“Get up, let’s go!”
Zuo Feng called out to Diamond Girl, who was still lying on the ground. He needed to go back and clean his wounds, and also thoroughly study Diamond Girl and the shield. The empty underground garage was clearly not a suitable place.
Zuo Feng turned his head to look at Diamond Girl, his gaze meeting her brilliant eyes—she was looking up at him, but her body remained motionless on the ground.
“Hey! Are you rebelling? You’re not listening to commands!”
Zuo Feng frowned, bent down, and pulled Diamond Girl up with force. Her body was light and extremely flexible.
After some struggle, Zuo Feng, with a dark expression, helplessly discovered a very realistic problem: the girl still listened to commands, but the key was that Diamond Girl simply didn't understand the commands Zuo Feng gave. While mental transmission could command Diamond Girl, she couldn't comprehend it.
Diamond Girl was like a newborn baby; everything had to be taught slowly. For example, right now, if Zuo Feng said ‘sit,’ Diamond Girl would directly sit on the ground. That was because Zuo Feng had said ‘sit’ while physically making her sit, so now she understood the word ‘sit.’ She had also learned the word ‘stand.’
“Forget it, I’ll figure out a way to teach her slowly when we get back.”
Zuo Feng sighed, hoisted Diamond Girl onto his shoulder, and walked towards the garage exit.
Along the way, he pondered how to teach her more effectively, finally concluding with resignation: it was like carving unpolished jade, requiring only patience and meticulousness.
Before Zuo Feng even reached the stairwell, Diamond Girl, who had been quiet, suddenly emitted an instinctive urge to attack.
Zuo Feng instantly stopped. Diamond Girl’s target couldn't be himself, so it had to be someone else or… something!
Diamond Girl, who was on Zuo Feng’s shoulder, had tried to get up and attack a second time, but Zuo Feng pressed her down. Whether she understood Zuo Feng’s meaning or not, Diamond Girl became still and quietly allowed Zuo Feng to carry her.
Purple light flickered in Zuo Feng’s pupils. The Diamond Shield was summoned by Zuo Feng, floating in front of him. The 2-meter long, 1-meter wide Diamond Shield completely shielded Zuo Feng’s entire body behind it.
Zuo Feng vigilantly scanned his surroundings. From the dark corners of the garage, faint rustling sounds could be heard.
“Come out! I know you’re behind the door, don’t hide!”
Zuo Feng’s voice echoed in the empty garage, his gaze as sharp as a hawk, fixed on the stairwell he was about to ascend.
The two large doors of the stairwell were tightly shut, and as far as Zuo Feng could see, there was nothing. But Diamond Girl’s target was in that direction. Zuo Feng didn't immediately attack because he wanted to first determine what was behind the door.
Sure enough, Diamond Girl’s senses were very accurate. From behind the door, a young woman, dressed in white casual pants and a grey casual shirt, cautiously pushed open the stairwell door and emerged. She was extremely pretty, with a slender and graceful figure. Although she couldn't compare to Da Bai Tu and the other two, if she were in a factory, she would definitely be the factory flower.
Zuo Feng merely glanced at her indifferently, not paying much attention. Clearly, this was a human, but Zuo Feng did not relax his guard because of it. The young woman seemed a bit nervous and uneasy after stepping out from behind the door, her left hand behind her back. Zuo Feng guessed she was hiding a weapon behind her back. As for what kind of weapon, Zuo Feng was too lazy to ask; it was perfectly normal to carry a weapon when going out in this apocalypse.
As for why the young woman appeared here, Zuo Feng had even less need to ask. This wasn't Zuo Feng’s home; anyone could appear in a public place.
Zuo Feng’s gaze remained sharp, and his tone was calm: “Excuse me, I need to pass.”
Although it was rare to see survivors in the apocalypse, Zuo Feng had no intention of interacting. He was eager to go back and tend to his wounds, and to study Diamond Girl and the Diamond Shield.
“Oh, oh…”
The young woman seemed very nervous, her voice trembling, yet she forced herself to walk out of the stairwell door, moving a few steps to the side to clear the passage. Zuo Feng walked cautiously towards the stairwell, and realizing there was no other danger besides the young woman, he carried Diamond Girl into the stairwell and started up the stairs. He felt the young woman was following him.
At first, he didn't pay attention, but after climbing three floors, the young woman was still following. Zuo Feng stopped, turned back, and said coldly, “Why are you following me?”
He turned and stopped, looking down at her. This young woman didn't seem like she was going to ambush him, but he couldn't just let her keep following him. Who knew what she wanted to do? It was better to ask clearly.
The young woman’s face was pale, and she stammered, “My… my husband was bitten by a zombie… I also have a daughter… My daughter and I can’t survive in this apocalypse. I… I want to ask you to protect us, mother and daughter.”
The young woman’s name was Tao Yanyan. Before the apocalypse, she had a happy family, a loving husband, and a cute daughter. When the apocalypse descended, her husband was bitten by a zombie the first time he went out to collect supplies. Tao Yanyan felt her world was collapsing right then and there. She knew her husband was gone, but she still had a four-year-old daughter who needed her protection.
Tao Yanyan knew she had to support this family, but she was just a weak woman, how could she survive alone in this apocalypse? She had to find someone or an organization to rely on; but she also knew it would be hard to find, as there weren't many survivors willing to help others, and she had a daughter with her.
How many people would be willing to take in a mother and daughter? Even if they were willing, it would most likely be with ill intentions. A child around four years old is at a difficult age, crying at the slightest provocation, and crying easily attracts zombies. In others' eyes, a child is a complete burden. Although her daughter was very well-behaved and wouldn't cry easily, how many people would believe her just by her saying so?
Although the supplies her husband collected hadn't been fully consumed, Tao Yanyan had been very anxious; food would eventually run out.
Yesterday, an organization called Tiger King Alliance knocked on her door. Tao Yanyan had originally thought that an alliance formed in this apocalypse must be powerful, and deeply felt that this was heaven taking pity on her and her daughter. She had already prepared to join the Tiger King Alliance, as she had no other choice at the moment.
However, the moment she opened the door, the undisguised lewd gazes of the leader and several of his subordinates made Tao Yanyan’s heart chill—with just that one look, she determined this was absolutely not a place to stay.
For her daughter, she was not incapable of sacrificing herself, but the members of the Tiger King Alliance were clearly not good people, and the outcome of joining them would undoubtedly be tragic. She flatly refused.
Sure enough, the Tiger King Alliance showed their true colors, and the leader even tried to directly commit violence! It was only yesterday that Tao Yanyan learned of the existence of Mutants, and the leader of the Tiger King Alliance was one of them! Fortunately, her husband had left her a gun. She suddenly pulled out the gun, which finally deterred the Tiger King Alliance thugs.
After chasing away the Tiger King Alliance members and closing the door, cold sweat soaked her back. The chilling look in the Tiger King Alliance leader's eyes as he left made her tremble with fear.
Within minutes, she heard a woman’s desperate screams for help. She knew the voice belonged to the woman from the young couple across the hall. She wasn’t familiar with that couple, but she bravely peeked through the door crack and saw the leader of the Tiger King Alliance had already pinned the woman to the ground, roughly tearing at her clothes.
The woman's wails grew more intense, and the perverted leader became even more excited. He even deliberately left the door open, allowing his subordinates to watch. Tao Yanyan was terrified to the extreme; she knew she had to escape immediately. The gun's deterrent wouldn't last long, and the Tiger King Alliance would never let her go.
So, today Tao Yanyan bravely came to the basement, also thanks to the Tiger King Alliance having cleared out all the zombies. She didn't encounter any zombies along the way. She had already packed her luggage and was preparing to run with her daughter.
As for where she would run, she didn't know herself. Her husband had told her that there were zombies both domestically and abroad, but for now, she had to get away from the Tiger King Alliance. She came to the basement to see if her car was still there and if it was still usable. If all went well, she would immediately grab her luggage and run with her daughter.
The strangeness of this apocalypse made Tao Yanyan feel both fear and incredulity. As soon as she arrived at the underground garage, she saw a young man fighting a female ghost—as for why she called it a female ghost, it didn't touch the ground, disappeared at will, and had diamond eyes and hair. What else could it be but a female ghost?
Tao Yanyan was scared stiff at the time. Tao Yanyan, who witnessed the entire process, was so terrified she could barely breathe. Just as the young man was about to be strangled by the female ghost, he suddenly transformed into a Mutant.
Tao Yanyan was certain that was the mutation the Tiger King Alliance leader had spoken of—heterochromatic pupils!
The leader of the Tiger King Alliance also had heterochromatic pupils, just a different color, but it definitely was a mutation; otherwise, how could the young man have instantly subdued the female ghost after mutating?
She also saw the young man training the female ghost like taming a wild beast, which stunned Tao Yanyan. In a short time, Tao Yanyan thought a lot. She wanted to join this young man, but she didn't know his character. What if he was like the Tiger King Alliance leader, or even worse?
Tao Yanyan hesitated, but she didn't expect that even though she had hidden herself very well, the young man still discovered her somehow.
After a slight hesitation, Tao Yanyan decided to first test the young man's character.
She was quite confident in her looks. In her youth, she was the campus beauty. Although she was 26 now and had given birth to a child;
She still maintained a graceful figure and beautiful face, adding a touch of mature charm.
She didn't pull out her gun immediately. She wanted to see how the young man would react when he saw her, a seemingly vulnerable woman.
Fortunately, the young man merely glanced at her indifferently and then left. This indifference, ironically, solidified Tao Yanyan’s desperate resolve to go all-in.
She followed the young man for several floors. She hadn't expected the young man to be in the same unit as her. All along the way, she was contemplating how to ask the young man to take her in. She hadn't even finished thinking when the young man stopped and asked her. Mustering her courage, Tao Yanyan decided to tell the truth.
“I’m sorry, I can’t protect you, and I won’t protect you. Don’t follow me anymore.”
In this apocalypse, Zuo Feng was no saint. He knew his capabilities were limited, and one more person meant one more burden on survival. At this moment, he only wanted to protect his Da Bai Tu. With an indifferent glance at the following young woman, Zuo Feng turned to leave.
This blunt refusal, however, made Tao Yanyan’s desire for protection even stronger—if the young man had ill intentions, he certainly wouldn’t have refused so directly!
Seeing Zuo Feng about to leave, Tao Yanyan cried out anxiously:
“Wait! I see you’re injured. I’m not useless, I’m a doctor. I can help you with your wounds, as long as you can protect me. I’ll do anything, even pay any price!”
Tao Yanyan’s voice was filled with urgency. She had already made up her mind that no matter the cost, she would seek the young man’s protection. She was prepared to sacrifice everything, and her last sentence carried a hint of suggestion.
A beautiful woman who was also a doctor, and willing to offer herself, she believed that a young man of his age, full of vigor, would find it hard not to be moved. She wasn't a promiscuous woman, but for her daughter, she could give everything.
Tao Yanyan’s words made Zuo Feng stop, not because of the final hint, but because of the phrase ‘I am a doctor.’ Zuo Feng had been worried about Da Bai Tu’s ankle, fearing a bone injury, and he hadn't expected this young woman to be a doctor.
Zuo Feng turned back to scrutinize Tao Yanyan, a hint of consideration flashing in his eyes. In the apocalypse, the value of a doctor was self-evident; they could ensure the treatment of future injuries and illnesses. But at this moment, Da Bai Tu’s injury was more critical, and Zuo Feng was tempted.
“I can’t guarantee I can protect you indefinitely. The unit next to mine is empty; you can move in there for now. Also, I’ll be leaving before long. At that time, you can decide whether or not to come with us. Within my capabilities, I will provide you with assistance.”
Zuo Feng replied. He wasn't sure if Tao Yanyan was trustworthy, as human hearts were unpredictable in the apocalypse, but he also needed a doctor and planned to find a safe dwelling as soon as possible. At that time, the woman’s decision to stay or leave would be up to her. As for the hint, Zuo Feng understood it but didn't pay it any mind, nor did he have any intention of acting on it.
“Okay, okay, I’ll move now. Can you accompany me to pick up my daughter first? I’ve already packed my luggage, and it’s on the way. I live in this unit.”
Tao Yanyan’s voice held a hint of pleading. Zuo Feng hesitated slightly, then finally nodded.
Tao Yanyan's heart was now surging with excitement. She knew this was the only hope for her and her daughter at the moment—the young man was a Mutant!
How could he not be capable of protecting her and her daughter!
Moreover, she felt that this young man didn't seem to have any bad intentions. He only told her to live next door and didn't make any definitive statements! If he had bad intentions, he would definitely have tried to coax and trick her first.
When Tao Yanyan led Zuo Feng to the fourth floor and opened the door, Zuo Feng was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected this young woman to be the wife of the man who had previously turned his back and waved. What a coincidence, Zuo Feng couldn't help but shake his head. At this moment, Zuo Feng knew what the weapon the young woman had hidden behind her back was: the gun her husband had left her.
Carrying Diamond Girl, Zuo Feng didn't enter the house, but just stood at the doorway waiting. As soon as they reached the door, he sensed Diamond Girl’s aggressive intent. Zuo Feng knew Diamond Girl was targeting the little girl this time. He pressed Diamond Girl down, and this time, with just one press, Diamond Girl quieted down.
Soon, the young woman came out of the house carrying large and small bags, followed by a delicate little girl. The little girl wasn't shy and sweetly called out, ‘Hello, big brother.’ Zuo Feng smiled and nodded in response. After calling out, the little girl quickly covered her mouth and remained silent. Clearly, the young woman must have diligently taught her the ways of survival in the apocalypse these past few days.
“Let’s go!”
Zuo Feng smiled, then turned and led the mother and daughter upstairs. Meanwhile, Ban Gen had already returned to the Tiger King Alliance’s base—the staff dormitory.