Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Meat – The Door of Post-Apocalyptic Rebirth

Chapter 43: Meat

Clearly, the others didn’t find anything strange. After the apocalypse, nothing seems too bizarre anymore.

The Dimpled Girl seemed to notice Gu Ning’s doubts and said with a hint of embarrassment, “It’s been a long time since we’ve had outsiders here.”

“Have you been here since the apocalypse?” Gu Ning and her group were led to an open area to rest, and she asked casually.

“Yeah. At first, there were only a few of us, but more and more people came. Some stayed, others left. Now it’s just us. We’re all too scared to go out and take risks, so we’re really glad you came,” the Dimpled Girl said with a smile.

Zhang Xiaobai curiously interjected, “With so many of you, what do you eat?”

The Dimpled Girl’s dimples flattened slightly, then deepened again. “We occasionally go out to find food.”

Zhang Xiaobai said, “With so many zombies around, it must be tough to find food, right?”

The Dimpled Girl smiled and said, “You all look really tired. I won’t disturb you anymore. Rest for now.”

“Thank you,” Gu Ning said again.

“No need to be polite. Your arrival is our good fortune,” the Dimpled Girl said with a particularly sincere smile. She then nodded to the others and walked away.

“Did I say something wrong? I feel like she was a bit upset just now,” Zhang Xiaobai said sensitively.

Gu Ning’s gaze sharpened slightly as she watched the girl leave, deep in thought.

The others were exhausted and found corners to sit or lie down in. Gu Ning’s group and White Wolf’s side naturally split into two camps. Having just escaped death, there wasn’t much hostility between them, and they were all resting.

The subtle glances from others didn’t bother them much; it felt normal.

But for Gu Ning, that strange feeling lingered.

Gu Ning leaned against the wall, exhausted, her tense muscles relaxing slightly. Her half-closed eyes cautiously observed the room.

Perhaps due to the lack of sunlight, the people’s skin was very pale. Whether they were moving around or doing something with their hands, their movements were slow, as if afraid to waste energy, giving off a sickly, lifeless vibe. What caught Gu Ning’s attention was the pile of things covered with a tarp in the corner. The shape under the tarp was odd.

An indescribable sour smell lingered in Gu Ning’s nose, mixed with a faint hint of blood…

“It’s a corpse…” Xiang Xu’s deliberately lowered voice whispered in Gu Ning’s ear. She looked down at her fingers, her voice trembling slightly. “The thing covered in the corner is a corpse…”

Gu Ning’s pupils contracted slightly. A man sitting in the corner suddenly looked over, his gaze wary and probing. Gu Ning showed no panic, just glanced at him calmly and then looked away, smiling as if she had told Xiang Xu a joke. Xiang Xu also smiled, playing along.

The man stared at Gu Ning for a while, then turned away when he saw her chatting and laughing with the little girl, seemingly reassured. He nervously pressed down the edge of the tarp that had lifted slightly.

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaobai, as if he had heard Xiang Xu, asked curiously, “Corpse? What corpse?”

He didn’t lower his voice, and though he didn’t speak loudly, the room was quiet and empty, so his words immediately made the room even quieter—countless eyes turned their way. The men sitting by the tarp exchanged glances, their expressions changing slightly. The young men and women at the door, who had been whispering, also silently looked over.

Gu Ning sensed the change in atmosphere and felt a pang in her heart, but her face showed nothing. She glared at Zhang Xiaobai and said, “What are you shouting about? We were talking about when you found Wu Qiang’s corpse. I don’t know how Third Brother taught you, but you just rushed in recklessly. If I hadn’t acted quickly, you’d be a zombie now.” Gu Ning’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear. However, she could still feel the wary gazes lingering.

Zhang Xiaobai, scolded by Gu Ning, looked ashamed and scratched his head. “I was just too anxious at the time… I’ll be more careful next time.”

With his response, Gu Ning immediately felt the intense gazes disappear, and she breathed a sigh of relief, though her face still showed a hint of anger.

Xiang Xu, who had nearly had a heart attack when Zhang Xiaobai blurted out the secret, was amazed at how calmly Gu Ning had defused the situation with just a few words.

Zhang Xiaobai, scolded, slunk off to a corner to reflect.

No longer feeling the prying eyes, Gu Ning finally relaxed and began slowly wiping her knife with her clothes, her mind pondering another question.

Whose corpse was it? Why was it left in the corner instead of being disposed of?

Meanwhile, the soldiers were worried about something else.

Zhang Yang stood by the window, looking into the distance, and said worriedly, “I wonder how the captain and the others are doing.”

Zhang Xiaobai said, “They should be fine. Zhong Xu, Zou Ming, and the others are good shots, and the captain isn’t a pushover either.”

Even the usually optimistic Zhang Xiaobai only dared to say “should” rather than “definitely,” more to comfort himself than anything.

“Are you talking about Third Brother?” White Wolf, who had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, said. He half-opened his eyes, glanced at Gu Ning, then closed them again, stretching his long legs lazily. “When I saw him, they were being chased by zombies, heading towards Eleventh Square.”

The soldiers’ faces changed. Eleventh Square? That was the heart of the city, the zombies’ stronghold… If they really went there, even if they survived, how would they get out?

Gu Ning’s expression also turned serious, but looking at White Wolf’s face, she wasn’t sure how much of what he said was true.

She stood up and walked to the window, looking into the distance. From this angle, Eleventh Square was blocked by high-rise buildings, so she couldn’t see what was happening there. She looked down at the first floor and saw dense crowds of zombies still gathered below, refusing to disperse.

She checked her watch—it was already past four. It had been overcast all day, and now the sky was dark and heavy. Gu Ning saw thick black clouds covering the city, as if some terrible monster was hiding behind them, ready to pounce and bring disaster.

Even the air felt oppressive.

Suddenly, Gu Ning reached out her hand, and a drop of water landed in her palm.

“It’s raining,” Gu Ning said, looking at the black clouds outside. Then, the sound of rain poured down, countless raindrops falling from the clouds, a torrential downpour.

This was the first rain since the apocalypse, and it held special significance.

Then, she was pushed aside.

The slow, lifeless people seemed to come alive at that moment, rushing to the windows with various containers to catch the rainwater.

Gu Ning and her group stepped back.

They watched the excited people, feeling somewhat lost.

“This rain came just in time. If it hadn’t rained, we would have run out of water. Today must be a good day,” the Dimpled Girl said, appearing beside Gu Ning again, watching the people catching rainwater.

Gu Ning felt there was something more to her last sentence but didn’t ask, just smiled faintly and tightened her grip on her knife.

“I really like you,” the Dimpled Girl suddenly turned to Gu Ning and said. “Can you stay here with me?”

It was then that Gu Ning noticed how dark the Dimpled Girl’s eyes were—so dark it was almost frightening. Even her dimples seemed strange now. A chill ran down Gu Ning’s spine, but she kept smiling, her smile cold. “Someone’s waiting for me at home.”

“That’s a shame,” the Dimpled Girl said, genuinely seeming disappointed. Her dimples disappeared for a moment but quickly returned. She said cheerfully, “But it’s fine. The zombies below haven’t left, and now it’s raining heavily. You can stay here tonight and leave tomorrow.”

Though Gu Ning felt uneasy about the corpse under the tarp and the strange atmosphere, she had no other choice and reluctantly agreed.

“With water, we can cook meat tonight,” the Dimpled Girl said, looking at the rain outside, her voice suddenly cheerful.

“You still have meat to eat?” Jia Daozhang suddenly interjected, clearly surprised.

“Yes. We found some meat outside. After cooking and drying it, it can be preserved for a long time. It tastes really good. Do you want to try some jerky?” The Dimpled Girl actually pulled out two finger-sized pieces of jerky from her pocket and handed them to Jia Daozhang.

The jerky was finger-length and finger-thick, but instead of the usual brown color of dried meat, it was still bright red.

Jia Daozhang happily accepted, saying, “How can I refuse?”

He was about to stuff it into his mouth—he hadn’t eaten meat in so long, he couldn’t resist.

Out of the corner of her eye, Gu Ning saw the Dimpled Girl’s dimples deepen, and a strange light flashed in her eyes. Gu Ning had a bad feeling and, without hesitation, yanked the jerky out of Jia Daozhang’s mouth just as he was about to bite into it. Under the Dimpled Girl’s sharp gaze, Gu Ning frowned and said sternly, “Are you that hungry? If not, save it for when you are.”