Chapter 47 — New Neighbors
After washing and changing, Yan Fei realized it had been the right decision to come clean. Luo Xun might be shy, but he wasn’t coy. Now that their relationship was established, he didn’t reject Yan Fei’s little gestures—kisses, touches, casual intimacy. He might not react much, but he didn’t shy away either.
Holding hands? Kissing? Totally fine.
Yan Fei felt like he’d lost out before—but that could be fixed. With a few more days of effort, he was sure he could finally “eat meat.” The atmosphere last night had been perfect; he couldn’t let that go to waste.
Luo Xun, completely unaware that someone was eyeing his backside, finished breakfast and went to knock on Room 1601’s door. “We’re going to remove the steel plates for now. Once the new neighbors arrive, we’ll decide whether to seal it up again. Keep an eye out—don’t let anyone steal stuff from the stairwell.”
“No problem.”
“Don’t worry, Brother Luo. We’ll watch the hall.”
There were still plenty of big items in the stairwell—too heavy to steal easily—but it was best to be cautious.
Yan Fei moved the three large iron plates aside and stacked them by the wall. Whether to put them back later would depend on who the newcomers were and what kind of people they turned out to be. If they often went in and out, it wouldn’t make sense to seal the place up again.
As for their own rooms’ doors and windows, Yan Fei planned to reinforce them later—something Luo Xun had a lot of experience with, so they’d discuss it together.
The walls still needed to dry for a while before the next stage of work. They decided to use the time to tile the bathroom and balcony.
The bathroom already had a makeshift toilet installed by the building contractor—poor quality, but usable—so there was no need to replace it.
However, the plumbing needed reworking and insulation, and the tiles had to be properly laid.
After some thought, Luo Xun decided to seal off the gas line—it’d never be used again anyway, and just took up space. But the stove area still needed to be kept clear.
A group of people crowded into the kitchen, studying for a long time before finally figuring out how to tile the walls. Once they understood, Li Tie and the others went back to their side to start working. They had more people, so they’d probably be faster; when they were nearly done, they’d send a few over to help Luo Xun and Yan Fei.
Everyone was a beginner, so they didn’t dare mix too much mortar at once, nor did they dare tile all the walls and floors in one go. They picked a single wall, calculated the number of tiles needed, distributed them properly, and quickly got to work.
Being good with one’s hands had its perks—within twenty minutes, one wall was neatly covered in clean white tiles. Luo Xun was inspecting whether the tiles were level and if any spots needed adjustment when Yan Fei suddenly gestured, “Someone’s coming up.”
He immediately set down his tools and walked out the door. Sure enough, faint voices could be heard in the stairwell.
1601 and 1603 hadn’t closed their doors while working today—partly because everyone was new to tiling and needed to check with each other, and partly to keep an ear on the sounds in the hallway.
It seemed everyone with ill intentions already knew the 16th floor had been sealed off long ago, so no one suspicious had tried to sneak up here lately—and even if someone did, who would come in broad daylight?
Since even Yan Fei had heard the voices, the five-man team working near the stairwell naturally heard them too.
Dropping their tools, Li Tie and the others rushed out. It wasn’t long before a few people climbed up the stairs to their floor.
“Ah, the barricade’s really gone!”
“You’re all here! Perfect—this is your new neighbor,” said an officer with a friendly smile, one who had visited before.
“Welcome, welcome—huh?” The man in front, Li Tie, widened his eyes in surprise.
“Huh???” He Qiankun’s jaw dropped too.
Luo Xun glanced down curiously—and froze, his mouth slightly open before turning to look at Yan Fei.
Wu Xin pointed at the man below them. “That guy—uh, what’s his name again?” His face was unforgettable, but the name…
Yan Fei calmly supplied, “Zhang Su.”
Zhang Su looked up at them with equal surprise. What a coincidence indeed.
“You all know each other?” asked the officer—if Luo Xun remembered correctly, this lieutenant was surnamed Ding.
Luo Xun nodded. “We met him outside the base last time.”
Lieutenant Ding’s face lit up in realization. “Oh, so you’re the ones who brought him in! That’s great, perfect!” Finally, he could hand off this burden.
Luo Xun and the others didn’t understand why the soldiers suddenly looked so relieved and hurriedly escorted Zhang Su upstairs. Zhang Su, for his part, remained calm, nodding politely. His arm was wrapped thickly in gauze.
Lieutenant Ding led the way, frowning as he glanced at the cluttered corridor. “What’s all this stuff for?”
Li Tie grinned. “We went to the construction supply mart last time and brought back a bunch of renovation materials. We just finished painting the walls and are starting to lay tiles today!”
Lieutenant Ding stared at them in disbelief. “You people are something else—finally get a chance to go outside, and instead of bringing back food or supplies, you come back with this?”
He Qiankun grimaced. “No choice! The floors here are bare concrete—it’s too uncomfortable to sleep on. We’ve endured it for days before finally finding a chance to go out and get this stuff. Too bad the beds we’re sleeping on now are tiny. Last night, I almost fell off.”
“I already fell three times!” Wang Duo raised his hand.
Luo Xun nearly choked on laughter. He knew it! Those things weren’t real beds—there was barely room to turn over. No wonder they kept falling.
The soldiers stared at them as if seeing divine beings. “What kind of beds are you sleeping on?”
“They’re from a beauty salon—small, with a hole on top!” He Qiankun explained earnestly.
Wu Xin smacked the back of his head. “That’s not a hole—it’s a face rest! And didn’t I tell you to cover it with a board?”
“You know me! I’m heavy—last night, I turned over, and that board snapped! I almost got blown up!” He Qiankun said it with complete confidence.
The soldier opening the door was laughing so hard his hands shook, taking forever to get it open.
“You guys are really something… Anyway, Dr. Zhang, this will be your room. See if it suits you.”
Since coming up, Zhang Su had only greeted them once. Now, he nodded slightly. What was there to complain about? The place was spacious, bright, and far safer than running for his life outside.
Li Tie blurted out, “Wait—he gets this whole place to himself?!” Housing in the base was extremely tight. When they first arrived, they learned five people had to share a three-bedroom apartment. Rumor had it that ten people sharing two rooms was pretty normal now.
He Qiankun looked envious. “Being an ability user sure is nice…”
At that, all the soldiers—including Lieutenant Ding—showed strange, twisted expressions. Lieutenant Ding coughed awkwardly. “…A special case.” Only this one. For everyone’s safety.
Zhang Su suddenly turned, a dazzling smile blooming on his face. “They’re afraid people in the base might keep dying.”
“Huh?”
“Dying? What do you mean dying?” Li Tie and the others were puzzled.
Luo Xun subtly stepped back half a step—the man’s smile was too radiant, to the point of being unsettling. Safer to keep some distance. As he stepped back, he bumped into Yan Fei, who naturally wrapped an arm around his waist, shielding him. Luo Xun instantly felt steadier. Having a boyfriend wasn’t bad at all—especially one this deadly in a fight.
Lieutenant Ding and the others also quietly backed away. The soldiers quickly set down the boxes and bags they were carrying in the living room, ready to retreat at a moment’s notice.
“Oh, nothing much,” Zhang Su said calmly. “I just accidentally injured a few people when I worked at the base hospital.”
“Injured people? Were there bad guys bullying you?”
“Ah!” Han Li clapped his hands. “Are those people who framed you earlier here too?”
Zhang Su’s smile froze, then slowly faded.
He Qiankun patted his chest. “Don’t worry! It’s totally safe here! Brother Yan can seal the whole door shut—no one’s getting in unless we open it!”
“Yeah, and Brother Yan’s even reinforcing the windows,” Li Tie added. “We can also build planting racks! Brother Luo makes the best ones. We’ll teach you—you can grow vegetables at home and never have to go out again!”
Lieutenant Ding perked up. “You grow things at home?”
“Of course! We sprout soybeans, mung beans, and peanuts—once the place is fully fixed up and it’s a bit warmer, we’ll plant more!” Li Tie said proudly.
Lieutenant Ding’s eyes lit up. “If it works, let us know. The base might buy your surplus.” Food cultivation was a major issue. Many crops outside were mutating, and they still didn’t know which ones were safe to eat. Promoting home planting would help test viability and reduce strain on base resources.
He eagerly asked for details, while Zhang Su watched the group quietly—still the same naïve, kind-hearted fools. His gaze drifted toward Luo Xun and Yan Fei, standing quietly together in the corner.
When he noticed Yan Fei’s hand still around Luo Xun’s waist, Zhang Su exhaled sharply through his nose. Hmph. He knew that guy had ulterior motives! Sure enough, he’d already seduced that naïve bottom. It hadn’t even been that long!
A keen observer could tell—their relationship had clearly progressed only after returning to the base.
Lieutenant Ding followed Li Tie and the others into their apartment to see the hydroponic setup. When he saw the tender green bean sprouts, he smiled broadly and clapped their shoulders. “Keep it up—this is the hope for the future.”
If home cultivation worked, it could greatly ease the base’s food burden. Ordinary people could grow vegetables for vitamins while the base focused on staple crops.
The hydroponic rack was made from PVC pipes, with a bit of homemade nutrient solution—something Li Tie had copied from a guide Luo Xun posted online before the apocalypse. Without it, the sprouts wouldn’t grow properly.
After examining it, Lieutenant Ding patted them again. “Not bad at all. Let us know if you get any harvests—this method deserves to be promoted base-wide.”
The boys beamed with pride at the officer’s praise.
Before leaving, one curious soldier looked at the freshly painted walls. “It’s a bit uneven, but once it dries, it’s fine, right?”
Wang Duo grinned. “That’s just the first coat. We’ll do a second after it dries.”
The soldier blinked. “A second? What for?”
“Eh? The manual from the home supply store said to apply three layers of putty!” Wang Duo said, turning to Han Li, who nodded.
The soldiers burst out laughing. “One coat’s plenty! No need to go all fancy—it’s not like before the apocalypse. As long as it’s not cracked or peeling, you’re good. Just paint it once with latex and it’ll last ages.”
He Qiankun clapped Wu Xin’s shoulder. “See? I told you we didn’t need to fuss over it, but you insisted!”
Li Tie’s face lit up. “Perfect! That’ll save us a ton of effort! Once the walls are dry, we’ll paint just once and start flooring! And we’ll still have leftover materials—we can give the extras to Zhang Su next door!”
For that handsome guy who had been betrayed by his companions and wounded, which then attracted zombies—setting aside his sinfully beautiful face—Li Tie’s group of five all felt very strong sympathy for him. Now that they were neighbors and would be living together from now on, they naturally wanted to get along well.
Li Tie’s words earned nods of agreement from the others, though Lieutenant Ding’s expression was a little odd as he asked, “You all… get along well?”
The group exchanged looks and thought about it. “Yeah, pretty much. We came back together from outside the base. We get along fine.”
One of the young soldiers asked curiously, “He didn’t get mad at you? Didn’t use his… ability?”
He Qiankun looked confused. “Get mad over what? Use his ability for what?”
As they spoke, the group had already stepped out of the room into the hallway, where they saw Zhang Su standing by the door of Room 1602, talking to Luo Xun and Yan Fei.
Han Li immediately remembered their earlier topic and quickly asked, “Right, right! You didn’t finish before—did you run into the people who framed you?” Was that why he hurt someone in the hospital?
A flicker of something unreadable passed through Zhang Su’s eyes, and he raised an eyebrow. “No.”
“Huh?”
“Then someone must’ve tried to bully you,” Wu Xin said matter-of-factly. Why else would he hurt someone at the hospital? On the road back he’d traveled peacefully with them; he wasn’t some random psycho.
Zhang Su’s expression froze for a moment. He blinked and said nothing.
Lieutenant Ding coughed lightly, turned to the group, and said, “Anyway, I’ll leave Zhang Su in your care. And about that planting project—once you get some results, let us know. Oh, and be careful: some seeds may change color after sprouting; most of those are toxic, so don’t eat them and make sure to dispose of them quickly. Alright, we’ll get going.”
After saying that, he gave Zhang Su another meaningful glance. He wasn’t sure exactly what had caused the doctor’s repeated hospital fights, but each incident had been serious—his power had gone out of control, damaging much of the room. The other men had been covered in injuries and blood; if help hadn’t arrived in time, they might have bled to death.
When questioned afterward, Zhang Su said nothing. The others mumbled vague excuses, unable to explain clearly.
As Lieutenant Ding’s group prepared to head down the stairs, He Qiankun asked curiously, “Why not take the elevator?”
Lieutenant Ding waved a hand. “Someone’s using it to move supplies today. We’re in good shape, so we’ll let others have it.” With that, they headed down.
When the sound of their footsteps faded, Han Li looked between Yan Fei and Zhang Su. “Should we seal the door?”
Zhang Su didn’t understand, his peach-blossom eyes drifting toward Yan Fei, who was being stared at expectantly by everyone.
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
