Surviving the apocalypse with a wife and a system! [GL]

She had been moving nonstop for long enough that even her improved body was starting to feel it a little. Not badly. Just enough for her to notice the burn in her arms and the slight pull in her shoulders. She kept her face calm anyway, because there was no point acting weak when she was still clearly doing fine. She slowed her pace a little and headed toward the small supermarket at the edge of the courtyard. The place gave her a chance to catch her breath, check her supplies, and watch how many more zombies were still drifting in from outside. The courtyard area she had already cleared was full of bodies now, but that did not mean the danger was gone. More zombies were still wandering into the community from the street, drawn by the noise, the smell, and the simple fact that this area had people in it.

At the same time, inside the building, LiLi had been watching the adults with wide curious eyes. The little girl did not fully understand what was happening outside, but she understood enough to know that people were tense. That made her questions come out one after another in her tiny voice. She asked Yan Laojin whether Auntie Bai Li was still downstairs. She asked whether the loud noises meant the big monsters had come closer. She asked whether they were going to be okay now that the water had stopped. Her questions were innocent and scattered, the sort of questions only a small child could ask when she was trying to fit the world into a shape she understood.

Yan Laojin kept answering her softly, trying to keep her calm. When LiLi asked if she could go look outside, Yan Laojin gently told her no and handed her the kitten instead. That worked for a while. The little girl hugged the kitten against her chest and tried to pet it carefully, her little fingers brushing through the fur with awkward concentration. She was still curious, though. Every so often she would lift her head and stare toward the door as if hoping Bai Li would suddenly appear with something interesting in her hands. The child had already grown used to Bai Li carrying things back and bouncing her around a little, so she naturally wanted to see her again.

LiLi was the kind of child who remembered kindness fast. She had not forgotten the way Bai Li had picked her up earlier, or the way Bai Li had smiled at her, or the way she had promised to come back and play. That promise made LiLi more patient than most children her age would have been. She kept the kitten with her and waited, but she still asked little questions every few minutes in that soft, slightly drawn out child voice. Yan Laojin found it both sweet and tiring, because LiLi’s curiosity was endless once she got started. Still, having the child there made the apartment feel less heavy. There was at least one little source of normal life left in the middle of all the disaster.

Bai Li, meanwhile, was fully aware of the chat messages exploding on her phone. She had glanced at the screen once and seen the flood of tags and requests. A few people were still speaking in disbelief, asking whether she had really been shot. Others were begging for supplies in all kinds of roundabout ways. Some were trying to flatter her. Others were trying to guilt her. Bai Li did not bother replying. She knew what would happen if she answered even one request. The rest would follow. They always did. In dangerous situations, once people see a sliver of hope, they cling to it like a lifeline. That was exactly what was happening now. Bai Li was the easiest target because she was visible, capable, and still alive. Hu Xuecheng was no longer speaking in the group chat, and that made people even more eager to latch onto the next person they thought might help them survive.

Bai Li reached the small supermarket and paused there for a second, using the cooler little space to rest while keeping her eyes on the courtyard. The building was still full of tension, but she was no longer in the middle of the largest cluster of zombies. She could breathe a little easier here. She used that moment to check the area, then glanced toward the building again. More survivors were watching her from the upper floors, and she could almost feel the weight of all those eyes on her back. Some were curious. Some were grateful. Some were greedy. Some were still too stunned to do anything but stare.

She was not interested in the praise. Not really. She knew how fast people could change when they thought their lives depended on you. One minute they would call you a blessing. The next they would complain if you did not give them enough. She had seen that kind of thing before. Still, the messages in the group chat did make one thing clear. The building was starting to look at her differently now. Not as someone who might be dead. Not as someone they could casually ignore. As someone they wanted to ask for help from, because no one else seemed likely to step forward.

LiLi, on the other hand, was still upstairs with her little world of kitten fur and adult whispers. The child’s attention shifted easily from the door to the kitten and back again, but she kept waiting for Bai Li to come up. She had already decided that Auntie Bai Li was supposed to come back and play with her, and small children could be very stubborn about promises. Even while the adults were worried about water, zombies, and supplies, LiLi was still thinking about simple things like whether she would get another hug, whether Bai Li would bounce her again, and whether the kitten would still be fun to pet when the noisy sounds outside finally stopped.

.

.

.

To be continued.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!