Chapter 47: Such a Family (Part 1)

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Lei Min opened the door to find Director Liu standing outside. This time, he no longer uttered those grandiose words but got straight to the point, directly asking Lin Qingqing to help them deal with the group of zombies blocking the entrance.

“Sister Lin isn’t here!”

“Not here? Where else could she be?”

Director Liu clearly didn’t believe it. None of them had seen Lin Qingqing leave; he was certain that Miss Lei was just making excuses.

“She went out on some errand,” Lei Min said, rolling her eyes. With Lin Qingqing gone, she and Wen Ling had no choice but to stay behind for the time being. So she concealed the truth about Lin Qingqing’s departure from Director Liu and the others, hoping to stabilize the situation before finding an opportunity to leave with Wen Ling.

“Really?”

Director Liu glanced behind Lei Min and, seeing only Wen Ling in the room, believed her. “Why would I lie to you?” Lei Min folded her arms, letting him look her over. Though she felt disgusted, she was helpless in this moment.

“Did Miss Lin say when she’d be back?” Director Liu pressed on, unwilling to let the matter drop.

“About three to five days,” Lei Min said, noticing Director Liu’s lingering suspicion, and quickly corrected herself, “Three days, at most three days.”

“Oh? Then we’ll come back in a couple of days,” Director Liu said, no longer pressing her but his skeptical expression remained unchanged.

“All right,” Lei Min nodded, biting back her frustration as she closed the door.

She knew dealing with someone as shameless and cunning as Director Liu was beyond her experience. These types prey on the weak and fear strength. If they found out that Sister Lin wouldn’t be coming back, they surely wouldn’t let her leave.

She had bought herself three days, but Director Liu’s promise to return in two days was clearly a test.

Leaning against the door, Lei Min took a deep breath and resolved to find a chance to escape within those two days.

…

Lin Qingqing had no idea about the predicament Lei Min and Wen Ling were in. Perhaps she had previously underestimated the cunning and shamelessness of Director Liu and his ilk.

At this moment, she stood outside a budget hotel. She had intended to find a place to rest but unexpectedly encountered people passing by.

The hotel was built beside a main road, flanked by a few rundown fast-food shops and auto repair stores, all looking dilapidated and evidently already searched.

Spotting signs of human activity, Lin Qingqing stopped instinctively and saw several figures busy loading things onto a vehicle.

There were six people in total, led by a middle-aged man. Alongside him were a middle-aged woman, a young man, two young women, and a half-grown boy.

The group resembled a large family. At least it was clear the middle-aged couple were husband and wife; the young man and boy were likely their children, though the two young women remained unclear.

The young man was the first to notice Lin Qingqing. The black SUV approaching grabbed his attention immediately.

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“Hey, isn’t that the Lightning brand high-end business car?” The young man, a car enthusiast, clearly recognized its value.

Who was inside? Where had they gotten such a fine vehicle?

In the apocalypse, driving a luxury car was no longer exclusive to the wealthy; people like this young man now had chances to own cars they had never dreamed of before.

As he speculated, the black SUV slowly pulled over to the roadside.

“Dad! Dad! Look over there!” The young man excitedly tugged at the middle-aged man’s arm.

This time, the others saw it too, but the middle-aged man wasn’t as excited as his son. He warily eyed the car and pulled his wife and son behind him.

Seeing that they had noticed her, Lin Qingqing rolled down the window and greeted them.

“Hello!”

“Hiss~”

No one expected the low-key luxury car to be driven by such a young woman—a beauty at that.

They all froze briefly. The middle-aged woman behind her husband pinched him hard and slapped their son, glaring at Lin Qingqing with disdain and suspicion.

The middle-aged man glared back at his wife, then awkwardly nodded to Lin Qingqing.

Compared to his father, the young man was much more straightforward. Smiling brightly, ignoring his mother’s warning, he waved and called out, “Hey, beautiful! Where are you headed?”

“Just passing through. How about you?”

“We’re planning to visit my uncle. Where are you going? Want to come with us?”

“You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?” Before Lin Qingqing could reply, the middle-aged woman grabbed her son’s arm to warn him to stop talking nonsense.

At that moment, the two young women also looked over. Standing together, one of them held the half-grown boy’s hand.

By the atmosphere, it was clear these three were not part of the same family as the young man.

“I’m looking for a base. Do you know where one might be?” Lin Qingqing considered and asked.

She genuinely wanted to see what a base looked like. Though she planned to travel alone, she didn’t want to sever all ties with the outside world.

The young man got excited again upon hearing her mention a base.

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“We’re planning to go to a base after we find my uncle. Seems like we share the same destination!”

“Oh? What a coincidence,” Lin Qingqing smiled.

The middle-aged woman’s attempt to stop him came too late; her son was already spilling the details of their journey.

Seeing that Lin Qingqing was a single woman, the middle-aged man didn’t stop his son’s invitation.

“Miss, if you’re headed to a base, come with us!”

“Old Chen! We’re already three people,” the middle-aged woman said disapprovingly, glancing at the other side.

The two young women looked displeased at the pointed comment.

The young man was somewhat unhappy.

“Mom! Don’t say that. At least Tingting was my ex-girlfriend.”

“Shut up! Ex-girlfriend or not, we all have to protect them.”

“If protection’s needed, it should be me and my dad doing it. You’re no help,” the young man muttered under his breath.

“What did you say...”

“Enough. We’re grown-ups. Stop arguing in front of the young lady,” the middle-aged man intervened, and both fell silent.

Lin Qingqing smiled at their bickering and then said, “I don’t need your protection. Just tell me where the base is.”

“Huh? That won’t do. It’s too dangerous for you alone. Don’t mind what my mom says; she’s like that—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted,” the young man quickly explained.

“Exactly. It’s dangerous out there. You’re a young woman; better come with us.”

The middle-aged man also didn’t feel comfortable letting this young woman travel alone, though none of them thought to ask about her abilities.

Perhaps her clean, harmless appearance had instinctively made them see her as a fragile girl from the streets before the apocalypse.

“So, the weakest appearance is often the most deceptive disguise,” Lin Qingqing chuckled softly and no longer refused their kindness.