Chapter 29

But Master Luo didn't have the messaging app everyone else used. He didn't even know how to use the internet.

That wasn't a problem though—Master Luo was just the property manager's representative. As long as the property office could stay in touch with the interim committee, things would be fine.

The girl from the property office, Yang Xinyan, had the messaging app. She joined the group chat on Master Luo's behalf. And if anything urgent came up, they could just use the walkie-talkie to call him directly.

Jiang Cheng asked Su Yu, "Want to post the recruiting thread for the afternoon supermarket run?"

Su Yu understood—Jiang Cheng was helping her stay visible in the group.

Su Yu agreed immediately. "Sure."

They nailed down the time and details, got everything arranged, and everyone dispersed.

The young people had left with high spirits and fiery determination, but they came back much quieter. Some of them seemed to have aged a little over the course of a single morning.

Jiang Cheng also returned to her apartment.

Mo Li was still lounging in the beanbag chair, soaking up the sun. When he heard the sound of the door opening and closing, he lifted his head slightly.

He watched the girl step around the bed, pass the desk, and walk up to the beanbag chair.

She looked down at him.

Animals are more sensitive to certain things than humans. It was the same person, but something felt different.

Mo Li, of course, had no way of knowing that the old Jiang Cheng had actually been Jiang Cheng plus "Jiang Cheng," while the Jiang Cheng standing before him now was simply Jiang Cheng and nothing more.

She had broken free of "Jiang Cheng."

So she looked down at the black cat in front of her, and she was thinking—

Were those feelings of loneliness and the need for companionship truly hers, or were they leftovers from "Jiang Cheng"?

Because "Jiang Cheng" was the one who had lost both parents, had no relatives left, and had come alone to the big city—a lonely girl.

The transmigrated Jiang Cheng was not that person.

The transmigrated Jiang Cheng refused to be swayed by any memories or emotions left behind by "Jiang Cheng."

If this had been the same peaceful life as before, she might have been able to accept and inherit "Jiang Cheng." But now the world had suddenly changed beyond recognition. She felt she should just be herself.

Jiang Cheng crouched down, leveling her gaze with the black cat.

Mo Li let out a confused "Meow?"

Jiang Cheng tentatively reached out and touched the top of his head.

A fuzzy little head—soft, sending an indescribable sensation through her palm.

Jiang Cheng closed her eyes and savored it. When she opened them again, she was smiling.

It was her. It was really her.

She loved this feeling—fuzzy, soft, warm.

A little living creature, keeping her company.

This creature was so simple and pure. In front of him, she could completely let her guard down.

"I'm a transmigrator," she said, rubbing his little head. "Outside, there are zombies."

"And what about you?"

A little cat that could transform.

"What are you?"

Mo Li, of course, couldn't answer. Compared to humans, his skull was really quite small. How could such a tiny brain possibly process such a complicated question?

He couldn't give Jiang Cheng an answer.

He couldn't even understand Jiang Cheng's language.

But his emerald-green eyes were clear and beautiful.

Jiang Cheng touched her nose to his. "You and me—from now on, we'll keep each other company."

There was no new announcement on TV. Just the same loop playing over and over.

There weren't even new news reports anymore—only pre-recorded dramas and variety shows.

Work stopped. Businesses closed. Transportation halted. Production ceased. Schools shut down. That included the jobs of people like reporters.

Flipping through channels, watching different dramas, gave the feeling that the entire city had ground to a halt.

Su Yu posted a new procurement recruitment thread on the owners' forum.

The interim committee members for each building divided up the work and made the rounds, floor by floor.

The property staff used megaphones and shouted at the base of every building.

It was a full three-dimensional notice system at this point—nothing left to chance.

The time was set for one in the afternoon, but surprisingly, the people from Jixiang Jiayuan headed out before they did.

The latest message to hit the owners' forum read: 【The people from Jixiang Jiayuan are out—a lot of them, looks like they're heading to Duoduo.】

The person who posted lived in a unit facing east, with a window overlooking the street beyond the east gate and also the west gate of Jixiang Jiayuan. The moment they saw it, they jumped onto the forum to post.

Not surprising—the people from Jixiang Jiayuan had been forced out in the first place because their supplies at home had run out and they had to brave the zombies to stock up.

The zombies inside their compound had been cleared out. Someone had taken the lead, and the main force was on the move.

Except for the children, almost all the adults had come out—plenty of them elderly men and women. Carrying backpacks, hauling bags, each person dragging a handcart.

But by then, it was already close to one.

Jiang Cheng heard the news over the walkie-talkie and said, "It's fine. We got the jump on them once already. Everyone has basic supplies at home now. This trip is just to top up. However you look at it, we're still better off than them."

Mo Li had basked in the sun all morning, and he had visibly recovered a great deal.

He could stand up and jump to the ground now—though his legs gave out as he landed, sending him stumbling and rolling with a good bit of embarrassment.

But the little black cat immediately got up as if nothing had happened and walked over to his food bowl to eat and drink.

This filled Jiang Cheng with relief.

But when Jiang Cheng, dragging her handcart and wearing her backpack, was ready to head out, Mo Li clamped his teeth onto the hem of her pants.

Jiang Cheng looked down. Mo Li was looking up, snout protruding, emerald eyes squeezed up toward his forehead, staring at her.

"Let go, good boy," Jiang Cheng said. "I have things to do."

Mo Li did let go—but then he started scrambling up Jiang Cheng's pant leg, his claws piercing through the fabric and pricking her skin slightly.

"Huh?"

Jiang Cheng didn't resist. She let him climb, even extending her arm to give him support.

Mo Li stepped on her arm and climbed up to her shoulder, and then... settled down there.

Jiang Cheng was a little surprised. "You want to come outside with me?"

Mo Li: "Meow!"

If Mo Li had been an ordinary house cat, Jiang Cheng would have peeled him off her shoulder and set him back on the ground right then.

But Mo Li was a cat that could transform.

He had saved her life twice.

And one of those times was even before he could transform—when he was just an ordinary little black cat, he threw himself fearlessly at the security guard who had turned into a zombie, bravely saving her.

He nearly lost his own life in the process.

Mo Li was no ordinary cat.

He had mostly regained his mobility now, and he was clearly expressing his desire to go out with her. Jiang Cheng hesitated for just a moment, then agreed. "Alright."

But having him lying on one shoulder made her load unbalanced. If she ran into zombies, she might not react fast enough.

Jiang Cheng first removed her backpack, then took a casual cloth crossbody bag from the rack by the door and slung it across her body. She opened the mouth of the bag. "Come in here."

She tucked Mo Li into the crossbody bag. Mo Li didn't resist at all—he sat down inside obediently.

Jiang Cheng didn't bother zipping it up. She left it open, so Mo Li could either duck completely inside or poke his head out, whatever he pleased.

Good. And so, Jiang Cheng headed out with Mo Li in tow.

One o'clock, they gathered.

Sure enough, fewer people came than yesterday. There would inevitably be those who thought, "We've got enough already—no need to risk it, just stay home and wait for rescue."

But still, more showed up than expected.

"Let's go, let's go—don't let the Jixiang Jiayuan folks clean out the store."

"We can't out-hustle those old folks anyway."

Under these circumstances, everyone actually managed to laugh.

"Let's move, let's move."

Compared to the youth apartment, the organization was clearly much stronger.

First of all, the notification was well done. Whether you decided to go or not, everyone received the notice from the interim committee. Everyone knew what was happening, and knew the gathering time and place.

They were supposed to set out at one o'clock. Most people had already arrived by twelve fifty. They set off right on time at one.

So the group was dense and compact.

The Jixiang Jiayuan group stretched out long and thin, straggling along.

Jiang Cheng had already received the message before leaving that "Jixiang Jiayuan is also going to BuyDuoDuo." By the time the youth apartment group set out, many residents of Jixiang Jiayuan were just coming out of their compound.

Their interim committee's notification was not up to par. Many people heard the commotion downstairs, opened their windows, saw everyone heading out, and only then realized the neighborhood was organizing a shopping trip. They scrambled to find their handcarts and rushed downstairs.

Some had received the notice, but their family members were hesitating: "Let them go scout the road first. Once we know it's safe, then we'll go?"

"But we have to go together to be safe. If we wait until they're all back, do we really go by ourselves? Wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"

"That's true, but..."

Time was wasted in this tug-of-war of hesitation.

The group gathering downstairs had already set off, and these people still hadn't even come down.

The only lucky thing was that the street they shared with the youth apartment—Jixiang West Street—had already been swept through by the young people on Saturday.

That street was now visibly safe. The zombies lay dead on the ground or dead inside cars parked along the road.

Severed heads rolled in the middle of the street. Shattered brains and brain matter splattered everywhere.

There were also many popped-out eyeballs. If you accidentally stepped on one, the feeling underfoot was something else.

Sickening, slippery, and with a strangely bizarre thrill.

Someone deliberately stepped on eyeballs and only stopped, disgruntled, after being scolded by others.

That was a bit twisted.

In short, Jixiang Jiayuan's group lacked organization. There was no concept of a vanguard or a rear guard, and no concentrated, well-protected escort team.

But thanks to the path the youth apartment had already cleared, they could still safely make it from their compound to BuyDuoDuo.

They even got nervous when they saw the youth apartment's main force coming out in full formation: "Hurry, hurry! Walk faster! They're coming out too."

These were the same old folks used to fighting over discounted eggs. Unbelievable.

These people had no sense of gratitude at all.

In the morning, those young people had just helped them clear the zombies from their courtyard. Without the youth apartment's timely help, those uncles probably wouldn't have made it out in one piece—they'd all be injured.

If they were injured and then went home and bit their family members, the whole household would have been zombie-fied together.

The young people at the youth apartment felt quite displeased with the attitude of the Jixiang Jiayuan residents.

Someone in the owners' committee let out a snort.

Someone else swore.

Jiang Cheng said flatly: "Don't bother with them. We're not doing this for them. We're doing it so our neighborhood won't become a zombie nest. As long as we achieve that, that's enough."

When Jiang Cheng put it that way, everyone felt much better immediately.

"That's right. They're our neighbors. If they all got infected, in the end it'd be us who'd have to deal with it."

"That's true."

"Hey, what's going on up ahead? Why is it jammed up?"

When they reached the street corner and turned east, there were people everywhere ahead, and they could faintly hear arguing coming from further up.

What's going on?

Jiang Cheng took the axe from her back waist and gripped it in her hand, then called out: "Jiangbing!"

Li Jiangbing was now perfectly in sync with her. He also pulled the fire axe from his belt, and his booming voice carried: "Move aside, move aside! We're the youth apartment interim committee! What's going on up ahead? Move aside, we're going through to take a look!"

The young men from the interim committee beside Jiang Cheng all raised their weapons—kitchen knives, baseball bats, iron rods, all sorts.

Su Yu also tightened her grip on her frying pan.

The people ahead were mostly from Jixiang Jiayuan. They turned around, saw this group that clearly looked ready for a fight, and silently parted to either side to make way.

Earlier they had quickened their pace, trying to get ahead of them.

Now that a problem had arisen, they moved aside to let the others head to the front and deal with it.

Ha.