Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Then Tie Me Up

Qing Meng efficiently packed her sparse belongings. “I’ll head to the city as soon as I’m done.”

Xing He frowned. “I don’t agree.”

Qing Meng looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. After all, she had never heard such a blunt, forceful refusal from Xing He before. “On what grounds do you disagree?”

Her tone remained cold, but there was a flicker of something else beneath the surface—as if she were waiting for a specific answer.

Xing He didn’t catch the nuance. As Qing Meng said, what grounds did she have? Xing He opened her mouth weakly. “Your father asked me to take good care of you. I don’t agree to you leaving.”

Qing Meng let out a scoffing laugh. It wasn’t clear if she was mocking her own baseless expectations or the hollowness of Xing He’s words.

“In terms of age, I’m older than you; I don’t need you to look after me. Furthermore… sharing a bed and kissing my forehead—is that what you call ‘taking care,’ Xing He?”

There was a trace of casual irony in Qing Meng’s voice. Xing He had never heard her speak like this; her face turned several shades paler. “I…”

Qing Meng turned to leave, but Xing He grabbed her hand. “Qing Meng!”

Qing Meng couldn’t understand Xing He. She didn’t understand if that “request” from her father was truly so important that Xing He would cling to her even after everything had been laid bare. Pushed to the limit of her anger, she actually grew calmer. “Is there anything else?”

Realizing that forcibly keeping Qing Meng at home wouldn’t work, Xing He decided to change tactics. “I’ll drive you to the city.”

Qing Meng didn’t even give her a glance. “Don’t bother.”

Xing He lied without blinking. “I was planning to go anyway. I haven’t had a chance to retrieve the firearms I found at the Armed Forces Department the other day.”

The guns were indeed still there, but she had zero intention of going today. Qing Meng stared at her with a hint of suspicion, judging whether she was telling the truth.

“Really. If you don’t agree to let me drive you, I won’t feel safe letting you walk out of this gate.”

Xing He’s eyes were full of stubborn sincerity. She wasn’t just talking. If Qing Meng refused, she likely really wouldn’t let her leave. Seeing the hesitation, Xing He struck while the iron was hot. “If things don’t go well, come back with me. I’ll help you find lab equipment later; it won’t delay your work.”

Qing Meng didn’t argue. Once they reached the military zone, she could stay or go as she pleased—Xing He couldn’t exactly tie her up and bring her back.

Fan Hua and Chen Xia weren’t awake yet; only Auntie Chen was busy in the kitchen. Wanting to leave and return early, Xing He skipped breakfast and hit the road with Qing Meng.

Qing Meng sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window in total silence. Her emotions were always guarded, and Xing He couldn’t guess what she was thinking.

Just as she had realized her own feelings, she had heard a “like” from the other woman. It should have been perfect. But before Xing He could even plan a future, Qing Meng wanted to leave.

She knew Qing Meng was exceptional. Even in the talent-filled North City, she was a leader among the younger researchers. As Qing Meng said, her talent could be a massive help in studying the virus. But Xing He knew the truth: human extinction was a near-certainty. No matter how talented the researcher, the speed of discovery could never keep pace with the tide of the undead and the collapsing environment.

Xing He wanted to ignore the world. Since she had chosen to be selfish, she only wanted to keep Qing Meng by her side. She sensed that Qing Meng’s desire to leave was related to her career, but there was more to it—something linked to what happened last night.

Where did it go wrong?

Her mind was a tangled mess of yarn. The answer felt like it was right there, but she couldn’t find the breakthrough. How can I make her stay?

Despicable thoughts bubbled up in her mind. Career and mission were important, but could she become a heavier weight on the scale? Could a new relationship keep her here? If she bared her soul to Qing Meng, would she stay?

No… Xing He took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. Their first marriage had started and ended too haphazardly. If they started again under strange circumstances…

Xing He didn’t understand metaphysics or romance. But she instinctively felt that if she used emotions to blackmail Qing Meng into giving up her career and herself, it would only push her further away. She wouldn’t do it. This time, she wanted their beginning to be formal. She’d have to consult Fan Hua; she seemed more experienced in these matters.

In her past life, Xing He had moved from the C City evacuation point to North City with the official rescue team. She was familiar with the layout. If the timeline matched, the main forces should already be on the road to North City. C City was currently an abandoned ghost town with no stationed rescue teams. This was why Xing He felt confident bringing Qing Meng here.

Before heading to the evacuation point, she drove to the Armed Forces Department. Chen Xia had told her the location of the armory. Currently, the outside world was like a deep swamp; one never knew when they’d step into a pit. Since they were wading into the city, they needed firearms—to deal with zombies and to deter people with bad intentions.

The main gate was swarming with zombies attracted by the previous commotion. It was impassable. This was exactly why Xing He wasn’t worried about anyone else looting it first. Chen Xia had given her several routes, but only one was viable now.

There was a retail shop on the west street owned by the department. A small door in the shop led to the main courtyard. From the first building in the courtyard, they could climb through the ventilation ducts to reach the armory.

Xing He parked the car, gathered her gear, and looked at Qing Meng hesitantly. She didn’t trust leaving her alone in the car, nor did she like the idea of her coming along.

Qing Meng saw right through her. “Afraid I’ll run?”

Xing He was embarrassed but nodded honestly.

Frustrated by Xing He’s ambiguous attitude, Qing Meng’s usual poise and restraint vanished, replaced by sharp bitterness. “Then tie me up.”

Xing He paused, explaining helplessly, “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Qing Meng stopped teasing her, set her luggage aside, and picked up a trench shovel. “I’m coming with you.”

Qing Meng had practiced in the courtyard for a long time. Even if she still felt fear, her muscle memory for hacking and slashing was solid. She refused to be a “vase.” She wouldn’t just wait for Xing He to hand her resources. Since they were about to part ways, she had to earn what she could by her own hand.

Inside the courtyard, Xing He spotted the building Chen Xia mentioned. A few zombies in military uniforms wandered the path. Seeing living prey, they swarmed forward like flies to meat.

Lacking a better weapon, Xing He still used the kitchen knife. She didn’t hold back, aiming straight for their necks. A limping zombie wobbled toward Qing Meng. Xing He felt a surge of worry, her strikes becoming more violent.

But when she finished her group and rushed toward Qing Meng, she saw that Qing Meng had already knocked the zombie down with the shovel. She swiftly turned the shovel sideways, using the edge to sever the zombie’s neck with a single, clinical strike.

There was no hesitation, no panic. Qing Meng was as calm as if she were playing a bloody game of golf.

Xing He swallowed hard. She realized she had imagined Qing Meng to be too fragile. She had forgotten that for a clinical medicine graduate, dissecting a non-human entity was a walk in the park.

The zombies’ bulletproof vests were still intact, if a bit smelly. They stripped two and put them on. Xing He also found two military daggers on the bodies. They weren’t the specialized “talon” knives for zombies yet, but they were balanced. She could finally throw away the kitchen knife.

The ventilation duct was just wide enough for one or two people. For the tactically trained Xing He, this was easy. She expected the slightly germophobic Qing Meng to struggle, but the other woman was surprisingly adept.

They reached the end of the duct, moved a ceiling tile, and dropped into a room. Climbing through the window across from the room led them to the armory. There were no zombies here; Chen Xia’s group must have cleared them out before.

The armory door was ajar. Inside, Xing He saw racks of weapons. Most were Type 56 semi-automatic rifles and QSG pistols. While better than bolt-action rifles, they were still single-shot per trigger pull. Xing He preferred submachine guns for crowd control, but she couldn’t be picky.

Taking everything was unrealistic, but ammunition was key. Xing He stuffed several rifles and pistols into her bag and filled Qing Meng’s bag with ammo. She took a pistol for Qing Meng and a rifle for herself.

Their bags were bulging, but luckily the ducts were wide enough for the backpacks to fit. Otherwise, they would have been in for a tough fight on the way out.

With the guns ready, they set off for the evacuation point.

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