Chapter 43 Staying to Recover from Wounds

Seeing Lin Qingqing relent, both Lei Min and Wen Ling smiled.

"Then when are we leaving?"

Lei Min did not want to stay around this group of people and was eager to leave as soon as possible.

"Let's wait a bit longer. Since we've already arrived, we'll stay here for the night."

Of course Lin Qingqing had no intention of leaving right now. She had come here specifically to find a foothold for Lei Min, and even if they were to leave, she would do it on her own terms.

"Why?" Lei Min was puzzled.

"This place looks quite safe, and it saves us the trouble of finding a place to spend the night. We might as well stay, recover from our injuries, and then leave."

Lin Qingqing was calculating in her mind how to persuade Lei Min to stay.

"Oh! If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot that Sister Lin is still injured! We really should take a good rest!"

Lei Min slapped her forehead in embarrassment, having not the slightest suspicion of Lin Qingqing's motives.

Wen Ling gave Lin Qingqing a suspicious "look" with her unseeing eyes. She always felt that this older sister still had words left unsaid.

Then, having a second thought, she figured: they were all good people, so even if there were other matters, they were probably nothing important.

Seeing that the commotion over there was coming to an end, Lin Qingqing walked straight up to Director Liu, the leader, and looking at his evasive eyes, said, "I covered your retreat, which practically saved your life, didn't it?"

Her words made Director Liu pause. Remembering how fiercely this woman had slaughtered the zombies earlier, Director Liu could not help but shiver.

Then, forcing a smile, he grinned and said, "You must be exhausted. Look, it's already so late, and there are still so many of those man-eating monsters gathered at the street corner outside. Why don't you stay here for the night and leave tomorrow?"

With that, he immediately called over two middle-aged women to arrange a place for them to stay.

Hearing this, Lin Qingqing raised an eyebrow slightly. This played right into her hands. Without declining, she accepted Director Liu's proposal.

Only then did the others in the residential compound notice the two unfamiliar young women. Judging by the way she spoke, she must have quite some skills and had even saved Director Liu's group.

At this moment, Dazhuang's mother, who had been sitting on the ground wailing, finally regained her senses. She wiped away her tears, stumbled over, grabbed Lin Qingqing's arm, and demanded to know why she hadn't saved her son.

"We originally intended to save him, but Auntie Liu pulled us back and wouldn't let us!" Lin Qingqing said with a slight curl of her lips.

Hearing this, Auntie Liu, Liu Huifen, was startled. She hurriedly rushed over, grabbed Dazhuang's mother, and began swearing oaths and crying, weeping that she hadn't mean to do it and that it was merely an accident.

Seeing this, the others quickly chimed in as well:

"Shuzhen, Dazhuang's death was truly an accident. Don't blame Liu Huifen. We watched that boy grow up, how could she possibly harm him?"

"Yes, exactly! Who could have known we'd run into so many monsters? Shuzhen, you need to look on the bright side. The dead cannot be brought back to life."

"Right, right, please accept our condolences."

"Condolences!"

The crowd had witnessed the strength of Lin Qingqing and the other girl, so they dared not offend them too much. However, Dazhuang and Chuanzi were already dead, leaving behind only two useless women in their families.

Furthermore, they had guilty consciences; the deaths of Dazhuang and Chuanzi were more or less connected to them, so naturally, they had to coordinate their stories to wash their hands completely clean of the blame.

Dazhuang's mother looked in disbelief at these neighbors who usually only knew how to flatter and please her, yet were now using such expressions and excuses to brush her off. Grief and anger surged within her heart:

"You... you people..."

"Oh, Shuzhen, don't be too sad. Be careful not to make yourself sick with grief. Let's escort you back so you can have a good rest."

Without even letting Dazhuang's mother finish her sentence, these people grabbed her and Chuanzi's grandmother from all sides and forcibly escorted them back to their home.

This farcical scene thus came to an abrupt end. The surrounding onlookers dispersed, save for the occasional sharp mockery still drifting down from a second-floor window.

As the crowd scattered, Lin Qingqing and Lei Min followed the two middle-aged women to the front of a residential unit.

"This place used to be lived in by two young people. Last year, they bought a house in Rongcheng and moved away. Although the house hasn't been lived in for quite a while, all the furniture is still here, and it's all in the style young people like. Clean it up a bit, and it'll be quite nice."

One of the middle-aged women unlocked the door with a key, introducing the place while inviting them inside.

"This apartment faces south and has brand-new furniture. Director Liu kept holding onto the keys because he couldn't bear to let anyone else live here," the other woman said with a hint of envy.

Lin Qingqing and Lei Min led the young girl Wen Ling inside, looked around, nodded, and politely muttered a brief word of thanks before falling silent.

Noticing the cold and distant attitude of the two, the middle-aged woman rubbed her hands awkwardly and said, "My surname is Dai, and everyone calls me Sister Dai. That..."

"Hmm? Is there something else?" Lin Qingqing asked in surprise, seeing them still lingering in the doorway.

Swept by that cold, chilling gaze, Sister Dai instantly swallowed the words she had originally intended to say.

"Ah, nothing, nothing at all. You rest first; I live right downstairs. If you need anything, you can come find me. We won't disturb you any longer."

With that, she placed the room key on the cabinet by the door and hurriedly pulled the other woman away with her.

"What's wrong with them?" Lei Min asked, somewhat puzzled.

"They're looking for a reward," Wen Ling, who had been silent for a long time, softly said.

With outsiders gone, the young girl seemed much more relaxed.

"A reward? What did they even do to deserve a reward?" Lei Min asked in astonishment.

Looking at this simple-minded companion, Lin Qingqing was slightly speechless. She turned to Wen Ling and said, "My name is Lin Qingqing, and the sister next to me is Lei Min. Why don't you explain it to her?"

Then, turning back to Lei Min, she instructed, "You should also tell Wen Ling about the apocalypse. I'm going to go rest for a bit."

With these instructions given, Lin Qingqing picked up her small shoulder bag and walked toward the bedroom. She needed to tend to her slightly torn wounds first.

Lei Min nodded knowingly, flashed her a reassuring gesture, and pulled Wen Ling down to sit on the nearby sofa.

"Are you really thirteen years old?" Lei Min looked at her thin and petite figure, somewhat suspecting that she had lied about her age.

"I really am thirteen, and I'm already in the third year of junior high!"

"Thirteen and in the third year of junior high? Are you some kind of prodigy?" Lei Min found it hard to believe.

"I skipped grades—twice!" Wen Ling held up two slender fingers.

What she left unsaid was: if her eyes could still see, she would probably already be sitting in a high school classroom by now.

The young girl had no reason to lie about such a thing. So she really was a little genius. Lei Min stared at her in shock, speechless for a long time.

"You... do you have any other relatives left?" Lei Min finally found her voice.

"Apart from my uncle's family who live here, I only have an aunt living abroad. Besides, I don't want to go anywhere else; I just want to follow you!"

Thinking they were still reluctant to accept her, Wen Ling looked anxious.

"We won't stay in any safe place forever, and we don't know what kind of dangers we'll encounter in the future. Following us might not be as good for you as staying in a secure place—that way, you'd at least have a chance to keep studying."

Lei Min thought about it seriously and felt that the girl was still far too young. She had been too hasty earlier. Although Wen Ling's ability was indeed powerful, running around everywhere with them would inevitably put her in danger.

Besides, since the child was so clever, pursuing her education was probably much more suitable for her.

"Why don't you think about it some more?" Lei Min tentatively asked.

Seeing the look of disappointment on the little girl's face, she added on an impulse: "Before you make up your mind, you can keep following us!"

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you!"

Lei Min: "..."