Chapter 21: Dadong Xiaodi

Shen Bing lifted the lid, and an appetizing aroma wafted out. Da Dong didn’t recognize any of the food inside, but he knew at a glance that it must be delicious.

"Go on, get the bowls," Shen Bing said with a wave. Watching the children scamper off, he couldn't help but smile; how wonderful it would be if things could always stay this way.

Each child had their own bowl and chopsticks. Though they were all a bit chipped, they still served their purpose. Shen Bing used the chopsticks he had managed to snag from Boss Lu to distribute the food among the children, trying his best to keep the portions balanced.

By the time the bowls were piled high, there was still plenty left in the takeaway containers. No one was greedy; they were all perfectly content. They carried their bowls out of the house, and as the light brightened, they sat in a row under the eaves, eating with joyful expressions.

The little girl who had been playfully bickering with Da Dong earlier was named Xiao Di. She was the only one who remembered her original name. Shen Bing hadn't bothered to give her a new one. As for Da Dong, the clumsy boy had forgotten his own name, and since the sun happened to be rising when he was found, he was named Da Dong—Big East. It represented the direction of the rising sun, a name meant to reflect the hope that he could be his own sun and perhaps even a sun that illuminated others.

Shen Bing stood up, took off his black cloak, and tossed it onto the table. Beneath it, he wore a black short-sleeved shirt and sweatpants—as black as always. He sat down in line with the children, though he towered over them. He pointed with his chin, counting: one, two, three, four, five. Exactly five.

Three boys and two girls. He had found all of them while out scavenging. Whenever he asked, the answer was always the same: their parents were dead, and they had no family left.

During the day, he would go out to kill zombies, exchanging the collected crystal nuclei at the official base for supplies. But the yield was pitifully small, never enough to keep everyone full, which was why they were all so gaunt.

However, two days ago, while passing by the New Life Base, he had discovered a lottery shop. He happened to have the nuclei he’d just harvested from killing zombies on him, ready to be traded for supplies. For some reason, as soon as he touched those scratch-offs, a faint voice echoed in his mind: "Don't buy it, don't buy it—"

He was startled, but maintaining his habitual poker face, he reached for another one. This time, a cheerful voice chimed in: "Come on, let's have some fun..."

Shen Bing was puzzled. He touched a few more, and the voices in his head varied. Trusting his intuition, he selected three cards, and sure enough, all of them revealed food.

His first thought was that Da Dong, Xiao Di, and the others could finally eat their fill. After that, there was no turning back. Since he had the skill and the supply of zombies was endless, he began hunting at night and scratching tickets by day. It kept him busy, and life became both fulfilling and happy.

The chaotic thoughts flashed through Shen Bing’s mind, interrupted by the slurping sound of Da Dong licking his bowl. He glanced over; the little ones were very obedient and wasted nothing, licking their bowls so clean there was no need for water to wash them.

Shen Bing watched them with a sense of relief. Though he was still a minor himself, he had taken on the role of an adult in this courtyard. He patted each of their heads, put on his black cloak, and prepared to head out to hunt zombies—he wanted to kill as many as possible before Boss Lu woke up.

Xiao Di grabbed his thigh, looking up at him. "Take me with you, Brother Shen! I want to kill zombies too!"

Hearing this, Da Dong immediately grabbed his other leg, shouting, "I want to go too! I want to kill zombies for crystal nuclei to feed my little brothers and sisters!"

Xiao Di shoved his head away, refusing to back down. "I'm the oldest! I'm the big sister!"

The two little ones started bickering instantly. Shen Bing smiled helplessly, peeled them off, and said sternly, "You're too small; a zombie could swallow you in one bite. Stay in the yard. Do you hear me?"

After ten years of the apocalypse, there were ways to defend against zombies. In the sixth year, the Central Base had developed a powder that emitted an odor zombies loathed. As long as it was sprinkled on the ground, zombies wouldn't approach. After years of persistent research, they had recently released a liquid version that was even more effective.

Shen Bing had spent many crystal nuclei to buy this "Zombie Go Away" potion, sprinkling it around the small yard to prevent sudden raids. Zombies had thermal sensors; if there were too many humans in one spot, they would move toward that direction, easily leading to a zombie horde if not deterred. Now, all major bases used this potion, giving humanity a chance to breathe.

Xiao Di pouted, let go of his leg, and said reluctantly, "Fine. But can I go kill zombies when I grow up?"

The other children looked at him with expectant eyes. Shen Bing nodded. He didn't want to keep them confined in this small courtyard forever; eventually, they would have to fly on their own, but for now, they were simply too young.

He left the yard and headed toward the Hope Base, killing zombies along the way. They were all Level 1, and he dispatched them without any effort. One came, he killed one; a group came, he killed the group.

He arrived at the entrance of the Hope Base at exactly five o'clock.

Inside the RV, Lu Li sat up, yawning. After that run-in with Liu Wenchun, it had been nearly one o'clock, and after eating McDonald's with Shen Bing, it was almost two-thirty. After a brief nap, the time had slipped away as if it were worthless.

She pulled back the partition and breathed a sigh of relief to see no one waiting in line. It felt wrong to keep people waiting.

"Boss Lu!" Chen Zhi popped his head up from below and stood up quickly.

Lu Li jumped, startled, and took a step back. "I thought no one was here. Why didn't you make a sound?"

Chen Zhi scratched his head and gave a goofy grin. "I just got back from killing zombies. I was tired, so I leaned against the RV to rest for a bit."

"Come, come. Want to try a scratch-off?" Lu Li felt a bit guilty for sleeping in so late and quickly changed the subject.

Chen Zhi looked rather dejected. "I didn't run into many zombies today; usually there are plenty outside. Just two... no, three cards, please!"

He bowed his head and tapped on the neural link on his wrist, as if typing a message. Once sent, he began picking out his scratch-offs.

Lu Li looked at the device. She had one too, but it was integrated into her system; whenever she wanted to see it, a mere thought would bring it up anywhere.

After sending his message, Chen Zhi remembered something. "Boss Lu, do you have a neural link? Let's add each other. That way, if you go somewhere else, you can let me know in advance."

Lu Li nodded, pulled up her interface, and opened the QR code page, intending to let Chen Zhi scan it. *It's just like WeChat from the 21st century,* she thought.

"Beep..." The sound of a successful scan echoed.

But Chen Zhi hadn't even opened his interface yet. He looked to his side in confusion, only to realize that Shen Bing had appeared beside him and was calmly operating his own device.

Chen Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly scanned Boss Lu's QR code, sent the request, and returned to his scratch-offs.