Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

Chen Xiao and Zhou Tong’s eyes widened.

’Wow, this Captain Xie must be an angel sent from heaven.’

She brought exactly what they needed. Their team was short on Wood and Earth Element users, and just the other day their captain was muttering about needing to expand the team. They were even planning to hold a public recruitment drive at the Survivor Center in a couple of days.

A smile touched Chen Xiao’s eyes. ”This is great news. Captain Xie, please keep them here for now. We’ll tell our captain when she gets back.”

Xie Ning nodded. She turned to the somewhat uneasy Ah Liang and Da Xiong and patted one of them on the arm. ”Don’t worry, the captain and the others are all very easy to get along with. From now on, we’re all in the same boat. We’ll share whatever we have, be it porridge or meat. It’ll definitely be much better than living with that Holy Mother of yours!”

”What Holy Mother?” Zhou Tong and the others asked in confusion.

Xie Ning gave them a smile. ”Let Ah Liang and Da Xiong tell you themselves. You all have a good chat. I’ll be on my way!”

Chen Xiao smiled and walked her to the door. ”Alright. When our captain gets back, she’ll thank you personally, Captain Xie.”

Xie Ning waved and cheerfully returned to her own courtyard.

After shutting the door, she lifted a hand and recalled all the shelves, large and small, the piles of supplies, and even the mineral water and camphorwood chests on the ground back into her personal Space.

Just then, she heard a BANG BANG at the gate.

Xie Ning yanked open the courtyard gate, only to see Song Youzhi, Wang Zongxuan, and Yuan carrying two boxes and several bags inside.

”Everything from the small truck is here,” Song Youzhi said with a smile. ”There are some compressed biscuits, instant noodles, self-heating meals, and a few fruits, like green apples grown by a Wood Element Superpower User.”

”I took a bite. They’re incredibly tart! Not good at all.”

Xie Ning nodded with an amused smile. ”Just put this stuff in the living room. It’ll be easier for everyone to pack their bags.”

”Okay.” Song Youzhi said, carrying the large box inside. ”Ningning, you can put the small truck away now. It’s a nice vehicle; the Avalanche Team modified it by adding iron plates to three sides. Heh heh.”

The truck was far more valuable than the supplies—it was a real score.

Xie Ning murmured her assent and glanced over to see Yu Tianfeng walking out of the red-tiled house, his hair a complete mess.

”Let’s go stow the vehicles.” She called him over, grabbed Ji Taixian, and the three of them walked to the gate.

Ji Taixian waved his hand for show.

Yu Tianfeng made a show of stowing the pickup truck, while Xie Ning instantly stored the minivan and the small box truck in her subspace garage.

The three of them returned to the courtyard and locked the gate.

Xie Ning pulled Ji Taixian over to a corner of the yard.

She had Ji Taixian wave his hand as a pretense while she took out two brand-new hoverboards and three electric scooters from her subspace garage.

The moment Cres saw the hoverboards, he immediately pulled Zhu Nanxing over to play on them.

Paying them no mind, Xie Ning turned and waved Su Xiyue over. ”Yueyue, you know that girl Lin Yiyi, don’t you?”

”Mhm.” Su Xiyue lowered her head, looking unhappy. ”Lin Yiyi was my deskmate. I don’t understand how she became like this.”

Xie Ning took her younger cousin’s hand, led her over to the covered walkway, and sat down on a bench.

”How much do you know about her family?”

”I only know that she’s from a single-parent home. She’s always lived with her mother and seems to have never met her father.” Su Xiyue suddenly looked up at her older cousin.

”Cousin, did she... did she really control those stray Zombie Cats to attack everyone?”

Xie Ning nodded and patted Su Xiyue’s head. ”One hundred percent.”

”She is an extremely dangerous person. You need to be wary of her. If she tries to talk to you, just ignore her, okay?”

Su Xiyue nodded obediently. ”Okay, Cousin. I’ll be careful.”

”I’ll learn from my big brothers and cousins.” Su Xiyue suddenly clenched her small fists. ”Even though I don’t have a superpower, I can still train with Brother Zongxuan and the others every day.”

A smile appeared in Xie Ning’s eyes as she hummed softly in response.

Just then, the sound of Zhu Nanxing and Cres’s laughter echoed from the yard. ”HA HA HA!” The two boys were on the hoverboards, zipping around the courtyard, spinning in circles as they chased each other playfully.

Su Xiyue looked up toward them.

Xie Ning patted her shoulder. ”Go on, go play.”

Su Xiyue happily ran over to join them.

Song Youxuan watched her daughter run off with a smile, then lowered her voice and said to Xie Ning, ”Ningning, is that Lin Yiyi girl really a problem?”

”Didn’t Li Dawei and his men say they were going to send Yan Zhong’s group to the base prison for hard labor?”

A glint flashed in Xie Ning’s eyes.

’Yan Zhong and his men were never going to make it to prison alive.’

’But Lin Yiyi, that piece of trouble, hadn’t died. I still have to find a chance to strangle this problem in the cradle before she fully blossoms into a psychopath.’

”Sis, guess how many Crystal Cores we earned from our stall this morning?” Song Kexin sidled up to her, a mysterious smile on her face.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

The loud, clanging sound of someone pounding on the large iron gate made them all jump.

”Who is it?!” Cres zoomed over on his hoverboard, angrily yanked open the iron gate, and glared at Li Dawei and Li Xiang outside.

”Why are you two here again?” Song Youzhi came running out, and upon seeing them, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’Were the Li siblings the reincarnation of some lingering, pestering ghosts?’

’They spent all day clinging to his family’s Ningning and just wouldn’t let go, would they?’

”Didn’t we agree we’d come trade for water?” Li Dawei bellowed.

Li Xiang pushed Cres out of the way, followed her brother inside, and looked around with shifty eyes. ”Bro, their courtyard is way bigger than ours!”

Just looking at how high the walls were stacked, it felt much more imposing and far more secure than the small courtyard house they were renting.

”This is a large courtyard residence, and we’re in a small one. How can you even compare them?” Li Dawei snapped.

”Xie Ning, did you have an Earth Ability User rebuild this place?” Li Xiang babbled, her eyes full of envy as she stared at their walls, which were over two meters high.

”Come back tonight for the water trade. My mom isn’t back yet.” Xie Ning waved her hand, signaling to her uncle to get rid of them.

”We’re dying of thirst!” Li Xiang yelled. ”Don’t try to trick us! Get Aunt Song out here! Aunt Song still owes me five liters of water!”

Xie Ning felt the urge to rush over and beat them up again.

Li Dawei quickly held up two small bags of bok choy. ”Five heads of baby bok choy, about four pounds! Trade you for two hundred liters of water!”

”No, two hundred and five liters! The extra five are a bonus!” Li Xiang quickly added.

”That’s right, two hundred and five liters!”

Xie Ning’s face was devoid of expression. ”Leave the bok choy and come back for the water tonight.”

”No can do.” Li Dawei shook his head so hard it looked like it might fly off. ”Payment on delivery. We do the trade right here, right now!”

”That’s right! Right here, right now!” Li Xiang chimed in.

”What’s this about ’right here, right now’?” Song You’ai’s confused voice came from behind them.

”Aunt Song!” Li Dawei and Li Xiang’s eyes lit up as if they’d just seen their savior, and they turned to stare at her with an intense, burning gaze.

Their staring gave Song You’ai the creeps. ”What are you two doing, blocking the gate like this?”

”Water trade! Two hundred and five liters!”