Xu An took a conscious step back, her brows furrowed. In the apocalypse, she never trusted the goodwill of strangers.
Seeing Xu An's wary stance, the man chuckled bitterly, "Don't worry, I mean no harm. My name is He Ci. I saw you yesterday when your dog was almost stabbed by Cheng Hao."
The Cheng Hao the man mentioned must be the girl who was taken away by the enforcement team yesterday.
Xu An's brow furrowed, a little confused. Although these two had argued in front of everyone yesterday, they were still companions, after all.
But from He Ci's tone, there seemed to be a hint of shared enmity.
"Is there something you need?"
"No, no. I just saw you and your companion are two girls, so I wanted to give you a heads-up. Those people before, I don't know what they did, but they were very arrogant when searching for supplies outside the lighthouse. Many people have suffered at their hands."
He added with some concern, "Violating the rules on the lighthouse is severely punished, so they didn't dare to touch you just now, but you still need to be careful."
"Thank you."
Xu An didn't ask how he knew. She could see it herself; these three people looked like they were used to being overbearing.
It wasn't unusual for them to snatch supplies.
"You're welcome. Actually... I should be thanking you. Cheng Hao has been expelled from the lighthouse and is no longer eligible to log in... It's just... a pity about Dou Zi. She took Dou Zi back before leaving the lighthouse and left with her."
Xu An clearly felt the conflict within He Ci. He seemed to harbor hatred for Cheng Hao, mixed with grief and indignation.
"It has nothing to do with me. She was the one who attacked me and was taken away."
Xu An emphasized the word "me."
He Ci understood and didn't argue. Whether it was attacking Xu An or her dog, the outcome was the same.
Xu An sensed that these two had a history, but she was completely uninterested.
In the apocalypse, people never lacked "stories."
"Is there anything else you need?" Xu An asked him politely.
He Ci looked at Xu An, who stood before him, exuding an aura of "stay away."
The hint of melancholy he had just brewed disappeared completely.
He had been prepared to tell his story if Xu An had asked him what happened between him and Cheng Hao.
But he hadn't expected Xu An to be so unpredictable, her expression filled with rejection and wariness.
He Ci looked at Xu An and inexplicably recalled a line from a pre-apocalypse variety show: "Don't get involved!"
How could someone have absolutely no curiosity about other people's gossip?!
He Ci gave an awkward smile and scratched his hair in a flustered manner, "Well... I'm at bed number 168. If you need anything, you can come find me."
Xu An glanced at He Ci inexplicably, seemingly puzzled by his behavior. Was he trying to be nice to her?
Just because Cheng Hao was expelled from the lighthouse?
At this moment, Xu An had no idea why He Ci was showing her kindness.
If a woman, due to her own willfulness, caused the death of her boyfriend, and that boyfriend happened to be your good brother, yet entrusted this brainless and willful woman to you before his death, anyone would feel wronged.
He Ci thought bitterly as he watched Xu An and the woman who seemed to be her mother leave.
If Cheng Hao, that foolish woman, had half of the rationality of the girl in front of him, Ah Cheng wouldn't have died.
He gave a bitter smile, but in this world, there were no "ifs."
All the way, if it weren't for him charging ahead, Cheng Hao would have died countless times. Yet, she took it all for granted.
The most frequent thing she said to He Ci was, "You promised Ah Cheng you would take me to the shelter."
He Ci didn't know what karma he had accumulated in his past life to meet Cheng Hao in this one.
Along the way, he not only had to find food for them but also find cat food for Dou Zi.
Dou Zi was a Ragdoll cat, inherently delicate and difficult to raise. For her to survive was a miracle, and 80% of that miracle was due to He Ci's desperate efforts amidst hordes of zombies.
They weren't too far from City B, but lacking transportation and relying on walking, it took them nearly half a month to reach City B.
Before boarding the lighthouse, upon hearing that one needed to pay 50 trading coins to enter, He Ci, who had been suppressing himself for a long time, finally had his first argument with her.
He Ci took out everything he had, including a quartz watch left by his father before his death, which barely sufficed to exchange for 75 trading coins, but he was still 25 short.
The staff didn't expect anyone to actually come to the shelter without even a hundred trading coins worth of supplies.
As if sensing He Ci's predicament, the staff looked at the diamond necklace around Cheng Hao's neck and said that the necklace could be used to make up the difference, barely enough for both of them to enter.
Cheng Hao refused tearfully, saying it was the only memento Ah Cheng had left her.
People were queuing around them, and no one wanted to watch these two bicker and delay others. Many people started scolding Cheng Hao for being selfish, telling her not to delay others if she didn't want to enter the lighthouse.
Some even threatened to call the enforcement team.
He Ci was filled with disgust for her. He transferred his 50 trading coins to his ID and said to the staff.
"The rest is for her."
Then he turned and left.
He Ci thought he had fulfilled his promise and was thus even with his brother, owing each other nothing. He didn't expect her to cause trouble again.
Finally, seeing that He Ci had truly abandoned her, Cheng Hao belatedly became anxious, quickly yanked the necklace off her neck, and handed it to the staff before being allowed to pass.
While chasing after He Ci, she mentally chided him for being a pauper. She had only intended to provoke him, but she didn't expect him to be so broke.
Cheng Hao had lived a smooth life and always got what she wanted, no matter the method. Even in the apocalypse, with He Ci's protection, her little tantrums never subsided.
The more He Ci urged her to sell Dou Zi, the more she insisted on keeping her.
After entering the lighthouse, she forced He Ci to find a way to foster Dou Zi.
However, after entering the lighthouse, He Ci's attitude, which had been compliant towards her, suddenly did a 180-degree turn.
This made her hate him even more, resenting why her boyfriend hadn't died instead of her.
If Ah Cheng were alive, he surely wouldn't treat her this way.
...
Others might not know, but He Ci was well aware that while Cheng Hao outwardly acted deeply devoted, she had actually been the one taking care of Dou Zi all along.
He had persuaded Cheng Hao to sell Dou Zi to the lighthouse, at least so Dou Zi wouldn't starve with her, but Cheng Hao refused, which led to the argument at the lighthouse entrance.
He Ci had had enough along the way and no longer indulged Cheng Hao, turning and leaving. He hadn't expected that in just half an hour, Cheng Hao would get herself into so much trouble.
Xu An and her mother returned to their bunk and briefly tidied up their belongings.
"Let's pick up Gou Dan first, then head to the trading hall."
She planned to check the current market prices for supplies before deciding what to exchange.
Xu Yan nodded in agreement, and the two swiped open their cabin doors and walked out.
...
An auntie, who looked to be in her fifties, emerged from the crisscrossing bed frames.
She watched the backs of Xu An and her mother as they left, spat fiercely into the air, and smiled maliciously.
She then turned and walked towards a group of fierce-looking men.
"Bitch, this time you're dead!"