Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"..."

Cheng Jing was accustomed to the little nickname Huang Qian had given Jiang Nian. He shot her a dirty look but didn't respond.

If it weren't for the risk of attracting zombies, those two idiots outside would have already been beaten into unconsciousness by Jiang Nian—he knew Jiang Nian all too well.

Jiang Nian only acted obedient around him; when it came to fighting, he was far more ruthless.

After all, back in high school at Affiliated No.1, he'd been one of the top enforcers—supporting younger students while wearing such an elegant expression that enemies ended up on their knees begging. He had only retracted his claws to win Cheng Jing's affection.

As soon as Huang Qian opened her mouth, the other teammates chimed in:

"When are you going to introduce us to your new missus, Cheng-ge?"

"Yeah, but why do you call her 'missus hamster'?"

"Cheng-ge changed his status to married not long ago. Guess he’s done mourning, huh? Congrats on getting married again!"

"Has Cheng-ge really moved on?"

"Hell, he's even got the ring back on, right Cheng-ge?"

"..."

The previously exhausted and gloomy mood immediately brightened with gossip-fueled excitement.

Cheng Jing had no interest in answering. He simply closed his eyes to rest. The people in this car were among the few allowed to see his social media updates—and each and every one of them had been influenced by that woman, Huang Qian.

"Haha, you're all so naive. Your Cheng-ge is just too stubborn for his own good—he's definitely not remarrying!"

Seeing everyone's curiosity and Cheng Jing's indifferent expression, Huang Qian stepped in.

"Go on, Qian-jie!"

"Queen Qian, spill it!"

"..."

Amid the chorus of flattery, Huang Qian wasted no time and revealed the truth:

"No remarriage, no second wife. That 'hamster' is your Cheng-ge's supposedly 'dead' husband, returned from the grave."

Everyone froze, then burst into exclamations:

"No way! Seriously?"

"Even legends can backtrack..."

"I believe in love again!"

"That deserves worship!"

"..."

After a turn, the car stopped at a modest old residential area—their hideout. With his eyes still shut, Cheng Jing snapped:

"Get out! Shut up already!"

"Hey~ Brother Jing, next time let us visit our sister-in-law. Such advanced superpowers are truly worthy of our worship!"

"Agreed, agreed~"

Two people got out of the car, still teasing as they left. They were genuinely curious—what kind of person could have Brother Jing completely hooked?

If they could learn even a fraction of that skill, they wouldn’t still be single.

The car door closed and the gossip continued until everyone else was dropped off at their safehouses. Only then did Cheng Jing and Huang Qian return together to their shared neighborhood, Taihe Mingcheng.

After parking the car, the two of them, armed with guns and headlamps, scanned their surroundings before Cheng Jing walked Huang Qian up.

As they carefully made their way upstairs, Huang Qian brought up:

"What happened earlier when Jiang Nian called you?"

"Some asshole showed up banging on the door looking for trouble. Nothing major."

He had inspected that modified door thoroughly—it would take at least a rocket launcher to break through. Those who survived the apocalypse knew how to survive, which was why he could leave home with peace of mind.

The fifth floor wasn’t too high. After making sure Huang Qian safely entered her apartment, Cheng Jing quickly left.

Their safehouses were in separate buildings. Along the way, Cheng Jing wasted a few more zombies before starting his patrol from the first floor upward. His own place needed extra security.

He paid special attention to the eighth floor. Every door was shut. Checking the couple’s door, he found the lock intact, though the handle and floor were stained with dried blood.

Noises came from inside—seemed the couple had come back after being blown off by Jiang Nian.

Heading straight to the tenth floor, as expected, no one was outside his door. But a pool of dark red blood remained, emitting a rank, rotting stench—nothing like the metallic scent of normal blood.

After entering the outer door, Cheng Jing grabbed a disinfectant spray from the hallway and doused himself in it before removing his outdoor combat gear, weapons, and tools, setting them aside before knocking in clean clothes:

"Nian, I’m back."

The door opened quickly, revealing Jiang Nian’s face.

"Brother Jing."

Seeing that Cheng Jing had stripped his gear, Jiang Nian nodded in satisfaction and let him in, then used his abilities to purify and disinfect the discarded items.

It couldn’t hurt—and helped him practice using his powers.

Half a month since his abilities awakened, his range had expanded to five meters in diameter, and using them no longer left him exhausted. His teammates were all improving—he couldn’t afford to lag behind.

Once the door was securely closed again, Jiang Nian headed to the kitchen to prepare a late-night snack for him.

Cheng Jing thought for a moment, then grabbed a trash bag and tissues to clean up the bloodstains outside before finally taking a shower.

Not many could afford daily showers these days—thankfully, his hamster had prepped well.

Freshly showered, Jiang Nian had his snack ready: a bowl of rice noodles, a fried egg, a sausage, and some greens—the vegetables were rewards from a mission.

They had other vegetables stockpiled in their ring’s storage space, but those were being saved for later.

As Cheng Jing ate, Jiang Nian munched snacks next to him, laying out how the neighbors had thrown a fit when they couldn’t break in earlier. He said flatly,

"Coming up with tools to smash the door while claiming it was help? Clearly up to no good."

"The eighth-floor door was locked. They must’ve been infected after getting attacked by zombies. I’ll check and dispose of them properly tomorrow."

Cheng Jing also shared his findings about the bloodstains near the entrance.

"They were hurt but still had enough sense to knock..."

Although Jiang Nian was certain he would never have opened the door, he couldn’t shake a lingering unease:

They knew perfectly well there was no hope after infection, yet those two still came looking for him—whether they wanted to eat him or drag him down with them, either way it was completely twisted!

Cheng Jing’s face darkened:

"There are all kinds of people in the world, but hardship and disaster magnify human cruelty. So we should focus on ourselves and ignore any guilt trips. Rescue workers risk their lives on the front lines, and not even being able to take care of their own families just doesn’t make sense. Compared to that, I’d rather stay home and watch over you—we’ve got more than enough food and supplies anyway."

Jiang Nian nodded while chewing on a spicy snack stick:

"Exactly, exactly."

The people who guilt-trip frontline workers must be completely brain-dead! Thinking further, he added:

"Tomorrow you stay home. We’ll seal off all the unoccupied apartments in this building so zombies can’t hide and patrols will be easier."

In his past life, temporary rescue teams did the same—when setting up a makeshift base in a residential area, they’d block access to all unused rooms. That way, if zombies got inside, they’d be easier to spot.