“Are you really giving it to me?” Yang Ke Er started to fiddle with the crossbow happily but she can’t seem to use it well.
“The way you use is wrong, you should use it like this….” Zhang Xiao Qiang taught her how to adjust the scope and load the iron bullet and arrow.
“Click!” Yang Ke Er loaded the arrow and started aiming aimlessly. Zhang Xiao Qiang took a look at the first zombie that Yang Ke Er killed and pitied the dead zombie. Yang Ke Er had managed to crushed all his bones, except the head which seems perfectly unharmed. The zombie looked worse then being cut into pieces.
“Uncle! Will you still abandon me?” Yang Ke Er asked casually, aiming the crossbow at Zhang Xiao Qiang from time to time.
“Gulp!” Zhang Xiao Qiang swallowed his saliva nervously. Staring at the sharp arrow on the crossbow, his legs starts to tremble a little.
“Well……” Zhang Xiao Qiang sounded a little hoarse.
“Hmmm????” Yang Ke Er asked doubtfully.
“As long as you continue your training and have the courage to face the zombies alone, I will not abandon you.” Zhang Xiao Qiang replied firmly, ignoring the cold sweat on his forehead.
“Yes, I will continue to work hard!” Yang Ke Er smiled brightly.
“Sigh!” Zhang Xiao Qiang let out a sigh of relief.
After a short rest, they continued their journey, with Zhang Xiao Qiang riding the bicycle and Yang Ke Er seated at the beam of the bicycle.
Shortly after they started their journey, the bicycle starts to tremble. He stopped to check on the bicycle and noticed that the front tire has already been deflated due to a laceration.
“FUCK! Such bad luck!” Zhang Xiao Qiang cursed.
“Come down! We need to change transport.” He shouted at Yang Ke Er.
“Change what transport? Uncle?” Yang Ke Er continued to stay on the beam firmly.
“11 Road” (JY: 11 represents two feet which means walking) Zhang Xiao Qiang said while taking out the barbequed meat from the rear of the bicycle.
Zhang Xiao Qiang carried the barbequed meat and started walking on narrow road, with Yang Ke Er following behind him with her crossbow. They left the poor, lonely bicycle far behind.
Zhang Xiao Qiang walked breathlessly, still carrying the barbequed meat while Yang Ke Er complains that she is tired and needs a break. Looking at the darkened sky, it should be nightfall soon.
Not far ahead on a small hill there was a 2 story high house, and because there weren’t any other buildings around, there weren’t any zombie mobs in sight too.
Zhang Xiao Qiang decides that they should rest in the house. Ever since he was stuck in a house due to a D2 Zombie, Zhang Xiao Qiang has a strong resentment towards houses. However, after that incident when he lighted a bonfire in the night which ended up attracting the monster, he felt that a house is still safer than being out in the wilderness.
The house was a classic small farm house and it looked quite old. The white wall tiles were no longer shiny and the corner of the walls were filled with yellowish dried moss. The cement floor at the front yard was full of cracks.
The stainless steel windows of the house were locked. “Thup Thup Thup” Zhang Xiao Qiang knocked on the window and tries to hear if there is any movement in the house. There was only silence.
Zhang Xiao Qiang stepped back to observe the house, looking for a point where they can enter the house from.
“Uncle, what are you looking for?” Yang Ke Er asks while looking at Zhang Xiao Qiang.
“Don’t disturb me, can’t you see that I am trying to find a way to get into the house?” Zhang Xiao Qiang said, feeling annoyed.
“If you can’t enter from ground level then we should go in from the top!” Yang Ke Er suggests as she glances at the second story. Zhang Xiao Qiang looked at the second story and saw that there was a balcony directly above the main entrance. A glass door was in the way from getting into the house from the balcony. He couldn’t see if the glass door was locked but even so, they could use the hammer to break into the house.
Zhang Xiao Qiang plans to let Yang Ke Er step on his shoulder to climb up onto the balcony so that she she can unlock the main entrance door.
“Uncle, there might be monsters inside!” Yang Ke Er said nervously, looking around.
“Are you still afraid of zombies now?” Zhang Xiao Qiang asked.
“Oh right! I am no longer afraid now” Yang Ke Er recalled the victory she had against the zombie earlier on.
“Look at where you are stepping! You almost stepped on my face!”
“Sorry Sorry! A little higher. Just a little higher!”
“Forget it! Just take it as is my unlucky day and step on my head!”
“Uncle, I still can’t reach it. Why don’t you step on me instead?”
“How can you take my weight with your small and skinny frame? Get ready, I will push you up!” Zhang Xiao Qiang pushed Yang Ke Er up using his hands.
Yang Ke Er grab onto the railings and pulled herself up onto the balcony. “Uncle, wait for me! I will go and open the door!” Yang Ke Er disappears into the house the next moment.
“Kacha!” the steel door unlocks. “Uncle, it’s so dark inside, I’m scared!” Yang Ke Er told Zhang Xiao Qiang sounding fearful.
Zhang Xiao Qiang ignored her and walked into the house, it’s been a long time since anyone has stepped into this house and the house gave a little eerie and cold feeling. Inside the main hall, a longevity painting hangs on the wall, directly facing the door. The cabinet beside the painting had a statue of chairman Mao. The interior of the house was very simple and the white flooring of the house had turned slightly yellowish.
Zhang Xiao Qiang explored the first story and found the kitchen. Apart from the overflowing kitchen sink, the rest of the kitchen seemed pretty empty. There wasn’t any rice, sauce, oil or salt in sight. It was so empty that when a mouse enters the kitchen it will run away crying.
Beside the kitchen was a passageway. Following the passageway all the way to the back is a small yard, with a few rooms beside it. One is a garage and there were some tools and tires at the corner. The other room is a woodshed. There are 2 other rooms, one is a pigsty while the other is a fire cage room (JY: that is what they say in the novel) where people in the village would use it to make smoked meat. Of course, there wasn’t any smoked meat in the room.
There is an iron gate in the yard which leads to the back on the hill and the iron gate is locked firmly with a general lock.
“The owners must have managed to escape from the virus, gathering all their food supplies and drove off with their car. They even have enough time to lock the front and back gate.” Zhang Xiao Qiang made a guess.
The room at the 1st story must be an old man’s room as it was filled with old furniture and an old wooden bed. The rest of the rooms were used as a store room, and there was rice spilled all over the floor. (JY: rooms used to store rice supplies I guess)
The 2nd story consisted of a living room, a guest room and 3 bedrooms. The living room had wooden flooring, a big sofa and a set of high-class home theater system. The 3 bedrooms came with clean bed sheets which they can sleep on.
After dinner, Zhang Xiao Qiang and Yang Ke Er used the big cauldron in the kitchen to boil hot water and took a hot shower happily. (JY: definitely not together?!)
“You can sleep inside and I will sleep at the living room. Take note if there is any movement at night, don’t sleep like a dead person” Zhang Xiao Qiang told Yang Ke Er before they go to bed.
“Okay, stop nagging! Ohhh! It’s been a long time since I slept on a bed!” Yang Ke Er walked towards to the bed happily.
Zhang Xiao Qiang lied down on the sofa and covered himself with a blanket while placing the army knife within reach. Zhang Xiao Qiang fell asleep quickly in the soft and comfortable sofa.
An iron tube pokes Zhang Xiao Qiang in the stomach. Still half asleep, he used his hand to rub his tummy and continued his slumber. The iron tube then taps on Zhang Xiao Qiang’s face, this time round he opened his eyes in shocked!
A flashlight was shining at him, making it hard for him to open his eyes. All he could see was a blurred shadow holding a flashlight.
It took awhile for Zhang Xiao Qiang to get used to the bright light. He squinted his eyes and saw a homemade shotgun aiming at him, with the flashlight pointed all over his body as the person tries to see if he had any hidden weapon.
“Who are you?” the shadow asked. He sounded like a young man.
“I’m a survivor! I came here to seek refuge!” Zhang Xiao Qiang replied, trying to sound as genuine as possible.
“I don’t care if you are a damn survivor or not. Why are you at my house? Speak!” the shadow sounded very angry.
“Put the gun down and hear me out, I am not a bad guy.” Zhang Xiao Qiang explained.
“You are at my house and yet you ask me to put down my gun? Huh? Screw you” the person flared up and “Bang!” the shotgun hit Zhang Xiao Qiang’s face. Zhang Xiao Qiang clutched on to his face and continues to persuade the man.
“Don’t move, move again and I will shoot you!” Yang Ke Er emerges to join in the commotion as she holds on to her crossbow.