Chapter 9

"Lin Ge, are you leaving?"

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"Is my brother... going to be okay?"

Anxia leaned against the wall, carefully watching Lin An as he repaired the door.

She, who knew nothing about the apocalypse,

did not know that if Lin An did not obtain the antidote, she would face a tragic fate.

Her hands were clasped behind her back, her slender fingers twisting the hem of her dress.

Under her long skirt, her snow-white legs were slightly scratched.

Her white dress was stained with blood and dust, looking dirty.

Her frail body, with her pale face, made her look pitiful.

"Clang!"

Lin An carefully reinstalled the iron door that had been kicked off.

After becoming an Awakened, he was still not used to his current strength.

The hard metal was like plastic in his hands, easily bent.

If he used too much force, the iron door would be completely ruined.

So Lin An had to find a bunch of discarded steel bars to patch up the damaged iron door, making it barely usable.

However, the dented and damaged part in the middle of the iron door could not be repaired.

It was ugly and unsightly, but still practical.

After installing the door, Lin An paused for a moment and then said,

"Anxia, I'll be back soon. Don't worry about me."

He did not intend to hide anything.

"Jing Tian."

Lin An paused, then turned to Anxia with a determined and gentle smile.

"You and Jing Tian will be fine."

"Trust me."

Lin An sighed inwardly.

He had lost his parents at a young age.

Anxia and An Jing Tian were the only people he truly cared about.

Though they were not blood-related, they were closer than family.

Jing Tian's parents treated him like their own child.

And Anxia and her brother treated him like a real brother, growing up together.

Anxia and Jing Tian were the last soft spot in his heart.

Anxia looked at Lin An's resolute and handsome face, her expression frozen.

Her eyes were red and moist.

Hearing Lin An's familiar tone,

she felt the same sense of security as always.

Just like when she was a child,

it seemed that as long as Lin An and her brother were there, everything would be fine.

"Lin An Ge."

"Then when do you plan to leave?"

"Can you...?"

Anxia watched Lin An continue to work, timidly asking in a low voice.

She was afraid of disturbing him.

After much hesitation,

Anxia did not say what she wanted to say.

She hoped Lin An could stay with her a little longer.

The cries of zombies and humans in the neighborhood never ceased,

and her brother was still unconscious.

She was very afraid,

but she was also afraid that expressing this thought would be too selfish and affect what Lin An needed to do.

After sealing all the windows in the room, it was pitch black inside.

He turned his head, his enhanced vision ignoring the darkness, making the room as bright as daylight in his eyes.

"I'll leave early tomorrow morning."

"I'll stay here tonight."

Lin An read Anxia's expression.

Not to mention that Anxia was just a little girl,

in his previous life, even as a soldier, he was also uneasy and afraid when the apocalypse broke out.

In the face of life and death, in the apocalypse,

many people with weak mental fortitude even chose to end their own lives.

"Really!?"

Anxia, who had been looking down, lifted her head in surprise, looking at Lin An in the darkness.

Though she couldn't see, she knew Lin An was there.

Lin An did not respond, but slowly walked to Anxia and affectionately ruffled her hair.

The fresh scent of shower gel washed away the blood from his nose.

He was not delaying because of sentimentality.

The "Sewer" had not yet appeared.

12 hours later, the zombie in the Wan Da Mall would mutate into a "Sewer".

Deducting the two hours of travel time, he could stay at Jing Tian's house for about 10 hours.

Moreover, he was in very poor condition and needed to rest.

After continuous fighting and using his Awakened skills,

his body had reached its limit.

He was now relying purely on willpower.

Lin An hugged the girl.

Anxia buried her head deep in his chest, her body trembling.

"Lin An Ge, I'm so scared..."

Lin An felt the girl's trembling in his arms, remaining silent.

His right hand, which was behind Anxia, slowly clenched.

I need to be stronger...

Only with greater strength can I protect the people I want to protect.

...

The night passed without a word.

At Anxia's request, Lin An slept in the same room, while An Jing Tian was placed in another room.

Although An Jing Tian's zombie virus had been suppressed,

he remained unconscious.

Just in case,

Lin An still tied him with a chain to prevent any accidents.

After making all the preparations,

Lin An fell into a deep sleep.

He was really exhausted.

In the middle of the night, Lin An vaguely felt a warmth.

A warm body slipped into his arms.

Perhaps the cries of the zombies outside were too terrifying,

or perhaps she felt insecure.

Anxia tiptoed from her bed to Lin An's side.

Her delicate face was tightly pressed against his chest,

as if only the hot, strong heartbeat could bring her some comfort.

Anxia's nightgown was thin,

and her soft, warm body was almost touching him without any gap.

Her smooth skin was like white jade,

and her hands, like a koala's, wrapped around him, afraid he would leave.

Lin An, who was half-asleep, vaguely noticed but did not pay much attention.

He was a few years older than Anxia, and because his parents left early,

he was much more mature and steady than his peers.

Therefore, Anxia, as a child, always liked to cling to him.

However, after Anxia grew up, Lin An joined the military,

and they were not as close as before.

Unlike Lin An, who slept soundly,

Anxia would often wake up from nightmares, and each time she would quickly look at Lin An beside her.

She would touch Lin An's face with her hands,

repeatedly confirming that he was still there.

Only by feeling Lin An's presence could she feel a bit better.

...

The next morning,

there were no more chirping birds outside the window.

The sharp cries woke Lin An.

It seemed someone had died again.

He did not pay much attention.

When Lin An woke up, he felt his state had returned to its peak.

His body was full of energy.

As long as he rested enough, he would quickly recover.

This was the benefit of being a data template.

Lin An carefully pulled his arm out from under Anxia.

Anxia, who was still asleep, frowned slightly, her hands subconsciously searching around.

Her delicate face still had traces of tears.

Lin An smiled bitterly in his heart.

It seemed Anxia had cried for a long time last night.

After some time, Lin An finally got out of bed.

There was no way,

Anxia had hugged him so tightly, like an octopus, hanging on his body.

Coming to the window,

Lin An took out a cigarette and observed the outside through the gap in the window.

Smoke was rising from the top of a distant building, as if it had been burning all night.

The alarm of a nearby car had been ringing all night, attracting many zombies.

After the apocalypse, the city, without supervision, would quickly decay.

In a few days,

natural gas leaks, water plant shutdowns, and factory explosions would become common.

Without convenient electricity and water, human civilization would quickly regress.

In silence,

Lin An subconsciously tried to find a lighter in his pocket to light the cigarette.

Smoking while thinking was his habit.

But after searching for a long time, he did not find his pocket.

He was surprised to find that his blood-stained clothes had been replaced with clean ones.

Lin An laughed wryly.

It seemed Anxia had secretly changed his clothes in the middle of the night with An Jing Tian's clothes.

They were about the same height and build, so they fit perfectly.

Lin An turned to look at the sleeping Anxia.

On the ground were the clothes he had changed out of, piled up.

After seeing them,

Lin An's expression suddenly became a bit strange.

He seemed to see his underwear.

Lin An couldn't help but shake his head.

What a little girl...

Lin An found it a bit amusing.

He didn't know how much effort Anxia had put into moving him and changing his clothes.

"Ding ding."

The alarm clock, set before he went to sleep, rang.

Lin An stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and took a deep look at Anxia.

It was time.

He had to leave.