Chapter 77 Encountering Acquaintances: The Han Siblings

These superhumans were quite keen to earn those two crystal cores, and they looked at the others: "Is that so?"

The girl looked at the group expectantly, but when someone met her gaze, they lowered their head and said, "I...I don't know."

The girl's expression changed, and she looked at a middle-aged woman beside her: "Aunt Zhang, you know, right? My brother was injured by that beast yesterday. He even tried to protect you..."

Aunt Zhang avoided the girl's gaze: "I don't remember."

The girl said in disbelief, "Aunt Zhang, how could you do this? My brother is so badly injured. If we don't get him treated soon, he... he won't survive. Please, tell me the truth."

Aunt Zhang looked troubled. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell the truth; she just didn't want the two of them to go to the base. Their group couldn't go, and if these two went, the only superhuman in the team would be gone. How would they survive?

"What about you? Please help me!" The girl sobbed uncontrollably. She never expected these people to act this way. Her brother had risked his life to protect them all the way, but in the end, not a single person spoke up for them.

One of them looked somewhat reluctant and was about to speak when the person next to him tugged at him: "Have you thought this through? If they leave, we'll all die out there."

The man opened his mouth, but ultimately lowered his head and said nothing more.

The girl broke down in tears, looking at the group of superhumans: "Please, my brother really isn't infected with the virus. Look at him, he's perfectly fine. If he were infected, he would have turned into a zombie long ago. Please, take us back to the base."

"Just because you open and close your mouth, we're supposed to believe you? What if you're lying? There's no one to vouch for you," Superpowered Person C shook his head, realizing he wouldn't be making any crystal cores today: "Forget it, let's go."

"Sigh, another wasted trip." The second superhuman sighed.

The girl watched them leave, her expression one of despair. She looked coldly at the people who had followed them all the way, feeling only regret.

If it weren't for the siblings' soft hearts and bringing this group of people along, and it had just been the two of them, her brother might not have been so badly injured.

She touched her brother's burning forehead; the wounds on his body had even become infected. She burst into tears.

"Don't be too sad, maybe your brother will pull through," Aunt Zhang murmured.

She didn't want the other person to die; if they survived, they could continue to protect them.

At the entrance, a group of superhumans bumped into Cheng Zhiyu and his group again.

The superhuman, C, frowned: "Why is it you again?"

“Brother, you’re wrong about that. This road belongs to everyone. We’re not following you. Just because you can come doesn’t mean we can’t.” Tian Qiao crossed his arms.

This is a supermarket. They wouldn't normally come here, but they heard crying and decided to come and check it out.

The group of superhumans, not wanting to cause trouble, ignored them and turned to leave.

Cheng Zhiyu and his group went into the supermarket and took a look.

When a group of ordinary people saw that someone else had arrived, they cried and begged to be taken to the Dongyang base.

Cheng Zhiyu: "We won't go to the Dongyang base, so we can't help you."

The girl, who was hugging her brother and feeling utterly hopeless, suddenly heard a voice that sounded somewhat familiar. She thought she was hallucinating, but she still looked up. When she saw the familiar face, she was momentarily dazed, and then, before the person left, she quickly said, "Cheng Zhiyu! Is that you?"

Cheng Zhiyu paused, looked at the girl, and didn't recognize her for a moment. Her hair was messy, she was dirty all over, and her face was black. He couldn't recognize her original appearance at all.

When the girl saw that it really was him, she couldn't help but get excited. She hurriedly staggered over, but seeing that he was so clean, she didn't dare to touch him: "It's me, I'm Han Tingting!"

"Han Tingting?" Tian Qiao glanced at her. "Wow, it really is you?"

Han Tingting was Cheng Zhiyu's deskmate in high school, and the two had a good relationship. Tian Qiao, who was in the same school as Cheng Zhiyu, often went to Cheng Zhiyu's class to find him, and over time, she also became familiar with Han Tingting.

Han Tingting nodded quickly: "Waaah, it really is me, Tian Qiao... I didn't expect you to be here too."

Cheng Zhiyu finally recognized her. In his memory, Han Tingting was a spirited girl who got along well with both boys and girls. Her disheveled appearance made him momentarily dazed.

A moment later, they helped the unconscious Han Ping sit down against the wall. Han Ping weakly opened his eyes and looked around. Seeing that Han Tingting was still there, he closed his eyes again.

"How did your brother get so badly injured?" Cheng Zhiyu looked at Zhou Min: "Do you think you can treat him?"

"He was injured by a monster." Han Tingting wiped away her tears and looked at Zhou Min excitedly. Could he be a healing-type ability user?

"Let me see." Zhou Min saw that these were Cheng Zhiyu and Tian Qiao's good friends, and their attitude was very good. It was clear that these two siblings were not bad people.

They had just overheard outside that this group of people got here thanks to this superhuman.

"This injury is quite serious." Zhou Min sighed after examining it, and before Han Tingting could worry, he laughed and said, "It's fortunate that you ran into me."

He stopped talking nonsense and began treatment. In just a short while, the injury was mostly healed.

Zhou Min's face was a little pale: "I'll treat the rest after I recover."

Han Ping appeared to be perfectly fine, with no missing limbs, but all his internal organs were damaged. Luckily, he was a superhuman; otherwise, an ordinary person would have died on the spot.

This injury is harder to treat than losing an arm or a leg; it definitely won't heal in one treatment. However, once treated, it won't be life-threatening.

Han Tingting touched Han Ping's forehead and, seeing that it was finally no longer hot, wiped away her tears and relaxed completely: "Thank you, thank you so much..."

Anything I say now seems utterly inadequate.

Han Ping slowly opened his eyes and whispered, "Why are you crying?"

Then, he saw Cheng Zhiyu, his expression complex: "It's you."

Han Ping also knew Cheng Zhiyu. Han Ping used to visit his younger sister at school often during his holidays.

"Haha, let me tell you, Han Tingting and Chengzi used to be close friends, and her brother thought she was dating someone, so he almost beat Chengzi up..." Tian Qiao laughed heartily as she recalled what had happened before.

Suddenly he felt a chill beside him, glanced at Cheng Mo, and silently shut his mouth.

Upon seeing the jealous person, Cheng Zhiyu quickly explained, "It's all a misunderstanding. We're just friends."

Cheng Mo grabbed Cheng Zhiyu's hand and looked at Han Tingting: "I am his boyfriend."

Han Tingting's lips twitched, and she suddenly realized: "No wonder so many girls confessed to you before, but you were unmoved. So you like men."

Cheng Mo frowned: "Many girls have confessed their feelings to you?"

Cheng Zhiyu said helplessly, "That's not important."

“This is important,” Cheng Mo said sourly, “You’re so charming.”

Han Tingting, who was standing to the side, realized that she had said something wrong, so she quickly shut up and silently took care of her brother.

Cheng Zhiyu pinched Cheng Mo's lips: "Shut up already, I've already talked to you about this, okay?"

Cheng Mo was satisfied: "I knew it, only I can make your heart flutter."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." What a thick skin.

But that's not entirely wrong.

"Alright, let's talk about it when we get back." Cheng Zhiyu coughed lightly and coaxed in a low voice.

He was really embarrassed to be flirting in front of so many people.

Cheng Mo curled his lips into a smile and stopped talking. Oh dear, Zhiyu is shy.

Han Tingting watched in stunned silence. She never expected that Cheng Zhiyu would have this side to him. She wondered how shocked his high school classmates would be if they saw it.

However, after looking at Cheng Mo's face again, I feel I can understand. His face is so handsome that it's no exaggeration to say that he appeals to both men and women.

Han Tingting knew that Cheng Mo probably didn't misunderstand, but she still explained, "Cheng Zhiyu and I are just friends. It's my brother's fault. He's always overthinking things. Maybe he had a relationship when he was in school, so he thinks I will too."

Han Ping was still recovering from his injuries and hadn't eaten much, so he was quite weak. He glared at his sister with annoyance, but then, regardless, he still thanked them sincerely.

"Ah... I never expected to meet you all." Han Tingting was both surprised and happy, and felt that God had blessed her. She had almost given up hope just now.

Given her brother's previous situation, it's clear that it's impossible for the two of them to go to the Dongyang base. Not only do they not know the exact location, but even if they did, given her brother's current condition, they would both be doomed if they encountered zombies.

Fortunately... she never expected to run into an acquaintance.

Han Tingting's nerves were less tense at this moment, and she relaxed completely, feeling exhausted. She hadn't had much rest since her brother got injured.

Just then, a voice asked cautiously, "Tingting, are these your friends?"

Han Tingting glanced over coldly. It was Aunt Zhang who was speaking. She hated Aunt Zhang so much that she naturally didn't want to talk to her.

Seeing that Aunt Zhang had spoken, the others mustered up their courage and chimed in, "Miss Han, why didn't you say you had such a friend sooner?"

"Could you talk to them for us? They're definitely going to the Dongyang base, right? Could they take us with them?"

"Yes, it's not far from here, take us with you."

"Tingting, can you help us put in a good word?"

"We will definitely remember your kindness once we reach the base."

Han Tingting found it laughable. Gratitude? She had seen through these people. All this talk about remembering kindness was just nonsense. It was already a good thing that she didn't retaliate against them.

Although her brother had only brought these people along out of kindness and had no intention of expecting anything in return, their actions just now were still too disheartening.

Han Ping didn't know what had just happened, but he didn't want these people to bother his sister, so he frowned and said, "Although they are my sister's friends, you can't make such demands on them. If you want to go to the Dongyang base, you can talk to them."

Han Tingting pursed her lips: "Well, if you want to go, just say so yourselves. I won't say anything."

His tone was somewhat unpleasant. Han Ping glanced at Han Tingting.

Seeing this, the group looked at Cheng Zhiyu and his companions pitifully and pleaded, "Gentlemen, please help us!"

"Considering how pitiful we are, we...we will definitely repay you once we reach the base."

"Yes, we will repay you."

Cheng Zhiyu and his group had overheard some of the conversation from a distance and didn't have a good impression of these people.

Zhou Min knew they were lying, and calmly asked, "How will you repay us?"

They were clearly taken aback by the other party's words. They hesitated, muttering to themselves for a long time without saying anything, finally only managing to say, "I'll serve you like a slave..."

Isn't this just empty promises?

Cheng Zhiyu said, "I don't need you to be my slaves."

Before these people could even smile, they heard the other side say, "What did that group of people say again? They said they could send it over, one level-two crystal core per person."

They were dumbfounded: "This...we don't have any crystal cores."

"That's right, we're just ordinary people, we can't deal with zombies at all, where would we get crystal cores?"

"Aren't you making things difficult for us?"

Some people started complaining.

Tian Qiao laughed: "You have nothing, you just want us to take you there for free? You're dreaming."

How could you... say that?

"Yeah, aren't you Tingting's friends? What's wrong with helping us?"

"Yeah, sigh, it really is the end of the world. People's hearts have hardened. I might really die here today."

Cheng Mo found it too noisy: "Hey you, if you want to die, come here and I'll help you."

The person was immediately too frightened to speak; it must be said that Cheng Mo's intimidating power was unparalleled.

Cheng Zhiyu: "You've said it yourself, I'm Han Tingting's friend, not yours."

“Furthermore, we are definitely not going to the Dongyang base.” After saying this, Cheng Zhiyu looked at Han Tingting: “What are your plans?”

Han Tingting was a little confused: "I was just about to take my brother to the Dongyang base. It's not that we necessarily have to go, but mainly to treat his injuries."

Some people might go to a base to look for relatives, but they're the only two people left in their family; they have no relatives left...

Thinking of this, Han Tingting felt a lump in her throat.

Cheng Zhiyu then explained that they weren't from the Dongyang base, but from a smaller one: "It's highly likely that the conditions aren't as good as the Dongyang base. Do you want to come with us? If not, we can take you to the Dongyang base."

Some people might say, "Didn't you say you wouldn't go to the Dongyang base?" But they don't dare say it, because there's a very fierce man there who kills people at the drop of a hat.

I've never seen anything like this before.

Han Tingting glanced at her brother and immediately said without hesitation, "I'm not going to the Dongyang base. It wasn't something I absolutely had to go to in the first place."

It would be better to go with Cheng Zhiyu and his group to their base. Even if there's no guarantee of mutual support, at least you'll have friends there, which would make you feel more at ease.

Cheng Zhiyu then said, "Okay, then come with us."

He glanced at Han Ping: "Are you able to leave?"

Han Ping nodded, his face pale: "Okay..."

The group decided to leave, and the remaining people, seeing this, immediately said anxiously, "Mr. Han, please take us with you!"

"Yes, we're not going to the Dongyang base anymore, please take us with you."

"Mr. Han, you can't abandon us."

"We're going to die here..."

"I don't want to die, Mr. Han!"

This is because they felt Han Tingting was heartless, so they turned to Han Ping for help.

Han Ping, supported by Han Tingting, flinched slightly, his expression hesitant.

Han Tingting, who was standing to the side, was furious. She almost screamed, "How dare you beg my brother!"

"We don't want to die..."

"You don't want to die, but does my brother want to die? Does he deserve to owe you anything?" Han Tingting wiped away her tears, gritting her teeth: "You just refused to prove that my brother was injured by the monster, wasn't that because you wanted him to die? You knew he was seriously injured... He protected you all the way here, and you are simply ungrateful! And you, Aunt Zhang, if it weren't for my brother, you would have died yesterday!"

"This...we didn't want him to die, why would we want him to die?"

"Yes, we just don't want to be left behind. He's a superhuman, he can get better."

"How will we live if you leave!"

Han Tingting didn't want to talk anymore; talking to these people was simply a waste of her breath.

From Han Tingting's few words, Han Ping understood what had just happened, which explained why his sister's attitude towards these things had changed so much.

It would be a lie to say that Han Ping wasn't upset, but this time he didn't soften his heart again. He simply said, "It's not far from the Dongyang base. You can make it on your own."

If these people continue to rely on others, then they might as well wait to die.

Otherwise, if someone helps us this time, what about next time? When we get to the base gate, they'll ask us to pay an entrance fee. Will we have to beg them to help us pay that fee again?

Once they entered the city, they had no food or drink and had to beg from others.

If that's the case, it's better not to save these people, because no matter how many times you help them, if you fail to help them even once, they will turn against you.

They relied on Han Ping all the way to get here, and now they can only rely on others.

Sure enough, upon hearing Han Ping's words, they immediately became frightened: "We are just ordinary people, how are we going to get across!"

"We'll die..."

"How could you be so heartless? Waaah, how could you be so cruel!"

Even after Cheng Zhiyu and his group had gone far away, the cries of this group could still be heard.

Cheng Mo covered Cheng Zhiyu's ears in frustration. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't kill people casually, he would have liked to make them quiet down.

Han Ping sighed, "I was wrong."

He had only thought that he could help as many people as he could, because everyone is human and survival is a hope. But clearly, those people didn't think that way.

"Brother, don't be so saintly in the future," Han Tingting said.

Han Ping: "..." Why do you say that?

Seeing that Han Tingting and Han Ping weren't in good condition, Cheng Zhiyu said, "Let's find a place to rest first."

They found an apartment, which was covered in dust. Cheng Mo used his water-based supernatural abilities to clean up an area.

Cheng Zhiyu: "You two, please sit down first."

Cheng Zhiyu and the others looked for the kitchen, but unfortunately the apartment didn't have natural gas. Luckily, he had a portable gas stove in his space, and he had collected a lot of gas canisters before, which was enough.

Han Tingting was originally going to help, but she was told to go and rest. Tian Qiao said while cleaning, "No, you look so unsteady. You'll think we're abusing you."

Han Tingting laughed: "It's not that exaggerated."

However, she was indeed tired and hungry, so she didn't force herself. She sat on the sofa, feeling unusually at ease, and fell asleep in no time.

A fragrance woke Han Tingting from her sleep, and she rubbed her rumbling stomach, feeling embarrassed.

Fortunately, her brother was with her, and Han Ping's stomach was also quite upset.

Zhou Min brought over two bowls of minced meat porridge: "Eat quickly."

He cooked this porridge; he has no problem making such simple dishes.

Han Tingting swallowed hard, hesitating slightly, "Aren't you guys eating?"

Han Ping also said, "Let's all eat something. How can we eat by ourselves?"

Zhou Min smiled and said, "It's alright, we'll have something else to eat later."

Tian Manman reminded, "Eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Foodies are very concerned about whether the flavor of food will be lost.

Han Tingting was deeply moved that they would give up such precious food for her and her brother to eat.

I ate while tears streamed down my face, not knowing whether it was from the delicious food or from being moved.

It's so delicious, waaaaah...

They hadn't had a hot meal in a long time; they only ate cold, hard bread, and sometimes even that wasn't available, leaving them to endure hunger.

A mouthful of hot porridge made me feel comfortable all over.

Before long, the two finished their meal. Zhou Min said enthusiastically, "Want some more? There's plenty more over there."

Han Tingting was still a little hungry, but she shook her head and said, "I'm not eating."

Han Ping also said they wouldn't eat anymore. It wasn't that they were full, but they were too embarrassed to eat any more, since the others hadn't eaten yet.

Just then, a fragrant aroma wafted from the kitchen, but it didn't smell like porridge.

Zhou Min exclaimed excitedly, "Oh my, Brother Cheng has cooked dinner!"

He immediately went to the kitchen, brought out the remaining half-pot of porridge, and gave it to the brother and sister: "Help them take as much as they want. It's rare to find someone who doesn't mind my cooking skills, thank you for your support~"

The brother and sister: "..."

Before long, a large pot of stewed meat was placed on the coffee table in front of us.

They assumed they had given the food to their brother and sister: "..."

It's not what they expected.

“You guys probably haven’t had a proper meal in a long time, so this greasy stuff isn’t suitable for you,” Cheng Zhiyu said with a smile. “Have some hot porridge first.”

Cheng Mo secretly served food to Cheng Zhiyu, preventing him from talking too much with others.

Han Tingting looked at the stewed meat, swallowed hard, and whimpered, "I really want to eat it."

With tears welling up in her eyes, she asked, "Can...can I have a bite?"

Seeing how pitiful he looked, Cheng Zhiyu said, "Eat less, don't eat too much, or your stomach won't be able to handle it."

Han Tingting nodded vigorously, and even put a piece of meat on her embarrassed brother's plate. After taking a bite herself, tears welled up in her eyes with emotion: "Classmate, I knew a man like you was reliable!"

Cheng Mo looked over.

Han Tingting was startled and, without thinking, quickly said, "Such a good man, you should marry him if you meet him."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

Cheng Mo laughed: "Oh, I'd be willing, but I don't know if Zhiyu would be willing to marry me."

Cheng Zhiyu blushed and put a piece of meat on his plate: "Eat your food, food can't shut you up."

Han Tingting: Take a bite.

The brother and sister ate only a little bit of meat and then obediently drank their porridge.

It must be said that people in the post-apocalyptic world have indeed improved their physical fitness a lot. In the past, after being hungry for so long and not getting enough rest, it would have taken them a long time to recover.

But after Han Tingting and Han Ping finished eating, they felt much better and seemed to have more energy when they spoke.

It's obviously not appropriate to let Xiaoqiang out in the city, so they'll sleep in the apartment tonight.

Cheng Zhiyu said, "We're going out to look for something. Do you want to come along?"

Han Tingting thought for a moment, then shook her head: "No, my brother isn't fully recovered yet, so I'll stay here and disturb the room for a bit."

I just cleaned the living room; the bedrooms haven't been cleaned yet.

Cheng Zhiyu felt the same way. There was no water in the apartment, but Cheng Mo had left plenty of water for it.

Cheng Zhiyu: "You can take this opportunity to clean up."

Han Tingting nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. She hadn't realized it before, but now that she looked down and smelled herself, she felt really smelly. There was nothing she could do; she was lucky to have any water to drink on the way, let alone take a shower.

Fortunately, her brother was there to keep her company and make her stink.

Han Ping: "?"