Chapter 28 — The Resentful Wife
Yan Fei suddenly turned away from the floor-to-ceiling window and looked toward the room behind him. Out on the balcony were the crops he had planted—his chives had grown long again and could be harvested once more.
Inside the house were all kinds of supplies he had somehow managed to gather, stacked high in unmarked boxes. From the ceiling hung wind-cured chicken and duck, as well as strings of cured sausages. Stepping into the kitchen, the floor along the wall was lined with two full rows of pickling jars.
The outer row was transparent glass, filled with all kinds of pickled vegetables and chili peppers. The inner row consisted of porcelain jars—besides various sauces, there were fermented bean curd, kimchi, sauerkraut, soybean paste, yellow bean paste, and so on. He really had no idea where Yan Fei had gotten all these things from. Did he raid a nearby pickling workshop? Or… were these all homemade?
In the small room next to the kitchen were mushroom logs for cultivation, seedling boxes, worm compost bins, glass jars raising mealworms kept out of direct light, and other similar things.
The whole place was like a hamster’s nest.
Before leaving, Luo Xun had told him clearly which things didn’t need to be touched, and which needed to be handled immediately if anything seemed wrong.
What to do if the water ran out, how to switch power sources, which broken items could be ignored for now, and which had to be replaced…
Now that he thought about it—it was like… like he’d been leaving a will.
“Ahh…” Exhausted in both body and mind, Yan Fei’s eyes showed a hint of confusion. This had once been such a warm, cozy place. But with just one person gone—just one—it suddenly felt so empty.
Step by step, he went upstairs. There weren’t many crops on the rooftop terrace yet; several large empty racks and boxes were neatly arranged in one corner. Luo Xun had said there was still enough rice and flour at home, and that maybe they wouldn’t need to plant wheat or rice until the following year…
Damn it. He was starting to sound like some resentful wife waiting at home!
He walked a few paces to the terrace edge. From there, he could clearly see what was happening below.
By his estimation, those people had entered the base the night before last, staying that day in the temporary shelter—the converted supermarket, bank, and mall hall that housed those without abilities or contribution points.
They’d moved into this residential area the next day. Anyone able to settle here clearly had powers of their own and enough strength to qualify for a place.
Aside from them, there was another group that had moved into the neighboring building—apparently, they’d come together.
Whether they were allies or not, Yan Fei didn’t care. If Luo Xun didn’t come back… if he never came back…
A flash of killing intent crossed Yan Fei’s eyes. He couldn’t tell exactly what emotions were churning inside him, but one thing was certain—he didn’t care if those people lived or died. If something really had happened to Luo Xun, then they could all die and be buried with him.
*
“Bang! Bang, bang!”
“Finally done cleaning up,” one of the soldiers exhaled in relief and looked toward the intersection not far away. There were no visible threats in sight for the moment.
“Yeah, those things are damn persistent—kept following the main road right toward us. Good thing they still only move by sound. If they could see or think like humans, we’d all be dead by now.”
“Thank god they can’t. Otherwise, we might as well all just kill ourselves early.”
The soldiers, who had just finished clearing the last wave of zombies around the northern perimeter of the safe zone, began to joke among themselves. Over the past few days, hordes of zombies had kept pressing forward toward the north gate, scaring everyone half to death. Luckily, this wave seemed finite—after wiping them out, things outside the gate should be safe for a while.
The temporary surveillance posts outside the gate had been withdrawn five days ago when the zombie horde began to gather. Everyone waiting outside had been temporarily relocated to the entry section of the safe zone. As expected, most of those who were injured—especially those bitten or scratched by zombies—had turned within hours. The soldiers, already prepared for it, immediately executed them on the spot.
“I heard our safe zone is going to expand,” a veteran soldier said, cradling his rifle as he leaned back against the newly built steel wall behind him.
“Expand? We just finished building this one, and now we’re expanding again?”
“That’s what I heard. You know how the north gate’s been blocked by zombies these past two days? Word is, a bunch of trucks headed out through the west gate carrying cement, rebar, and iron sheets—apparently, it’s all for the expansion.”
“But isn’t our safe zone already pretty big?”
“Big? Not even close. Think about how many people lived in all of City A. Right now, our zone can barely house sixty or seventy thousand—counting the barracks too. I heard the higher-ups are going to increase rescue operations in the city. When those new people come in, where are they supposed to live?”
“Yeah, and the more people you pack in, the higher the risk. If even one infected person slips through, it’s going to be a disaster!”
“True that. Still, I wonder how exactly they plan to expand… huh? What’s that? A vehicle?”
“It’s a truck… a military truck! Must be one of ours returning from a supply run!”
“Thank God—they made it back alive…” A few young men nearly burst into tears of relief as they looked toward the safe zone walls in the distance.
Luo Xun also let out a long breath— the steel barrier had been completely finished. At least from what he could see, the outermost layer of the wall was now entirely metal. Though the mixed materials meant it might rust over time, its slick surface made it impossible to climb, and since it was forged directly by metal-type ability users, its durability was guaranteed. Perfect for defending against low-level zombies.
“So many corpses on the ground, huh?”
“Yeah, right? We ran into so many over there—imagine how many were here!”
Originally, the group had planned to stay hidden in the building supply market for a few days, waiting for the army to clear out the zombies before making a move. But on the fourth day, though the number of zombies wandering outside had decreased, a few suddenly started heading straight toward them. Maybe zombie senses had evolved—could they actually smell human flesh now?
Dozens of zombies surrounded the iron gate, and within three hours, they’d smashed it down. There was no choice but to fight. Thankfully, the soldiers had brought plenty of ammunition just in case, and Li Tie’s team armed themselves with iron rods and makeshift weapons. Luo Xun’s self-made crossbow was a beast—each bolt downed a zombie cleanly. Miraculously, they wiped out the whole horde without a single casualty.
Since the gate was ruined anyway, waiting around to die wasn’t an option. They loaded up their vehicle and drove north toward the base, clearing zombies as they went. Along the way, they ran into an army truck sent out for the same purpose, and under its escort, they finally made it back safely.
Even those who returned uninjured still had to undergo observation for half a day. As long as they showed no symptoms within five hours, they were cleared to move freely.
Luo Xun’s team had brought back a lot of supplies. Since they’d been working in cooperation with the military, the soldiers took their share, and the rest was all theirs.
Aside from the raw materials, they’d also discovered a small convenience store and a restaurant inside the supply market, both of which still had usable food. Li Tie’s group had really hit the jackpot this time.
Luo Xun, however, didn’t take much. His own stockpile was already well-managed, and taking too much risked spoilage. He picked up a few essentials and bartered some food for hardware—metal materials Yan Fei could later transform with his ability.
After the five-hour observation, they loaded up a rented small truck and drove back to Hongjing Residential Complex.
The street in front of the complex gates had turned into an impromptu trading market. It had only taken about half a month for it to evolve—from quiet, secret exchanges to full-on street stalls in just a few days.
When Luo Xun’s truck pulled in, people on the street immediately locked eyes on them, gazes burning with hunger and envy. If it weren’t for the armed soldiers on board, some bold ones might’ve rushed over to peek at the cargo.
Even so, quite a few followed behind, eager to see what would be unloaded—blankets? Food?
“Whoa! There’s power?!” someone shouted.
As the group carried their haul into Building 7, they noticed the elevator lights were on. He Qiankun’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Yeah,” one soldier explained, “the power just came back two days ago. We only get it twice a day, so better move fast before it cuts out. Otherwise, it’s the stairs for you.”
With young men and a couple soldiers helping, unloading was quick work. In no time, the truck was empty, and everyone was ferrying the load upstairs.
When the onlookers realized they were hauling mostly boards and pipes—not food—the disappointment was palpable. One curious man asked Han Li, “Hey, what’s all that? Where’d you get it? What’s it for?”
“Building bed frames,” Han Li lied smoothly, pointing at the solar panels still wrapped in opaque packaging. “We’re still sleeping on the floor. Gotta fix the place up.”
The man frowned, eyeing the PVC pipes. “And what are those for?”
“Bathroom’s broken. Gotta fix the plumbing, right?” Wu Xin grumbled, hefting one side of the boards. “Quit talking and help me, man—this stuff’s heavy!”
After three elevator trips, everything was finally upstairs.
The supplies were temporarily stacked in the hallway. Luo Xun was the last to arrive, keys in hand. Just as he slid the key into the lock, the door swung open from the inside.
A face cold as frost glared at him.
Luo Xun froze for a beat, then gave a dry laugh—he’d forgotten to message Yan Fei before coming back.
“Uh… hey. How’ve you been these past couple of days?”
Food, water, everything at home was well-stocked. Even if Yan Fei didn’t cook, there were dumplings, buns, frozen meals, and instant food he’d prepared before leaving. The solar batteries were full—there shouldn’t have been any power issues either.
Then why… was his face so dark?
“Luo Xun, these yours? Keep an eye on them so we don’t take the wrong boxes later—” Wu Xin’s words died mid-sentence when he saw Yan Fei. His eyes went wide.
“Holy crap! That’s your cousin?!” He Qiankun practically drooled with jealousy as his gaze dropped to Yan Fei’s waistline.
Yan Fei had been recovering at home, and with the place kept warm like a greenhouse, he was only wearing thin home clothes. When he heard the commotion outside, he threw on a tight grey wool sweater before stepping out. That height, that lean figure, that dangerously handsome face—no wonder even the guys were envious.
Yan Fei’s frosty demeanor softened slightly. He nodded politely and smiled. “I’m Yan Fei, Luo Xun’s cousin. Thanks for looking after him on this trip.”
As he spoke, he reached out and ruffled Luo Xun’s hair like one would a child.
There was killing intent.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, Luo Xun’s instincts screamed danger. His ten years of apocalypse-hardened experience told him—this man was absolutely lethal. But he couldn’t run. He had nowhere to go.
He forced himself to keep working, ignoring his pounding nerves. Yan Fei declined the others’ offers to “help carry things,” effortlessly lifting the other end of an iron board with one hand and helping Luo Xun move everything inside.
It was quite a haul—of course, Luo Xun couldn’t have come back empty-handed.
The little furball wasn’t in its cage; when it saw him come home, it bounded around excitedly but seemed to know not to get underfoot while they were still unloading. It wagged its tail from afar, waiting for them to finish before rushing over.
When everything was finally inside, Luo Xun sighed in relief. He stole a glance at Yan Fei—since they started moving things, the man hadn’t said a single word to him.
What was wrong with him? Did something happen while he was gone?
The pet looked healthy and lively, so food wasn’t the issue. Maybe one of the plants had mutated?
Just as his mind wandered, Yan Fei suddenly asked, “Did you get everything you wanted?”
“Uh… yeah, mostly.”
“You planning to go out again?”
“…Not for now.” He needed at least two days of rest. Li Tie’s group planned to go again soon—to the farmers’ market for seeds, bedding, and more supplies. He’d join them to gather materials for indoor planting and fix up the next apartment room.
He was still lost in thought when— Yan Fei suddenly grabbed him and slammed him against the wall!
The sheer force of it startled him. Yan Fei’s strength had clearly increased—must’ve been his post-variant ability kicking in. Wait—was he… was he trying to kill him?!
Luo Xun’s mind raced. The physical difference was huge—if it came down to a fight, he didn’t stand a chance.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Yan Fei leaned in close, eyes blazing coldly.
“You said before leaving—you’d be gone how many days?”
“…A day and a half…”
“And the latest you’d be back?”
“Two, maybe three days…”
“And what day is it now?”
“…Fifth…” Luo Xun blinked in confusion. Yan Fei’s face was so close that the tiny mole beneath his eye kept drawing his gaze. His heart pounded louder and louder, so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest.
The little pet, halfway through a pounce, froze midair, staring at Yan Fei in bewilderment—Hey! How dare you steal my favorite jumping target!
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