Chapter Sixteen: To Conquer the Environment, One Must First Become Part of It

To say that Lin Xing and Chu Xingyu joined the morning training today was, in fact, Jiang Miao-miao’s idea. From the very beginning, everyone had been relying on Qin Sheng, and as it happened, Chu Xingyu and Lin Xing wanted to do something—anything—to help her. Even if they couldn’t be of much help, at least not holding her back would be good enough.

“Sheng-sheng, you’re up! Come look at our horse stance—see if we’re doing it right!” Jiang Miao-miao’s eyes sparkled as she saw Qin Sheng approach, waving her over excitedly.

The three of them stood in a perfect row, each more serious than the last, their earnest expressions bringing a smile to Qin Sheng’s lips.

“Not bad, you’ve improved,” she said. After a good night’s sleep, her mood was noticeably better than usual, and the smile on her face was brighter than ever.

Lin Xing noticed her unusually good mood and shot a questioning glance at Chu Xingyu. The “young lady” would sometimes smile, but usually it felt more like there was a wall between them. Today, for the first time, she seemed truly approachable.

“Hey, what’s got you in such a good mood today? Did something nice happen?” Lin Xing asked, joking as he held his stance.

Unbidden, Qin Sheng recalled running into Song Qing’an the previous night, her mind drifting to the warmth of the bath water—the “surprise” Song Qing’an had mentioned.

The three rarely saw Qin Sheng so absentminded, a faint smile lingering on her lips. They exchanged curious glances.

“She’s smiling so sweetly,” Lin Xing said, grinning like a fan meeting his idol.

Chu Xingyu gave a faint smile as well. “Sheng-jie’s smile is like a girl in love,” he remarked dryly.

Jiang Miao-miao nodded emphatically, though she had never been separated from Qin Sheng—especially in this post-apocalyptic world, where would she even find someone to fall for?

“In love? Then I must be heartbroken,” Lin Xing exclaimed in mock surprise, a look of exaggerated disappointment crossing his face.

Jiang Miao-miao and Chu Xingyu shot him a glance, struggling to find words and pursing their lips helplessly.

“Sheng-sheng, what are you thinking about?” Jiang Miao-miao raised her voice, snapping Qin Sheng out of her reverie.

“Huh?” Qin Sheng came back to herself. The tone of Jiang Miao-miao’s call was so reminiscent of how Song Qing’an had called her last night that she shook her head vigorously, chasing away the memory.

“I’m fine,” she said, clearing her throat and regaining her usual composure. “What would you like for breakfast? I’ll make something.”

At the mention of food, the other three immediately forgot about prying into her earlier distraction. Their voices alone betrayed their delight at the prospect of breakfast.

“We actually get to choose? Is this heaven?” Lin Xing marveled. He hadn’t known Qin Sheng long, but never expected that following her would come with the luxury of picking one’s breakfast.

“Well, that depends on what’s left in the convenience store and supermarket,” Qin Sheng replied matter-of-factly.

Even though she had no real need to go to the store, she still played along.

“Sheng-jie, I’m not picky. I’ll eat whatever there is,” Chu Xingyu said obediently.

Lin Xing, who had been considering his options, felt a bit guilty when he heard Chu Xingyu’s response. He lowered his head, “Same here. Anything is fine.”

“Count me in too,” added Jiang Miao-miao.

Seeing their responses, Qin Sheng understood. She gave a few simple instructions for their training and left the rooftop.

After what had happened yesterday, Qin Sheng had come up that night to reinforce their defenses—using the bodies of stray zombies as building blocks for the walls.

Jiang Miao-miao was used to such sights, but Lin Xing and Chu Xingyu still needed time to adapt.

“Does she always reinforce the walls like that?” Lin Xing glanced at the decapitated zombies. If he’d already eaten, he’d probably have lost his breakfast.

Jiang Miao-miao closed her eyes, holding her stance. “You get used to it.”

If they ever heard how Qin Sheng once had her spar one-on-one with zombies, they’d be even more shocked.

“There’s logic to what Sheng-jie does, but the smell is… words fail me,” Chu Xingyu said, pinching his nose to block out the stench.

Jiang Miao-miao opened her eyes, gripping her dagger and practicing the moves Qin Sheng had taught her. “Stay calm—Sheng-sheng says we must get used to this. To conquer the environment, we must first blend into it.”

Chu Xingyu and Lin Xing nodded seriously, their respect for Qin Sheng deepening. Only someone like her could say something so reasonable.

Inspired by her words, they threw themselves into their training with renewed determination.

Unlike Jiang Miao-miao, Lin Xing and Chu Xingyu didn’t have suitable weapons. Instead, they wielded headless mops, looking for all the world like Shaolin monks.

As the three focused on their training, Qin Sheng made her way to the Lawson’s convenience store next to the girls’ dormitory.

Just as she expected, the glass doors were smeared with dried, crimson blood, and even a severed leg could be seen...

Qin Sheng was long inured to such sights. Her new black combat boots stepped over scattered limbs as she strode inside, her short hair sharp and her camouflage uniform crisp. With one hand in her pocket, she walked in with effortless composure.

The store was in chaos: food scattered across the floor, mixed with dark, sticky blood, and the smell was almost unbearable.

The instant rice balls and boxed meals were clearly inedible, but the yogurt and bread still intact on the shelves would do.

Qin Sheng grabbed a pack of gum from the counter, popped one into her mouth, and began dropping the edible items into her basket.

She’d just picked up a bottle of yogurt when she paused, eyes narrowing—she’d heard something. Having gathered enough supplies, she walked to the counter.

“Checkout,” she announced coolly. She was certain someone was hiding beneath the counter—she’d noticed when she grabbed the gum. The person was probably terrified, not daring to make a sound the entire time she’d been in the store.

No response. Silence.

Qin Sheng knocked lightly on the counter, her expression unruffled, and wrapped her flavorless gum in a piece of paper before tossing it into the nearby trash can.

“If you don’t come out, I won’t mind dragging you out myself,” she said. No sooner had she finished than a messy head peeked out from under the counter.

Qin Sheng raised her eyebrows and leaned casually against the counter, as if waiting for the girl to speak.

Xia Tian took a long moment to muster her courage, confirming over and over that the girl before her was indeed human. Then, all at once, she broke down and sobbed, as though venting all her pent-up grievances from the past days.

The sudden outburst took Qin Sheng by surprise. Had she known the girl would be so easily frightened, she wouldn’t have spoken so harshly. Now she’d have to comfort her—a task for which she was singularly unqualified.

After a moment’s hesitation, Qin Sheng awkwardly handed Xia Tian a piece of gum.

Sniffling, Xia Tian pouted miserably but accepted the gum, popping it in her mouth between hiccuping sobs—she even let out a burp.

Seeing her finally calm down, Qin Sheng asked, “You’ve been hiding here since the first day?”

Xia Tian nodded, chewing her gum and speaking haltingly. “The store manager came in and said zombies were here. He told me to hide, and then all the customers turned… In the chaos, I managed to stay unnoticed.”

Qin Sheng frowned, puzzled. “What about your store manager?”

Xia Tian pointed toward a small, easily overlooked room at the back. Fortunately, the manager had renovated the storage room, or he wouldn’t have survived.

Just as Qin Sheng was about to check, Xia Tian grabbed her arm.

“He’s got a bad temper—please don’t disturb him,” she whispered.

Qin Sheng’s interest was piqued. She nodded and walked to the inconspicuous room, knocking politely.

“Manager, it’s me, Xia Tian,” she called through the door when there was no response.

Only after hearing Xia Tian’s voice did sounds emerge from within, accompanied by an impatient male voice. “Didn’t I tell you not to bother me? If you draw zombies here and I get bitten, then what?”

The door swung open to reveal Li Wei, the manager, who immediately noticed Qin Sheng. Seeing his sour expression, Xia Tian hurried to explain, “She’s a survivor from our school, too. Manager, we’re not alone anymore!”

“How do you know she isn’t infected?” Li Wei said, giving Qin Sheng a hostile glance.

Xia Tian gave Qin Sheng an embarrassed look, forcing a smile. “Sorry, our manager has a bit of a temper.”

“Are you done? If so, get lost.” Before Qin Sheng could respond, the door slammed shut with a resounding bang, a testament to Li Wei’s foul mood.

“Sorry…” Xia Tian murmured, apologizing softly like a timid rabbit.

“Shh.” Qin Sheng tensed. She’d heard the low growl of a zombie. “Hide.”

Having spent several harrowing days, Xia Tian immediately understood and obediently led Qin Sheng to crouch in the corner beneath the counter.

Once inside, Qin Sheng finally understood how Xia Tian had survived so many zombies; the small space was indeed well-defended—if one were careful, it would be almost impossible to find.

Just as Qin Sheng expected, the zombie growls grew louder. Li Wei’s earlier outburst must have attracted their attention.

Xia Tian clamped her hand tightly over her mouth to suppress any sound.

Qin Sheng was ready for battle, left hand poised to summon her tangdao at any moment.

Only Qin Sheng and Xia Tian knew zombies had entered; Li Wei, behind his closed door, was none the wiser.

“I don’t have much food left here—just take some and get out…”