Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Something is Wrong

Nana gave a very detailed introduction, her face beaming with pride as she spoke. However, she noticed that only Tong Xiangyu and Yue Yao showed continuous amazement; the short-haired girl remained calm, her expression unchanging throughout the tour.

Nana could only smile and lead them to their accommodation. “The first ten buildings are basically full. You can rest in Building 11 tonight. We have dedicated staff responsible for cleaning.”

Nana led the three of them to the front of Building 11.

Song Ge noticed an old woman nearby holding a broom—likely the cleaner Nana had mentioned. There was scattered trash in the dustpan, and as they climbed the stairs, Song Ge saw a half-bucket of dirty water with a rag soaking in it.

“Old Yan, are the rooms ready?”

The elderly woman called Old Yan stopped sweeping. Keeping her head down, she answered respectfully, “They are ready, Deputy Leader.”

Nana smiled and said to the group, “Let’s go up.”

As Song Ge climbed the stairs, she caught a glimpse of Old Yan out of the corner of her eye. She saw the woman’s lowered head give a slight, solitary shake, and she thought she heard a faint sigh.

Nana noticed Song Ge hadn’t kept up. Song Ge had already crouched down as if to tie her shoelaces. Sensing the woman’s gaze, she tied them naturally, stood up, and followed.

Building 11 showed no signs of being inhabited.

Nana said, “We open the lower floors first. The first floor is a garage—though it’s been converted into rooms, the conditions are poor, so I took the liberty of arranging for you to stay on the second floor. It’s low, but you don’t have to worry about lighting. In this weather, higher floors are actually hotter, right? If you’re warm, you can turn on the electric fan.”

“By the way, if you’re not feeling well, you can register with Xiao Wei—the girl from the first building earlier. Register with her to get some Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid or heatstroke prevention medicine, just as a precaution.”

The key was already in the door.

Nana opened it to reveal a clean, tidy, yet simple apartment. It had large windows and great lighting, though the building looked a bit old and the decor was rustic. It was a far cry from Grandma Tian’s small villa with a garden and pool.

Nana turned on the power main and took them through the rooms one by one. “There are three bedrooms. These two large ones face the sun; this one doesn’t, but it has a window for ventilation, it’s just a bit smaller. The bedding and sheets were assigned long ago; Old Yan brought them out for you.”

“Normally, a floor like this is planned for about ten people, but there aren’t many survivors in Taiyun now, and we haven’t made contact with anyone outside, so feel free to use the space however you like. You can decide among yourselves who takes which room.”

“This landline works.” Nana picked up the receiver, and a dial tone came through. “As I said, we’ve established a base station. If you need anything, just dial 001 for our management department. As for drinking water, I’ll have someone bring a water cooler jug over later.”

Tong Xiangyu was surprised and curious. “How can you be so organized here?”

“Don’t even get me started; it was really hard at first,” Nana said. “When we first came to this compound, we were clearing out dead bodies almost day and night. Most of these houses were either filled with the stench of rotting corpses and urine, or covered in blood and piles of putrid flesh. It took a long time just to disinfect and purify the air.”

Song Ge gave Nana a glance.

Nana sighed. “The early preparation really took a long time.”

But then Nana added, “Luckily, Zeus is an extremely capable and reliable leader. He is smart, visionary, yet kind and humble, considering every aspect thoroughly. He gives all of us who follow him a great sense of security. Everyone in the Morning Sun Self-Defense feels at peace and has a pillar of support as long as they see him.”

Noticing Song Ge wasn’t looking at her, Nana glanced at Tong Xiangyu and then at Yue Yao, emphasizing, “You have to understand, in a situation like this—where zombies are rampant and the state has heartlessly abandoned us, leaving us to wait for death in despair—having such a warm and peaceful safe haven is truly not easy. It’s a miracle from the Lord.”

Song Ge’s gaze swept calmly over every corner of the room. She didn’t linger on anything for more than half a second and didn’t look over even when the woman spoke those words.

Hearing Nana’s speech, Tong Xiangyu nodded. “Compared to the outside, it really is very, very good here.”

“Right?” Nana’s smile grew even brighter. “Outside, even finding a bite to eat is a problem, but here, your personal safety is fully guaranteed. Oh, and there are clothes in the wardrobe.”

Nana opened the wardrobe to show them. “These are all seasonal clothes and dresses; you’ll definitely be able to wear them. Now that we have enough supplies, the Leader is already planning to stockpile winter clothes. After all, we intend to survive here for the long term.”

“Alright, I won’t say more. You three can get familiar with the environment and rest for a bit,” Nana said. “When dinner is ready, I’ll come and get you.”

“Okay, thank you, Sister Nana.” Tong Xiangyu smiled as she saw her to the door. Nana told her to go back inside; Tong Xiangyu watched her walk downstairs before returning to the room.

Once it was just the three of them, Tong Xiangyu relaxed significantly. She was no longer stiff and even seemed a bit excited. “Song Ge, this place is so much better than Grandma Tian’s!”

Song Ge looked up at her. “They’re going to help you find your mom and dad, right?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Tong Xiangyu said with a smile. “You can tell just by looking that this planning and deployment was done by very capable, professional people. The coordination is incredible, covering every angle. It’s practically flawless~”

“Indeed.” Song Ge agreed, contrary to her usual self, and then stood up to look at the bedrooms. “How are we dividing the rooms?”

Yue Yao volunteered, “I’ll take the small bedroom without sunlight. You two take the other two. If you’re afraid of the heat, we can swap.”

“Then I’ll stay in this one.” Tong Xiangyu chose the room on the right.

Song Ge looked over and said, “Fine, then we’ll stay in this one.”

Tong Xiangyu froze, looking at Song Ge.

Song Ge didn’t even lift her eyelids to look at her, walking straight into the sun-facing room on the right. “What? Didn’t you say you wanted to sleep with me?”

Tong Xiangyu was dazed, not having processed it yet. “When did I say that?”

“Forgot? For a top student, your memory is quite poor.”

Only then did Tong Xiangyu remember what she had said before. Her ears flushed red instantly, and she defended herself in a small voice, “That was before, when it was very dangerous outside. But it’s very safe here.”

Song Ge corrected her: “It wasn’t outside. It was at your Grandma Tian’s.”

Tong Xiangyu was speechless.

Song Ge sat on the bed and put down the two backpacks. Tong Xiangyu ran over, took a small electric fan out of her pink backpack, turned it on, and held it up to Song Ge’s face. It blew Song Ge’s sweaty bangs into a mess.

Song Ge said, “The wind is too strong.”

Tong Xiangyu laughed and reached out to help tidy her bangs.

Yue Yao stood at the bedroom door. Seeing this scene, she hesitated for a moment before turning and walking into the small room next door.

Song Ge caught Tong Xiangyu’s wrist. “Alright, stop playing. Get some sleep.”

“I don’t want to,” Tong Xiangyu said.

“Weren’t you tired from the journey?” Song Ge pulled Tong Xiangyu to the bed. “Hurry up and sleep for a bit; we have to go eat later.”

Seeing that although Song Ge was speaking with a smile, there was something in her eyes, Tong Xiangyu didn’t insist. She placed the small fan on the nightstand and got into bed.

Seeing this, Song Ge lay down beside her and casually pulled a thin blanket over both of them.

Tong Xiangyu was about to ask why they were using a blanket in such hot weather, but the next moment, her hand under the covers was grasped by Song Ge.

In that instant, Tong Xiangyu felt her heart skip a beat, and her breathing became unnatural. The bedroom suddenly became very, very quiet. It was already hot, and now they were under a blanket with Song Ge holding her hand. Tong Xiangyu could clearly feel her palm starting to sweat.

Her fingertips twitched involuntarily, and then Song Ge held her even tighter.

Now Tong Xiangyu’s entire face was burning!

She belatedly remembered that Song Ge seemed to have liked her for a long time but just never said it. Was Song Ge trying to break through that barrier now? Or was she just overwhelmed and wanted to be bold? Was the reason Song Ge didn’t want to bring Yue Yao along because she didn’t want a “third wheel” disturbing them?

Tong Xiangyu’s mind raced. Between her shyness and her panic, she thought: But I… I don’t know anything. What happens when a girl is with another girl?

Her heart beat faster and faster…

Finally unable to take it anymore, Tong Xiangyu turned to look at Song Ge and whispered, “Song…”

Song Ge interrupted with her eyes closed: “Don’t talk. Sleep for a bit. I’m exhausted.”

Tong Xiangyu’s cheeks were flushed and her breathing was shaky. Seeing Song Ge being stubborn and not mentioning it, even though she felt her heart was about to jump out of her throat and her palm was sweaty and slick, she could only nervously pretend she didn’t know anything and close her eyes.

Shortly after closing her eyes, Tong Xiangyu felt a slight itching in her palm. It was Song Ge’s fingertip. Tong Xiangyu’s heart pounded, not understanding what Song Ge was doing now. Was she teasing her? Or seducing her? Or was she hinting at something?

A… hint?

Tong Xiangyu’s chaotic and racing heart suddenly calmed down. She focused on the sensation and realized Song Ge’s finger wasn’t just scratching randomly—it seemed like she was writing?!

Song Ge wrote the character for “Have” (Yǒu) in Tong Xiangyu’s palm several times, pausing after each one.

By the third time, Song Ge’s slightly open palm received a reply. It wasn’t a word, but a symbol clearly traced by the young lady’s fingertip: a question mark.

As expected of a top student; she caught on quickly.

Song Ge pretended to be asleep while continuing to trace characters slowly, stroke by stroke, in Tong Xiangyu’s palm. Her movements were tiny, with only the tip of her index finger moving, so nothing could be seen from above the blanket.

This time, it only took one pass for Tong Xiangyu to understand the three words Song Ge wrote: Something is wrong.

Something is wrong? What problem?!

Tong Xiangyu’s finger gently tapped Song Ge’s fingertip in return, signaling that she had received the message.

In the silent environment, the two of them carried out their secret exchange under the blanket, invisible to the outside. Tong Xiangyu felt a sense of novelty and thrill, mixed with unease and tension because of what Song Ge had written.

In the same compound, Zeus, who had said he was busy, was sitting in a room with no lights and all the curtains drawn. The light from a computer screen reflected on his face.

Nana knocked on the door. Zeus glanced at her and beckoned her in with a slight hook of his finger.

Nana walked to Zeus and leaned into his embrace, her posture supple and boneless. She looked at the computer screen with him. On the screen were three rooms; only two were occupied.

In the smaller room, Yue Yao had put her backpack on the bed, walked around the room twice, and then sat down and lay on the bed. In the other room, the two girls were already lying on the bed, deep in sleep and motionless.

Despite the lack of movement, Zeus didn’t switch the monitor. Instead, he asked the woman in his arms, “Well?”

Nana said, “The two with long hair don’t seem to be a problem, but the short-haired one is a bit of a nuisance.”

“If she’s a nuisance, take care of her first.”

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