Chapter 123

Chapter 123

It was already past ten when they returned to Bitao Tower. As soon as Chu Ya opened the door, Dr. Xu and several researchers on rest duty came up to greet them.

"We were so worried, searching for you all over the building, afraid something had happened to you."

"There are so many zombies outside, where did you go? We went to the cafeteria to look for you but couldn't find anyone."

"I'm sorry for making you worry. I just went out to get some food," Chu Ya lifted the bag of corn in his hand, "I'll go steam the corn now."

"Going out to find food? That's too dangerous," one of the researchers said.

Chu Ya smiled, "It's fine, it was nearby, and I'm a scout. If you notice I'm not in the building, don't worry or come looking for me; I'll be back soon."

These researchers had gone to the cafeteria to look for him, perhaps each carrying an iron rod, completely defenseless against any zombies. Fortunately, the two quantum beasts had cleared the surrounding area of zombies, preventing any incidents.

"Alright, we understand now," the researcher, who seemed a bit relieved, took the bag of corn, "Your faces are covered in dirt, go take a shower quickly. I'll steam the corn and bring it to your room later."

Shen Juanjuan, who had been leaning against Black Wolf, immediately straightened up upon hearing this: "Actually, washing our faces would be enough, no need for a shower, we're not that dirty."

The researcher paused, "Ah, right, washing your face should do."

After the researchers left, Chu Ya led Shen Juanjuan upstairs, but Dr. Xu suddenly called out to him, "Chu Ya."

Chu Ya turned around, and Dr. Xu said, "You went to the planting area, didn't you? I've seen these burlap bags before; they only come from there."

Chu Ya didn't hide it, "Yes, the planting area."

Dr. Xu's expression was somewhat complicated, "There are zombies everywhere now, and we, a group of adults, have to rely on you two children to find food."

"Dr. Xu, I didn't mention going to the planting area to avoid worrying you or causing you mental stress," Chu Ya thought for a moment, "But if you put yourself in our shoes, if we stayed here at Bitao Tower and let ordinary people like you go out to find food, it would be embarrassing for us two scout guides."

Shen Juanjuan seemed to understand but nodded seriously, turning to Teddy Bear and saying, "That's well said."

"Awooo."

However, Chu Ya's words indeed made Dr. Xu feel better. Chu Ya bid him farewell and led Shen Juanjuan upstairs.

Watching Chu Ya's back, Dr. Xu felt that although the boy was young, he was thoughtful and spoke and acted with great maturity, reminiscent of his father. He believed Chu Ya's future achievements would not fall short of his father's.

Although Chu Ya had brought back corn, there were nearly twenty people in the building, and some had been given away during the return journey, so the corn would only last for two days.

After dinner, Chu Ya washed two sets of bowls and chopsticks under the tap. In the living room, Shen Juanjuan and Teddy Bear were wrestling and arguing over something.

He quickly finished washing the dishes, thinking how children fight over toys every day, while outside, without food, people might fight even more fiercely. By then, the zombies wouldn't need to act; they would destroy themselves.

Chu Ya put away the dishes, dried his hands, and separated the two who were pulling hair and scratching each other on the sofa. He picked up what they were fighting over and found it was just a rubber band.

This was leftover from tying Shen Juanjuan's hair, usually kept in the bathroom, and normally neither Shen Juanjuan nor Teddy Bear would give it a second glance. Now, they were fighting over it, which Chu Ya found incomprehensible.

He opened a drawer and took out another rubber band. Just as he was about to close the drawer, he saw Black Wolf looking at him with a deep gaze and took out one more.

With each holding their own rubber band, they finally calmed down. But after less than two minutes, they lost interest and placed the rubber bands back on the coffee table.

Chu Ya went to the laboratory and asked the researchers for a recording amplifier, starting to record the message he had prepared.

"This is Chu Ya..."

Chu Ya deleted this part and continued, "This is a member of Bitao Tang..."

He recorded the beginning a few times, finding it unsuitable each time. Shen Juanjuan watched curiously, laughing uncontrollably, "So funny, this is Chu Ya, this is a member of Bitao Tang, why is it so funny, hahaha."

"This is the orphanage..."

Hmm, maybe this time it's okay?

"This is Shen Juanjuan." But Shen Juanjuan, who had been staring at Chu Ya, suddenly leaned over and said.

"Don't interrupt, wait until I finish recording," Chu Ya sighed, but Shen Juanjuan lay on the sofa laughing, "So funny, hahaha, this is the orphanage, this is Shen Juanjuan."

"This is the orphanage—"

"This is Shen Juanjuan!"

"Awooo!" Teddy Bear also poked its head over.

Black Wolf, who had been lying quietly, now raised its head and began to howl.

"Stop messing around, let me record a few sentences," Chu Ya erased the previous recordings and stared at Shen Juanjuan, "Will you interrupt again this time?"

"No," Shen Juanjuan shook his head solemnly.

Chu Ya continued, "This is the orphanage—"

Shen Juanjuan pounced, "This is Shen Juanjuan!"

"Awooo!"

"Woof..."

Chu Ya couldn't understand what was so funny about the phrase "This is the orphanage," but Shen Juanjuan laughed uncontrollably every time he heard it. In the end, he skipped that part and went straight to the main points, but Shen Juanjuan and the two quantum beasts still disrupted him, making it take over half an hour to record those few sentences.

At nine o'clock in the evening, both of them washed up and went to bed, with Black Wolf carrying Teddy Bear to patrol the ground floor. Although Shen Juanjuan complained about not wanting to sleep, he was indeed very tired and fell asleep within two minutes of lying down. Chu Ya turned off the light, listening to the occasional zombie howls on the street, and forced himself to fall asleep.

The next morning, Shen Juanjuan was still sound asleep when Chu Ya got up, went to the small kitchen to make juice, cooked two ears of corn, and then brought the juice and corn back to the room.

When Chu Ya dressed Shen Juanjuan, he was still sleeping, only waking up when the juice and corn were brought to his mouth.

"Hey, juice," Shen Juanjuan smiled drowsily.

"Come, have a sip to refresh yourself."

Shen Juanjuan gulped down a large mouthful, the sweet and sour taste finally waking him up.

"Corn..." He reached for the corn, but Chu Ya pushed his hand away, "It's sticky, I'll hold it for you, just bite like this."

After finishing their breakfast, Shen Juanjuan thought he could escape washing up again and hurried towards the door. But today was no exception; Chu Ya dragged him to the bathroom and quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face in two or three minutes.

"Oh, I'm so busy, I need to go peel corn, why do I still have to wash my face? Washing face is something that can be skipped, wouldn't it be better if everyone didn't wash their faces?" Shen Juanjuan grumbled unhappily.

"Washing your face doesn't take much time."

Chu Ya closed the door, holding a megaphone in his left hand and leading Shen Juanjuan downstairs with his right. The Black Wolf and Teddy Bear followed closely behind.

The long street was dotted with the figures of zombies, the surroundings eerily quiet. But as soon as the Black Wolf dashed onto the street, the zombies immediately howled and chased after them, making the area come alive once more.

Chu Ya pressed the play button on the megaphone and handed it to Shen Juanjuan: "Hold it tight."

"Okay!"

"The Angel Welfare Home is distributing food for free. Survivors who have run out of food should hang white or light-colored cloth strips in a conspicuous place on the street. Survivors who have enough food for three more days should hang dark-colored cloth strips in a conspicuous place on the street. Ha ha, I'm Shen Juanjuan... The Angel Welfare Home is distributing food for free. Survivors who have run out of food should hang white or light-colored cloth strips in a conspicuous place on the street..."

Chu Ya's voice was broadcast through the megaphone, repeating over and over, with a child's voice chiming in at the end of each segment: "Ha ha, I'm Shen Juanjuan!"

Shen Juanjuan held the megaphone, laughing despite being chased by zombies: "Did you hear my voice?"

"I heard it," Chu Ya replied loudly, killing a few zombies that had approached.

"Does it sound good?"

"Very good."

This time, the Black Wolf did not head straight for the planting area but ran through every street and alley in the region. The announcements from the megaphone attracted more zombies, so it kept changing routes to prevent too many from gathering.

"The Angel Welfare Home is distributing food for free. Survivors who have run out of food should hang white or light-colored cloth strips in a conspicuous place on the street... Ha ha, I'm Shen Juanjuan! The Angel Welfare Home is distributing food..."

After running through several streets and alleys, Chu Ya felt that the people in this area should have heard the announcement and directed the Black Wolf to the planting area.

They returned to the same planting building they had visited yesterday. Upon reaching the cornfield, Chu Ya pushed over an empty cart: "Let's get started!"

"Okay! Let's get started!"

"Awooo!"

As Shen Juanjuan peeled the corn, he asked happily, "Are we going back to the welfare home?"

"Later," Chu Ya estimated that some survivors had been hungry for two days and needed to deliver food to them first.

"Then are these cobs all for us?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

"No, today's corn is for others to eat."

"Who are the others?"

"Those who have run out of food and are starving."

"Starving, that's too pitiful." Shen Juanjuan nodded, "Let's peel more then, to give to others."

Once they had filled the cart with corn, Chu Ya led Shen Juanjuan away from the planting area. To avoid attracting too many zombies, they did not use the megaphone this time, only letting the Black Wolf pull the cart full of corn around the streets.

Both humans and quantum beasts tried to remain silent, with Chu Ya quickly dispatching any zombies that spotted them. Shen Juanjuan would immediately use Psychic Bind on any zombie about to roar, and Teddy Bear would extend its arm to eliminate the troublemakers.

"Psychic Attack, Psychic Defense." Shen Juanjuan whispered, then turned to look at Chu Ya, "Why are we circling here? Aren't we supposed to deliver the corn to others?"

Chu Ya looked up at the buildings on either side, lowering his voice, "We're looking for those others."

"How do we find them?" Shen Juanjuan also looked up.

"Look carefully. If there's a cloth strip hanging from a door or window, that's who we're looking for."

Although the announcement had been repeated for nearly an hour, Chu Ya believed that the survivors in this area had heard it, yet he saw no houses with cloth strips hanging outside.

This realization made him understand clearly that the people of Linya City always maintained suspicion and vigilance towards others, trusting no one easily, even when they were starving.

"There's cloth, there!" Shen Juanjuan suddenly pointed to the second floor on the left.

Chu Ya followed his gaze and said, "That's a mop, it doesn't count."

"Why doesn't a mop count? It's still cloth."

"That mop leaning against the wall in the sink only means the owner is clean, not that they are at home and need food."

"...Oh, okay, okay."

The Black Wolf continued pulling the cart full of corn, but they still found no houses with cloth strips hanging outside.

Chu Ya sighed inwardly, seeing more and more zombies being drawn to them. He patted the Black Wolf, "Let's go, one last circle."

The Black Wolf quickened its pace, turning into another street. Suddenly, Shen Juanjuan shouted, "Cloth, there's cloth hanging, that house has cloth hanging outside."

Chu Ya initially thought it might be another mop, but following Shen Juanjuan's finger, he froze.

The steel building ahead looked familiar; it was the same building where they had almost been robbed while distributing corn yesterday. On the fifth floor, where the incident occurred, although all the doors were tightly shut, five rooms had cloth strips hanging outside.

These strips were clearly cut from clothing, some with frayed edges from violent tearing, but all were dark in color—whether from the front of a black shirt or the sleeve of a dark blue T-shirt.

The dark colors conveyed a message to Chu Ya: I need food, but I have enough to last me three more days.

Chu Ya looked up at the cloth strips from the back of the running Black Wolf. Shen Juanjuan also recognized the building and whispered in surprise, "It's those people from yesterday, they hung the cloth."

"Chu Baolong, get the corn."

At Chu Ya's command, the Teddy Bear sitting back-to-back with him on the Black Wolf immediately leaned forward, grabbing a bag full of corn from the cart, while Chu Ya untied the rope around the Black Wolf’s back.

The cart slowly slid down the street as the Black Wolf dashed into the building, quickly climbing up the stairs. Chu Ya and Shen Juanjuan killed the zombies that followed them.

The Black Wolf stopped at the fifth floor. Chu Ya, looking at the strips of cloth fluttering in the wind, stepped forward with the bag of corn, placing six ears of corn on the ground outside each door. Although these people had said their food would last for three more days, only they had hung out the cloth, so it was fine to give them some early.

"I'll help too, I'll help too."

Shen Juanjuan jumped off the Black Wolf’s back, taking the corn from Chu Ya’s hands and placing it outside the doors with the cloth hanging.

After placing the corn outside several rooms, Chu Ya led Shen Juanjuan back. The tightly closed doors gradually opened a crack, and small voices came out: "Thank you."

Chu Ya lifted Shen Juanjuan onto the Black Wolf’s back, hearing someone ask behind them: "Shen Juanjuan, do you need me to do something?"

Chu Ya was taken aback, but Shen Juanjuan responded with an "Ai." They turned around to see the big man who had pointed a gun at someone’s head to snatch corn yesterday.

The big man met Chu Ya’s gaze, shifted uncomfortably, but then looked back: "Shen Juanjuan, you can take me along. I can help you deliver corn. I have a gun and can shoot zombies."

"Are you going to follow me? Do you mean to follow me? Why do you want to follow me?" Shen Juanjuan asked in shock, then added, "But Shen Wangwang can't carry so many people. You can’t follow me, no."

He tugged at Chu Ya beside him, whispering, "I don’t want this person to follow me."

"I know," Chu Ya reassured him.

The big man realized the name repeatedly announced over the loudspeaker wasn't the teenager in front of him but the child, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Chu Ya said, "His name is Shen Juanjuan, and I'm Chu Ya."

"Chu Ya is his nickname. You can call him by his name, Shen Miaomiao," Shen Juanjuan added.

The big man opened his mouth: "My name is Wang Wei, um, Shen... Shen..."

"Call my nickname," Chu Ya calmly said.

"Chu Ya, I can help you deliver corn to others."

Chu Ya replied, "I don't need your help right now. I can manage on my own. If I need help, I'll come find you."

The big man's expression darkened, but he laughed self-deprecatingly: "I know I'm just an ordinary person. I can't help you and will only be a burden. Alright, if you need me, just call me."

Chu Ya turned his head to look at Shen Juanjuan, who was staring at him, pursed his lips, and opened the bag of corn, taking out a portion.

He pointed to a small pile of corn on the ground: "There should still be quite a few survivors in this building. Distribute this corn to them."

The big man immediately perked up: "There were footsteps downstairs last night. Someone must have tried to go out to find food but got scared back by the zombies. Don't worry; I'll make sure these corns reach them."

Chu Ya, leading Shen Juanjuan and the two quantum beasts downstairs, heard the big man say: "Chu Ya, where is the Angel Welfare Home's power point? I want to join this gang."

Chu Ya paused: "Angel Welfare Home isn't a gang."

Clearly not believing this, the big man thought Chu Ya simply didn't want to recruit him yet. He hadn't heard of this gang before, but a teenager could be a guide and even move freely among zombies with a younger child, proving the gang was very powerful, albeit low-key.

Finding a strong support in this chaotic world was crucial. It didn't matter if Chu Ya didn't accept him now, given his poor behavior yesterday. If he performed well in the future, there would still be a chance to join.

"I understand. I'll distribute the corn to everyone. You can trust me; I’ll handle it perfectly."