Stockpiling Supplies&Raising a Child in a Post-Apocalyptic World by DrawingCards

Chapter 10

Lin Zhongsheng, seeing the chat messages, knocked on Lin Ran’s door. “Lin Ran, Lin Ran, what do they mean in the chat?”

Lin Ran opened the door with a cold expression. “It’s literal. Look out the window and you’ll see. If you don’t want to die, stay put and don’t open the door recklessly.”

“Is that how you talk to your father?”

Lin Ran didn’t bother replying and shut the door, locking it.

Lin Zhongsheng stood at the door, cursing, “I only asked a few questions. You’ve really grown wings and stopped listening to me. Fine, I’ll look for myself. I’m not a child who gets scared easily.”

He went to the living room balcony, squinted, and saw two people at the gate biting each other, with what looked like blood on the ground.

Still confused, he continued watching and saw several instances of people biting others in the community. Shaking, he turned on the TV. The news anchor was urgently reporting.

“All residents, please be aware that there have been multiple incidents of people biting others in Jiangbei City. Preliminary investigations suggest it’s due to a virus. Please remain calm and wait for further instructions. Do not go out unless necessary!”

He switched channels, all broadcasting similar urgent messages. “All residents, please note that the main affected areas are Huahua Street and Construction Road. Jiangbei City First Hospital has become a major affected zone. Avoid these areas at all costs…”

Frightened, Lin Zhongsheng switched through several channels, all reporting the same urgent news. He collapsed onto the sofa in fear.

Meanwhile, Lin Ran monitored the security cameras and saw zombies starting to wander outside the building. Any passing pedestrians were immediately attacked.

At the same time, Mo Shuyu and some colleagues, along with a few patients, hid in a medical storage room.

Moments ago, chaos erupted in the hospital corridors as several patients in the emergency room suddenly went berserk, attacking the doctors in a bloody frenzy.

Mo Shuyu, an emergency doctor at Jiangbei City First Hospital, quickly hid in a storage room with colleagues and a few patients. They barricaded the door with shelves and stayed quietly at the back.

Outside, screams, growls, and cries for help filled the air. With many live people outside, the zombies didn’t notice those hiding.

Mo Shuyu carefully called home. Her mother, Cheng Yanhong, answered, her voice tinged with tears, “Shuyu, how is it there? The news says there are monsters everywhere. Be safe at the hospital.”

“Mom, don’t worry. Stay home and look after Ruan Ruan. I’ll find a way back,” Mo Shuyu whispered, knowing it was unlikely. If the hospital was in chaos, the outside world was likely worse. Surviving was hard enough; returning home seemed impossible. She said this to comfort her mother.

“Okay, I’ll take care of her. Shuyu, if you can’t come back, find a safe place to hide. Staying alive is most important. Don’t take risks, understand?” Cheng Yanhong cried and advised.

“Okay, I will. Mom, don’t worry about me. It’s not convenient to talk here. I’ll be brief.”

As Mo Shuyu prepared to hang up, she heard her child’s voice, “Mommy, Ruan Ruan misses you~”

Hearing her child’s voice, Mo Shuyu nearly broke down, her eyes reddening. “Ruan Ruan, Mommy misses you too. Be good and stay with Grandma. Mommy will come back soon, okay?”

“Okay!” The little one, unaware of the situation, responded cheerfully.

Mo Shuyu smiled through her tears, unsure if she’d ever see her child again.

“Mommy has to go now, Ruan Ruan. Bye-bye.” She tried to sound calm.

“Bye-bye, Mommy.” The child, thinking it was a normal call, cheerfully said goodbye, expecting her mother to come home as usual.

After hanging up, Mo Shuyu’s colleagues also quickly finished their calls, fearing unexpected events. The storage room fell silent, with only the terrifying sounds of zombies and people’s desperate cries outside.

~~

By noon, Lin Ran left her room, went to the kitchen, and heated up a can of hotpot, steaming half a pot of rice. She planned to set out after lunch. Since nine in the morning, Jiangbei City's police force had been overwhelmed, with no one to stop her. Collecting 100 zombie crystals for a draw would take most of the day.

As she ate the hot meal, Lin Zhongsheng, scared out of his wits, had no appetite. Seeing Lin Ran calmly eating while watching zombie news made him furious.

“Eat, eat, eat! How can you eat at a time like this? Aren’t you going to think of a solution?” Lin Zhongsheng anxiously sat on the sofa.

“Why should I find a solution? Didn’t you see the news? The entire planet R2 is facing a zombie outbreak. Even if I were a living Buddha, I couldn’t solve this. You should think about how to keep yourself alive.” Lin Ran continued eating.

After eating, Lin Ran washed the pots and bowls. Then, she prepared a waterproof backpack, fastening a compound crossbow and ten arrows to it. She stuffed the bag with energy bars, biscuits, bottled water, a high-powered telescope, and some ropes.

Once everything was ready, Lin Ran dressed herself. Despite the hot weather, she wore a denim jacket to prevent unnecessary scrapes while slashing zombies later.

Seeing her about to leave, Lin Zhongsheng panicked. Staying together gave a sense of safety; being left alone was too frightening.

“What are you doing? Are you planning to go out, Lin Ran? I’m telling you, that’s suicidal. Look how many people are running back home. Who would go out now to seek death?” Lin Zhongsheng said angrily.

Lin Ran turned to look at Lin Zhongsheng, “If you want to survive, stay home and don’t ask unnecessary questions.”

Surviving in the apocalypse is extremely exhausting both physically and mentally. Lin Ran didn’t want to return home exhausted only to listen to complaints from someone irrelevant.

Intimidated by Lin Ran’s look, Lin Zhongsheng raised his voice, “You’re my daughter. What? Do you want to hit me?”

Lin Ran, while changing into her combat boots, sneered, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Zombies are highly sensitive to sound. If you’re not afraid of dying, go ahead and shout louder. The zombies in the fire escape haven’t had lunch yet.”

“Lin Ran, are you crazy?” Realizing he shouldn't shout, Lin Zhongsheng shrank back onto the sofa.

Lin Ran ignored him and left with her backpack.

She wore black thin denim pants tucked into black combat boots. On top, she had a black tank top with a light blue thin denim jacket over it. She zipped up the jacket and tied her slightly curly long hair back for easier movement.

With a thought, Lin Ran summoned her Tang sword.

She drew the sword and stored the scabbard away, holding only the long blade.

Not daring to take the elevator down, fearing it might open to a crowd of zombies on the ground floor, Lin Ran opted for the safety of the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, she started descending the fire escape from her side.

Everything was safe down to the 7th floor; she didn’t encounter a single zombie. But when she reached the 6th floor, she came face-to-face with two zombies wandering in the fire escape.