Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

”What does the collapse of Building 86 have to do with us? We’re not the ones who brought it down!” Mrs. Xie Ning roared furiously.

”Looks to me like you’ve got nothing better to do. Are you looking for a fight?”

Li Xiang saw Song You’ai gripping an eighty-centimeter-long blade, her expression utterly ferocious. He hastily backed away a few steps.

”Aunt S-Song, w-why are you being so aggressive? We, we just came to discuss what to do.”

”The village chief’s here! The village chief’s here!” someone on the edge of the crowd kept shouting.

The crowd parted slightly, clearing a path for the village chief, Song Yufu.

Song Yufu’s hair was graying at the temples. He wore a straw hat, and his black T-shirt was crusted with salt from dried sweat.

But despite his age, his back was ramrod straight. On his dark, weathered face, his eyes were sharp and bright.

”You’ai, Xiao Ning, are you two alright?”

”Third Uncle, we’re fine. It’s just... what are all these people here for?”

Song Yufu sighed and pointed across the way. ”In the middle of the night, rats made Building 86 collapse. Now everyone’s terrified and they wanted to come discuss it with you.”

”What an interesting thing to say, Third Uncle.” Song You’ai smirked. ”What is there to discuss with two women?”

”So you’re saying you have no responsibility for the collapse of Building 86?” Li Xiang grumbled. ”Your house is surrounded by metal barbs and an electric fence! The rats always avoid your place and swarm over to ours instead. That’s why they made Building 86 collapse!”

”Pah! Don’t blame the outhouse just because you can’t take a crap.” A sharp-tongued old woman bustled forward, spat in Li Xiang’s direction, then immediately turned to Song You’ai with a broad grin.

”You’ai, didn’t your parents leave with the convoy yesterday? So it’s just the two of you here? Perfect! I’ll bring your Second Uncle and the others, and we’ll all move in with you.”

Song You’ai looked completely baffled and shook her head instinctively. ”I don’t think that would be very convenient, Second Aunt.”

”What’s so inconvenient about it?” Wang Cui, Song Dagong’s wife, scowled. ”If your father and mother were here, they’d never turn our family away.”

Village Chief Song Yufu frowned deeply. ”Second Sister-in-law, you’re all living perfectly fine in Building 97. What’s this about moving? Don’t make a fuss.”

Wang Cui let out a loud ”Aiyah!” and slapped her thigh. ”Oh, Third Uncle, you just don’t know! A whole swarm of rats got into our house last night. If my three strong sons hadn’t wiped them all out, we’d have been gnawed down to the bone by now!”

”But the rats got into so much of the rice and oil we had stored in the cellar! We just want to find a safe place to stay until the troops arrive to rescue us, you know?”

”Don’t you worry, You’ai. We won’t eat your food. We’ll bring our own grain.”

”Wang Cui, you scheming old hag! You’ve really got it all figured out, don’t you? You just see that the Xie Ning’s home is a fortress and you want to come here for shelter.”

”This is something we should all discuss! We’re all neighbors here. If they can move in, why can’t we?”

”Bullshit! This is my Song Family’s house, my eldest brother’s house! You lot are a bunch of nobodies, not related to us in any way. What is there to argue about?”

”Village Chief, what should we do? The rat plague in the village is out of control! They brought down Building 86 yesterday. They could bring down our homes tomorrow or the day after! We demand to be moved to a safe location!”

”That’s right, we want to move into Building 85 too! Village Chief, you can’t play favorites!”

”Right, right!”

”Make way, make way!” Amid the chaotic clamor, several young people strode quickly to the gate of Xie Ning’s house.

A woman in a long, pale white dress—now stained with patches of black and yellow—pointed at Xie Ning and yelled, ”Young Master Zhong, hurry and look! It really is that woman.”

Zhong Shichong swaggered over with a few of his cronies. He looked Xie Ning and her mother up and down, his expression turning foul.

”Heh, so you stayed behind? I thought you were so close to those military officers. Did they actually dump you? Was it because you didn’t know how to appreciate a good thing when you saw it?” Zhong Shichong’s tone was taunting, his eyes filled with scorn.

Without a second thought, Mrs. Xie Ning stepped forward and punched the young man square in the face.

Before Xie Ning could even react, Zhong Shichong was clutching his face, doubled over in pain.

Song You’ai looked at her own fist. ’Did that punch really have that much power?’ she wondered.

’Of course,’ she thought. ’This kid must be weak. He’s just putting on an act!’

”Trying to pull a scam?” Song You’ai snapped. ”I barely touched you. Does it really hurt that much?”

”Young Master Zhong! Young Master Zhong!” a few of his cronies cried, rushing to support him.

Zhong Shichong lowered his hand, revealing a bright red nose. ”You... you crazy woman!” he yelled, flustered and furious.

He sniffled hard, taking a wary half-step back.

Song You’ai raised a clenched fist.

A young woman with exquisite makeup and long, wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, stepped forward in her high heels. Clutching a small, pink designer handbag, she delicately sidestepped a dead rat on the ground with a look of disgust.

”Two hundred thousand. Let us stay for two nights.” The woman raised her chin, her tone practically a command. ”We’ve received reliable information. The troops will get here around September nineteenth.”

She spoke with a superior air, as if she were doing them a massive favor. ”At most, we only need to stay for tonight and tomorrow. Two hundred thousand, just for that.”

Xie Ning had been standing quietly at the iron gate the entire time, watching the pack of morons put on their little show.

Now, however, she couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh.

”Two hundred thousand,” she drawled. ”Wow, that’s so much money.”

”As long as you understand.” The woman tightened her grip on her designer bag. ”We are the young master and young lady of the Zhong Family from Yang City,” she said coolly. ”If you let us stay for a few nights, there will be plenty of benefits for you later on.”

”If two hundred thousand is so much money, you should try sleeping on it. See if it can protect you from disasters and rats.”

”Take your two hundred thousand and get lost,” Xie Ning said with a cold smile. ”This is my home, not a hotel. We’re not welcoming any guests.”

The color drained from Zhong Yaying’s exquisitely made-up face.

’In her twenty-eight years of life, she had been able to buy anything she wanted. She never imagined a day would come when money was useless.’

”Out of the way, out of the way!” Wang Cui shoved the pale Zhong Yaying aside and pushed her way in front of Xie Ning and her mother. ”Xie Ning, how can you say that? What do you mean you’re not welcoming anyone? Are we strangers to you?”

”Hah! Your mother married out of the family, and you’re just a maternal granddaughter of the Old Song Family. This house belongs to us, the Old Song Family! Why can’t we, as members of the Old Song Family, live here?”

”Second Grand-Aunt,” Xie Ning said with a faint smile. ”If you don’t want to get hit, I suggest you back off. I’m counting to three. One... two...!”

Wang Cui shuddered, and for some reason, found herself taking several steps back.

’The look in that little brat Xie Ning’s eyes... it didn’t seem like she was joking.’

”Good.” Xie Ning smiled at her, satisfied. Her cool gaze swept over the crowd. ”Let me repeat myself. This is my home, not a hotel.”