Chapter 40 40
Starting from Yu City, it took us a week to reach Andong City, with many stops and rests and detours due to road congestion.
Wen Jiuze got off the car and used a telescope to observe the city full of tall buildings.
Before the end of the world, Andong City was a more prosperous city than Yu City and had a larger population.
But now, the place has completely changed. Several main roads have been blocked and many high-rise buildings in the city have traces of being bombarded.
In some places, the shadows of zombies huddled together could be seen swaying, but there were no living people nearby, not even scavengers.
Wen Jiuze had heard people say that there was a base in Andong City before, but he had never been there, so he didn't know the exact location of the base.
It’s just that the base is generally not difficult to find. After all, people come and go, and they will create a new road. Usually, someone will put up new road signs on the side of the road to indicate the direction.
The strange thing is that when we looked around the old site of Andong City, we didn't find any signs of much human activity.
Experienced doomsday wanderers have their own way. First, find a tall abandoned signal tower and then climb up.
Xue Ling stood under the signal tower and watched Wen Jiuze climbing the tower without protection. She was afraid that he might fall down accidentally.
Among the hundred ways that she had imagined her ex-boyfriend might have died, this was one of them.
Wen Jiuze wore gloves, grabbed the horizontal bar, and used the force to climb to the upper level. He quickly reached a height of several meters. On the way, he even had time to make an OK gesture to Xue Ling who was looking up at him from below.
He climbed higher and higher until Xue Ling could no longer see clearly, so he stopped. He observed for a while and then came down quickly. He didn't seem to have any fear of heights at all.
Xue Ling was terrified when he saw him working at high altitude, but he let go of his hands and jumped down from a height of more than two meters as if nothing had happened.
He walked towards her, taking off his gloves and saying, "I see, there should be a circled area in that direction, let's go."
Xue Ling thought the dog was a bit handsome, but she said, "You climb the tower more flexibly than a monkey."
The flat-lipped substitute, that electronic voice, is sarcastic in everything it says.
Wen Jiuze suddenly wiped her face with his fingers. Xue Ling took a look with the tablet and saw several gray marks on her face. When she looked again, Wen Jiuze had already quickly got into the car.
Xue Ling: “…” He can’t be handsome for even ten minutes.
Following the direction Wen Jiuze saw, they arrived at the Andong City Base, but unfortunately something unexpected happened - the Andong City Base had been abandoned.
There was indeed a temporary house built in the circled area, but only a frame was left, and most of the rest had been demolished.
There were signs that people once lived there, but now there are only some temporary houses that cannot be moved, discarded daily rubbish, and zombies.
It is very likely that this base experienced a second zombie outbreak, so the base was abandoned and the remaining people moved away.
In the current situation, transportation is inconvenient, news updates are not timely, many large and small bases are built and disappeared, and it is difficult for people who are far away to know the specific situation. This is all normal.
When Xue Ling secretly looked at Wen Jiuze's expression, she found that he was also observing her expression.
"It's okay. So many people can't have died. Those who are still alive should have moved to a nearby base. We'll look for them tomorrow." Wen Jiuze said casually.
Next, they just wandered around, just like he said, trying to find someone to ask about the situation.
After wandering around for two days, I finally met a living person.
Xue Ling was the first to discover it. She had sharp eyes and spotted a fenced vegetable patch on the side of the road. It was very well tended, with no weeds in the ground. At a glance, she could see the red peppers hanging on the branches.
Xue Ling was so happy that she patted Wen Jiuze's arm and asked him to stop the car and go to see the vegetable field, wanting to tell him that there were people living there.
Wen Jiuze saw the vegetable field and said, "Eggplants, greens, peppers, and cucumbers. I'll go down and pick some later."
Xue Ling: “…”
Is that what I mean? This is obviously planted by someone, are you just going to pick it like this?
But Wen Jiuze had already gotten off the car, still carrying a gun, and walked directly into the old country bungalow.
Could he be going to kill someone? Xue Ling thought about the gunshots that would be heard soon, and nervously leaned over the car window to watch.
After a while, Wen Jiuze came out of the yard with an older man. The two of them stood at the gate and gestured in directions, as if they were asking for directions. The atmosphere was surprisingly good?
Wen Jiuze asked for directions and suggested changing some vegetables. The old man nodded in agreement, went back to the house, gave him a basket, and let him pick the vegetables himself in the vegetable garden.
Carrying the basket, Wen Jiuze went to the car first and pulled Xue Ling out.
Xue Ling glanced guiltily at the old man sitting at the gate of the courtyard, and while walking stiffly, he pinched Wen Jiuze's arm hard through his sleeve.
She has to come to pick vegetables, what if she is discovered! This old lady is so old, don't let her scare her to death.
Xue Ling nervously pulled on her mask and hat.
"Don't be nervous, hold the basket." Wen Jiuze smiled and pushed her into the vegetable garden.
Xue Ling picked the peppers angrily and decided to let him eat them until his stomach hurt.
As she was picking the fruits, she suddenly heard a banging noise in the small bungalow next to the house. Her first reaction was that the grandfather also raised pigs. Then she heard the familiar roar of zombies.
Xue Ling stopped picking fruits and pointed to the bungalow where the sound came from.
Wen Jiuze turned a deaf ear to him, picked an eggplant and put it in the basket. After being pulled by Xue Ling twice, he raised his eyelids and said casually: "I saw that there are several zombies locked in that room."
"If you're curious, you can go and take a look secretly."
Xue Ling put down the basket and quietly moved over to take a look.
It was originally a bungalow for storing miscellaneous items in the countryside. It was cleaned up neatly, with mats spread on the floor and four zombies locked up.
An older woman, a younger couple, and a child.
Considering the master’s age, the people imprisoned here should be his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.
She returned to Wen Jiuze and squatted in front of a cabbage, staring blankly.
Wen Jiuze touched her head and said, "Hurry up and pick the vegetables. Don't be lazy."
Xue Ling glared at him, grabbed the cabbage and pulled it up by the roots.
After asking for directions and successfully exchanging two packets of salt for some fresh vegetables, the two of them, one zombie and one person, continued on their journey.
While driving, Wen Jiuze saw Xue Ling still looking back, and suddenly said: "This kind of thing happens a lot, basically it happens to families in the countryside, everyone in the family has turned into zombies, and they are locked up at home. They don't want to go to the base, so they just live at home."
Many of them died quietly at home.
Xue Ling poked the tablet and said, "I see that the master's family has chickens. I think we should get another chicken to make soup."
The electronic voice paused for a moment and then said, "You are so sentimental, Wen Jiuze."
Wen Jiu smiled silently: "Just pretend I didn't say anything."
I'm just afraid that she will feel uncomfortable seeing it.
She used to cry whenever she watched childish cartoons.
The closest base to Andong City is Yicheng Base. This base is a bit conservative. There is no trading point at the gate. You have to enter the city, but there are inspectors at the gate who not only check the people in the car, but also check the things they carry.
Wen Jiuze has to go to the base to inquire about information, so he cannot bring Xue Ling with him.
He parked his car in a more secluded location and prepared to go to the base by himself.
Before leaving, he asked Xue Ling worriedly, "You're not going to drive away by yourself and leave me here alone, are you?"
Xue Ling: "You gave me a new idea..."
Wen Jiu hooked his arm around her neck and said, "Then you should come with me. I am worried."
Xue Ling: "How can I get in if there is a check at the door?"
Wen Jiuze: "We don't go through the main entrance, we can find a way to climb the wall. There is always a way to get in."
Xue Ling: "No, no, no, let me go! I'm just kidding!"
After swearing that he would not run away in anger, Wen Jiuze let her go and went into the Yicheng base alone with a backpack.
Wen Jiuze left. Xue Ling opened a mask and put it on her face, then got out of the car and practiced Ba Duan Jin.
I always feel like I haven't been active enough recently, my body has become quite stiff, and my joints are not flexible. I should probably exercise.
——Although this probably won’t be of any use.
But psychological effects are also an effect.
Wen Jiuze's expression faded a lot after he left Xue Ling's sight. He asked the staff at the gate of the base if there was a place to look for people in the base, and also asked some other miscellaneous information.
There are indeed people from Andong City in the Yicheng base, but Andong City is so big that it is very difficult to find someone who knows Wen Yi.
He didn't find out any news about Wen Yi here.
Wen Jiuze did not give up so easily. Not only the Yicheng base, but there were other bases around.
The stubborn Wen Jiuze ran around for a month and finally heard news about someone who seemed to be Wen Yi.
"I know the person you're talking about. He left with the convoy a few months ago. I don't know where he went."
Here the clues break down again.
Wen Yi was still alive at least a few months ago, but no one knew where she went.
It was already late autumn and the weather was getting colder. When I woke up in the morning, the hood of the car was covered with a layer of frost.
Wen Jiuze was probably tired of looking for people during this period, so he just lay in the car and felt lazy.
Xue Ling, who was not afraid of the cold, ended her time of resting with her eyes closed early and took a walk along the river. Although she didn't need to breathe, she still tried hard to breathe in some fresh air.
When we got back to the car, the dew on the hood had melted and the sun had been up for a while. Wen Jiuze was still sleeping in the car, now lying on his side.
Hi? Are you still sleeping? You don't have to work today, so why are you sleeping so long?
Xue Ling waited for a while and found that he was still motionless, so she climbed into the car and pushed him.
Wen Jiuze felt very hot. He usually felt hot as well, but was there something wrong with this heat?
Unsure of her own zombie-like sensitivity to heat and cold, Xue Ling lifted up Wen Jiuze's clothes and touched several places on his body.
Wen Jiuze turned over, opened his eyes, put his arm on his forehead, and said in a hoarse voice: "How long have you been hanging out outside? You've frozen into a popsicle."
Xue Ling looked at him and asked uncertainly: "Are you sick?!"
Wen Jiuze actually got sick?! He was a man who could wear a windbreaker in the middle of winter without catching a cold!
How good was Wen Jiuze's health? Xue Ling used to wonder if he was an alien.
The bruises on his body disappeared within two days without any medicine.
Once he was hit by an electric bike. The aunt riding the electric bike broke her leg, but he was not hurt at all.
If it weren't for his strong appearance, the aunt would have asked him to pay compensation on the spot.
In the middle of winter, he could wash his hair with cold water. Xue Ling was shivering in front of the heater while warming her hands. She saw him go to the refrigerator to get a bottle of ice water and drink half of it in one gulp.
With such a tough body, Xue Ling had never seen him feel uncomfortable, let alone get sick. He was simply inhuman.
So he still gets sick?!
My ex-girlfriend was so shocked that she almost jumped up from her limbs.
Xue Ling pushed away Wen Jiuze's arm that was resting on her forehead, put her head against it, and felt it carefully for a while.
Wen Jiuze lifted his foot and pushed her down, not letting her get up: "Don't think about it, it's just a fever."
After coming back to her senses from the shock of hearing that Wen Jiuze was not only mentally ill but also had a fever, Xue Ling felt a little numb.
What should I do? All the medicines I found before have been replaced, and the only ones left are some psychiatric drugs, which are not suitable for treating fever.
She said that it was so cold and she couldn't go out wearing only one layer of clothing. Wen Jiuzefei didn't listen and tried to look cool, refusing to wear a thick coat.
I am in my twenties now, how can I compare with a nineteen year old?
She admitted that the big cotton coat she found for him was indeed a bit ugly, but now that no one was watching him, what was wrong with him wearing ugly clothes? Hadn't she worn an ugly skirt he found before? What was wrong with giving her a chance to take revenge?
Xue Ling thought again, could it be that he hadn't found Wen Yi recently and the mental pressure was too great, so he made himself sick?
After a not very careful analysis, Xue Ling felt that it was very likely.
Some time ago he said that he was afraid of disappointing her and didn't want to put pressure on her. But he himself was the most disappointed and stressed one, and he got sick because of this incident.
After a moment, Xue Ling thought of a more terrifying possibility.
Could it be that he was accidentally poked by her and infected with the zombie virus?
Some people have very small wounds and their zombification process is very slow, so they will start to have a fever in the early stages.
Xue Ling sat up suddenly and lifted up Wen Jiuze, who was pressing his leg against her.
Wen Jiuze slammed the car door, and his mind became a little clearer.
Just as he was about to ask if he was going to transform into a zombie heroine with such great force, Xue Ling rushed over, unzipped his clothes, and carefully checked him from head to toe, inside and out.
"What are you looking for in me?"
Xue Ling couldn't find the wound and asked, "Did I stab you accidentally?"
"..." Wen Jiuze, "What are you thinking? You usually hit me with your fists and never with your claws. How could you possibly sting me?"
"I just have a fever. I'll be fine after a good sleep."
No matter what happens, he always says "It's okay".
Xue Ling pulled his hands out of her hair and stuffed them into the blanket, then pulled out a large cotton jacket from the trunk and covered Wen Jiuze with it.
There's no other way. Considering that he rarely gets sick, I'll just make him some light food today.
After becoming a zombie, Xue Ling never cooked again. Now she took out the rice and the pot, and when she was about to wash the rice, she looked at her black nails and fell into deep thought.
Question: If she soaks her fingernails in rice to wash the rice at this time, will the steamed rice contain the zombie virus?
Does this count as poisoning?
After pouring out the water, Xue Ling held the pot, feeling dilemma.
My hand felt lighter, and someone took the pot away.
Wen Jiu pinched his burning neck and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll do it."
Although the stove was burning, he was still very efficient in washing rice and cooking. After setting up the stove, he took a chair and sat beside it.
Xue Ling took the big cotton jacket from the car and put it on him, then sat next to him and waited for the meal with him.
There was bubbling on the stove.
Xue Ling looked at Wen Jiuze's lowered face, again and again.
Wen Jiuze has never been sick, but Xue Ling used to be sick.
I found another advantage of being a zombie: zombies don’t get sick!
During the more than a year that they were together, Xue Ling fell ill once. During that illness, Wen Jiuze broke her previous perception of him.
She was surprised to find that he was actually very good at caring for patients.
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