Chapter 35: The Snow Has Stopped

To be safe, Meng Ran still did not mention her supernatural abilities, and the siblings, Chang Yan and Chang Xingwen, remained silent about theirs as well.

"You must have seen those monsters on your way here, right?" one of the men asked, his eyes wide.

Meng Ran answered smoothly, "We took a detour, so we didn't run into any."

It was someone else who had been besieged by zombies, not them; she wondered how Xu Zhuoqun and his group were faring now.

"Then you are quite lucky."

Chang Yan took a few sips of water to moisten her throat. "I’m thinking of heading out to seek help."

Her thoughts differed from those of the people currently sheltering here; Chang Yan preferred to go out and seek opportunities herself. Even if she couldn't find rescue, she needed to understand the situation rather than being kept in the dark like this.

Bao Qidong didn't rush to refute her; he pondered her words carefully. "Where do you plan to seek help?" In their current location, there wasn't anywhere obvious to turn to for aid.

"I plan to check the police station first," Chang Yan said, crossing her arms. When it came to this disaster, individual preparation certainly couldn't compare to an organized effort; perhaps they would find answers once they arrived there.

Bao Qidong remained silent, presumably lost in thought.

Grandma Zhang sat down against the wall. "That is an option, but it’s far too dangerous." Even though they were inside the mall, they had seen plenty of corpses.

"The people who went out before all died," someone whispered, intending to gently persuade them to reconsider. Having a place to stay was already a blessing.

"It’s fine, as long as we are careful," Chang Yan insisted. Her mind was made up; she needed to see for herself before she could give up and try other methods.

Bao Qidong nodded. "What you say makes sense, but I have to consider the morale of the others here. I won't be heading out for the time being." Unless it was absolutely necessary, they chose the safest way to survive.

Meng Ran and the others didn't try to persuade them further. Chang Yan looked at Meng Ran. "What about you?"

"I’m coming with you, of course." Meng Ran didn't feel comfortable staying here indefinitely; she wasn't familiar with these people and would rather take her chances with Chang Yan.

"It won't be easy to find a place to stay once you're out there," Grandma Zhang said, her heart full of concern. Not everyone was kind enough to take them in. Chang Yan merely smiled; they had certainly considered such things long ago.

Bao Qidong sighed. "Fine, fine. You young people are brave enough to venture out, but we are past that." He told Grandma Zhang not to try to stop them, seeing that Chang Yan had already made up her mind. "By the way, didn't you need supplies? You can take some from us."

Chang Yan thanked him.

The night in the mall was much more pleasant than at the supermarket; a desk lamp illuminated their resting area, and Meng Ran yawned as she lay on her sleeping mat. She hadn't rested well the night before, and after spending the day plotting against Xu Zhuoqun and his group, she was truly exhausted.

Outside, the sky had turned completely dark, and the bloodstains in the snow had frozen solid. Xu Zhuoqun’s mask was gone, and ice hung from his eyelashes and face.

"What are you doing?" Xu Zhuoqun gritted out, staring at the three people in front of him. His psychic energy was depleted, and he had no strength left to resist. Peng Cong’s corpse lay not far away.

"It’s all because of you! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have ended up in this state!" They had struggled against a horde of zombies and two evolved ones for so long, and only four or five of them had survived. If Xu Zhuoqun hadn't chosen to trust Meng Ran and her group, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Xu Zhuoqun said bitterly, "Don't forget, I saved you!" If not for him, not even these few would have survived. Back then, they had acted all grateful, but now that they saw the others were dead, they were turning against him.

A hand clamped tightly around Xu Zhuoqun’s throat. "We know you can't fight back now. Don't think about going back to the supermarket—just die here with Peng Cong."

As the blade pierced his heart, Xu Zhuoqun struggled and screamed, but the men held him down. They watched him bleed out, then delivered a few extra stabs to be sure. Seeing that Xu Zhuoqun had drawn his last breath, they withdrew their blades. "Let’s go back to the supermarket." With Xu Zhuoqun dead, the supplies in the supermarket would belong to them.

At the first light of dawn, Meng Ran opened her eyes. The glass was rattling; a strong wind was blowing outside. Snow was being whipped against the windows. Meng Ran watched for a moment before slowly getting up.

"The wind has picked up," Grandma Zhang said softly, holding a cup of hot water. She smiled when she saw Meng Ran awake. "Sleep a little longer; it’s quite cold." The space heater couldn't stay on forever, and it had already been turned off.

Meng Ran huddled in her quilt. "Grandma Zhang, are you an employee here too?" she asked, sitting beside the older woman.

Grandma Zhang shook her head. "I came to buy some things, but the snow got too heavy, and I got trapped here."

Meng Ran’s eyes flickered. "Are you leaving today?" Grandma Zhang asked.

Meng Ran nodded. "Yes, we’re leaving today."

Grandma Zhang was silent for a moment, then pulled out a photograph. "This is my daughter. If you see her, could you please tell her I’m here?" The corners of the photo were curled, showing it had been looked at often.

Meng Ran took the photo. "I will." But the world was vast; she couldn't promise they would actually run into her.

The sky brightened, but the wind showed no sign of stopping. The others began to wake up one by one. Meng Ran took some food from her pack and ate it quickly. Over by the supplies, Bao Qidong had already begun having people gather items for them.

"The wind is so strong, are you sure you won't stay another day?" Bao Qidong asked, looking uneasy. He didn't know where this freakish wind had come from this morning; it was much stronger than usual and looked quite frightening.

"It doesn't matter; the weather was even worse before," Chang Yan said. She didn't want to wait another second. She packed the supplies; with provisions in hand, she could finally set off with peace of mind.

Meng Ran observed the food Chang Yan and Chang Xingwen were taking. Their backpacks had limited capacity, and if they were too heavy, walking would be difficult, so they had to stick to what they could manage. Once they zipped up their bags, Meng Ran packed her own.

"Let’s go." They wanted to cover as much ground as possible while the day was still young.

The moment they stepped out from behind the door curtain, a freezing wind blasted their faces. Meng Ran exhaled, thinking to herself that this weather was truly bizarre. Chang Xingwen stomped his feet on the spot.

"My god, what is this weather doing? Snow is blowing right down my collar." He hurriedly pulled out his scarf and wrapped it around his head and neck, feeling slightly better only then.

The three of them used their snow shovels to steady themselves against the wind. Meng Ran looked up; although the wind was strong, there actually wasn't much snow in it. It seemed the snowfall had stopped.