Ch 103: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

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…

Zhang Sujuan opened her eyes.

Darkness surrounded her. She couldn’t see anything. She stared blankly for over ten seconds before the pain in her back reminded her of what had happened before she lost consciousness. “Xiao Ji? Aiguo?”

Song Kaiji shuddered and hurriedly turned on the car’s lights. Chen Jiaxi, who had just dozed off, was jolted awake by the sudden brightness. She clicked her tongue in irritation but, upon seeing the scene before her, said nothing. She figured Song Kaiji must have a lot to say to Zhang Sujuan—possibly their last conversation. With that in mind, she opened the car door. “I’ll sleep in the front car. You two talk.”

“Mom, I’m here.” Song Kaiji ignored Chen Jiaxi, hastily nodding as he grabbed Zhang Sujuan’s hand. “How do you feel? Does your back hurt?”

“I feel so tired… A little pain, but not much.” Even after being unconscious for so long, Zhang Sujuan still felt drowsy, as though she could drift off at any moment. The massive blood loss had left her limbs ice-cold and dulled her senses. She could feel the pain in her back, yet it seemed distant, as if her body and mind were no longer fully connected. “Where’s your father?”

“My dad… he’s in the front car. This car is too small—there’s no room,” Song Kaiji forced a smile. “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? I have eight-treasure porridge and steamed eggs in my space.”

Lying on her stomach in the back seat, Zhang Sujuan could feel her life slipping away bit by bit. “I want to see your father.”

Tears welled in Song Kaiji’s eyes, but he controlled his voice. “My dad is already asleep. See? The lights in the front car are off. He’s injured too, so let’s not disturb him. When we get to Red City Base, I’ll arrange for you two to be in the same hospital room.”

Zhang Sujuan was silent for a long time before softly responding, “Oh.” She didn’t mention Li Aiguo again. Reaching toward her chest, she found that Yu Le had likely pulled out her pendant so it wouldn’t press into her while she lay on her stomach. She searched for a moment before finally touching it—only to feel something wet and sticky.

It wasn’t just the pendant stained with blood—the cushion of the car seat beneath her head was also damp. Zhang Sujuan closed her eyes, and a tear slipped from the corner, merging with the blood.

Song Kaiji hung his head low. He was never good at lying, but now he had no choice. His father was dead, and he had to carry both his father’s and his own burdens. For now, he needed to keep Zhang Sujuan calm—no emotional turmoil, just a smooth return to Red City Base for treatment. He thought for a moment and changed the subject. “I drove Li Liang and Li Li away. I gave them some food and water—not the best, but enough to last three or four days if they ration it. Whether they return to Zizhou or go to another small settlement, they’ll have enough.”

“You did well. If you run into them again, just pretend you don’t know them. Don’t bother with them.” Zhang Sujuan sniffled. “Not just them. Even if you meet your uncle’s family or your biological father’s relatives—if you can support each other, that’s good. But if they’re like those two, only looking to take advantage of family ties, don’t waste your time worrying about saving face for me or your dad.”

“This is the apocalypse. It’s not like before, where the worst you’d lose was money. Your dad and I are useless now—we can’t protect you. You have to toughen up and put yourself first.”

Hearing her speak as if giving her final instructions, Song Kaiji felt both grief and panic. “You two are my foundation. From now on, it’s my turn to protect you.”

Zhang Sujuan only smiled and said nothing. The pain in her back felt more and more distant—almost nonexistent. But she had to hold on. She wanted to see Shen Qing one last time.

Fortunately, Shen Qing returned soon after, his face full of excitement. “Song ge! We found a big truck! The windows are shattered, but the vehicle itself is intact. The only issue is that the scent of people will spread, so we’ll probably have to fight off zombies as we drive. Xiao Tang said maybe Sister Bingbing can freeze the windows, but we’re not sure if that’ll work.”

He opened the door, only to see Zhang Sujuan awake. His expression faltered—on principle, it was good news, but he couldn’t forget that Li Aiguo had woken up briefly before dying soon after. He cast a worried glance at Song Kaiji and found his expression equally grim.

Zhang Sujuan, however, raised her heavy eyelids and beckoned him closer. “Xiao Qing, come here to Aunt.”

Shen Qing hesitated before stepping forward and holding her hand. “Aunt, are you feeling better?”

Zhang Sujuan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she studied him seriously before nodding. “Xiao Qing, we haven’t known each other long, but I can tell you’re a good child. My Kaiji… he’s not bad at heart, but he’s been too well-protected by me and his father. He’s a little naive, a little foolish. If he does anything wrong in the future, teach him. Give him chances.”

Shen Qing immediately understood her meaning. A wave of unease struck him, followed by guilt. He knew he had never truly given Song Kaiji his whole heart. Now, faced with Zhang Sujuan’s dying plea, he didn’t want to make empty promises in a moment of emotion.

But he also couldn’t bring himself to deceive a mother at the end of her life. He lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. “Aunt, don’t overthink this. We’ve found a truck—we’ll be back at Red City Base soon. The hospital has healing ability users; they can fix anything.”

Zhang Sujuan closed her eyes. She saw things more clearly than her foolish son. Song Kaiji was blindly in love, but she, as his mother, could see the truth—Shen Qing did have feelings for him, but nowhere near as deeply as Song Kaiji did for him.

She had observed this in their short time together. Shen Qing sometimes initiated physical contact with Song Kaiji, but when Song Kaiji reached out first, Shen Qing’s immediate reaction was always to pull away. Even though he would catch himself and allow it, instinct didn’t lie.

She was dying. She could feel her body growing colder. Her son was soft-hearted, naive, and alone in this cruel world. If his lover didn’t truly reciprocate, how would he survive?

Fortunately, Shen Qing was at least a decent person. He had resources, a team—he was the boss. Song Kaiji would never suffer under him, only benefit. Zhang Sujuan didn’t know Shen Qing’s secret, nor what he was holding back, but as a mother, she wanted to secure her son’s future.

Zhang Sujuan was gentle by nature, but she had remarried while raising a child and still managed to marry someone like Li Aiguo, who had a stable, high-paying job. She hadn’t borne another child, yet she had kept Li Aiguo devoted to her. She had her own means of survival, shaped by her era and circumstances.

Shen Qing was an ordinary person—no abilities. Even if it was just a matter of mutual benefit, if he was willing to take care of Song Kaiji, that was enough.

Her trembling fingers removed the jade pendant from her neck and pressed it into Shen Qing’s palm. “This is our family’s heirloom. It was meant for my future daughter-in-law, but since you’re with Xiao Ji, I’m giving it to you…”

Shen Qing didn’t know what power the pendant held, but the words “for my daughter-in-law” made it feel scorching in his hand. He hastily tried to return it. “Aunt, this is too valuable—I can’t accept it!”

“Take it! You and Xiao Ji are together—what’s mine is his, and what’s his is yours! No matter how valuable, you can have it!” Zhang Sujuan’s voice trembled with pleading. “This isn’t just a pendant. If you drip blood onto it—”

She suddenly paused.

Inside the jade pendant, something had changed.

Zhang Sujuan stared blankly at the jade pendant. The fresh layer of blood on it had already seeped into the stone, staining its originally light yellow-green hue with a web of veins, resembling a bloodstone. She lowered her gaze, and tears rolled silently from her eyes. “This blood… it’s your father’s, isn’t it?”

Song Kaiji’s silence was all the confirmation she needed.

Perhaps when Li Aiguo had coughed up blood, some had splattered onto the jade pendant, allowing it to recognize him as its master in his final moments. And maybe, it was his desperate wish for his wife to survive that had triggered a transformation in the space, birthing a healing spring.

“I will live on,” Zhang Sujuan murmured, gripping the cup tightly before downing its contents in one go. “If this is your last wish.”

After drinking the spring water, her condition improved somewhat. However, it wasn’t the kind of miraculous, body-purifying effect described in novels. It didn’t bring people back from the dead or instantly heal wounds. It only ensured that Zhang Sujuan could hold on long enough to reach Red City Base.

The large vehicle that Shen Qing and Tang Wenjie found turned out to be an intercity bus, with plenty of seating. Under Qu Weiwei’s persuasion, Ge Bingbing reluctantly froze thin layers of ice over the broken windows. While this wasn’t as secure as intact glass, as long as they drove fast enough, the zombies outside wouldn’t have time to react.

With Zhang Sujuan’s condition stabilized, Song Kaiji finally relaxed a little. Only then did he notice something was off about Ge Bingbing. He quietly asked Shen Qing, “What’s up with her? I’ve never seen her look like this before.”

Ever since Zhang Sujuan had entrusted Song Kaiji to him, Shen Qing had become much more sensitive to his presence, so he instinctively shifted away slightly. Qu Weiwei, who had been sitting in the front row, turned around, lowered her voice, and excitedly said, “I know!”

Having listened to Ge Bingbing vent for a long time, she had acquired first-hand gossip and was immensely satisfied. She eagerly spilled everything about Sun Cheng’s family drama. “I mean, before the apocalypse, maybe it wasn’t a big deal—fighting over snacks? Whatever, you can just buy more. But now? Food is precious! And her brother-in-law had the nerve to snatch food from her daughter? I’d be pissed too! And don’t even get me started on her in-laws—they keep making excuses for their precious youngest son, saying he’s still a child. Child my ass! He’s our age! Honestly, if you’re an only daughter, you should avoid marrying into a family with brothers. You’ll always get the short end of the stick.”

Shen Qing listened for a while and found himself agreeing. It was the same reason he had been reluctant to deal with Wang San’s family—too many brothers meant too many relatives looking for handouts, and you couldn’t even complain about it. In their hometown, families without brothers were rare, but… Shen Qing glanced at Song Kaiji.

Song Kaiji, on the other hand, frowned deeply. “But that’s between her and Sun Cheng. Why does she look so resentful about helping our team? What did we do to her?”

Qu Weiwei paused. “I thought the same thing. If it were me, the first time her brother-in-law stole from my kid, I’d have left. She’s stronger than Sun Cheng—she can totally support her daughter on her own. Plus, her father could help take care of the kid while she goes on missions. If she’s endured it this long, why is she suddenly exploding now? And why is she snapping at everyone around her?”

Gossip was entertaining, but it didn’t mean they had lost their sense of reasoning. Given what they knew about Ge Bingbing, they all exchanged glances, feeling an unsettling suspicion.

Song Kaiji pondered for a moment, then went to ask Zhang Sujuan for another cup of water. Qu Weiwei’s eyes widened. “Aunt awakened a water ability?”

Neither Song Kaiji nor Zhang Sujuan denied it. Qu Weiwei, delighted, said, “That’s great! Awakening an ability after a severe injury means Auntie’s body is still strong—she’s bound to get better.”

Everyone had been saddened by Li Aiguo’s passing. If Zhang Sujuan had followed the same fate, it would have been an even greater blow to Song Kaiji. But now that she had awakened an ability, it meant her condition was improving. There was no way she was going to die.

Shen Qing, however, glanced at the jade pendant Zhang Sujuan had tried to give him.

Dripping blood onto it… then what? Zhang Sujuan had been interrupted before she could explain, and she hadn’t brought it up again. But Shen Qing was sure it had something to do with that pendant. Zhang Sujuan’s sudden recovery—it wasn’t just an ordinary water ability at play.

Song Kaiji hadn’t mentioned anything further about it, either.

Shen Qing closed his eyes. Well, isn’t that fair? He thought. After all, I do the same thing. Everyone has their own secrets. It’s perfectly normal to hold things back. If I have my secrets, then of course Song Kaiji can have his too.

Unaware of Shen Qing’s thoughts, Song Kaiji took the water and walked over to Ge Bingbing.

“I’m not thirsty,” she said, eyeing him with confusion and a hint of wariness. That expression had never been on her face before, making Song Kaiji’s suspicions even stronger.

“Just drink it,” he said casually. “You used to freeze ice and let Sun Cheng melt it into water for you. But you two are fighting now, aren’t you? I heard everything—we’re on your side. His family is awful.”

He sat down beside her with a playful smile.

Ge Bingbing hesitated before finally taking a sip. But as soon as she did, Song Kaiji asked, “Have you noticed anything strange? Since you absorbed that mind ability user’s crystal core, do you feel any… negative effects?”

Before Ge Bingbing could respond, the vehicle suddenly swerved. Song Kaiji looked up and saw Chen Jiaxi forcing a strained smile. “There was a zombie in the road. Didn’t want to hit it—who knows if this bus could handle the impact.”

But Song Kaiji’s gaze landed on her other hand, which was clenched tightly around the pocket where she had stored her crystal cores.

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