Wu Mengyao arrived just then, carrying water and a large bag of fruit.
Lin Yuan quickly found an excuse to slip away, "Uh, I'll go get the fruit first."
Wu Tian also smiled and followed.
"Did I say something wrong, Uncle Wu?" Lin Yuan asked Wu Tian after taking the bag of fruit and the water bucket.
"Why would you ask someone about their eyeshadow? Your attempt to change the subject is a bit too obvious. But don't worry, at this point, they won't dwell on such a small matter. Just make sure you don't look at that child with prejudice later on," Wu Tian replied, telling Lin Yuan not to worry too much.
After Lin Yuan and the others left, Zhao Anjing leaned over to Wang Zhihai and his brother, saying, "Brother, look at the things in that bag. Don't they look like human bones?"
Zhao Mengnan looked at his sister and quickly admonished her before Lin Yuan returned, "What's wrong with you, girl? Don't say things like that in front of Lin Yuan. We were saved at the risk of their lives. Aren't you suspecting them of murder? Besides, my gun still has five bullets. I'll protect you if there's any real danger."
"No, brother, I'm not suspecting them. It's just that it reminded me of it. I just wanted to remind you not to be caught off guard," Zhao Anjing said with a helpless expression.
If Lin Yuan and Wu Tian were present, they would have praised Zhao Anjing's vigilance. If Lin Yuan and Wu Tian had malicious intentions, they could have easily poisoned the water and obtained their weapons.
Or, more cruelly, they could have poisoned the man's water and given the woman a sleeping potion. In a state of gratitude for being saved, one could easily fall prey to such a scheme.
Therefore, it's always wise to be cautious, especially in the extremely unstable social environment of the apocalypse. Maintaining vigilance is crucial.
Wang Zhihai also examined the plastic bag carefully, but after seeing the skull, he felt much relieved.
"Anjing, it's fine. I took a close look. The skull has many bone spurs, which don't look like a human skull. It's likely from a zombie."
Zhao Anjing also breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She didn't want to escape one danger only to fall into another. For now, she felt at ease with Lin Yuan and the others.
At this moment, Lin Yuan and Wu Tian returned, carrying water and fruit.
"These are apples and pears. The watermelons, bananas, and grapes are all gone and won't last long. Here's water and some wipes, so you can clean yourselves up a bit later," Lin Yuan said as he placed the bag on the table.
Seeing the fruit and water, Wang Zhihai and the others felt a little embarrassed. Lin Yuan and the others were too kind.
"Thank you, thank you, Comrade Lin Yuan." After saying that, he washed his hands with water and then took an apple from the bag, first offering it to Lin Yuan and Wu Tian, and then to the others. The three of them were still busy, so they placed the apples on the table.
By the time it reached him, they were all gone.
"Hahaha, Brother Wang, I told you we don't eat them. Look, you don't have enough."
After laughing, Lin Yuan took a knife, cut an apple in half, and gave half to Wang Zhihai. Then he asked, "Brother Wang, Brother Zhao, you said someone shot at you just now? What happened? Was it the gunshot not long ago?"
Seeing Lin Yuan and Wu Tian enjoying the apples, they had reached a conclusion.
He picked up an apple and took a big bite. The taste of fresh fruit was truly wonderful, especially after so many days of hiding and fleeing. This taste was comparable to celestial delicacies.
"Little brother Lin, I'm ashamed to say this, but Meng Nan and I, along with Qingtian and the others, received orders that multiple people at the county hospital were causing harm and that we were to maintain order and protect the lives and property of the people. When we arrived, we discovered that those crazed individuals were zombies."
"Later, our superiors issued an order for us to rescue them at the opportune moment and find a safe place. On the way, except for Zhu Mingjun, the women were on our armored vehicle at the hospital. There were also two others, a couple, who also came out of the hospital. It was these two who almost caused all of us to perish."
Wang Zhihai's eyes still held a trace of fear as he spoke. He continued, "Later, we intended to drive the armored vehicle to the sparsely populated outskirts before the zombies broke out on a large scale and contact our superiors via the vehicle's radio. However, those two insisted on going back to save their child, and they even provided the exact address and route. Based on the principle of prioritizing the safety of the people, I left the remaining people in a small supermarket. There was only one zombie there, and it was a good place with plenty of supplies. Qingtian also stayed there to protect them while I took the couple to rescue the child."
"Unfortunately, on the way, a horde of zombies blocked the road, forcing us to take a detour. I had to find a place to stop the car and take them to rescue the child. They lived on the first floor and were near the community's perimeter wall. The rescue operation was very smooth. I got the child out of the community before the zombies caught up. It was a boy, very energetic, only about 12 years old."
Hearing this, Wu Mengyao tilted her head. "He's older than me, how can he be energetic? I'm not energetic (＞w＜)."
"The journey back was also smooth. We rescued Zhu Mingjun on the way. Oh, right, this kid is really capable. He killed two pursuing zombies with his car's fuel tank. After that, the couple was even more grateful to me and Meng Nan."
"But the problem arose immediately. Just as we received the evacuation order from our superiors and were on our way back, we happened to pass by your community. Their son, perhaps because he was being mischievous, wanted to grab the pistol that Qingtian was holding, as he was sitting next to her."
"Qingtian definitely wouldn't agree. It's against discipline, especially since the pistol was loaded. She wouldn't give it to him. She slapped the child's hand away. Perhaps she used too much force, and the child directly burst into tears. The couple instantly became unhappy and started scolding Qingtian, saying things like 'What's wrong with letting the child play for a bit?' and 'Just remove the bullets.' Their scolding was very unpleasant, but Qingtian has good conduct, and she didn't retort or retaliate. She just held the gun and moved away."
"Anyway, the couple was very angry, feeling that Qingtian didn't respect them. They then insisted on stopping. Just as I was about to persuade them, two zombies were lying on the ground and I didn't see them. They got caught in the wheels. Fortunately, there were enough wheels to sustain me until I drove the car into an alley before it broke down. Fortunately, we had already picked up speed to shake off the zombies, otherwise, we would have been eaten alive then and there."
Wang Zhihai felt a bit dry-mouthed as he spoke. He took a sip of water to recover before continuing, "There was nothing we could do since the car had stalled. Repairs couldn't be done on the spot, and we had to wait until the zombie horde dispersed to continue repairs. We found a nearby small shop and took shelter in it before the zombie horde could search for us. That night, the conflict erupted. The couple said that Qingtian didn't let their child play, and then they complained that we who carried guns were not good enough. In any case, their scolding was very unpleasant. We were also angry, but we couldn't do anything; we still had to ensure their safety. Moreover, the armored vehicle needed to be repaired every day. Since only Meng Nan's gun had a silencer, we only dared to let him shoot zombies, and then we would clean the zombie blood and flesh from the tires."
"Then this morning, a problem occurred during our shift. The man pretended to be remorseful and tried to get close to Anjing, who was guarding Qingtian while she slept, with the intention of taking the gun."
"Actually, this is my fault," Zhao Mengnan suddenly interjected. "I told Anjing to prepare food, which distracted her. The man directly reached out and grabbed it. He had been observing for the past few days, just waiting for an opportunity. We never expected him to go for it at night instead of during the day! Anjing tried to push him away, but it was too late. By the time he fell, he had already taken out the gun and aimed directly at Qingtian. Fortunately, Anjing pulled him back, and he only hit her arm."
"What happened afterward? Didn't you deal with it?" Lin Yuan asked, knowing that the matter couldn't be left unresolved.
"I took action. Three shots. Later, his wife came to see and pointed at us, calling us murderers, demanding that we give her weapons and let her and her son leave. We had no choice but to let her leave with the pistol. You already know what happened next. There was blood at that location, and the zombies would be attracted by the smell. After we had simply treated Qingtian's wound, we left. We hoped to find a new safe location, but we didn't expect the streets to be full of zombies when we came out. We could only flee desperately. If it weren't for those three gunshots, there would have been even more zombies chasing us. Alas, we don't know what to do now."
"Hiss, damn it, it hurts so much." Just as Wang Zhihai was looking troubled, Mu Qingtian, who was undergoing simple surgery, cried out in pain.
The bullet had been removed.
"So, special police officers also feel pain?"
"Special police officers are also human, not gods," Wang Zhihai replied with a smile to Wu Mengyao's casual question.