Chapter 022 Live like a devil


    “How do you feel about Zhong Xiaoshan?”


    Back in 801, Zhang Su tossed the supplies he had retrieved into the corner and asked Zheng Xinyu.


    “She’s shameless and loves flaunting herself. But… she knows her place. If I were a man, I’d probably like a woman like her.”


    Zheng Xinyu shared her thoughts openly.


    Zhang Su sneered. “If you’re going to be a mistress, you’ve got to know your place. How else are you going to hang around rich men? Anyway, what flavor of rice do you like? Braised chicken, Taiwanese-style braised pork, or mushroom beef?”


    Zheng Xinyu was caught off guard by Zhang Su’s sudden topic shift. After mumbling for a while, she hesitated. “Anything but mushroom beef.”


    “Got it! Then we’ll give the mushroom beef to Zhong Xiaoshan since we don’t like it. Heh…”


    Saying this, Zhang Su grabbed the mushroom beef meal and walked toward the door.


    The sunset dyed the sky a deep red, draping the entire city in a thin layer of crimson like blood.


    October days in Qin City were getting shorter. Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu sat together, gazing at the fiery red sunset through the narrow gap of the curtains.


    As time passed, the chill of the cold wave became apparent. Zheng Xinyu had changed into loungewear, and Zhang Su swapped his outfit for a long-sleeved T-shirt.


    “It’s been ages since I watched a sunset this closely. It’s beautiful.”


    Zheng Xinyu leaned slightly against Zhang Su, savoring the rare moment of peace.


    In the past, her evenings were spent in front of a computer. She never paid attention to nature’s beauty.


    “This time of day used to be bustling with traffic, blaring horns, and endless gridlock. Now, not even a shadow in sight... heh.”


    Zhang Su chuckled bitterly, his brows heavy with worry. The desolate scene outside was suffocating and required immense mental fortitude to endure.


    So many people hadn’t turned into zombies, nor had they been bitten. Yet they couldn’t survive this post-apocalyptic world. The despair crushed them from the inside out, leading to their complete collapse.


    “Things will get better, right?”


    Zheng Xinyu leaned fully against Zhang Su, her voice soft and tentative.


    Feeling her warmth, Zhang Su’s tone softened as well. “We need to believe things will get better, but we also have to prepare ourselves as if they never will. Understand?”


    Zheng Xinyu was silent for a long time before letting out a faint “Mm” in response to Zhang Su’s harsh perspective.


    The sun dipped below the horizon, leaving behind a faint red glow at the edge of the sky. Darkness gradually swallowed the city. The two of them stayed still, leaning against each other as if that moment could last forever.


    “You’re heavy. You’ll break my arm. Then you’ll have to kill zombies to protect me.”


    Zhang Su spoke gently.


    “Ugh, you’re awful!”


    Zheng Xinyu straightened up and playfully punched Zhang Su, annoyed that he ruined the tender atmosphere.


    For dinner, Zhang Su decided they’d cook a pack of river snail noodles, add two marinated eggs, and throw in a sausage. The self-heating meals were reserved for emergencies—if the gas went out, they wouldn’t starve, and they’d be easy to carry if they needed to move.


    Despite disliking the pungent smell of river snail noodles, Zhang Su didn’t care this time, greedily drinking the last sip of soup with satisfaction. He let out a loud burp, feeling “full” on water.


    Zheng Xinyu, on the other hand, only ate until she was about half full.


    In the end, Zhang Su opened a bag of sea-salt-flavored puff balls as dessert.


    “Brother Su, if we keep the lights off all the time, won’t the rescue teams miss us if they pass by?”


    After dark, the room was only illuminated by a small nightlight, which made Zheng Xinyu uncomfortable.


    “Zhong Xiaoshan went a single day without food and was already ready to strip and dance for me just for a meal. Don’t you see how terrifying hunger is? It’s an evil catalyst. From now on, we need to be wary of more than just zombies—people are even scarier. Then again, people have always been scary.”


    Zhang Su spoke seriously.


    In the darkness, Zheng Xinyu’s expression grew grave. Thoughts of past atrocities flashed through her mind, and a sense of uncertainty about the future washed over her. She walked to the window and lifted a corner of the curtain.


    By day, it was hard to notice. But at night, the city revealed a grim reality: many areas were ablaze with raging fires, painting the sky red in patches. It looked like the aftermath of a war had turned the city into a ruined wasteland.


    The streets were eerily deserted. In the absence of destroyed streetlights or hazard lights from abandoned cars, there was hardly any light. There wasn’t a trace of life—just stiff, black figures wandering aimlessly.


    From her vantage point, she could see the brightly lit windows of Buildings 4 and 8. But if one looked closely, there was no sign of movement inside. The lights had been left on during the early morning outbreak when people didn’t have time to turn them off.


    In the past, the sight of lit homes meant signs of life: shadows moving behind curtains, the faint buzz of daily activities. Now, there was only deathly silence and blood splattered across shattered windows, creating grotesque patterns.


    Despair. The silent dead city filled one’s heart with despair.


    “Zhang Su, do you think it’s meaningful for us to struggle like this?”


    Zheng Xinyu’s voice was low and somber.


    “Already feeling hopeless?” Zhang Su flashed his teeth in the dark, grinning. “Struggling to survive is still survival. Staying alive is the meaning. Why think so much? Let me ask you—back then, when you streamed and danced for your fans, what was the meaning of that?”


    “Screw you! Who said I danced? I’m a game streamer, okay? You jerk!”


    Zheng Xinyu flared up instantly, annoyed that Zhang Su had a knack for ruining any emotional, poetic, or artistic moment.


    “A game streamer, huh? What kind of games? Those little R-rated visual novels?”


    Zhang Su raised an eyebrow.


    “Do you think I could stream those kinds of games? I play PUBG—PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds! Ever heard of it, old man?”


    Zheng Xinyu rolled her eyes dramatically.


    “PUBG? Heh, I play CSGO. I’d wreck you in seconds, noob!”


    Seeing Zheng Xinyu puff up, clearly preparing for a verbal sparring match, Zhang Su quickly interjected, “No matter what kind of streamer you were, you’re about to become a fitness streamer!”


    “What do you mean by that?” Zheng Xinyu looked at him in confusion as he put on gloves.


    Zhang Su walked toward the bedroom and said, “Your physical fitness might have been fine before, but now? I don’t think you’d make it out of this building alive. So, while we have the chance, I’m going to put you through hellish training.” Sёar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not just her—he needed to toughen himself up too.


    He used to work out daily, but over the last couple of years, he’d toned it down to just maintaining his physique. Now, good looks weren’t enough. Strength, speed, stamina, and flexibility were the keys to survival.


    “H-Hellish… How hellish are we talking?”


    Zheng Xinyu’s eyelid twitched at the word “hellish.”


    “Hellish training! If you want to survive against zombies, you’ve got to become a devil! Here, follow me.”


    Without further explanation, Zhang Su handed her a small dumbbell and grabbed a pair of 20-kilogram ones himself to warm up.


    Zheng Xinyu didn’t resist and quickly matched Zhang Su’s pace.


    In a world overrun by zombies, the only way to live was to become a devil—not just in body but in mind too.