Does it hurt?

Although we had met once that morning, when I encountered Yu Zhongjian again at the regimental headquarters, I inexplicably felt a pang of guilt towards him.

The reason I say it's inexplicable is because I haven't had time to figure out where this guilt started, but it just emerged so subtly. First, it occupied a small space in my heart, and every time I looked at Yu Zhongjian, I would unconsciously recall the physical torment I had inflicted on him, the words I shouted in his ear, and how I shamelessly told Zhang Yanhuang that he liked me.

The guilt grew so large that I was too embarrassed to look him in the eye—his gaze was so calm and open, completely devoid of any emotion. Where was there even a trace of affection for me? He had his eye on another girl, so how did I end up misunderstanding him? He even said I wasn't confident enough. Was I too confident?

On the roof of the military truck, Yu Zhongjian had already hoisted the rocket launcher onto his shoulder, while Gao Chen loaded it with armor-piercing rounds from behind. The two of them carried the launcher, checked the ammunition, and loaded it cleanly and efficiently, their every move resembling that of seasoned partners honed on the battlefield. I was half-exposed in the sunroof of the first truck, gripping the heavy machine gun handle, watching their movements from behind. When Gao Chen retreated under the truck bed, Yu Zhongjian fired.

With a "whoosh," an armor-piercing round flew overhead, followed by a deafening roar a couple hundred meters ahead. The team members on either side of the door quickly pulled it open. Lai Yunfei floored the accelerator, driving the lead car towards the swarming zombies. I pulled the trigger, spun the gun around, and fired continuously, moving 180 degrees left and right. Muzzle flashes shot out, and spent bullet casings clattered against the roof of the car.

Following the lead vehicle was the military truck driven by Yu Zhongjian and Gao Chen, with Zhang Yanhuang in the truck bed responsible for pulling the door open for the team members. The third vehicle was driven by Han Bo, separating the military truck from the last two provincial capital vehicles. In this way, the five vehicles formed a convoy, with heavy motorcycles leading the way and submachine guns and infantry providing support from the sides, speeding out from the infantry regiment.

A large crater had been blasted into the road in front of the barracks, but we didn't need to detour because the zombie corpses had already filled it. Yuan Xikun's modified high tires were good, crushing the zombies with great force; Lai Yunfei's driving skills were also good, and if Li Tonggu hadn't been holding onto my waistband, I would have been bounced out of the sunroof several times.

The densest horde of corpses was blasted open by rocket artillery, and the powerful motorcycles swept away any ugly creatures trying to approach the vehicles. With the belief that the worst that could happen was wrecking one car, we sped out of Metasequoia Road and onto the main suburban road about three minutes later.

Strictly following Yu Zhongjian's instructions, we ceased firing and closed the sunroof as soon as we reached the main road. I retreated back into the car, and just as I was rubbing my sore and numb arms, the walkie-talkie crackled to life: "Qi Aifeng, Han Bo, report back: have any personnel fallen behind or been injured?"

Han Bo and I both replied that we were safe, and glancing back at the military truck following behind, we felt a surge of joy. This was the team I aspired to be—more and more mature, with increasingly seamless teamwork, courageous and resourceful, daring to fight and take risks. Like a sharp knife cutting through obstacles, like a swift arrow piercing through hordes of zombies, they secured the supplies and escaped unscathed.

I excitedly slapped Li Tonggu's thigh: "A whole truckload of ammunition, all kinds of mines and cannons, we won't be afraid of zombie hordes anymore, we'll blow them all to smithereens!"

Li Tonggu squeezed his legs together to avoid me, raised his large, fan-like hand, and slapped my left thigh hard, asking, "Does it hurt?"

The sound of vehicles would inevitably attract zombies, but we were driving fast, speeding towards the fields outside the city regardless of direction. After half an hour, we had basically shaken off a large number of zombies and finally parked the car next to an abandoned farmland to gather and rest.

I struggled to get off the truck on one leg, grimacing as I gripped the door. Everyone had gathered around the truck's cab, but I was trembling uncontrollably and unable to move.

Yu Zhongjian glanced at me from afar, then quickly turned away to talk to the others. Gao Chen ran over and asked, "Aifeng, what's wrong?"

I was too embarrassed to admit that I had been hit by Little Li, so I made up an excuse that my leg was numb. With his help, I limped back to the others and glared fiercely at Li Tonggu. He stared blankly at the sky, as if he had no recollection of the severe blow he had delivered to me just minutes before, which had caused me a fracture.

Captain Lin from the provincial capital also arrived with Liu Sicheng and two other uninjured men. His expression was grim, and his eyes were filled with reluctance as he looked at the military truck: "You're the ones who attracted the zombies. I won't thank you for breaking through. Let me make this clear from the start: I reported this truckload of weapons to the base commander before I came. Now that I haven't received them, I'll tell you the truth when I get back. If the base commander isn't willing to give up, there's nothing I can do. Anyway, I'm just giving you a heads-up."

I scoffed, gritting my teeth against the pain in my leg, "You're making a fuss before you even get your hands on the stuff. Who can you blame for your impatience? If you're not afraid of him never coming back, then let him come to Huaicheng. He won't know the age-old truth that even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake until he gets a beating. Besides, what's a small base of six hundred people? Is he a powerful dragon? In our area, he's just a worm at best!"

Captain Lin sighed with emotion: "I've been oppressed for over twenty years. I thought I could finally stand up and be the master of my own destiny in this apocalypse, but I never expected to fall into your hands again. The people of Huaicheng, especially the women of Huaicheng, hmph, they're quite fierce." He shook his head angrily and helplessly.

Han Bo asked in confusion, "Who is it? Who has been bullying him for over twenty years?"

I said, "His mother-in-law is from Huaicheng." The young men around me immediately gave me knowing, meaningful looks.

After a fierce internal struggle, Liu Sicheng decided to return to the provincial capital with Captain Lin. He felt that if Captain Lin failed to retrieve the military equipment and another member was turned against him, his life under the base commander would certainly not be easy. Out of gratitude for the captain's past care, he resolved to stand with him through thick and thin.

I overheard Zhang Yanhuang telling him the location of the veterans during their tearful farewell, instructing him to come and seek refuge if anything happened. But this guy wasn't completely stupid; he even repeatedly told Liu Sicheng not to tell anyone.

Captain Lin's two cars were about to leave when Gao Chen whispered a few words in Yu Zhongjian's ear. Yu Zhongjian nodded and tossed his chin at me, saying, "Go tell him about the zombie horde."

Why do I have to speak? Can't you see I can barely stand? My left leg hurt terribly as soon as it hit the ground. I angrily said to Li Tonggu, "Little Li, I'm crippled. Come and help me up."

He stared at the sky, motionless, so I had to hop on one foot to Yu Zhongjian's side: "Before I say anything, there are ten infantry guns, fifteen mortars, seventy disposable rocket launchers, thirteen reinforced heavy machine guns, and nearly a hundred boxes of various types of ammunition on the truck. This batch of weapons is really something! The guy surnamed Lin went back and reported that some chicken feet and duck feet might come to Huaicheng to rob us. The zombie horde won't be able to reach the provincial capital so quickly."

"Humans and zombies are two opposing camps. Using zombies to attack survivors is not only despicable, but also tantamount to treason." He spoke grand and magnanimous words, but his demeanor was arrogant and disdainful of everyone else: "Letting these people go was to let them deliver a message. What's wrong with them eagerly bringing supplies to the veterans? Are you afraid you can't handle them?"

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid they won't sing 'Conquer'!" This remark made everyone laugh. Why would I be afraid? If something that's already in my own storeroom could be taken away, I'd rather die than betray the people and the veterans.

Yu Zhongjian is right. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. The fewer survivors there are, the bleaker our future becomes. Fighting is fine, but when it comes to matters of life and death, we still need to be mindful. So I called out to Captain Lin's retreating figure as he prepared to get into the car, "Hey, Lin, since your mother-in-law is from Huaicheng, I'll give you a message. When you get back, tell your base chief he won't have time to bother you anymore."

A few minutes later, Captain Lin was utterly shocked, repeatedly seeking confirmation and asking questions, clearly lacking any understanding of the zombie horde's existence. When he heard our response plan, his expression of fear and shock froze, magnifying several degrees. Dried blood still clung to the corners of his eyes, making him look like a corpse that had just died. After regaining his composure, he hurriedly called his team members over to listen to the explanation, wishing he could jot down every detail in a small notebook.

I shared everything I knew, even suggesting he report the zombie horde first, then pretend to have a sudden inspiration and come up with a solution once the base commander was frantic. He thanked me profusely, bowed slightly, and quickly left with his men. Watching their car drive away, I thought to myself that Old Lin had it tough too. He'd made a trip to Tongcheng only to be intercepted and knocked unconscious. He might face ridicule and further exclusion when he got back. But he was, after all, the son-in-law of Huaicheng, so I gave him this chance to make a difference.

Gao Chen's memories were packed away, the military equipment was acquired, the people of the provincial capital were alerted, the trip to Tongcheng was successfully concluded, and everyone could happily embark on their journey home. Yu Zhongjian redistributed the vehicles and personnel, with the most important military truck assigned to Gao Chen and Zhang Yanhuang to drive, Han Bo and three male team members bringing up the rear, and himself, Xiao Li, Da Gan, and I, who had been upgraded to the co-pilot's seat, leading the way.

Since I was always cheerful and in good spirits, no one seemed to care about my strange one-legged stance. After the assignments were completed, everyone got into their respective vehicles. I put my left leg down next to the military truck to test it, but it still hurt terribly, so I had to hop onto the truck in front of me on one leg again.

Gao Chen stuck his head out of the car: "Aifeng, are you alright?"

I smiled and turned around: "It's okay, it's okay, my legs are still a little numb."

I hopped to the passenger door, but the car had already started. Then, the other door clicked open, and Yu Zhongjian got out, frowning as he walked around the front of the car to get closer to me: "What's going on?"

"My legs are numb."

"The numbness hasn't subsided after twenty minutes?"

Finally, someone noticed me standing on one leg for twenty minutes. I took a deep breath and whispered, "I was joking with Little Li in the car just now, and he slapped me. My leg hurts so much it feels like it's going to break."

He first helped me up, opened the car door, and before I could react, he suddenly grabbed me under the armpits with both hands, lifted me up, and put me in the seat.

Me: ...What kind of operation is this? The car is a bit high, but I still have one leg that I can move, I can easily climb up. You just casually pinched me up like that, weighing 127 pounds? It's so embarrassing to pinch someone like a child, I haven't received this kind of treatment since I was five years old.

How did I misunderstand and think he liked me? That's exactly how I misunderstood! I was so clueless about gender, so capricious! Gao Chen could see everything clearly from his high vantage point, how am I supposed to face anyone now!

"you!"

"Don't talk, don't move." He was completely unconcerned about what he was doing, and then, taking advantage of the situation, reached his claws towards my thigh: "Does it hurt here?"

"Ouch!" I winced in pain, grabbed his arm and twisted it hard, no longer caring about criticizing his actions. "It hurts!"

What about here?

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

“It’s a fracture,” he said with certainty.

I collapsed into my seat, drenched in cold sweat, filled with remorse. Joy turned to sorrow, and happiness to despair. Why did I slap Li Tonggu's thigh? Why did I want to share my happiness with him? How did I transform from a highly professional caregiver, always vigilant towards the mentally ill, into a callous fool who took their behavior for granted and treated them like friends?

Even the steel bars couldn't stop Little Li's habit of always looking at the scenery while riding in the car. He was oblivious to my pain, his round face pressed against the glass as he intently gazed out.

I gritted my teeth, both in pain and anger, and shouted, "Little Li!" He gave me a cold look and continued to stick the pancake on.

I handed over the task of controlling the motorcycle to Gan Mingde. Yu Zhongjian helped me lower the seat to a 45-degree angle, fastened my seat belt, took out a map from the armrest box, studied it for a moment, and quickly chose the route to come back.

He kept turning his head to check on me as he drove, and when he saw me staring blankly at the roof, he even offered me a rare word of comfort.

"Don't worry, go back and get an X-ray. If there's no displacement, it will recover in a few weeks."

"How many weeks is a few weeks?" I asked weakly. "What if people from the provincial capital come to rob us? What if another zombie horde comes? What if I become lame?"

"I'm here." He didn't show a trace of mockery, but his tone was anything but serious. "Don't you trust me with this?"

I glanced at him unhappily: "I think you've been wanting to usurp the throne for a long time. You're just pretending to be the most suitable person to lead, but you're just using me as a stepping stone."

Upon entering an area of ​​the city with a high concentration of zombies, he smiled faintly and stopped talking, focusing on being a road sweeper.

Later that day, we stayed overnight at a rural timber processing plant more than 100 kilometers away from Tongcheng. As soon as the car stopped, I called out to Han Bo loudly, but he didn't respond even after I called him more than a dozen times.

Yu Zhongjian asked, "He went to the toilet. I can help you if you need anything."

I kept a straight face and didn't say anything. He then asked, "Do you need to go to the toilet too?"

I'm about to explode with pent-up frustration! We took detours and ran into zombies, covering over 100 kilometers in half a day without stopping even once.

"I need to use the restroom. Please move aside. If you see Han Bo, call him over immediately."

Why won't you let me help?

I'm afraid you'll peek.

He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, Han Bo is here."

Han Bo carried me behind a hidden wall, standing about ten paces away from me with his back turned, and said, "Holy crap, Li Tonggu broke your thigh? This is absolutely unbelievable! Was his strength too great, or are your bones too brittle?"

God knows how I managed to urinate without soiling my pants while having a leg disability. Struggling to hold onto the wall and pulling on my belt with one hand, I warned Han Bo, "Don't tell anyone the truth, especially my mom. Just say I fell, or Little Li will be discriminated against."

Han Bo laughed: "You say I'm lenient with Xiao Yu, but don't you feel sorry for Li Tonggu? We're really in the same boat, both of us were taken advantage of by a mental patient."

I sighed helplessly, "Getting angry is useless except for affecting unity. He doesn't even know I'm angry with him. Oh well, I'll save this energy for killing a few more zombies and snapping a few more enemy necks later. I won't hold a grudge."

When Han Bo heard me start jumping around, he quickly turned around and helped me up: "To be honest, I think the same way about Xiao Yu. Nobody's perfect. His powerful abilities are enough to offset the unintentional harm he caused me."

I saw Yu Zhongjian leaning against the car door about ten meters away, talking to Xiao Lizi and gossiping to Han Bo in a low voice: "Hey, did you know? Xiao Yu said himself that he has someone he likes, and it's not me. Who do you think it could be?"

"Don't listen to his nonsense, it's you." Han Bo looked unconvinced.

I grabbed Han Bo's ear and pulled his head down. "He treats me the same way he treats you. To put it simply, he doesn't see me as a girl. He held my hand, touched my leg, hugged me, and just now he said he would help me go to the bathroom... If you liked someone, would you be so reckless before confessing and confirming the relationship? This is obviously how you treat your brothers."

"Didn't you say you could tell he was interested in you?"

“It’s a misunderstanding,” I shook my head in shame. “It’s my own fault for not being able to break free from gender constraints and always looking at things from a woman’s perspective. It’s a complete misunderstanding. Now that I think about it, what he did to me was actually a manifestation of closeness and trust towards a partner. He himself admitted that he liked someone else.”

"When I asked him last time if he liked you, his attitude was really ambiguous. What's that guy thinking? Should I go ask him again?"

"Why are you asking him? Just like Liu Meili, let him like whoever he wants. As long as he doesn't like me and doesn't become a burden to me, that's fine. I'll wish him well and encourage him. If he needs me to play matchmaker or something, I'll do my best!"

Han Bo looked at me with a pained expression: "Are you really that annoyed by Xiao Yu?"

“I’m not bothered by him.” My gaze drifted to the man in the cab of the military truck who was reading a letter with a flashlight, and I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s just that I prefer someone else.”

Han Bo helped me back into the car to lie down, took a thermal blanket from the trunk and covered me with it. Just as he was about to close the door, Li Tonggu came over. He pushed Han Bo aside, stared at me, and said in a deep voice, "When did I hit you?"

I turned to look at the person casually smoking outside the other car window, appreciated his kindness, and smiled, "No, I accidentally hurt my leg."

Li Tonggu stretched his neck and shouted over there, "She said I didn't hit her."

There was silence on the other side. Li Tonggu said angrily, "I won't hit you if you don't hit me."

I thought to myself, "You're absolutely right. Isn't this the retribution I got for being so impulsive? I guess I'll just have to swallow my pride and bear it." "Yes, yes, Little Li is a reasonable comrade."

He hesitated for a long time, then looked in that direction several times before finally saying, "I'm sorry."

"......It doesn't matter."

Yu Zhongjian finally spoke: "If you ever hit someone without permission again, you're not allowed to follow me anymore."