As Zuo Feng was deep in thought, the bedroom door gently opened, and A Mao emerged, dressed in clean clothes.
Seeing the clothes A Mao had on, Zuo Feng couldn't help but smile.
The clothes originally belonged to Da Bai Tu, and of course, they fit Da Bai Tu's figure.
Given Da Bai Tu's plumpness and magnificent curves, it was easy to imagine how ill-fitting her clothes would be on A Mao.
The loose hem of the garment reached her knees, and the cuffs almost covered her fingers, further highlighting A Mao's petite stature.
She lowered her head and tugged at the hem of her clothes, trying to make herself look tidier, unaware that this appearance only made her seem more adorable in Zuo Feng's eyes.
Zuo Feng suppressed his laughter and said softly, "Sit down, don't be too nervous, relax."
A Mao sat down as instructed, her hands clasped tightly, her body tense, a hint of unease and shyness in her eyes.
Zuo Feng couldn't help but shake his head slightly at the sight.
He tried to ease A Mao's tension with a topic: "You little girl, weren't you afraid of getting sick, getting yourself so dirty before?"
A Mao pursed her lips and replied softly, "I'm used to it. When the apocalypse came, my mother taught me to do this. My mother said I must never let outsiders see what I look like, otherwise it would be dangerous."
She hung her head, her voice mumbling.
Zuo Feng's heart softened at her words.
Zuo Feng didn't ask about A Mao's mother, because he knew A Mao's mother was no longer alive, otherwise she wouldn't have left A Mao alone in the town to await death. Such questions would only touch upon her pain.
Zuo Feng sighed softly and said gently, "It's alright. Once we get to the place I told you about, you won't have to worry about these things anymore. There's safe housing and plenty of food there, and you won't have to live this anxious life anymore."
A glimmer of hope flashed in A Mao's eyes, and her tightly clasped hands gradually relaxed, as if she saw a ray of hope in Zuo Feng's words.
A Mao hesitantly looked up, tears glistening in her eyes, and asked softly, "Really? Does such a place truly exist?" The arrival of the apocalypse had left A Mao's once innocent heart scarred.
Zuo Feng nodded firmly, his eyes radiating a warm light: "Of course, I promise. There are many people like you there, and they've all found new lives."
A Mao's tears welled up in her eyes and finally rolled down her cheeks. She bit her lip, trying hard to suppress her emotions.
She whispered, "Zuo-dage, my name is Mao Duoduo…"
After speaking, she abruptly got up and limped into the bedroom.
Zuo Feng looked at the gently closed door, a complex emotion welling up in his heart.
However, A Mao had shed all her disguises in front of him, which should mean she recognized him as an "outsider."
Zuo Feng took a deep breath, slowly stood up, walked into another bedroom, gently closed the door, lay on the bed, and closed his eyes, but his mind was filled with A Mao's tearful eyes.
Those tearful eyes seemed to speak of endless sorrow and longing, and also revealed the loneliness and helplessness of so many people in the apocalypse.
At the same time, Miss Xiao Rou was sitting in a dimly lit room.
After leaving Zuo Feng's residence, she immediately contacted the Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun who had previously sold experimental data.
Fortunately, it wasn't the first time he had sold such data, and he had backup data and reagents that should have been destroyed as failed products at home.
The transaction location he agreed upon with her was this secluded cottage. Miss Xiao Rou wasn't worried that he would do anything to her, after all, given his status, there were plenty of women who wanted to get into his bed.
If it weren't for her being a receptionist at the Bounty Hall, interacting with many people, and him wanting to do some private work through them, Miss Xiao Rou wouldn't even have had the chance to meet him.
How could such an important person target a small fry like her? So Miss Xiao Rou sat there confidently, patiently waiting for his arrival.
She had already agreed on a price with him, nine six-line zombie crystals, and he readily agreed; if the reagents and data backups weren't at his home, they would have concluded the deal much earlier.
Time passed minute by minute. In the dim room, Miss Xiao Rou's gaze occasionally swept towards the door, secretly hoping he would appear soon.
Finally, a faint sound of footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a portly middle-aged man with a chubby face pushing the door open.
Miss Xiao Rou recognized him at a glance; it was the Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun, the object of her transaction.
Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun's face was covered in a greasy smile, his gaze sweeping over Miss Xiao Rou. He placed the document bag and a box containing experimental reagents on the table and said softly, "Miss Xiao Rou, everything is here. Take a look… If there are no problems, we can complete the transaction."
Although Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun was subordinate to Ye Wenwen in his position at the Laboratory, his status in Mo Wentianya was in no way inferior to Ye Wenwen's.
Because he was not only an experienced research expert but also a top-tier powerhouse who had lit the Six Lotus Seeds.
Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun, both before and after the apocalypse, was obsessed with accumulating wealth and conducting research. He had privately sold reagents and research data no less than five times, making him very experienced.
Moreover, Ye Wenwen also knew about his private sales of research data and reagents, but they were all phased reagents and failed experimental data, which had little impact on the overall situation, so Ye Wenwen turned a blind eye.
Miss Xiao Rou carefully inspected the document bag and the reagent box, and after confirming everything was in order, she took out nine six-line zombie crystals from her pocket and handed them to Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun.
Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun quickly took the loss crystals, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes, then he resumed his greasy smile: "A pleasure doing business, Miss Xiao Rou. If there's ever another deal like this, don't forget to come directly to me."
Miss Xiao Rou smiled slightly, secretly relieved, and nodded in response: "I certainly will, Laboratory Director Bu."
She quickly put away the document bag and the reagent box, then stood up and left.
Miss Xiao Rou was well aware that the status difference between them was too great. The reason Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun was so polite to her was entirely for profit.
It was impossible for them to have too deep a social connection; maintaining a simple transactional relationship, mutually beneficial, was enough, so she didn't say anything more to Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun.
Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun watched her leave, and after her figure disappeared outside the door, he slowly sat down, nodding to himself. He preferred such clean and straightforward transactions, which saved both time and effort.
Unlike the previous few transactions, where even after the deal was done, those receptionists kept pestering him, trying to get into his bed, which was utterly annoying.
He wasn't uninterested in women; his only interest in women was to dissect them or turn them into experimental subjects, studying their reactions under the influence of reagents.
This interest far surpassed physical pleasure, allowing him to focus more on the pursuit of scientific research to the extreme.
Laboratory Director Bu Yanyun caressed the nine six-line zombie crystals in his hand, a slight excitement in his heart. These nine loss crystals were enough for him to conduct a series of advanced experiments in his private Laboratory, and he even hoped to break through his current research bottleneck.
On the other side, Zuo Feng, lying in bed, tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
A Mao's tearful eyes, and her longing and unease about the future, kept appearing in Zuo Feng's mind.
A Mao's situation was too special, and Zuo Feng wasn't sure if A Mao would truly survive even if he sent her back to Firefly Base.