He Jin and Gong Lixin killed forty or fifty zombies, but they weren’t the least bit out of breath, nor were they sweaty but rather had a relaxed atmosphere around them.
He Jin leaned over and used a zombie’s clothes to wipe off the blood from his knife while secretly wondering about his increased physical quality. He clearly felt that his recent physical strength and his five senses were improving day by day. Perhaps this was one of the benefits of being an ability user, just like Lixin.
Gong Lixin spun his bone-scraping knife in a beautiful manner, taking the opportunity to fling the blood off of it. Since he had yet to retrieve the inner force he used during the battle, the drops of blood fell on the ground with a rather formidable force, making loud ’plop’ sounds, creating a chain of numerous deep holes in the ground, and causing the soil to splatter into the air.
"Wow!" The little boy on the girl’s back yelled out loud and looked at Gong Lixin, eyes filled with gratitude and worship. The girl was also looking at the white-skinned teenager with amazement. The rest of the people didn’t show any change in expression and looked very calm but in fact, they were worshiping him to the high heavens.
"How did you get this wound? Aside from the head, is there other injuries?" Hearing the little boy’s yell, He Jin looked at him and asked coldly.
"He ran too fast, fell on the ground and hit his forehead, and twisted his ankle but he’s not hurt anywhere else." The girl hurriedly answered. She put the little boy down and supported him as he knelt down to let them see clearly.
"Get on the car. He has too much blood loss and the wound needs to be dressed up quickly. There’s such a heavy smell of blood in the air, no wonder forty or fifty zombies chased after you."
He Jin carefully observed the wound of the boy, confirming the words of the girl. What he said was not an empty promise. This was to let them know that they could come along with them.
"Hn, thank you, big brother!" The girl quickly bowed, thanking him. Wu Min took the little boy in his arms and Gu Nan helped the girl change her clothes. The wound on the boy’s forehead was very deep and the blood flowed down his cheeks to his neck, dyeing the front of his shirt and thus, the girl’s back. The girl’s shoulders were also red, making the two look very bloody and very scary.
Seeing that they were back, Ling Yin and Ling Yu quickly got out of the car and ran to their side to meet up with them halfway. The girls had a fierce wolverine look on their faces, awaiting their prey in their eyes. Seeing He Jin being followed by Gong Lixin, the two quickly adjusted their expressions to reveal their most brilliant smiles.
"Young Master Gong, you really are amazing! I blame my eyes for not even seeing what was in front of me before." Ling Yin smiled sweetly, her voice soft, attitude gentle, her pointed round face showed a shy blush which made her look even more charming.
"Yeah! Today we learned not to judge a book by its cover." Ling Yu joked. Ling Yin’s beautiful eyes were full of glamour. It was very attractive.
The two sisters standing in one place made a beautiful picture. With their sweet smile, they looked even more stunning and it brought a breeze, fascinating any inexperienced youth. Not to mention Wang Tao with his blushing cheeks and dodgy eyes, even Lu Yun, who was well-experienced, had a look of fascination in his eyes.
The two women were very kind to the child and it was easy to see what they wanted. Blue veins bulged on He Jin’s forehead and his heart felt so sullen that he only felt that these two women were only extremely eye-catching and hated how he couldn’t just throw them out.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Wu Ming about to send the little boy to the Ford car. An idea flashed in He Jin’s mind and he yelled: "Wu Ming, put them in our car." When his words fell, he turned to the two women, his voice holding no temperature and said, "You two will sit in the other car."
"Why?" Ling Yin and Ling Yu yelled together. They always got what they wanted since they could easily sway people. This was the first time they were rejected.
The voices of the two women were sharp, as if they were wronged by Tianda. Gong Lixin’s lips faintly opened, "Brother He told you where to sit. If you have an objection, you can go on your own."
The youth’s little face held no superfluous expression but his tone was very serious and it was obviously not a joke. Knowing the killing skills of this young man, the sisters that were always treated as goddesses saw a god in the same place and had difficulty accepting such treatment.
"Okay~" He Jin smiled at the child and patted his head. This kid was serious and un-empathetic. There was not even a smidgen of care or consideration towards those women. Where was the pity? His dark eyes had mixed emotions in them but it was clear that he was bashful! Realizing this, without knowing why, he felt very happy. The sullen heart from earlier now fluttered with happiness.
"Let’s get in the car!" He held the child’s arm and brought him to the front passenger seat. He Jin’s cold frown had already melted into spring water.
"I am going to the other car with Ling Yin and Ling Yu." Lu Yun eagerly said this and pushed the sisters who had not returned to Earth yet towards the Ford.
"Thank you, two big brothers. Thank you, little brother." The girl once again thanked them before getting in the car. Wu Ming repeatedly said that she didn’t need to. He Jin didn’t respond and just started driving the car.
"Wrap the younger brother’s wound. Zombies are very sensitive to the smell of blood." After driving for a while, Gong Lixin turned towards the back and reminded them.
"Oh, thank you." The girl gratefully took the medicine box handed over by Wu Ming. The little boy in her arms was pale, his lips had turned blue, his eyes half-closed and he seemed very weak.
"What are your names? What about your parents?" Wu Ming asked the girl as she disinfected the wound and placed a gauze upon it.
"My name is Sun Tiantian and my brother’s name is Sun Jie. My parents were working away from home. I don’t know if they are alive or dead." The girl’s voice was a little hoarse, the brightness in her eyes fading and the corner of her eyes containing unshed tears.
"Oh!" Wu Ming responded with a sigh of regret. After a long while, his mouth was dry from not speaking. "Hey, you’re a good sister. It’s not easy escaping with a wounded younger brother, not easy at all!"
"Yes, thanks to you. And anyway, my parents are not around so, obviously, my brother is my responsibility. We will die or live together." Sun Tiantian smiled shyly and then turned her head to help his brother clean up the wound. Her movements were especially gentle. Sun Jie, who was in his early teens, was gripping his sister’s clothes, his eyes showing his attachment.
Gong Lixin heard the conversation between the two people and couldn’t help but look back at Sun Tiantian.
He Jin saw the child turning to look behind before returning his gaze to the front. He saw the envy and desolation that still remained in his eyes. His heart felt like it was pierced by a needle and left it tingling.
Silently touching the child’s cheek, He Jin continued to concentrate on driving but his hands on the steering wheel were white. The child’s sister was also a loved one—and a girl to boot—yet her actions were chilling! Thinking of this, his expression tightened. The knife scar on the left side of his face throbbed, making him look especially threatening.
The car entered a set of rolling hills and they kept on driving for another ten minutes. When the sky had become completely dark, He Jin slowly stopped the car on the side of the road and found a somewhat flat ground to rest.
"We will stay here for the night. After crossing this mountain forest, there are several villages and towns ahead. However, it’s very dangerous to pass through there when we’ve been exhausted during the day." He Jin said as he pulled a thin blanket and wrapped it around Gong Lixin, a cover against the cool breeze from the mountains.
"I’m so tired. Let’s get something to eat! I’m starving!" Lu Yun got off the car and sat down on the ground, complaining loudly as he did so.
Ling Yin had a mole on the corner of her mouth and her face was gentler than her older sister Ling Yu, making them easy to tell apart. The two were well-known. Ling Yin leaned into Lu Yun’s arms with her bent legs, practically sitting on the other as she smiled sweetly towards He Jin and Gong Lixin. It was a pity that the two were talking to one another and was not paying attention to her. Ling Yin’s expression was stiff.
Wu Ming heard the young master complaining and quickly took out the pot from the trunk and the ingredients stored in the refrigerator before spreading them out on the ground. He dug out a simple earthen stove and cut a few dry branches to prepare for cooking.
Sun Tiantian, who looked good and had dark skin, took the initiative and opened her mouth. "Should I cook for you? My cooking is okay." She had been rescued and was well-received, and thus, wanted to do everything she could to help.
"Then, come here." Understanding Sun Tiantian’s train of thoughts, Wu Ming did not turn down the unspoken offer, took out a chopping board and a kitchen knife, and handed them over to her.
Looking at so many fresh foods, He Jin had really thought it through when he removed the car refrigerator and moved it over. But he also remembered that before, he was not so particular about food and this made Wu Ming secretly wonder.
Sun Tiantian’s hands and feet were very adept. She put some butter into the pot, poured the compressed rice into the stir fry, added smoked ham, and diced green beans before sprinkling them all with salt. The aroma coming out of the pot smelled like delicious fried rice.
Everyone had long been hungry so when they smelled the delicious scent, they all gulped. Lu Yun couldn’t wait any longer and held out his plastic bowl, his expression akin to a hungry eight-year-old monkey’s.
"What are you worried about! We won’t miss giving you food!" He Jin frowned.
Lu Yun shrunk his shoulders and crouched back. He Jin handed his bowl to the girl and signaled her to give him his meal. When the bowl was full, He Jin first handed it to the child and smiled with his eyes and said, "Eat slowly."
The child gulped and nodded thankfully. He Jin’s mouth curved up into a sweet smile and looked towards Sun Tiantian. He said, "Give the next one to your younger brother."
"Alright, thank you." Sun Tiantian nodded gratefully and quickly gave her brother a bowl.
Everyone rushed forward to take their share of the food in an orderly manner and even Sun Tiantian’s action of scooping out the rice was also cautious for fear of losing even a single grain of rice. In the apocalypse, she didn’t need anybody else to tell her the preciousness of food.
After the last bowl of rice was poured, He Jin took the emptied pot and washed it with water before putting another piece of butter into it.
"Brother He, what do you want to eat? I will help." Sun Tiantian saw what he was doing so she quickly put down her bowl and went forward to help.
"No, I’ll do it myself." He Jin said as he cracked an egg to fry. He was very skilled. This egg was specially prepared by him to give more food to the child. He didn’t know why but he didn’t want others to do it.
Smelling the fragrant egg, Lu Yun looked at him with a pleasant sigh before taking a sip of water. Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask for it, He Jin started first. "This egg is for Lixin and Sun Jie. Don’t even think about it. If you want to eat it, make it yourself."
Hearing that it was for Young Master Gong and the boy, Lu Yun immediately shut up. Others naturally had no objection. He Jin cut the fried egg into two and gave half to the injured Sun Jie and placed the other half into Gong Lixin’s bowl. He took out two bottles of milk from the refrigerator and handed it over to them as well.
Sun Tiantian’s younger brother took the milk and almost cried. Unexpectedly, He Jin, who looked cold and ruthless, actually had a soft heart. Wu Ming and Lu Yun frequently looked at Brother He and were shocked by his kind actions.
However, Sun Tiantian really just misinterpreted He Jin’s kindness. If it wasn’t for the child’s words back then, then he wouldn’t have saved them. Furthermore, giving egg and milk to Sun Jie was also made to leave a good impression on the child. The contrast in He Jin’s behavior could only be explained by love. Unconditional love [1].
[1] Wuxian: Brother He really fell for Lixin’s innocent charms hook, line, and sinker.
CrazedCookies: Bonus chapter! Thank you Jackie, Anon and Jessie for the Ko-Fi!