15 Zombie Experience Cards 15

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The boy’s name was Zhao Su, and the gaunt young man was called Zhen Qian.

Due to severe injuries, Tian Yi had thrown him into a house near the outskirts of the Kudzu territory.

—It was also one of the areas where cocklebur grew most densely.

The house was structurally intact.

Apart from some dust gathered from long disuse and obvious signs that it had been rummaged through, all the necessary furniture was present.

A simple house like this would be a rare treasure in a densely crowded, resource-scarce safe zone.

But Zhen Qian, thrown here by Tian Yi, was in no mood to appreciate such rarity.

He believed that no ordinary person, when encountering someone like Tian Yi and then being brought onto his turf, could feel at ease.

Before meeting Tian Yi, Zhen Qian’s greatest worry was whether he would survive.

After meeting this incomprehensible existence, he began to fear that maybe he was already dead, just not yet aware of it.

Or perhaps something even more terrifying than death could happen.

But death seemed less desirable than stubbornly clinging to life.

Dragging his wounded body, Zhen Qian cautiously inspected the room where Tian Yi had left him.

After confirming there was no immediate danger inside, he moved to the window and looked outside.

Outside, a sea of verdant cockleburs stretched out before him. Despite the pain coursing through his body, a faint sense of reassurance stirred in his heart.

Having been pricked by cockleburs before, Zhen Qian fully understood their potency.

A dense growth of cockleburs like this could inflict serious damage.

He believed that, no matter what dangers arose, these cockleburs would handle most of them.

After all, they were certainly more useful than he was.

Perhaps even more effective than the “walls” of the safe zone.

Having done all this, Zhen Qian drew a deep breath and sat beside Zhao Su.

Since being thrown into the room, Zhao Su had curled up in a corner, seeming indifferent to whatever might happen next.

Looking at his eyes, fixed blankly ahead, Zhen Qian felt like sighing.

Zhao Su was just a boy.

The arrival of the apocalypse, the relentless retreat of humanity, and the conflicts wrought by scarce resources had forged in him a resilience far beyond that of his peers in peaceful times.

He could endure pain, hunger, and countless injustices.

He possessed courage surpassing that of many adults.

At the very least, he dared to venture out with the convoy beyond the safe zone, risking life and death to scavenge supplies.

Yet there were many things he had yet to learn.

He could not bear the unnatural death of a comrade.

Especially when that comrade was someone he trusted to watch his back.

Their convoy had set out with ten people.

But when chased by a horde of zombies to this place, only four remained.

If this had been an ordinary supply run, with their extensive experience, such heavy losses would have been unlikely.

—Even though their convoy was not particularly strong.

The reason so many died was because their mission this time was not mere scavenging.

They were to retrieve a crystallized remnant from a high-level zombie.

Typically, places where high-level zombies gathered were the same as where zombies congregated.

Compared to ordinary zombies, high-level ones evolved differently, possessing distinct abilities and far greater strength.

To find and confront an evolved zombie, extensive preparation was necessary.

Selecting a zombie that posed a manageable threat and was not too advanced in evolution was crucial.

Up to this point, they had done well…

So what happened next?

The evolved zombie they targeted evolved again during the fight.

Two teammates died at the hands of the newly evolved zombie.

Then came the retreat.

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Green Hair’s position in the convoy was complicated.

In general, he was a self-important insider.

Because he had “given” his sister to a powerful figure within the safe zone, he considered himself part of the “royal family.”

His manner was always disdainful, speaking and acting with a sideways glance.

The others in the convoy had no choice.

If Green Hair died, none of them would fare well.

So after such incidents, as long as he didn’t lose all reason, no one considered abandoning Green Hair.

When Green Hair faced danger, they would help if they could.

But Green Hair, to save himself, pushed the teammate who saved him into the jaws of the zombies.

The comrade Zhao Su regarded as a friend died in this way.

Human beings are complex creatures.

They weigh their decisions carefully.

Zhao Su was not without attachments.

He still had a seriously ill mother in the safe zone.

If he died, she surely would not survive.

Therefore, Zhao Su did not immediately lash out at Green Hair.

Although everyone knew Zhao Su harbored deep hatred for him.

Until they realized they might not survive.

Out of the ten who set out, only two remained alive.

And no one could say how long even this “living” state would last.

Ignoring how long they could survive here or whether they could escape.

Green Hair was dead.

If Zhen Qian and Zhao Su returned to the safe zone, they would likely have no future there.

Zhen Qian felt he was alright.

After all, he was alone; dying was just a matter of how.

He only hoped for a painless death.

But Zhao Su could not afford that...

His mother was still in the safe zone.

If Zhao Su never returned...

Zhen Qian did not dwell further, merely sighed as he sat beside Zhao Su.

Zhao Su was still too young.

It was unclear how his mother had raised him.

Despite knowing the state of the world, he still retained a clear, foolish innocence.

Just as he was thinking this, Zhen Qian suddenly saw Zhao Su unsteadily stand up.

Zhao Su’s wounds were no fewer than Zhen Qian’s.

Yet he stood firm, taking step after step toward the door.

...

Tian Yi: “...”

Tian Yi thought Zhao Su was very brave.

Knowing the outside was full of cockleburs, yet still daring to step out.

Especially while so badly injured.

Tian Yi was no doctor, and the city’s pharmacies were mostly emptied.

He could only find some common medications from residential buildings.

But nothing that could precisely treat their injuries.

So Zhao Su and Zhen Qian, both battered, had to tough it out.

If they couldn’t endure, they would die.

If they survived, Tian Yi would assign them some tasks.

He had not forgotten the incidents involving drawing zombie hordes, roasting rabbits over fire, and crushing cockleburs.

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If these two wanted extra help, they would have to trade “useful things.”

As for the van and the belongings originally with Zhao Su and the others—they had become tributes to Tian Yi when captured by the rabbits.

Tian Yi dragged the cocklebur-pricked Zhao Su back inside.

Zhen Qian, who had kept watch outside the door all night, finally relaxed when he saw Zhao Su still breathing.

But Zhao Su’s condition seemed worse now.

The decision to run out had been his, and he likely expected the consequences.

Tian Yi had not come specifically to save Zhao Su.

He set Zhao Su down on the floor and asked, “Have you made up your mind?”

Zhao Su had spent the night outside.

Except for being attacked by cockleburs at first, he suffered no other assaults.

Tian Yi’s question was the same he had posed when he left them here yesterday.

If they could offer something he considered “valuable,” he would provide some modest assistance to Zhen Qian and Zhao Su.

Like food and drinking water.

Though the quantity and duration could not be guaranteed, they would not starve or dehydrate.

In these resource-scarce times, such terms were unusually generous for captives like Zhao Su and Zhen Qian.

If not for the fact that Tian Yi was not quite human—or whatever his true nature—Zhen Qian would have agreed immediately yesterday.

Looking at Zhao Su, who could hardly speak now, Zhen Qian sighed again inwardly.

His facial muscles ached, but he forced a smile.

“Well... we don’t even know what information would be useful to you... maybe... you could ask?”

Yesterday, Tian Yi had mostly figured out the convoy’s situation and why so many zombies appeared.

But today...

Tian Yi, finding Zhen Qian’s suggestion reasonable, nodded and beckoned toward him.

Zhen Qian, terrified and barely daring to breathe in Tian Yi’s presence, hadn’t yet understood.

Suddenly, a shadow darted out from behind him.

Nai Nai ran to Tian Yi’s side, who patted her head.

Since Kudzu suddenly lifted Tian Yi high, Nai Nai had become even more attached to him.

“Go get me paper and a pen.”

Nai Nai stared at Tian Yi for two seconds before turning and running off.

Her speed was so fast that Zhen Qian wondered if his eyes were playing tricks.

Whether or not he was mistaken, his attention shifted as Tian Yi opened the notebook.

The notebook contained notes Tian Yi deemed important.

Including information Tao Sanliang had revealed previously.

Also, some questions he found puzzling.

Tian Yi’s practiced manner of handling the notebook made Zhen Qian briefly feel as if he were at an interview or exam.

But those were things from before the apocalypse.

Tian Yi flipped to the newest page.

“Alright, let’s start here. Your name?”

Zhen Qian, who had just given his name yesterday, was momentarily speechless.

...

With Zhen Qian’s cooperation, Tian Yi smoothly collected the basic information in his self-made form.

Disappointingly, he found no useful information.

Meanwhile, Zhen Qian, who remained in the room and received some rations for his cooperation, was utterly bewildered.

He did not understand why Tian Yi’s questions repeatedly involved plants, light exposure, care techniques, fertilizers, pesticides, grow lights, nutrient solutions, and animal husbandry.

It was... quite confusing.