Chapter 18
Wei Cheng and Guanguan did not continue traveling through the night.
Actually, they were still more than a hundred kilometers away from his old home, and even by wiggle car, it would still take over an hour.
Truthfully, he was being selfish too. He knew the city center would soon be overrun by the walking dead and collapse completely. Some people would definitely flee to the countryside.
If he had no choice, he could accept Director Wang, Teacher Xiaomei, Mingming, and Xiaotiao.
But he absolutely could not accept their families.
He carefully looked around for a while and, after finding neither suspicious people nor zombies, took Guanguan straight into the safe house.
The safe house was still only ninety square meters.
Against the left wall stood two extra-long shelves piled full of supplies. Beside them was a large connected side-by-side and four-door refrigerator. Two days earlier, Wei Cheng had also bought a small bed and a set of table and chairs. It was more than enough room for two children and one puppy to live in.
Wei Cheng helped Guanguan change into clean little pajamas, then tucked him into the soft, warm quilt.
Guanguan yawned, so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. “Guanguan’s head is all wobbly-wobbly.”
“You’re sleepy. It’s time to sleep.”
Guanguan giggled. “When Guanguan sleeps in the secret base, nobody will disturb him!”
Wei Cheng smiled too, lightly patting his little back. “That’s right. No one will disturb your sleep. Go to sleep peacefully.”
Not long after, Guanguan was fast asleep again in his usual surrender pose, both little hands raised.
Wei Cheng did not correct him. He just felt that the child must sleep very soundly in that position.
The curious yet wary little black puppy on the floor was suddenly picked up.
Wei Cheng looked at the whimpering puppy and said quietly, “I bought you a new little bed enclosure and a dog toilet. You are not allowed to bark, bite, or pee everywhere, understand?”
The little black dog’s bean-sized eyes shifted. As if it knew this person in front of it was not to be messed with, the obedient little pup gave a small bark.
“Good. Then you come sleep too.”
The dog’s little bed had been placed in the empty area where there were no shelves, and Wei Cheng had spent quite a bit of effort just assembling the enclosure.
The little black dog circled and sniffed around its new bed, its short tail wagging happily. It looked very satisfied with its new territory.
Only now, after all this, did Wei Cheng finally feel tired.
These past days, he had kept himself taut with tension every moment. Sometimes he even forgot that this body was only eight years old too. The only reason he had held on this long was because he had been forcing himself forward on sheer willpower.
For the moment, they were safe.
At last, he could rest a little.
There was still nowhere to bathe in the safe house, so he could only use bottled water to wipe himself down, then changed into a brand-new set of sleepwear.
Only after lying down on the soft bed and listening to little Guanguan’s steady breathing did Wei Cheng’s mind finally loosen completely.
Guanguan woke up on his own, without needing big brother to coax him awake.
He looked at his sleeping brother. “Big brother is tired.” Then he rubbed his eyes, pulled the little quilt that had slipped down and tugged it back up over his brother’s shoulders, and even awkwardly tucked in the blanket corners like Teacher Xiaomei did. Only after that did he clamber backward off the bed with much huffing and puffing.
“Puppy? Puppy?”
Wearing big brother’s oversized slippers, Guanguan shuffled around looking for a while, and finally found the little black dog sleeping inside the enclosure.
Holding the bars with both hands, he squished his plump white little face closer and whispered, “Puppy, puppy, you got locked in!”
The little black dog did not move.
Guanguan tilted his head. “Puppy? What’s wrong? Did you run out of battery?”
The little black dog let out a soft awooo, crawled out of its comfy bed, and narrowed its tiny bean-like eyes into a line from sleepiness. “Woof!”
You better have a reason!
Guanguan was delighted to see the puppy come over. He reached in with his chubby little hand and patted its head. “Puppy, you’re so cute. Guanguan wants to race you drinking bowl milk, okay?”
Bowl milk! Then even if you have nothing to say, that’s fine too!
Catching the keyword, the little black dog’s eyes widened. It put its front paws on the bars, tail wagging furiously, clearly full of anticipation.
Guanguan was instantly encouraged. He scampered over to the lowest shelf and took out two cartons of milk.
Big brother had said both puppies and Guanguan could only drink this kind of milk that would not upset their stomachs.
He took out the cartons, but the puppy’s bowl had been left behind at the welfare home.
Then Guanguan spotted the two little food basins on the table.
The blue basin was big brother’s, and the green basin was Guanguan’s.
When he poured the milk, he accidentally spilled a few drops. Guanguan even knew to grab tissues from the table, wipe up the floor, and throw the dirty tissues into the trash can.
The moment he placed the little green basin full of milk beside the bars, the little black dog stuck out its tongue and started lapping frantically.
“Cheating! Cheating! Wait for Guanguan!”
Guanguan hurriedly scampered back, grabbed his own bowl of milk, then came back and, refusing to lose, dropped to the floor and started lapping milk just like the puppy.
What Wei Cheng saw when he came over was this ridiculous and adorable scene.
The chubby child in his one-piece little bear pajamas was sprawled on the floor, cheeks pink and plump from the side. From behind, he looked exactly like a soft, squishy little cake.
“Guanguan? Why are you lying on the floor?”
Wei Cheng lifted him up and saw a ring of milk around his mouth. The child kicked his little legs and even burped. “Big brother, Guanguan barely won!”
Looking down, he saw that the puppy still had just a tiny bit of milk left, while Guanguan’s bowl was spotless.
He really had barely won.
But…
Was the puppy using Guanguan’s own food basin?
Wei Cheng took a tissue and wiped Guanguan’s mouth, smiling as he said, “Why didn’t you give the puppy big brother’s blue basin to use? Big brother remembers you really like your own little green basin.”
Guanguan said obediently, “The puppy belongs to Guanguan, and Guanguan belongs to big brother, so the puppy uses the green basin, and Guanguan uses the blue basin!”
He thought his logic was absolutely perfect.
Wei Cheng’s heart softened. He rubbed his kiwi-like little head. “Big brother belongs to Guanguan too. Big brother can share anything with Guanguan.”
“Then can you still eat breakfast now?”
Guanguan lowered his head and looked at his bulging little tummy, then shook his head. “Can’t eat anymore!”
“It’s okay. This boxed milk digests easily. When you get hungry later, big brother will make a feast for both of you!”
Guanguan cheered. “Big brother, when are we leaving?”
Wei Cheng thought for a moment. “We’ll leave tomorrow before the sky gets light.”
Guanguan’s eyes went wide and round, and he clenched his little fists. “That’s great! Guanguan can stay in the secret base all day today!”
“That’s right. Later big brother will take you to pick out new toys and new clothes too!”
It was already morning. He had no idea whether there were people moving around nearby, so they could not rashly use the wiggle car right now. Today, they would rest properly first, and leave tomorrow.
After all, the countryside house had been empty for a long time and had gone through the rainstorm and high heat. It would definitely need a thorough cleaning.
And of course, the most important thing about going home was digging up the gold jewelry Grandma and his mother had left him.
Guanguan and big brother were going to stroll through the mall. The little black dog whined too, wanting to follow. But after Guanguan tossed it a little bone toy, the puppy’s eyes lit up at once and it no longer cared where they were going.
As soon as they entered, Guanguan pushed his own little shopping cart and charged enthusiastically toward the toy section, while Wei Cheng strolled slowly through the food section.
For nearly half a month, they had been sleeping together with Teacher Xiaomei, so there had been no chance to secretly make anything special for Guanguan.
Today at noon, they would have a rich barbecue meal.
Wei Cheng took two boxes of marinated beef short rib grilling slices and one big box of Korean-style sliced pork belly. When he saw the Japanese-style pork jowl, his eyes lit up. That cut came from near the pig’s neck, marbled and tender-crisp. Guanguan would probably love it.
The fresh section also had boxed seafood barbecue assortments, with big shrimp, abalone, squid meat, and squid tentacles. He took one box of each, then chose washed mushrooms and lettuce.
At the end, he also took a box of lamb skewers and apple sausages, plus two packs of barbecue sauce and seasoning powder.
The safe house had both an oven and a sausage grill, and he could slowly cook those for Guanguan.
“Big brother! Look!”
Guanguan happily pushed his little cart back. It was piled high with children’s toy cars, and he even had a toy gun slung over one shoulder. Standing there, he looked like an overweight little soldier.
He looked very imposing, lifting the gun barrel. “Big brother! Guanguan will use this to pew-pew monsters!”
“You’re very brave. Later, big brother will personally teach you how to use a gun.”
Wei Cheng looked toward the machinery section, still covered in a layer of mist. For now, relying on large and small bows, crossbows, and long blades would probably be enough to deal with scattered zombies.
But later, when zombie hordes surrounded cities, that would be another matter.
When Guanguan saw what was in big brother’s cart, he cried out, starry-eyed. “Big brother, so much meat-meat! Are we eating meat?”
“That’s right. In a bit we’ll have barbecue, and then grill lamb skewers and sausages for you too.”
At once, the toy gun in Guanguan’s hands lost all its charm. “That’s great! Guanguan gets to eat meat-meat!”
At first, Wei Cheng had wondered whether grilling meat inside the safe house would create a lot of greasy smoke and make the whole place smell. But magically, by the time one whole plate of meat was almost done, they had not seen the slightest bit of smoke, and neither their hair nor their clothes smelled of barbecue.
So the safe house had that kind of function too.
Depending on how difficult future tasks became, if he could earn more Twisty Coins, he still wanted to let the cozy little home Guanguan had drawn finally be installed inside the safe house. Otherwise, even basic personal hygiene would become a problem.
“Guanguan, the meat’s done. You can eat now.”
Wei Cheng first filled a plate with meat for Guanguan, then wrapped a piece of golden, sizzling pork belly in lettuce and held it out to him. “Try it?”
Guanguan took one bite, cheeks puffing out, so delicious that his little feet started swinging. “Yummy! Yummy!”
Wei Cheng also ate several slices of the beautifully marbled beef eye. The meat was very tender and carried a faint milky richness. The flavor was incredible.
The two brothers happily feasted on barbecue, each with a refreshing glass of watermelon juice.
Watching Guanguan bobbing his head while chewing lettuce leaf, Wei Cheng thought that at last he had found a vegetable Guanguan liked.
Just then, the oven beeped. Wei Cheng put on gloves and took out the lamb skewers. “Guanguan, let the lamb skewers cool just a little, and then you can eat them.”
Holding them in front of him, he smiled and said, “Smell them. Are they fragrant?”
“So fragrant!”
Guanguan was overjoyed. “Why didn’t anybody tell Guanguan that little sheep are both cute and fragrant!”
“Well, now you know.”
When Wei Cheng felt the heat from the oven had faded enough, he handed one skewer to Guanguan. “Eat.”
Guanguan held the skewer and tried biting it sideways, but the meat would not come off. He tried vertically, but then was afraid the stick would poke his lips. He got so flustered he stamped his feet. “Little sheep, stop fooling around! Get into Guanguan’s mouth already!”
Wei Cheng quickly walked over, laughing. “Big brother will help you.”
He thought for a moment. “Guanguan, bite the lamb.”
Guanguan obediently did as told.
Wei Cheng held the skewer in one hand and steadied Guanguan’s head with the other.
Guanguan looked confused. “Big brother, when eating skewers, do you always have to use your head too?”
Wei Cheng laughed even harder. “Once you grow up and can eat skewers by yourself, you won’t need to.”
Wei Cheng used a little force, and the fragrant, slightly charred lamb chunks slid right into Guanguan’s mouth.
Guanguan’s eyes widened like bronze bells. “That’s so magical!”
Then he grabbed at the lamb again. “Do it a hundred million more times!”
But considering the child’s digestion, Wei Cheng still did not dare let Guanguan eat too much meat.
—
At four o’clock the next morning, Wei Cheng and Guanguan, both dressed in thick coats, got into the little car.
At that hour, the mountain forest was very cold.
Guanguan sat in the front passenger seat hugging the little black dog, looking at the much-changed wiggle car with curiosity and delight.
“Big brother, Guanguan’s wiggle car is so cool!”
“Mm. Not only is it cool, it can also help us escape.”
Wei Cheng sat down too. The inside of the little car was exactly like an ordinary car interior.
He tapped the central control screen and saw a full map of Huan City. On the left were several buttons: Navigation, Defense, Indestructible, Invisibility. On the right were buttons for the car’s built-in functions: Cleaning, Lights, Horn…
To be safe, before setting off he had already turned on the Defense and Indestructible functions. Along the way, the car would help them kill ten zombies, and for ten hours they would not need to worry about extreme heat, bitter cold, or poisonous fog.
He entered the name of his countryside village into the navigation bar.
Unexpectedly, when he opened it, he saw this:
Destination — Sun Village
Distance: 93 kilometers
Current population: ? (function not yet unlocked)
Number of zombies: ? (function not yet unlocked)
Danger level: Low
Even though he did not know whether there were zombies in Sun Village right now, the system being able to tell them the village’s danger level was already a huge help.
Besides, Huan City was not a major population center, and compared with cities like Lin City and Qian City, its economy was less developed. Many middle-aged and young people would leave their hometowns to work elsewhere or in the city center. In a remote place like Sun Village, the remaining residents were mostly old people.
Wei Cheng fastened the seat belts for himself and Guanguan, then pressed the black button in the middle of the steering wheel. “Sit tight. We’re setting off.”
Guanguan waved the little black dog’s paw. “Set off!”
A small car sped quickly along the dark mountain road.
The car drove itself, and all the defenses were active, so all they needed to do was sit comfortably inside.
“Guanguan, are you sleepy?”
“Not sleepy! This is fun! The wiggle car is so fast!”
Guanguan was thrilled watching the mountain scenery flying backward outside the window.
Wei Cheng smiled, casually opened a bag of dried fruit, and handed it to him. “Eat.”
When delicious food was handed over, of course Guanguan would eat it. Holding the bag of dried fruit, he looked at the little black dog, which was whining greedily, and asked, “Big brother, can the puppy eat some?”
“It can’t. It’s too little.”
Guanguan fished out one piece of dried fruit, bit into it, then froze. “So souwww!”
But as he chewed, it started to taste a little sweet. “It kind of tastes good.”
Since he could not read, he handed the bag to big brother. “Big brother, what fruit is this? It’s sour-sour and sweet-sweet!”
Wei Cheng glanced at it. “It’s dried apricot.”
For some reason, the moment the little black dog heard “dried apricot,” it got so excited its tail wagged like crazy.
Guanguan lifted the apricot higher. “Puppy can’t eat dried apricot!”
The little black dog barked loudly. “Woof woof woof!”
Suddenly, the car made a huge noise, and a person—or rather, a zombie’s bloody flesh and severed limbs—splattered across the windshield like rotten mud.
Guanguan turned deathly pale with fright, and even dropped the dried apricot all over the floor.
Wei Cheng quickly activated the cleaning function, and after several bursts of water, the windshield became clean and clear again.
“Big brother…”
Guanguan scrambled straight into his brother’s arms, trembling slightly. “It was a monster!”
Wei Cheng sighed and gently patted his little head. “That’s right. In the future we’ll meet many monsters. Guanguan, if we want to survive in the apocalypse, then we can’t be afraid of monsters. We won’t only see their corpses and flesh—we also have to learn how to kill them all.”
“Big brother…” Guanguan’s eyes looked a little lost, and the question he asked was heartbreakingly innocent. “Guanguan kind of misses Mingming and Xiaotiao, and Grandpa Director and Teacher Xiaomei too. When will the monsters leave? When can we go back to the welfare home?”
Wei Cheng could not bear to tell Guanguan the truth. He said, “When we grow up, the monsters will disappear. Then we’ll go back to the welfare home to find them.”
“How big do we have to grow? As big as ten Guanguans?”
Wei Cheng smiled a little. “A little bigger than that.”
In the tenth year of the apocalypse, zombie tides were at their fiercest.
Fortunately, for the rest of the journey, they did not hit any more zombies.
At five in the morning, Wei Cheng and Guanguan finally arrived at the Sun Village they had longed for.
However, the village road was covered all over with yellow spirit money paper.
It looked like there were no living people left in the village.
