After arranging their departure, Zhang Yun and Yang Shize left the base amidst the reluctant gazes of everyone.
As they traveled south, they encountered zombies many times along the way, but they were all easily defeated by the two of them's overwhelming strength.
After two days, the two finally arrived at the area where Qi Heng's base was located—Jingu District.
Yang Shize parked the car in an open area, and the two walked into the city.
After searching the area for a day and clearing out several waves of zombies, we still couldn't find any trace of the base.
As night fell, the two had no choice but to find a small hotel to stay in for the time being.
The hotel was small, with only three floors. The two cleared out the zombies inside, blocked all the exits, and found a relatively clean room to stay in.
Knowing that water resources would be scarce in the later stages of the apocalypse, Zhang Yun stockpiled a large amount of domestic and drinking water in his space while the water was still clean and usable—after all, he had unlimited space.
They connected the hotel room's water pipes to the built-in hot water tank and took a shower in the hotel's shower.
During the two days of their journey, they took turns resting in the car at night, while one of them stayed outside to keep watch.
Now that we can finally rest together, we're bound to have a fierce battle.
Zhang Yun was quite puzzled. According to the protagonist information provided by the system, Yang Shize and He Jiajia were a couple, but even when he was in trouble and living alone with the female lead, he was very gentlemanly and never did anything inappropriate.
Until the very end, the closest contact he had with the female lead was only a hug and a kiss on the forehead.
Their love was more like that of soulmates and comrades-in-arms, which was something Zhang Yun particularly envied.
But why is it that when Yang Shize is with him, he acts like a beast in heat, wanting to mess with him all the time?
...
After resting for a while, Yang Shize turned him over and carefully kissed his handsome face.
Zhang Yun felt a little ticklish from his kisses and couldn't help but laugh and try to avoid him. When his lips followed, she tilted her head slightly and met his lips with hers.
After a few tender moments of kissing, they parted, slightly breathless, their foreheads touching.
...
Yang Shize's smile held a hint of wickedness. "Brother, you miss me again?"
Zhang Yun gasped for breath, wrapped her arms around Yang Shize's neck, and looked at him with a hint of provocation.
"Fairy..."
Yang Shize sighed, willingly falling into his soul-stealing trap.
...
Next, the two of them used the hotel as a base to search for the entrance to Qi Heng's base.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, Yang Shize accidentally rescued an ordinary person who was out searching for supplies.
I had just asked this survivor named Cheng Liang if there were any human bases nearby when he warmly invited me to his base.
After learning from Cheng Liang that his base already had nearly 10,000 people, Zhang Yun and Yang Shize quickly confirmed that this base was the one where Qi Heng was located.
Following Cheng Liang, they jumped down into a sewer entrance. The three of them followed the sewer, winding their way through the maze until they arrived at a gate with an iron mesh. Zhang Yun then realized why the two of them couldn't find this base with a population of 10,000.
This base was actually built in an unused air-raid shelter in the Jingu District!
The iron mesh gate at the entrance to the passageway has a cheap light bulb hanging on it, emitting a dim yellow light.
Since it's an air-raid shelter, it's natural that it has emergency equipment like generators, so having electricity isn't surprising.
There were guards at the iron gate. Cheng Liang gave his name and told them that Zhang Yun and Yang Shize were the survivors he had met outside, then waited at the gate.
Cheng Liang explained that they went out to find food in groups of one hundred at a time.
However, too many people acting together would attract more zombies, so everyone would split up and act alone or in groups of two or three after going out. After four hours, they would all come back to gather, regardless of whether they had gained anything or not.
After waiting for about half an hour, more than forty people arrived, most of them carrying food or water, while only a few were empty-handed.
What puzzled Zhang Yun was that among those who went out to search for supplies, there were no superhumans, let alone evolved beings.
"Looks like that's all for today."
The gatekeeper confirmed the number of people, and there were only fifty-one, including Zhang Yun and his companion. This meant that fifty-one of them might never return.
The staff loss rate exceeded 50%!
The guards opened the iron gate and let everyone in.
Following Cheng Liang and his group inside, they walked through a long dark passage and then through an iron mesh door before finally seeing their living quarters.
On both sides of the old-fashioned cement walls are rooms of about five or six square meters each, and each room is filled with people lying haphazardly.
The air was filled with a rotten, musty smell, along with the stench of the toilet, making Zhang Yun feel nauseous.
A dim light bulb hangs every ten meters or so in the passageway for illumination.
Judging from its architectural style, this air-raid shelter must be quite old.
However, even if there are three or four people in a small room, it is unlikely that such a small place could accommodate 10,000 people. Zhang Yun expressed doubt about the number of people Cheng Liang had previously reported.
Cheng Liang explained that this was Zone 1, and there were five such zones in total. Only families with members who could go out to find food could live here.
The others could only stay in the hall at the end of the tunnel.
If the conditions in Zone 1 are this bad, one can only imagine the living conditions of the people in the lobby.
Because Yang Shize's identity as an evolved being was exposed when he saved Cheng Liang, Zhang Yun told Cheng Liang that Yang Shize was a second-tier evolved being.
Cheng Liang had mentioned that evolved beings were entitled to live in the central area of their base, so after greeting his family in Zone 1, Cheng Liang led the two of them directly into a passageway and headed towards the so-called central area.
The central area truly lives up to its name; even the door at the end is different. It's a large door made of pure alloy, equipped with a valve that requires two people to open.
Of course, this door is not usually closed. Outside the iron gate, there is another iron mesh door, similar to the one they saw at the end of the sewer, but it looks more sturdy.
Moreover, there were four people guarding the door, all of whom were armed and looked like armed police or something similar.
“These are two survivor brothers I met outside today. This Brother Yang is a second-tier all-around evolver. I brought them to the central area for registration and testing,” Cheng Liang said to the guards in the core area.
When the four gatekeepers saw Zhang Yun and Yang Shize, their eyes lit up, but it was a kind of disrespectful look that made people uncomfortable.
But as soon as they heard that Yang Shize was a second-tier all-around evolver, they all instantly lost interest and looked at Yang Shize with envy and awe.
The leader of the four opened the door and handed Yang Shize a cigarette. "Brother, what's your name?"
"Yang Shize," Yang Shize said calmly as he took the cigarette.
Although it's the cheapest Shuangye brand, this is the apocalypse, and a single Shuangye is more precious than a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes in peacetime. This person's sincerity in making friends is evident.
"So it's Brother Yang. My name is Zhang Qiang. And this is?" Zhang Qiang looked at Zhang Yun, his eyes flashing.
Yang Shize was already displeased by the way the others had looked at Zhang Yun earlier, so he simply reached out and put his arm around Zhang Yun's waist, pulling him into his embrace. "My love, Zhang Yun."
Zhang Yun glanced at him but didn't say anything, seemingly acquiescing to his words.
"Haha, I see! Such a beauty! You're quite the lucky guy, brother!"
In order to survive in the apocalypse, it is commonplace for attractive men and women to submit to the powerful; no one thinks that the two of them are truly in love.
Love in peacetime can't withstand the slightest test, and this is the end of the world? You're talking to me about love?
Bullshit!
Similarly, the arrival of the apocalypse has changed the values of too many people.
In peacetime, if two grown men publicly announced that they were dating, a bunch of keyboard warriors would inevitably emerge to occupy the high ground and criticize the decline of morality and other such things.
But now, the prerequisite for the emergence of keyboard warriors (being bored and having nothing better to do) has disappeared.
Nowadays, people might comment on your girlfriend's appearance, temperament, and figure, but they won't care whether she's male or female.
The strong will be tolerated no matter what they do; when it comes to survival, people's bottom line will always be lowered again and again.
"Brother Yang, let me show you the way. There are many forks in the road in this central area, and it's easy for you to get lost if it's your first time here. I'll draw you a route map later."
Zhang Qiang spoke very politely.
This is how ordinary people treat the strong, and Yang Shize did not refuse, but simply nodded indifferently.
Instead, Zhang Yun said to him, "Thank you."
Zhang Qiang quickly replied with a smile, "You're welcome."
He could also tell that Yang Shize was the kind of aloof and powerful person, while his little lover was sensible and knew how to talk.
But those people in the central area...
Zhang Qiang led the two into a passageway, then suddenly whispered to Yang Shize, "Brother Yang, have your man cover his face with a scarf or mask or something, he's too conspicuous. You're an evolved being, no one dares to touch you, but he isn't, before..."
Zhang Qiang stopped speaking suddenly, looking somewhat hesitant.
Seeing this, Zhang Yun pretended to take out a few milk candies from his pocket, but actually from his spatial storage, and handed them to him, saying, "Brother Zhang, we are new here and don't know the rules. Could you please explain them to me in detail?"
Even the cheapest sugar is a scarce commodity in the apocalypse. Perhaps because the apocalypse is so bitter, this kind of food that can bring people temporary happiness is especially popular.
Especially since it was milk candy, Zhang Qiang couldn't resist it at all. He reached out and took the candy, looked around, and lowered his voice, saying, "We had an evolved friend in the central area before. His wife was beautiful, had a great figure, loved to dress up, and liked to flirt with men. People living in the central area don't lack resources. We all advised him not to let his wife restrain herself, as it could easily cause trouble, but he wouldn't listen..."
"As a result, there was a riot outside, and he was sent by his superiors to handle it. When he came back, his wife had been given away to... and not just one person. Among those people were the son of an officer and several other evolved beings. He was just a speed evolved being. How could he fall out with a group of people? Afterwards, they even offered him a few women to play with. Their attitude was so good, and a group of people persuaded him to stay silent. He could only swallow his anger."
"But my friend actually had feelings for his wife. He was really heartbroken and remorseful after that incident. However, the woman only saw my friend as... Later, they broke up. The woman then hooked up with the son of an officer. A few days later, she was replaced by a newcomer. In order to stay in the central district, the woman followed several men and eventually got pregnant. No one was willing to take her in, fearing that she would be sent to the main hall. So she came back to my friend crying."
"After all, we were husband and wife. My brother couldn't bear to see her being sent to the lobby, so he helped her out and told the higher-ups to keep her there."
“The relationships in the central area are a mess. It’s not easy to find someone who is truly good to you. Brother Yang is obviously someone who is genuinely good to you. Brother, take my advice: keep a low profile and stick with Brother Yang. Don’t be greedy and always looking for something better. In the end, you’ll end up with nothing and get sent to the lobby. That’s hell,” Zhang Qiang couldn’t help but say to Zhang Yun.
Zhang Yun suppressed the urge to burst out laughing and said, "Thank you, Brother Qiang, I'll remember that."
"Brother Qiang, I've always heard you say that the conditions in the lobby are bad. Is it really that bad?" Zhang Yun asked.
"Hey, you don't believe me when I tell you, that hall is actually just a square, thousands of people are crammed into that one place, eating, drinking, relieving themselves and sleeping there, just imagine what it's like? Men are a little better off, but women basically can't survive more than five days there."
Zhang Yun felt Yang Shize suddenly tighten his grip on his hand.
"Is it so chaotic over there? Doesn't anyone above care?" Zhang Yun asked.
"The higher-ups don't care whether they live or die. They're only kept around so they can go out and find food. As long as they don't riot, they can do whatever they want!"
Zhang Yun remembered that he had just mentioned that his friend's wife had gotten into trouble because of a riot, and that he had been sent to handle it. He suddenly said in disbelief, "Brother Qiang, you just said your friend went to handle a riot, not a riot caused by zombies, but a riot involving the survivors in the hall..."
"Shh!" Zhang Qiang quickly gestured for him to keep his voice down.
"Don't even mention those in the main hall; even the people in districts one through five are risking their lives every day to find food, and the rations they receive aren't enough to feed themselves, let alone their families. The people in the main hall are even worse off; they only get one bowl of thin porridge a day, so thin you can see your reflection. When people are starving, what won't they do? The other day I heard someone say that someone in the main hall was eating..."
He covered his mouth with one hand, leaned close to Zhang Yun and Yang Shize, and whispered, "The corpse."
Zhang Yun suddenly hugged Yang Shize tightly, patting his back while whispering in his ear, "Shize, I'm scared."
He wasn't afraid, of course; he was afraid that Yang Shize, who was beside him, would have a burst of righteousness and destroy the base. This was the only way he could use to subtly suggest that Yang Shize calm down.
Holding the person in his arms, Yang Shize slowly suppressed his anger under her comforting words.
For a brief moment, he really wanted to rush into the central area and wipe out that group of so-called "leaders".
Zhang Qiang was stunned for a moment.
Once Yang Shize relaxed a bit, Zhang Yun released him and said apologetically to Zhang Qiang, "I'm sorry, Brother Qiang, I was a little scared."
"Oh, hehe, hehe..." Zhang Qiang chuckled dryly a few times.
After being fed a dose of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), he immediately lost interest in gossip and turned to continue leading the way.
They hadn't walked far when they came to an arched doorway. The door wasn't locked, and Zhang Qiang pushed it open, letting out a dazzling light.
Behind the door was a brightly lit hall. The space inside was large, and the furnishings were very much like a modern living room. Four men were playing cards at a makeshift table, with several others watching.
They were surrounded by a group of young and pretty girls and boys, and the coffee table next to them was piled with cola, snacks and other food.
After Zhang Yun and Yang Shize went inside, their eyes simultaneously fell on a half-eaten cookie that had been thrown on the ground.
People outside risk their lives every day to find food, yet the food they receive isn't even enough to feed themselves. And the people in the central areas are wasting food like this?!
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