Chapter 17: Infected

“Be gentler!” Bai Chen Zhu didn’t have time to stop him.

Jiang Ye roughly pinched Zhou Zhuo Hua’s cheeks and pulled them outward, then tugged her ear and roared loudly by it: “Hey—”

Even a deaf person would have been woken by that. Zhou Zhuo Hua had no choice but to come to her senses. She covered her ear and opened her eyes, looking at the two of them in confusion.

It was too brutal. Bai Chen Zhu couldn’t bear to watch, but it worked.

Jiang Ye anxiously shook her shoulders, more panicked than when he’d had a fever himself. “You have a fever!”

Zhou Zhuo Hua sat there in a daze with her flushed and slightly swollen face, seemingly unable to comprehend what he meant. A fever? Who had a fever?

Jiang Ye raised his hand, looking like he was about to pinch her again to force her awake. This time, Zhou Zhuo Hua weakly blinked and raised her hand to block his movement.

Oh, it’s me.

At that moment, her lips were dry and pale, her body frail and weak. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, but she mustered her last breath and stood up straight, viciously grabbing Jiang Ye’s ear. “You’ve really turned the world upside down…”

She laughed in extreme anger, opened her mouth, but exhaustion surged over her, and her vision went black.

Zhou Zhuo Hua let go, clutched her forehead, and set aside lecturing Jiang Ye for the moment. “Little Bai, I bought medicine. It’s in the trunk—help me get it.”

Bai Chen Zhu moved quickly. In just a couple of steps, he got out of the car and hauled the entire medicine box over.

Zhou Zhuo Hua lowered her head to rummage through the medicine box. Jiang Ye touched his ear and hissed in pain. Bai Chen Zhu couldn’t help glancing over and saw the bright red left ear. The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a bit of schadenfreude, only to meet Jiang Ye’s frowning glare.

Jiang Ye found a blanket and draped it over Zhou Zhuo Hua.

“Don’t make a fuss. I’m fine. I had a fever back at the hospital too…” Zhou Zhuo Hua mumbled unclearly. She probably didn’t even know what she was saying. “Didn’t I get better later?”

Jiang Ye’s heart was in his throat, his voice trembling slightly. “That’s different! Do you know, do you know that ordinary people can have problems from repeated infections too?!”

“You little punk, my luck’s way better than yours. Don’t act like you’re at a funeral.” Zhou Zhuo Hua wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, took her medicine, and found a comfortable spot to lie down. “You were always the one I took care of before. Now it’s rare for you to wait on me for once—your old lady’s gonna enjoy it.”

Jiang Ye wanted to say something but stopped himself. His expression was grave as he listened to her words, unsure whether to cry or laugh.

Zhou Zhuo Hua’s consciousness gradually sank, her voice growing softer. “Wake me up for medicine at lunchtime.”

Bai Chen Zhu shoved the medicine box under the back seat and looked at Jiang Ye with a questioning gaze.

Jiang Ye took two deep breaths, calmly returned to the driver’s seat, and chugged a bottle of water. His expression was serious. Bai Chen Zhu’s eyes fell on his shaking hand—he knew this man wasn’t as calm as he appeared.

Not long ago, Zhou Zhuo Hua, who’d been chatting and laughing, had been scratched by a mutated rat and started running a fever. What did that mean? It meant that if she couldn’t pull through, she’d turn into one of those ‘dead and zombified’ types she’d mentioned herself.

When that happened, how would Jiang Ye deal with a Zhou Zhuo Hua like that? Bai Chen Zhu hid the thoughts in his eyes. “Take a rest. Driving while fatigued isn’t good. Zhou Zhuo Hua’s sick—you can’t switch shifts with her.”

His voice was rationally cold at that moment.

“Mm.” Jiang Ye gave Bai Chen Zhu an emotionless glance, then grabbed his cigarettes and got out of the car. He leaned against the door, flicked his lighter several times, and finally managed to light one.

He still couldn’t accept that Zhou Zhuo Hua might turn into a mindless, soulless walking corpse driven only by instinct.

In contrast, Bai Chen Zhu hadn’t known Zhou Zhuo Hua for long. He was well aware of how selfish he was. He felt a twinge of pity deep down, but he was even more wary of how dangerous she’d be if she zombified.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhuo Hua’s condition was still manageable for now.

The area was sparsely populated, making it relatively safe. Bai Chen Zhu figured Jiang Ye’s mood couldn’t be good, so he considerately didn’t disturb him and got out to check the tires himself.

He found a long stick and walked around the car, occasionally using it to dig out the grime from the tire treads and piling it into little mounds of flesh and bone beside the wheels.

As he busied himself cleaning, he suddenly heard strange noises from afar, mixed with dull thuds of things hitting the ground.

Bai Chen Zhu alertly looked up and saw Jiang Ye standing a dozen meters away with a baseball bat, swinging it to send a ball-shaped object flying.

The thing rolled to a stop by Bai Chen Zhu’s feet, its wide-open eyes cloudy and vacant. Bai Chen Zhu quickly backed away to avoid it.

Like mutated plants and animals that had enhanced instincts, zombies had devolved from human intelligence into walking corpses chasing survival instincts—no different from wild beasts, or even worse, since they lacked emotion and reason.

Bai Chen Zhu couldn’t classify them as human anymore, but no matter what, they still wore human skin.

Humans always harbored an indescribable fear toward humanoid creatures, especially since zombies used to be people.

Jiang Ye struck ruthlessly.

He’d held back before, but now, to vent, he didn’t hesitate. Bai Chen Zhu could only watch as he smashed a tall, young zombie into a pulp.

More than the mangled limbs, Jiang Ye’s grim expression was frightening, like a storm about to break.

Then, Bai Chen Zhu watched as Jiang Ye wiped the blood from his face and climbed into that car.

It was an open-top supercar parked by the roadside. A zombie had been mechanically circling the stalled vehicle, making impatient, incomprehensible whining noises—until sudden disaster struck.

Before long, Jiang Ye returned, hugging several bottles of liquor. He set them on the car hood, swiftly opened a bottle of water, soaked a towel with it, opened the back door, and slapped the towel coldly onto Zhou Zhuo Hua’s forehead.

Zhou Zhuo Hua, dead asleep, showed no reaction throughout. Jiang Ye’s brows furrowed even tighter.

He shut the door and returned to the hood, about to crack open a can of beer for a good drink, when a pale hand reached over from the side, palm pressing down to block the can’s tab.

Jiang Ye’s lip curled downward in extreme displeasure.

Jiang Ye handled robbing zombies like it was everyday business. It was only the early days of the apocalypse, and they hadn’t encountered many zombies yet. While others were still fleeing in panic, Jiang Ye had already mastered zombie weak points for counter-kills.

No matter how talented someone was, could they reach this level? Bai Chen Zhu keenly sensed something off but couldn’t pinpoint it.

“No drinking and driving.” Bai Chen Zhu reminded the protagonist.

“Who are you?” Jiang Ye irritably swatted Bai Chen Zhu’s arm away. But in the time it took to look down, an ice-cold can pressed against his face, making him reflexively lean back.

The can was colorful—a fruit juice drink Bai Chen Zhu had somehow grabbed from the trunk.

Jiang Ye turned to look, meeting Bai Chen Zhu’s pitch-black eyes, cold as a deep pool yet soothing his irritation.

“I know you’re in a bad mood, so I got you juice. You don’t want all three of us dying, do you?” Bai Chen Zhu shoved the juice into his hand, swapped it for the beer can, and opened it to drink himself.

“Hmph.” The fire in Jiang Ye’s heart was doused. He took the juice can, turning it over and over like he could find something fascinating in it. Once he’d toyed with it enough, he opened it and took a sip.

In the quiet, Jiang Ye suddenly asked out of nowhere: “Will she turn into a zombie?”

Bai Chen Zhu had no answer.

He had a good impression of Zhou Zhuo Hua and wouldn’t want her to become a monster if possible. Unfortunately, that book was millions of words long, with summaries done by others. He’d only skimmed a few glances and remembered no details.

But reasoning backward from the outcome, Zhou Zhuo Hua wasn’t in the book’s ending. She was the protagonist’s childhood sweetheart and white moonlight—and white moonlights rarely survived.

The plot had been scrambled beyond recognition. Who knew where it was headed now?

Nothing was appropriate to say. Bai Chen Zhu silently drank his beer while Jiang Ye sat beside him sipping juice. Neither spoke.

Jiang Ye suddenly took a deep breath and spat out a line Bai Chen Zhu didn’t understand. “It’s so funny. I already got her out of Jiangzhou City—how did she still get infected?”

“Why not?” Bai Chen Zhu gripped his beer can and tilted his head at him, assuming Jiang Ye meant ‘getting out of a densely populated city would be safer.’

He reflected. “Jiangzhou City has zombies, and so does the outside. It’s my fault—if I’d moved faster, maybe she wouldn’t have gotten grabbed.”

Jiang Ye shook his head. “Man proposes, but God disposes. By that logic, I’m guilty too for leaving the car. So don’t blame yourself. No matter how sharp you are, your physique right now is just… susceptible to superpowers.”

Hm? As Bai Chen Zhu perked up his ears, Jiang Ye trailed off.

“Just what?” Bai Chen Zhu pressed.

Jiang Ye glanced at him. “Just a sickly weakling. Can’t do much about it.”

“Ha?” Bai Chen Zhu’s expression was indescribable. He then punched Jiang Ye hard in the shoulder.

Jiang Ye was amused by Bai Chen Zhu’s reaction. He tugged the corner of his mouth, chugged the rest of the juice in a few gulps, and turned to gaze into the heavy night.

After a long while, Jiang Ye made up his mind, his eyes firm. “No matter if Zhou Zhuo Hua turns into a zombie or not, I’m taking her to Floating Cloud City. If you’re scared, you can leave now. I’ll give you enough food.”

With that, Jiang Ye flipped off the hood with one hand and got into the car through the door.

Not two minutes later, Bai Chen Zhu nimbly climbed into the passenger seat. He first glanced back—Zhou Zhuo Hua’s face and neck were flushed red from the fever. Her eyes were closed as she mumbled dream talk incoherently.

He turned and met Jiang Ye’s gaze. Bai Chen Zhu drawled lazily: “Relax. If shit hits the fan, I’ll run faster than you.” He looked like he planned to freeload all the way.

Jiang Ye unusually didn’t mock him and started the engine.

The atmosphere inside the car grew heavy and tense.

At dusk, the car exited the empty highway and slowly entered the toll station.

No one was in the toll booth, but the system was still running. After the barrier lifted automatically, Jiang Ye floored it and drove into the city.

The closer they got to the city center, the more people—and mutants—there were. They definitely wouldn’t have time for the patient then. Jiang Ye scanned the surroundings and pulled up in front of a hotel at the highway exit.

The hotel looked new, and its name was oddly whimsical: Joyful Delight Grand Hotel.

Perhaps because Floating Cloud City’s economy wasn’t prosperous to begin with, there were only a couple of cars out front, facing a wide asphalt road. Nearby were a pharmacy, shops, and such, most of them shuttered.

Unexpectedly, a middle-aged man in a security uniform sat at the hotel front desk, head down on his phone. He looked up at the sound of footsteps and was shocked to see Jiang Ye and the other.

“Are you checking in?”

“Yeah.” Jiang Ye nodded, eyeing him suspiciously. “You the owner?”

No particular reason—it was just too normal, normal to the point of disbelief.

The middle-aged man waved it off. “Nah, I’m front desk and security. There’s an auntie upstairs too. Business is slow, prices are cheap. How many rooms?”

Jiang Ye said: “Three—”

Bai Chen Zhu yanked his arm hard. Jiang Ye turned, and Bai Chen Zhu frantically signaled with his eyes, reminding him there was still someone in the car.

They all knew Zhou Zhuo Hua’s condition. She was still feverish—letting her stay in a separate room alone was risky; who knew what might happen? Better to keep her under their eyes.

Jiang Ye thought he just didn’t dare stay alone, so he nodded at him with a ‘fine, can’t help you’ look and said: “Then two—”

Bai Chen Zhu cut him off decisively. “One.”

“One?” The middle-aged man confirmed.

“Yeah.” Bai Chen Zhu pulled out his ID and stepped forward, casually adding: “We had a good time drinking today. We’re all wasted—one’s still passed out in the car. Trouble you for a big suite, preferably with separate rooms.”

“We have a duplex family suite. Want that?”

“Yes.” They said in unison.

The middle-aged man nodded. “Need IDs for all three. System’s down lately—bring the documents, verify, and sign here…”

Hearing such ‘normal’ words, Bai Chen Zhu suddenly felt an illusion—like zombies and monsters were just a nightmare, society still functioning, order intact.

But he knew very well it was crumbling bit by bit. They were caught between light and shadow.

“Wait, the drunk one’s a woman? What’s your relationship?” The middle-aged man registering them instantly grew alert, eyeing them like suspects.

Bai Chen Zhu’s train of thought broke. He stared blankly at him.

Jiang Ye blurted: “Legit man-woman thing. She’s my half-sister, same dad different mom—took Mom’s surname. This is my half-brother, same mom different dad.”

Jiang Ye slung an arm around Bai Chen Zhu’s shoulders. “Didn’t bring the household registry. If you check rooms, let them come up…”

After some back-and-forth, the three checked into the hotel.

The elevator numbers kept climbing upward. When the doors opened, they ran into the Janitor Mutant. She looked haggard. After the three of them exited, she pushed her small cart into the elevator.

“Wait.” Bai Chen Zhu stopped the Janitor Mutant. “Auntie, my sister isn’t feeling well. She’s covered in sweat. Could you trouble yourself to help her change into some clean clothes?”

Before the Janitor Mutant could respond, he added, “I’ll pay extra.”

Bai Chen Zhu swiped his card to open the room door. Jiang Ye placed the unconscious Zhou Zhuo Hua on the bed in the upper suite. Once they reached a place where she could rest, both of them let out a sigh of relief.

They stepped outside to give her privacy while the Janitor Mutant helped Zhou Zhuo Hua change.

Jiang Ye unwrapped a lollipop and stuck it in his mouth. The paper stick bobbed up and down as he squinted. “Your sister?”

“Your sister—she’s your sister, okay?” Bai Chen Zhu shoved him away with one hand.

Jiang Ye chuckled. “I don’t mind if you call her that along with me, little brother.”

That bobbing lollipop stick was so distracting it made one want to pin it down.

Bai Chen Zhu raised his hand and vengefully tried to yank the stick out of his mouth. He failed—the candy was blocked by his teeth.

Jiang Ye split into a wide grin, silently proclaiming his smug victory. He grabbed Bai Chen Zhu’s wrist and opened his mouth as if to bite.

Bai Chen Zhu’s pupils shrank. He reflexively yanked his hand back to dodge, but Jiang Ye held him fast with inhuman strength. He was never one to let himself take a loss, so when pulling back didn’t work, he switched tactics. He grabbed back, bent his finger, and aimed to deliver a flick on the forehead.

…But he misjudged the height and ended up flicking the tip of his nose instead.

What had been meant as an attack turned into the opposite effect, coming off as oddly intimate. This intimacy was far more heart-fluttering than a straightforward punch or slap.

Both of them froze.