Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Yun Tuo noticed Shen Juanjuan about to cry and quickly glanced at Chu Ya before whispering, "He’s not going to hit you."

"He is. That look means he’s about to spank you." Shen Juanjuan's lips trembled slightly. "He just doesn’t have a hanger handy."

"Wanna sit up front?" Yun Tuo reached out to him.

Just as Shen Juanjuan was about to stand up, Chu Ya suddenly lifted his leg, startling him into freezing. But the Teddy Bear quickly stood up and placed both paws in Yun Tuo’s palm.

"You’re scared of getting spanked too?" Yun Tuo asked Teddy Bear.

Teddy Bear nodded.

"With all that fur, it wouldn’t even hurt."

"Rawr."

"Alright, I’ll hold you then." Yun Tuo lifted Teddy Bear onto his lap and asked Shen Juanjuan, "Do you know why Shen Miaomiao wants to spank you?"

"I know," Shen Juanjuan whispered. "He said not to follow you guys, and I promised, but I still did it anyway."

"That rooftop climb was scary as hell. If you had slipped..." Before Yun Tuo could finish, Shen Juanjuan continued, "I’d have been smashed to bits."

"Exactly, so Shen Miaomiao is angry. If he had climbed walls like you when he was little, then I—"

Yun Tuo paused mid-sentence, imagining Chu Ya as a child scaling high walls, then suddenly shook his head and handed Teddy Bear back to the rear seat. "He needs to be taught a lesson."

"Whine..."

"Rawr!"

Teddy Bear clung tightly to Yun Tuo’s arm with its front paws while digging its hind claws into the back of the front seat, stretching into a long line but refusing to let go.

Xiao Rui shot a look at Teddy Bear, then checked the rearview mirror. "Kids will be kids. A little mischief never hurt—rough play makes ‘em tough. I was even crazier than them as a kid, and I turned out fine, didn’t I?"

Shen Juanjuan looked at Xiao Rui gratefully, and Teddy Bear let out a soft growl in agreement. Xiao Rui was about to say more but caught Chu Ya’s icy glare in the rearview mirror and promptly shut his mouth. Yun Tuo gave Chu Ya a look before decisively prying Teddy Bear’s hind claws off the seat and stuffing it back into the rear.

The car went quiet. Finally gathering his courage, Shen Juanjuan lightly nudged Chu Ya’s arm and whispered, "Meow, don’t be like that."

Chu Ya’s anger had subsided slightly, and he finally spoke. "Like what?"

"Like you wanna spank me but can’t find a hanger." Shen Juanjuan studied him before leaning closer. "I messed up, really messed up, big time. I’ll change, I’ll listen from now on, I promise."

"Grr," Teddy Bear added softly.

Chu Ya remained silent but suddenly, without warning, reached out and opened the car door beside him. A blast of cold air rushed in as a Mutant chasing the car howled and lunged at Chu Ya, jaws wide open.

Shen Juanjuan, startled, let out a shriek. Teddy Bear lunged forward to leap out but was yanked back by Chu Ya.

Just as the Mutant’s claws were about to reach him, Chu Ya slammed the door shut and said to Teddy Bear, "Stay put."

"Huh?"

"Don’t move a muscle, or you’re getting it."

"...Grr."

Shen Juanjuan’s heart was still pounding. "Don’t open that! The Mutants are right there—they’ll get you!"

"Okay, I got it, I won’t open the door."

But the moment Chu Ya said that, he pushed the door open again.

The wind howled and mutant shrieks suddenly blared louder as a mutant arm reached in from outside, its long claws inches from Chu Ya’s neck.

Shen Juanjuan and Teddy Bear both shrieked in terror again. Shen Juanjuan quickly used Psychic Bind and pulled Chu Ya toward him. "Close the door, close it now!"

His voice was shrill with panic, and only then did Chu Ya shut the door, cutting off the wind and the mutants’ cries.

"Stop opening the door! The mutants are trying to grab you! If you do it again, we won’t ride in the car anymore. We’ll just ride Shen Wangwang and fight as we go! At least they won’t be this close!"

"But I just want to ride in the car," Chu Ya insisted.

"Then don’t open the door! Just behave! Stop being so reckless!" Shen Juanjuan’s face was pale with panic, tears welling in his eyes. "You just flung it open—they could’ve dragged you out!"

"Okay, okay, I’ll behave," Chu Ya promised.

"Really?" Shen Juanjuan asked, voice trembling.

"Really."

Chu Ya glanced down at Shen Juanjuan—then immediately cracked the door open again, even leaning his head out to look.

"Aaaah! Get back in here!"

"Aaaargh!"

Chu Ya dodged the mutants’ attacks and pulled back inside just in time to slam the door shut. The car went dead silent for a beat, the only sound Shen Juanjuan’s ragged breathing. Xiao Rui and Yun Tuo stayed quiet, only glancing repeatedly at the backseat through the rearview mirror.

"Waaaah…" Shen Juanjuan finally broke down wailing, hitting Chu Ya’s arm with trembling hands. "Why won’t you listen?! Why do you keep doing this?!"

Chu Ya sat still, letting Shen Juanjuan cry and hit him. He’d meant to teach him a lesson, but his heart softened. He didn’t open the door again, his expression softening as he pulled Shen Juanjuan into his arms and gently patted his back.

Shen Juanjuan sobbed uncontrollably, and Chu Ya murmured, "How many times have I told you to stay put and not run off? And how many times have you actually listened? Just now, when I ignored you and kept opening the door, you were scared, worried something would happen to me. Think how scared I get when you don’t listen."

Shen Juanjuan’s sobs gradually quieted, his teary eyes fixed on Chu Ya, who continued, "From now on, let’s both behave. Don’t do things that scare me, and I won’t do things that scare you, okay?"

"O-okay… I won’t scare you… and you… don’t scare me either… *hic*…" Shen Juanjuan nodded through his tears.

"As long as you don't scare me, I won't scare you."

Chu Ya then looked at the Teddy Bear: "And you, next time something like this happens, you can't follow Shen Juanjuan around anymore. You have to stop him."

The Teddy Bear let out a timid howl, and the Black Wolf comfortingly licked its head.

Xiao Rui and Yun Tuo never turned back, even when Chu Ya opened the car door multiple times, they remained silent. Now, both of them slowly breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging glances, and Xiao Rui silently mouthed, "Impressive."

Several jeeps sped down a dirt road outside the dock, and in the open field ahead, a building appeared. It had tall walls made of metal, with narrow windows fitted with iron bars, sturdy like a fortress.

"Is this the Black Plague Hospital? You're living here now?" Yun Tuo asked.

Xiao Rui replied, "Ye Hongkuo and Lu Zishi are also here."

"The presidents of Guangta Gang and Ohm Hui?"

"Yes."

Yun Tuo laughed, "I never thought you guys would be able to coexist peacefully one day."

Xiao Rui glanced at him, "It's not exactly peaceful. We fight zombies while fighting each other. I've taken over half of the hospital. No, more than half."

Inside the hospital, members of Bitao Tang were likely watching from upstairs. As soon as the jeeps arrived at the gate, it opened.

The vehicles drove in, followed by a horde of zombies. The gate slammed shut, gunshots rang out, and the zombies fell back, roaring.

Chu Ya pulled aside the curtain on the side window, seeing the hospital was heavily fortified. Several black-clad members of Bitao Tang and other gangs stood guard around the central building, holding guns. They were preventing zombies from entering but also wary of each other.

"There are ten thousand survivors in the hospital now, most of them are independents. It's close to the sea, so they won't starve; they just need to fish." Seeing Yun Tuo looking up at the steel building, Xiao Rui explained, "I originally planned to convince Yim Hui and Guangta Gang to return to the city today, but those two old men think this place is good and don't want to leave. Others followed suit. I can't just leave and abandon those independents; otherwise, trouble will eventually arise."

The group got out of the car, and Xiao Rui led them inside hurriedly, with Shen Juanjuan in Chu Ya's arms, looking around curiously.

Chu Ya knew this was the Black Plague Hospital and subconsciously glanced at his wrist, feeling a strange sensation. Yun Tuo noticed his unease and whispered, "Don't think too much. Your condition is under control; it's different from theirs."

"Okay, no problem."

Chu Ya stepped into the hall and realized that from the outside, he hadn't noticed how large it was. Inside the fortress, the hall alone was almost as big as half the dock square.

Now, the hall was filled with people, all looking worried, sitting on the ground, talking quietly to each other, or lying down to sleep.

With so many people, the air smelled bad. The Teddy Bear frowned, took out a handkerchief from his bag, and covered his nose and mouth.

"There are so many people here," Shen Juanjuan whispered in amazement.

"Yes, there are many people," Xiao Rui heard Shen Juanjuan's words and slowed down, introducing them, "The Black Plague Hospital used to be in Linya City, but later moved here. This hospital was funded by three major forces, so it was built quite well."

"Why build it so large? Are there that many Black Plague patients?" Chu Ya couldn't help but ask.

Xiao Rui touched his nose, seemingly reluctant to answer, but seeing Yun Tuo's half-smiling look, he said, "This is for charity, a rare act of kindness in Linya City. Could I let the other two forces spend more money than me?"

Chu Ya watched Xiao Rui's back, thinking that with his skills and shrewdness, it was unbelievable that he would compete with the other two forces to build a Black Plague Hospital like a castle.

Yun Tuo noticed Chu Ya's confusion and whispered, "Do you know what bandits love the most?"

"What?"

"Face."

Yun Tuo's voice wasn't loud, but Xiao Rui's steps paused for a moment before continuing forward.

Xiao Rui led the group to the second floor, introducing as they walked, "The second and third floors belong to Bitao Tang, the fourth floor to Guangta Gang, the fifth floor to Ohm Hui, and the sixth floor is where the Morning Star Club and Sunburn Club are stationed."

Entering an empty doctor's office, Chu Ya sat on the sofa with Shen Juanjuan, and two subordinates brought in several cups of hot water.

Chu Ya and Yun Tuo recounted their situations, and Xiao Rui was surprised to hear that Linya City had started growing its own food. Although Chu Ya didn't say much about himself, Xiao Rui still looked at him with renewed respect, saying several times that it was impressive.

"Gu Lin must have created the zombie virus," Yun Tuo gripped his water cup tightly.

Chu Ya said, "I talked to Dr. Xu about this. He said someone probably brought the zombie virus to Linya City and injected it into humans. We don't know if that person is still in Linya City or if they are still alive."

Xiao Rui said, "We definitely need to settle accounts with Gu Lin, but our most pressing issue is solving the problem of being surrounded by zombies. We need to think about what to do next. Linya City originally had nearly a million people, and now we estimate only one-fifth remain, scattered throughout the city. Relying on food supplies isn't a solution."

Yun Tuo said, "The remaining people shouldn't be scattered; they need to live in a concentrated area. Otherwise, they won't get mutual support and will eventually be overrun by zombies."

"Which area do you think is suitable?"

Chu Ya looked around the office, "President Xiao, although this place is nice and close to the sea, it's too far from the farming area."

Xiao Rui nodded slowly, "I've considered concentrating everyone in the dock area, but our top priority is the farming area; we can't lose that. There are too few buildings in this area, and there are about 200,000 survivors in the city. This place can't accommodate so many people." After some thought, he added, "But these people have found a safe place, and now asking them to return to the city and face the zombies again, they might not want to leave."

While they were talking, Shen Juanjuan slid off Chu Ya's lap and wandered around with the Teddy Bear, bored.

"You can go play for a while, but don't go far, just stay on this floor, and take Shen Wangwang and Chubao Long with you," Chu Ya said.

"Okay, I'll just play on this floor," Shen Juanjuan led the Teddy Bear towards the door, and the Black Wolf followed behind them.

After Shen Juanjuan left, Xiao Rui said, "I'll have Ye Hongkuo from Guangta Gang and Lu Zishi from Ohm Hui called over. We need to discuss this properly. If the two gangs cooperate, the others will have to follow, even if they don't want to. By the way, even though there aren't many people left in the Sunburn Club and Morning Star Club, we should call them down to listen."

"Should we step out for a bit?" Yun Tuo asked.

Xiao Rui said, "There's nothing to avoid."

Yun Tuo hesitated, "Your gang leaders are having a meeting. Is it appropriate for Xiaoya and me to stay here?"

Xiao Rui leaned back on the sofa, smiling faintly, "Didn't you just form the Angels Association? Xiaoya is now the president, a gang leader."

Chu Ya was shocked, "What Angels Association? Even if there is one, the leader is Chief Administrator Chen."

Xiao Rui pointed with his finger, "Then you're the vice president, commonly known as the second-in-command."

"Oh, that actually makes sense." Yun Tuo patted Chu Ya's shoulder. "Second Boss, it’s reasonable for you to stay here now; only I should take a step back."

Xiao Rui looked at Yun Tuo. "Who would dare say it’s unreasonable for the guide of Bitao Tang’s president to stay here? Besides, after being apart and meeting again, we’re like glue, not wanting to be apart for even a minute. This is very normal."

Yun Tuo immediately fell silent, while Chu Ya started coughing, his eyes fixed on the water glass in front of him, picking it up and putting it down, his whole body radiating discomfort.

"Alright, I’ll inform them now." Xiao Rui picked up the walkie-talkie on his body: "A Shi, go call those old dogs upstairs down, and be polite."

Because he had promised Chu Ya to stay on this floor, Shen Juanjuan, though having nothing to do, did not wander around aimlessly. He stood in the stairwell, comparing the size of his fists with Teddy Bear, and teaching it and Black Wolf how to play rock-paper-scissors.

"Is that supposed to be scissors? I can’t tell if it’s scissors or just a round shape." Shen Juanjuan pointed at Teddy Bear’s paw.

"Awo!" Teddy Bear indicated for him to see the two claws it extended.

"That little bit doesn’t look like scissors at all. Look at my hand; scissors need to be this long."

The two quantum beasts, whether making fists or playing rock-paper-scissors, their paws looked almost identical. Shen Juanjuan found the game somewhat boring and decided to take them for a stroll through the corridors of this floor. The hospital was large, with long corridors, and they walked forward, observing the rooms on both sides.

The rooms were all occupied, some by Bitao Tang members, others looking like dock workers. Curious, Shen Juanjuan walked past each room, and when he reached the middle of the corridor, he saw a partition door.

"What’s over there?" Shen Juanjuan leaned against the partition door to look.

Inside the partition, there were two rows of rooms, each with its door tightly shut. As he was peering in, a voice came from behind him: "Kid, don’t stay here. There are patients inside."

A hospital staff member carrying a dressing bucket saw Shen Juanjuan turn around and added: "There are patients in there; don’t go in."

"I won’t go in, I’m just looking."

Shen Juanjuan and the two quantum beasts turned back, but the staff member was still uneasy and went to close the partition door tightly, locking it with a latch.

"There’s nothing fun here, not even a treasure." Shen Juanjuan raised his head, sounding bored. "Let’s play hide-and-seek instead."

Shen Juanjuan wasn’t too fond of playing hide-and-seek with the two quantum beasts; every time he hid with great effort, they found him within half a minute. But with nothing else to do and unable to wander around, they could only play hide-and-seek.

The two quantum beasts loved hide-and-seek and immediately nodded in agreement. Teddy Bear clenched its fists in front of its chest, stepping excitedly.

"We can only hide on this floor, don’t run around everywhere."

"Awo!"

"Then I’ll hide first, and you two find me."

"Awo!"

Chu Baolong and Black Wolf ran to the right corridor, and Shen Juanjuan quickly headed left. He walked to the partition door, looked around, and saw a dark, small storage room nearby. He darted inside.

He had just stood behind the door when footsteps echoed in the corridor. Peeking through the door crack, he saw someone stop at the partition door.

The person was ordinary in appearance and build, wearing an old coat and carrying a backpack. Shen Juanjuan watched as he pulled out the latch and walked in, wanting to tell him not to enter because there were patients inside.

But he didn’t dare speak loudly, fearing Teddy Bear and Black Wolf might hear, so he quietly slipped out of the storage room and pressed his face against the iron gate to look inside.

The man had already entered the first ward, bending over a bed. Just as Shen Juanjuan was about to whisper a warning, he turned around and threw a syringe into the corner trash bin.

"You should come out, you can’t go in there," Shen Juanjuan said, pressing against the iron bars.

Upon hearing Shen Juanjuan’s voice, the man’s expression changed dramatically, and he stopped abruptly. His gaze landed on Shen Juanjuan’s face outside the iron bars, paused for two seconds, then he walked straight over, looking around.

Shen Juanjuan felt something odd about him, and his stare made him very uncomfortable, so he turned to leave.

But as soon as he turned, he heard hurried footsteps behind him, and before he knew it, he was grabbed from behind.

"Ah—" Shen Juanjuan let out a cry, but his mouth was quickly covered by a piece of cloth.

The man walked out of the partition door, intending to throw Shen Juanjuan inside. Though Shen Juanjuan didn’t understand his intentions, he instinctively clung to the iron bars, struggling fiercely, kicking the man’s abdomen with his feet.

"Ugh, ugh…" Shen Juanjuan struggled like a young leopard trying to escape a hunter, his strength not great but enough to prevent the man from pushing him inside the partition.

The door to the adjacent ward was still open, and the patient lying on the bed was convulsing, his body arching stiffly, deep purple spider webs spreading across the exposed skin of his neck.

Seemingly eager to escape, the man, seeing Shen Juanjuan still struggling, pulled out a dagger from his waist and stabbed toward his chest.

Shen Juanjuan saw the gleaming blade above him and forgot to struggle, but his mental energy surged, wrapping around the man’s body.

The man’s dagger fell to the ground, and he stumbled backward, landing with a thud. Shen Juanjuan panted, clinging to the iron bars, hanging on the partition door.

Sitting on the sofa, Chu Ya listened to Yun Tuo and Xiao Rui’s low conversation, keeping an ear out for any sounds outside. When he heard the clanging of the iron door in the corridor, he got up worriedly and walked toward the door, but before he took two steps, his expression suddenly changed, and he sprinted out.