After Raising Monsters, I Was Loved by Everyone in the Wasteland – CH27

Chapter 27

Having extra hands to help was certainly a good thing, but only Wen Xin knew where everything in his home was placed. Besides, there were some personal belongings he wasn’t comfortable letting others handle, so he politely declined the crew-cut man and his team’s offer to help.

The group, so accustomed to being tasked with something, and after enduring countless hardships, found themselves in an unusual situation: they had nothing to do. Standing idly in the living room, they felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness, something they hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Wen Xin didn’t let them stay idle for long.

Seeing the young man struggle to move the large water buckets used for storing tap water, the crew-cut man and his team quickly stepped in to help. Once Wen Xin directed them to take the buckets to the bathroom, they realized what the water was for. Their expressions became complicated as they looked at Wen Xin.

Because of the earlier tension at the door, they had assumed Wen Xin’s promise of water for bathing was just to calm them down temporarily. They hadn’t expected him to genuinely offer his precious water for their use.

Wen Xin was not someone who overlooked kindness. If the crew hadn’t faced some difficulties along the way, they wouldn’t have arrived looking so disheveled, nor would it have taken them so long to get here. Despite being sent by Wen Jinfeng, Wen Xin still felt grateful.

The water quality was uncertain, and Wen Xin couldn’t risk drinking it. He had only been using it for bathing. Now that they were preparing to leave, he decided to use it all up rather than let it go to waste.

After exchanging glances, the crew-cut man and his group felt a bit better about bringing the cats along.

But Wen Xin wasn’t done.

After they’d all taken refreshing showers, they returned to find the beef jerky, chicken sausages, and other snacks Wen Xin had promised neatly arranged on the coffee table for them. The crew couldn’t hide their surprise.

Wen Xin noticed their reaction and thought maybe the food wasn’t enough to go around. He apologized, “We need to save some for ourselves, so this is all I can offer for now.”

The crew understood what he meant, and though they were at a loss for words, they quickly waved their hands.

“No, no, this is more than enough.”

Not wanting them to feel awkward or hold a grudge over the earlier threat, Wen Xin took the initiative to open a pack of beef jerky and handed it to them.

It would be rude to refuse now.

The crew-cut man hesitated for a moment before accepting it and passing it around.

They weren’t particularly hungry, having packed enough energy bars before setting out. And anyone who had crossed thousands of kilometers of zombie-infested roads to get from A City to G City certainly wasn’t short on survival skills.

What really left them speechless was the genuine warmth and kindness Wen Xin showed them without even thinking about it.

Seeing them eat, Wen Xin got up again to make instant noodles for them.

Though instant noodles weren’t exactly gourmet, a steaming bowl of soup and noodles instantly lifted their spirits. It washed away the frustration of days spent gnawing on energy bars and the lingering cold from the harsh winds outside.

This time, the crew dug in even more naturally than they had with the beef jerky.

After finishing their meal, they wiped their mouths and sank into the sofa, letting out a contented sigh of relief.

Scarface, sprawled out, groaned, “This… this is how life should be—finally!”

The men’s chatter quickly picked up.

They started by cursing the damned apocalypse, flipping the bird at the heavens for its madness. Then they couldn’t help but pity themselves, forced to toil non-stop before and after the disaster, always on the run.

Through their complaints, Wen Xin learned a lot about the situation in the outside world.

It turned out that the government hadn’t been idle.

A month before the outbreak, the authorities had already noticed signs of trouble and had quickly mobilized teams to investigate the zombie virus. But the virus spread too fast, and its potency was alarmingly strong, catching everyone off guard.

You didn’t even need to be bitten to get infected. If just a tiny bit of a zombie’s saliva or blood touched an open wound, you would turn into a zombie within two or three days.

What made it even more terrifying was that the virus had an unpredictable incubation period, with no clear early, middle, or late stages. Once the virus takes hold, a person will transform from a human to a zombie in mere minutes.

Most of the time, people didn’t even realize they were infected, making it impossible to prevent. And who would ever suspect their perfectly normal-looking loved ones?

To combat the zombie crisis, the government had lost many people. In the end, they had even considered using nukes.

Wen Xin’s heart skipped a beat. “How bad would things have to get for them to use that?”

The crew-cut man understood what he was worried about. Though he didn’t want to dampen Wen Xin’s spirits, he couldn’t lie when looking into those clear eyes.

“To be honest, G City’s current situation is already pretty dangerous. It’s a major hub connecting several cities. Once the zombie numbers grow large enough, they’ll probably use nukes to clean the area entirely.”

Wen Xin’s lips trembled, and he stood up instinctively.

If people stayed quietly hidden in their homes, they might be lucky enough to avoid the zombie horde. But no one would survive a nuclear strike.

He needed to warn the others immediately!

Scarface reassured him. “Don’t worry. They won’t use that kind of force so easily. It would take at least half a month. Before that, the government will send people to organize an evacuation of survivors.”

With that, they pulled out evidence—a notice about a survivor’s gathering points they had taken place in another city.

The crew-cut man added that in some less zombie-infested cities, people were working hard to build survival bases capable of withstanding the zombie tide.

There were both private and government bases. They had been running all over the place, helping to build these homes.

Wen Xin would learn more about these bases once they reached A City.

For now, what he could be sure of was that humanity was resilient and would fight back against every challenge nature threw at them. The zombie virus wouldn’t wipe them out.

The crew-cut man took a sip of water and casually mentioned, “The infected people are manageable. What’s really a pain are the infected animals and plants.”

“Oh, right. To differentiate them from the zombies, they’re now officially called mutants.”

One of his companions rubbed his temples. “No kidding. They’re tricky to deal with. They can think, and their bodies are as tough as rocks. Some can even resist bullets. It’s a real nightmare.”

“The only saving grace is that if they injure you, you won’t turn into a zombie.”

Hearing their tone, it seemed the crew had suffered enough at the hands of these mutated creatures.

Wen Xin took mental notes, reminding himself to be extra cautious when dealing with mutants in the future.

Thinking about the dangers ahead, the crew-cut man and his companions gulped down more water, trying to wash away their worries.

Behind them, the little ones tensed up, their bodies going rigid.

They exchanged nervous glances, and when they saw that Wen Xin didn’t seem to be reacting, they collectively sighed in relief.

However, the canary couldn’t help but focus on one term the crew had mentioned.

“What’s a nuke?”

Wen Xin hesitated for a moment, unsure how to explain. Before he could respond, Scarface raised his fists and mimicked an explosion with enthusiasm.

“That’s when—boom!—the whole city turns to ashes!”

The canary’s face instantly paled, and the other little ones weren’t much better off.

If the entire city was reduced to ashes, wouldn’t that mean their home would be gone too?

“It’s okay.” Wen Xin hugged them tightly. “As long as we’re together, anywhere can be home.”

But the little ones still felt uneasy.

This place held so many good memories for them. They had met Wen Xin here, and in the time since, they had experienced peace like never before. They truly loved it here.

Reflecting on the conversation, the canary’s eyes lit up as a thought struck him.

“If there aren’t too many zombies, would they still use the nukes?”

The crew-cut man and his companions were taken aback.

“Of course not. Who would just nuke a city for fun?”

But without using drastic measures, how else could they deal with so many zombies at once?

Even if they sent in armored vehicles loaded with explosives, it would still take a lot of time and effort.

And during that time, more people would die. The authorities had to consider the “cost-benefit ratio.”

As they spoke, they glanced at the hopeful look on the young boy’s face, feeling a pang of sympathy.

Little did they know that their pity amused and irritated the little ones.

Sure, ten thousand infected creatures sounded like a daunting number, and clearing them all would take ages and tremendous effort. But for fully evolved mutants, it was a simple task—nothing more.

With that in mind, the canary, the purple squirrel, and the green-scaled viper all glanced enviously at the sleeping little fox.

Only the little black one and the little blue walrus frowned, their eyes filled with worry as they sensed the intense fluctuations coming from the little fox’s body.

Meanwhile, Wen Xin took the gathering notice and went to speak with the neighborhood leaders, emphasizing the urgent need to evacuate G City.

He returned soon after, looking relieved.

This time, convincing people was much easier, given the official stamp on the notice.

Still, a few residents wanted to wait for the drone to scout the western part of the city before making a decision.

They had resolved to scout right away. If the zombie tide was as dangerous as expected, they would begin their evacuation, using the cars parked by the roadside.

As payment for borrowing the cars, they planned to remove the headless or half-headed bodies of the previous owners and give them a proper burial.

Finally, with everything prepared, Wen Xin and his group were ready to hit the road.

A lot of people came to see him off.

There’s an old saying: “True friendship is revealed in times of crisis.”

Everyone there had, in one way or another, been helped by Wen Xin, even if he never mentioned it. They remembered his kindness and felt deeply grateful.

The crew-cut man and his companions observed the scene.

Once the residents had left, they couldn’t help but comment, “The people here… they’re different.”

In other places, conflicts over survival resources had torn communities apart. There was no way they would be seeing such harmony elsewhere.

If not for the impending zombie tide, this neighborhood might have developed into a genuine safe haven.

Scarface agreed. “It’s pretty incredible.”

The others nodded in agreement. Even the zombies seemed to avoid this place. That was a miracle in and of itself.

The crew-cut man and his team had no idea they were in the presence of the very source of these miracles. They would only realize it later, when Wen Xin and his powerful mutants achieved even more incredible feats, that they had witnessed the beginning of something extraordinary.

But that was all still in the future.

The crew-cut man opened the car door, settled into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and hit the gas. The off-road vehicle’s engine roared as it sped onto G177 Highway.

Wen Xin sat in the back, cradling the little black one, who had its eyes closed and was resting.

The green-scaled viper and purple squirrel still harbored some distrust toward humans, so they had retreated into the pet carrier to avoid interacting with Scarface and the others.

The little blue walrus leisurely soaked in a tub of water.

The old basin had been too shallow, and since Wen Xin was worried about spills during the ride, he had repurposed an old water bucket to create a new container for the little blue walrus.

The water covered about a third of the bucket, just enough to keep the little blue walrus submerged without spilling.

Thanks to the little fox’s earlier warning, no one in the crew questioned why a cat would need to soak in water.

The little fox, on the other hand, was resting on the canary’s lap.

At that moment, everyone’s attention was focused on keeping an eye out for potential dangers.

No one noticed the little fox twitching slightly, its eyelids fluttering open. In its once clear eyes, a faint trace of blood-red now gleamed.