Chapter 30: Back to That Little Home

The apocalypse, I'm back.

The familiar, oppressive air flooded back into Jiang Chen's nostrils. Taking a slow breath of the polluted air, he surveyed his surroundings—the abandoned cars, cracked streets, broken windows, and the aimlessly wandering zombies.

This was exactly the place he had left behind last time.

Looking down at the cage, Jiang Chen saw the little hamster lying still. It was quiet now, its once-wiggling body lifeless. Jiang Chen poked its soft belly with a finger and sighed when he confirmed it was truly gone.

That pinecone was its last meal.

It seemed that bringing living beings along during a crossing wasn't such a realistic idea after all, and Jiang Chen couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

Carefully navigating through the familiar streets, Jiang Chen made his way toward the villa, trying not to disturb the weakly roaming zombies.

Zombies during the day were harmless, almost to the point of being non-threatening. But at night, even the most formidable of beings wouldn't dare cross through densely packed zombie streets. Without the sun, they would go wild, like they'd been drugged, every deteriorated cell of their bodies working in overdrive to hunt down the living.

The villa looked the same as it had before, except the iron gate at the entrance had been reinforced with steel wire. This was clearly Sun Jiao's doing.

Jiang Chen walked up and pressed the doorbell. After a moment, the sound of footsteps running toward him echoed in the distance.

The iron gate opened.

A slender figure dashed into his chest. Jiang Chen, anticipating this, immediately spread his arms and caught her.

The wet sensation of lips met his.

When they broke apart, Sun Jiao panted slightly and gazed at him with a mix of relief and reproach. "You're finally back."

"I missed you so much, baby." Jiang Chen gave her a playful slap on the rear, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"Come on in."

Jiang Chen stepped inside the villa as Sun Jiao efficiently closed the gate and locked it with steel bars.

Looking around, Jiang Chen noticed some changes inside. Although the exterior looked the same, the once charming little grove had been completely cut down, possibly to build watchtowers along the walls. Several iron wire rings and hidden trenches had been set up along the perimeter. The main building had been extensively modified, with many windows barred up.

"What did you do to my villa?" Jiang Chen let out a bitter laugh. "This doesn't look like a villa anymore, it's more like a fortress."

"It's safer this way," Sun Jiao said proudly. "The old villa was essentially defenseless, so I scavenged some materials and reinforced the place."

"I always thought that if you didn't fortify a place, people wouldn't notice it," Jiang Chen teased.

"But this is our home, isn't it? We can't keep pretending no one's here. Survivors might pass by, notice us, and then rumors would spread..."

"I get it, you did the right thing. Thank you." Jiang Chen realized the severity of the situation. He had been thinking too naively before.

In this world, zombies weren't the only threat. During the day, they were like decorations. Survivors were much more dangerous, and organizations like the one in District 6 were the closest thing to "good guys" in this wasteland. If someone found out there were people here, food here, and no defenses, they'd swarm over like flies. Even with Sun Jiao's strength, it would be hard to defend this place without help.

In the apocalypse, humans were far more terrifying than zombies or mutants.

"But why did you destroy the marble statues at the entrance?" Jiang Chen winced at the thought. "This was supposed to be a luxurious villa, and now it's been turned into this..."

"They took up too much space. And the internal walls don't need any obstacles—they'd just get in the way of shooting intruders." Sun Jiao explained rationally.

"Well... I guess that makes sense," Jiang Chen sighed, accepting her reasoning.

He followed Sun Jiao inside through the reinforced door of the main building.

"Where's Yao Yao?"

"That little girl probably misses you too," Sun Jiao said with a complex look in her eyes, reaching up to straighten his collar. "Go see her room. She's been tinkering with things, hoping they'll help you."

"Okay." Jiang Chen nodded and walked toward Yao Yao's room.

He gently pushed open the wooden door, which creaked in protest. The room was dim, and if it weren't for the even sound of breathing, Jiang Chen might have thought no one was there.

Is she still in bed?

A smile tugged at the corner of Jiang Chen's mouth. He knew well that the sweet little girl had low blood pressure due to malnutrition and was often in a sleepy daze in the mornings.

There was a faint metallic smell in the room that made Jiang Chen wrinkle his nose. The delicate wooden desk, which once likely belonged to another sweet girl, was now cluttered with electronic gadgets. There was a holographic computer Jiang Chen had bought for Yao Yao, along with various other unknown devices. In the corner, there was a sci-fi-looking silicone touchpad, but its lower half was completely broken, exposing wires soldered onto an unfamiliar circuit board.

Curious, Jiang Chen didn't touch anything, respecting the privacy of others.

As he shifted his feet, he felt something underfoot. He bent down and picked up what appeared to be a book filled with programming jargon. The footnotes were covered with scraps of paper. Jiang Chen couldn't help but think of the notes he had seen back in college from all the nerdy geniuses.

Although he had passed his computer science exams, Jiang Chen had no clue what the book said.

It looked like a simpler form of computer language...

At that moment, Yao Yao was curled up under the blankets, sleeping soundly, looking like a little squirrel. Her slightly pouted lips reminded Jiang Chen of soft, chewy candy, and the way her small hand clutched the edge of the blanket stirred a protective instinct in him.

Looks like she's been eating well... Jiang Chen squatted down, gently ruffling her soft hair with affection. Despite the darkness, her fuller cheeks indicated significant improvement in her health over the past month.

Hearing her soft, peaceful breathing, Jiang Chen almost didn't want to wake her.

But he couldn't resist hugging her!

"Yao Yao, Yao Yao…" Jiang Chen softly called her name.

"Hmm... gurgle, hehe..." Yao Yao mumbled in her sleep, rubbing her eyes as she sat up, staring at Jiang Chen with bleary eyes. Then, with a goofy smile, she threw herself into his arms like a sloth, wrapping her arms around his neck and immediately falling back asleep.

"Hehe… don't go, Brother... Yao Yao's been working really hard... really hard... now I'm so strong..." she mumbled sleepily.

This little girl… she probably thinks I'm her pillow, huh? Jiang Chen scratched his head with a helpless smile, preparing to wake her.

But just then, through the gap in the curtains, Jiang Chen caught a glimpse of the dark circles under Yao Yao's eyes.

Remembering her earlier mumbling, Jiang Chen felt a pang of discomfort in his chest.

"Yao Yao is so good… let's sleep a bit longer." Jiang Chen cradled the sleeping Yao Yao in his arms, gently placing her back on the soft bed and covering her with the blanket.

He bent down and kissed her forehead softly.

As if dreaming of something sweet, Yao Yao's little nose twitched and a smile appeared on her face. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, glistening with a silver thread of happiness.

Jiang Chen left the room quietly, slowly closing the door behind him.

"You ate her?" Sun Jiao gave Jiang Chen a teasing glance as he walked downstairs.

"Am I some kind of beast?" Jiang Chen rolled his eyes and sat down opposite her.

"Yao Yao...," Sun Jiao hesitated, opening her mouth as if to say something, but then, as if making up her mind, she continued, "Yao Yao... really cares about you. She's been studying computer science lately, and even asked me to get her a few professional books from the library. I'm not sure if it's right... but she's been working day and night. Maybe... she wants you to notice her. This is how she expresses her feelings."

Sun Jiao carefully chose her words, trying to communicate exactly what she meant.

"I... I'll say thanks," Jiang Chen replied.

"Just 'thanks'?" Sun Jiao raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"...It's not just that. You all are my family." Jiang Chen made up his mind, looking at Sun Jiao seriously.

Suddenly, Sun Jiao jumped onto the table and grabbed Jiang Chen by the collar. She laughed at his stunned expression.

"Do you mean, are you planning to eat her too?"

"She's just my little sister, I care about her. What exactly are you trying to imply..." Jiang Chen gave Sun Jiao a helpless smile. Sometimes, her unpredictable behavior really caught him off guard.

"Oh? I can see that she's not just a sister to you," Sun Jiao teased.

Jiang Chen fell silent.

"Don't you have something to say?"

"Would you mind letting go of me first?" he asked, slightly uncomfortable.

"No way. What if you suddenly disappear again?" Sun Jiao's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, causing Jiang Chen to panic. He couldn't understand why this wild, carefree woman was crying.

"I won't disappear, babe," Jiang Chen smiled bitterly, reaching out to embrace her, but Sun Jiao pushed him away.

"Who knows... you must have a woman over there, right?" Sun Jiao stared directly into Jiang Chen's eyes, and for a moment, he was caught off guard.

"Uh... why would you ask that?" Jiang Chen's gaze shifted uncomfortably.

"Isn't that true?" Sun Jiao didn't give him a chance to dodge the question.

"Yes!" Jiang Chen took a deep breath and confessed honestly.

Expecting to be tied up and scolded by this wild girl, Jiang Chen was surprised when Sun Jiao let go of his collar.

"...You're an honest guy," Sun Jiao didn't get off the table but stayed in a half-sitting position, still gazing at Jiang Chen with intensity.

She smiled? Why was she smiling?

Jiang Chen couldn't help but give a weird smile. "I'm usually honest with my women."

Because there's no need to lie.

"So, I'm lucky enough to be your woman now?" Sun Jiao teased, her eyes playful.

"If you don't want to... I won't force you," Jiang Chen said with a complicated expression.

"...," Sun Jiao's expression also grew complex. She bit her lower lip slightly before speaking, "Of course I do, but you leaving me behind to play with other women... that gets me really mad."

"...I'm sorry," Jiang Chen lowered his head in silence, but after a moment, he raised it and met Sun Jiao's eyes. "I know words alone can't make it right, but... if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Really? Anything?" Sun Jiao's smile was half teasing, half predatory, her eyes scanning Jiang Chen's face.

"Yes."

"Then come here," she said, her voice low.

"Uh?" Jiang Chen froze for a moment.

In the blink of an eye, Sun Jiao moved with the agility of a wildcat. Before Jiang Chen could react, she had somehow tied him to the chair with a rope.

Sun Jiao placed one foot on the armrest beside Jiang Chen, and the sight hit him with an intense sense of déjà vu.

"I... I was going to say," Jiang Chen began.

"Oh? What do you want to say?" Sun Jiao leaned in closer, as if she hadn't heard him. Jiang Chen then noticed that she had changed her clothes. Just while he was upstairs for a moment, she had swapped her casual workout gear for a shirt that radiated a special kind of allure.

(Black) stockings—this was the first time Jiang Chen had seen Sun Jiao wearing them.

In a world where stores no longer needed money due to the apocalypse, clothing had become something anyone could get, no need to think twice about it. Jiang Chen suddenly remembered the clothes he had bought for the two girls on Taobao and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Nothing, just... I feel like I've seen this rope before," Jiang Chen said with a wry smile.

"Heh, I'll let you see it again," Sun Jiao grinned mischievously, her red lips almost brushing Jiang Chen's ear. "...Let me show you how powerful I am."