Chapter Fourteen: Living Alone

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Qingqing Lin was forced to leave her original residential complex. She had just awakened her supernatural ability and was still inexperienced in using it. She had only brought enough food for three days, so being utterly destitute was an accurate description.

A few scattered zombies roamed the roads around the complex, but the traffic was still relatively smooth.

At the sound of a car engine starting, the nearby zombies all converged toward the noise.

Qingqing dared not stop. Drawing on the surge of adrenaline from her earlier escape, she floored the accelerator and barreled straight onto the main road.

Shops lined both sides of the street, with most of the zombies gathered on the sidewalks. Racing onward, Qingqing drove her car into a nearby park.

Fortunately, since the apocalypse had erupted at night, the park was deserted except for two zombies in security uniforms stationed at the entrance.

Parking on a patch of grass, she gazed at the quiet, empty park and let out a deep, relieved breath.

She desperately needed rest. Her body had never fully recovered, and after a morning of frantic running, outwitting Zhou Mang and his group, and finally escaping by car, she had been tense the entire time.

Only now could she finally allow herself to relax.

Once she let down her guard, an overwhelming ache and weakness spread through her limbs. Qingqing forced herself to eat a little, then locked the car doors and finally allowed herself to close her eyes for a short nap.

About twenty minutes later, she opened her eyes. The wilderness was dangerous, and if she had not been so exhausted, she would never have dared to rest.

After resting, Qingqing felt much better. People’s physical fitness had improved significantly after the apocalypse, especially those who had awakened supernatural abilities.

Earlier that morning, she and Zhou Mang’s group had sprinted through the complex at speeds comparable to professional sprinters, leaving those without abilities far behind.

If she hadn’t been lucky enough to awaken her powers the day before, she would have surely fallen into Zhou Mang’s hands, and her fate—life or death—would have been out of her control.

Recalling the vile curses yelled at her by that group, her expression darkened.

She clenched her fingers, knowing well that this grudge was sealed—they wouldn’t let her go, and if given the chance, she would not spare them either.

Rubbing her temples, Qingqing tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully, beginning to consider her survival strategy.

China was prosperous. Although the Golden City she lived in couldn’t compare to the first- or second-tier metropolises, it was still one of the most bustling satellite cities around Rong City.

Stores and restaurants were everywhere on the streets. Passing by several just now, she noticed many had not yet been looted, so supplies of food and daily necessities were still sufficient for the time being.

Her most urgent priority now was to find a safe place she could call home.

Ideally, it would be somewhere no one had been when the apocalypse broke out, and where no one went afterward—such as an elementary school or kindergarten.

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Fortunately, not far from her complex there was a public kindergarten. The children didn’t board there, and except for a few duty teachers, no one would have stayed in such a place when the apocalypse arrived.

Conveniently, there was a street outside the kindergarten filled with small shops and eateries, a ready-made supply hub.

Having made her decision, Qingqing drove to the kindergarten’s gate.

Peering inside from the gate, she saw a zombie in the guardhouse on the left and another by the security room on the right.

But the zombie by the security room looked disheveled: an entire arm was missing, and its leg seemed barely hanging on.

Qingqing parked by the roadside, grabbed her folding shovel, hoisted her backpack, and carefully climbed over the corner of the gate.

The zombie in the guardhouse couldn’t get out but kept banging on the door with heavy grunts. The other zombie, limping, slowly shuffled toward her.

Having killed zombies before, Qingqing had gained some experience. She pursed her lips, tightened her grip on the shovel, then dashed forward and struck the limping zombie’s neck with a blow.

Her strength had improved significantly. The zombie’s head tilted to one side but it was not yet dead.

Qingqing continued swinging the shovel, circled behind the zombie, and struck the back of its neck again. This time, the crooked head finally fell off.

The zombie collapsed, its mouth opening and closing grotesquely. Disgusted, Qingqing used the shovel to push its head and body aside.

After killing two zombies, her shovel was already somewhat bent. She would need to find a new weapon.

She decided not to bother with the guardhouse zombie, instead turning toward the security room.

The security room was larger than the guardhouse, with a reception area outside and a small room inside, likely a resting place for guards.

Judging by the setup, there should have been two guards on duty, but only one zombie was outside.

Searching inside and out, Qingqing found a police baton and a riot shield, as well as various tools like shovels and hammers. However, the slot where the fire axe should have been was empty.

This reminded her of the limping zombie’s missing arm and leg. Qingqing suspected the other guard might still be alive and that the zombie outside was probably wounded by the fire axe.

A fire axe was a good weapon against zombies. She glanced longingly at the empty slot but shook her head regretfully.

Besides these scattered items, she found several buckets of instant noodles and a few energy drinks in the security room’s cabinets.

She loaded all these supplies into her car, then planned to continue exploring the kindergarten.

If she was to settle here, she needed to ensure the surrounding area was safe.

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The kindergarten wasn’t very large. The courtyard was neat and square. After glancing at the four-story teaching building on the left, Qingqing decided to first inspect the smaller two-story cafeteria on the right.

The cafeteria was much smaller than the teaching building. Both doors on the first floor were locked from the outside, and she couldn’t open them. So she turned and went upstairs.

There was a window on the second floor that could be opened. Qingqing removed the screen and climbed inside.

The interior was very clean, with stainless steel counters and cupboards.

She searched everywhere but found no vegetables or meat—likely because the cafeteria used only fresh ingredients delivered daily. However, there were plenty of rice, flour, and seasonings, and the stove worked normally, which would make cooking easier.

Meanwhile, the four-story teaching building was filled with classrooms where children normally studied and played. There was nothing special.

Every classroom was locked, with toys and desks neatly arranged. Qingqing inspected each one but found no signs of recent activity.

Just as she had predicted, the kindergarten was completely deserted.

Going downstairs, she pried open the main door and brought her car inside. If nothing went wrong, and without the strength to protect herself, she would stay here for the time being.

There was nothing useful in the teaching building, so Qingqing planned to live in the cafeteria.

She moved several blankets from the room where children napped and spread them out on the spacious stainless-steel counter on the second floor, which made a perfectly adequate bed.

She pried open the first-floor door and found it wasn’t much different from the second floor, though the second floor seemed to be used for baking and thus cleaner.

Not feeling like cooking today, she opened a cup of instant noodles, poured in hot water, and quietly waited, hugging the cup.

Zhou Mang and his gang had become the dominant force in the complex. They would never leave just to hunt her down, so as long as she deliberately avoided them, she would be safe.

But how had they found her before?

Qingqing couldn’t figure it out. They hadn’t witnessed her killing that petty thief, and they never even came face-to-face. How could they be so certain she was the murderer?

She finished the noodles without finding an answer and decided to set the question aside for now.