"Kid, you've been like this since earlier. It was just some dead bodies—what's the big deal? A real man shouldn't be shaken by something so small!"
Brian pinched Chen Shi's cheek, watching the boy's dazed state with mild amusement, a thoughtful look in his eyes as he softly tried to comfort him.
Chen Shi slowly lifted his head, staring at Brian's smiling face. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He remembered the moment they left the golf course and he first saw the ruined city, overgrown with wild vegetation. The impact had been overwhelming. For someone who had always lived in a modern urban environment, witnessing the apocalypse firsthand was an experience unlike anything he'd ever known.
But when he saw the bleached skeletons lying in the streets, rotting corpses, bodies with grotesque tumors covering their faces—each scene hit him like a hammer, violently assaulting his young mind. The visual shock was so intense that he vomited right there. Even now, he hadn't fully recovered.
Mia, who had been caring for him, tried to comfort him, but with the language barrier, no matter how much she said, it was useless. She could only gently rub his back—this was the only reason his condition hadn't worsened further.
Seeing Chen Shi's expression—wanting to speak but unable to—Brian's lips curled into a faint smile.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg of how cruel this world really is. If you can't even get past something this simple, then every single day from now on will feel like a nightmare. We can't choose the world we live in. All we can do is adapt and survive."
His eyes filled with complexity as he looked at the boy. It was as if he were speaking to him, but also to himself.
"Now that we've arrived here, surviving is our only goal!"
As if touched by Brian's words, Chen Shi's eyes slowly regained their spark. He didn't notice the deeper meaning behind them, nor did he wonder why someone would say such a thing to a four-year-old child.
Fortunately, Brian had spoken entirely in Chinese. Otherwise, the soldiers on guard at the checkpoint would have given him suspicious looks.
"Yeah… I understand."
Chen Shi nodded firmly, took a deep breath, and mentally repeated: "I have to be strong." Then, slightly embarrassed, he scratched his head.
"Um… I still don't know your name…"
"My Chinese name isn't used anymore. Just call me Brian," Brian said, ruffling the boy's hair. "Alright. I need to go somewhere. Follow me, and don't get lost. Don't forget—you can't communicate, and you're also an undocumented person."
With that, he glanced left and right, oriented himself, and began walking slowly toward Zone A.
Watching Brian's back, Chen Shi's eyes darted around thoughtfully. With his short legs, he hurried forward, reached out his tiny hand, and grabbed one of Brian's fingers.
"Brother Brian, if I hold your hand, I won't get lost!"
Hearing the child's sweet, high-pitched voice and feeling the warmth of the small hand, Brian paused slightly, gave him a cold glance, but didn't pull away. He continued walking toward Zone A, the boy clinging to his hand.
—Knock! Knock! Knock!
In a silent, empty hallway, three sharp knocks echoed. At one door stood two figures—one tall, one short.
"Who is it?!"
The door cracked open with an annoyed shout. The peephole darkened as someone looked out from inside.
Recognizing who stood at the door, the door swung fully open. A towering man blocked the entrance—icy expression, muscles bulging, pectorals larger than a size A cup, nearly two meters tall. His presence was intimidating, inspiring instant fear.
He looked at the Asian man at the door.
"Back from your mission? You were fast this time."
Brian looked up at Amir, who now towered over him by half a head, and sighed in frustration.
"Man, how the hell do you grow like this? It feels like you've gotten even taller…"
"Ah, nothing. I'm still growing. It's normal," Amir said, his usually cold face showing a rare smile, teasing him.
Then his gaze shifted to the small Asian boy Brian was holding.
"What? Fifteen days without seeing you, and now you've got a kid with Sarah? The little guy even looks a bit like you."
—…
Chen Shi, on the side, didn't understand English and had no idea what they were saying. But seeing the giant man's mocking gaze… he definitely felt insulted!
—Ahem… ahem…
"What are you talking about?" Brian coughed, his eyebrow twitching. He glanced at both ends of the hallway. "You gonna keep your guests outside like this?"
"Come in." Knowing there was business to discuss, Amir stopped teasing, turned, and walked inside. "And close the door."
Amir's room wasn't large—just a standard civilian apartment. Three bedrooms, two living areas. The main room held only a bed, a sofa, and a table. The adjacent room had been converted into a gym, packed with all kinds of exercise equipment.
Brian plopped onto the sofa, instantly feeling his body relax. He looked at Amir across from him.
"I brought back a lot of supplies this time—good stuff. When you get a chance, move them bit by bit to the 'warehouse'."
"Yeah, I know." Amir nodded. This was routine for him.
He glanced at Chen Shi, who was curiously looking around.
"Is it okay to talk about this in front of the kid?"
"No problem," Brian waved it off. "The kid doesn't understand English. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought him."
"Doesn't understand English?"
Amir was slightly surprised, but didn't press further. That was all he needed to know.
Then he continued:
"Moving supplies is easy. But a few days ago, I heard something—seems like the Resistance is planning a big move."
"Huh?"
Brian's relaxed expression turned serious. He sat upright.
"Where did you hear that?"
Seeing Brian's sudden intensity, Amir hesitated, then said:
"We had some supplies about to expire. I traded them in the black market for other goods. Heard it from a smuggler there. I even gave him some supplies just for the info."
Then he noticed Brian's strange expression.
"What's wrong? Is something off?"
"When I handed over supplies to Noslen earlier, he told me the exact same thing. Word for word."
"What?!" Amir's face filled with shock. "What's going on?"
Brian pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and thought for a moment.
"If even you, a regular patrol soldier, already know this… do you really think the government doesn't? Anyone with connections inside the quarantine zone probably already has this info."
Amir was still confused. Like most people, he wasn't good at deep thinking.
"So… what does that mean?"
"It means this news might be a smokescreen."
Brian took a deep drag, exhaled a cloud of smoke, then noticed Chen Shi beside him. Realizing something, he crushed the cigarette, opened the living room window to clear the smoke, and said:
"If so many people know this, do you really think the quarantine zone government doesn't? Do you think they wouldn't be prepared? Even at their peak, the Resistance wasn't a match for the quarantine army. Now, with the upper hand, do you really think they'd just charge in and get themselves killed?"
"Of course not…"
Amir finished the thought.
"So… who the hell would waste time and resources spreading such a useless rumor?"
Brian slowly shook his head.
"I don't know. This is too strange. We don't have enough information. But I do know no one does something like this out of boredom. There's a hidden agenda. We just haven't seen it yet."
Amir nodded, fully agreeing.
"So what do we do?"
"Nothing." Brian shrugged, enjoying the sunlight streaming through the window. "Let them have their schemes. We're just small people. We look after ourselves. We've got an escape plan. If anything happens, we run."