Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Just then, Tang Teng and Sheng Yao came downstairs, freshly washed. Hearing his mother lavish praise on Tang Man, Sheng Yao assumed a magnificent breakfast awaited them. But one glance at the dining table silenced him completely.

*This* was it?!

A cup of yellowish hot drink and a plate of *shaomai* each? Was this meager offering considered hospitality?

Though the *shaomai* looked quite presentable, the whole setup was pathetically simple!

Sheng Yao pursed his lips in clear dissatisfaction.

"Since everyone’s here, let’s eat quickly! We’re running out of time."

Assuming she was eager to go house-hunting, the three said nothing, simply finding their seats.

Sheng Yao hadn’t intended to eat, but after last night’s "heavy lifting" and skipping supper, he was genuinely hungry. So, he sat down and began his breakfast.

The translucent *shaomai*, its top unfurling like chrysanthemum petals, looked incredibly tempting. He picked one up and took a bite—and instantly froze. The resilient wrapper encased a filling where every grain of glutinous rice was infused with sauce, intermingled with finely diced mushrooms and beef. Each mouthful delivered a perfect harmony of wrapper, sticky rice, beef, and mushroom—not only bursting with umami but also offering a uniquely satisfying texture. Despite the addition of lard, it wasn't greasy in the slightest.

The taste, indeed, lived up to its appealing appearance. Sheng Yao nodded in silent approval, unconsciously quickening his pace.

"The *shaomai* and pumpkin millet paste are both delicious. Tang Xiao—Xiao Teng’s sister, this is pumpkin millet paste, right?" Sheng Yao’s mother asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

She ate with elegant composure, her smile deepening, clearly delighted with the meal.

"Auntie, you can call me Tang Man or just Manman. This is millet pumpkin paste," Tang Man replied with a smile.

Beef and mushroom *shaomai* was a specialty breakfast from her hometown, though for her family, it had been a rare "luxury." In her childhood, her grandmother would occasionally buy a steamer basket, paired with three large bowls of plain rice porridge for the three of them to share. Perhaps because those childhood memories were so vivid, she often made it herself after earning money, always ensuring generous amounts of beef and mushrooms. As her cooking skills advanced and she refined the ingredient ratios, her *shaomai* became increasingly delicious.

After listening to their conversation, Sheng Yao, still somewhat skeptical, picked up the yellowish hot drink and brought it to his lips. The first taste was the sweetness of pumpkin, followed by the delicate fragrance of millet.

The pumpkin was of excellent quality, giving the paste a natural, subtle sweetness without any added sugar—a perfect complement to the *shaomai*.

Still, Sheng Yao scooped a generous spoonful of sugar from a small bowl nearby and stirred it in.

Thanks to this breakfast, his impression of Tang Man, which had nearly plummeted to zero, rose ever so slightly.

Throughout breakfast, Tang Teng seemed distracted, his mind still fixated on his sister’s unusual behavior the day before and the items she had purchased.

Tang Man’s timing was impeccable. The moment she set down her chopsticks, the clock struck precisely 7:59:59. Afterward, her peripheral vision remained keenly focused on the physical changes of the three at the table.

Soon, they heard a series of loud "bangs," and the ground seemed to tremble slightly. The sound was somewhat distant, making it difficult to discern clearly.

"Who’s that? So inconsiderate, setting off firecrackers first thing in the morning!" Sheng Yao grumbled under his breath.

Gradually, Tang Man began to feel a profound weakness. A cold draft from the window seemed to penetrate her bones, making her shiver uncontrollably.

Sheng Yao’s mother noticed her unusual state, put down her chopsticks, and looked at her with concern. "Manman, your face is so red—are you feeling hot? Your forehead is burning! You have a fever... you need to go to the hospital right away!"

All eyes at the table instantly converged on her.

Just then, with a clatter, Tang Teng’s chopsticks fell to the floor. He clutched his forehead in pain.

"Third Brother, what’s wrong?" Sheng Yao quickly steadied him. "Your hand is burning... and your forehead too! Do you have a fever as well?"

Seeing that Sheng Yao and his mother showed no symptoms, Tang Man pushed herself up from the table, addressing the three of them. "Xiao Teng and I must have caught a chill last night. There’s no need to send us to the hospital; I have medicine in my bag. We’ll be fine after taking it. We’ll just need you to look after us..."

With that, she went upstairs to fetch the medicine.

Sheng Yao watched her retreating back, his brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a fly. What was wrong with this Tang Man? Being frugal wasn't an excuse to neglect one's health like this!

He turned to his mother, who sat opposite him. "Mom, call Dr. Zhang. Have him come check on them here."

"Alright." His mother nodded, pulling out her phone from her pearl-embellished clutch and dialing a number.

Tang Man soon returned with the medicine. She knew that she and Tang Teng were undergoing the awakening of their abilities, and these medicines would be useless. However, to reassure Sheng Yao and his mother, she and Tang Teng took the pills in front of them.

After the asteroid brought the zombie virus to Earth, most people remained unaffected. Some instantly turned into zombies, while others experienced a twenty-four-hour high fever. After the fever, they might become ability users, ordinary people, or... zombies.

In her previous life, when she found Tang Teng, he had become a metal-element zombie, but he bore very clear bite marks. Therefore, she inferred that Tang Teng must have successfully endured the high fever and awakened his metal ability.

Still, she told Sheng Yao and his mother, "Sheng Yao, Auntie, my throat feels a bit scratchy too—I might have a cold... I wouldn't want to infect you. So, Xiao Teng and I will stay in our rooms for now. We’re both quite strong; we don’t need a hospital. Just taking the medicine on time will bring the fever down. You can check on us every few hours and remind us to take our medicine... No need to come inside, just knock on the door. You can leave food and drinks directly outside the door..."

She was currently feverish and weak, unable to look after them. She could only find excuses to keep them safely within the villa. With plenty of food and drink inside, as long as they kept the doors and windows shut and didn't act recklessly, nothing bad should happen.

Her requests were truly peculiar. Who, when sick, avoids the hospital and asks a near-stranger they’ve only just met to care for them? What’s more, she was dragging his good friend into it, preventing him from going to the hospital. Sheng Yao’s opinion of her plummeted to rock bottom.

His mother patted her hand. "You two go back to your rooms and rest well. Don’t worry about anything else. Sheng Yao and I will take good care of you. I just called the doctor; he’ll be here in twenty minutes. A fever shot will have you both feeling better in less than two hours..."

Hearing this, Tang Teng, who had initially wanted to take his sister to the hospital, no longer objected.

Tang Man and Tang Teng returned to their rooms. She went into her room, retrieved some food and medicine for him, and just before closing the door, she suddenly gripped his arm tightly. "Deadbolt the door. Don’t open it for anyone but me, no matter who knocks."

"Sis?" Tang Teng frowned.

"Just listen. I’ll tell you everything once your fever breaks," Tang Man said, looking at him with concern.

Tang Teng thought for a moment, then nodded.

Back in her room, Tang Man deadbolted the door and then braced it with a cabinet. Feeling truly unwell and having had little rest the previous night, Tang Man lay down and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Zhongqiu also seemed a bit listless. It hopped onto the pillow, nudged its "shit shoveler," and meowed a few times. Seeing no response, it curled up beside her on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.

Downstairs, the two continued their breakfast, but their earlier good mood had completely vanished. The food, now, didn't seem quite so delicious.

"Ahhh!!!"

Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out.

Sheng Yao irritably put down his chopsticks. What was going on this morning? First firecrackers, now screaming—was the security in this community even functional anymore? What were they doing with all those annual property fees?

He walked to the landline and dialed the property management office. The phone rang for a long time—"beep—" but no one answered.

Frustrated, he slammed the phone down. Immediately afterward, he heard someone outside shouting, "Help! Monsters are eating people!"

He looked in the direction of the sound. The sliding glass doors had long been deadbolted from the inside by Tang Man, but the curtains were open. He could clearly see a middle-aged man in house clothes and glasses frantically fleeing through the community. One of his slippers had fallen off, his hair was disheveled, and his body was covered in blood. His arm appeared injured, dripping blood that trailed along his escape route.

He kept glancing back, his eyes wide and expression terrified, as if something horrific were chasing him.

Sheng Yao took a few steps toward the floor-to-ceiling window, gaining a clearer view. Behind the man, a woman stumbled along, her steps slow but her target clear, swaying directly towards him.

Blood smeared her chest and mouth, the whites of her eyes were rolled back, and her exposed skin was black, making her truly horrifying. Her hands were like claws, and a fruit knife was plunged into her chest, yet it didn't impede her movement in the slightest. She was utterly unlike a living person.

Sheng Yao stood frozen for a full minute. He wanted to reach out and pull the curtains shut, but his limbs were stiff, refusing to obey.

"Son, what are you doing standing there?" His mother noticed his odd stillness and walked over from the dining table. "Ah—!!!"

Sheng mother saw the scene outside the floor-to-ceiling window and let out a short, sharp scream, but Sheng Yao, reacting quickly, clapped a hand over her mouth.

The woman seemed to be drawn by the commotion from their direction, turning and taking a few steps towards them before being distracted again by the man's screams, changing direction to continue pursuing him.

To Sheng Yao, those few seconds when the woman walked towards them felt like centuries. He held his breath, his body drenched in cold sweat, and his hand—clamped over his mother’s mouth and nose—was stiff with terror, afraid to move.

Once the woman shifted her target, he quickly reached out and pulled the curtains shut, then collapsed against the floor-to-ceiling window, sliding weakly to the ground as he gasped for breath.

"S-Son, wh-what was that woman just now?" Sheng mother asked, her voice trembling.

Sheng Yao sat on the floor, taking a long moment to recover before answering, "Mom, I don't know either."

He pulled his phone, its screen shattered, from his pocket and checked for news online.

Thank God—the internet still worked!