Chapter 141 Extra: Jiang Mianmian's Apocalypse - Survival
The night was deep, and the rest stop along the journey was exceptionally quiet.
Shen Jin and Tuan Tuan were both fast asleep. Tuan Tuan was sprawled out at the foot of the bed, still clutching his beloved gold brick, drooling in his sleep. Shen Jin, on the other hand, was turned to the side, one hand habitually resting on Jiang Mianmian's waist, in a protective posture.
Jiang Mianmian closed her eyes and breathed steadily.
But her consciousness was falling into a gray, cold, and despair-filled abyss of dreams.
...
Is this... a wasteland?
The sky was leaden gray, hanging low, as if it might collapse at any moment. The air was thick with the smells of sulfur, rotting flesh, and burnt plastic—the peculiar smells of the apocalypse.
Jiang Mianmian looked down and saw her hands, covered in scars and calluses, tightly gripping a dull fire axe. She was wearing a camouflage uniform whose original color was indistinguishable, already soaked with blood and mud.
"roar--!"
A chilling roar echoed from afar.
Thousands upon thousands of zombies, like a gray tide, poured out from the cracks in the ruins and spread toward the isolated building where she was.
"Captain! We're out of bullets!"
"We've run out of food! We can't hold on any longer!"
Teammates fell one by one, their blood staining the broken walls and ruins.
Jiang Mianmian felt an unprecedented exhaustion.
【Hungry. 】
I'm so hungry...
It felt like a hand was frantically scratching inside her stomach, the stomach acid corroding her stomach lining. The hunger was more terrifying than the fangs of a zombie. She hadn't eaten for three days. Her last meal was half a moldy compressed biscuit, which she shared with the youngest child in the group.
I want to eat braised pork... I want to eat rice... I want to eat even just a hot bowl of instant noodles...
"Sister Mianmian! Run! We'll cover you!"
The teammates roared as they charged towards the horde of zombies, detonating their Glory Bombs.
"boom--!"
Flames shot into the sky.
With red eyes, Jiang Mianmian wielded her axe, mechanically hacking away at the monsters that pounced on her.
One axe, two axe blows, three axe blows...
Until she was exhausted, until her vision blurred, until... a sharp claw pierced her chest.
Cold.
dark.
Only the insatiable hunger accompanied her as she sank into eternal nothingness.
If there is an afterlife...
All I want is... to have enough to eat.
I want to lie down, I want to bask in the sun, I want to be a useless person... I never want to hold an axe again...
...
"Whoosh—! Whoosh—!"
Jiang Mianmian suddenly woke up from her dream, gasping for breath like a dying fish.
Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her pajamas were soaked through. She stared in terror at the canopy above her, her body still trembling uncontrollably.
"Mianmian?"
Shen Jin, who was beside him, was awakened almost instantly.
He sensed something was wrong with the person in his arms, immediately got up, and lit the candle by the bedside.
A warm yellow halo spread out, dispelling the darkness.
Shen Jin saw that Jiang Mianmian's face was pale, her pupils were unfocused, and she was curled up in a ball, her hands gripping the brocade quilt beneath her tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Shen Jin's heart tightened, and he quickly pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back with his large hand. "Don't be afraid, I'm here. It's alright now."
Jiang Mianmian turned her head stiffly.
She saw Shen Jin's handsome yet worried face, Tuan Tuan sleeping soundly at the foot of the bed, the exquisite furnishings in the room, and the unfinished osmanthus cake on the table.
Osmanthus cake...
[It's not moldy cookies...it's osmanthus cake...]
Jiang Mianmian reached out with trembling hands, grabbed the osmanthus cake, and stuffed it into her mouth without thinking.
"Mmm...mmm..."
She wolfed down the pastries, the sweetness melting in her mouth. The real, warm feeling of fullness finally pulled her soul back from that cold world.
"Eat slowly, don't choke."
Shen Jin poured her a glass of water, his brows furrowed.
He heard what she had been thinking.
Although there were only a few words, such as "zombies," "wasteland," "not having eaten for three days," and "moldy cookies," he could feel the deep-seated despair and hunger.
That was no ordinary nightmare.
That was... her past.
The "apocalypse" that she always refused to mention and always covered up with a frivolous smile.
It turns out that her love of food, her greed for money, and her desire to be a lazy bum weren't due to laziness.
Rather, it was because... she had used all her strength to survive.
Because she was truly... terrified of being hungry.
"Calm and cautious..."
Jiang Mianmian swallowed the pastry, and a tear fell onto the back of her hand with a "plop." "I dreamed... I went back."
"There is no food, no water, only monsters there."
"I'm so hungry... I'm really so hungry..."
She burrowed into Chen Jin's arms, clinging tightly to his waist as if grasping at a lifeline. "I don't want to go back... I don't want to be a hero anymore... I just want to be a good-for-nothing who does nothing but loaf around and wait to die..."
I'm scared... I'm afraid all of this is just a dream, and when I wake up I'll still be in that pile of corpses...
My cautious heart ached as if it were being pricked by needles.
He never knew that this carefree woman, who seemed to be able to cover herself up even if the sky were to fall, actually harbored such a deep and painful scar in her heart.
No, it won't.
Shen Jin tightened his arms around her, warming her cold body with his own body heat. "You can't go back. That world... no longer exists."
"This is Da Gan. This is the Regent's Palace."
"You have an endless supply of braised pork, an endless supply of money, and a house that will never collapse."
"And me too."
He lowered his head and kissed her tear-streaked cheek, his voice firm yet gentle:
"As long as I live, I will never let you go hungry again, and I will never let you... pick up an axe and fight to the death again."
"If you want to be a loser, then be a loser for life."
"I will take care of you."
As Jiang Mianmian listened to his promise and felt the real warmth, the fear in her heart finally dissipated.
【yes……】
Here you'll find both composure and unity.
No need to fight zombies, no need to fight for cookies.
I am safe. I am... happy.
She sniffed and wiped her tears and snot on Shen Jin's clothes.
"Calm and cautious."
"Um?"
"I want to eat a late-night snack."
He chuckled silently.
Sure enough, she came alive as soon as food was mentioned.
What would you like to eat?
"I want to eat... plain noodles. I want two poached eggs and lots and lots of chopped green onions."
"good."
Shen Jin didn't call for servants, but instead put on his outer robe and said, "I will make it for you."
"You can do it?" Jiang Mianmian asked in surprise.
"I've seen you do it. It's not difficult."
Shen Jin stood up, walked to the door, and glanced back at her. "Wait. It'll be ready soon."
Wrapped in the blanket, Jiang Mianmian watched the tall figure busy under the candlelight, and the huge emptiness in her heart was finally filled.
Goodbye, apocalypse.
【I'm a married woman now, I'm going to eat some fried eggs!】
A short while later, a steaming bowl of plain noodles was served.
Although it didn't look very appealing, and the eggs were slightly burnt on the edges, in Jiang Mianmian's eyes, it was the most delicious food in the world.
She ate her noodles heartily, while Chen Jin watched quietly from the side.
Tuantuan, at the foot of the bed, rolled over and mumbled something in her sleep:
"Mother... leave me a bite..."
Jiang Mianmian smiled, and Shen Jin smiled too.
Outside the window, the moonlight was as clear as water.
This world may not be perfect; it may lack skyscrapers, air conditioning, and cell phones. But it has warmth, family, and love.
That's enough.
For someone who has crawled back from hell, this is already... heaven.
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