Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

Song Kuang stood meekly at the iron gate, rubbing his hands. ”Kexin, is Ms. You’ai home?”

Song Kuang’s wife kicked her husband hard, disgusted with him for being so clueless.

”Kexin, we’re here to see Uncle and Aunt Song, and also to thank Ms. You’ai.”

”Mom, it smells like braised pork.” The tall, heavyset boy trailing behind the couple took a few deep sniffs of the fragrant air, his eyes suddenly lighting up with delight.

Seeing this, Song Kexin quickly blocked the doorway, preventing them from entering. ”What do you want? Thank us for what? My grandparents aren’t home.”

”Honestly, this child...” A look of displeasure crossed the face of Song Kuang’s wife. ”We’re not here to see you. Move aside, move aside.”

”Mom, I want meat.” Song Jiabao, smelling the waves of fragrant meat in the air, boomed in a thick voice, ”Braised pork!” He was practically drooling.

Song Kuang’s wife was craving it badly herself. It had been ages since her family had eaten meat. Forget the child; even she found it hard to control herself when she smelled it.

But Song Kexin stubbornly blocked the doorway, refusing to let them in, and Song Kuang’s wife couldn’t help but get angry.

”Kexin, you child! Didn’t your father ever teach you to be polite to your elders? Move aside, move aside.” She reached out to push Song Kexin but was startled by a flicker of flame that suddenly appeared before her eyes.

If she hadn’t pulled her hand back fast enough, the flame would have burned her fingers.

”You’re a Superpower User?” Song Jiabao’s eyes widened, his face a mask of disbelief.

’Some girl is a Superpower User? And he wasn’t one yet.’

Song Kexin glanced at the tall, heavyset boy and waved her hand impatiently. ”Get out, get out. You’re not welcome here.”

”Song Kexin, you’ve got some nerve! How dare you talk to my mother like that?” The large boy glared, his eyes wide like a bull’s, trying to shove past Song Kuang’s wife and force his way in.

”You’re just a worthless daughter of the Old Song Family! What right do you have to act so high and mighty in front of us?”

Song Kexin bristled with rage. ”Who are you calling a worthless daughter, huh?”

”I’m talking about you!” Song Jiabao raised his voice to a shout. ”My mom said it! Girls like you who marry out of the family are all worthless!”

’Why should a worthless daughter get to live in such a nice house and eat braised pork at every meal?’

’This was the kind of treatment a male heir of the Old Song Family should be getting!’

’What right did worthless daughters who marry out, like them, have to enjoy the Song Family’s excellent living conditions?’

When Song Jiabao thought of his own shabby tent—unbearably stuffy, constantly noisy, and frequently visited by thieves in the middle of the night—he gritted his teeth in silent resentment.

’Shouldn’t the big villa be inherited by him, a male heir of the Song Family?’

His entire worldview was shaken, and his face was a picture of discontent.

Seething, Song Kexin gritted her teeth and suddenly hurled a small Fireball at Song Jiabao’s face. ”Scram!”

”Ah!” Song Kuang’s wife shrieked, hastily dragging her son backward.

Song Kexin was just trying to scare the mother and son; naturally, the Fireball wasn’t going to actually hit him in the face.

It dissipated into nothingness before it could even touch Song Jiabao.

She calmed down, remembering the base’s rule against personal fights.

Even though their family had strong ties to Brother Gu Chen’s group, Song Kexin didn’t want to make things difficult for the military personnel.

If she really burned them with her Superpower Fire, it would only put Brother Gu Chen and his people in an awkward position.

Song You’ai had already run downstairs by this time.

Grandma Song came out of the kitchen holding a spatula and wiped her hands on her apron. ”Who’s making such a ruckus outside?”

”It’s nothing, Mom. You’re busy. I’ll go take a look.”

Xie Ning sniffed the air and said softly, ”Grandma, are you making braised pork?”

”That’s right.” Old Mrs. Song beamed at her granddaughter. ”You have to start the braised pork early and let it simmer on low heat until it’s nice and tender. My Ningning loves it.”

”Mhm, mhm.” Xie Ning nodded her head like a little chick pecking at grains.

Song Shijun poked his head out from the adjacent tea room. ”Need any help?”

”No need.” Song You’ai smiled at her nephew.

”Then I’ll get back to my shooting practice with Brother Zongxuan.”

”Okay, go ahead.” Song You’ai watched with a gratified expression as her nephew pulled his head back and shut the door.

The boys had started converting the tea room into a training room and would have spent twenty-four hours a day practicing their physical skills in there if they could.

Neither Song You’ai nor Xie Ning disturbed them. They opened the villa’s main door, locked it behind them, and walked out into the yard.

The mother-daughter pair knew full well that this was no friendly visit.

Song Kuang’s family wouldn’t show up unless they wanted something!

Xie Ning strolled over with her mother and immediately saw Song Kuang’s family, blocked from entering by Song Kexin.

Song Xue was squatting inconspicuously to the side like a frightened little mouse, curled up and not daring to look up.

Song Zhaodi stood uneasily behind the family of three, wringing her hands and looking toward Xie Ning and her mother with an apologetic gaze.

Having been forced to back away from the door, Song Kuang’s wife stood with her hands on her hips, fuming. The moment she saw Song You’ai, she immediately put on an aggrieved act and cried, ”Ms. You’ai! Sis! Look at this niece of yours! Is this any way to treat her elders? She’s gone too far!”

”I seem to recall the first rule of this base is no fighting and no unauthorized use of superpowers. Your niece has gotten pretty bold, hasn’t she? Trying to set her own family on fire! If she had actually burned my Jia Bao, could you have afforded to pay for it?”

Song Kexin puffed up her cheeks angrily. ”If your lunkhead son hadn’t been trying to force his way into our house, would I have done anything? Look at how desperate you all are. I thought we were being robbed!”

”You!” The dark, thin, simian face of Song Kuang’s wife flushed red. She let out a single, shrill syllable before becoming too enraged to speak.

Song You’ai quickly stepped in as a peacemaker, smiling to smooth things over. ”Alright, that’s enough. Xinxin, you can’t speak to your aunt like that.”

She smiled cheerfully at Song Kuang’s wife. ”Gui Lan, what brings you here so suddenly?”

The face of Song Kuang’s wife was sullen, her facial muscles twitching slightly as she forced a stiff smile. ”Well, it’s like this, Ms. You’ai. My husband and I heard that you went to all the trouble of bringing Zhaodi back to the base, so we came especially to thank you.”

Song Kexin, standing by the door, gave a small, disdainful smirk. ’Never seen anyone show up empty-handed to say thanks before.’

’Talk is cheap. If you’re really thankful, you should show it with actions.’

Song Kuang’s dark face flushed slightly. He wrung his hands, looking at Song You’ai uneasily. ”Ms. You’ai, I’m sorry for dropping in on you like this.”

Song You’ai maintained a pleasant expression. ”Song Kuang, I know the saying is ’every man for himself’ when disaster strikes, but Zhaodi is your own flesh and blood. Was it really appropriate to just throw your child to a horde of zombies?”

”No, it wasn’t appropriate, not at all.” Song Kuang said, rubbing his hands in shame. ”If Ms. You’ai hadn’t stepped in to help, we would have lost Zhaodi. Zhaodi, Zhaodi, come here! Kowtow to your aunt and thank her for saving your life.”

”There’s no need for that.” The moment Song You’ai saw what the couple was up to, she lost all patience. ”Don’t pull that routine on me.”

’What century are we in? Still trying to kowtow at the drop of a hat. Doesn’t it give them the creeps?’