Mo Shuwan sat up abruptly, ignoring the pain radiating from her body. She picked up a specially made watermelon knife and said to Wen Zuo in a low, rapid voice, "You rest first. We'll be fine tonight. If I'm not mistaken, they probably have their eye on your strength, which is why we're staying here instead of with the other passengers. Tomorrow, we'll find a chance to leave."
Wen Zuo was about to shake his head to indicate that he wasn't tired when Mo Shuwan, who had already guessed his thoughts, said directly, "Don't push yourself. I know you're very tired today. You've seen my physical condition. After we leave here, I'm afraid I'll still need you to protect me, so you must rest now."
Mo Shuwan didn't notice that after she finished speaking, Wen Zuo's face suddenly flushed.
—I will protect you.
Mo Shuwan, who was very anxious because of the terrifying truth, did not notice Wen Zuo's abnormality. She pushed Wen Zuo to lie down on the haystack. "You should sleep... no, wait a minute. Eat something before you sleep. You only ate one piece of bread today. You must be very hungry. Don't refuse. Only if you are full can we leave here alive."
Mo Shuwan wanted to force all the food on Wen Zuo, but Wen Zuo refused. Although he only ate one piece of bread, Mo Shuwan herself didn't eat much either. The two of them ate the food after some back and forth, and then Mo Shuwan sent Wen Zuo to rest.
Although Wen Zuo, who understood the stakes, was reluctant to let Mo Shuwan suffer, he still forced himself to close his eyes. However, he did not sleep well that night. He would often wake up every half hour to make sure that Mo Shuwan was safe and sound before falling asleep again.
It wasn't until dawn, when Wen Zuo had had a good sleep, that Mo Shuwan finally lay down for a short nap.
"get up!!!"
Wen Zuo reached out to cover Mo Shuwan's ears, but Mo Shuwan had already been awakened by the noise outside. She suddenly sat up from the haystack and saw Wen Zuo squatting beside her, and her heart was relieved.
The two men took all their belongings and crawled out of the shed, where there was a pool of dried blood in front of it.
Mo Shuwan glanced at the bloodstains and then looked away. Only now could she see the surrounding scene clearly. All she could see were dilapidated sheds made of various rags. Survivors were emerging from each shed. There was only a narrow path in the middle for people to pass through. They were very dirty and contained almost everything.
Following the crowd, they arrived at a nearby square. The burly man they had seen yesterday was standing there, holding a string of worn-out wooden plaques. The survivors were queuing up to get their plaques. Mo Shuwan and Wen Zuo followed the crowd and joined the queue. When it was their turn to get their plaques, the burly man didn't immediately distribute them. Instead, he scrutinized Mo Shuwan with a critical look.
He didn't get a chance to look at her for more than a few seconds before the tall and strong Wen Zuo shielded Mo Shuwan behind him.
The burly man curled his lip. “If you dig up fifty edible wild vegetables or grasses, your task for today will be completed. After you finish, bring the sign here to collect your food.”
It seems there aren't many wild vegetables available to eat right now, otherwise, the task for two people wouldn't only be fifty wild vegetables. Mo Shuwan and Wen Zuo received their tokens and followed behind the survivors who had received their tokens. After walking for a while, they saw other passengers holding bowls and eating something.
Thinking back to her previous guesses, Mo Shuwan couldn't help but glance at them a few more times.
As a result, these few glances attracted the attention of the passengers.
Seeing that Mo Shuwan and Wen Zuo had nothing to eat and still had to work, the passengers couldn't help but burst into laughter. Some even walked up to them with a smug look on their faces and handed them a bowl of bright orange stuff, pretending to be surprised and saying, "You two actually have to work? What are we going to do? I haven't even eaten enough myself, so I can't share with you. Good luck, if you work hard you'll still get food."
Seeing the passengers' smug expressions, Mo Shuwan's lips twitched, but she still couldn't help but remind them, "There's no such thing as a free lunch."
The passengers, however, assumed that Mo Shuwan was jealous that they had food without having to work, and said sarcastically, "Is that so? Then I hope you can get your meal soon." After saying that, they arrogantly picked up their bowls and left.
Offering a reminder was already more than enough, and Mo Shuwan wouldn't waste her time on such a cold shoulder, so she turned her attention away from the passengers.
The two followed the survivors from the safe zone out of the residential area. After walking for about five or six minutes, the survivor in front of Mo Shuwan, unable to bear it any longer, turned around and said angrily, "Can you guys stop following me? I didn't cause you any trouble last night!"
Wen Zuo and Mo Shuwan remained silent, their gazes meeting as they looked at the other survivors following him from the left and right.
"They are my companions, of course they can follow me!!!"
Mo Shuwan's lips twitched slightly. Looking at the speechless expressions of the group of survivors in front of her, she silently pulled Wen Zuo to the side. She had been observing the route, and now that she looked closely, she realized that many survivors were in separate groups, searching for wild vegetables on different plots of land.
It seems these areas have already been divided up. No wonder the survivor was so angry about them following them. He probably thought they wanted a share of the spoils. After all, in this day and age, it's really hard to find enough wild vegetables.
Mo Shuwan and Wen Zuo were walking along, observing their surroundings. Just as they were about to stop in a mostly deserted area, a survivor who was diligently searching for wild vegetables nearby saw them and immediately rushed over to them, shouting, "This land is owned! Not rummaging through owned land is the rule of the safe zone!!!"
Spit sprayed all over her face, and Mo Shuwan took a step back. "Where is the unclaimed area?"
Seeing that Mo Shuwan and Wen Zuo didn't intend to forcibly take it, the survivor's expression softened a bit, and he pointed to a less crowded area, "Keep going straight until you reach a place where there are no people."
Mo Shuwan and Wen Zuo didn't delay any longer and headed in that direction without saying a word. They walked straight ahead until they heard the low growl of the zombie. Both of them changed their expressions slightly, but when they saw one or two survivors not far away, they abandoned their thoughts of retreating and slowed down to continue forward.
When they reached a place where there were almost no survivors, Wen Zuo reached out and grabbed Mo Shuwan, who was still walking forward with her head down.
—Don't rush. Find out what the survivors are up to before you find a chance to leave.
Knowing that Wen Zuo had misunderstood her meaning, Mo Shuwan looked down at the back of her left hand. Under the line of bloody words that said "survived for a month", there was an extra line: "Side quest: kill zombies (3)".
He lowered his hand, shook his head, and said, "I'm not leaving. I want to go kill zombies."
Wen Zuo looked at Mo Shuwan in surprise.
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