Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Suspicion

Song Ge wanted to ask Tong Xiangyu what medicine she had stolen, but the young lady had high moral standards and thin skin; asking might make her die of embarrassment. So, Song Ge planned to change the subject.

But Tong Xiangyu had already reacted.

Knowing that Song Ge had witnessed her stealing, the young lady’s beautiful face instantly flushed deep red. She felt ashamed to the extreme! A moment later, however, her face turned pale again. She whispered nervously, “Song Ge, do you think… do you think the surveillance saw me?”

Song Ge said, “There’s no surveillance in the warehouse. They probably didn’t think it was necessary.”

Otherwise, Song Ge would have spoken up to warn her the moment she thought about stealing; she wouldn’t have let Tong Xiangyu risk startling the snakes so recklessly.

Hearing this, Tong Xiangyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She relaxed and leaned against Song Ge’s shoulder, but was poked by the medicine box in her chest. She pulled out the box, opened it, and took out the tablets.

Song Ge took the opportunity to ask, “What medicine is it?”

“A type of liver enzyme inducer.” Tong Xiangyu looked at the instruction manual—a long, dense list of chemical molecules under the sunlight with text smaller than ants. After reading it, she felt a bit aggrieved. She crumpled the manual, tore up the box, and said, “I hope we don’t need it.”

Song Ge naturally didn’t know what a “liver enzyme inducer” was. She didn’t understand it and didn’t ask further. Instead, she asked Tong Xiangyu, “Did you see what book that woman took earlier?”

“Book?” Tong Xiangyu asked back. “You mean the auntie who was talking to Xiao Wei when we went to find her?”

Song Ge: “Yes.”

Tong Xiangyu: “I didn’t notice. She took a book?”

” The Supreme Dharma of Compassion.”

Tong Xiangyu frowned. “What kind of book is that?”

Song Ge: “I should be asking you. As a knowledgeable top student, do you know what it is? Judging by the title, it sounds like a Buddhist book.”

“Never heard of it.” Tong Xiangyu thought seriously and then said, “It shouldn’t be a Buddhist sutra. Sutras usually end with the word ‘Sutra’ (Jing), like the Heart Sutra or the Diamond Sutra. Even if those are abbreviations, their full names end in Jing.”

Not a Buddhist sutra…

Hearing this, Song Ge’s internal suspicions were confirmed, but she didn’t say anything, fearing she would scare the young lady on her back. Song Ge dropped the topic and shifted: “When we were registering, did you notice the notebook Xiao Wei used?”

Tong Xiangyu recalled, “It was just a normal notebook, wasn’t it? Why?”

“The entries were for everyone who took something today. That woman took a book; her entry was right above yours.” The remark for the book was “Law.” In Xiao Wei’s office, Song Ge had looked carefully and found the title that matched the remark: The Supreme Dharma of Compassion.

However, there was no name for Yue Yao in that notebook.

Tong Xiangyu asked, “Why should Yue Yao’s name be there?”

“Didn’t she go to get medicine?” Song Ge said. “According to Yue Yao, Gao He took her there to get medicine. Her name should have been left there today.”

Tong Xiangyu: “Maybe they went to the clinic to get it?”

“Impossible,” Song Ge said. “Did you forget what the doctor said when I mentioned you were on your period? He told you to go to Xiao Wei to register. And Xiao Wei also said the usual process is to give you a slip for the clinic. It was only because the clinic didn’t have Motherwort that she had to take you to the warehouse personally.”

Tong Xiangyu understood, but she asked in confusion, “What does this prove?”

Song Ge was decisive: “Yue Yao is lying.”

“Lying?” Tong Xiangyu frowned in disagreement. “Why would Yaoyao lie for no reason? Maybe she just explained it wrong. Perhaps the painkillers weren’t from Xiao Wei, and Gao He just happened to have some?”

Song Ge said, “That is a possibility.”

Tong Xiangyu immediately curled her lips into a smile. “Right?!”

Song Ge: “But the probability is extremely low.”

“How is it low? I think it’s quite high,” Tong Xiangyu said. “You don’t understand Yaoyao. She looks introverted, but she’s actually a very brave and kind girl. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have braved the heavy rain to bring sweet potatoes to us two strangers.

Song Ge was helpless as the young lady brought up old history again. What did a small favor prove? It proved nothing.

Tong Xiangyu continued, “She couldn’t lie. Even if she did, there must be a reason—like being forced. We need to understand the situation first and not just wrongly accuse her. She’s been with us the whole way; we know her background and have shared hardships. If she found out we doubted her, wouldn’t she be very sad?”

Song Ge didn’t take a stand.

Tong Xiangyu insisted she speak. “Don’t you agree?”

“…Yes.” After responding, Song Ge said, “I’m going to scout the area again this afternoon.”

“I’ll go with you! We’re running from the back of the compound, right?”

“Mhm,” Song Ge said. “The front buildings are all full. Whether Zeus was exaggerating or not, there are at least one or two thousand people here. we can only run from the back; there are fewer people and it’ll be quieter.”

Back at Building 11.

Tong Xiangyu walked on her own. Song Ge walked ahead and opened the room door. Gao He wasn’t there; only Yue Yao was sitting in the living room, intently reading a book. Song Ge had good eyesight; one glance at the title confirmed it was The Supreme Dharma of Great Compassion—the same one the woman had gratefully taken earlier.

Song Ge’s heart sank. If Yue Yao didn’t get the medicine, where did this book come from?

Yue Yao saw them and naturally put the book down, appearing not the least bit guilty or unnatural. She greeted them, “You’re back.”

Tong Xiangyu shook the large bag of granules in her hand and handed them over. “We got some Motherwort for you~”

“Thank you, Yuyu.” Yue Yao took it, touched. Seeing Tong Xiangyu’s face red from the sun and covered in sweat, she quickly pulled out a tissue. “Wipe your sweat. It’s so hot outside, don’t get heatstroke.”

Tong Xiangyu wiped her neck. “Did that Gao He leave?”

Hearing her mention Gao He, Yue Yao’s cheeks flushed slightly. She nodded. “Brother He is very busy. He left shortly after walking me up.”

Tong Xiangyu, remembering she had just defended Yue Yao to Song Ge, didn’t forget to verify: “By the way, Yaoyao, you said you got painkillers. Where did you get them?”

“Brother He’s place.” Yue Yao corrected herself immediately. “Not exactly. It was the building where he lives. There are many people there. Brother He introduced me to a kind auntie, and she gave me a painkiller.”

See! Tong Xiangyu turned to look at Song Ge, but the other girl wasn’t looking at her at all. Song Ge walked straight to the table and picked up the book Yue Yao had just put down.

Yue Yao didn’t stop her. She explained earnestly, “I asked Brother He for this book. He lives in Building 8, the one in front of ours. This morning when I went downstairs, my stomach hurt so much I couldn’t walk. Luckily, Brother He took me to his place to drink hot water and take medicine. I feel much better now.”

Song Ge flipped through the book and asked without looking up, “You were in that much pain and still walking around?”

Yue Yao’s face turned slightly pale. She glanced at Song Ge and Tong Xiangyu, then pursed her lips and looked down, nervously twisting her fingers. “I was afraid you would leave me behind. You said before that we would separate once we reached Taiyun. So I panicked and wanted to find you downstairs…”

Seeing this, Tong Xiangyu felt a bit sorry and sat beside Yue Yao to comfort her.

Song Ge continued to press: “You couldn’t have just opened our room to see if our backpacks were still there?”

Yue Yao looked aggrieved. “I didn’t think of it then. I was in a hurry, and for some reason, when I woke up this morning, I felt very dizzy and nauseous, like I hadn’t slept well. I called for you outside your door, but nobody answered. I thought you might have left, so I ran downstairs in a panic…”

Seeing Yue Yao was on the verge of tears, Tong Xiangyu hurriedly told Song Ge to stop questioning her. Yue Yao was a good friend who had come all this way with them; how could she use such an interrogative and skeptical tone?

Tong Xiangyu comforted Yue Yao, saying, “Yaoyao, don’t worry. We said we’d separate in Taiyun, but not right now. This place is very danger—”

Before she could finish, Song Ge coughed loudly.

Tong Xiangyu instinctively looked at Song Ge, only to see her still staring at that “Buddhist book” without even raising an eyelid. Tong Xiangyu realized immediately and her heart leaped in fear! That was close—she had nearly forgotten the room was monitored and almost said it out loud!

Song Ge closed the book and looked at Yue Yao. “This place is so nice, and didn’t we promise to stay for a few days? How could we leave?”

Tong Xiangyu nodded. “Exactly, exactly.”

Tong Xiangyu then took the Motherwort granules from Yue Yao. To keep up the act, since she had “period cramps” and got the medicine, she had to drink it in front of the camera. She tore open two packets, stood up to pour hot water, and made a cup for Yue Yao and one for herself.

Song Ge asked Yue Yao again, “Why did you ask Gao He for this kind of book?”

“Brother He didn’t have any other books,” Yue Yao said. “I find this book very profound. The words in it make a lot of sense. After reading a few pages, I decided to borrow it. Brother He even praised me, saying I have a karmic connection to Buddhism and great savvy!”

Song Ge curled her lips in an ambiguous smile, put the book back, and looked at Tong Xiangyu. Her eyes seemed to say: With problems this obvious, surely you can’t fail to see them?

Tong Xiangyu blinked her beautiful apricot eyes innocently at Song Ge, truly seeing nothing wrong as she took small sips of the hot infusion.

At noon, Nana sent someone to invite them to lunch. It was the same “Banquet Hall,” but with fewer people and only a few tables set. When Song Ge, Tong Xiangyu, and Yue Yao arrived, Nana came out to greet them warmly. Previously, Nana had only been exceptionally warm to Tong Xiangyu; now, that warmth extended to Yue Yao.

To her surprise, Yue Yao was arranged by Nana to sit in the seat to the left of the host. Song Ge raised an eyebrow. Soon, she knew why—Gao He arrived.

It turned out Gao He was a high-level executive of this safety base, responsible for searching for survivors and transporting supplies. He was highly valued by Zeus. Yue Yao hadn’t known Gao He held such a position; hearing it now, she was both shocked and delighted.

During the meal, Gao He was very attentive, picking up food for Yue Yao and remembering that she couldn’t eat spicy food during her period. Yue Yao was shy, the blush on her cheeks never fading.

Watching this, Song Ge decisively made up her mind—she absolutely could not take Yue Yao on this escape!

The risk was too high! Not only could she not take her, but she also couldn’t allow Tong Xiangyu to leak any word of the escape plan to her. This place was too dangerous; one wrong step could lead to a bottomless abyss.

Because this so-called sanctuary was a cult base. Such organizations were exactly what the state always cracked down on, banned, and punished. She didn’t know if this cult existed before the virus or was newly established using the zombie outbreak as an excuse.

Regardless, the result was the same. They couldn’t stay. Tonight, or tomorrow—they had to leave as soon as possible.

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