Chapter 26

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Accustomed to the darkness, he could vaguely see him opening the bag containing dinner. Jiang Huan didn’t know what he wanted to do. Anyway, he couldn’t do anything. He could only wait in fear.

Soon, something was attached to Jiang Huan’s lips. He subconsciously gritted his teeth and retreated, but the man pressed the back of his head with one hand and forcibly stuffed something into his mouth with the other.

“Um…” Jiang Huan wanted to shout, but the man said angrily, “Shut up!” and blocked his yelling back into his throat.

The man’s gloves were not clean either, and it was still stuck in his mouth. Jiang Huan pursued the contents of his mouth, full of grievances and fear. The aroma of flour suddenly filled his mouth, dry and hard without oil or salt, but Jiang Huan couldn’t wait to chew it up. Soon, another small piece of torn cake was pressed to his lips, and he hurriedly bit it, almost eating the man’s fingers in his mouth.

The sunglasses man’s gloves were stained with Jiang Huan’s saliva, and he seemed a little disgusted. After a pause, he took off his gloves and continued to feed. The little guy was hungry and anxious; his throat kept swallowing, and the soft tip of his tongue caught his fingers and licked them. The itchy touch was like being licked by a puppy who hadn’t opened his eyes yet. The man didn’t say a word from beginning to end but handed over his water bottle after Jiang Huan choked on it.

Jiang Huan’s hands were tied behind his back, and the man opened the bottle cap and fed him little by little. Soon, a whole piece of cake fell into Jiang Huan’s stomach, and the premonition of approaching death due to extreme hunger and thirst slowly subsided.

The other man guarding with the man in sunglasses was sleeping unconscious, and his snore could almost penetrate the sky. Jiang Huan filled his stomach. First, he was sold and thanked the man for the money, and then he asked innocently, “Brother, can you save me from here? I will ask my father to give you a large thank-you fee.”

The man in sunglasses didn’t say a word. He threw the plastic bag aside, stuffed the remaining half bottle of water back into his arms, put on his gloves, stood up from Jiang Huan, and sat back in his old position on the broken table again. With his arms around his chest, he lowered his head slightly.

The only person who had shown kindness to him rejected him in silence. Jiang Huan bent his legs in extreme disappointment, and after eating and drinking enough to accumulate strength, he had the urge to cry again.

The next day, it was still the same situation; there was no news from the outside world, and the atmosphere in the factory was impetuous. The flat-headed man punched and kicked Jiang Huan when he was a little upset, while the man in sunglasses always looked like he couldn’t wake up, either sitting on the table or standing in the corner, incompatible with everything around him.

He still didn’t eat. In the afternoon, while the others were gathering in the crowd, he fed Jiang Huan’s mouth spoonfuls of the already cold wild vegetable porridge, spoonful by spoonful.

A new scar was added to Jiang Huan’s face. He was chewing on a torn wound. He inhaled in pain while eating. The man in sunglasses didn’t speak; he fed him quietly and quickly. Finally, he wiped Jiang Huan’s mouth with his cuffs unconcernedly and sat in the corner to sleep again.

Jiang Huan had read about Stockholm syndrome in books. He thought he must have fallen into Stockholm syndrome at the moment. Probably because this man surnamed Shen had fed him twice, Jiang Huan couldn’t help but feel a great sense of dependence on him. He always couldn’t help but spy on him secretly, guessing the face under the sunglasses and mask and wanting to communicate with each other.

In the evening, because of Jiang Huan’s father’s indifference, Jiang Huan was once again carried out by the flat-headed man to vent his anger. The rusty dagger first cut the rope that bound his hands and then aimed at Jiang Huan’s fingers.

Jiang Huan was crying and struggling hysterically, but his strength as a child could not be lower than that of a few adult men. Soon, he was pressed against the table and couldn’t move. The people around him were very excited, mocking and laughing one after another, telling them that the people at the bottom of the city lived like ants, but those who were opportunistic in the city could enjoy the few supplies left. They vented their dissatisfaction and panic on a child, as if they were the most righteous messengers, punishing the most heinous criminals.

Seeing the blade held aloft, Jiang Huan finally lost his sanity across the board. He couldn’t help but look in the direction of the man in sunglasses, screaming and shouting. “Save me! Please help me!”

The man was indifferent.

He was not sleeping but stood by the wall and looked out the window far away, indifferent to what Jiang Huan was about to encounter.

Jiang Huan’s heart was desolate. He hated his weakness and helplessness, and he also thought bitterly about why the man didn’t come to help him and felt that he was counting on an accomplice who kidnapped him to save him, which was extremely ridiculous.

However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred, and the calm was broken. The sound of bullets and guns was like a violent wind and rain from far and near, and the entire factory trembled. Several screams outside the door were covered up by artillery fire before they sounded, and a familiar voice could be faintly heard begging for mercy, followed by the sound of bullets penetrating the flesh and blood and the body falling to the ground.

The men who surrounded Jiang Huan were about to commit atrocities when they suddenly panicked and let him go. The flat-headed man barely remained calm. Many others were arrogant and domineering one second, and the next moment they were scared like a quail.

Jiang Huan looked at the door with joy, looking forward to the arrival of rescue, but he was suddenly grabbed by the back of his neck and pinched by his throat, his whole body hanging in mid-air, blocking the flat-headed man.

“Don’t move!” The flat-headed man yelled at the mercenary team who broke in, “Otherwise I will kill him!”

The mercenary, who walked in from the front and kicked the door in, paused, one hand still holding the gun, and the other hand pressed to his ear, as if asking something. After a few seconds, he made a gesture and exited the room with his teammates behind him.

The flat-headed man secretly thought that he was indeed the rescuer who came to rescue the child, and he would definitely be able to get a glimmer of life by holding the hostages himself.

But just as he was about to continue to make a show of authority and negotiate terms, several oval-shaped metal products were suddenly thrown in outside the door and window, with a sound that made his scalp numb, and someone with sharp eyes roared, “Grenade!”

Jiang Huan’s eyes widened, and his state of mind instantly fell into the abyss. He thought his father would save him… But he didn’t expect to usher in a team that didn’t hesitate to sacrifice the hostages just to wipe out the enemy, or that the hostages were dead to save trouble in the future.

The grenade that was ripped off the fuse was in mid-air. At that moment, time passed especially slowly. Jiang Huan thought a lot but seemed to think of nothing. His life in the first thirteen years was too short and too pale, as if he didn’t have any unforgettable memories.

At the last moment, when his mind was blank, a figure that was about to have only afterimages snatched him from the hand of the flat-headed man. In the next second, the two of them had already broken out of the window. The man in sunglasses used his body to block the broken glass, hugged Jiang Huan, and rolled around on the ground. The impact of the explosion made him jump forward for more than ten meters, and he then quickly took off his mask and put it on his face.

A series of actions flowing like the clouds, but they were definitely not behaviors that normal humans could accomplish.

Jiang Huan hugged the man in sunglasses’ neck in horror; his breathing was so short that he seemed to be panting to death. The man turned his head and looked at the window glass, which was all shattered, and there was a sea of flames inside. The mercenaries stood up from the factory building and swept a row of bullets under their feet.

“Ah! Ah—” Jiang Huan couldn’t help but scream with the condensation coming from his head, only to hear the man tut loudly. The man’s single arm wrapped around him more tightly, then he took three steps and ran, jumping over the four-meter-high fence with ease.

The mercenaries with guns behind them couldn’t help but groan several times. They couldn’t believe the picture in front of them. The leader immediately reported this abnormal situation to his superiors, which instantly attracted the attention of the high-level officials in the North. The discussion went on and on, but there was no follow-up information.

This matter, which was used by the mercenaries as a night talk, was only explained in the 109 tragedy at Shenghe Hospital half a year later. It was obvious that this man, who could easily avoid grenades, firebombs, and bullets and could cross the four-meter-high wall with just one leap, was a cruel and ruthless mutant.

As for the child in his arms, it was thin-skinned and tender, and it should be taken away as food.

Of course, these were the afterthoughts, and at this moment in the timeline, Jiang Huan was bouncing in the man’s arms. He cautiously opened one eye, and the wind howled in his ears. He seemed to be sitting in a convertible without shock absorption function; everything in front of him quickly passed by.

Jiang Huan later realized that something was wrong.

Until the man arrived at a residential building surrounded by zombies, Jiang Huan’s face was scared pale. His whole body trembled beyond human form, and he trembled and prayed, “I, I don’t want to die like this; I don’t want to become…zombies…”

The man ignored him and took off his sunglasses, revealing the black and red eyes that were exactly the same as the zombies under them, but with more energy and emotion.

“Get out of the way.” He spoke impatiently, sharp teeth looming between his lips. The zombies were about to move towards Jiang Huan, but as soon as the man spoke, they immediately retreated in fear, as if welcoming their king.

Now Jiang Huan was so shocked that he couldn’t speak. He was as stiff as a stone, like a sculpture of a boy in a man’s arms.

The man took Jiang Huan to a clean room with fresh water, fresh fruits, and fresh fish, but the radiation contained in these foods was too strong for Jiang Huan to eat. He could only eat the crumbs of flatbread in the man’s pocket overnight and then drink the little water left in the plastic bottle.

Jiang Huan didn’t know if the dry, hard, and tasteless coarse noodles weren’t comparable to the fragrant braised fish. He was so greedy that he wanted to cry when he compared them.

The man called himself Shen Shanwu. He asked Jiang Huan to sleep here, indicating that he would be sent back to the main entrance of Anping North Territory tomorrow.

“I won’t come back here again after this, and you don’t have to bother finding someone to catch me here.” Shen Shanwu took a cold bath and changed into clean clothes. The original owner of this room was obviously not as tall as Shen Shanwu. The trousers were put on his legs and became nine-pointed, revealing his well-knotted ankles.

Jiang Huan nodded obediently and licked all the debris from his fingers into his mouth. They were on the first floor, and the windows were full of zombies. They were lying on the door, by the window, and on the fence. Although they did not dare to squeeze in blatantly because of the existence of Shen Shanwu, they were always salivating at the only living person present.

“Don’t worry, they won’t come in.” Shen Shanwu saw the fear in Jiang Huan’s eyes, “I’m here.”

Jiang Huan glanced at Shen Shanwu’s red pupils, and his heart was pounding nervously again. He swallowed and felt that he was roughly crazy, “Shen Shanwu… Brother, can I not go back to the North…”

“Hmm? Then where are you going?” Shen Shanwu’s tone was very bad, and his eyes were contemptuous. “Let’s talk about it first; I’m not a good person, letting you drive me around.”

“…I want to follow you.” Jiang Huan squeezed his fists tightly, fighting back fear, and said, “Can I follow you?”

“Huh?” Shen Shanwu seemed to have heard some big joke and raised his eyebrows, saying, “What a joke, no way.” He seemed to think that the word “no” was not strong enough and added with a grim smile, “I am a zombie. If you annoy me, I will dig up your internal organs, empty your stomach, and then break your limbs to feed other zombies.”

The author has something to say:

Shen Shanwu: What Stockholm Syndrome?! This is obviously being conquered by my charisma, you’re reading a book in a dog’s belly.

Jiang Huan: … Don’t be a dog if you have the ability.

AAAAA i missed translating author’s notes bcs it’s funny. Sorry for the sprodaic updates, been busy with school lately, but hopefully, HOPEFULLY, i can still squeeze some of my time to translate~