Chapter 36
Walking forward, there was a long corridor.
On the walls on both sides of the corridor were all kinds of paintings.
Unfortunately, some paintings had fallen to the ground, while others were covered in blood stains, in complete disarray.
Walking further inside led to a large exhibition hall.
Most of the paintings inside were framed, looking more upscale.
Just as Yun Xiaoxiao was about to step in, an elderly zombie woman wearing a cleaner's uniform lunged at her.
She was about to react when a golden light flashed by quickly, instantly splitting the old woman's head in half down the middle.
A hint of surprise flashed in Yun Xiaoxiao's eyes - was this a Gold System Ability User?
"Don't be afraid, little one. Hide behind me, I'll protect you."
Mu Yang walked over, smiling as he ruffled Yun Xiaoxiao's hair.
Then he walked in front of her, shielding her behind him.
The corners of Yun Xiaoxiao's mouth twitched.
Was he treating her like a puppy?
What's with all the ruffling!
However...
This person was actually a Gold System Ability User...
She raised her head, her gaze falling on the man's straight back, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Was this person genuinely trying to save her, or did he have ulterior motives?
"Everyone be careful, let's look around and see if there are any other zombies in here."
At this moment, another man with a somewhat serious face spoke up.
Hearing his words, the others paired up and began to explore the area.
It seemed he was the leader of this small team.
With someone taking charge, Yun Xiaoxiao naturally stayed put.
She walked to a clean spot, patted away the dust on the ground, and sat down directly.
Before long, the others walked out from various places.
They reported to the serious-looking man, "Brother Yan, the zombies inside have been cleared out."
Li Yan nodded, "Good, we'll spend the night here and head back in the morning."
"These clothes are soaking wet, if we wear them overnight, we're bound to catch a bad cold tomorrow," one person grumbled.
Li Yan said, "Everyone, take down the paintings from the walls earlier, start two fires - men on the outside, women on the inside. Dry your clothes by the fire, don't get sick."
Everyone understood his meaning.
This was the apocalypse; it was dangerous enough without being sick.
If you fell ill, there would be even less chance of survival.
As they busied themselves, Yun Xiaoxiao found a spot far from them, sitting alone in a corner.
After a while, the bonfires were lit.
The room instantly became much brighter.
Yun Xiaoxiao leaned against the wall, just about to close her eyes for a rest.
The sound of light footsteps drew closer.
She suddenly opened her eyes to see Mu Yang standing in front of her with a smiling face.
He bent down slightly, handing her a box of biscuits and half a bottle of mineral water.
"Eat up."
Yun Xiaoxiao stared into his eyes, which were clear even in the dim light.
She frowned slightly, about to refuse.
Suddenly, another female voice sounded from behind Mu Yang.
"If you give her your food, what will you eat?"
It was the beautiful girl from earlier.
However, at this moment, the expression on her face greatly detracted from her beauty, looking somewhat mean-spirited.
"I'm not hungry," Mu Yang said nonchalantly.
Ye Lingwei's face darkened, "We've all been busy all afternoon, haven't eaten a thing, this is your dinner. Usually, this wouldn't even be enough for you, and now you're saying you're not hungry? Who are you trying to fool?"
She glanced sideways at Yun Xiaoxiao, "She's just a five-year-old girl, we're not related to her in any way, why give her our food?"
In the apocalypse, children were the most useless!
Saving a dog would at least give them something that could bite a zombie in a crisis, buying them time to escape.
But children? Not only did they have zero combat ability, they would just cry and make a fuss, only holding everyone back.
Hearing the girl's words, Mu Yang's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
But he didn't lose his temper.
"Lingwei, go back first, this isn't your concern."
"Why shouldn't I be concerned? Not to mention that you're my fiancé, I don't want you to go hungry.
Just considering the supplies alone, they belong to our entire team.
We risked our lives to gather these bit by bit, why should we give them to an irrelevant little brat?"
Ye Lingwei sneered with a sarcastic tone.
"Don't forget, this is the apocalypse. Pitying others is a slow-acting poison!
If you pity her now, she might cling to you later, and you won't be able to shake her off.
What, do you want to suddenly become a father and raise her for life?"
"This is my own business," Mu Yang's face turned cold.
He was a post-apocalyptic enthusiast, of course he knew the principle of cutting off compassion first in the apocalypse.
But he wasn't a mindless fool either. He had his own judgment about who to save and who not to save.
The apocalypse might not value humanity.
But as a human being, one couldn't completely lose their humanity.
Someone completely without humanity, selfish and self-serving, could they still be called human?
How were they any different from beasts or zombies?
He didn't want to become worse than an animal.
Besides, it was just a box of biscuits and half a bottle of water.
He wouldn't starve to death.
It was simply because he took a liking to the little one.
Ever since she had driven off alone in that modified car last time, he felt this little girl wasn't a simple character.
Seeing her again this time, he was even more convinced of his thoughts.
A five or six-year-old child, able to survive alone for over two months in a world full of man-eating monsters.
Just for that alone, she deserved to have this food.
Hearing his words, Ye Lingwei became furious.
She shouted angrily, "Mu Yang! Do you still consider me your fiancée or not?!"
"It was just our families' one-sided wish to begin with. If you don't want to be, that's fine too."
Mu Yang said coolly, the smile gone from his face.
He had never acknowledged this relationship.
It was only after the apocalypse, when both their parents had died, and because the two families had always been close, that he continued to take care of her for the sake of their parents.
During this time, she had always acted as his fiancée, interfering with his affairs multiple times.
Previously, he didn't want to quibble with her, but she kept overstepping her bounds.
Since that was the case, there was no need to continue this relationship.
It was a relationship in name only anyway, and he had never promised her anything.
"Fine, you said it yourself, don't regret it later!"
Ye Lingwei ran off with tears in her eyes.
Mu Yang didn't care. He held out the food to Yun Xiaoxiao, flashing his small canine teeth in a bright smile.
"Little one, why are you staring at me? Eat up."
Yun Xiaoxiao shook her head, refusing directly.
"I don't need it."
She opened her small backpack and took out her own small bread and water.
The gesture seemed to say, "See? I really do have my own."
Yun Xiaoxiao looked at Mu Yang, and Mu Yang touched his own face.
"What's wrong? Is there something dirty on my face?"
Yun Xiaoxiao shook her head and said frankly, "I don't think you and that woman are suitable for each other."
"Why?" Mu Yang asked with amusement.
Yun Xiaoxiao said, "She's not good enough for you."
Mu Yang burst out laughing and ruffled her hair.
"You little one, you're quite precocious.
By the way, where's that car you had me modify? I didn't see it outside earlier?"