Before everything goes out

Wanjinyuan.

Beside the flower bed below Building 7.

Three years later, the father and son were reunited.

Yuan Dahai knelt amidst the rubble and weeds, holding the little mute boy tightly in his arms, his face contorted with emotion.

"Ugh..."

The little mute boy's body trembled slightly; he wanted to speak, but couldn't.

Just a few steps away from him, two full days later, Li Fei saw the stiff smile on his face and finally relaxed once again.

"Yangyang..."

"Yangyang, you're back..."

"It's my fault... I'm useless... I've thought about you every day for the past three years... but I didn't have the ability to find you..."

"You've gotten so thin... Your voice... You've suffered so much..."

Yuan Dahai was so excited that he became incoherent.

He didn't know his son had lost his tongue and thought he was just temporarily mute for some reason.

Standing a few meters away, Li Fei looked at the deeply wrinkled face with a slight frown.

dad?

It wasn't Grandpa?

Judging from Yuan Dahai's aged appearance, he felt that he was in his fifties or sixties, so he assumed that Yuan was his grandfather. He never expected that Yuan was just his father.

"In this way, we can be considered to have done a good deed and accumulated good karma."

Niu San chuckled beside him.

The scene of the father and son reuniting brought a smile to the faces of the three who had been trekking all day.

Only She Qingqing was somewhat different.

Because of Yuan Dahai's words, "Dad doesn't have the ability to find you," her eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but think of herself and Sheqi, feeling somewhat guilty.

but.

This emotion quickly faded, because Yuan Dahai had already stood up, wiping away his tears, and whispered to the group of people over there.

"Gentlemen, it's not convenient to talk here, and it's getting dark. Why don't you come back home with me first, and we can discuss the situation calmly..."

The three exchanged a glance, their expressions subtle.

"go home".

Upon hearing these three words, they instinctively thought of Zhang Cheng and his group, whom they had met a couple of days ago.

Where do you live?

Li Fei asked.

"It's in building 11 over there. You all passed by it just now, but Yangyang didn't remember."

Yuan Dahai pointed to the other end of the residential area.

Through the dense bushes and buildings, Li Fei couldn't see the building he was referring to, but they had just been there.

"Okay, we'll go back with you."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Fei agreed.

after that.

The group followed Yuan Dahai deeper into the residential area.

On the way, Yuan Dahai held the little mute boy's hand with one hand and introduced himself in a sensible manner.

After listening to his rapid-fire explanation, Li Fei had a basic understanding of the father and son's situation.

His name is Yuan Dahai, and he is the father of the little mute girl.

The mute boy's real name is Yuan Xiaoyang. He is the youngest son in his family. He went missing three years ago and was returned to his family today.

It is worth mentioning that.

Li Fei's estimates of the two men's ages were both inaccurate.

He had assumed his father, Yuan Dahai, was around 60, but he was actually only 38. His gray hair and deep wrinkles made him look much older.

As for the little mute boy, because of his malnutrition and small stature, his age was already overestimated at the time. Unexpectedly, he was 12 years old, two years older than the estimated 10 years old.

After Yuan Dahai, Li Fei briefly explained his purpose.

but.

Due to time constraints, he didn't say much, only stating that his group had no hostility and that they were simply there to take the little mute boy home.

"Yangyang, you've suffered so much all these years. It's good that you can come home, it's good that you can come home..."

Yuan Dahai held the little mute boy in his arms, staring at his empty mouth.

He didn't ask any questions about his son's missing tongue, nor did he dare to inquire further.

Building 8, Building 9, Building 10.

When the group arrived at Building 11, he was about to lead them upstairs when Li Fei stopped him.

"etc."

Li Fei glanced at the little mute boy, then at Yuan Dahai, and then at the dark entrance to the apartment building.

Recalling the familiar scene at the villa entrance two days ago, he had to be extra careful now.

although.

Judging from the little mute boy's attitude when he mentioned his parents a couple of days ago, Yuan Dahai should be fine.

But that's only true for his own son; it's hard to say for outsiders like them.

Say.

The father and son last met three years ago. Three years is enough time for many things to change, such as...

"Take off your clothes. I need to make sure you're not a corruptor."

Li Fei said this.

Yuan Dahai was taken aback at first, but then quickly realized what was happening.

He hesitated for a moment, then without saying much, he stood downstairs and began to quickly take off his clothes.

First, there was the tattered cotton-padded jacket torn to shreds by Ertong; then the pure cotton thermal underwear with its collar rolled up; and finally, the casual pants covered in patches...

Until he was left with only his underwear.

"no problem."

The three exchanged glances, confirming that it was indeed true.

When Yuan Dahai finished dressing and was about to go inside, he was stopped again.

"I'll go up with you first, they'll come later."

After Li Fei finished speaking to him, he leaned closer to his two teammates and whispered some instructions.

"I'll go scout ahead. If everything's alright, you can come up. Let Ertong come with me; it has a keen sense of smell and reacts quickly."

no way.

After Zhang Cheng, Li Fei had made up his mind.

From now on, no matter how harmless the other party may seem, or whether they are old, weak, sick, or disabled, he must be extra careful.

In this world, one wrong step can lead to utter ruin.

Think the worst.

If he were to encounter an ambush or something, having immortality would be fine; even if he got hit, he could just get back up. It would still be better than dealing with those two teammates.

"Okay, we'll wait for your signal."

Niu San nodded.

His straightforward and easily trusting nature eventually led him to a realization after Zhang Cheng's experience.

after that.

Li Fei followed behind Yuan Dahai, along with the little mute and Ertong, the three of them and the dog, and walked into the building.

Approaching.

The sky was dark, and it was even darker inside the building.

Li Fei turned on a shoulder lamp and walked down the corridor, looking around in the light.

It was almost identical to the neighborhood, except for some footprints on the ground. There were no signs of human life inside, which was quite different from what he had imagined a survivors' gathering place to be.