Chapter 39: Dong Ironhammer, Peach’s Father

“Ah!” The group was startled by the sudden roar, scattering swiftly and raising their weapons in defense. As they moved away, a mass of dark shadows surged out from the warehouse, shrieking and howling with terrifying intensity.

Du Yun and her companions were tense, bows drawn and weapons held high, ready to strike down the source of the noise at the slightest sign of danger, as if to claim a life.

“Wait! Is that Peach?” The shadow didn’t lunge as expected, but instead hesitated and spoke.

“It’s talking? Then it’s not a zombie!” Hearing the voice, Du Yun’s heart dropped from its heightened state. Not encountering a horde of zombies at such close range was a relief; even if one survived, it would hardly end well.

“Dad!” Just as Du Yun’s fright faded, Peach beside her cried out with joy. Before Du Yun could react, Peach rushed into a man's arms like a swallow returning to its nest.

“Peach!” The man, about forty, tall and robust, was trembling, his voice choked with emotion.

“Dad, Dad!” Peach clung tightly to his neck, sobbing and calling out as if to pour out all her grievances.

A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, seeing Peach, approached with tears in his eyes, calling her sister, clearly overjoyed and excited by her appearance. Peach looked up and called him brother, confirming he was family.

Du Yun observed the man and his son. Both were tall and strong, their muscular arms showing their considerable strength. Yet they looked unwell; their faces were ashen, eyes bloodshot, hair and beards disheveled, lips dry and pale.

As the family reunited, the leader surveyed the surroundings and impatiently gave a look to Skinny Monkey, who understood and stepped forward, addressing Peach’s father.

“Brother, it’s too dangerous here. If you want to catch up, let’s find somewhere safer.”

As he spoke, his eyes remained vigilant, scanning the area. Although most zombies had been lured away earlier, there was no guarantee none remained.

“Oh? Right, of course!” Peach’s father snapped back to reality, then, holding Peach, turned and led the group through the small door from which they had emerged. He said, “My name is Dong Ironhammer. Please, follow me!”

Inside the door was a large room filled with cardboard boxes, resembling a warehouse. Peach’s father led the group in, while Peach’s brother quickly shut and locked the door, but did not enter the warehouse. Instead, he stood guard with an iron rod, smiling and waving at Peach.

Following Peach’s father, Du Yun entered the depths of the warehouse and saw another door. When it opened, the scene startled her.

Behind the door, a dozen or twenty people, either sitting or standing, all turned to look at them, speaking nervously and anxiously. The men who had followed Dong Ironhammer entered and sat among them.

“Dong Chief, you’re back! What happened outside?”

“What’s going on? Did the zombies find us?”

“Did you find food? I’m starving.”

As they spoke, they saw Du Yun’s group and were startled. A thirty-something alluring woman glanced at Du Yun warily, then boldly approached Dong Ironhammer, peering at Du Yun from behind him.

Perhaps it was the strength of the newcomers, or simply the presence of strangers, but the room fell silent. The men and women eyed Du Yun’s group, then Dong Ironhammer, but said nothing.

“What’s wrong? Why the silence?” Dong Ironhammer set Peach down. Peach, resistant, hugged his leg and watched the alluring woman sidle up behind him, then pushed her away and buried her face at his waist.

Dong Ironhammer had no time for the quarrel between his daughter and the woman. He addressed the room, “These people saved Peach’s life, so I brought them here. What are you waiting for? Bring out some of the food and water we found recently and welcome our guests!”

At his words, the previously calm room erupted into activity: some fetched water, others food, but only a small amount was brought out. Everyone watched the supplies with longing, and no one seemed eager to hand them to Du Yun and her companions.

Du Yun observed their behavior clearly. Though Dong Ironhammer was the leader, the group of twenty didn’t seem united, and their supplies were obviously limited. The men fared better, but the women looked as though they hadn’t eaten properly in days, their eyes glowing green at the sight of food.

“What are you waiting for? My daughter’s saviors—are you saying they can’t even eat these things?” Dong Ironhammer’s voice grew louder, his expression fierce enough to make a few in the crowd tremble before they gathered the food and placed it in the alluring woman’s hands.

“Hongmei, go, bring the food to our guests.” Dong Ironhammer relaxed, smiling as Hongmei handed the supplies to Du Yun.

“You saved Peach. That makes you benefactors of Dong Ironhammer. These are all we managed to collect after the disaster—there’s not much, but it’s a token of my gratitude.” His face broke into a smile, both thankful and somewhat proud.

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” Du Yun instinctively glanced at the leader, and seeing no objection, smiled and accepted the supplies.

She only took them, though, and didn’t hand them directly to her companions. Instead, she sorted them, and with a motion to put them in her pack, quietly stored them away.

The leader watched Du Yun’s actions, his eyes flickering, but said nothing, an implicit approval. After all, they still didn’t know what Dong Ironhammer and his people were truly like; accepting food, especially in these circumstances, was not something to do lightly.