Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Xing He and Xiao Yu Fired Almost Simultaneously.

Although she couldn’t see exactly what was happening, Qing Meng guessed the danger Xing He was facing. She felt as if she had been plunged into bone-chilling water; even breathing became difficult.

Xing He’s life hung on the gunman’s whim. Knowing that provoking him was the greatest risk, Qing Meng immediately dropped her pistol. Jiang Ping’an followed suit, moving carefully as she lowered her trench shovel.

Xing He’s throat tightened, but she didn’t follow the instructions immediately. Although she had a hidden handgun inside her clothes, dropping the rifle meant losing all leverage. Instead of surrendering, she looked for an opening. Having been bitten by a zombie, she suspected her physical resilience was higher than average; if she could twist away just as he fired, her heart might avoid a direct hit. With her ability, she might survive—and one person taking a bullet was better than three.

Seeing her hesitation, the man growled a warning, “Drop the gun!”

“Xing He…” Qing Meng’s voice trembled. “Put it down. Please.”

Qing Meng’s voice pulled Xing He back to her senses. She submissively dropped the rifle. The man cursed and swung a heavy fist at her head. Xing He lurched to the side as the blow connected, falling to the ground. The strike hit her temple, making her see stars; for a moment, the world spun out of focus.

Fortunately, the man was only venting his anger. He didn’t want to kill them yet—likely wanting to keep them alive for more sinister purposes. He reached out to grab Jiang Ping’an’s clothes, but suddenly, two gunshots rang out.

One came from Xing He. Despite the shock to her head, she reacted the moment she hit the floor, drawing her concealed pistol and firing.

The other shot came from Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu had been drifting in and out of consciousness due to blood loss, but the chaos had awakened her. While Jiang Ping’an was working on the lock, Xiao Yu had dragged herself to the wall by the door. When Qing Meng dropped her pistol earlier, it had slid right to Xiao Yu’s feet. She had picked it up silently, waiting for her chance.

With Xing He knocked down, there was no longer a human shield between Xiao Yu and the gunman. Xing He and Xiao Yu fired almost at the exact same time. The man took two hits and collapsed instantly.

Xing He struggled to her feet to check the body. He wasn’t breathing. Knowing the scavengers could return at any moment, the best choice was to retreat immediately.

“Officer Xiao, cover the rear,” Xing He said, retrieving her weapons. “We’re leaving.”

“I’ll… cough… okay,” Xiao Yu replied weakly.

“I’ll cover the rear,” Qing Meng interjected.

Xing He looked at her. Qing Meng didn’t back down, meeting her gaze with a firm, serious expression. Honestly, Qing Meng had surprised Xing He; for a non-professional, her aim was excellent, scoring a lethal hit even with limited visibility.

But her weakness was obvious: she lacked tactical training. She didn’t know how to move and cover her vitals while aiming. In a real firefight, this was fatal. If it were the old Xing He, she would never have chosen Qing Meng as long as Xiao Yu could stand.

However, a glance at Xiao Yu showed she was barely upright, let alone capable of a fighting retreat. Meanwhile, Qing Meng’s eyes were steady, though they held a mix of lingering fear and—interestingly—deep heartache.

Qing Meng understood that a wounded Xiao Yu wasn’t much help. If they forced Xiao Yu to cover them, the entire burden would fall on Xing He alone. Qing Meng knew her strengths and her limits, but she desperately wanted to help.

In that silent standoff, Xing He finally read Qing Meng’s emotions clearly. She’s worried about me. Not about Jiang Ping’an, or Xiao Yu—she was worried about Xing He.

While Qing Meng was kind to everyone, the way she looked at Xing He was different. This realization soothed the anxiety Xing He had felt all morning. Perhaps those words of “liking her” spoken while drunk weren’t just a generic sentiment.

Xing He finally accepted her proposal.

Fortune favored them. They slipped out of the building without encountering any returning thugs. Soon, the armored Jeep came into view, shimmering under the hot sun.

Before they could relax, a short, slight man stepped out from the shadows near the passenger door. Xing He instinctively raised her gun.

“Don’t shoot!” the man cried, raising his hands. “My name is Xiang Tian. They forced me to stay. I just escaped!”

Xiang Tian looked unremarkable, but Xing He noticed his posture and gait were distinctly military. “Are you a soldier?”

Xiang Tian nodded. “Yes. I know Major General Xiao.” He paused, looking at the wounded officer. “He’s this Lieutenant Xiao’s father. You can ask her.”

Xing He stepped back so she could watch both the newcomer and Xiao Yu’s reaction. Qing Meng patted Xiao Yu’s face gently. “Officer Xiao, can you hear me? Is Major General Xiao your father?”

Xiao Yu struggled to open her eyes and gave a faint, heavy nod.

“I haven’t done anything bad,” Xiang Tian added, looking at Jiang Ping’an. “Miss Jiang can vouch for me.”

Jiang Ping’an didn’t hesitate. “It’s true. He was an outcast with those thugs; they never took him on raids. And when the boss wanted to… do things to Xiao Yu, he was the one who talked him out of it.”

“How?” Xing He asked.

“He warned the boss that Major General Xiao would eventually return,” Jiang Ping’an recalled. “He told them they’d pay a heavy price if they touched his daughter.”

Xing He lowered her guard slightly. Seeing her relax, Xiang Tian offered a sincere compliment: “You two ‘wives’ are impressive, taking out a whole nest by yourselves. Unlike me, who could only survive by compromising.”

Jiang Ping’an helped Xiao Yu into the car, assuming he wasn’t talking about them. Xing He raised an eyebrow. “How did you know we were…?”

Xiang Tian gave a sheepish smile. “The way Miss Qing Meng looked at you just now—the fear for your safety—that’s not something you can fake.”

Qing Meng’s face flushed red at being caught. Xing He, seeing the blush, suddenly felt awkward with her own hands and feet. Xiang Tian then turned to the others. “And of course, Lieutenant Xiao is young and promising, and Miss Jiang is… very courageous.”

Courageous? Jiang Ping’an’s expression was complex, but since Xiao Yu couldn’t speak, she just said, “Thank you for the compliment.” She’d take it.

Xiang Tian seemed blunt. “I know where they hid their extra weapons. Do you want to take them?”

Xing He shook her head. “No. The others will be back soon. Take a few for yourself and run.”

“Take care of yourselves then,” Xiang Tian said, turning to leave.

Just as Xing He was about to start the engine, Xiang Tian reappeared, lugging a heavy bag. He tapped on the glass. Xing He rolled it down a crack. He patted the bag; the sound of grains rustling was unmistakable.

“I hid a bag of rice in the flowerbed,” he said simply. “You have a lot of mouths to feed. Take it.”

Xing He tried to refuse, but he tossed the bag onto the roof and sprinted away, waving a friendly goodbye from a distance.

Jiang Ping’an was visibly moved. A whole bag of rice was a fortune in this world. Qing Meng sat quietly, watching Xing He. Xing He, however, watched Xiang Tian’s retreating back, wondering if it was pure kindness or if there was a hidden motive.

For safety, she didn’t get out of the car. She drove away until they reached a wide, empty plaza where no zombies were in sight. Only then did she stop and get out. She pulled the woven bag down from the roof. It looked like ordinary rice.

However, perhaps due to the rough handling, a small seam in the corner of the bag had split. Grains of rice trickled out, forming a thin, white line on the pavement.

Support Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse