Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: I Came to Get Some Medicine, and to Find You.

Qing Meng didn’t say a word, but her usually steady, measured pace lost its composure. Ignoring how dirty Xing He was, she looked her over from head to toe, then pulled her around in a full 360-degree circle.

Xing He obediently let Qing Meng fuss over her—turning when told to turn, lifting a foot when told to lift a foot. Worried about accidentally hurting her, Xing He even tossed her kitchen knife aside for the moment.

Back when they lived together, Xing He didn’t return home often, but every time she stepped through the door, Qing Meng would inspect her from head to toe like this. It had become a sort of ritual between them.

Though it didn’t show on her face, Xing He saw Qing Meng’s worry. She comforted her softly, “I’m not hurt. The blood is all from the zombies.”

Once she was sure the blood didn’t belong to Xing He, Qing Meng’s heart, which had been leaping in her throat, finally settled back down. Noticing Jiang Ping’an out of the corner of her eye—standing there with arms crossed, watching with great interest—Qing Meng realized she had overreacted.

Her face flushed uncontrollably. She handed Xing He a pack of wet wipes and quickly turned her back, letting out a forced, steadying cough. “Clean yourself up.”

Knowing she looked a bit terrifying right now, Xing He took the wipes and started cleaning her face. Although they didn’t speak further, a certain indefinable emotion seemed to flow through the air.

At that moment, Jiang Ping’an couldn’t help but be mischievous. She wiggled her eyebrows and mimicked her in a sing-song voice: “Clean↗ yourself↘ up~”

Qing Meng shot her a glare, and only then did Jiang Ping’an quiet down.

Qing Meng turned back to Xing He. “A zombie virus has broken out in the hospital. It’s not safe. What are you doing here?”

Xing He lied without blinking. “I came to get some medicine, and also to find you.”

Qing Meng looked concerned. “Are you sick? Let me take a look at you.”

If she actually let her look, the lie would be exposed. Xing He waved her hands dismissively. “No need to bother, I’m feeling much better now.”

In a corner where no one was paying attention, Jiang Ping’an, who was busy studying the corpse of the female zombie, rolled her eyes. What kind of sickness could someone who tears zombies apart by hand have? Lovesickness, probably.

Just then, Jiang Ping’an made a discovery. “Xiao Meng, come look. Isn’t this zombie the woman who kicked me this morning?”

Hearing this, Qing Meng stepped forward to check. “It is indeed her.”

Jiang Ping’an said venomously, “Truly, evil deeds bring their own end. This counts as getting some revenge.”

Not knowing what they were talking about, Xing He looked confused. Since this wasn’t the place for a long talk, the two led Xing He into an empty office and recounted the events of the morning.

At 6:30 AM, Jiang Ping’an had noticed anomalies in the hospital. Qing Meng had arrived at 7:00 AM. After meeting in the inpatient building and comparing notes, they realized the situation outside had worsened and zombies had appeared.

Knowing that crowded places carried a massive risk of virus transmission, Jiang Ping’an immediately worked with other doctors to send out evacuation notices. Because it was so early, the hospital was relatively empty, and most visitors were evacuated within half an hour.

However, besides the transient visitors, there were patients who couldn’t move easily and medical staff who couldn’t leave. They decided to gather these people in one spot so they could look out for each other. The inpatient department was closest to these patients, making it the ideal location. Since zombies seemed mindless and likely couldn’t use elevators, the top floor was the safest.

The biggest problem was how the other survivors would reach them without being caught by the wandering zombies. That was when Qing Meng accidentally discovered that zombies are extremely sensitive to sound. She made a suggestion: use a radio in an office to lure all the zombies to the back gate area. This would allow the remaining survivors to take the stairs to the fourth floor and then take the direct elevator to the top floor.

Everyone thought the plan was feasible, but once the plan was set, the execution became the problem. No one was willing to go place the radio. Dropping it from a height risked breaking it. If they lowered it with a rope from a low floor, the available rope was too short—only reaching one floor down. If the radio was too close, zombies might follow the sound up the stairs. At best, the person placing the radio would die; at worst, the escape route for all survivors would be blocked.

The safest way was for someone to go downstairs and place the radio at a distance. There were five medical professionals present: Fan Wei, the chief physician of the inpatient department; Liu Yan and Yang Mei, nurses from the emergency center; and Chen Sheng, a deputy chief physician in his forties. There were also about a hundred patients, but they were too paralyzed by fear to help, treating the few doctors as their final lifeline.

The decision fell to the five professionals. After a long, circular argument, the group led by Chen Sheng—including Fan Wei and Liu Yan—unanimously decided that Qing Meng should be the one to go.

Qing Meng didn’t complain; in her view, lives were at stake and it didn’t matter who went. But Jiang Ping’an, worried for her safety, flatly disagreed. However, she was outnumbered and couldn’t change their minds, so she insisted on going downstairs with Qing Meng.

Before dawn was fully bright, the two crept to the entrance with the radio and successfully evaded the ears of the zombies on the road. Despite several close calls, they managed to place and turn on the radio. Just as Qing Meng predicted, the zombies reacted violently to the sound. Within moments, the zombies in the lobby were drawn away.

The two crouched behind the flagpole, waited for the right moment, and dashed back into the inpatient building. But even though most zombies were distracted, two nearby ones were drawn by the noise they made. The two zombies followed them with distorted steps.

In her desperation, Jiang Ping’an spotted that Elevator No. 1 was on the first floor. Seeing a lifeline right in front of them, a woman appeared out of nowhere and stepped into the elevator first. The woman saw Jiang Ping’an and Qing Meng, but seeing the zombies behind them, she didn’t help; instead, she frantically mashed the “close door” button.

As the doors were closing, Jiang Ping’an lunged forward and pried them open. Fortunately, the elevator had a safety mechanism; sensing an obstruction, the doors were forced open again. Before they could celebrate, the woman kicked Jiang Ping’an squarely out of the elevator.

That kick shattered all the politeness and cultivation Jiang Ping’an had learned through years of higher education. Fortunately, human potential is limitless. A second before the zombies lunged, Qing Meng desperately dragged the stunned Jiang Ping’an into a small side door next to the elevator bank.

Closing that door separated the elevator hall from the main lobby. Since the lobby was temporarily clear of zombies, they were able to run up the stairs to the fourth floor. Having finally realized the cruelty of the apocalypse, a trembling Jiang Ping’an didn’t dare look back. She and Qing Meng scrambled up the stairs until they reached the 23rd floor via the direct elevator, finally escaping to safety.

After hearing the story, Xing He understood the situation. Jiang Ping’an was still furious about the woman’s betrayal. Xing He, on the other hand, felt a wave of lingering fear. What they had done was essentially dancing on a knife’s edge; it sounded terrifying, but the actual danger was far higher than the description.

Jiang Ping’an regained her composure, straightened her clothes, and returned to her professional demeanor. “I didn’t recognize you before. Xiao Meng and I were college roommates and are very close friends. She mentioned your name to me before. I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time.”

Realizing Jiang Ping’an was Qing Meng’s best friend, Xing He was momentarily unsure how to introduce herself. “Nice to meet you. I’m Xing He. I served in the military for a few years. I am Qing Meng’s… ex-wife.”

Seeing the person she had missed day and night in this desperate situation, the longing Xing He had tried so hard to suppress was becoming difficult to contain. But upon hearing the word “ex-wife,” Qing Meng felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. She calmed down instantly. Right. We are just exes now.

“Oh—ex-wife?” Jiang Ping’an looked at Xing He with a meaningful gaze.

There were only three of them in the room. Xing He felt awkward under the gaze and didn’t know where to look. Qing Meng spoke up flatly, “Let’s think about what to do next.”

Since the person involved had spoken, Jiang Ping’an didn’t press further. The three of them sat down. Jiang Ping’an leaned on the table and said helplessly, “Two hours ago, I reported the situation to hospital management and called the fire and police departments, but I haven’t received any response.”

“Clearly, the situation outside is not optimistic. Public rescue forces are likely paralyzed. With so many people here, food and supplies will be an issue. Staying here forever isn’t a long-term plan.”

Qing Meng tucked her hair back, her white coat emphasizing a professional, capable aura as she planned for the stranded patients. Jiang Ping’an agreed: “Several patients are already feeling unwell because of a lack of medication. We must move them to a safer place. But Chen Sheng has the numbers, and he refuses to risk a transfer. There are only two of us; leaving won’t change the situation.”

Qing Meng’s fingers drummed unconsciously on the table. “We need an absolute advantage in numbers to fight the zombies, or we need to contact a professional rescue team.”

Qing Meng’s words reminded Xing He—it was now 12:00 PM. If she remembered correctly, in her previous life, the first batch of official search and rescue teams set out at 2:00 PM. Due to the riots caused by social collapse and a lack of experience fighting zombies, the first round of rescue teams suffered massive casualties. That heavy loss meant the second batch wasn’t assembled until a week later.

During that week, everyone was forced to wait where they were. Those with good luck made it to the second rescue; those with bad luck either fed the zombies or were killed by the dark hands of those around them. Currently, City C’s mobile forces were insufficient.

The government was unlikely to rescue all survivors via helicopter. The most cost-effective way to transfer survivors would be via vehicles.

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