Chen Yi stuffed the laptops and notebooks into a backpack, then reminded softly, "Meow, be careful when we go out. Those zombies might have wandered upstairs."
"Brother, let me check if there are any zombies outside first."
Li Miao'er stood by the door, covering her nose, and observed for a moment. There was no movement outside—not even a zombie's shadow. It was eerily quiet.
"Brother, no zombies out here. You hold the spear for me—I'll just use the machete."
Li Miao'er adjusted her camouflage uniform and proactively shouldered the backpack.
She still preferred the simple, brutal efficiency of the machete—see a zombie, chop it down. A spear was too prone to mistakes.
"Meow, I'll make you cold noodles later."
Chen Yi smiled lightly and pinched her little cheeks. In the future, I'll raise Sister Meow to be so strong that no one would dare lay a finger on her.
"Hehe~ Brother, let's just go home quick."
Li Miao'er pursed her pink lips and shook her arms. The outfit was so uncomfortable—if she'd known, she wouldn't have worn it.
"Meow, let's move these zombies into the guest room first. The smell is too overpowering."
Chen Yi waved a hand in front of his face. The rancid stench was overwhelming, and since they'd likely return here, they couldn't leave the corpses lying around—it would just attract more zombies.
He handed two plastic bags to Sister Meow, and together they easily tossed the mutilated remains into the guest room.
"Brother, what's this white stuff?"
Li Miao'er eyed the bag he'd brought over, her pretty face full of puzzlement. It looked a bit like flour, or maybe lime powder.
"It's putty powder, for painting walls—similar to lime or cement."
Chen Yi looked up and explained with a smile. He handed the bag to Sister Meow, gesturing for her to sprinkle it over the bloodstains and stinking corpses on the floor.
"Oh."
Li Miao'er pouted, shaking her head in displeasure. Holding the bag with one hand, she vigorously scattered the white powder, as if venting her discontent.
Ahem. "Meow, that's enough—just enough to mask the smell."
Chen Yi covered his mouth and hurried to the balcony. Taking a deep breath of air near the green succulent pots, he felt much better.
This naughty little cat seems angry… like a child throwing a tantrum. Who could have upset her?
"Alright, brother, let's go."
Li Miao'er tossed the empty bag aside and trotted over, lips still pursed, her clothes now dusted with powder.
"Mhm."
Chen Yi hooked the machete into his trouser pocket, gripped the spear with one hand, and took Sister Meow's small hand with the other.
Creak… Clang.
He gently pulled open the security door.
Crunch… Crunch…
The sound of zombies chewing and feeding came from the apartment opposite.
Chen Yi had no intention of engaging the zombies there—he wasn't sure how many might be inside.
He simply pulled Sister Meow along and quickly hurried upstairs.
Haa…
Leaning against the wall by their own door, he caught his breath. The zombies hadn't followed, and there was no zombie scent inside the apartment. They could relax.
"Brother, here."
Li Miao'er handed Chen Yi her half-finished cola, her pretty face blushing, a sly smirk playing on her lips.
Gulp, gulp…
Chen Yi took the cola and drank it all in one go, releasing a long, comfortable sigh.
"Meow, I'll go to the rooftop to pick a couple of cucumbers for dinner. You rest here."
He raised his wrist to check his watch—already 5:30 PM. Time passed so quickly.
"Brother, I'm coming with you!"
Li Miao'er trotted up, machete in hand. She wouldn't let her brother disappear from her sight.
Chen Yi smiled and pinched Sister Meow's cheek. Without even carrying a weapon, he simply took her hand and walked toward the rooftop.
Once on the rooftop, their eyes fell upon the plump, bright-red tomatoes.
Li Miao'er happily dashed over, plucked a large tomato, gave it a casual wipe with her hand, and took a big bite.
"Pwah! So sour!"
She kept spitting, her pink, tender lips twisted in a pucker, her pretty face contorted by the tartness.
"Meow, these are early-ripening tomatoes—good for cooking. Pick them and let them sit for a couple of days; they'll taste much better then."
Chen Yi smiled and pinched Sister Meow's puffed-out cheek.
"Hmph! This stupid tomato looked so good, though!"
Li Miao'er pursed her lips and forcefully threw the tomato away. Her teeth were practically aching from the sourness—truly awful.
"Meow, we'll have watermelon when we get home. Don't be angry."
Chen Yi smiled and picked two thick cucumbers, handing them to Sister Meow. It was a pity the grapes and peaches weren't ripe yet.
He hadn't eaten grapes in so long. Just thinking about that sweet-and-sour flavor made him miss it terribly.
Li Miao'er stuck out her pink tongue, gazing at the clouds in the sky and the sunset nearing the horizon.
Reaching out a finger to touch the gentle, reddish sunlight, she suddenly felt inspired to recite a poetic line.
"The setting sun is infinitely beautiful, only… only…"
"Brother, what's the second half of that line?" Li Miao'er turned her head, lips pursed—she'd forgotten the rest.
"...Only because it's near dusk." Chen Yi couldn't help but clutch his stomach, laughing. "Hahaha! Meow, you really didn't study hard, did you? Even kids know that one."
"Grrr—!"
Blushing from embarrassment into irritation, Li Miao'er lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around her brother's slender frame and gnawing playfully on his smooth cheek with her small cherry mouth.
"Okay, okay, Meow, stop fooling around."
Chen Yi chuckled happily, gently pushing Sister Meow away, then picked up the dropped cucumbers and gathered two more tomatoes.
Li Miao'er followed behind him in silence, her pink lips curled in a pout. Brother's smile is so beautiful… I really want to tease him when he's happy like this. What should I do?
"This should be enough. Meow, let's head home."
Chen Yi held the vegetables in one hand, took Sister Meow's hand in the other, and they quickly made their way back.
"Meow, have some watermelon first. Rest a bit before we start cooking."
He selected a smaller watermelon, cut it into small triangular wedges, and sat in front of the sofa, eating slowly.
"So sweet!"
Li Miao'er squinted her beautiful eyes and sat beside him, holding a wedge of watermelon in both hands. Like a little hamster, she quickly nibbled away at the sweet flesh. She wasn't overly fond of this fruit.
Though tasty, eating watermelon made her hands and face sticky, and she'd have to wash up afterward. She just felt lazy and didn't want to move.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion suddenly erupted outside the window.
"What was that? Could the gas station have blown up?!"
Chen Yi hurriedly set down his watermelon, sprang up, and ran to the balcony. He opened the window, looking in the direction of the noise.
"Aaaah—!"
"Help—!"
From a residential building over a hundred meters away, black smoke still billowed from its midsection. Several women on the rooftop had just been thrown down by zombies.
The excited snarls of zombies and the dying screams of women filled the air, spreading panic.
The helpless, desperate cries lasted over ten seconds before silence fell once more.
"Brother… these people are so pitiful. Why didn't they fight back with everything they had?"
Li Miao'er hugged her brother's arm tightly, her soft, delicate body pressing against his as she gently nuzzled closer.
"Meow, in this apocalyptic world, only those who dare to face fear and defy death can survive. But most people… are timid and cowardly."
Chen Yi's expression remained calm. The weak did not deserve compassion.
He closed the window tightly and drew the curtains, blocking the tragic scene from view.
"Meow, I'm going to start dinner. Go to the storage room and get two candles. It'll be dark soon."
Chen Yi recalled there were candles left from seven or eight years ago—he wasn't sure if they'd still work now.
"Mhm."
Li Miao'er felt somewhat downcast. She feared she might not be able to protect her brother—her strength was still too lacking.
Hope, how much stronger are first-order zombies compared to the current ones? Chen Yi asked inwardly while chopping vegetables.
[First-order zombies have begun to evolve. Top-tier hunters possess a Constitution exceeding 200, while the most common zombies have a Constitution over 100.]
We need to kill at least ten zombies tomorrow, so Meow'er can start evolving too. Otherwise, once the nearby zombies evolve to first-order, escaping will become difficult.
Chen Yi finished dicing the cucumbers and tomatoes. While waiting for the water to boil, he hung the marinated meat strips by the window.
The meat was coated in a thick layer of salt, so there was no worry about the scent attracting zombies.