Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

Song You’ai’s long string of curses, with barely a single one repeated, left even Xie Ning dumbfounded.

She turned her head and saw Song Kexin staring after her aunt, mouth agape, her eyes filled with utter adoration.

”Auntie is so badass! Auntie, I admire you so much!” Song Kexin clapped enthusiastically, her face filled with excitement.

Xie Ning didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She walked over and ruffled the little girl’s hair. ”Go on, get inside and practice your superpower.”

’Always loves to get in on the action.’

The glorious tale of Song You’ai chasing the Song Kuang couple out of the villa complex with a knife in hand spread throughout the entire area in less than half a day.

「In Chunmei Garden.」

Uncle Ge Liang, who was carefully sharpening his iron axe, held it up to the setting sun to inspect it. ”That wimp Song Kuang can’t control his own wife. His wife must have said something to piss off You’ai.”

Ge Yan, who was drying some sweet potato skins, smiled at his words. ”Life isn’t easy for anyone these days. People shouldn’t be so full of themselves.”

Li Dawei and his sister Li Xiang stood on a second-floor balcony, their faces swollen like pig heads from the beating Xie Ning gave them, and silently exchanged a look.

Li Xiang’s lips trembled as she suddenly said, ”Now even Aunt Song has been corrupted by that violent maniac Xie Ning. Who else can we ask for help in the future?”

”I’ve never seen Aunt Song get angry in all these years. I can’t believe she actually chased the Song Kuang couple with a knife this time.”

’These days are so depressing!’

”I told you Xie Ning was bad news.”

As for the ”bad news,” Xie Ning, she was currently sitting around a table eating with her family.

Gu Chen, Lu Wei, and Zhai Ruobai were over to mooch a meal again.

Grandma Song had cooked a huge pot of braised pork belly today.

The right amount of Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, and ginger were added to a special braised pork sauce, brought to a boil over high heat, then simmered for two hours.

Then, pre-fried golden-brown quail eggs were mixed evenly into the pork. Served with small slices of steamed buns, each bite was an explosion of happiness.

The meat was tender, flavorful, and savory with a hint of spice.

”Grandma, this braised pork belly is too delicious!” Zhai Ruobai, the young man, was so moved by the food he was on the verge of tears.

Even before the apocalypse, a meal like this would have been a true luxury.

’This was the taste of home-cooked food he had been dreaming of!’

Old Mrs. Song looked at them with a wide smile. ”If you like it, come eat here often.”

”Mhm, mhm.” Xue Feng led the chorus of nods, swiftly snatching a piece of meat with his chopsticks, wrapping it in a slice of steamed bun, and stuffing it into his mouth.

For a moment, no one spoke. The only sound was the soft clatter of chopsticks picking up food.

Xie Ning was happily devouring the meat one piece at a time when she suddenly noticed Gu Chen, who was eating gracefully across from her, shift his gaze to her. He was watching her with an unreadable, half-amused smile.

The rapid movements of her hands paused for a moment.

’How can he look so good even when he’s just eating? And he’s actually not eating any slower than his teammates who are busy shoveling down their food...’

Song Kexin popped open a can of soda and took a blissful little sip.

Everyone devoured the food like a whirlwind, polishing off half of the other dishes before their pace finally slowed.

”Auntie, did someone come here to cause trouble this afternoon?” Lu Wei asked.

”Ah, has word of that already reached you?” Comrade Song You’ai was suddenly a bit embarrassed and gave a couple of dry laughs. ”It was nothing, just a few clueless relatives who came to stir up trouble. I’ve already sent them packing.”

”Xiao Gu, Ningning and I went to a container terminal today and saw a lot of cargo ships docked by the shore.”

”But there were a lot of zombies howling on the ships, so we didn’t dare get close.”

”How about we all go together tomorrow?”

”Sure!” Before Gu Chen could reply, Zhai Ruobai was the first to nod. ”Cargo ships? There must be tons of stuff on them! Let’s bring that kid Wu Meng. His Space just leveled up, he can hold a lot of goods now.”

Hearing this, Ji Taixian immediately perked up his ears. ”Wu Meng leveled up? How big is his Space now?”

”Probably around fifty or sixty square meters now?”

Ji Taixian instantly looked smug enough to float to the heavens. ”Oh, that’s pretty good.”

He wore a desperate, smug little expression that screamed, ’Quick, ask me! Ask me!’

His older brother shot him a sidelong glance and completely ignored him.

”They’re electing the base leader tomorrow,” Lu Wei said, extinguishing all of Comrade Zhai Ruobai’s enthusiasm with a single sentence.

”Auntie, something has come up at the base tomorrow. How about we go together the morning after?” Gu Chen said with a gentle smile.

”Okay, okay, it’s not urgent anyway.” Song You’ai nodded. ”We’ll go whenever you all have time.”

”Aunt Song, you’ll take me this time, right?” Ji Taixian raised his hand and called out. ”My Space leveled up too.”

Seeing that no one was asking how big his Space was, his face was full of anticipation, practically begging, ’Come on, ask! Ask me!’

”We won’t leave you out,” Song You’ai laughed.

Everyone selectively ignored his smug face, leaving the poor guy practically bursting with frustration.

”Oh, right, Xiao Gu. Um, Ningning and I talked it over, and, well, is it possible for me to be a temporary worker at the base? I don’t need to be on duty dispensing water every day.” Song You’ai explained with a smile, ”It’s like this, Ningning said she wants to take me out to explore, so I can’t be stuck at the base all day, every day. Sometimes we might go out on a long-distance mission and not be back for a few days.”

Xie Ning kept sipping her yogurt, saying nothing.

When she felt Xiao Gu’s gaze on her, she quietly looked away.

”Auntie, remember to take me on your long-distance missions! I love going out to collect all sorts of supplies!” Zhai Ruobai hurriedly volunteered.

”Aiya, the feeling of opening a blind box, it’s just so good.”

Xiao Bai kept chattering away, but his brother grabbed his head and turned it back around. Gu Chen spoke with a grin, ”That should be possible. I’ll have them draw up a temporary worker contract for you later. Auntie, you can just go to the water station to help out when you have time, and you can be paid per visit.”

’Song You’ai knew it. As long as she asked Xiao Gu, any problem could be solved!’

”Ningning, when are you planning to go on a long-distance mission?”

”Haven’t decided yet,” replied the aforementioned Xie Ning, taking a slurp of her yogurt with perfect composure.

”Is that so?” Gu Chen smiled, his gaze following the young woman like a shadow.

No matter how she turned her head, she could feel the man across from her staring at her, his gaze inexplicably intense and scorching.

The air suddenly fell a little quiet.

It seemed to shimmer with a sweet fragrance.

Song Kexin looked at Gu Chen, then back at her older cousin, a knowing, shipper’s smile spreading across her face as she waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Song Youzhi wished he could just smack his daughter. He let out a deliberately loud cough. ”Then it’s settled.”

”Tomorrow—oh no, the day after tomorrow, I’ll go with you all.”

”If we all go, will Grandpa Song and Grandma Song be in any danger at home?” Xiao Huang Mao piped up.

”Don’t worry, I’ll assign a few people to watch the house. Here in the safe zone, no one should be that foolish.” Gu Chen said with a smile, but his eyes never left Xie Ning.

The slurping sound Xie Ning made as she scraped the inside of her yogurt cup was a little loud.

’So cute,’ Gu Chen thought.

’Just watching the girl eat gave him an inexplicable sense of happiness.’

And so, the matter was settled. Gu Chen and his group took their leave before nine o’clock.