Chapter 49 My Dad Said So

Seeing that Chen Tao was chatting with Lin Qingqing, Yue Tingting also wandered over.

When she heard that Lin Qingqing actually killed zombies on her own, the expression on her face changed instantly, a mix of sympathy and envy.

Lin Qingqing could more or less guess what she was thinking, and she actually understood it. If she hadn't witnessed that horrific scene involving the woman on the second day of the apocalypse, hadn't subsequently encountered a pervert like Zhou Mang, and had instead been rescued directly by Captain Xiao, she would probably have had the exact same thoughts as this girl.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs.

After the three of them exchanged a few casual words, Yue Tingting was called away by her younger brother.

Watching the girl's lively retreating figure, Lin Qingqing couldn't help asking Chen Tao, "Don't you guys mind that they don't know how to kill zombies?"

"Why would we mind?" Chen Tao asked, looking puzzled.

"In the apocalypse, survival is going to get harder and harder. It's fine for now, but in the future, they might become a burden to you!"

"If that's the case, my mom doesn't know how to kill zombies either. Should I abandon her too?" Chen Tao retorted, sounding a bit angry.

Hearing this, Lin Qingqing realized he had misunderstood, though she didn't bother to explain. What she actually wanted to ask was: what if someone among these people betrayed him? When it truly came to a life-or-death moment, even blood relatives had a high probability of betraying you!

She herself was like this, Lei Min was like this, and Wen Ling was too.

Seeing that Lin Qingqing remained silent for a long time, Chen Tao figured his tone might have been too harsh just now. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, thought for a moment, and said, "If you have the ability, you help out. It's no trouble at all. After all, everyone runs into hard times. It's all about making good connections and spreading kindness!"

Lin Qingqing looked at Chen Tao in surprise, never expecting him to say something like that.

Feeling a bit self-conscious under her gaze, Chen Tao quickly averted his face and said, "Don't, don't look at me like that. These aren't my words, they're my dad's. He always nags us about these things."

"Oh?" Lin Qingqing involuntarily glanced over at the middle-aged man whose forehead was beaded with sweat.

Following her gaze, Chen Tao saw Aunt Zhang handing her husband a water bottle while affectionately nagging him as she wiped away his sweat.

"Hehe, their relationship is great, right? My dad often says that ability might make you feel secure, but only family can give you true peace of mind!" Before finishing his sentence, Chen Tao grew embarrassed.

Covering his face, he muttered, "They've been married for ages and are still showing affection day in and day out, while I'm still single."

"Family? What if you don't have a family anymore?"

"Huh? Well, there are friends, partners, comrades-in-arms... anyone you can truly trust can become family, I guess!"

Assuming Lin Qingqing had lost all her family members, Chen Tao quickly tried to comfort her.

"Is that so? Do you really think those can become family?"

"I think they can!"

Looking at Chen Tao's certain tone, Lin Qingqing smiled faintly. He really was someone who had grown up honey-sweetened.

However, speaking of comrades-in-arms, she thought of Xiao Pengfei again. If it were that squad, she would actually be willing to believe what Chen Tao said.

By the time Chen Gang finished repairing the car, it was already afternoon. After putting their heads together, the group decided to spend the night right here. The small diner they had stopped at earlier had already been cleared out by them, and pushing the tables in the hall together created a large makeshift platform bed.

Lin Qingqing had no objections to this; her vehicle was extremely comfortable to sleep in, so she had no desire to crowd in with them.

With the rain earlier in the day, the sky darkened much earlier than usual. Since it was still a bit too early for sleep, Chen Tao and the others lit a candle and started playing cards to pass the time.

Rejecting their invitation, Lin Qingqing returned to her vehicle alone and was just about to settle into meditation when someone knocked on her car window.

*Tap, tap, tap...*

The sound was very light, as if the person was afraid of disturbing her.

Rolling down the window, Lin Qingqing looked curiously at the girl outside. "Is something the matter?"

It was Zhao娜 (Zhao Na). Seeing that Lin Qingqing wasn't asleep, she pulled a somewhat nervous Yue Tingting out from behind her.

Yue Tingting cast a glance at Lin Qingqing, but seeing that Lin Qingqing was looking right back at her, she quickly lowered her head.

Knowing she couldn't rely on Yue Tingting to speak up, Zhao Na mustered her courage and said, "Sorry to bother you, but... we have a favor to ask."

"What is it?" Lin Qingqing was a bit curious. These two girls hadn't seemed very eager to get close to her during the day; what could possibly have driven them to ask her for a favor?

"I... I heard that you've killed zombies. Can you... can you teach us?"

"You want to learn how to kill zombies? Why come to me?"

If they wanted to learn how to kill zombies, Chen Gang and his son were the best possible teachers. Why weren't they asking them instead of coming to a stranger like her? Lin Qingqing was puzzled.

Zhao Na said helplessly, "They said we're girls, so we don't need to learn."

"Then you..."

"I want to rely on myself! I feel like nobody is as reliable as oneself!"

She thought differently from Chen Tao's family. Although the Chen father and son treated them very well, Zhao Na still felt uneasy inside, always feeling that remaining passively protected wasn't a long-term solution.

It wasn't that she thought they were bad people, but what if? What if a situation arose where they had to choose between saving Chen Tao and saving her? You only have one life; she didn't dare gamble on it.

"Could you please teach me?" Zhao Na pleaded.

"A-and please teach me too. I... I want to protect my brother," Yue Tingting stammered as well.

Although she wasn't as resolute as Zhao Na, she was still willing to bravely step forward for her brother's sake.

Looking at the determined expressions in the eyes of the two girls, Lin Qingqing suddenly thought of what Chen Tao had said earlier.

Actually, it wasn't out of the question. For her, teaching them how to kill zombies wouldn't waste much time, but for Zhao Na and Yue Tingting, it might genuinely give them an extra chance at survival—a way to save themselves when no one else could.

Consider it sowing a seed of good karma, Lin Qingqing thought to herself.

"Do you have supernatural powers?"

"No... we don't."

"Alright, that doesn't matter. Let's go!"

With that, Lin Qingqing jumped down from the vehicle, reached into the trunk, and pulled out a weapon to hand to Zhao Na. It was the large machete she had previously crafted back at the kindergarten.

Accepting the rather heavy machete, Zhao Na grabbed Yue Tingting's hand and followed Lin Qingqing across the street toward the convenience hotel opposite.

There were quite a few zombies around. Standing by the roadside and glancing back at the trembling pair, Lin Qingqing smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. We'll start with the easy mode."

"There's an easy mode for killing zombies?" Yue Tingting asked in disbelief.

Without a word, Lin Qingqing took the machete from Zhao Na, rushed over to the nearest zombie, and severed its limbs in just two or three swift strikes.

She then placed the machete back into Zhao Na's hands and nodded at her. "Go on, kill it!"

Gazing at the zombie writhing and snapping its jaws on the ground, Zhao Na swallowed nervously. Was *this* the easy mode?

"Remember, a zombie's head is its fatal spot. You have to sever its neck or smash its skull for them to truly die!" Lin Qingqing said, stepping aside to make room for her.

In truth, this step carried zero danger. She was doing this purely to build up their courage.

Killing zombies only took a first time, after which there would be countless more. Most people who had never killed a zombie were simply stuck at that very first threshold.

Clearly understanding Lin Qingqing's intention, Zhao Na felt deeply grateful that she hadn't immediately thrown them into a life-or-death brawl with a mobile zombie.

She didn't disappoint. After testing the waters twice, she drove the blade straight through the zombie's skull.

"Very good. Now, do you want to give it a try?"

Lin Qingqing looked at Yue Tingting's pale face and asked.

Although Yue Tingting's psychological resilience was slightly weaker than Zhao Na's, she ultimately gripped the large machete firmly.

Seeing her resolve, Lin Qingqing subdued another limbless zombie. With a pale face and closed eyes, Yue Tingting swung the machete fiercely toward the zombie's head.

*Clang!* The blade struck the floor tiles instead.

"If you don't keep your eyes open, how are you ever going to hit it?" Lin Qingqing's cold voice made Yue Tingting shrink her neck.

After another moment of hesitation, she finally unleashed a second strike. This blow still missed the vital spot, but this time she didn't wait for Lin Qingqing to prompt her—she swung a third time, then a fourth...

"Alright, you've killed it!"

Noticing something amiss with her state, Lin Qingqing quickly intervened.

Only then did Yue Tingting snap back to reality and stop. Glancing at the battered, unrecognizable mess of the zombie's head, she dropped the machete, stumbled over to a nearby tree, and threw up with a loud retching sound.