Zombie Experience Card 09

Zombie Experience Card 09

The rare silence of the night brought a long-lost sense of tranquility.

Nana’s story was not long; from beginning to end, it consisted of only a few sentences. It was not a pleasant story. After listening, Tianyi fell silent, while Nana remained as she was before, seemingly unaffected. Under Tianyi’s arrangement, she snuggled into the small blanket he had prepared specifically for her. It wasn't a particularly large blanket, but it wrapped Nana up completely.

"It's so warm and soft." Nana rubbed her cheek against the fabric. Tianyi had sun-dried the blanket, and it still held the scent of the sun. It was clear that Nana loved the feeling. Tianyi curled his lips into a smile and patted the top of her head. "Rest now. Tomorrow will be a good day."

With that, Tianyi returned to his own bed, where the little orange cat had been waiting for a long time. Once Tianyi sat down, the cat instinctively curled up in his lap, let out a soft "meow," and soon began to purr contentedly. Tianyi did as he always did, picking up a book to read for a while, and when he felt the time was right, he closed his eyes to rest his mind.

Tucked inside her blanket, Nana kept her eyes open, observing everything. Tianyi’s behavior was undoubtedly confusing to her. Yet, she loved the tasty canned meat, the clean water, the care he showed when bandaging her wounds, and the soft blanket that smelled of sunshine. It felt like... it felt like being at home. She didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but for her, today was a very, very good day.

The next day, Tianyi went as usual to check on the condition of the Boston ivy and watered it. After a day and a night of rest, the ivy looked much more vibrant. Its previously withered leaves had unfurled once more. As Tianyi watered it, some of its tendrils reached out to wrap around his wrist—not with force, but as if in play. When Tianyi turned to leave, the tendrils returned to their original positions.

Back at the small bookstore, Tianyi saw Nana, whom he had taken in, crouching not far from the door. The little orange cat was there too. The two little ones were both keeping their heads down, staring intently at the ground. Tianyi leaned in and discovered they were watching ants moving house.

"..." Tianyi thought, *That really is something children would do.*

In this world affected by the zombie virus, insects had remained unchanged, which was, in a way, good news. After feeding the cat and Nana, Tianyi brought out his bicycle again. Without needing to be told, the little orange cat hopped into the basket and sat down obediently, while Nana climbed onto the back seat.

Tianyi paused. Both the cat and Nana were looking at him with large, round eyes. Nana tilted her head. "Are we not leaving, Brother Tian?" After one night, in Nana's mind, Tianyi had graduated from "Big Brother" to "Brother Tian." "I am very familiar with this place," she emphasized.

In the end, Nana went along with Tianyi. She was indeed very familiar with the area Tianyi intended to explore. However, this familiarity wasn't about the distribution of supplies, but rather an intimate knowledge of the various zombies and mutated flora and fauna. In the region spreading outward from where Tianyi had found her, Nana could clearly point out which "tough guys" used to guard the area.

But... "They are all dead," Nana said. Those tough guys had all been killed by the Boston ivy.

She had watched that battle from the shadows for an entire night, and she could even describe parts of the combat she had witnessed to Tianyi. Tianyi listened quietly, inferring that Nana’s speed was indeed impressive and that she was skilled at hiding. Otherwise, given that she had entered the battlefield to watch from up close, the chances of her being caught in the crossfire would have been very high. Yet, Nana remained unscathed.

"Besides those who are already dead, there are some other people hiding in that direction," Nana said, pointing toward the east.

Her words surprised Tianyi. Were there actually other living people in this city? Seeing the expression on Tianyi's face, Nana frowned slightly. "I don't think it's a good idea to meet them. They aren't very nice."

Nana couldn't articulate the complexities, but as she pondered, Tianyi had already understood. "Don't worry." He patted the top of her head. As an adult, he naturally knew just how terrifying the dark side of this world could be.

Just as he spoke, the little orange cat suddenly meowed. Someone was coming. Tianyi pushed his bicycle into a corner and hid with the cat and Nana.

It was a group of ragged, scarred, gaunt, and highly strung individuals. Their expressions were filled with fear as they cautiously scanned the empty, abandoned, and dilapidated streets before sprinting at full speed. When they passed a car parked on the roadside that looked intact, they would reach out to try to open the door and start it. Unfortunately, their luck was poor; none of the cars were functional.

When someone finally found a sedan that could start, it couldn't carry everyone, and so... the group began to fight. There wasn't even a moment of hesitation.