with joy. She happily held Jack's legs and put them on her knees. She gently took off his shoes and socks, then carefully held Jack's feet and put them into the basin. Jack hadn't washed his feet for more than half a month. The smell was naturally unpleasant, but Cao Mei's expression was different. Without a hint of boredom, his two slender little white hands tried their best to scrub Jack's smelly feet, and finally said softly, "Master, we little women can't do the same big things as you, but serving people is our duty. As long as you want to relax in the future, just talk to Meier, and don't be polite to Meier."