Ye Chen paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, you're still too weak. My strength is not yet enough to fully ensure your safety."
Ye Zhu suddenly raised her head and looked directly at Ye Chen, her eyes firm as she said, "I must go!"
Ye Chen smiled wryly. He knew his sister's stubbornness all too well and realized that any further persuasion would be useless. With a light sigh, he said, "If that's the case, once we're out, you have to listen to me completely and not act on your own."
Ye Zhu's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly with a playful smile, saying, "I knew you would agree. Come on, the meal is ready."
Ye Chen gave a bitter smile, closed the door, and went to the bathroom to clean off the bits of meat and blood on his body. Only after that did he walk into the dining room and sit down at the glass table. Looking at the home-cooked dishes, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Under Ye Zhu's expectant gaze, he picked up a slice of potato and ate it.
"How does it taste?" Ye Zhu asked, a little nervous and anxious. Usually, it was Ye Chen who did the cooking at home, so this was her first time cooking.
Salty!
Ye Chen's entire tongue seemed to recoil as if he had put a lump of salt in his mouth. However, seeing Ye Zhu's hopeful and excited expression, he didn't have the heart to dampen her spirits. He forced himself to swallow a large mouthful and smiled, saying, "The potatoes taste great. I didn't know you had such talent in cooking."
Ye Zhu blushed, lowered her head, and said softly, "Actually, it's shredded potatoes..."
Ye Chen was stunned.
Ye Zhu's face turned bright red. She picked up a piece and put it into her cherry-like mouth, but immediately spat it out with a "pfft," dejectedly saying, "It's so salty!"
Ye Chen chuckled, picked up another piece, and put it in his mouth, saying, "It's okay, we can make do. You can eat something else."
Salty?
In the late apocalypse, having food to eat was a blessing; who would be picky about the taste?
Ye Zhu glanced at Ye Chen, then picked up the potato plate and said quietly, "Don't eat it anymore. I'll add some water and cook it later tonight."
Ye Chen thought for a moment and nodded.
"Oh, right." Ye Chen remembered the bag of base meat, quickly took it out, and handed it to his sister Ye Zhu, saying, "Eat this, it can increase your strength!"
Ye Zhu looked at the black plastic bag in surprise, took it, and opened it to see a piece of white meat resembling mutton fat. Curiously, she asked, "What is this?"
"Base meat!" Ye Chen thought for a moment and said, "Simply put, it's a powerful meat rich in energy."
Ye Zhu responded with an "oh," then handed it back to him, saying, "You eat it. I haven't done much, so I don't need that much strength. When you become stronger, you can better protect me."
Ye Chen smiled slightly and said, "I've already eaten. It doesn't have much effect on me now. If you eat it, you should be able to reach the strength of a young man. If we need to run, you can keep up with me."
Ye Zhu thought for a moment and didn't refuse anymore. She picked it up, slowly put it in her mouth, and chewed it carefully before swallowing.
Moments later.
"My body feels so much lighter!" Ye Zhu looked at herself in amazement, unable to believe that such a small piece of meat could have such miraculous effects.
"Alright, let's eat," Ye Chen smiled and started eating.
Afterward...
The two of them had a simple meal, then rested from 11:30 to 1:30. After waking up, Ye Chen started preparing weapons, and Ye Zhu woke up from the noise as well. She glanced at the four watermelon knives on the cabinet, walked over, picked one up, and swung it a few times, feeling quite excited.
Ye Chen gave her a helpless look. The young and inexperienced don't fear anything. Once she sees the brutality and terror of zombies, she won't be this excited. This time, Ye Chen brought a gasoline bottle for emergencies.
Why not bring two?
The reason is simple. Carrying two would slow him down. Besides, with Ye Chen's current strength, unless seven or eight zombies surrounded him, he wouldn't be in much danger.
Once fully equipped, Ye Chen turned to look at his sister Ye Zhu, who was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, and said, "Change into coarse cloth clothes and camouflage pants. They're in the cabinet; I bought them all."
Ye Zhu blinked, looked at her outfit, and obediently went into the bedroom to change into a combat outfit: a black short-sleeved shirt and camouflage pants. She looked quite hip, like a dancer, especially if she wore a baseball cap.
"Here, take this," Ye Chen threw a watermelon knife to her for self-defense and sternly said, "Once we're outside, stick close to me, stay alert, and don't act on your own."
Ye Zhu nodded obediently.
Ye Chen was still a bit worried, but there was nothing else he could do. He had no choice but to say, "Let's go!" He walked to the door, peeked outside, and only opened it after seeing no zombies.
Ye Zhu followed closely behind. With a click, she closed the door.
Leaving the quiet environment behind, the eerie silence of the corridor around them felt ominous and terrifying. Ye Chen maintained a calm expression and led Ye Zhu on a thorough check of the area. Seeing no zombies coming up from the lower floors, they proceeded down the stairs to the first floor.
As they passed the stairwell, Ye Zhu saw the three zombie corpses lying across the stairs. Her face turned pale, and she clung to the wall, retching.
Ye Chen was helpless. Anyone seeing such a gruesome scene for the first time would react the same way. He walked over to her, patted her back to ease her discomfort, and said, "Maybe you should go back and come again another time."
Ye Zhu stopped retching, wiped the corner of her mouth, and pouted, "No way! It's just a few... a few corpses! What's the big deal?" She turned and glared at the zombies on the ground, as if to say, "Hmph, I'm not afraid of you."
But as soon as she looked, seeing the zombies' gaping chests and the black blood...
"Ugh."
She started retching again.
Ye Chen chuckled bitterly. In this matter, she could only rely on herself.
A moment later, Ye Zhu had emptied her stomach, her face pale. However, her eyes were more determined than ever. After regaining her composure, she looked at the zombies again. This time, though her eyebrows furrowed, she managed not to throw up.
"Let's go!" Ye Zhu steadied her mind and urged.
Ye Chen sniffed the air filled with the smell of decay, a scent he had grown accustomed to in the late apocalypse. The air was always tainted with it.
With that, the two of them descended the stairs.
As they passed by the zombies, Ye Zhu's face remained pale, her body trembling slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes. But she bit her lip and held on.
"I won't let you fight alone, never!" Watching her brother's familiar back, Ye Zhu's eyes filled with resolute determination.
17 floors, in the corridor.
It was silent. Ye Chen and his sister Ye Zhu stood at the corridor's entrance, looking at the long hallway. The oppressive atmosphere lingered in the air. Ye Chen, calm and cautious, avoided the room with the mutated ants and went to the third room on the left. This room was locked.
Ye Chen knocked on the door.
"Roar!" The room erupted with beast-like roars and the sound of pounding on the door.
Ye Chen pressed his ear to the door and listened carefully. He discerned that there were three zombies pounding on the door. The door could probably withstand them for about three minutes; three zombies were equivalent to the strength of nine normal men!
Ye Zhu stood behind him, hearing the frenzied growls and recalling the terrifying faces of the zombies she'd seen. She couldn't help but shiver, finally realizing what kind of monsters her brother had been fighting.
Her small hands tightened around the watermelon knife. She was so nervous that her palms were sweaty, and her hands trembled slightly. She remembered a method from TV to calm down and silently recited, "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid..."
At this moment, Ye Chen turned and entered the second room. This room had previously housed eight zombies, but now it was completely safe.
Ye Chen closed the door and used the old method of blocking it with a sofa, opening the door just enough for a zombie to get halfway in. After finishing these preparations, the door next door had already been broken, and the three zombies had followed the scent of blood to the doorway, frantically pushing and struggling to get inside.
After breaking down the door, the zombies were somewhat exhausted and less ferocious than before.
Ye Zhu stood nearby, peeking through the door crack and saw a zombie struggling to get halfway in, its eyes bloodthirsty, its fangs bared as it stared at her. It extended its claws, desperately trying to grab her but falling short.
Her face went pale, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Slash!
Ye Chen stood beside her, his expression cold. He swiftly severed the zombie's claw