Chapter 24 – Building the Wall and Familiar Faces
The two groups weren’t far apart, so Luo Xun could faintly hear the fat woman, whom others called “Sister Wu,” complaining to her husband, “If I had known this neighborhood would be inside the safe zone, we should’ve just rented here from the start! Now look at us—having to move again?!”
Her husband, clearly impatient, replied, “Weren’t there no suitable places back then? And you thought it was too expensive, remember?”
“How was I supposed to know zombies would show up?! And besides, you didn’t try to talk me into it either!”
Turns out this family of three had actually looked at other apartments in Hongjing Community before. But since there weren’t any as good as their old 1604 unit, they went for a cheaper one in an older neighborhood instead. Unexpectedly, that place wasn’t even inside the safe zone! So now they had to haul their luggage back here.
Their son shoved both hands in his pockets, completely ignoring his parents’ bickering—seriously, they argued all night and they’re still going? Who cares! He yawned, then spotted the sexy figure of a girl up ahead. His eyes instantly lit up, glued to her swaying hips the entire way.
Luo Xun followed his gaze and also noticed her: a woman with a perfectly rounded butt, wearing a figure-hugging trench coat despite the cold, long legs sheathed in sheer black stockings that faintly revealed the skin beneath. Every step she took was a catwalk strut, twisting her hips like a model.
If her back view is this seductive, what must her face look like? Luo Xun wondered.
Though he was “bent” later in life, he wasn’t about to miss the sight of a beautiful woman. Curiosity made him keep watching her along the way.
And it wasn’t just him—men and women alike sneaked glances at her. Men admired, fantasized; women stared with envy and jealousy.
Unfortunately, the woman clung to a towering, burly man, and their group had more than ten people with them. No one dared approach.
Wang Duo, walking beside Luo Xun, whistled quietly, “With a body like that, she’s gotta be a cougar.”
Luo Xun shot him a look, surprised—so much for that righteous face of his. Who knew he was such a closet perv?
“The only question is—will her face make guys use their hands or make them pull a gun?”
Another muttered, “Doubt it. That man next to her doesn’t look like someone you’d mess with. Besides, there are other women in that group too. If she weren’t attractive, their leader wouldn’t have her at his side.”
Eventually, everyone reached the community gate, where several military trucks were waiting to take people away.
By chance—or misfortune—Luo Xun and his group ended up on the same truck as the Wu family of three and the sexy woman’s group.
The military trucks were huge, able to carry sixty-plus people. Each vehicle headed to a different location, pre-assigned in advance. Soldiers and engineers had already been working overnight, laying foundations. Once the civilians arrived, they only needed a little instruction before starting.
Luo Xun and Li Tie huddled with their group, sneaking glances at the other passengers. The Wu family were as noisy as ever, constantly bickering. The sexy woman’s group finally showed their faces. Just as Wang Duo guessed, she was a sultry-looking woman in her late twenties or early thirties. Her makeup was carefully applied, enhancing every advantage of her features. She wasn’t stunningly beautiful, but she radiated mature allure.
Not far from her sat two young women, just over twenty. One had strikingly large eyes and a prettier face, while the other was plain and forgettable.
Luo Xun raised an eyebrow. He suddenly had a strong suspicion—this group might be the very people who ambushed Yan Fei.
Sure enough, he spotted the burly, broad-shouldered man built like a fortress. Straining his ears in the noisy truck, Luo Xun caught someone calling him “Brother Xu,” confirming his suspicion.
He pulled out his phone, pretending to try making a call, and discreetly snapped a few photos of them.
Then he sighed dramatically, slipping the phone back into his pocket:
“Still no signal.”
“Tell me about it.” He Qiankun’s mood instantly sank. “I’ve been calling home since that day. Nobody ever picks up…”
When the outbreak hit, they had warned friends and family too. But after everything fell apart, almost no one had been reachable.
Wu Xin tried to comfort him, “Maybe they managed to escape. Look how fast the army’s reacting! In just a few days, they’ve already carved out safe zones.”
Another added quickly, “Exactly! The radio said every province has garrisons, and all military regions nationwide have set up safety bases. Troops are rescuing survivors and wiping out zombies everywhere!”
“Yeah, and apparently not many soldiers turned into zombies. Some even awakened powers!”
Their optimism lightened the atmosphere in the truck. Many had lost loved ones, but simply surviving and reaching the safe zone was already a blessing. With soldiers to protect them, there was hope for the future.
The worksite for the perimeter wall wasn’t far from the neighborhood. After registering personal info, people were assigned to different tasks.
The army was the main force in construction, but migrant workers with building experience picked up quickly and were given technical roles. Next were the strong young men. The college boys, though IT majors, weren’t helpless. As they joked, a good man needs hands-on skills too, not just to fix computers.
Then came the stronger women. The weaker ones—“delicate flowers”—were basically useless here.
With memories from his past life, Luo Xun adapted fast. Noticing his speed and strength, a soldier reassigned him to laying bricks for the wall. The others without useful skills were sent to dig defensive trenches outside, one section per person.
The wall naturally had to be as high and thick as possible. Everyone was assigned a section, and the daily workload couldn’t fall short of a set height. When mealtime came, they could exchange their work for points—after discussion, the higher-ups decided all wages would be paid out in points. A communal kitchen prepared big pots of food, and people could pick what they liked by redeeming with points.
After claiming his points and checking out the meals, Luo Xun sighed inwardly—just as I thought, food quality in the early days of the apocalypse is way better than what comes later.
Although the meals were better than he had expected, Luo Xun still decided to prioritize finishing his own rations. He only spent a little on a big bowl of mung bean porridge with pickles, then carried it and his backpack off to the side to eat. The five students soon brought over their food to join him.
“This quality, this flavor, this portion size—it’s way better than our cafeteria food!” Since everyone was doing physical labor, the portions were generous, leaving the students amazed.
Weighing his giant steamed bun in his hand, He Qiankun’s eyes went wide. “So heavy!”
“Maybe they didn’t even ferment the dough?”
“As long as it’s cooked through, it’s fine,” Luo Xun explained. He knew this type of bun. For now, there were still reserves of flour, so the buns were made with a mix of wheat and corn flour. Once crops mutated later on, the taste would become almost inedible. For now, though, while the buns weren’t tasty, they were very filling. One was enough for an average person, eating more only made you choke.
By the end of the meal, everyone still had at least half a bun left. Those with smaller appetites even had leftover dishes.
“Well, that’s dinner sorted. Just grab some soup later, maybe even save tomorrow’s breakfast,” they joked cheerfully. To these students, used to cafeteria “mystery meals” and the occasional stir-fried mooncake, this food was no big deal. But to people accustomed to home cooking or restaurant dishes, the bland food was disappointing.
“You brought your own food?” Han Li sat beside Luo Xun, noticing that apart from the porridge, the rest of his food came from home.
“Yeah. Luckily my family had just moved in not long ago, so we’d stocked up on groceries and haven’t finished them yet.”
Wu Xin looked enviously at the egg in Luo Xun’s pancake. “Nice. We only managed to stock up on instant noodles, crackers, and canned food.”
“Even if we had rice and flour, none of us would know how to cook it. Anyone here know how?” He Qiankun’s question stumped the four of them, who looked at each other blankly.
“I can boil eggs.”
“I can eat eggs.”
“I can cook instant noodles.”
“I can eat instant noodles.”
“I can make scrambled eggs with tomato.”
“I can eat—” Before He Qiankun could finish, the others ganged up to punch him playfully.
Luo Xun just smiled, stuffing the last bite of his pancake in his mouth and mumbling: “I can boil eggs, scramble eggs, steam eggs, and fry eggs.”
Breaking free of the mock beating, He Qiankun grinned and praised, “Luo Xun, you’re really domestic!”
The construction site was bustling. Their assigned area was on the west side of the base. Beyond it stretched barren farmland, no signs of habitation, and naturally no zombies. Any that had wandered there earlier had already been cleared out by soldiers.
In contrast, the north and east sides were far busier. As more survivors trickled in, hordes of zombies followed the noise. Highways into the capital were jammed, and passengers or drivers who hadn’t died outright were bitten and joined the undead, swelling their numbers.
After a day of labor, everyone was drained as they climbed back into the trucks. Some with weaker stamina even felt faint.
When they left in the morning, the sky hadn’t yet brightened. When they returned, it was already starry night. Exhausted, they barely had the strength to speak.
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
