"Widow Li, stop!"
Ning Yu's voice echoed in the empty underground parking lot, but Widow Li had gone mad and ignored his warnings. She swung the iron bar in her hand, smashing everything around her, shattering the warning lights on the walls and sending sparks flying.
"Crazy woman!" Ning Yu cursed inwardly, knowing that reasoning with her at this moment was a complete waste of breath. He nimbly weaved between obstacles, dodging Widow Li's attacks, while looking for an opportunity to subdue her.
The underground parking garage was already dilapidated, and after Widow Li's rampage, it became even more precarious. Chunks of cement kept falling from the ceiling, kicking up clouds of dust. Ning Yu knew that if she continued like this, the entire underground parking garage could collapse.
"I need to think of something..." Ning Yu dodged while observing his surroundings. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a corner at the entrance of the parking lot. There, some discarded tires and debris that had been piled up had been overturned by Widow Li.
Among the clutter, Ning Yu spotted a rusty iron chain and a huge iron hook. He had used them to reinforce the entrance to the shelter, but now they were being used against Widow Li.
With a thought, Ning Yu deliberately slowed his pace, luring Widow Li into that corner. Widow Li fell for it; she roared and charged at Ning Yu, the iron rod in her hand whistling through the air as it came crashing down.
"Now!" Ning Yu seized the opportunity and lunged forward, dodging Widow Li's attack. At the same time, he hooked his foot on the iron chain on the ground and pulled hard.
The iron chain, with its hook, flew up and precisely wrapped around Widow Li's ankle. Caught off guard, Widow Li tripped and fell to the ground, letting out a scream.
"You brat, you dare to trick me!" Widow Li struggled to get up, but the chains tightened, making it impossible for her to move.
Ning Yu ignored Widow Li's curses. He strode up to her, snatched the iron bar from her hand, and threw it aside. Then, he pulled hard on the chain, dragging Widow Li to a cement pillar and securing her firmly to it with the chain.
"You should stay here and reflect on your actions!" Ning Yu clapped his hands and turned to leave.
"You...you can't just leave like this!" Widow Li cried out in terror. "I...I know I was wrong, please let me go!"
Ning Yu stopped and turned to look at Widow Li, his eyes icy: "Now you know how to beg for mercy? If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"
He walked up to Widow Li, bent down, and took out the small bag of compressed biscuits that he had previously snatched from her.
“This is my stuff, and now I’m taking it back.”
Having said that, Ning Yu ignored Widow Li's pleas and turned to walk towards the shelter, leaving only a cold sentence echoing in the air:
"Tonight, just enjoy this long night here..."
Ning Yu didn't look back. The widow Li's desperate cries gradually faded behind him, echoing in the empty underground parking lot. Back safely at the shelter, the first thing he did was carefully check the surroundings to confirm there were no other dangers. Only after confirming safety did Ning Yu let out a long sigh of relief and slump into a corner.
He took out the bag of compressed biscuits he had found again from his backpack, carefully opened it, broke off a small piece, and chewed it slowly. The food wasn't particularly delicious, but driven by hunger, it felt especially precious.
By the dim light, Ning Yu tallied up his haul for the day: three bags of compressed biscuits, a bottle of mineral water, and some loose energy bars. According to his calculations, this food and water was enough for him to survive for three days.
“Three days…” Ning Yu muttered to himself, his brows furrowing slightly. He knew that this was only temporary safety. To survive in this perilous post-apocalyptic world, he needed to find a more stable source of food and water, as well as a safer shelter.
As night fell, the underground parking lot fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the occasional squeak of a mouse. Ning Yu hastily constructed a makeshift bed using a few planks of wood and a tattered rag, but lying on it, he couldn't fall asleep.
He closed his eyes, the scene of his fight with Widow Li earlier that day replaying in his mind. Widow Li's madness and despair horrified him, and made him realize that in this dog-eat-dog world, kindness and compassion were the most useless things.
"Only by becoming stronger can I survive in this world!" Ning Yu clenched his fist and made a silent vow in his heart.
Throughout the long night, Ning Yu kept his eyes open until dawn.
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight shone through the gaps in the underground parking lot entrance, casting a bright patch of light on the ground. Ning Yu got up from the makeshift bed, ate a simple meal, and began packing her belongings, preparing to set off again.
Looking at the dwindling food supplies, he knew he had to go out and search again. He cautiously left his makeshift shelter, heading towards an unfamiliar, ruined area. On the desolate streets, only his silhouette stood out, appearing exceptionally lonely…
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