Chapter 34

Cheng Zhiyu had noticed the superhuman man watching them intently ever since he took out the eggs.

It wasn't intentional staring—more like he was ravenous.

Since the man hadn't made any move, Cheng Zhiyu didn't pay him much mind. He hadn't expected him to approach them now.

After a long hesitation, the man walked over to Tian Qiao with an earnest smile. "Hey, brother, are you going to eat those eggs?"

Of course, Tian Qiao wouldn't say no. Acting as if they weren't short on food would only invite envy and suspicion. After all, they only appeared to be carrying a few bags—where were they storing their supplies? That alone was enough to make people wonder.

So, instead of answering, he simply frowned at the superhuman man, giving him a look that clearly said, "Are you kidding me?"

"Hey, I don't mean anything by it," the superhuman man continued with an eager smile. "I just wanted to ask… if I could trade something for them."

Hearing this, Tian Qiao became interested. "What do you have?"

Seeing his interest, the man's smile widened. "Something really good."

This only made Tian Qiao more curious. "Then show me what it is."

The man pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Disappointed, Tian Qiao said, "That's it? I don't smoke."

The superhuman man quickly added, "Even if you don't smoke, it could still come in handy. You… must be heading to Chaoyang Base, right?"

Tian Qiao's mind raced, and he instinctively glanced at Cheng Zhiyu. To the superhuman man, this reaction confirmed his guess.

After receiving a signal from Cheng Zhiyu, Tian Qiao went along with it. "How did you know?"

"No need to be tense," the superhuman man said, grinning now that he'd guessed correctly. "I've passed quite a few groups along the way, all heading to Chaoyang Base. After all, Chaoyang Base is an official base—it was established right after the disaster and has taken in a lot of people. It's secure, not like those small private bases."

Tian Qiao relaxed slightly. "What does me going to Chaoyang Base have to do with your cigarettes?"

Seeing that Tian Qiao wasn't as knowledgeable, the superhuman man grew a bit proud. "You don't know, do you? These days, aside from crystal cores being the hard currency, do you know what else is?"

Tian Qiao glanced at him. "Food, duh."

That went without saying—food was always a hard currency, no matter the era.

The superhuman man said, "There are also cigarettes."

Tian Qiao raised an eyebrow. "Cigarettes?"

He paused for a moment but quickly understood. Even before the apocalypse, some people would spend money on expensive cigarettes even if they were broke. He had a colleague who was pretty extreme—he'd scrimp on food but use the saved money to buy high-end smokes. As a non-smoker, Tian Qiao never understood it.

What was so good about smoking?

Nearby, Cheng Zhiyu also paused, thinking along the same lines as Tian Qiao. Though they didn't understand the logic behind such behavior, they had certainly encountered people like that.

Moreover, in the apocalypse, everyone was focused on finding food, so cigarettes were often overlooked. That made cigarettes relatively rare.

If they ran into someone who loved smoking, they could indeed trade for some valuable items.

Tian Qiao cleared his throat, finally understanding the other’s intention. "So, you want to trade your cigarettes for my eggs?"

The superhuman man nodded. "Even if you don't smoke, they'll come in handy once you reach the base. Don't take this the wrong way, but I haven't had an egg since the apocalypse began. Otherwise, I'd have a hard time giving this up."

The superhuman man was telling the truth—he was indeed reluctant. But he didn't mention that he had quite a few packs of cigarettes in his bag. Though it pained him to trade this one, it was manageable. Besides, eggs were hard to come by.

Tian Qiao didn't respond immediately, as if thinking it over. After a moment, under the man’s anxious gaze, he nodded. "Alright, I'll trust you this once. You're heading to Chaoyang Base too, right? If I find out you've tricked me…"

He left the threat hanging, but the implication was clear.

The superhuman man wasn't worried—he hadn't lied. "Don't worry," he said quickly.

Happily, he took the eggs and went over to the female superhuman nearby. Unexpectedly, she sneered, "I don't want a damn thing from you."

The superhuman man looked helpless. "I know you're angry with me, but I had no choice back then. Xing Xing had already turned into a zombie, I…"

Before he could finish, the female superhuman, who had been cold-faced, suddenly turned and glared at him furiously. "Shut up! You did it on purpose—you killed her!"

The superhuman man seemed stunned, taking a moment to process her words. By the time he recovered, the female superhuman had already turned her back to him and sat down far away.

The superhuman man sighed helplessly, looking at the eggs in his hand. "These eggs are hard-boiled. If you don't eat them, they'll go bad."

The female superhuman ignored him. He could only shake his head, his eyes reddening as he silently ate the eggs.

Cheng Zhiyu and the others exchanged glances but acted like they didn’t see a thing.

Unexpectedly, after a while, the superhuman man came over again. Seemingly weighed down by grief and with no one else to talk to, he began speaking to Cheng Zhiyu and the others, tears streaming down his face as he talked. "Back then, my powers weren't fully under control yet. I couldn't protect Xing Xing, and she got bitten by a zombie. I watched helplessly as she turned into a zombie and even tried to bite me. But she was my daughter—how could I bring myself to hurt her?

But she had already become a zombie. Even if I couldn't bring myself to do it, I had no choice. I had to personally…"

At this point, the superhuman man couldn’t continue. He lowered his head, covering his face as he broke down sobbing. "Wu Mengting happened to come over right then and saw me… I know she must hate me, but I had no other choice back then. My heart aches just as much as hers…"

The female superhuman was named Wu Mengting, and the man was Zhang He. Xing Xing was their daughter, and from Zhang He’s account, she was only five years old.

Cheng Zhiyu and the others went quiet. If it were possible, what parent could bear to personally take their own child's life?

But that was no longer Xing Xing. The real Xing Xing had died the moment she was bitten by the zombie. What remained was just a body controlled by the zombie virus.

Tian Qiao patted Zhang He’s shoulder. "Well, all we can say is that you really had no other choice back then."

Zhang He wiped his tears. "I know it's normal for Wu Mengting to blame me. I hate myself too for not protecting Xing Xing back then…"

Tian Qiao was at a loss for words. Tian Manman, who was nearby, was no good at comforting people. Cheng Zhiyu didn't seem inclined to speak either, and Little Black was even less likely to.

Tian Qiao could only sigh along. He thought Zhang He had finished, but the man started again. "If it weren't for worrying about Wu Mengting, I would've wanted to off myself—to join her down there and keep Xing Xing company."

Tian Qiao responded awkwardly, "…Being alive is what matters."

Zhang He, finally having found someone to confide in, seemed unable to stop. He lowered his head again, lost in grief. "Sometimes, living is harder than dying. It takes courage to keep going."

Tian Qiao opened his mouth. "Uh…"

He wanted to comfort Zhang He—the man clearly was heartbroken—but they had just met and weren't familiar enough. He really didn't know how to comfort him. He looked to Cheng Zhiyu for help, but the latter just shrugged.

Perhaps sensing Tian Qiao’s discomfort, Zhang He lifted his head again and forced a weak smile. "Enough of this depressing talk. It's just annoying to listen to."

Tian Qiao said, "Nah, it's fine."

Zhang He returned to his spot. Tian Qiao sighed and muttered to Cheng Zhiyu, "Man, that's rough."

Cheng Zhiyu was petting Little Black’s fur, accidentally applying a bit too much pressure. Little Black pressed his paw down on Cheng Zhiyu’s hand in response.

Looking down, Cheng Zhiyu met Little Black’s piercing look. He rubbed his nose, trying not to laugh. "Sorry."

He didn't sound too sorry—almost like he'd totally do it again—but Little Black moved his paw away anyway, letting it slide.

Cheng Zhiyu looked at Tian Qiao: "You traded away your egg for something else, so what will you do if you get hungry later?"

Tian Qiao pulled out a piece of bread: "It's okay, I'll eat this. I haven't had a chance to eat it before, so I'll finish it now; it's almost expired."

Cheng Zhiyu didn't ask anything else.

On the other side, Wu Mengting also took out a dry piece of bread that had been sitting who-knows-how-long and began chewing on it mechanically. Ever since Xingxing’s incident, she had become like this—without a trace of a smile on her face, and her attitude toward Zhang He was downright terrible.

Zhang He sighed and brought up the night watch duty: "Mengting, you must be tired from traveling today. I’ll take the night watch tonight. After you eat, get some rest early."

Wu Mengting didn't respond and continued chewing her bread mechanically, as if her eating had nothing to do with hunger—she was just not wanting to starve to death.

"Mengting?" Zhang He called out a few more times: "Why aren't you talking?"

Wu Mengting finally looked over, her expression eerie in the dusk. Zhang He swallowed hard: "Mengting, why… why are you looking at me like that?"

Wu Mengting didn’t speak. She shifted her gaze away, mechanically finished the bread, then carefully pulled out a small porcelain bottle from her bag. Her hands trembled as she gently stroked it—inside were the remains of her Xingxing…

Wu Mengting was filled with regret leaving home that day and leaving their daughter to Zhang He’s care. She refused to believe Xingxing was dead… It must be because of Zhang He.

Once she reached Chaoyang Base and got answers, she would definitely avenge Xingxing!

Zhang He watched Wu Mengting’s growing obsession with helplessness. Perhaps only at Chaoyang Base could Mengting’s inner turmoil be resolved.

The couple’s situation didn't make Cheng Zhiyu and the others curious, though Tian Qiao was curious for a moment before quickly looking away. It wasn’t polite to be too curious about other people’s family matters.

"We should discuss how to arrange the night watch," Tian Qiao suggested.

They had originally planned to travel at night, but since they've reached the suburbs, the road conditions were complex, and there were no solar-powered street lamps like in the city. Using only motorcycle headlights for travel was too dangerous, so they had switched back to traveling during the day.

Cheng Zhiyu said, "I’m not that sleepy yet. I'll keep watch first."

Tian Qiao didn’t hesitate and nodded: "We’ll each take three hours. Just wake me up later, okay?"

Tian Qiao and Tian Manman went back to the tent to rest. Cheng Zhiyu held Little Black and asked, "If you’re sleepy, you should rest too."

Little Black yawned: "I’m not tired."

Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t help smiling.

Little Black flicked his tail: What are you laughing at?

Cheng Zhiyu petted his fur: "Okay, okay, I won’t laugh."

The night watch was pretty boring, but fortunately, Little Black was there to keep him company, and they could chat from time to time.

Later on, Little Black’s head began to nod, clearly unable to stay awake. After all, his body was still that of a cub and needed plenty of rest.

Cheng Zhiyu moved gently, letting Little Black rest his head on his lap, watching as the cub slowly closed his eyes.

Cheng Zhiyu smiled faintly and looked up again, only to see Zhang He in the distance, staring at Wu Mengting’s bag with a hard-to-read expression in the darkness.

He gave Zhang He a thoughtful glance before looking away.

When he grew sleepy around midnight, Cheng Zhiyu didn’t force himself and woke Tian Qiao for the night watch.

Tian Qiao was groggy, his hair sticking up, and he yawned as he sat outside.

Cheng Zhiyu, seeing his state, wasn’t entirely reassured: "Can you handle it alone?"

Tian Qiao waved his hand: "Don’t worry, the cold wind will wake me up instantly."

Seeing this, Cheng Zhiyu returned to the tent.

It would be better if they traveled alone. With the Big Strong treehouse and the fact that he and Little Black remained somewhat alert even while asleep, there was no need to take turns keeping watch like this.

But for now, there was no other option. They didn’t know the way to Chaoyang Base and had to travel with Zhang He and the others temporarily.

Early the next morning, they were woken up by Tian Manman and had a simple breakfast of instant noodles.

Zhang He, noticing they had a lighter, brightened up and came over to borrow it. Cheng Zhiyu thought he might be planning to cook, but instead, Zhang He eagerly pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a drag, and returned the lighter to Cheng Zhiyu: "Thanks, brother. I’ve been craving this for days. Unfortunately, my last lighter broke."

Cheng Zhiyu wasn’t fond of the smell of smoke but didn’t show it. He covered Little Black’s nose with his hand and took back the lighter.

Zhang He asked: "How about it? Want one?"

Cheng Zhiyu shook his head: "No thanks, I don’t smoke."

Zhang He smiled: "Not smoking is good. Cigarettes aren’t great. Ah, I’m addicted—can’t quit now."

He glanced at the instant noodles cooking nearby and swallowed: "So, uh, can I trade a cigarette for some instant noodles and water?"

Cheng Zhiyu looked at Zhang He and thought for a moment: "No need for the cigarette. Aren’t you heading to Chaoyang Base? Since we’re going the same way, and we’re not familiar with the route, do you know the way?"

Hearing this, Zhang He grinned widely: "If nothing else, I guarantee I know the way. We came specifically for Chaoyang Base—I’ve asked around a lot along the route."

Cheng Zhiyu nodded and gave him two packs of instant noodles and two bottles of water as payment for guiding them.

Zhang He returned to his side happily with the noodles, water, and the borrowed lighter. It had been so long since they’d had a warm meal. Instant noodles, once easily obtainable before the apocalypse, were now incredibly precious.

"Mengting, Brother Cheng gave us two packs of instant noodles. Don’t eat that dry bread—let’s have this this morning." Zhang He spoke while swallowing hard.

Wu Mengting suddenly said: "Xingxing is all alone down there. How can you have the nerve to smile? Are you happy that Xingxing is gone?"

Zhang He: "Mengting, you—"

Wu Mengting sneered coldly: "Eat it yourself if you want. I can’t stomach it!"

Seeing her like this, Zhang He also grew angry and said coldly: "Fine, I’ll eat it myself… You blame everything on me, but were you completely blameless in Xingxing’s death? You’re her mother—do you think I, as her father, don’t grieve?"

Wu Mengting didn’t respond but instead let out a cold laugh, as if she’d heard some kind of joke.

Seeing this, Zhang He instantly lost his words and hurriedly finished his breakfast.

After breakfast, they set out. Zhang He and his group also had transportation—after all, traveling entirely on foot would take who knows how long.

They also had motorcycles. Everyone had realized that cars were practically useless in the apocalypse, often blocked by debris on the roads. Out here in the suburbs, it was even worse—unless you had an off-road vehicle, it was nearly impossible to get through.

Motorcycles were much more convenient.

Zhang He regained his cheerfulness and chatted with Cheng Zhiyu and the others about motorcycles, showing he had quite a bit of knowledge: "This bike was expensive before the apocalypse—cost tens of thousands. I could only drool over it back then, but now I get to ride it."

Tian Qiao patted his own motorcycle: "Mine was expensive too."

Zhang He: "Yeah, yeah, I know this brand—it’s not cheap either…"

Tian Manman sat on the back of Tian Qiao’s motorcycle, listening to their conversation but not quite understanding. He glanced at Wu Mengting, who was sitting behind Zhang He, and met her eerie eyes.

Tian Manman, already afraid of interacting with people, immediately shrank back in fear, pressing his head against Tian Qiao’s back.

That was... terrifying.

They didn't waste any time on the road, and that evening Zhang He said, "We should reach Chaoyang Base by tomorrow. Once we get to the base, we can finally be safe."

Tian Qiao nodded repeatedly; traveling was rough, especially with outsiders around; they couldn't use most of their stuff.

"By the way, what brings you all to Chaoyang Base?" Zhang He started talking.

Cheng Zhiyu chimed in, "Isn't Chaoyang Base always accepting people? We just happened to hear about it and thought we'd go. No matter what, staying at a base is better than wandering around outside on our own."

Zhang He nodded, "That's true, it's always unsettling out there."

Tian Qiao asked, "Brother Zhang, you're going to the base for the same reason as us, right?"

Zhang He shook his head and glanced at Wu Mengting not far away, motioning toward her, "My reason for going to the base is the same, but Mengting—she's not... she wants to find a medium."

"A medium?" Tian Qiao was curious; this was the first time he'd heard of that in real life.

"Exactly, a medium," Zhang He, who obviously knew more about it, explained, "After the apocalypse, aren't there a lot more Superhumans? Mediums are a branch of Superhuman abilities. I haven't encountered one myself, but I've heard they claim to be able to briefly communicate with the dead. The skill sounds pretty useless, but...

Since the apocalypse, so many people have died. Many relatives of the deceased didn't even get to see them one last time, and among them are Superhumans. They want to say goodbye one last time to their departed loved ones; that's how mediums came about.

However, mediums themselves can't fight, but they can come in handy in unexpected ways. So, large bases have some mediums. Besides serving the authorities, they also take private jobs."

After hearing this, Cheng Zhiyu and the others roughly understood now. Mediums sounded pretty mystical, but given the apocalypse and the existence of Superhuman abilities, they accepted it easily.

Zhang He sighed, "I don't understand why, but Mengting always believes that I killed Xingxing. That's why she's so determined to find a medium. No matter how much I explain, she insists on hearing it from Xingxing's own mouth before she'll believe me."

At this point, Zhang He's eyes reddened and teared up, "Xingxing was my daughter too. How could I ever do something like that? Mengting and I have known each other for ten years, married for six. I don't understand why she doesn't trust me."

Tian Qiao gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, also thinking Wu Mengting was being way too stubborn.

Cheng Zhiyu glanced at Wu Mengting in the distance and comforted him, "If you didn't do it, the medium will prove your innocence."

He didn't want to judge Wu Mengting's behavior; she was just a mother who had lost her daughter.

Zhang He paused, then slowly nodded, "Right, so I also want to get to Chaoyang Base quickly. It's hard and painful seeing Mengting like this all the time."

Throughout the day, Zhang He had indeed pushed hard to keep moving.

From Zhang He, they also learned a lot of other information about Chaoyang Base. For example, the base now runs on a point system.

Everything in the base—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—requires points. The money used before is now pretty much worthless.

"What do we do if we go there without any points?" Tian Qiao needed to find out quickly.

Zhang He said, "It's simple. When we get there, we can exchange our supplies for points. For example... crystal cores. A Level One Zombie crystal core is worth 200 points. Then there's medicine; the prices for various medicines differ.

From what I know, at Chaoyang Base, 10 points a day lets you live pretty comfortably, and 3 points can rent a single room."

So, Level One Zombie crystal cores are indeed quite valuable. However, most people don't use them to exchange for points because, in the apocalypse, strength is what matters. Crystal cores can enhance a Superhuman's abilities, and those who obtain them use them to improve themselves.

"Right now, the most common are ordinary zombies, followed by Level One Zombies. Mengting and I once encountered a Level One Zombie, and that nearly cost us our lives. We were lucky to survive. As for Level 2 zombies, we haven't run into any yet." Zhang He said with a self-deprecating laugh, "It's a good thing we've been lucky not to encounter any, otherwise, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."

"How many points can a Level 2 zombie crystal core exchange for?" Tian Qiao asked curiously, purely out of interest, not intending to exchange it, since that Level 2 wind-attribute crystal core was already very valuable.

"500 points," Zhang He said, then joked, "If I could get one, I wouldn't exchange it for any amount of points. But some people obtain Level 2 Crystal Cores that don't match their Superhuman attributes and can't find anyone to trade with. In the end, they have no choice but to exchange them for points."

After all, Level 2 Crystal Cores are quite rare now, and finding someone with a matching attribute to trade with is even harder.

Hearing this, Tian Qiao felt a bit concerned, wondering if the Level 2 Crystal Core in Cheng Zhiyu's possession could be exchanged for something else. But then he thought, if it couldn't, it wouldn't matter; maybe one of Cheng Zhiyu's plants could make use of it.

With that thought, Tian Qiao stopped worrying.

Zhang He detailed everything he knew about Chaoyang Base, most of which he had learned from other Superhumans.

As for why Cheng Zhiyu and the others seemed completely unaware, Zhang He didn't think much of it; it was normal. After all, there was no internet now, making it difficult to communicate with the outside world or obtain unknown information.

He was grateful for the two packs of instant noodles and two bottles of water Cheng Zhiyu had given him, as well as lending him the lighter, which was why he explained so thoroughly. Plus, Cheng Zhiyu and the others clearly seemed formidable, so he also had a bit of a desire to curry favor.

The next day, they set off early again, and by the afternoon, they finally saw the sign for Chaoyang Base in the distance.