Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Survival Gamble

Government forces worldwide were nearing paralysis. At this stage, the authorities would most likely designate unified rescue points—typically the civil air defense engineering sites (bomb shelters) in each district—and wait there for survivors to assemble.

They would not turn away any survivor who came seeking help, but they also wouldn’t rashly venture into zombie-infested areas to explore. This strategy minimized the loss of rescue personnel while maximizing efficiency, ensuring the highest possibility of survival for the greatest number of people with the least amount of manpower.

As for a single building surrounded by a swarm of zombies, Xing He was not naive enough to think that frantic leaders would divert significant forces for it. It was hard to say who was abandoning whom; since ancient times, sacrificing a negligible minority in a crisis was considered par for the course.

However, Qing Meng and Jiang Ping’an had only just tasted the cruelty of the apocalypse and might not be able to accept this viewpoint yet. Xing He spoke cautiously.

“Communication systems are nearly paralyzed. Search and rescue teams probably won’t set out until this afternoon. If we stay here and wait, there are only two possible outcomes.”

Jiang Ping’an instinctively asked, “Which two?”

“One: The rescue is point-based. There is no other way except heading to the rescue point ourselves. Two: Because hospitals are high-priority zones, a team might do a routine sweep. But if they see the swarm at the back and choose to loop around to the front, only to find an empty-looking building, they won’t waste much time here.”

Jiang Ping’an frowned. A doctor’s instinct is to do everything possible to save every life with a glimmer of hope. Both rescue methods seemed irresponsible toward the survivors’ lives.

Qing Meng was also a medical professional, but because her current focus was on research, she found this logic easier to grasp. At this critical juncture, every second meant thousands of people were facing death. Experiments prioritize cost versus feedback; when it came to lives, the military would only be more cautious in managing the ratio of investment to return.

If they were required to reach every individual with the precision of peacetime, it wouldn’t be “reverence for life”—it would be idealism built on a foundation of sand.

Fortunately, Jiang Ping’an was smart. Within minutes, she managed to pull herself out of her moral dilemma. Moments later, the phones of all three women buzzed with a notification.

“A highly contagious virus has broken out in City C. Those infected are extremely aggressive. Survivors, please find cover and use weapons to resist if necessary. Rescue forces will head to designated central rescue points at 14:00 today. Please head to your nearest civil air defense project in advance. — City C Emergency Rescue Center”

It was confirmed. The rescue teams would only go to the shelters. This meant that if they stayed put, they couldn’t count on anyone discovering the two hundred people hidden here. The atmosphere turned somber.

Despite the grim situation, Qing Meng remained calm. “Even if the rescue teams might overlook us, our position has some advantages. We have plenty of medicine here, and the wards are stocked with supplies. If we’re frugal, we can hold out for a while.”

Qing Meng was preparing for the worst-case scenario; it was a last resort. Jiang Ping’an felt defeated. “Are we just going to sit here and wait for death?”

“It’s not necessarily time to give up yet.”

People who remain calm in a crisis are often instinctively relied upon. Noticing that Xing He wasn’t panicking at all, Jiang Ping’an reined in her own urgency. “What other way is there?”

Qing Meng also looked at Xing He, a spark of expectation in her eyes that she hadn’t even noticed. For some reason, she was confident that Xing He would have a solution.

“We only have one problem: an information gap. The solution is simple: we take the initiative and go out to find the rescuers. The rescue teams don’t know how many people are stranded where, but we know where the rescue points are.”

Jiang Ping’an hesitated. She knew all too well how terrifying the scene below was; the memory of her morning escape still made her break into a cold sweat. Qing Meng didn’t speak, but she was seriously considering the feasibility of this method. Xing He had rich practical experience, and in this regard, Qing Meng trusted her unconditionally.

Xing He admitted the plan was blunt and crude, but it was the only one that would work. The nearest civil air defense site was the hospital’s underground parking lot. To get this many patients rescued, they had to go through that lot; only there could rescuers use vehicles to transport two hundred patients at once. Before that, they needed to reach the parking lot to establish contact with the teams there.

If only they could take the elevator straight down. Unfortunately, Xing He had checked the hospital guide earlier; the elevators in the inpatient building did not reach the B1 level. Only the adjacent outpatient building had elevators that went directly to the basement.

Before they could reach a consensus, the office door was kicked open. Xing He instinctively tensed into a defensive stance, quietly shielding Qing Meng behind her.

Entering first was Chen Sheng, the deputy chief physician Xing He had seen earlier, followed by another man and a woman. The three were clearly a clique. Xing He deduced the man was likely Fan Wei, the chief of the inpatient department, while she wasn’t sure which of the two emergency nurses the woman was—Liu Yan or Yang Mei.

The woman’s face was full of resentment. The moment she entered, she pointed at Qing Meng. “It’s all that woman’s fault! If she hadn’t gathered us here, we wouldn’t be trapped!”

Jiang Ping’an didn’t have the best temper; she had even gotten into fights back in school. Already in a bad mood, she fired back without hesitation. “Liu Yan, did the stench of the zombies mutate your brain while you were fleeing the emergency center? Why can’t you speak like a human? Don’t forget, if we hadn’t lured the zombies away to get you into this building, you’d be nutrients being digested in some zombie’s stomach right now.”

It was the truth, and Liu Yan found no words to argue. She looked indignant, her face looking like she had swallowed a fly.

Chen Sheng didn’t criticize the two for luring zombies. Instead, he watched Xing He warily. “You wouldn’t be planning to ditch us and flee to the rescue point yourselves, would you?”

Xing He had seen many people like Chen Sheng. They were like parasites; they couldn’t feed themselves but spent all their energy thinking about how to suck the blood of others. There was nothing to say to people like this; if you followed their lead, they would bring about their own destruction.

Xing He feigned a look of panic as if her secret had been exposed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any harm. I just thought we’d be saved if we found the rescue team. If we stay here guarding so much dead weight, we’ll never survive…”

Jiang Ping’an remained silent, looking as if she were in agreement. In reality, she was just profoundly shocked by the sight of Xing He’s sharp, “Alpha” face trying to look like a tearful, helpless victim.

Qing Meng was curious about Xing He’s goal, but now was not the time to ask, so she remained silent and played along.

Chen Sheng easily believed Xing He. The three of them glanced at each other, their minds churning with selfish schemes. They retreated to the back to whisper for a moment until they reached a consensus. Chen Sheng cleared his throat and stood with his hands behind his back, looking sanctimonious.

“We understand your desire to save people. But you three are just women—small courage, little strength. It’ll be too hard for you to find the rescue team. We will go; you stay here and look after the patients.”

Truly a fool who only needs a bit of bait to jump into a pit, Xing He sneered inwardly. On the surface, she just shrank back and replied timidly, “Alright, thank you for the trouble.”

Since Xing He had said so, Qing Meng and Jiang Ping’an watched and stayed silent. Seeing no opposition, Chen Sheng’s face filled with unconcealed smugness, as if he had already ditched the “dead weight” and was living a normal life with the rescue team.

Xing He and the others followed them to the largest ward on the 23rd floor, where all the survivors were temporarily housed. Many patients were still in beds with monitors and IV drips running. Many people on the floor looked pale and unhealthy—those with severe conditions whose lives would be at risk if they left the hospital.

The entire ward was being managed by the nurse named Yang Mei, with some family members helping out. Upon entering, Chen Sheng gathered everyone and gave a grand, pretentious speech. Hearing that Chen Sheng and his two companions were willing to risk their lives for the group’s survival, everyone was deeply moved and almost started to applaud.

Jiang Ping’an gave a “warm” reminder: “Keep it down unless you want to invite the zombies up.”

Everyone immediately lowered their hands. After packing some water and food, Chen Sheng’s group departed amidst the group’s grateful farewells.

Jiang Ping’an immediately pulled Xing He and Qing Meng back to the office. This time she remembered to keep her voice down. “Xing He, do you really believe they’ll come back after finding the rescue?”

Xing He answered bluntly, “No.”

Jiang Ping’an was so agitated she almost lost control of her volume. “Then why did you…!” Realizing she was too loud, she checked the door. Seeing no one, she whispered, “Then why did you let them go?”

Qing Meng looked at Xing He curiously. She also wanted to know the plan, though she was much calmer than Jiang Ping’an.

“If they want to leave, let them. At least we don’t have to worry about someone stabbing us in the back. However… there are zombies everywhere outside. They won’t find the rescue team, and they almost certainly won’t be coming back.”

As she spoke, Xing He’s tone was certain. She was smiling, but there was a trace of ruthlessness in her eyes. If any of her old comrades were here, they would know with one look that someone had offended her, and she was currently settling the score.

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