Chapter 30

Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and others didn’t urge Tian Erhe. They sat quietly by the stove, as if they were attentively waiting for dinner.

After about ten seconds, Tian Erhe’s focus returned, and he chuckled, shaking his head:

"The city was full of corpses, and everywhere were the mindless 'Heartless Ones.' It was like this on the streets, in the neighborhoods, and inside the malls.

"Those 'Heartless Ones' were eating the corpses, their mouths bloody, just like the fiercest beasts. They could even climb like monkeys on the facades of high-rise buildings, suddenly swinging down from nearly ten meters high to appear behind you. They could even use firearms...

"At that time, there were about eight or nine of us. After encountering such a situation, we quickly lost half of our group.

"Perhaps because I was young and short, I didn’t stand out, and I wasn’t attacked in the first round, which is why I survived.

"We ran frantically, panicking, and ended up in a nearby police station.

"Fortunately, although those 'Heartless Ones' could shoot and reload, they didn’t actively search for weapons. We found many guns and bullets on the bodies in the police station."

At this point, Tian Erhe smiled and said to Bai Chen and Jiang Baimian:

"Did you think we managed to break through the encirclement with those weapons?

"No, we didn’t. None of us, including the older uncles and aunts, knew how to use guns. The gunshots only attracted more 'Heartless Ones.'

"At that moment, I thought I couldn’t make it and cried.

"Fortunately, those uncles and aunts had a strong will to survive and didn’t abandon me. We moved to the parking lot.

"There was an SUV with the door open and the key in the ignition, but the owner was gone. I think he had turned into a 'Heartless One' and wandered off somewhere else.

"With that SUV, we rammed a few 'Heartless Ones' and drove onto the main street.

"In that area, the 'Heartless Ones' weren’t as numerous, so we seized the opportunity and drove out of the city. Once we reached the outskirts, it was much safer."

Tian Erhe sighed:

"Before we left Shuwei Town, I thought I could return home and see if my parents were there, but in the end, I never saw them again."

After a moment of reflection, Tian Erhe glanced at the iron pot, which was starting to steam, and continued:

"We had to return the same way, gathering some food and clothes along the way.

"Then, we abandoned the SUV, carrying the supplies we had gathered, and crossed the broken road to retrieve the two vehicles we had left in town.

"That’s how we returned to Shuwei Town.

"Since it was winter and no rescue was coming, we decided not to worry about the aftershocks and started requisitioning the relatively intact buildings. We couldn’t let ourselves freeze to death, right?

"Thanks to the New Year, every household had prepared New Year’s goods, and the supermarkets were well-stocked. We didn’t worry much about food throughout the winter.

"However, some uncles and aunts suggested that simply distributing food wasn’t good, as it could foster laziness and waste valuable time. They proposed exchanging labor for food.

"Most people agreed. Before spring truly arrived, we divided several buildings into many small rooms, repaired the walls, maintained the irrigation channels outside the town, fixed the water tower, and became proficient in using firearms...

"Later, it proved that these actions were crucial, whether for dealing with famine or defending against wandering beasts, bandits, and 'Heartless Ones.'"

Tian Erhe’s eyes seemed to drift, as if he was back in that collective labor scene during the New Year.

His voice lowered slightly:

"When the weather warmed up and the late spring cold ended, we finally realized one thing:

"Rescue would never come..."

Tian Erhe lifted his head and forced a smile:

"Our subsequent experiences, you can probably guess.

"Basically, we took advantage of the 'Heartless Ones' dying in large numbers during winter to explore the ruins of nearby cities, gathering food, clothes, firearms, ammunition, batteries, and fuel. We also organized production, tried hunting, and sent people to distant places to see if there were any surviving cities.

"How about it? Do you want to hear more?"

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly:

"I want to hear!"

She then smiled brightly:

"You can eat while you talk, and we’ll listen while we eat."

The braised beef in the pot was almost ready.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao rubbed his stomach:

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"I’ll go too." Long Yuehong stood up.

"Okay, I’ll wait for you." Jiang Baimian understood these two new members who had just arrived on the surface.

When she first left the company and entered the Black Swamp Wilderness, she also had a resistance to using the facilities on-site. She wouldn’t go into the bushes or hide behind shrubs unless she really couldn’t hold it any longer.

For urination, it was easier, as it was quicker and less embarrassing. For defecation, it required more courage.

Since they had been out, according to her observations, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong had not defecated yet.

Following Tian Erhe’s guidance, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong passed through an area with various buildings and headed to the public toilet parallel to the side wall.

During this process, they smelled various odors mixed together, making it impossible to identify what they were, but they knew it was very unpleasant and had to force themselves to endure it to avoid vomiting.

Shang Jianyao saw several families gathered around a single stove to save charcoal, people squatting at the door without removing their mud-stained clothes, drinking thin, not very white porridge, sick people lying in half-open buildings, groaning and reaching for the chamber pot, mothers holding infants under one year old, who had to urinate on the spot because they couldn’t return home, and many children under ten years old busy helping their parents with chores like starting fires, cooking, and cleaning clothes...

As they walked, under the watchful, wary, and curious gazes of the townspeople, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong arrived at the public toilet.

On their left was a drawing of a woman in a skirt, and on their right was a simple drawing of a man.

Just as they turned right, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong’s eyes widened.

This public toilet was nothing like what they had imagined. Compared to the public toilets inside "Pangu Bio," it was extremely rudimentary.

Against the front wall was a long urinal, and against the back wall was a similarly long but seemingly wider defecation trough.

They were flushed by a device at the intersection with the women’s section, with no partitions in between, so one flush would clear everything.

It was like two small streams had been brought inside.

The only thing that made Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong feel a bit better was that Shuwei Town paid attention to the cleanliness of the public toilets and kept them relatively clean.

"Should we go in?" Long Yuehong was a bit hesitant.

"Let’s go." Shang Jianyao took the lead, picked a spot, and squatted down.

Long Yuehong chose a spot farther away, fumbling to unfasten his belt.

"This feels a bit strange..." He couldn’t help but glance at Shang Jianyao.

There was no partition between them.

Shang Jianyao pinched his nose:

"You’ve been a bit hot-headed lately."

"..." Long Yuehong was speechless.

Just as they thought this was the most awkward scene, a group of Shuwei Town residents rushed in.

They glanced at Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong, some went to the urinal, and others found spots to squat.

"This is even stranger." Shang Jianyao spoke for Long Yuehong.

Then, his thoughts took a strange turn:

"If the mayor were squatting here, and someone came in and greeted him as 'Mayor'..."

The Shuwei Town resident next to Shang Jianyao subconsciously said:

"The mayor has a private toilet in his room."

Thus, the two began chatting in this strange environment, leaving Long Yuehong in awe.

Finally, Long Yuehong finished his business, pulled up his pants, and went to the sink outside to wash his hands.

He took a deep breath of the relatively fresh air and reaffirmed something:

Compared to the refugee camps outside, "Pangu Bio"’s underground building was like heaven.

After a minute or two, Shang Jianyao also came out and washed his hands.

They didn’t discuss the public toilet, maintaining a默契 (silent agreement) as they crossed the chaotic area with brick houses, mud huts, and tents.

Suddenly, a little girl ran up to Shang Jianyao.

She was about seven or eight years old, with relatively smooth hair, wearing a light green, worn-out sweater with two obvious holes, and a jacket that reached her knees, washed to a pale white with a few patches. Her legs were clad in gray-blue pants with patches of other colors, and she wore black shoes made from scraps of cloth. Her face was thin and yellow, but her eyes were bright.

In her hands, she held a pile of miscellaneous items: threads, scraps of cloth, faded buttons, a broken hair tie, a glass ball with embedded petals, an empty matchbox, and a ball of clay.

She looked up at Shang Jianyao with pleading eyes:

"Brother, can I exchange these for a little of your food? Just a little, can I? Can I?"

From the corner with the wooden shed, the aroma of braised beef wafted over.

Shang Jianyao silently looked at the little girl for two seconds. Before she could speak again, he squatted down, extended his fingers, and sifted through the pile of items.

He picked out a transparent glass ball with yellow petals embedded in it, smiled, and stood up:

"Let’s go with this one."

"Thank you, brother, thank you, brother." The little girl was initially stunned but then repeatedly thanked him.

Shang Jianyao turned his head and looked at the wooden shed where Jiang Baimian and the others were:

"Let’s go over there."

The little girl nodded and followed closely behind him.

Long Yuehong, unsure what to say, glanced around and hurriedly followed.

Soon, they returned to the area near the jeep.

"Her?" Jiang Baimian looked at the little girl, expressing her confusion.

Shang Jianyao smiled and said:

"She exchanged a good thing for a piece of braised beef."

He immediately sat down and picked up his bowl and chopsticks:

"Can we start?"

"Sure." Jiang Baimian and Tian Erhe exchanged a glance.

Shang Jianyao quickly picked up a piece of beef, placed it in his bowl, and handed it to the little girl.

The little girl swallowed her saliva and eagerly took it, ready to stuff the whole piece into her mouth.

But at that moment, Shang Jianyao took the bowl and chopsticks back.

The little girl looked up at him, confused and hurt.

"Be careful, it’s hot." Shang Jianyao said in a low, expressionless voice.

As he spoke, he brought his thighs together, placed the bowl on them, and carefully and slowly tore the large piece of beef into smaller pieces.

After finishing, he picked up a piece and brought it to the little girl’s mouth.

Her eyes lit up, and she bit into it, chewing quickly.

"Is it good?" Shang Jianyao watched her finish the small piece of beef.

The little girl nodded vigorously:

"It’s good!"

Shang Jianyao smiled and picked up another piece.

Jiang Baimian, seeing this, couldn’t help but sigh:

"You..."

As she sighed, she pointed with her chin.

Shang Jianyao looked up and saw that on the square with various buildings, about twenty children were approaching, each holding a pile of miscellaneous items.

Shang Jianyao’s body stiffened.

Tian Erhe called out, laughing:

"Go back! Go back!"

The children immediately showed obvious disappointment and reluctantly returned to their homes.

PS: Early update on Monday for votes, the second update at 12:30 PM.