Chapter 38
As Wen Xin spoke, he took a few steps toward Ah Zi.
From this angle, he could just make out a limp, dirty purple arm lying beside the little squirrel, and his eyes instantly narrowed.
“Move away from the danger!”
In his concern, Wen Xin didn’t realize that the arm was lifeless, lying at an odd angle on the ground. The moment he sensed Ah Zi might be in danger, he lunged forward without a second thought.
Wen Xin was panicking, but Ah Zi was even more anxious.
The zombie it had just dealt with was still lying under its feet, waiting to be disposed of. In a flash, it kicked the half-skulled zombie into an alleyway, trying to hide it.
But the motion toppled over several trash cans, creating a loud clatter, and even knocked out the rest of the zombies it had stuffed inside.
So, when Wen Xin reached Ah Zi, what he saw was a chaotic pile of zombies stacked in the right-hand alleyway.
The disarray was both towering and haphazard, a grotesque mountain of bodies.
Wen Xin: “…”
Ah Zi: “…”
The little squirrel stared at the zombie pile, then at Wen Xin’s stunned face, its heart nearly skipping in terror.
This was it. Wen Xin had always thought they were innocent little animals; would he be frightened or suspicious after seeing something so brutal?
It should’ve been quieter!
Filled with regret, Ah Zi stared down at its bloodstained paws, desperately wishing it could disappear into the ground.
But when Wen Xin recovered from his shock, he felt a warm sense of gratitude.
He had been wondering why there were so few zombies at the gas station despite the usually high number of them around. Now it seemed Ah Zi had been silently protecting them.
Seeing Ah Zi looking down at its paws, Wen Xin assumed the zombie blood was bothering it. Gently, he lifted it up, rubbing its head and offering his sincere thanks.
“Thank you, Ah Zi.”
Ah Zi, expecting suspicion and questioning, froze, clutching its paws in silence. Instead, Wen Xin had gently scooped it up.
A soft voice came from above.
“The smell of piled-up zombies can be unpleasant. Just hang in there a little longer, Ah Zi. We’ll be moving on tomorrow.”
Wen Xin meant they could leave the zombies where they were since they’d be gone soon anyway.
But Ah Zi misinterpreted his words.
In its understanding, Wen Xin didn’t realize the zombies were killed by it and didn’t know it had been covering up the evidence.
He thought Ah Zi was just tidying up because it liked things clean.
Ah Zi: “…”
It couldn’t believe it. Wen Xin wasn’t suspicious at all?
Peeking cautiously up at him, it was relieved but also worried.
“Squeak.”
This usually sharp human seemed surprisingly naive at times.
Clinging to Wen Xin’s arm, Ah Zi worried that someone might take advantage of his trust. It opened its mouth, wanting to warn him.
But then, realizing that even it and the others were keeping secrets from him, Ah Zi felt a sudden wave of guilt and stayed quiet.
Wen Xin carried Ah Zi to the water room.
The faucet was dry, but there was still half a barrel of water.
Earlier, Xu Qiang had tested the water quality—it wasn’t drinkable, but it was fine for washing hands or items that wouldn’t be ingested.
With nothing to scoop the water, Wen Xin rolled up his sleeves, held Ah Zi securely with one arm, and carefully washed it with the other.
Ah Zi, briefly distracted, suddenly felt Wen Xin’s hand reach over.
It was used to intense battles and hardly ever stayed calm while fighting, so it had ended up a filthy mess.
By contrast, Wen Xin’s hand, even with the faint stains from helping Ah Zi, was clean, almost like polished ice.
The stark contrast made Ah Zi suddenly recall their first meeting by the trash bins, and it instinctively tried to pull its paw away.
But Wen Xin noticed and held it tighter, much like any pet owner dealing with a reluctant cat.
“If we don’t get you clean, you’ll feel uncomfortable. Just hold on a little longer.”
Wen Xin wasn’t sure why, but while the other little ones gladly let him help them wash, Ah Zi always seemed to resist.
This time, with the deep water barrel nearby, he didn’t want to risk Ah Zi falling in, so he insisted on washing it himself.
Under Wen Xin’s gentle yet firm care, Ah Zi gave up its resistance and let him wash it from head to tail.
Seeing its fur gradually become clean, no longer out of place against Wen Xin’s pale skin, it felt a bit more at ease.
Still, it instinctively tried to stay a little farther from his hand.
Noticing Ah Zi’s continued reluctance, Wen Xin gave a resigned smile.
Where most people would be upset or at least saddened by such rejection, Wen Xin understood that Ah Zi wasn’t pushing him away out of distaste. If anything, it was probably because of its own little quirks about cleanliness.
He handed Ah Zi a towel to dry itself, stepping back to give it space.
Looking gently at Ah Zi, he said, “You worked hard tonight. Soon, the others will take turns on night watch, so you don’t have to stay outside the whole time. If you’re tired, come back and rest, okay?”
Ah Zi had felt uneasy when he came close, but as he moved back, it couldn’t help feeling a hint of disappointment.
“Squeak.”
Alright.
*
The night passed by peacefully.
At dawn, Wen Xin caught sight of the faint white glow on the horizon. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he heard footsteps behind him.
He turned and saw Xu Qiang.
Xu Qiang had only gotten about four hours of sleep after taking the first half of the night shift.
Yawning, he opened the door to find Wen Xin standing guard outside the employee break room.
“What are you doing up?”
“Couldn’t sleep, so I traded shifts with Wen Li to keep watch outside.”
Wen Xin didn’t mention he had trouble sleeping because of his worry over the little ones. Instead, he said he was feeling restless, with the nagging feeling of something unusual outside.
Xu Qiang frowned, clearly unhappy.
This whole journey had been anything but peaceful, and Xu Qiang still thought it was a miracle they survived the small zombie wave back in town.
Now, whenever he had time, he’d give Wen Xin survival and combat tips, hoping to prepare him better.
It wasn’t that Xu Qiang didn’t want to take responsibility, but he didn’t want to leave anything to chance.
Wen Xin already had some basic training before the apocalypse and had improved since joining their scavenging trips. His dedication showed, and he was learning quickly.
But in Xu Qiang’s view, Wen Xin’s combat abilities were nowhere near sufficient to keep watch alone. Leaving him alone to guard against zombies was as reckless as tossing a lamb into a wolf’s den.
And to make things worse, Wen Xin was their client. Who in their right mind would give the client a gun and leave them to watch the perimeter?
Xu Qiang felt a rush of anger and headed toward Wen Li.
Sensing something was off, Wen Xin hurried after him.
But Xu Qiang was faster, not giving Wen Xin any chance to intervene.
Wen Li was barely awake, inspecting the car with the buzzcut man when Xu Qiang’s angry voice called out from behind.
He turned just as Xu Qiang’s fist connected with his face.
Holding his nose in pain, Wen Li shouted, “What the hell, Xu Qiang, what’s wrong with you?!”
Buzzcut guy’s face darkened, especially after hearing Xu Qiang’s furious explanation.
It wasn’t directed at Xu Qiang.
With a steely gaze, the buzzcut man turned to Wen Li, his voice sharp. “Earlier, you told me two of you were on night watch…”
He trailed off, noticing Wen Xin approaching, and stopped, forcing a tense smile.
Then he pulled Wen Li aside, exchanging only a few words before slapping him hard across the face.
Stunned, Wen Xin instinctively moved forward.
Xu Qiang blocked him with a mocking chuckle. “Don’t worry, let them handle it. The captain’s way too soft, and it’s about time some people were reminded of their place.”
Wen Xin squeezed his hand, lips pressed together.
Before Xu Qiang’s outburst, Wen Xin hadn’t thought much of standing watch alone.
One reason was that he was used to doing things independently. Since middle school, he’d dealt with everything alone, from hospital visits to last-minute moves when his landlord canceled his lease.
He’d offered to take over the night shift since he’d seen Wen Li yawning repeatedly.
When he realized the extent of Xu Qiang’s reaction, he grew anxious, thinking he’d said something wrong, sparking a misunderstanding.
But after hearing the captain’s words, he sensed something was off.
Wen Li had told him they’d both taken the night shift.
Wen Xin wasn’t naive; he understood that Wen Li lied because he knew leaving him alone was a big deal.
Noticing his realization, Xu Qiang’s expression softened a bit as he patted Wen Xin’s shoulder. “Not bad, quick to catch on.”
Wen Xin’s thoughts deepened.
“My brother’s situation in City A—is it not going well?”
Xu Qiang looked surprised, studying Wen Xin for a moment before replying ambiguously, “It’s fine. Not easy, but manageable.”
Wen Xin nodded, grateful. “Thank you.”
Xu Qiang waved him off. “It’s nothing. Just doing my job and looking out.”
Then Wen Xin, with a hint of apology, added, “I’m sorry I misjudged you before. I may have come off a bit distant.”
Xu Qiang was taken aback. Going over their interactions, he didn’t feel Wen Xin had been impolite at all.
Misjudged? What kind of misjudgment?
He liked Wen Xin and now found out Wen Xin had misjudged him this whole time?
Seeing Wen Xin’s serious expression, Xu Qiang felt a bit hurt. His pride cracked a bit.
Wen Xin’s earlier misjudgment stemmed from Xu Qiang’s initial sarcasm toward him and the other residents and his habit of looking down on people.
But the training Xu Qiang had given him along Highway G177 had shifted his view, and today, it had cleared entirely.
Wen Xin apologized again, smiling. “You’re really great. I just didn’t see it at first.”
Xu Qiang, still reeling from the admission, found himself flustered.
After quickly brushing off the moment, he awkwardly mumbled, “Sure, fine! Just… get ready. We’ll be moving soon.”
As he walked away quickly, Xu Qiang felt a sudden chill.
He looked around, but there was nothing amiss.
Above him, Xiao Hei watched from the gas station roof, its gaze icy.
The black cat was usually happy to see Wen Xin smiling more, but something about this encounter had left it unsettled.
A while later, Buzzcut Guy brought Wen Li over to apologize to Wen Xin.
Seeing the bruises, Wen Xin hesitated but clarified that he had asked Wen Li to rest. Still, he didn’t brush over Wen Li’s lie about their shift.
Buzzcut Guy nodded at his accountability, becoming more vigilant in watching over Wen Xin.
With Xiao Hei and Ah Zi’s silent protection, the journey had been largely safe, and they soon arrived at City A.
Tbh, I had no idea what happened this chapter