Even without cheats, we must survive the apocalypse

Later, with the encouragement and support of some readers, that rough draft became the current work, and before I knew it, it was time to put it on the shelves.

I have to admit that I really hope more people can read the stories I write.

I have always felt that a sense of collapse is necessary for apocalyptic novels, and describing the collisions between people in this collapse should be a major attraction of apocalyptic novels. Even apocalyptic novels, in the final analysis, are still about the stories between people, and zombies and monsters can be used as embellishments.

The initial idea was to write a team adventure story similar to High School of the Dead. After all, who would refuse to take a group of beautiful girls to explore the apocalypse? Later, I added more settings and characters, gradually making the story more complicated, and the pits were getting bigger and bigger.

For well-known reasons, the current environment is not suitable for writing apocalyptic novels. To be honest, I have no idea how far this novel can go. However, even though the road ahead is unclear, we can only move forward.

Until now, let us encourage each other.

Chapter 22 Clouds

The door of the isolation room opened, and the manager walked in, holding his nose. Looking at Chu Xiao standing in a pool of blood, he exclaimed in a somewhat exaggerated manner, "You're quite skilled."

Chu Xiao kept silent. He had already seen that the people in charge of the quarantine area were obviously not the same as the previous police. These guys were enjoying the panic of the survivors.

The man pointed at Chu Xiao and ordered, "You, come out."

Chu Xiao didn't know the other party's intention, but there was no need to go against these people at this time, so he prepared to leave the isolation room as he was told. Suddenly, a small figure rushed up and hugged Chu Xiao's thigh.

"Take me out with you." The girl said in a low voice. Although the voice was small, Chu Xiao clearly heard a deep fear in it.

She was fine when the zombies just appeared, but now that the zombies have been dealt with, she became scared instead.

"Is this little girl with you?" The administrator's eyes lit up the moment he saw the girl.

Chu Xiao squatted down, put his arms around the little girl's thighs wrapped in white silk, dragged her small hips, and picked her up. The petite girl obediently hooked her hands around Chu Xiao's neck, and her small body almost completely got into Chu Xiao's arms.

"Yes, she is my relative's child."

The administrator said "hmm" indifferently and waved to the two of them: "Come over here together."

Under the guidance of the administrator, Chu Xiao held the little girl and left the room, and officially walked into the gate of the shelter. Chu Xiao knew that this used to be a large commercial plaza, and he had accompanied his sister here several times in the past, but at this moment, the interior of this large building was completely different from what he remembered.

There are quite a few survivors in the shelter, and it is estimated that there are about two to three thousand people, most of whom are concentrated on the first and second floors. The atmosphere is extremely depressing. In Chu Xiao's eyes, these people are just barely alive. Even the air is filled with an indescribable stench.

The floors above the second floor are for managers. The conditions there are not very good, but they are much better than the first and second floors.

Chu Xiao paid attention to the scene along the way. Obviously, in this shelter, rulers and the ruled have naturally formed. This almost closed space seems to have become a deformed society.

Led by the administrator, Chu Xiao came to an office on the third floor of the shelter. This room originally looked like a clothing store, but it had been modified beyond recognition.

"Just wait here obediently." After saying this, the administrator left the room.

Chu Xiao sat on the chair and noticed that the little girl's hand was still tightly grasping the corner of Chu Xiao's clothes, and she was unwilling to let go.

"How did you know about what happened just now?" Chu Xiao was referring to the girl in the isolation room who had anticipated the danger in advance.

The little girl looked up at Chu Xiao, and there was an unimaginable depth in her clear eyes: "I just know."

As if because there was no one around for the time being, she stared at the young man, as if she was sizing him up, or as if she was sensing something. Finally, she pouted her lips in disappointment and whispered, "Sure enough... is that person you?"

"Little girl, what are you talking about?"

"You are not pretty enough and do not meet my aesthetic standards." The little girl probably has no idea how to write the word "politeness".

This was the first time someone said Chu Xiao was not good-looking. Although his face was not very handsome, he could still fool little girls when he walked on the street.

——This kid’s aesthetic taste is distorted!

Considering that getting angry with an elementary school student was too ungraceful, Chu Xiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Has no one ever taught you how to write the word 'politeness'?"

"Hmph!" The little girl turned her head, and her cute ponytail swayed with her movement.

She seemed to have relaxed a lot, and her childish side gradually emerged. The strange atmosphere that made people feel a chill down their spine seemed like an illusion.

"Since you are so dissatisfied, why do you have to follow me?" Chu Xiao's mind was certainly not narrow-minded enough to haggle with a child. He just felt it was very interesting.

The girl hesitated for a few words and did not directly answer Chu Xiao's question. Instead, she said arrogantly: "You should be lucky to have me by your side. I will be your lucky goddess! You must protect me well, understand!"

I have to admit that even if a cute little girl of this age is a little willful, when she is cute, she can melt people's hearts.

"May I ask your name, sir?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, as if considering whether to tell the other party her name: "Well... then I will be merciful and tell you... Remember my name well."

The little girl puffed out her chest and announced proudly, "My name is Yun Duo'er, please remember it."

……

Yun Duoer had just finished introducing herself when someone came to the door.

The little Lolita who was so arrogant just now immediately became depressed, shrank behind Chu Xiao, grabbed the corner of his clothes tightly, and only showed her little head to look out the door.

Chu Xiao looked at the person in front of him and was a little surprised.

A beautiful young woman walked in. Chu Xiao remembered that he had seen her on some shows before.

"You are... Wang Manyi?"

"Oh, you recognize me, could you be my fan?" Surrounded by a group of people, Wang Manyi was dressed in a gorgeous red dress, like a beautiful blooming flower.

At this time, Chu Xiao certainly couldn't say that he knew about her when everyone at work was chatting about gossip and scandals. He could only nod and say that he had watched the show she appeared in.

Chu Xiao appeared to be excited about meeting a star, but he was secretly on high alert.

Earlier in the car, Officer Li mentioned the name "Wang Manyi" as a person to be careful of, and it was the focus. Gu Ke had also mentioned this woman many times on the phone before, using words like "sinister and cunning", "scheming", "a femme fatale" and so on.

As far as Chu Xiao knows, Wang Manyi is Sun Baishi's mistress and one of the main managers in the shelter.

He was a little puzzled. Why did he attract such a person as soon as he arrived at the shelter?

"I heard that you killed two zombies single-handedly, so I wanted to come and see what kind of warrior you are." Wang Manyi crossed her legs elegantly, revealing a pair of slender legs from her slit red skirt. "I didn't expect you to be such a handsome guy."

Chu Xiao was careful not to let his eyes drift to places he shouldn't go - knowing that the woman in front of him was Sun Baishi's, Chu Xiao didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble.

"No matter when or where, talents are very rare." Wang Manyi said directly, "And you are a rare talent, so I plan to give you a position to participate in the management of this shelter."

This time, Chu Xiao understood. It turned out that she was planning to recruit him.

To be honest, if Chu Xiao hadn't known some things in advance, he would really be tempted by such a beautiful executive who took the initiative to recruit him. Otherwise... why not just pretend to join and use this to find out Gu Ke's whereabouts?

Chapter 23 Rejection

Chu Xiao was thinking about it and was about to pretend to agree when Yun Duoer, who was hiding behind him, suddenly tugged at the corner of Chu Xiao's clothes. The little girl shook her head desperately, and her meaning was very clear, that Chu Xiao must not agree.

Considering the extraordinary abilities that Yun Duoer had demonstrated before, Chu Xiao swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Just as Chu Xiao was thinking about how to politely refuse, two policemen appeared at the door. One was Officer Li who had been in the same car with him before, and the other was a tired middle-aged man who had met him once when he entered the door - Chen Zhiyun.

Wang Manyi frowned, but soon relaxed her brows and smiled: "Mr. Chen, why are you here?"

"I'm here to look for someone." Chen Zhiyun didn't bother to be polite to Wang Manyi, and walked straight to Chu Xiao. "Why did you come here? It took me so long to find you."

Chu Xiao blinked and thought: Uncle, are we familiar with each other?

Behind Chen Zhiyun, Officer Li secretly winked at Chu Xiao.

"Oh, Sir Chen, do you know this handsome guy?" Wang Manyi asked.

"Not really an acquaintance. This is the first time I've seen him today." Chen Zhiyun said in a deep voice, "But I want to take him away."

"Mr. Chen, although you are one of the responsible persons, it is against the rules to do this." Wang Manyi still had a smile on her face, but her tone had become a little grim. "We discovered the person first, so naturally we should be the ones to manage him."

"Manager Wang, you may not be clear about some things." Chen Zhiyun pointed at Chu Xiao and said, "This man is Gu Ke's boyfriend. He came here specifically to look for her."

Ok?

Chu Xiao suspected that there was something wrong with his ears. When did he become Gu Ke's boyfriend? Uncle, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want.

"Officer Gu's boyfriend?" Wang Manyi looked at Chu Xiao with a playful look. If she had to say something, her look, which was just a routine and business-like look, turned into a dangerous look as if she was looking at her prey. "Why don't I know?"

"You are not from our police force, how do you know about this?" Chen Zhiyun pulled Chu Xiao up and walked out without waiting for Chu Xiao to express his opinion. "So, I will take the person away first. Director Wang, you should also take your people and go to bed early."

So, Chu Xiao was pulled away, and Yun Duoer followed closely beside Chu Xiao, not daring to fall behind even a step.

……

Chu Xiao originally didn't want to attract the attention of Wang Manyi's group, but after being interfered by Chen Zhiyun and the others, he became the focus of attention.

He instinctively felt that Chen Zhiyun said this on purpose in order to completely cut off the possibility of him joining another faction.

Chu Xiao followed the old policeman without saying anything, but held Yun Duo'er's hand and walked back to the second floor. Yun Duo'er was extremely shy and timid when there were outsiders around, and she was completely different from the sharp-tongued girl she was when she was alone with Chu Xiao.

"Who is this girl?" Chen Zhiyun asked after he was completely away from Wang Manyi and the others.

"A relative's child." Chu Xiao gave the same answer as before.

"But Xiao Li told me that you were alone when you got on the bus, and there was no child like this around you."

"He's a relative's child!" Chu Xiao emphasized again.

Chen Zhiyun glanced at the little girl who was holding onto the corner of Chu Xiao's clothes and hiding behind him, then smiled and said, "Sorry, I have an occupational disease. Don't mind it."

Led by Chen Zhiyun, they came to an empty little room in the corner of the second floor. The room looked very messy, with a blanket spread on a bench, which was used as a simple bed.

"Please sit down." Chen Zhiyuan brought two chairs.

Chu Xiao didn’t know what this old policeman was up to, but he always felt that he gave people the same feeling as the Doctor Zhou he met in the hospital before, and he seemed very reliable.

Yun Duoer sat down next to Chu Xiao obediently, well-behaved and quiet, with one of her little hands tightly grasping the corner of Chu Xiao's clothes and refusing to let go.

"Why do you say I'm Gu Ke's boyfriend?" Chu Xiao asked directly.

Officer Chen brought two cups of hot water to Chu Xiao and said, "I heard from Xiao Li that you came here for Xiao Gu. Of course I know you are not her boyfriend, but if I don't say this, I can't completely stop those people from trying to win you over."

"I don't think I have such value. I've only been here for less than two hours. How come I've become the object of your competition?"

"The corpses in the quarantine area are bound to transform." The old policeman said shockingly, "Those guys deliberately mixed the injured people into the quarantine area in order to screen out the enhanced people among the survivors."

"Enhanced man...it sounds like a Gundam from somewhere." Chu Xiao smiled and played an old joke.

Chen Zhiyun smiled and did not respond. Instead, he continued, "You are quite capable. You quickly killed two zombies, so you caught their eye."

"As one of the responsible persons, why didn't you stop this cruel thing?"

Officer Chen's expression froze for a moment, then he smiled bitterly and said, "This is... my incompetence. It's not uncommon for newly arrived survivors to turn into zombies after being injured. On the contrary, it's very common in this world. Therefore, it wasn't until last night that I realized that the zombies in the quarantine area were man-made. Now it's too late for us to stop it."

Chu Xiao knew this. The police had already done their best just to save people. But...last night? That was exactly when Gu Ke disappeared...

Officer Chen shook his head and continued, "We all know that all the survivors have been affected, but the degree of enhancement varies greatly, and the manifestations are also different. Their goal seems to be to find those with high levels of enhancement in order to strengthen their side."

"Before, there was a very powerful high school student who was recruited by them. However, after being taught a lesson by Xiao Gu, the boy has restrained himself a lot."

"So, you deliberately told them that I was Gu Ke's boyfriend in order to prevent me from becoming one of them?" Chu Xiao wanted to curse, "You've made me a thorn in the eyes of that group of people, sir."

Having said that, Chu Xiao was more concerned about why Yun Duoer had so strongly opposed him agreeing to that woman at that time.

"Maybe, I'm not talking nonsense." The old police officer smiled, and suddenly became as cunning as an old fox. "Your relationship with Xiao Gu is not as simple as just being attracted to her by her beauty, right? I'm almost certain that you already knew our Xiao Gu before you came here. Well, you probably met on the phone."

"Kid, don't underestimate the eyesight of an old policeman with more than 20 years of work experience. Xiao Gu stared at her phone and smiled foolishly from time to time the past two days. I'm not blind. And you showed up just after she disappeared. There are not so many coincidences in this world."

Officer Chen looked at Chu Xiao and nodded. "Not bad, kid. You're pretty quick. The flowers that the good guys in our unit couldn't get were picked by you without making any noise."

Mingming and Gu Ke's relationship was just online friends, and they hadn't even started dating offline. But in front of Officer Chen, Chu Xiao suddenly felt as embarrassed as if he was meeting his girlfriend's elders.

Chapter 24 Justice

"You came at the right time. We are all very worried about Xiao Gu's disappearance, but we can't spare the energy to look for her at the moment. It would be a good idea for you to look for her."

Having said enough and made it clear enough, Chen Zhiyun stood up from his chair and said, "This room is for you to use. I forgot to tell you that this is where Xiao Gu slept before."

Chu Xiao glanced at the messy and simple environment around him. Compared with the environment of those people on the third floor, it was a world of difference. The beautiful and cool policewoman in the video actually lived in such an environment?

He suddenly felt distressed. He seemed to see a lonely and frail woman lying alone on a hard and cold bench in the dark night. The cold fluorescent light of the mobile phone illuminated her face which was filled with fatigue and sadness.

"Are you guys... going to take any action?" Chu Xiao asked Chen Zhiyun who was about to leave. "Now that we no longer need to rescue the people outside, but you still can't spare the strength to look for Gu Ke, it only means that you have to use your manpower in the most critical places."

Chen Zhiyun looked a little surprised: "Not bad, kid, you think pretty fast."