Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: “We”

Xing He patted Qing Meng’s hand to comfort her. “I’m going to the parking lot to find the rescue team. You stay here and wait for me. Don’t worry, the car is safe. As long as you stay quiet, no zombies will come near.”

Reason won out. Qing Meng knew that in the current situation, being by Xing He’s side would only be an added burden. She wanted to say, Stay safe, I’ll wait for you to come back. But when a person gets prickly, their words change flavor. “Make sure you bring Jiang Ping’an back,” she said instead.

Xing He agreed without a second’s hesitation. She rolled up the window, and soon, her figure vanished from Qing Meng’s sight.

By the time she reached the entrance of the parking lot, it was 14:02. Xing He found cover and picked up a stray stone. The moment she activated her superpower, she hurled the stone toward the street in the opposite direction. Thanks to years of training, her arm strength was excellent; the small stone struck a distant storefront window with a sharp clink.

CRASH—

It was like dropping a bead of cold water into boiling oil. The zombie swarm became instantly agitated. Sinister groans erupted from their throats as they surged toward the sound of the breaking glass at a speed significantly faster than their usual state. In less than half a minute, not a single zombie remained in front of the entrance.

However, not every zombie in the vicinity was affected by the “Lure” skill; a few further down the street continued to wander along their original paths. It seemed the skill had a specific range limit, and she would need more practice to figure out exactly how far it reached.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Xing He slipped into the underground parking lot. Beyond the initial downward slope, the path was blocked by a tightly shut rolling shutter door. She had been worried the parking lot might have fallen as well, but seeing this door, she was reasonably certain it was still safe inside.

Xing He tapped lightly on the door. A tentative voice came from within. “This is Rescue Team 10. Is that a survivor outside?”

“Yes.”

With a confirmed response, the shutter door opened. She was met by a fortification: dozens of well-equipped soldiers holding rifles at the ready. If a zombie had been outside instead of a survivor, they would have pulled their triggers instantly. Behind these soldiers, about twenty survivors were huddled together for warmth. Some had their heads down, and Xing He couldn’t tell if Chen Sheng was among them.

Xing He didn’t linger on them. She quickly explained the number and location of the trapped people to the young officer in charge. The officer was a woman with the rank of Lieutenant, named Xiao Yu. Xing He couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at her. The man standing beside her was her adjutant, Lieutenant He Zhiyuan.

After hearing Xing He’s description, He Zhiyuan was skeptical. This virus had hit so suddenly that even the city government hadn’t been spared. The higher-ups had only managed to organize their forces and decide on a strategy an hour ago. Yet, a doctor in this hospital had supposedly organized the evacuation of two hundred people to a safe location the moment the outbreak began? And now they were trapped by a swarm, unable to reach the evacuation point, with only one person coming to report it?

The credibility was extremely low. He looked at the survivors behind him; no one spoke up or seemed to know anything about it. “Captain Xiao, this is suspicious. I suggest we verify the situation first.”

Xiao Yu checked her equipment. “She’s the only one who knows the situation. Our helicopter resources are limited as it is. How are we supposed to ‘verify’ first?”

He Zhiyuan frowned. “Let’s wait a bit longer. Maybe more survivors will come.”

Xiao Yu glanced at Xing He. Dried, dark blood still clung to the kitchen knife in her hand. “You can’t pin your hopes on every survivor being able to chop off a zombie’s head with a single blow.”

“But…”

Precisely because Xing He looked like a seasoned fighter at first glance, He Zhiyuan suspected someone was taking advantage of the chaos to set a trap and steal the team’s weapons. He was about to say more, but Xiao Yu cut him off.

“Vice-Captain He, those are two hundred lives. There’s no time to hesitate. You stay here and protect the survivors. I will go with her alone to verify the situation. If I’m not back in half an hour, evacuate according to your orders.”

The team’s orders were to withdraw at 4:00 PM. The main evacuation wouldn’t stop just for Team 10. Without waiting for a reply, Xiao Yu grabbed her rifle and followed Xing He out of the parking lot.

The lobby of the inpatient building was packed with too many zombies; the path to the elevators was completely cut off. Because of Xiao Yu’s presence, Xing He couldn’t use her superpower. Fortunately, there were only a few zombies in front of the locked fire escape. Xiao Yu used tactical pliers to snip the lock.

On the 23rd floor, Xing He led Xiao Yu directly to the large ward. Xiao Yu had harbored the same doubts as He Zhiyuan, but as a commander, she couldn’t abandon two hundred potential survivors even if she was suspicious. Along the way, Xiao Yu had not only stayed alert for zombies but had also kept an eye on Xing He, wary of a cold blade in the back.

Only at this moment, seeing the crowded ward and the staff working tirelessly among the patients, did Xiao Yu finally breathe a sigh of relief. The patients and their families were ecstatic at the sight of her uniform, crying out that they were saved. Xiao Yu comforted them and immediately called headquarters for reinforcements.

Her small team couldn’t handle that many zombies, and since many were intensive care patients, specific equipment needed to be moved with them to keep them alive.

Since reinforcements would take some time to arrive and she was worried about Qing Meng, Xing He prepared to leave. Before going, she spoke with Jiang Ping’an, asking if she wanted to come with her or evacuate with the troops.

Jiang Ping’an didn’t hesitate. “I’ll evacuate with the rescue team.”

This answer was expected, but since she was Qing Meng’s friend, Xing He politely asked for her reason. The woman, who had been so high-spirited that morning, looked tired but still smiled. “I’m looking for someone. I haven’t been able to reach her yet. The chances of finding her are higher if I stay with the main force. Take good care of Xiao Meng. We’ll see each other again if there’s a chance.”

“Alright. Take care of yourself.”

After saying her goodbyes, and while Xiao Yu wasn’t looking, Xing He slipped out of the hospital. Though she knew the modified Wrangler could withstand most zombie attacks, she still felt a sense of urgency as she hurried back to the parking spot.

Fortunately, when she arrived, the car was sitting there safely. Not a scratch of paint was missing, and there were no zombies in sight. As she approached, she saw Qing Meng sitting in the passenger seat exactly as she had left her—sitting upright, eyes fixed on the parking lot entrance.

Xing He finally relaxed, but a sudden urge to tease Qing Meng bubbled up. She lightly tapped the rear of the car.

Qing Meng jumped, then turned around to check the situation, trying to look composed. Seeing it was Xing He, a rare, joyful smile flashed across her face. But realizing Xing He had just teased her, she retracted the smile and shot her a fierce glare.

Knowing Qing Meng was worried, Xing He gave her a brief summary once she got in. “Everything went well. The rescue team reported the situation to headquarters. Reinforcements will be here soon.”

Hearing they were finally saved, Qing Meng finally let go of the tension in her chest. Seeing her relax, Xing He felt a bit uncertain about how to tell her what came next.

Out of a lack of trust in official rescue forces and a desire to protect Qing Meng’s safety, Xing He had already chosen a path for her: returning to the courtyard. From Xing He’s perspective, a well-stocked, unnoticed small yard was far safer. But Qing Meng hadn’t been reborn; to her, a functioning society with 24-hour military protection seemed like the better choice.

Should I just make up a reason to trick her into coming with me? Xing He fretted.

Seeing her remain silent for a long time with a fidgety expression, Qing Meng asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ultimately, she couldn’t bring herself to deceive her. Xing He said slowly, “The backup will take a while. After we confirm their rescue is successful… we won’t be leaving with the main force.”

“We?”

Qing Meng keenly caught the keyword. Her and Xing He… together. Small fireworks went off in her heart. She looked straight ahead and replied casually, “Okay.”

Feeling a bit like she was kidnapping an innocent woman, Xing He asked awkwardly, “You… aren’t going to ask where we’re going?”

Qing Meng turned to look at her, as if they were just discussing daily chores. “Where are we going?”

Her tone was as cold as ever, but there was a hint of sweetness beneath it. She found this version of Xing He quite adorable.

“To my house. We’ll hide out there for a while,” Xing He said cautiously, afraid Qing Meng might find it too sudden.

Qing Meng didn’t say much, only asking about Jiang Ping’an. “She said she’s looking for someone, so she stayed with the rescue team.” Qing Meng nodded. Since it was Jiang Ping’an’s choice, there was nothing to argue about.

Xing He felt she should keep Qing Meng informed, so she added, “The rescue team might head to North City later.”

Qing Meng had no reaction. “Mm.”

Xing He probed, “Don’t you want to go back to North City?”

Qing Meng glanced at her and said flatly, “I’m alone anyway. It’s the same wherever I am.”

Though the words seemed fine, Xing He keenly sensed that Qing Meng’s mood had suddenly turned sour. She wisely shut her mouth, afraid of saying the wrong thing and making her angrier.

But just because Xing He stopped talking didn’t mean Qing Meng was going to let her off.

“Speaking of which… didn’t you ‘not recognize’ me?”

Xing He gave a dry laugh. “…How could that be?”

“Miss Xing truly is a busy person with a short memory… didn’t we bump into each other on the street the day before yesterday without even a greeting?”

Qing Meng smiled, but there was no real warmth in it. Xing He felt a sudden chill down her spine.

Finished. She had completely forgotten about that. Qing Meng was still holding a grudge.

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