But Master Luo didn’t have the messaging app everyone else used. He didn’t even know how to access the internet.
That was fine, though. Master Luo was just the property management’s representative. As long as the property management could stay in touch with the interim committee, it was enough.
A young woman from the property management named Yang Xinyan had the messaging app. She joined the group on Master Luo’s behalf. Plus, they could always reach Master Luo directly via walkie-talkie.
Jiang Cheng asked Su Yu, “Will you post the thread calling for the afternoon supermarket run?”
Su Yu understood. Jiang Cheng was helping her gain visibility.
Su Yu immediately agreed: “Okay.”
They confirmed the timing and details, made all the arrangements, and then everyone dispersed.
The young people had left full of fighting spirit and passion, but they returned noticeably quieter. It seemed some of them had matured in just one morning.
Jiang Cheng also returned to her own home.
Mo Li was still lounging in the bean bag chair, soaking up the sun. When he heard the sound of the door opening and closing, he lifted his head slightly.
He saw the young woman walk past the bed, past the desk, and stop in front of the bean bag chair.
She looked down at him.
Animals are more sensitive to certain things than humans. The person was still the same person, but something seemed different.
Of course, Mo Li had no way of knowing that the previous “Jiang Cheng” had been Jiang Cheng + “Jiang Cheng.” But the Jiang Cheng before him now was simply Jiang Cheng.
She had broken free from “Jiang Cheng.”
So as she looked down at this black cat, she was also thinking—
Did those feelings of loneliness and the desire for companionship belong to her, or were they remnants of “Jiang Cheng”?
Because “Jiang Cheng” was the lonely young woman whose parents had died, who had no relatives, and who had come to the big city on her own.
The time traveler Jiang Cheng was not that person.
The time traveler Jiang Cheng didn’t want to be swayed by any leftover memories or emotions from “Jiang Cheng.”
If the world were still as peaceful as before, she might have been able to accept and inherit “Jiang Cheng.” But now that the world had suddenly changed drastically, she felt it was better to just be herself.
Jiang Cheng crouched down, meeting the black cat at eye level.
Mo Li let out a puzzled “Meow?”
Jiang Cheng reached out and tried to touch the top of his head.
That little furry head—soft, evoking an indescribable sensation in her palm.
Jiang Cheng closed her eyes and savored it. When she opened them again, she smiled.
It was her. It was truly herself.
She loved this feeling—furry, soft, warm.
A small living being, keeping her company.
This life was very simple and pure. In his presence, she could completely relax.
“I’m a time traveler,” she said, rubbing his little head. “Outside, there are zombies.”
“So what about you?”
A kitten that could transform.
“What are you?”
Of course, Mo Li couldn’t answer. Compared to humans, his skull was very small. How could such a tiny brain capacity possibly contemplate such complex questions?
He couldn’t give Jiang Cheng an answer.
He couldn’t even understand her language.
But his emerald-green eyes were clear and beautiful.
Jiang Cheng touched her nose to his. “You and me—we’ll keep each other company from now on.”
There were no new news bulletins on TV. Just the same ones playing on loop.
There wasn’t even any new news—just recorded TV dramas and variety shows.
Work had stopped. Businesses had closed. Transportation had halted. Production had ceased. Schools were shut down. This of course included jobs like journalism.
Flipping through TV channels and seeing different dramas, there was a sense that the city had come to a standstill.
Su Yu posted the new thread calling for a supply run on the property owner forum.
The interim committee members in each building went floor by floor to notify everyone as assigned.
The property management staff took the megaphone and shouted at the base of every building.
The notification effort could already be described as comprehensive and three-dimensional.
The meeting time was set for 1:00 PM, but unexpectedly, the people from Jixiang Jiayuan went out before them.
The latest news appeared on the property owner forum: [The Jixiang Jiayuan people have come out—a lot of them. Looks like they’re going to Duoduo Supermarket.]
The person who posted lived in a unit with windows facing east. From the window, they could see the street outside the east gate as well as the west gate of Jixiang Jiayuan. As soon as they saw it, they went straight to the forum to post.
Not surprising. The Jixiang Jiayuan people had only organized to go downstairs and fight zombies in the first place because their households had run out of supplies and they had no choice but to go out.
Now that the zombies in their complex had been cleared out and someone had taken the lead, the main force was mobilizing.
Apart from leaving the young children behind, almost all the adults went—including many elderly men and women. They carried backpacks, held bags, and each pulled a handcart.
By this time, it was nearly 1:00 PM.
Jiang Cheng heard the news over the walkie-talkie and said, “It’s fine. We’ve already been there first. Everyone has basic supplies at home now. This trip is just for replenishment. No matter what, we’re in a better position than they are.”
Mo Li had been soaking up the sun all morning, and it was clear he had recovered significantly.
He could now stand up and jump to the ground—though when he landed, his legs gave way and he stumbled, tumbling awkwardly.
But the little black cat immediately acted as if nothing had happened, stood back up, and walked over to his food bowl to eat and drink.
This greatly reassured Jiang Cheng.
But when Jiang Cheng had her handcart ready and her backpack on, about to head out, Mo Li bit the hem of her pants.
Jiang Cheng looked down. Mo Li looked up at her, his snout protruding, his emerald-green eyes squeezed up toward his forehead, staring at her.
“Let go, be good,” Jiang Cheng said. “I have things to do.”
Mo Li did let go, but then he clawed at her pants, trying to climb up her leg. His claws pierced through the fabric, pricking her skin slightly.
“Huh?”
Jiang Cheng didn’t resist. She let him climb and even extended her arm to give him leverage.
Mo Li stepped onto Jiang Cheng’s arm and climbed up to her shoulder—and then just stayed there, lying down.
Jiang Cheng was a bit surprised. “You want to come out with me?”
Mo Li: “Meow!”
If Mo Li were an ordinary pet cat, Jiang Cheng would have scooped him off her shoulder and put him back on the ground.
But Mo Li was a cat who could transform.
He had saved her life twice.
Once, even before he could transform, when he was still just an ordinary little black cat, he had fearlessly thrown himself at a security guard who had turned into a zombie, bravely saving her.
He had nearly lost his own life in the process.
Mo Li was no ordinary cat.
Now that he had mostly regained his mobility, he immediately expressed his desire to go out with her. Jiang Cheng paused for only a moment before agreeing: “Alright.”
But having him lying on her shoulder threw off her balance. If she encountered zombies, she might not react quickly enough.
Jiang Cheng first took off her backpack. Then she grabbed a casual fabric crossbody bag from the rack by the door and slung it over her shoulder. She pulled the pocket open: “Come here.”
She put Mo Li into the crossbody bag. Mo Li didn’t resist at all. He sat inside obediently.
Jiang Cheng didn’t zip it shut. She left it open so Mo Li could either curl up completely inside or stick his head out—he had full freedom.
Good. And so, Jiang Cheng headed out with Mo Li.
They gathered at 1:00 PM.
There were noticeably fewer people than yesterday. There were bound to be some who felt, “We have enough already, there’s no need to go out and take risks. I’ll just stay home and wait for rescue.”
But still, there were more than expected.
“Let’s go, let’s go. Don’t let the Jixiang Jiayuan people buy everything up.”
“We can’t outrun those old folks.”
Under these circumstances, everyone even managed to laugh.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
In terms of organization, Youth Apartment was clearly far superior.
First, the notifications were thorough. Whether you decided to go or not, everyone received the interim committee’s announcement. Everyone knew it was happening, and everyone knew the gathering time and place.
Departure was at 1:00 PM. Most people had arrived by 12:50. They set off right at 1:00.
As a result, the group was dense and tightly packed.
The Jixiang Jiayuan group, on the other hand, was strung out and sparse.
Jiang Cheng had already received news that “Jixiang Jiayuan is also going to Duoduo” before she even left. By the time Youth Apartment’s group set off, many residents of Jixiang Jiayuan were only just coming out of their complex.
Their interim committee’s notifications had been inadequate. Many people only realized there was a supply run when they heard the commotion outside and opened their windows to see everyone leaving. They frantically grabbed their handcarts and hurried downstairs.
Some had received the notification but hesitated at home: “Maybe we should let them go first and test the waters. Once we know it’s safe, then we can go.”
“But we need to go together to be safe. If we wait for them to come back, would we go by ourselves? Wouldn’t that be even more dangerous?”
“That’s true, but…”
Time slipped away in this tug-of-war of indecision.
By the time the gathering group downstairs had already left, these people still hadn’t made it down.
The one piece of luck was that Jixiang West Street—the street shared with Youth Apartment—had already been swept clean by the young people from Youth Apartment on Saturday.
The street was visibly safe now. The zombies lay dead on the ground or inside cars parked by the roadside.
Severed heads rolled in the middle of the road. Shattered brains and brain matter were splattered everywhere.
There were also many popped-out eyeballs. Step on one by accident, and the sensation underfoot was indescribable.
Disgusting, slippery, yet with a strangely inexplicable thrill.
Some people deliberately stepped on the eyeballs and only stopped when someone cursed at them.
A bit twisted, perhaps.
In any case, Jixiang Jiayuan’s group lacked organization. There was no concept of a vanguard or a rearguard, no concentrated, well-protected escort team.
But thanks to Youth Apartment having already swept through once, they could still get from their complex to Duoduo Supermarket relatively safely.
When they saw Youth Apartment’s main force coming out in a vast, orderly procession, they even grew anxious: “Hurry, hurry! Walk faster! They’re coming out too.”
These were the same uncles and aunties used to competing for discounted eggs at the supermarket—utterly exasperating.
These people had no sense of gratitude whatsoever.
Youth Apartment had helped them clear out their complex courtyard just that morning. If not for these young people showing up in time to help, those middle-aged uncles would probably have been injured—most of them, if not all.
And if they’d gone home with injuries and then bitten their families, whole households would have turned.
The young people from Youth Apartment saw the attitude of the Jixiang Jiayuan residents and felt very displeased.
Someone on the committee let out a snort.
Someone else swore under their breath.
Jiang Cheng said calmly, “Ignore them. We’re not doing this for them. We’re doing it so that a zombie nest doesn’t develop right next to our complex. As long as we achieve that goal, it’s fine.”
Hearing Jiang Cheng say this made everyone feel much better.
“Right. They’re right next door. If they all get infected, we’d have to deal with it anyway.”
“That’s true.”
“Hey, what’s going on up ahead? Why is it blocked?”
They turned east at the intersection, and ahead were crowds of people. Faintly, they could hear shouting coming from further ahead.
What was going on?
Jiang Cheng took the axe from the small of her back and gripped it in her hand. She called out, “Jiangbing!”
Li Jiangbing had developed excellent tacit understanding with her. He also pulled his fire axe from his belt and bellowed in his earth-shaking voice: “Move aside, move aside! We’re the Youth Apartment Interim Committee! What’s happening up ahead? Move aside, let us through to take a look!”
The young men beside Jiang Cheng all raised their weapons—kitchen knives, baseball bats, iron crowbars.
Su Yu also tightened her grip on her frying pan.
The people ahead were mostly from Jixiang Jiayuan. They turned around and, seeing this group of clearly capable young people, silently parted to make way.
Just moments ago, they had quickened their pace, trying to get ahead of them.
Now that there was trouble, they stepped aside and let them go to the front and handle it.
Hmph.
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