Chapter Thirty-Four: Each Goes Their Own Way

After crying for quite a while, Lei Min finally steadied her emotions. Seeing the water stains on Lin Qingqing’s pant legs, she rubbed her fingers together in embarrassment.

"I—I'm sorry!"

Lin Qingqing did not blame her. She reached out to help her up and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

If she had somewhere to go, Lin Qingqing would not mind giving her a lift.

"I don't know..."

Lei Min shook her head blankly. Her home was in another city, and she had lost contact after the apocalypse began. In Rongcheng, besides her classmates, her cousin was her only relative.

"Do you know of any survivor bases nearby?" Lin Qingqing asked again after a moment of thought.

"I know of some, but I don't want to go," Lei Min said softly. Bases were not easy places to live, especially for a young woman on her own.

"Why?" Lin Qingqing asked, confused.

"I... I sprained my ankle!"

Lei Min thought for a moment but did not tell the truth. She had not yet decided what to do. Initially, she had hoped to find her cousin and figure out a way back home together, but now her cousin was gone, and her classmates had abandoned her and vanished.

Seeing her hesitation, Lin Qingqing recalled that when they were fleeing, this girl had indeed been suddenly attacked by a wood-element ability user’s vines.

If she hadn't been injured, it would be one thing, but now that she had a sprained ankle and limited mobility, Lin Qingqing could not leave a wounded person behind. If she encountered zombies, she wouldn't even be able to run.

"Sigh."

Lin Qingqing sighed again, then supported the girl as they walked toward her car.

The two made their way through the small woods to where they had parked, and indeed, Chu Wei’s SUV was gone. She didn't know how Xiao Hu had managed to drive it away, but fortunately, he hadn't touched her own vehicle.

Lin Qingqing checked her car inside and out, finding no signs of tampering.

"Let's find a place to rest first," Lin Qingqing said as she helped the girl into the car. "Do you know of any place we can stay around here?"

"I do. I'll guide you," the girl said, looking up and sniffing. "There are dormitories here for the park staff; my cousin brought me here before."

She was very familiar with the area. The car moved slowly along the deserted roads of the park, and following the girl’s directions, Lin Qingqing found a two-story building hidden in a dense grove of trees.

After dealing with a few zombies, Lin Qingqing took the girl upstairs and found two relatively clean rooms, intending to rest there for the night.

She had checked the girl’s ankle; it was just a sprain, and no bones or tendons were broken. With the recovery speed of an ability user, this injury was nothing; a bit of spray medication should have her right by tomorrow.

"Rest here tonight," Lin Qingqing said, handing her some food and water before turning to head to the room next door.

"What about you?"

"I'm staying here tonight as well." With that, Lin Qingqing left decisively, giving her no chance to say more.

"Hey..."

Watching the slender back retreat, the girl suddenly realized she didn't even know her savior's name.

"She doesn't want to get to know me," the girl thought, sitting back on the bed with the food and water, feeling a bit dejected.

Once back in her own room, Lin Qingqing had already put the girl next door out of her mind.

She had saved her life and brought her to a safe place; she felt she had done all she could. Besides, the girl was also an ability user. In the apocalypse, having an ability meant having the most basic means of survival; there was no need for Lin Qingqing to worry about her.

After eating and resting briefly, Lin Qingqing locked the door and began to meditate. This was her secret and her greatest trump card, so she used every spare moment for meditation practice.

Today, the girl next door had been thrown to the zombies by her companions, while she and Old Yang had been backstabbed by Chu Wei.

It was the same kind of betrayal, only Old Yang had died, the girl was lucky enough to be saved by her, and Chu Wei had been killed by her the moment he made his move.

Lin Qingqing understood that in the apocalypse, while there were kind-hearted people like Captain Xiao and the girl next door, they were a rare minority. Most were selfish survivors like Chu Wei or the girl’s classmates, or even evil people like Zhou Mang.

The reason she had survived until now and dared to save others was precisely because of a strength that surpassed others.

"Captain Xiao said some have already reached the third tier."

Lin Qingqing didn't know how others achieved it, but she knew this world was never short of the strong.

Some were smart and talented, some had powerful backgrounds and never lacked resources, and others were not only capable but also possessed incredible luck.

Although she had a meditation technique that accelerated the growth of her power, she still dared not relax, because she understood that compared to mindless zombies, the true danger in the apocalypse came from the greed and schemes of her own kind.

Lin Qingqing had always known she wasn't among the very top tier, so only continuously growing strength was her foundation for survival in this apocalypse.

The night passed in silence.

Early the next morning, Lin Qingqing knocked on the girl’s door.

"Take these, and take care of yourself!"

She handed a small package of food to the girl and formally said goodbye.

"You're leaving?"

The girl rubbed her eyes, looking at her in surprise.

She had dark circles under her eyes, clearly having not slept well. She had assumed this older sister would stay with her for a few days, but she hadn't expected her to leave so abruptly.

"Yes, take them," Lin Qingqing said, pushing the food forward again.

Two packs of biscuits and a bottle of water—barely enough for a day—was not much, but the girl could not bring herself to reach out and take them.

It wasn't that she was being coy; she knew that if she took them, it would mean accepting this farewell, and the two might never cross paths again.

She didn't want that; she wanted to follow her!

"What's wrong?"

Seeing the girl keeping her head down, neither speaking nor reaching for the food, Lin Qingqing frowned.

"I... can I come with you?"

"No!" Lin Qingqing refused without a second thought.

"You saved my life, I want to repay you!"

"I don't need repayment. You lured the zombies away, and I saved you only to draw the zombies back. It was just a matter of convenience!"

"Were you specifically here to kill my cou—the zombie?"

"Yes, I received intel that there was a second-tier zombie here, so I came."

Lin Qingqing pretended not to hear the "cousin" the girl hadn't finished saying. A zombie was just a zombie; she had no interest in their stories from when they were alive.

Seeing the girl looking like she had more to say, Lin Qingqing continued, "Even though that zombie was related to you while alive, I was the one who killed it. I won't give you the crystal core!"

"I... I didn't mean that," the girl waved her hands in surprise. "Please, don't misunderstand. I know that’s your kill... your spoils of war. I don't want the core."

"Then why do you want to follow me?"

Lin Qingqing found it strange. One only had to look at Chu Wei to know how rare a second-tier crystal core of the same element was, let alone a rare lightning-element one that had come from her own cousin.

She really didn't want it?