Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Do You Really Want Me to Leave That Badly?

First were the survival supplies—the top priority. This mainly consisted of food and drinking water.

Although the small stream behind her house could meet basic water needs, Xing He was worried that once the infection expanded in the later stages, the water source would mutate. By then, a standard purification system might not be enough to produce drinkable water.

Xing He directly bought a thousand barrels of mineral water. Even if this water expired or deteriorated, it could still be consumed after high-temperature sterilization.

The water station was located far from the city center and rarely saw such a massive order. Most importantly, the buyer opted for a one-time full payment in cash, even paying for the barrels themselves. The owner was astonished but happy to encounter such a “generous fool,” delivering all the water to Xing He’s yard that very evening.

Since it was night, there were few pedestrians on the road, and her only neighbor had already turned off the lights to rest. This helped Xing He avoid the trouble of raising suspicion.

Food was slightly more troublesome than water. While large supermarkets had everything, dealing with them required procedures that wasted time. Xing He went directly to a wholesale center to order many cases of ready-to-eat items: canned meat, self-heating rice, and compressed biscuits.

Xing He couldn’t cook, and cooking wouldn’t be convenient during the apocalypse anyway, so most of her stockpiled food was instant. However, for nutritional balance, she still needed some fresh meat. The market was closed now, but she planned to pick up half a pig’s carcass when she headed back to the yard tomorrow.

After the apocalypse, factories for daily necessities like clothes, blankets, and toiletries would all stop production. It wouldn’t be until seven years later that the Dawn Settlement would have the capacity to reorganize workers for production.

Consequently, for a long time, these items would be scarce, and people would have to survive on whatever bits they could scavenge from contaminated zones. Thus, Xing He bought several cases of toiletries at the wholesale center as well.

The owner was easy to talk to; though it was nearly closing time when Xing He arrived, he immediately dispatched a truck to deliver the goods to her specified location after she paid.

In the later stages of the apocalypse, extreme weather like intense cold and abnormal heat would occur periodically, usually lasting about half a month. High temperatures were relatively easy to deal with—one could hide underground. However, during the extreme cold, many people died in minus 60-degree weather because they lacked warm clothes and blankets. Therefore, for surviving the end times, clothes and quilts were vital “life-saving” supplies.

Xing He had some clothes at home—mostly military training uniforms which were comfortable but heavily worn. Relying on those few items to last through the end of the world was clearly unrealistic. Not many clothing stores were still open, so Xing He found a garment city to buy clothes and blankets.

She wasn’t picky about style; the blankets just needed to be warm. For some reason, while she was picking them out, she instinctively planned for an extra person’s share.

Noting this, Xing He’s hand paused as she handed over her bank card. Ultimately, she didn’t put the items back, pretending nothing happened as she finished the transaction.

With survival and daily supplies ready, only self-defense weapons remained. The risk of buying a handgun was too high, so as a second-best option, Xing He bought several axes, an entrenching shovel, and a kitchen knife with a long, narrow blade from a tool shop.

Frankly, such things were insufficient for self-defense in the apocalypse. However, in the early stages, ordinary people would still be pinning their hopes on government rescue, and most villains would be deterred by the social order that hadn’t yet completely collapsed. The primary danger would come from the newly emerged low-level zombies.

Xing He only needed to wait until everyone was caught off guard, then head to overrun areas to scavenge a large amount of firearms and ammunition left behind by the military. That would solve the defense issue.

The final problem was medicine. Common medicine was easy to get, but the most crucial ones were controlled substances. Xing He couldn’t think of a good solution for now, so she decided to rest and make plans tomorrow.

Xing He had never felt that City C was so small that two people with no prior appointment could meet twice in a single day. Yet, when she arrived at the hotel, she saw Qing Meng again. Qing Meng was at the front desk, talking to the staff with a deep frown, looking like she was in trouble. Having fled earlier that afternoon, Xing He didn’t really want to run into her again so soon. But switching hotels specifically to avoid her felt too deliberate. Xing He had to bite the bullet and walk up.

“My wallet is gone. My room key and ID were inside.”

“Just to confirm, you are in Room 1909. Do you have a booking record?”

“My phone is broken, I can’t check the record.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. We understand your situation, but without an ID or booking record, we cannot issue a replacement key.”

It turned out that while the man had thrown the bag back, he had pocketed the wallet, and Qing Meng’s phone had been broken in the struggle. Understanding the situation, Xing He stepped forward and whispered into Qing Meng’s ear: “I’m staying at this hotel too. Come to my room and make do for tonight.”

The sudden proximity and whispering made Qing Meng flinch; she nearly cried out in surprise. Seeing it was Xing He, the guard in her eyes finally dropped. Qing Meng’s face was expressionless, but she was clearly in a bad mood—likely due to the lost items or being startled. Since hotels strictly require IDs for check-ins, Xing He couldn’t be loud about letting Qing Meng stay with her. I hope she isn’t angry at my bluntness, Xing He thought guiltily.

Qing Meng didn’t reply but silently stepped back to let Xing He check in first. “Hello, ma’am. Your room is 1901. Elevators are to the left. Call us if you need anything.” Xing He didn’t speak to Qing Meng again but gave her several meaningful looks as she left. Qing Meng’s expression didn’t change; it was impossible to tell if she agreed or not.

Fortunately, shortly after Xing He reached her room, there was a knock at the door. It was Qing Meng, trailing her suitcase. She simply said “Sorry for the intrusion” and went silent. Xing He, still feeling guilty, didn’t try to force a conversation.

She had booked an executive twin room. Although they had only shared a bed on their first night of marriage and slept in separate rooms ever since, they did have experience living together. Xing He didn’t feel uncomfortable. After washing up, she lay down to sleep. Qing Meng, however, wasn’t ready to sleep yet; she was typing away on her laptop, likely busy with work.

With Qing Meng awake, Xing He couldn’t fall asleep either. her thoughts drifted back to the post-apocalyptic world. Did Qing Meng come to City C in the previous life? Or did my rebirth influence her to come here this time? Will she leave within three days? If she doesn’t, how will she get to the Dawn Settlement in City N after transportation is paralyzed? Will she… die? Because of me?

Xing He was lost in thought, her gaze unconsciously focused on Qing Meng. Sensing the heat of someone staring at her, Qing Meng turned around and caught Xing He’s eyes. Having been caught, Xing He quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Thinking her work was disturbing Xing He’s rest, Qing Meng quickly finished up and went to bed.

After the lights were out, the heaviness in the air became more apparent. Xing He felt like her heartbeat was loud enough to fill the room. There was no need to be so nervous; Qing Meng couldn’t hear her thoughts. It was better to just ask directly than to keep guessing.

“Qing Meng, when do you plan to leave City C?”

Qing Meng was surprised that Xing He suddenly initiated a conversation. What does she mean by asking when I’m leaving? Does she want to treat me to a meal? A ripple of unknown emotion stirred in Qing Meng’s heart, but she replied in a businesslike tone. “Not sure yet. Maybe in two days, maybe a week. It depends on the project’s progress.”

That long… Xing He spoke dryly: “You should leave as early as possible.”

Qing Meng didn’t notice the unconscious sigh of anxiety in Xing He’s voice. She only felt that the sentence made her emotions complicated. From across the bed, Qing Meng’s voice came, so soft it was like a whisper in the dust. “Do you really want me to leave that badly?”

“No, I…”

Xing He opened her mouth, not knowing how to respond. How could she tell her? Tell her the world was about to end, that zombies would be everywhere, and only City N would be safe? Qing Meng was a researcher; she never believed in groundless rumors. What she had to say sounded like a fairy tale. If she said it, would Qing Meng believe her? Or would she think she had schizophrenia or paranoid delusions?

Xing He fell silent, and Qing Meng didn’t speak again. The night passed in silence.

When Xing He woke up, Qing Meng was already gone. She went as scheduled to the place she had agreed upon with Du Hua to pick up the car. True to its name as the largest gang in the west district, the Qinghai Gang had done a beautiful job. Xing He tested the modified Wrangler; it met her expectations in every aspect. She didn’t engage in unnecessary talk, confirmed the quality was fine, and drove away immediately.

On the way, she passed a market and went in to see if she needed more supplies. There was a freezer and a refrigerator at home. Pork was relatively easy to preserve, but vegetables were limited. Items like potatoes that don’t spoil easily could last a month at most, and one had to beware of toxins after sprouting. In the end, she only bought half a pig, some long-lasting vegetables, as well as rice and flour.

If you want something that provides the most satiety, it’s definitely staples like rice and flour. These items could ensure she wouldn’t starve in the early stages of the outbreak and maintain necessary nutrients. Unfortunately, it was still summer; if rice and flour were kept too long, they would grow weevils and spoil. How to preserve them was also a problem…

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