Chapter 19: There Is Light Even in the Darkness

The night was pitch-black, and in the depths of the mountains and forests, darkness became even more profound. Considering her severe exhaustion and the lurking threat of zombies that might appear at any moment, Du Yun felt the place she found herself in had become boundlessly dark. Yet, gazing at the tall, handsome figure ahead, she sensed that survival was not entirely hopeless. The darkness, it seemed, could still be endured.

Her stomach growled with hunger, her body felt so drained that she was nearly collapsing, but she forced herself to march numb step by numb step in the group, one hand keeping hold of the little girl. Her breath, labored and heavy, sounded to her own ears no different from a battered bellows struggling for air.

So tired, so desperate for rest... A voice inside Du Yun wailed, yet a stronger voice urged her to persevere. If she did not persist, not only would she die, but the family she had painstakingly found on Bluewater Star would also face disaster.

“After we cross the valley ahead, there should be a village. We need to be careful,” said the man leading the way in a low, hoarse voice. He was called Da Zhuang—Big Strong—a nickname that matched his imposing stature.

“Alright, everyone stay sharp. If we run into those damned zombies again, it’ll cost us more strength!” The talkative, slightly built Monkey trailed at the rear, scanning the surroundings and muttering, “I don’t even know where we are—one minute we’re on a mission, the next we’re in this godforsaken place, and there are so many low-level zombies!”

Du Yun, exhausted and dragging the little girl, forced herself to pay attention to every word exchanged. From their upright posture, the tone of their speech, and their coordinated movements—one leading, one covering the rear—they seemed like trained soldiers, with the one called Boss likely their leader.

“Rest here, resupply,” said the Boss, his expression stern as he looked toward the looming mountain ahead, just as Du Yun felt she could go no further.

“Got it, Boss!” Monkey replied cheerfully, quickly moving to the front, while Da Zhuang shifted to Du Yun’s rear. The change in formation was swift and efficient, almost unbelievable.

Du Yun followed the group to a large boulder. Watching Boss settle himself on the stone, she hesitated, then quietly pulled the little girl over and sat down beside him.

A rustling sound came, and Du Yun saw Da Zhuang and Monkey take something from their packs and begin eating—clearly replenishing their strength.

Gurgle... Du Yun couldn’t help but swallow. Though what they ate looked tough and lacked aroma, at least it could fill the belly. So hungry... what should she do?

As she agonized over her hunger, a bar-shaped object suddenly appeared before her. She looked up instinctively to see Boss, one arm around his hoe, handing her half a biscuit-like ration.

“Th-thank you!” Du Yun reached out and took the biscuit, hesitated, broke off a small piece for the little girl, and put the remainder into her own mouth.

“Hey, is she your sister?” Monkey, drawn by the commotion, grinned and asked.

“Uh... no, I just met her. Pulled her from the hands of a zombie,” Du Yun said, looking at the little girl who clung to her side, shrinking back timidly.

Upon hearing this, Boss glanced at Du Yun, a flash of light in his eyes before closing them again to rest. Perhaps because he was the one who had saved her, his gaze felt intense but oddly reassuring—Du Yun felt no discomfort at all.

“You can kill zombies? Now that you mention it, when we dodged that mass of zombies earlier, I saw some corpses on the road—it was you, then. Didn’t expect it from someone your size...” Monkey, evidently fond of talking, became even more animated since Boss did not stop him. He acted as though fighting a dozen zombies earlier had hardly affected him.

“Just lucky to have a hoe in hand...” Du Yun chuckled awkwardly. Her small stature was indeed inconspicuous—not to mention compared to Boss and Da Zhuang, even next to Monkey she was much shorter and slighter. Managing to kill a zombie surprised even herself.

“That hoe?” Monkey paused, then realized what had happened—they had thought themselves the rescuers, but in truth, they’d brought trouble to her and confiscated her weapon.

“My name is Zhang Jinshou, but everyone calls me Monkey. What about you?” With the hoe in Boss’s hands, Monkey dared not say much. Instead, he changed the subject and, perhaps out of guilt, handed Du Yun another biscuit-like ration.

“Du Yun.” She nodded to Monkey, taking the ration but not immediately eating it, instead tucking it into her pocket and gently patting it to keep it secure. In this unknown zombie-ridden world, who knew when the next meal would come? Better to save it now than starve later.

“And the little girl?” Monkey’s gaze flickered, then turned to the child nestled in Du Yun’s arms.

“Uu...” The girl, clearly frightened, shrank further into Du Yun’s embrace under Monkey’s gaze.

“Little one, what’s your name?” Du Yun paused; she didn’t know. Thinking she would have to care for the child, she realized she couldn’t keep calling her “little girl,” so she gently patted her back and asked.

“Peach... Peach.” The child, trusting Du Yun far more, hesitated then softly gave her name.

“Alright, Peach, there are zombies everywhere and it’s dangerous. You must stay close to me, okay?” Du Yun smiled, stroking Peach’s head, her voice warm and gentle, full of encouragement. Peach had clearly endured much fear; Du Yun’s kindness was meant to comfort her.

Boss, who had been resting with eyes closed, now opened them and looked deeply at the young woman. His brows furrowed, a hint of interest in his eyes—Du Yun’s reaction evidently surprised him.

“Okay, big sister, can you take me to town to find my parents? They work there, and the mountain road leads straight to them.” Peach, comforted, asked after a moment, her large dark eyes gazing up at Du Yun.

“Well... we might need to ask this brother here...” Du Yun knew she was lucky to be allowed to follow the group, her life spared thanks to their kindness. Whether they would go to town was not up to her, so she turned her gaze to the man called Boss.

Da Zhuang and Monkey nodded quietly at Du Yun’s tact, then looked to Boss as well, awaiting instructions.

Before Boss could reply, his body suddenly tensed, hands gripping the hoe tightly. At that moment, a rustling sound came from the woods, and the others, sensing the change, fixed their eyes on the direction of the noise.