Chapter 25
w.a.n.g Xiong stayed at the Zhang residence until the afternoon.
He basically explored the whole Zhang residence.
Besides this place, w.a.n.g Xiong also had a preliminary understanding of Zhang Ye.
Before the apocalypse, Zhang Ye had his own company.
Originally, Zhang Ye had returned to Good Hope Village to worship his ancestors. However, he did not expect a disaster to suddenly erupt and he was trapped in the ancestral residence.
Fortunately, when the zombies appeared, there were not many old men in the Zhang residence, but there were many young and strong men.
Using the money from his parents, Zhang Ye made a prompt decision to set up a shelter here.
The core members were naturally the young men of the Zhang family, but at the same time, they would also go out to save people to increase the number of members.
It was already the 17th day of the apocalypse.
Originally, there were only about 30 people in the shelter. Now, there were more than 100 people.
At the same time, the three of them, including Zhang Ye, became Awakened. This increased the safety of the shelter, and it was not so difficult to go out to find supplies.
After leaving the Zhang residence, w.a.n.g Xiong pondered as he returned.
He could tell that although Zhang Ye was not that friendly, he was generally a good person.
Moreover, he was quite capable. The Zhang residence was well-managed by him, his defense was good, and he had sufficient supplies.
At the same time, Zhang Ye also invited w.a.n.g Xiong, wanting him to join him.
That was also why w.a.n.g Xiong was in a dilemma.
On his side was the shelter with more than 10 people.
On the other side, there was the Zhang Shelter with sufficient supplies and outstanding defense.
It was not until evening when w.a.n.g Xiong returned to the safe house that he made a decision.
“I think we should move.”
He said to Zhang Lixin, Meng Jie, and the others.
…
It was human instinct to stay together in the apocalypse.
Everyone understood the principle of strength in numbers.
There were very few people like Lu Ming. Most people were more inclined to stay with their own kind.
This had nothing to do with whether he was an Awakened or not.
“I’ve looked over there. What I can be sure of is that there’s nothing wrong with the shelter and Zhang Ye.”
w.a.n.g Xiong first ruled out the possibility of encountering a bad person before looking out of the window.
He could see that the corpses of the zombies had been cleared out of the street outside the window… but that was all.
There were really too many things to do to transform this shelter into an usable safe zone… and there were not enough people here at all.
In terms of physical conditions, this street could not compare to Zhang’s ancestral residence at all.
“Moreover, there are more of them and more Awakened ones. There are also walls and sufficient food.”
“All things considered, I think we’re better off moving there.”
As for his status and authority after moving over, w.a.n.g Xiong had never considered it at all.
He had saved people and established a safe area not because he wanted to be a leader. He just did it as saving people was the right thing to do.
No one had any objections to w.a.n.g Xiong’s decision.
In fact, Wong Xiong, as the protector, w.a.n.g Xiong had long become the de facto leader of the group..
Seeing everyone nodding, w.a.n.g Xiong continued.
“So, it’s settled. I’ll talk to Brother Lu Ming.”
…
w.a.n.g Xiong certainly wanted to bring Lu Ming along with him.
In his mind, Lu Ming would definitely follow them and go to the ancestral home of the Zhang family together.
However, the communication between w.a.n.g Xiong and Lu Ming did not go as smoothly as expected.
“Move? I’m not moving!”
Lu Ming’s voice on the other end of the line sounded exceptionally resolute.
This left w.a.n.g Xiong feeling puzzled…
“Brother, it’s obviously safer over there… Including you and me, there are five Awakened over there. There are also more ordinary people and there’s enough food.”
Lu Ming who was inside the house couldn’t help but sneer.
You want me to leave the house? Dream on!
Of course, he had become familiar with w.a.n.g Xiong during this period of time, so Lu Ming did not speak too harshly.
After some thought, Lu Ming spoke.
“My home was already safe before you guys came over.”
w.a.n.g Xiong: “…”
That hit hard, bro.
So, he meant that we were superfluous, huh?
But after thinking about it, w.a.n.g Xiong could not find anything to refute.
Indeed…
Before they came, Lu Ming had been staying at home just fine. During this period of time, they had not seen Lu Ming go out to look for supplies, which indicated that he was probably not short of supplies.
After a long silence, w.a.n.g Xiong sighed and said,
“We have to move. Even if you don’t move, we have to.”
“Have a safe trip.”
w.a.n.g Xiong: “…”
He had wanted to try persuading him again.
But Lu Ming’s stubborn temperament left w.a.n.g Xiong speechless.
In the end, he could only mutter with a complicated expression, “Brother, take care.”
“Yeah.”
…
Watching w.a.n.g Xiong walk away on the electronic screen, Lu Ming’s expression was as usual, but there were indeed some fluctuations in his eyes.
Although w.a.n.g Xiong was a little nagging and annoying, he was still a good person.
With w.a.n.g Xiong, Lu Ming had gained an additional understanding of the outside world.
But now, w.a.n.g Xiong is leaving…
Deep down, Lu Ming actually felt a bit reluctant.
Yes, just a little bit…
After smashing a sandbag in the evening, Lu Ming forgot about the matter.
After waking up from a sweet sleep, when he peeked out the window early in the morning, Lu Ming saw w.a.n.g Xiong leading around ten people walking away towards Good Hope Village. Only then did Lu Ming remember the conversation from yesterday.
Soon, the streets became empty, devoid of both zombies and live persons.
Lu Ming closed the observation hole and began his training for the day.
…
w.a.n.g Xiong had already cleared the route to the Zhang family’s ancestral residence yesterday.
They set off today and did not encounter any danger along the way.
Around noon, w.a.n.g Xiong brought 13 survivors, including Zhang Lixin and Meng Jie, to the Zhang family’s ancestral residence and was received warmly by Zhang Ye.
During lunch, Zhang Ye took out wine and sealed roast chicken. w.a.n.g Xiong and the others wolfed down the food. At the same time, they were certain that they had made the right choice to come this time!
A bigger, safer shelter with more abundant resources.
In the midst of the apocalypse, this was truly something to look forward to.
After a full meal, it was time for small talk.
The ordinary survivors were brought to the dormitory. Over this side, Zhang Ye served dried fruits. The three Awakened ones from the Zhang family shelter, along with w.a.n.g Xiong, Zhang Lixin, and Meng Jie, engaged in a conversation.
“Does the military have any rescue plans?”
Zhang Ye had already learned that Zhang Lixin was a soldier. This ident.i.ty was born with a halo, and naturally carried some weight. The commoners had faith in the soldiers of the people.
Zhang Lixin shook his head gently. “The outbreak of the apocalypse caught us off guard, and the military was not prepared either. Moreover, communications are currently blocked, so I don’t know the current situation up there.”
After briefly discussing the topic, a young man next to Zhang Ye turned to Meng Jie and spoke.
“Sister Meng, I heard that you’re an expert in biology. Do you have any research or insights on zombies and Awakened individuals?”
The young man’s name was Li Zitong, one of the three Awakened ones from the Zhang family shelter.
Hearing Li Zitong’s question, Meng Jie pondered for a moment and began to share her research and speculations.