"Lin, are you leaving?"
"Is my brother... is he okay?"
An Xia leaned against the wall, cautiously watching Lin An as he repaired the door.
Unaware of the apocalypse, she had no idea of the tragic fate she would face if Lin An didn't get the antidote.
Her hands were behind her back, slender fingers twisting the hem of her dress.
Under her long skirt, a pair of pale legs had some scrapes on the knees.
Her white dress was stained with blood and dust, making it look dirty.
Her frail body, with a pale face that lacked blood, gazed at Lin An, evoking pity.
"Clang!"
Lin An carefully reattached the iron door that had been kicked off.
Since becoming an Awakened, he was still not fully accustomed to his new strength.
The hard metal bent like plastic in his hands, easily deformed.
If he wasn't careful, he would completely ruin the door.
So Lin An had to find a bunch of discarded steel bars to patch it up, making the damaged door barely usable.
The dent in the middle of the iron door was impossible to fix.
Ugly and unsightly, but functional.
After fixing the door, Lin An paused for a moment before speaking again.
"An Xia, I'll be back soon. Don't worry about me."
He didn't intend to hide anything.
"Jingtian."
Lin An hesitated, then with a determined look, gave An Xia a gentle smile.
"You and Jingtian will be fine."
"Trust me."
Lin An sighed inwardly.
He had lost his parents at an early age.
An Xia and An Jingtian were the only ones he cared about.
Though not related by blood, they were closer than family.
Jingtian's parents had taken good care of him, treating him like their own child.
And An Xia and her brother regarded him as their elder brother, growing up together.
An Xia and An Jingtian were his last soft spot.
An Xia looked at Lin An's resolute and handsome face, her expression momentarily stunned.
Her eyes turned red.
Hearing Lin An's familiar tone made her feel secure.
Just like when she was a child.
As long as Lin An and her brother were there, she had nothing to worry about.
"Brother Lin."
"When are you planning to leave?"
"Can you..."
An Xia looked at Lin An, who continued to work, and timidly asked in a low voice.
She was afraid of disturbing him.
After hesitating for a long time, An Xia didn't voice her wish.
She wanted Lin An to stay with her a little longer.
The moans of zombies and the wails of humans in the neighborhood never ceased.
And her brother was still unconscious.
She was very scared.
But she feared expressing this would be too selfish, hindering what Lin An needed to do.
After sealing all the windows, the room plunged into darkness.
Lin An turned his head, his enhanced vision ignoring the darkness, seeing the room as if it were daylight.
"I'll leave at dawn."
"Tonight, I'll stay here."
Lin An understood An Xia's expression.
Not to mention that An Xia was just a little girl.
In his past life, even though he was a soldier, he felt uneasy and fearful when the apocalypse erupted.
In the face of life and death, many who couldn't handle the psychological pressure chose to end it themselves.
"Really!?"
An Xia lifted her head in surprise, looking at Lin An in the dark.
Although she couldn't see him, she knew he was there.
Lin An didn't reply but walked over and gently ruffled her hair.
The light scent of her shampoo eased the bloody smell in his nose.
He wasn't delaying due to sentimentality.
The [Stitcher] had not yet appeared.
In 12 hours, a zombie in Wanda Mall would mutate into the [Stitcher].
Subtracting the two-hour travel time, he could stay at Jingtian's house for about 10 hours.
Moreover, in his current state, he needed rest.
After continuous battles and using his awakening skills, his body was at its limit.
He was purely relying on willpower.
Lin An held the girl in his arms.
An Xia buried her head in his chest, her body trembling slightly.
"Brother Lin, I'm so scared..."
Feeling the girl's trembling, Lin An remained silent.
He just slowly clenched his right hand behind An Xia.
I need more... strength.
Only with great power can I protect those I want to protect.
Silent through the night.
At An Xia's request, Lin An slept in the same room, while An Jingtian was placed in another.
Though the zombie virus in An Jingtian had been suppressed, he still hadn't regained consciousness.
To be safe, Lin An bound An Jingtian with chains to prevent any unexpected incidents.
After all the preparations were done, Lin An fell into a deep sleep.
He was utterly exhausted.
In the middle of the night, Lin An vaguely felt a warmth.
A warm body snuggled into his embrace.
Maybe it was the terrifying howls of the zombies outside, or perhaps the lack of security.
An Xia tiptoed from her bed to sleep beside Lin An.
Her delicate face pressed tightly against his chest.
As if only the warmth and strong heartbeat could bring her any sense of comfort.
An Xia's nightgown was thin.
Her soft, warm body was almost fully pressed against his.
Her smooth skin felt like polished jade.
Her arms wrapped around him like a koala, afraid he might leave.
Lin An, in his sleep, vaguely sensed this but paid it no mind.
He was a few years older than An Xia. Having lost his parents early, he was more mature and steady than his peers.
That's why An Xia always liked to cling to him when she was little.
But as An Xia grew older, Lin An joined the military, and they hadn't been as close.
Unlike Lin An, who slept soundly, An Xia kept waking up from nightmares, each time urgently looking at Lin An beside her.
She would reach out and touch his face, repeatedly confirming he was still there.
Only by feeling his presence could she find some solace.
...
The next morning.
Outside the window, there were no longer the usual chirping birds.
Shrill howls woke Lin An.
It seemed another person had died.
He didn't pay it any mind.
Upon waking, Lin An felt he had fully recovered, his body brimming with strength.
With enough rest, he would quickly regain his state.
That was the benefit of the digitized template.
Lin An carefully extricated his arm from beneath An Xia.
In her sleep, An Xia frowned slightly and instinctively reached out for him.
Traces of tears could still be seen on her delicate face.
Lin An smiled wryly.
It seemed An Xia had cried secretly for a long time last night.
After some effort, Lin An finally got out of bed.
There was no helping it.
An Xia clung to him too tightly, wrapping herself around him like an octopus.
At the window, Lin An took out a cigarette and observed the situation outside through a crack.
Thick smoke rose from a distant building, indicating it had been burning all night.
Nearby, a car alarm had been blaring all night, attracting many zombies.
After the apocalypse erupted, the unattended city quickly began to decay.
In a few days, gas leaks, water plant shutdowns, and factory explosions would become commonplace.
Without convenient electricity and water, human civilization would rapidly regress.
In silence, Lin An instinctively reached into his pants pocket for a lighter to light his cigarette.
Smoking while thinking was his habit.
After searching for a while, he realized there were no pockets.
To his surprise, he found that his blood-stained clothes had been replaced with fresh ones.
Lin An laughed.
It seemed An Xia had secretly changed his clothes in the middle of the night, using An Jingtian's.
Since they were about the same height and build, they fit perfectly.
Lin An turned to look at the sleeping An Xia.
On the floor were the clothes he had changed out of, piled up.
Upon seeing them clearly, Lin An's expression turned somewhat strange.
He thought he saw his underwear among the pile.
Shaking his head, Lin An couldn't help but smile.
The little girl...
He wondered how much effort An Xia had put into moving him and changing his clothes.
"Beep beep."
The alarm clock he had set before sleeping went off.
Lin An extinguished his cigarette and took a deep look at An Xia.
It was time.
Time to go.