Vote for the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee
Yes, grant his wish; I changed my mind almost instantly. Yu Dandan was very cunning; he gave me a choice that put me in a dilemma.
Keeping him means risking that he might switch personalities and wreak havoc on others; not keeping him means facing the fact that he will definitely switch personalities and come back to cause trouble. I haven't forgotten the look of hatred in Yu Yu's eyes when I stomped my foot on his chest—a look of utter rage that seemed to want to tear me apart.
I definitely hate Yu Yu more than Yu Dandan. An arrogant, twisted, and tyrannical antisocial and inhumane individual; he probably committed the murder himself. Whenever his primary personality appears, Vice Dean Lu's face is always ashen when he leaves work. He refuses to eliminate his secondary personality, taking pride in it and firmly believing he is chosen by God and can control others through brainwaves… I don't know if such a person would become king in this unrestrained world, but as long as he lives, I, who once trampled him underfoot, will definitely face a lot of trouble in the future.
I'm neither a doctor nor a saint. Who's the primary personality and who's the secondary personality is none of my business. Of course, I'll choose the path that's best for me. If Yu Dandan can make Yu Yu disappear, I might consider accepting his existence. After all, transvestites are much easier to deal with than serial killers.
But I couldn't contradict myself, nor could I admit that I'd been swayed by him, especially since I'd just firmly told him to get lost. So I found a way to back down: "How about this, we'll have a meeting this afternoon and vote on whether you stay or leave."
Yu Dandan walked downstairs with her head held high, a smug smile on her face. I felt something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
Han Bo watched his retreating figure disappear into the stairs and said with a smile, "I really want to see what he'd be like as a different person."
I said, "If I hadn't provoked his dominant personality, I would never have kept him here. This person is very dangerous, and we have to be on guard at all times."
Han Bo chuckled: "I remember you also said something similar about the Book of Changes."
I held my forehead, feeling quite troubled. When other people team up to fight monsters, they choose those who are skilled, but why are all the people I encounter abnormal?
At noon, Zhou Yi and Han Bo went out to check the surrounding area; Zhao Zhuobao was engrossed in watching a movie on his laptop; Li Tonggu asked me about the chocolate twice, forcing me to rummage through the house to find him a few leftover coffee candies from who-knows-when, which barely satisfied me; Liu Meili and Binbin were looking after my second uncle together, but the situation neither improved nor deteriorated to the point of no return, which was really strange.
Yu Dandan obediently stayed by my mother's side, helping to wash rice, pick vegetables, and tidy the yard. Then, they each moved a small stool and sat opposite each other to wash gluten. He wasn't very good at it, but he was very humble, calling her "Auntie" this and "Auntie" that, his words as sweet as honey, making my mother very happy. Later, I don't know what nonsense he said, but my mother even started sniffling and wiping away tears.
I stood on the rooftop, looking down at them from above, and naturally I couldn't miss their movements. Occasionally, when he looked up and saw my unfriendly expression, he would give me a fake smile.
Everyone returned before lunchtime. I forcibly woke my dad and gathered everyone except my second uncle in the living room. There were ten people in total; those with seats sat down, and those without squatted.
"Is everyone here?"
I cleared my throat, took the cup of tea Liu Meili handed me, and was about to sit down on the sofa with an air of authority when my dad, looking grumpy from just being woken up, plopped me down and took up half the sofa with an imposing air. "Get out of here! You haven't slept for two hours, what kind of meeting is this!"
My authority vanished, and I had no choice but to awkwardly move aside to make room for my dad. I saw Han Bo sitting on the TV cabinet, unable to suppress a laugh, and I glared at him fiercely.
"Let me say a few words," I tried to sound authoritative, mimicking Captain Wang's opening remarks at every meeting. "Everyone knows that zombies are rampant right now, and it's fate that we've all survived and are gathered here. I hope everyone will treat each other like family and a team. So today, we're having a small meeting to discuss the current situation and our future work... no, I mean, our future direction for survival."
"Why are you talking so much nonsense!" My dad rubbed his temples impatiently, interrupting me. "Where did you learn to speak so formally? If you have something to say, just say it. If you don't, I want to sleep."
"That's right, there's a ton of work to do at home. Instead of having to attend meetings, why don't you go out and get me two bottles of liquefied gas?" My mom chimed in, adding fuel to the fire.
Binbin stood by the door, anxiously saying, "Sister, my dad can't be left alone. Tell me quickly."
"Alright, alright!" I slammed my cup on the coffee table. Not a single member of the family supported my work, and they completely ruined the serious atmosphere I had created.
"Then I won't waste any more time. There are three things: first, discuss your plans; second, calculate the supplies; and third, formulate a plan. Let's begin. We'll speak one by one. Dad, you go first."
My dad glared at me: "What nonsense are you spouting? What do you want me to say?"
"Tell me your plans," I said, my eyes glazed with displeasure. I hadn't been happy all day!
"Tell me your thoughts on the current situation and your plans for the future. So many people from your family have come to rely on you; you can't possibly have no plans at all, can you?"
My dad seemed quite pleased with the idea that "everyone should come to him for help," and his expression softened considerably. He stroked his stubble and thought for a moment before saying, "My thought is that we should stay here and wait for the government's rescue. You young people shouldn't be impulsive or try to run away. As long as your uncle has food, you'll have food too, you know? Do you think you can kill all the zombies in this city by yourselves? No! We must believe that the government won't abandon us. Give them some time to assemble their troops. Once the artillery and tanks come in, Huaicheng will return to our people. This is our hometown; you were all born and raised here. We must protect our homeland and safeguard our native soil..."
"Dad, Dad!" Seeing Han Bo and Zhou Yi shaking their shoulders and chuckling, I quickly interrupted him. If he continued, it would turn into a long speech about not wanting to leave one's homeland. "Alright, we know what you mean. You're right. Next, Mom... never mind, you don't need to say anything. You just need to count the grain later. Zhou Yi, you guys go ahead."
Zhou Yi's speech was quite magical. He reiterated his view that zombies would inevitably evolve, asked us not to forget to turn our heads after killing zombies, promoted the theory of crystal core superpowers, encouraged everyone to go out and recruit team members, and envisioned a glorious future of establishing a large base and successfully becoming the King of Men.
After he finished speaking, even the three mental patients looked at him with contempt, not to mention the others who looked bewildered or numb.
Liu Meili's speech was very persuasive. She repeatedly expressed her gratitude to my family, said she would follow the team and firmly support me... After I glared at her, she changed it to all the decisions my parents made, and that she would use her expertise to ensure my health.
My parents nodded repeatedly after listening.
Binbin's speech was heartbreaking. He said that from today onwards, he would work hard for his second uncle's recovery. If he could not recover, he would avenge his parents by killing all the zombies.
We naturally wouldn't discourage a young man who still has lofty ideals in the apocalypse; instead, we all offer him encouragement.
Han Bo's speech was prepared in advance, so it was brief and to the point. It mainly consisted of four points: reinforcing the perimeter walls, gathering weapons and supplies, assigning responsibilities to personnel, and establishing external communications.
“I agree with Xiaobo,” I concluded, ignoring Yu Dandan and the other two who were eagerly waiting, not giving them a chance to speak.
"Whether we leave or not depends mainly on whether we can survive. If we can survive in Huai City, there's no need to risk going elsewhere. If we can't survive, we'll have to find shelter. What if zombies come one day? What if we run out of food? So we need to establish contact with the outside world to see if there are better places to live. This will be our most important task for a long time to come."
Ignoring my father's disapproving look, I continued, "We'll discuss how to establish it later, but this area seems quite stable for now. The most urgent task is to ensure security. I suggest we split into two groups: one to go out and find supplies, and the other to stay home and build a wall—I mean, add a ring around the outside, along the existing alley wall, encircling the house. This can't be done in a day or two; we'll need cement. So, this afternoon we'll go out to find things. Mom, how much food do we have at home now?"
My mom thought for a moment and said, "Including what Xiao Yu brought, there are a total of 600 jin of rice, 150 jin of noodles, about 100 eggs, and several dozen jin of cured meat, sausages, salted fish, etc. It probably won't last long for ten or so people."
Yu Dandan raised her hand, but I ignored her.
Han Bo said, "The factory has stopped, and no one is growing grain and vegetables anymore. It's like every pound we eat is a pound less. We need to find more to bring back, and stock up on some canned goods and the like. This afternoon, Zhou Yi and I will drive to a few supermarkets and bring back everything we can."
Yu Dandan raised her hand again, but I still ignored her.
Zhou Yi interjected, "Weapons, don't forget weapons! Go to the police station or branch office and get some guns, cannons, grenades, or something. Even if you're surrounded by zombies, you can blast your way out."
My mom said, "Eating too much canned food makes people dry. If no one grows vegetables, we can grow our own. Go find me some vegetable seeds, I know how to grow them."
Yu Dandan kept raising his hand, and I rolled my eyes at him: "What's up?"
Yu Dandan smiled and pointed at Li Tonggu: "His brother is the Party Secretary of the Second Grain Depot, and he used to be an employee of the depot. Why don't you ask him to lead the way to move the grain?"
"ah?"
I was startled, and before I could ask, Yu Dandan said again, "The military district's warehouse is in Xiaojiangshan. Not many people know about it. If we go there sooner, we might find a lot of good stuff."
"real?"
Even Zhou Yi got excited. Yu Dandan continued as if afraid I would interrupt her, "The cement plant in Luyang County is 30 kilometers away from here. To haul cement, we need to find a bigger truck. There are also small mixers there that we can bring back together."
Everyone was surprised. I asked in disbelief, "How do you know so much?"
Yu Dandan smiled shyly: "I used to be the secretary of the municipal party committee."
"You should at least have a bottom line when you're spouting nonsense," I said, looking at him with disdain.
Alternative personalities exist by relying on the primary personality. They have no real past; all their experiences are imagined by the primary personality and are flawed and incomplete. Even if Yu Dandan's identity is "Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee," it is fictitious and fake, used for self-hypnosis.
Yu Dandan blinked innocently: "I really am the secretary of the municipal party committee. I just haven't been to work because I'm sick. I've accompanied leaders to inspect these units and enterprises before. I remember them very clearly. Why would I lie to you?"
Liu Meili sidled up to me and whispered in my ear, "It's possible that Yu Yu went there and then shared her memories after they were processed."
That makes sense, but Yu Yu is just an unemployed bum. How could he have come into contact with these organizations? Armory, cement plant... It sounds very strange.
At this moment, my parents and Zhou Yi were all in high spirits and had a heated discussion. They were obviously very interested in the information that Yu Dandan had given them. My dad was no longer sleepy and said excitedly, "With guns and food, are we afraid that we can't build Nanniwan? All zombies are paper tigers. As long as we hold on to our goals and don't give up, the final victory will definitely belong to mankind!"
My mother was also happy: "Food is the foundation. With food, we can survive no matter what."
I didn't want to spoil everyone's fun. Since we were planning to keep Yu Dandan, I should reward him for his helpful suggestions. So I gave a stiff smile and said, "Mom and Dad, we can discuss these things later. There's another item on the agenda, which is the question of whether Xiao Yu and the other two should stay or leave. Let's all vote on it."
My mom looked at me strangely: "What's wrong with Xiao Yu and the others? They're already here, why are they voting?"
I crossed my arms and said frankly, "Let me put it this way, my dad saw them yesterday too. Xiao Yu, Xiao Zhao, and Xiao Li are patients in our hospital, and they're not just ordinary patients. They've all registered with the hospital director and are being personally cared for and treated by specialists. Meili, could you tell me about their conditions?"
When I called on Liu Meili, her shoulders suddenly shrugged, and she stood up hesitantly, saying, "Um... Zhao Zhuobao is a patient with affective schizophrenia; Li Tonggu is a patient with violent schizophrenia; Yu... Yu Yu has multiple personality disorder."
My mom was even more confused: "Isn't Xiao Yu called Dandan? Who is Yu Yu?"
I was defeated by my mother's focus. Isn't their illness the important thing? I could only wave my hand and say, "Forget it, I can't explain it to you. I think if we're going to act as a group, we should know each other better. All three of them are mentally ill, so there might be some abnormal situations. You can judge for yourselves. That's the situation. If anyone agrees that they should stay, please raise your hand."
After saying that, I raised my hand.
Yu Dandan lowered her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. Zhao Zhuobao's eyes darted around, he seemed about to speak several times but then closed them again, his gaze finally settling on Yu Dandan. Li Tonggu, on the other hand, stared intently and single-mindedly at him.
Watching their performance, I recalled Yu Yu's provocative words, saying that I didn't treat them like human beings because of a casual remark I made. Yu Dandan was obviously much more composed.
Han Bo also raised his hand, and my mother was still asking, "What is emotional and what is violent? Does it mean that Xiao Li would hit people randomly?"
Yu Dandan spoke softly, "Auntie, do I look like a madwoman? We are all sick, but not to the point of being insane or unable to recognize people. We have no family left, and we are so grateful that you don't mind. We will definitely control our emotions. Xiao Li won't hit people randomly. He was bullied badly in the past, and his mind wasn't clear. He was treated in the hospital for several years, and now he can still tell good people from bad people. He listens to me very well, so you can rest assured."
"Hey, Li, really. Such a tall and strong young man, how come he's so docile? Doesn't he fight back when people bully him? Really..."
Liu Meili and I both pursed our lips in unison. He was arrested and sent to a mental hospital without even fighting back? My mother's focus is off again.
"Yeah, it's not just Xiao Li, Xiao Zhao's background is pitiful too. None of his partners are good, they all deceive him..."
As Yu Dandan's venomous words spread, Zhao Zhuobao seized the opportunity to beat his chest and waile, crying out, "I'm suffering! I'm suffering!" Li Tonggu squatted on the ground drawing circles, with an expired candy in his mouth, looking utterly pathetic.
The three of them worked together so well that they finally won over my parents, and in the end, except for Zhou Yi, they all voted in favor.
After the meeting, I sat on the sofa without moving, giving Yu Dandan, whose face still held a look of gratitude, a mocking smile. Whether she was truly grateful or not, only she knew.
As if to retaliate against my sarcasm, Yu Dandan immediately took action after the meeting. He called Li Tonggu and Zhao Zhuobao into the yard and whispered for a long time. Afterwards, Li Tonggu obediently followed behind Han Bo. He didn't say a word, just followed along with his eyes wide open, which annoyed Han Bo. He complained with a pained expression, "What do you mean by following me to the toilet? I don't need anyone to help me pee!"
Zhao Zhuobao came to me, patting his chest and saying, "My mom told me to protect your family, isn't that obvious? Your family is my family. Even if she didn't say it, I still have to protect the people who love me and the people I love!"
Well, Yu Yu is his father, and Yu Dandan is his mother. Now he has both parents.
After the meeting and subsequent adjustments, my family members are temporarily divided into three groups. One group consists of myself, Han Bo, Zhou Yi, Yu Dandan, and Li Tonggu, who are responsible for going out to search for supplies and establishing external contacts. Another group, led by my father, Zhao Zhuobao, and Binbin, is responsible for building a wall around the house. The remaining logistical work, such as starting fires, cooking, allocating rooms, and taking care of the sick, will be handled by my mother and Liu Meili.
Everyone was satisfied with the arrangement, except for Binbin, who came to me. He hesitated for a while before finally saying, "Sis, I...I want to go with you to kill zombies."
A day and a night of rest did not improve the child's condition much. A brown cotton trench coat of style 25 wrapped his thin body, his thick bangs almost covered his eyes, there were a few thin scratches on his nose that looked like they were from fingernails, his lips were peeling, and his cheeks were sunken.
He looked a lot like me when I was seventeen or eighteen. We both had long faces and thick eyebrows, inherited from the Qi family genes. After a few days of starvation, his chin looked particularly sharp, and his eyes held the unique confusion of youth. I looked at him for a while and my heart ached slightly. I didn't ask him why, but put my arm around the shoulder of this cousin who was already half a head taller than me, and we slowly walked towards the door.
“Binbin, we’re family. Your second uncle is my own brother, and you’re no different from him. Yesterday, when I asked you that question, I didn’t mean any harm; I was just worried. Do you understand?” I said earnestly.
He lowered his head: "I understand. I'm sorry, I went too far yesterday."
“You don’t need to apologize to your own family. You know your dad’s condition isn’t good, and I just want to find out why and see if I can find a solution. Can you tell me how you’ve been getting through these past few days?”
The midday sun was blindingly bright. My mother, who was emptying the pickle jars in the yard, looked at Binbin and me standing side by side on the porch with a look of satisfaction on her face, and said to us just like when we were little: "Don't take your brother running around. Go take a nap if you have nothing to do."
Suddenly, tears streamed down Binbin's face. He abruptly turned his head, pinched his nose, and mumbled to me, "Sister, I...I'm so scared. My mom is gone, and my dad...my dad was indeed bitten by a zombie."
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