Chapter 64

Every year at this time, Dad would bring her to the KFC fast food restaurant.

Yang Lulu didn’t know what specific job her father did; he never told her. She only knew that his income was not much, but he worked very hard. Even on her birthday, they could only afford a small bag of French fries, a cup of cola, and two pieces of fried chicken.

Actually, they only needed to pay for the fries and cola. The fast food restaurant offered discounts to children celebrating their birthdays. Besides the fried chicken, they would also give some cheap toys as gifts, and the staff would come over to sing "Happy Birthday" with her.

To older children, these activities seemed childish.

But Yang Lulu really liked them.

She was very clear—this was already the limit of what her father could do.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you—Happy birthday to you.."

In the empty fast food restaurant, the little girl’s lonely and melancholic voice echoed.

All team members, including Su Hao and Xin Yan, had offered to give her a happy and unforgettable birthday. Yang Lulu politely declined.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like the crowd; she just felt that this was her and her father’s private time, and it shouldn’t be disturbed by outsiders.

Singing, making a wish, blowing out the candles.

This birthday ritual, not originally from her country, was familiar to many people. However, facing the flickering candle, Yang Lulu felt a deep pain, even a sense of despair.

"Making a wish.. I only want you to come back to life, so we can be together forever."

Yang Lulu looked at the photo, her face showing a sincerity and determination that didn’t belong to a child her age: "If there really is a God in this world, I am willing to exchange anything. Dad.. I will be good, I will listen. I won’t cause trouble anymore. I will do my homework well, listen carefully in class, and won’t fight with classmates. I won’t call the teacher a witch or a pervert behind her back. I admit my mistakes: I fed the rat poison to Uncle Wang’s cat downstairs because he always said you were a poor man. I punctured Aunt Liu’s car tire in the opposite unit because she always said you were a useless man. I also let Grandma Hu’s canary go and used gum to clog her lock. She told many people that you drove away Mom and that you are the worst man in the world.."

"I don’t believe what they say. Everyone except you is lying to me. I know you worked hard on the construction site for days to buy me that sequined dress. I also know that every time you bought meat, you didn’t eat it yourself but put it all in my bowl. When I had a high fever, you carried me to the hospital, called a taxi, and got me an injection, which must have cost a lot of money. After we came back from the hospital, I never saw you wear your watch again.. You are the best dad in the world."

Yang Lulu kept talking to herself. Only she understood the significance of these words. It was more like a solemn ritual, allowing her to communicate silently with her deceased father in the quiet fast food restaurant.

"I only have one wish, for you to come back to life."

She was crying, her face marked with obvious wet streaks.

"Please, don’t leave me alone."

"Dad, I miss you so much."

"Sniff.."

The burning candles grew shorter, eventually turning into a pool of hot red oil that rolled off the cake and seeped into the syrup and honey, becoming a solid mass that lost its original color.

..

Li Li stood on the rooftop of a building with a "Sanjiu Pharmaceutical" billboard, holding a tactical telescope and watching the KFC fast food restaurant over 200 meters away with interest.

The sky was overcast, but it didn’t affect his view of the effective red figure inside the fast food restaurant through the lens.

Like all soldiers, Li Li wore a camouflage combat uniform, slung with the latest 7.62mm assault rifle. Two anti-personnel grenades hung from the side of his pocket, and the ammunition belt was embedded with more than a dozen large-caliber rifle grenades. These weapons and equipment, which ordinary civilians couldn’t obtain through normal channels, indicated that he was an active-duty soldier.

Li Li was a private.

Following Wu Guoguang’s orders, he and two other teammates were observing the area around the bank building.

This was not surveillance, and Wu Guoguang had never suspected Su Hao. In a sense, Su Hao, who had already obtained the "D3" level researcher status, also belonged to the military. All soldiers at the headquarters inspection station had seen Su Hao, and subconsciously, they considered Su Hao and his team members as their own. However, deep in their minds, they still retained a certain curiosity about these survivors.

Last week, when Yang Lulu returned from the wilderness camp, Li Li noticed this nine-year-old girl.

Li Li was 24 years old, had no special preferences like pedophilia, and was not a weird uncle who liked to lure little girls to watch goldfish.

He was just surprised to find a minor in Su Hao’s team.

It was clear that the survivors liked Yang Lulu, and her living environment and conditions were quite good, even happy.

A few years ago, when the world became chaotic, Li Li had a girlfriend. They were once very close, but broke up due to some minor arguments. Two years later, she immigrated to New Zealand with her new husband. Before leaving, she left Li Li a letter. The content was neither remorseful nor accusatory, nor did it dwell on their past relationship. It was just a slightly sad poem.

At the end of the letter, she admitted—she had once been pregnant with Li Li’s child but didn’t give birth. The doctor who performed the abortion told her that the fetus was a girl.

Who was right or wrong didn’t matter.

Anyway, the world was already like this.

Li Li put down the telescope, glanced at the blurry red figure in the fast food restaurant window, and the "Land Rover" SUV parked outside, a hint of melancholy on his lips.

He had always wanted to talk to Yang Lulu.

As for the content.. maybe about the weather, or just a casual greeting.

Or perhaps a deep and serious discussion about life and ideals. He could talk about the love story between Ultraman and the little monster, or the gossip after Gray Wolf pushed over Pretty Sheep and Happy Sheep seduced Red Wolf.

Li Li always subconsciously associated Yang Lulu with his daughter he had never met. He prepared a large piece of chocolate and a pack of "Alps" lollipops from the supermarket.

Children love candy, and it would be a nice gift.

Picking up the assault rifle, Li Li turned and left the rooftop, walking down the stairs and out of the building.

Li Li’s steps were light, and his alert gaze never missed the slightest movement around him. He had been injected with an immune agent and a first-stage enhancement agent. Although he hadn’t taken silver bone, the enhancement effect was only in his muscles, but his strength and speed were still superior to zombies. As long as he was careful and not surrounded by a large group of zombies, there was no danger.

He walked toward the nearby fast food restaurant.

As he passed a side street alley, Li Li suddenly noticed a small figure standing in the shadow of a wall.

It was an eight or nine-year-old boy. He wore a gray shirt that was too big for him, his head was lowered, and his skin was very dark. He held a sharpened wooden stick in his hand, staring at Li Li with caution.

Li Li slowly relaxed his suddenly tense muscles, and his expression softened.

Survivors were scattered throughout the city. Especially in recent times, many people who had left had returned to their original homes, and more people were seeking help from the military command. It wasn’t strange to encounter them occasionally on the street.

If the other person was an adult, Li Li wouldn’t stop to waste time.

But for a child.. he always felt a certain inexplicable affection.

"Hi! What’s your name?"

Li Li moved the assault rifle to his back, took a pack of compressed biscuits from the side pocket of his backpack, and smiled gently: "Here, this is for you."

The boy’s hostility and caution diminished significantly. He hesitated, took a few steps forward, and took the biscuits, bringing them close to his nose to smell. The distinctive aroma of the food dispelled his last doubts. The boy’s cold expression gradually softened, revealing the innocent smile of a child.

His attention was focused on the biscuits, seemingly not hearing Li Li’s question.

After looking at the boy for a few seconds, Li Li asked seriously: "Have you had a shot?"

The boy looked up, his eyes full of confusion.

Li Li took out a disposable syringe with the injection from his backpack and waved it in front of the boy: "If you take this medicine, you won’t be afraid of being bitten by those monsters. You won’t get infected or mutate. Um.. how should I say it? Do you understand what I mean?"

One of the purposes of the military setting up inspection and management bureaus in various cities was to inject immune agents into survivors to prevent more people from turning into zombies due to bites. According to Wu Guoguang’s orders, all soldiers on missions, including Li Li, had to carry some immune agents and inject them into every survivor they encountered.

Facing an eight or nine-year-old child, Li Li found it difficult to explain with terms like "immune." He could only use gestures and words to show that he meant no harm, then slowly held the boy’s hand, had him roll up his sleeve, and injected the medicine into his skin.

Just as he finished, stood up, and was thinking about whether he should take the boy to the bank building and hand him over to Su Hao’s team, the boy suddenly grabbed Li Li’s clothes.

"I.. I have a mom."

The words sounded strange, but the meaning was clear.

Li Li turned around in surprise, squatted down, and held the boy’s thin shoulders, asking doubtfully: "You’re not alone?"

The dark-skinned boy nodded vigorously, pointed to a nearby residential building, and said in a childish voice: "My mom and I live there."

..

A few minutes later, Li Li led the boy into a dimly lit room on the third floor.

It was not far from the fast food restaurant, just across the street. Through the gaps in the curtains, the dirty "KFC" sign could be seen.

There was a middle-aged woman in the room, around thirty years old, dressed in black, with a thick long skirt covering her knees. She seemed to be cold, with the buttons of her sweater fastened up to the collar. Her hair, which hadn’t been washed for a long time, was matted, and she was very thin, with an ordinary appearance and no particular beauty.

The boy let go of Li Li’s hand and ran to the woman’s side, tightly grabbing her clothes.

"Hello!"

Li Li greeted politely while carefully observing the room.

The thick curtains blocked the light, making it very dark.

In the corner, there were pieces of wooden furniture chopped up for firewood, a few stacked bowls on the dining table, and a bag of "Huai Salt Peanuts" with the seal broken. From Li Li’s position, he could see the kitchen and bedroom, both of which were quiet, with no other residents.

The woman looked at him cautiously, hesitating for several seconds before answering: "Hello."

"Your son is very cute."

Li Li tried to make his voice as gentle as possible. He took out another immune agent from his backpack and repeated what he had said to the boy a few minutes earlier: "This is an immune agent against zombies. It will prevent you from being infected. If.."

"I know."

The woman’s hands hung by her sides, and she said calmly: "I met a man. He told me that I could get a shot at the military command and receive food."

Li Li smiled. He took a step forward and corrected her: "Everyone can get the immune agent, but not the food. You know, there are still many survivors in this city, and we can’t take care of everyone. We can only try.."

"Can you take us away?"

The cold woman interrupted him again: "Take us to a safer place. Women and children should be given priority, right?"

Li Li didn’t continue. He felt awkward and didn’t know how to respond.

"When I worked at the office, part of my salary was deducted for taxes every month."

The woman’s voice was steady and cold, devoid of emotion, and even had a strange quality: "We paid taxes, which supported the country and you. Why don’t you take us away? Where were you when those monsters appeared? We were starving to death and didn’t get food or help. Many people died, and no one cared about them. Who cared about us?"

Li Li pursed his lips.

He really didn’t know how to answer. The instructors and officers hadn’t told him the answer, and the combat manual didn’t have similar guidelines. It wasn’t his fault; there were no orders to bring survivors back to the base. The higher-ups instructed that unruly survivors could be killed on the spot.

He was at a loss, not knowing what to do.

Sighing, Li Li approached the woman, grabbed her left hand, and silently prepared to inject her.

This was the only thing he could do.

By the way, there were two cans of braised beef in his backpack. He would take them out later and leave them for them.

Li Li didn’t notice the boy quietly slipping away from the woman, walking to a position near the bedroom, grabbing a hanging rope from above the curtains, and looking at him with a vicious expression.

"Whoosh—"

The moment the boy pulled the rope, Li Li, hearing the loud noise behind him, turned his head almost simultaneously, his face suddenly changing dramatically.

A heavy small safe, tied with several ropes like a bell tower hammer, slid down from the open closet on the ceiling and struck his side of the head. The sudden force was so strong that the unprepared Li Li felt as if he had been hit by a copper hammer, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

The boy quickly ran to the door, forcefully closed it, and then walked over with the woman, looking at the unconscious Li Li with a sinister expression.

"Hmph—These fools are always so stupid."

The woman’s previous gloom and coldness vanished, and her eyes glowed with a fierce and cruel light.

The woman and the boy were survivors.

When the virus broke out, the woman took her child and fled the city with her husband and father, wandering in the wilderness.

Unfortunately, her father was surrounded and torn apart by a large group of zombies while searching for food in a village.

As for her husband.. he was captured by another survivor family. They took the food and water he carried, stripped him naked, and threw him off a cliff.

The woman and the boy had nowhere to go and could only return to their home in the city.

Hunger, despair, and pain were the best transformation agents. They completely drove out the "kindness" in the woman and the boy, inducing the evil and brutality suppressed deep in their hearts, amplifying it infinitely.

They set up several traps in the room. Using pulleys and ropes, they controlled a small safe or a bag of stones, causing fatal impacts on the target when they were unprepared.

Before Li Li, six men had already fallen victim to these traps.

They were all lured into the room by the boy from outside.

The woman judged their actual identities based on their clothing and used different methods such as seduction, pleading, and crying to make them walk into the trap. When their attention was completely focused on the woman, the boy would run to the side and pull the rope. The heavy object was enough to render them unable to resist, even causing death on the spot.

The head is the most concentrated part of the human body’s nervous system. Although Li Li had taken a first-stage enhancement agent, he still lost consciousness when hit.

The boy took an axe from the kitchen, dragged it through the corridor, and handed it to the woman.

"Wait a moment."

The woman took the assault rifle from the unconscious Li Li, held it in her arms, and examined it for a few seconds. She had never touched such a weapon before and didn’t know how to use it. However, she clearly understood the power of firearms and their value in the current situation.

"This uniform is nice. Don’t dirty it. Take everything off him before you kill him."

As she spoke, the woman put the gun aside, squatted down, and quickly undid the buttons on Li Li’s military uniform.

(The character Li Li in this chapter is played by "Transparent-流星" (Transparent-Meteor). A side note: the Martian characters are really hard to type.)

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