4. The Lost Soldier

With food in her stomach, Shi Dong was in a good mood. Since she had nothing else to do, she briefly told Fu Yunong about her past.

She was once a soldier. As an orphan, she was adopted and raised by the state, eventually becoming a soldier who carried out special missions.

She had teammates who grew up together and had a deep bond with each other.

The disaster struck swiftly and terrifyingly; even the nation's rapid response was futile. Order collapsed completely in a short time, and the world instantly became a living hell. Her teammates also perished one after another during the mission, leaving her alone to wander in this hellish realm.

It was a very cliché story, but Fu Yunong clearly saw tears welling up in her eyes.

"Then this brand..." Fu Yunong's gaze fell on Shi Dong's hand, and she asked curiously.

As Shi Dong carefully wiped them, she said in a low voice, "These are their identification tags. We only managed to salvage these two; the others have all turned to ashes."

Fu Yunong's mood became somewhat heavy, and she couldn't help but resent those gods, feeling that they were not magnanimous at all.

...

At the dining table, Fu Yunong was eating with her family. Her grandmother smiled and put food into her bowl, urging her to eat more.

The food in the bowl quickly piled up into a small mountain. Looking at her family, Fu Yunong felt a pang of sorrow and wanted to cry. She knew it was just a dream, but she didn't want to wake up.

"Have you been very busy at work lately? Look how thin you've become," the mother said, her voice tinged with concern.

The father chimed in, "Come home more often when you have time, don't push yourself too hard."

Fu Yunong fought back the tears welling up in her eyes and choked out a promise, "I'll be back soon, you must wait for me."

Just as dawn was breaking, Shi Dong was awakened by a soft sobbing sound. She turned her head and saw Fu Yunong with her brows furrowed and tear stains still clinging to the corners of her eyes, still fast asleep.

Shi Dong watched silently, a complex expression creeping across his clear, quiet face, before he quietly withdrew his gaze.

...

A sharp pain shot through her stomach, and Fu Yunong woke up. She gasped and asked Shi Dong urgently, "Is there any tissue? Is there any tissue?"

Shi Dong gave her a look that seemed to say, "Do you even know what you're saying?" and calmly instructed, "Don't go too far. Call me if you need anything."

Fu Yunong still held onto a sliver of hope, "So what do you usually use?"

Shi Dong answered matter-of-factly, "Use whatever you have."

Fu Yunong was utterly desperate. She clenched her fists and walked out of the warehouse as if she were going to her execution. Not long after, she returned with a lifeless expression, as if her soul had been ripped out.

Shi Dong had already cooked the dry food porridge and called to her, "Come and eat, then we'll set off."

"Oh," Fu Yunong replied weakly.

After finishing her meal, Fu Yunong prepared to draw a prize. She deliberately poured some water to wet her fingers and muttered to herself, "Bless me, bless me, give me something good..."

The moment the box was opened, accompanied by fireworks, a can jumped out and swayed merrily, revealing the prize name underneath—[Fu Ji Luncheon Meat (200g)] one can.

"YES!" Fu Yunong clenched her fist excitedly, held up the can of food, and ran to Shi Dong to show off, "We get to eat meat!"

Shi Dong's eyes lit up when she saw the luncheon meat, and she smiled sincerely, "Okay, let's get ready and settle in before we eat the meat."

Actually, they didn't have much to pack. Fu Yunong put everything within sight into her space.

Her current assets consist of: 1 can of luncheon meat, 1 flashlight, a half-full bottle of purified water, 5 empty bottles, 1 broken aluminum pot, 2 pieces of rotten wood, and 2 tattered burlap sacks.

It's so tragic; even beggars would probably turn around and help her if they saw her.

Shi Dong checked his gear, tightened his shoelaces, and said, "Let's go."

Fu Yunong felt both excited and nervous. On her third day here, she was finally leaving her "birth point" and beginning to explore this world.

The sky remained a heavy, leaden gray. Fu Yunong had grown accustomed to this kind of weather. After crossing a few puddles, she asked Shi Dong, "Where are we going?"

Shi Dong cautiously observed his surroundings and whispered back, "I remember the city is just a few kilometers away. Let's try our luck."

The further she walked, the more panicked Fu Yunong became.

The ground was covered with puddles, and unidentified debris floated in the dark green sewage, emitting a foul stench. Most of the buildings along the way were ruins, with bricks and concrete piled up on the roadside. There was not a trace of green in sight; the trees were just twisted, withered branches, and the few plants that were scattered around were an unusual gray-black.

It was so quiet. Apart from the sound of her and Shi Dong's footsteps, there was no other noise, as if only the two of them existed in the world.

So this is the end of the world...

Suddenly, a noise came from the ruins ahead. Shi Dong's expression turned serious, and he abruptly stopped Fu Yunong.

Fu Yunong froze instantly and quickly hid to the side as she gestured.

Shi Dong held the dagger horizontally in front of her, crouched down and quietly approached. After seeing what was happening, she relaxed her shoulders and turned around to wave at Fu Yunong.

As Fu Yunong approached, she heard Shi Dong ask in a low voice, "Would you like an extra meal?"

She peeked out and almost fainted.

In the puddle behind the ruins, a rotting head was roaring wildly as they approached, its turbid eyes staring intently at them.

Shi Dong handed her the military knife, raised his chin slightly, and said, "Go ahead, but be careful not to get bitten."

Fu Yunong's heart pounded wildly, and she instinctively wanted to shrink back, but then she thought that if she wanted to survive here, she would have to get through this sooner or later.

She gritted her teeth, took the military knife, her fingers turning white from the force, and moved over with trembling legs.

"Hurry up, or we'll attract something else," Shi Dong urged from behind.

Fu Yunong held her breath, closed her eyes, and swung the knife sharply. Unexpectedly, she lacked the strength, and the knife got stuck in the zombie's eye socket. The zombie roared and lunged forward, almost biting her arm.

Fu Yunong shuddered in fright, her body leaning back as if about to fall into the puddle. Shi Dong swiftly caught her, grabbed the knife handle with his other hand, and stabbed it down hard, silencing the zombie's roar.

Fu Yunong's face turned pale, and she trembled as she whispered an apology.

Shi Dong was prying open his head when he heard this. Without even looking up, he said, "Not bad, just a little lacking in strength. I'll find some time to practice with you later. Get me an empty bottle." She held out her hand.

Fu Yunong quickly took out an empty bottle from her spatial storage and handed it over.

Shi Dong rubbed the crystal core she had pried out on the ground to wipe off the slime, casually tossed it into the bottle, and then put it back in her hand.

Fu Yunong didn't dare to look closely and hurriedly put it into her spatial storage.

The two continued forward. At first, Fu Yunong was still somewhat absent-minded, but she kept encouraging herself, and gradually, her condition visibly improved.

Shi Dong glanced at her seemingly unintentionally, a slight smile playing on her lips.

After walking for a long time, the buildings ahead gradually became denser.

"We're about to enter the city," Shi Dong said in a low voice, going on high alert.

Looking around, Fu Yunong saw only ruins everywhere, the walls covered with soot and fire marks, and the windows broken and shattered.

She followed Shi Dong carefully through the ruins, the rubble underfoot making a soft creaking sound that made her heart pound.

A tall building appeared ahead, reduced to a mere frame by the bombing. Judging from the shaky logo, it must have been a large shopping mall before.

"Go through," Shi Dong said in a whisper.

Fu Yunong nodded. The ruins were too large, and taking a detour would take more time.

Shi Dong walked very slowly, taking each step with extreme caution. Fu Yunong followed closely behind her, and despite the cold wind blowing, a thin layer of sweat appeared on her back.

As Shi Dong reached a corner, he paused and pointed to the left.

Fu Yunong looked in the direction she pointed and was startled again—it was a rotting corpse, its stomach pierced by a thick, rusty steel bar, its intestines spilling out onto the ground, a truly gruesome sight!

Suddenly, the corpse opened its eyes, let out a hoarse roar, and stretched out its arms to pounce on them, but it was pinned down and could only twist in vain.

"You go or I go?" Shi Dong turned to look at her, his tone unusually calm.

Fu Yunong's lips twitched, and she almost burst into tears. Was there any normal corpse? Knowing her place, she quickly waved her hand, "Go, go."

Shi Dong nodded readily, tiptoed around it, easily dodging the zombie's waving arms, and delivered a swift and decisive fatal blow.

Fu Yunong silently handed over the prepared water bottle from behind.

The two wandered around for a while, and it wasn't until almost noon that they finally managed to get out of the ruins.

On the other side of the mall is a road with a few abandoned cars parked on it. The cars are corroded and rusted, leaving only the metal frames.

Further ahead was an elevated road, its surface broken in half. On both sides of the elevated road were rows of residential complexes, the houses packed so tightly together that one dared not approach.

Shi Dong stood by the roadside and observed for a moment before deciding to explore the outskirts of the city first, as it would be unwise to rush into the city.

The two moved slowly along the edge of the road, searching the outskirts of the city.

Along the way, they encountered two more zombies stuck in the car. Shi Dong lowered his voice and explained to Fu Yunong how to use their strength, and then personally demonstrated how to deal with one of them.

"You do this one. Remember, don't close your eyes." She stepped aside, giving Fu Yunong some space.

Fu Yunong's lips pressed into a thin line. She gripped the dagger tightly with both hands, took a deep breath, and plunged the tip of the blade fiercely into the zombie's eye socket. The zombie struggled twice, then became completely still.

She was both scared and excited, her lips trembling as she looked at Shi Dong, her eyes filled with nervous anticipation.

Shi Dong nodded at her, her tone affirmative, "Not bad."

After saying that, she took the dagger and handled the follow-up work. Opening a brain is not something that can be learned in a short time; it requires practice.

Having acquired two more crystal cores, Fu Yunong's hands were no longer trembling as she stored them in her spatial storage.

The two walked for almost another hour, and just when Fu Yunong felt her feet going numb, Shi Dong stopped at the bottom of a slope.

"Let's go in and take a look."