Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

Song You’ai’s mouth fell open. She stared wide-eyed as the Passat swerved erratically and sped away.

”Isn’t that Song Kuang’s eldest daughter, Song Zhaodi?” Song You’ai watched the scene, stunned.

Xie Ning didn’t recognize her.

The skinny girl scrambled up from the ground and fled in a panic, several howling zombies chasing after her.

The zombies ran at the speed of a normal human, and it looked like they would grab Song Zhaodi’s shoulder within a few steps.

A Metal Spike suddenly shot out of the car window, pierced the back of a zombie’s head, and went clean through.

Song Zhaodi was sobbing as she ran for her life. Suddenly, she heard several heavy thuds from behind her.

She turned to look and saw that all the zombies that had been howling and chasing her were now lying motionless on the ground.

She broke out in a cold sweat. Her already grimy face, now drenched, looked even more wretched.

Song Zhaodi collapsed to her knees. She had been too terrified to notice while fleeing, but now that she had stopped, she felt a sharp, piercing pain in the sole of her foot.

Looking down, she saw she had run out of one of her shoes.

Song Zhaodi gasped for air, her throat dry and sore.

She looked up and saw a fair-skinned young girl jump quickly out of the RV and run toward a nearby slope.

When she returned, she was carrying two large plastic bags of drinks—the very ones they had dropped while fleeing, which she had picked up along the way.

All sorts of milk tea, coffee, green tea, and oolong tea—Xie Ning had filled two huge bags to the brim.

Hopping back into the RV, the young girl went behind the booth seats, pulled out a large plastic bucket, climbed into the front passenger seat, and grinned at Comrade Song You’ai. ”Mom, some ice cubes, please.”

With a wave of her hand, Song You’ai created several ice cubes of various sizes. Xie Ning emptied one plastic bag of drinks into the bucket, buried them in the ice, and stirred them around.

She tossed the other bag of drinks onto the floor by the booth seats.

Song You’ai glanced at Song Zhaodi, who was drenched in sweat and limping over to put on her shoe. ”Let’s take her back to the base.”

”Okay.” Xie Ning nodded.

Song You’ai opened a side door and called out, ”Zhaodi, Zhaodi, get in. Your aunt will take you back.”

Song Zhaodi lowered her head, wiping away the tears that smeared her face. She hurried to the side of the RV and self-consciously brushed the dust off her clothes.

”It’s okay, get in.” Song You’ai sighed inwardly.

’They’re all children of the Old Song Family, but Shijun and Xinxin are so happy.’

’And this child... sigh.’

’Song Kuang and his wife are really scum, abandoning their own daughter when they fled. Their own flesh and blood!’

Song Zhaodi got into the RV but didn’t dare sit on the clean, genuine leather booth seats.

Seeing her about to sit on the floor, Song You’ai quickly said, ”Go on and sit, Zhaodi, it’s alright! Don’t sit on the floor, sit on the seat. Your aunt is taking you back to the base right now.”

”Thank you, Auntie.” Song Zhaodi’s eyes turned red.

Song You’ai gave her a kind smile. Noticing the girl’s cracked lips in the rearview mirror, she couldn’t help but ask, ”Zhaodi, are you very thirsty? Come get some water to drink.”

Xie Ning rummaged in a storage compartment, pulled out two bags of her mother’s homemade superpower water, and handed them to Song Zhaodi, who had stooped over to come closer.

’These disposable, self-standing spout pouches were something Mom asked Xiao Gu for...’

’Xiao Gu sent several boxes, and each bag can hold 570ml of water.’

’They’re called disposable pouches, but as long as they aren’t punctured or dirtied, you can obviously keep using them.’

Xie Ning was now realizing that in her mother’s mind, Xiao Gu seemed to have everything. If they were missing something, they just had to ask Xiao Gu, and he’d surely have it.

When Song Zhaodi received the two heavy bags of water, tears instantly streamed down her face. ”Thank you, Auntie. Thank you, Ningning.”

”It’s alright, it’s alright. What are you crying for, child? Go sit back down and drink.”

Song Zhaodi returned to the booth seat.

Xie Ning turned to watch her carefully twist open the spout cap and take tiny sips. Feeling a bit unsettled, she put away the half-finished soy milk she had been drinking.

’Times are tough, and even tougher for women.’

Song You’ai drove, occasionally stealing glances at Song Zhaodi in the rearview mirror.

She saw the girl drink only half a bag of water before licking the spout and twisting the cap back on.

Song You’ai wanted to urge her to drink more, but she held back the words on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she asked, ”Will the base provide drinking water in the future?”

”They should,” Xie Ning affirmed with a nod.

’Once the base announces a series of policies and a Water Ability User is stationed there, everything should slowly start getting back to normal.’

’At that point, Mom’s Water Ability won’t be so rare anymore, so it’ll naturally be fine to reveal it.’

Xie Ning glanced at her mother.

Comrade Song You’ai nodded in understanding.

She understood what her daughter meant: don’t be the first to show your hand, at least not before you have enough strength to protect yourself.

The vehicle returned along the original route by Ta Lake. The road near the supermarket was gradually filling with cars, some of which were forcefully cutting in line.

When Xie Ning saw a third car cut in, she got annoyed.

She stuck her head out the window and yelled angrily, ”You’re still cutting in when we’re this close? Are you crazy?”

The ever-gentle Comrade Song You’ai just smiled. ”Oh, well, if they’re in a hurry, just let them be. It’s no big deal if we have to wait a little.”

’I should be the one driving,’ Xie Ning thought. ’With Mom’s mild, passive nature, who knows how long we’ll be stuck in this line.’

Song You’ai glanced at her daughter. Seeing the girl hugging a bucket of iced drinks, pouting and turning her head away in a huff, looking absolutely adorable, she wanted to laugh.

”Alright, alright, Mom won’t let them anymore.” Song You’ai pressed on the accelerator to stay close to the car ahead, placating her bristling little daughter. ”Looks like a lot of people made it to the base today.”

Gates One and Two were registration points for newcomers, so Song You’ai followed the car in front toward Gate Three. Even though they didn’t need to register, the mandatory health checks still took a lot of time.

By the time it was the mother and daughter’s turn, Xie Ning checked her phone and saw it was almost 2:30.

In front of the base’s three entrance gates, two people in white coats were seated at each.

They had set up several crude-looking machines specifically for scanning. They said it could check for simple surface injuries, which saved a lot of examination time.

Song You’ai stuck her head out of the driver’s window and waved vigorously at Zhai Ruobai, who wasn’t far away.

Xiao Bai hurried over, a wide smile on his face. ”Auntie, you’re back?”

Xie Ning pulled a bottle of iced oolong tea from the bucket she was holding. ”Here, to cool you down.”

”Wow, thanks, Ningning.” The young man’s face lit up as he felt the icy chill of the bottle in his hand.

A messy white-haired head suddenly popped up beside Zhai Ruobai. ”Hey, do I get one too?”

Song You’ai laughed immediately. ”Yes, yes, of course. Xiao Yu, what are you doing on guard duty here too?”

”Auntie, I’m here to calibrate the machines.”

”Come, come, what would you like to drink?”

”Auntie, I’ll take that bottle... that bottle of coffee.”

Xie Ning rolled her eyes. She had just fished the coffee out of the ice bucket when her mom snatched it away and handed it to Yu Tianfeng with a beaming smile.

”Xiao Yu, you’ve all worked hard. Make sure to stay cool and hydrated.”

”Thanks, Auntie.” Yu Tianfeng flashed a bright, dazzling smile, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.