Chapter 63 – A Chaotic New Year’s Eve
Back home, Luo Xun placed the dumplings they’d brought back into the kitchen. There really wasn’t much to do today. The neighboring unit still needed time for the walls to dry before they could be painted and the floor heating installed. Some of their vegetables needed to be replanted and grown to seed-bearing stage, and the new seedlings had only been placed in the germination box that morning. For now, it seemed there was nothing else to occupy them.
The little one at home was happily bouncing around, gnawing on a rope tied to an iron handle that Yan Fei had made specially. After setting the dumplings down, Luo Xun thought he faintly heard a sound.
“What’s that noise?” he asked, looking around curiously.
Yan Fei also looked puzzled. After listening closely for a few seconds, he lifted his hand and pointed—toward the seedling room.
The two of them carefully approached and gently pushed open the door. Inside the incubator, one small quail egg had already cracked open at some point, and a tiny, damp, yellowish quail chick—no bigger than a man’s thumb—was blinking and looking around in confusion.
“It hatched!!” Luo Xun exclaimed, hugging Yan Fei in excitement before rushing into the room.
He carefully picked up the newborn chick and placed it into a prepared box, then fetched the water and feed mixture he’d readied days earlier.
Freshly hatched quail chicks were extremely fragile—they needed high temperatures, clean drinking water, and appropriate food.
Luo Xun felt lucky he’d been home these past few days. If the chick had hatched while they were out on duty, it might have gone half a day without care and… well, a few of them might not have survived.
After making sure the chick was safe and had eaten some of the prepared feed, Luo Xun checked the rest of the eggs in the incubator. A few more were starting to move, nearly ready to hatch. Relieved, he took Yan Fei’s hand and left the room.
“How nice—our family just gained a new little member on New Year’s Eve,” he said softly. The tiny, fuzzy yellow thing was so small and adorable that his heart almost melted.
If the chick weren’t so delicate, Luo Xun would’ve loved to take it out and keep it as a pet.
Yan Fei chuckled. “Give it a few days—there’ll be several more. The house will feel much livelier then.”
Before the apocalypse, New Year’s Eve had already started to lose its festive spirit. The fast pace of life and fading traditions made the holiday less special each year. But now, in this post-apocalyptic world, those who had survived felt deeply grateful just to live to see another sunrise, another New Year’s Day.
At least for the Chinese survivors, the atmosphere in the base tonight was far more emotional than the Gregorian New Year two months ago.
To survive another year meant they had taken one more step forward in this ruined world.
Around eight in the evening, the massive loudspeakers set up across the base began to play the pre-recorded Spring Festival Gala.
Since communication systems still weren’t fully restored, the entire program consisted of things that could be broadcast purely through sound—music, songs, crosstalk, and comedic sketches. It almost felt like stepping back several decades in time. But those loudspeakers echoing down the streets and alleys gave people a sense of comfort, a fragile kind of hope.
Families without radios took advantage of the mild weather to go outside, gathering under the big speakers to listen.
Strangers and friends alike came together in small crowds, cherishing this rare moment of peace and celebration.
Most of these loudspeakers were installed in the inner city. The outer zones hadn’t gotten them yet—partly because they’d only just finished building the walls, but mostly because they were too close to the perimeter. If the broadcasts were too loud and attracted zombies, that would be a disaster. The inner city was far safer for such things.
Back home, Luo Xun and Yan Fei had turned on their own radio early. Once the excitement of the hatching faded, Luo Xun spent the afternoon in the seedling room again, modifying the quail’s little habitat. He built a passageway so that the chicks, once hatched, could move into an adjacent box to gather and feed together.
He had to admit—these poultry were far easier to care for than human babies… no, easier even than most mammals. The moment they hatched, they could open their eyes, walk, and peck for food. They were still fragile, yes, but compared to mammals whose newborns couldn’t even see or move on their own, these quails were practically independent.
He’d fenced off the incubator carefully so the chicks wouldn’t fall out and hurt themselves. Since all the eggs had been incubated around the same time, they would hatch within a day or two of each other, so he had to be ready.
After an afternoon of work, the two of them were now half-reclined on the sofa. Luo Xun leaned in Yan Fei’s arms, subconsciously ignoring his past insistence on being the “dominant” one… though technically, at the moment, he was still on top of Yan Fei.
On the coffee table beside them sat a plate with a few leftover dumplings, and another plate—now empty—that had once held freshly steamed and sliced sausages. Those cured sausages had been hanging from the ceiling until earlier, when Luo Xun finally decided to cook some.
He’d hardly touched the smoked chicken, duck, and cured meats stored at home since the apocalypse began. Partly because the freezer still held plenty of meat, and partly because those dried goods could last much longer. Who knew when they’d ever get fresh meat again? Probably not within the next year.
The little one, after dinner, had gone to the bathroom, done its business, and then zoomed around the house in bursts of joy. After a few laps, it leapt onto the sofa and flopped right into Luo Xun’s arms, begging for pets.
Thus, the scene on the sofa turned into one of two men and a dog—Yan Fei holding Luo Xun, Luo Xun holding the little one… a peaceful, picture-perfect family of three.
The radio played an assortment of songs and music, making the already quiet room feel a little livelier. Thanks to his strong biological clock, Luo Xun began feeling sleepy around eleven o’clock. Still, he insisted on staying up—at least until after midnight—so he could eat dumplings to welcome the first day of the New Year before heading upstairs to sleep.
So, although the New Year’s Eve radio program was rare and precious in the post-apocalyptic world, by the end, he wasn’t really paying much attention. Yan Fei, however, was more accustomed to staying up late—since every night before bed, he would practice using his ability. Often, he would do so after wearing Luo Xun out, and by then, his whole body would be drenched in sweat, forcing him to take another quick wash in the bathroom.
The two quietly listened as the radio hosts counted down to midnight. Even downstairs, the people gathered around loudspeakers couldn’t help but cheer.
Although fireworks were banned at the base for safety reasons, the festive atmosphere of New Year’s Eve was still very much alive.
Smiling, Luo Xun rubbed his eyes and gave Yan Fei’s chin a playful bite. “Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year.” Yan Fei lowered his head to kiss Luo Xun on the cheek. The little dog, thinking the two were playing, wriggled in Luo Xun’s arms and tried to shove its furry head between their faces.
Pushing the dog’s head aside, Yan Fei chuckled and reached for the plate beside them. “Let’s eat a dumpling before bed—gotta mark the occasion somehow.” Even if they’d gone cold, eating one still felt festive.
Luo Xun sat up with a grin. After each of them ate one, he split another dumpling open and gave it to the restless little dog in his arms. The pup sniffed it, then grabbed it in its mouth, jumped off the sofa, and began nibbling and chewing on it slowly in front of them.
“I thought it wouldn’t eat these since this batch was mostly veggie dumplings,” Luo Xun said in surprise, watching the pup devour it happily.
Yan Fei laughed. “That’s a good thing. Veggies are a lot easier for us to get than meat—if it can eat vegetables, it’ll be easier to feed.”
From the hallway came the faint sound of someone crying—not too far away. Luo Xun and Yan Fei exchanged surprised looks, then seemed to realize something. Seeing that no one came out to check, they didn’t go investigate either—sometimes, people just needed to vent.
After they finished eating, they deliberately left one dumpling on the plate. Luo Xun stretched lazily and headed for the bathroom. “Time to brush my teeth and wash up. Tomorrow, I’m sleeping in!”
“Yeah, let’s take a proper day off tomorrow.” It was the last day of their three-day break. Yesterday they’d spent fixing up the house, today cooking and making dumplings with Li Tie and the others. Tomorrow, they could finally rest before returning to work the day after.
Suddenly, the little dog—having finished its dumpling—snapped to attention, staring toward the balcony window with its ears perked up. It tensed its hind legs, then barked sharply in that direction.
“What’s wrong?” Luo Xun immediately sobered up. The pup wasn’t one to bark without reason—the last time it had done so was when a group of thieves had broken into the building. Their neighbors, Li Tie and the others, had lived nearby for so long without even knowing Luo Xun had a dog, which showed how quiet and well-behaved it usually was. Even earlier, when the quail hatched or when people in the hall were crying, it hadn’t made a sound. But now—it clearly sensed something unusual.
Luo Xun and Yan Fei hurried to the balcony and carefully scanned the area—plants, normal; outside the window, normal…
Luo Xun wondered if perhaps a thief was trying to break in from the roof, but there was nothing unusual outside.
Yet the dog remained tense, growling in warning at something unseen.
Luo Xun crouched down to soothe it, wrapping his arms around its small body, while Yan Fei cautiously opened the window a bit wider. Both of them were cautious by nature—they wouldn’t ignore anything that could have alarmed the dog.
“…Do you hear that? Something outside.” Yan Fei, standing by the window, was the first to notice. Luo Xun quickly joined him, listening intently.
The loudspeaker broadcasts had already ended. From below came faint human noises—chatter, laughter, and the occasional weeping born of longing and fear in this post-apocalyptic world—people returning home after listening to the program. But farther away… there was something else—
“Firecrackers! Someone’s setting off firecrackers!” Luo Xun suddenly realized where the sounds came from and turned to Yan Fei in shock.
Yan Fei frowned, looking toward the distance. “That direction… seems pretty far…”
“…Don’t tell me it’s near the outer wall?!”
—
Several military jeeps roared toward a section of the outer wall. In the distance, faint flashes of fire and the crackle of firecrackers could be seen. As the vehicles turned a corner, they came upon a group of people gathered in the ruins, laughing and watching the firecrackers go off.
“Put them out immediately! Arrest all of them!”
“Hey—hey! Why are you arresting us?!”
“Let go of me!”
“Mama…”
The shouts, cries, and protests were abruptly cut off as the firecrackers were forcibly extinguished and the people were shoved into the vehicles.
All around the outer base, people who had set off firecrackers were being rounded up.
“Why can’t we set them off?! It’s New Year’s! What kind of New Year is it without firecrackers?!”
“Yeah! We’ve been tormented by those ghost-like monsters for so long—can’t we light a few firecrackers to chase away the bad luck? Firecrackers are supposed to scare off evil spirits during the New Year!”
The protests were endless, and the soldiers in charge of escorting the detainees looked increasingly grim.
These people, emboldened by the newly completed base walls and believing the base to be much safer now, had taken out the firecrackers they’d collected before joining the base. Since the spot they chose wasn’t too close to the perimeter, they figured it wouldn’t hurt to light a few—to drive away bad luck.
Their reasoning was understandable, but—
“Commander! I suggest we send these people outside to guard the wall! Everyone knows zombies are sensitive to sound—they’re just asking for trouble!” one young soldier shouted angrily, his eyes red with fury.
“That’s right, Commander! Our men have to stand guard outside even on New Year’s Eve, and because of their firecrackers, who knows how many zombies have been drawn to us?!”
The officer in charge took a deep breath, glaring at the indignant soldiers. “And what, send them out there to make things worse? They dared to set off firecrackers inside the base, luring zombies straight to us—if we send them to the wall, they’ll only wreck the defenses!”
“But…” The soldier trailed off in frustration. Could it really end like this? There were already plenty of zombies gathering near the base because of the strong scent of humans, and the numbers had been growing steadily. Tonight, the firecrackers made the already restless horde go wild! They had even triggered surprise attacks on several defense points farther out. The unit had already received distress calls from those posts—if not for their duty to maintain order inside the base, they’d have gone out to help long ago!
The officer took another deep breath, forcing down his anger. Shaking his head slightly, he said, “We’ll wait for the higher-ups to decide how to handle them.” He couldn’t make that call himself, but in his opinion—these troublemakers should indeed be thrown outside to guard the wall.
Hearing this, the detainees turned pale. They hunched down, afraid to speak again, worried that a single wrong word might actually get them thrown out of the base. It had taken them so much to make it here—to finally live in relative safety. How could they possibly want to go back outside?
“Big brother, I swear I didn’t set any off! I just went to watch!”
“Yeah, soldier sir, I didn’t light any either!”
Hearing the quick-witted ones speak up, the rest hurried to declare their innocence too, and soon the once-quiet vehicle was full of noise again.
“Shut up! One more word and I’ll throw you out myself!” an already furious soldier barked, firing two shots into the air. The carriage fell silent at once.
—
Someone had set off firecrackers inside the base. It was unclear how far the spot was from the outer wall—but now, the first-tier zombies had much sharper hearing than the ones at the beginning. Luo Xun was certain that if a car drove by even two streets away, those zombies could hear it and come chasing. How could they not notice the sharp crack of firecrackers?
“Sigh, it’s going to be lively outside the walls tonight,” Luo Xun murmured.
Yan Fei nodded slightly, though he still smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. The walls are solid. Nothing major will happen.”
Luo Xun knew he was right—first-tier zombies couldn’t climb over the three-meter-high barrier. Still, he worried for the guards stationed outside the walls—those patrolling the trenches, wooden stakes, and spiked defenses, and especially those posted at the gates. Their job was to handle any survivors who came seeking refuge or to kill the zombies trailing after military convoys. But tonight, they’d surely face more danger than usual.
“Come on, let’s get some sleep,” Yan Fei said, closing the window. Whatever was happening outside was beyond their reach.
“Mm.” Turning around, Luo Xun saw that the little dog had settled down, tail wagging lazily as it padded back to its bed in the living room and curled up to sleep.
Holidays were always short and precious. On New Year’s Eve, Luo Xun and Yan Fei welcomed the first member of their home-raised poultry—their very first hatchling. The next morning, they found two more tiny quails newly hatched in the incubator.
The three baby quails huddled together, making soft chirping sounds that could melt a person’s heart.
“In about a week, we can put them together with the big quails!” Luo Xun said excitedly, peering into the box at the three fluffy little creatures. Their hatching rate wasn’t bad at all—every one of the first three eggs had hatched, not a single one wasted!
Yan Fei used his metal ability to make tiny leg rings engraved with “2.X” (X being a number for each chick), marking them as the second generation of their home-hatched quails. “Weren’t you planning to give a few to the others?”
“When these little ones grow a bit more, maybe. Their place is too cold right now—if I gave them some now, they wouldn’t survive.” Luo Xun gently picked up one of the newly hatched chicks, trying to tell its sex.
“What are you looking at?” Yan Fei asked, leaning in.
“Seeing if I can tell which are male and female… no luck. They’re still too young to tell.” Luo Xun sighed, setting the tiny, squirming chick back down. Once he confirmed all three were healthy, he and Yan Fei went back to their usual tasks.
After lazily spending their final day of vacation at home, the next morning, Luo Xun and Yan Fei got up early, dressed, and prepared to head out.
As soon as the two entered the corridor, they saw that Li Tie’s door was also open. Han Li waved to them in greeting before going to knock on the door of Apartment 1602 next door.
“Zhang Su isn’t working today, right? I remember his leave lasts until the third day of the new year?” Luo Xun adjusted his backpack straps and walked over curiously.
“Yeah, Brother Zhang isn’t going,” Li Tie said through a yawn, his words slightly slurred, “but we’re calling Wang Duo to come with us.”
“Wang Duo? He didn’t go back last night?” Yan Fei asked with an amused arch of his brow, his face full of teasing.
The three—Li Tie, Wu Xin, and Han Li—immediately exchanged knowing looks and nodded vigorously. “Not only last night! He didn’t go back on New Year’s Eve either! He moved all his stuff in yesterday during the day!”
Luo Xun grinned and stood with the others at 1602’s door. When it opened, Wang Duo came out looking a little tired but extremely energetic. “Heading to work? I’m all ready!”
Everyone’s eyes swept over him in unison—first at his slightly pale face, then down at his legs.
Wang Duo stiffened under their collective gaze, the hairs on his neck standing up. He took a step back. “Wh-what are you all looking at?”
“Just checking if you can still walk.”
Wang Duo’s face flushed red, but then he puffed out his chest proudly. “Tch, who do you think I am?!” Clearly implying—he was the one on top!
Suddenly, he stumbled forward, revealing Zhang Su behind him, pulling his foot back with an impatient look. “What are you all blocking the door for?”
Compared to Wang Duo’s pale face, Zhang Su’s complexion was glowing—radiant even. His expression was lazy and confident, a soft charm in his peach-blossom eyes that seemed to glimmer with light. Ahem. Everyone present exchanged looks of respect tinged with pity toward Wang Duo, who was now climbing back up from the floor with a sycophantic grin—To handle such a seductive demon… kid, it’s not that we doubt your stamina, it’s that we fear for your kidneys.
With a perfect lackey’s smile, Wang Duo eagerly stuck close to Zhang Su, practically radiating “If that kick wasn’t satisfying, go ahead and give me another one! I won’t dodge!” energy. It was almost too painful to watch. Zhang Su didn’t even glance at the shameless man, instead pulling on his coat and stepping out.
“You’re heading out?” Luo Xun and the others couldn’t help their surprise. Lieutenant Ding had said Zhang Su could take three full days off to rest. Why was he going out today? Could it be that there were still leftover zombies from that night that hadn’t been dealt with?
Zhang Su spread his hands. “What am I supposed to do at home when you’re all gone?”
His place did have some of the shelves and equipment Li Tie’s team had given him for growing vegetables, but first—he had no clue how to use them; second—the weather was still cold, and his insulation wasn’t as good as theirs; and third—he simply didn’t want to sit around alone. He’d rather go to the hospital and “take care” of those reckless patients who got themselves injured—say, by giving them an extra few stitches or a bit less anesthesia~.
A model employee who insists on working overtime without extra pay? The group exchanged glances and wisely chose not to ask further. Yan Fei had already opened the door and was waiting outside.
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
