Wasteland Rebirth

Chuxiang nodded, "Don't worry, I will do my utmost to protect you. As for what Zhang Hongbing said about exchanging people for cigarettes, don't take it to heart. Zhang Hongbing isn't a bad person, he's just... a bit careless with his words."

But Zhang Jingyao, in a very serious tone, replied, "That won't do. Whether your transaction with him is an equal exchange, I don't care. After all, I was bought with five packs of cigarettes and a lighter. My parents are gone, and from now on, I belong to you, and I'll follow you wherever you go."

Chuxiang was troubled. If things went on like this, how could he ever find a girlfriend? How could he let other girls see him constantly accompanied by another woman? "Well... that... honestly, my family is very poor. No house, no car, and my parents are neither high-ranking officials nor wealthy businessmen. You're still young, and the world will recover one day. You can't throw away your future so easily."

Zhang Jingyao was also frustrated. She had once been the darling of countless men, but now, after pursuing Chuxiang, he was still not interested. However, she understood Chuxiang's words. After all, they had only known each other for two days. It wasn't like a romance novel; emotions couldn't develop that quickly. But she had finally found a man who could give her a sense of safety, and she wasn't willing to let go of him.

"Hehe, the reality is like this. What's the use of having a car or a house? There are cars everywhere now, and they're worth less than a steamed bun. What good is a house? Surrounded by zombies, it can trap you to death! What I admire about you is your ability, your ability to survive in these chaotic times. Chuxiang, don't be afraid that I'll cling to you. The road ahead is long. We'll have a chance to understand each other better."

Chuxiang was indeed moved. In his twenty-odd years of life, this was the first time a girl had pursued him. Although Zhang Jingyao wasn't particularly beautiful, he had learned from experience that beautiful women were hard to keep. So, he never looked down on Zhang Jingyao. But for them to get this close so quickly seemed to break the rules. This was likely a shadow cast by his previous relationships, where he had always believed that love had to be hard-earned.

"Let's take our time to understand each other," Chuxiang smiled, "after all, we only know each other's names."

"Then you start by understanding me," Zhang Jingyao's mood visibly brightened. Don't blame her for being so proactive in confessing to a man. Those who haven't experienced near-death situations can never understand the preciousness of life. No one had the right to act aloof in this world, and Zhang Jingyao understood this better than anyone.

Suddenly, Chuxiang was handed a photo. It was tucked in a wallet, and the girl in the photo looked familiar. She was very beautiful, with a sexy figure, no less than Su Yulian or any of the other beautiful women Chuxiang had known. More importantly, the girl was wearing a nurse's uniform, which, for Chuxiang, was incredibly alluring, considering his exposure to "educational videos" in the past. He had heard that before the virus outbreak, some places had uniform bars that were wildly popular, revealing the strong attraction men had for such fantasies.

"This was taken when I was doing my internship..." Zhang Jingyao said with a light laugh.

Chuxiang thought he had misheard. "What? The person in the photo is you? No wonder she looked so familiar."

Zhang Jingyao chuckled. "Yes, do you think I'm ugly? I was a nursing student at the medical college."

Chuxiang quickly turned his head, "You can't be serious. If a beautiful girl like you is ugly, then all the men must be blind. I was just curious about your... current appearance."

Zhang Jingyao's voice dimmed. "I used to be so willful, but after everything I've been through, I think I've grown up. When the T-virus infection reached my city, I was working at a maternity nurse shop in the suburbs, helping out on a Sunday. My friend, who ran the shop, had to deliver nursing soup to a new mother, so I was left to mind the store. Suddenly, the streets erupted into chaos. People were acting crazy, biting and tearing each other apart. I was terrified and tried to hide, and I found a basement in the store. I stayed there for a whole month. During that time, I wanted to escape, but every time I peeked out, I saw zombies roaming the streets, so I dared not move. I don't know whether my friend survived or not, but I was starving in that basement. Eventually, I ate some expired lactation supplements out of desperation..."

Chuxiang fell silent. He wasn't naive. Could those lactation pills really be eaten so casually? Judging from the photo earlier, Zhang Jingyao didn't seem to have such an exaggerated figure, at least not as large as the F-cup size of his ex-girlfriend Fang Su. But now, judging by the feeling on his back, her figure had definitely grown to rival Fang Su's. Could the spots and acne on Zhang Jingyao's face be related to the pills she had taken?

"...One day, I overheard some people talking outside, and from my observations, I realized that zombies couldn't talk. So, I cried out for help. That's when Zhang Hongbing appeared. But when I finally came out of the basement, I had become like this. Initially, when the search teams saw me, they didn't want to take me along, calling me ugly and smelly, saying I was a burden and would waste food. Eventually, one of the older men in the group took an interest in me. But on the way back, he was bitten by a zombie. After that, the group was down to just me and Zhang Hongbing. I kept using my ugly face and foul odor to protect myself. Not long ago, we met with Squad Leader Xu, and that's how we ended up together. I still don't understand how it all happened."

Chuxiang said, "I don't really understand what happened either. But I think we're lucky. We've survived without being infected by the air, which is probably because the outbreak was so sudden that the country's institutions couldn't respond in time. From now on, as long as we're careful not to be bitten by zombies, we don't need to worry about infection."

"Mm." Zhang Jingyao nodded. "Chuxiang, these past few days, I've noticed the spots on my face starting to fade. It should be the effect of the expired medication I took. Thank you. If it weren't for you finding food, we might have starved to death."

Chuxiang felt a sense of happiness. Zhang Jingyao clinging to him felt strangely comforting. This was the first time a girl had hugged him, and her figure was so... impressive. Although she used to smell foul, perhaps as a survival tactic to ward off men, now, with her subtle fragrance after a recent wash, it was intoxicating. If her face returned to its former beauty, wouldn't she be a catch? His thoughts began to wander.

Bang!

A gunshot suddenly brought Chuxiang back to reality. They had run out of bullets, so it couldn't have come from their convoy. They must have encountered other survivors.