Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Survivor Camp
As Ye Fan approached the Donghua Grand Restaurant, he felt increasingly tense.
The radar map showed that even the nearest zombies were more than a kilometer away from here, and within a two-kilometer diameter surrounding this area, there wasn’t a single zombie. He wondered how these survivors managed that.
From his position, he could even see shadowy figures patrolling the rooftop of the Donghua Building.
Remembering the last ambush experience with survivors, Ye Fan felt a bit uneasy.
"Everyone prepare, surround this Donghua Building, and search inside!"
Upon receiving the order, the Red Alert Soldiers immediately lined up and set off, maintaining perfect order even while running.
Two military dogs ran ahead with their tongues hanging out, while the soldiers loaded their bullets.
Sniper Chen Chuan found a tree and prepared to climb onto a vantage point, ready to take down the patrollers at Ye Fan’s command.
Scout Xu Haoran raised his suppressed submachine gun, the infrared beam already projected out, the march had an almost cinematic feel to it.
Ye Fan ran a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped.
"Wait a moment, everyone withdraw!"
The soldiers followed the order, quickly returning to Ye Fan’s side.
He stood there thinking for a while, feeling that this approach wouldn’t work.
First, he didn’t know if his parents were here. If they were, would barging in recklessly lead to unexpected incidents? After all, the situation inside was still unclear.
Thinking of this, Ye Fan felt it was better to first confirm their presence.
"Xu Haoran, come over here."
Xu Haoran was called over by Ye Fan for instructions.
"My father’s name is Ye Jian Country, and my mother’s name is Xu Lizhen. They look something like this...."
Ye Fan described his parents’ appearance for a while, to which Xu Haoran nodded, indicating his understanding.
Ye Fan’s father, Ye Jian Country, was born on National Day and thus given his name.
He was previously a factory worker but started a tofu stall after being laid off. He was diligent, though inflexible. Even though his tofu was tasty, it barely sustained them.
His mother, Xu Lizhen, was a teacher who retired a few years ago, earning a small pension while helping his father with the tofu business at home.
The elderly couple didn’t earn much, and what they didn’t spend on themselves, they gave to Ye Luo, Ye Fan’s younger sister.
Approaching the survivors’ hub, Ye Fan hesitated to proceed immediately, fearing the possibility of their absence, so he sent Xu Haoran to scout first.
Xu Haoran received the order, observed the movements of the patrol on the rooftop, and silently sneaked towards the location.
As Xu Haoran approached the restaurant, Ye Fan ordered the others to disperse and cover him from various angles so they’d be ready to fire if Xu Haoran encountered danger.
These were excellent soldiers, and they quickly hid among the surrounding areas, blending into the thick September vegetation with their camo uniforms.
Every window and corner of the building was under surveillance, with Sniper Chen Chuan camouflaged in the distance, ready to shoot at any sign of danger.
Ye Fan saw Xu Haoran roll over a mound, near the side of the restaurant.
The rooftop patrol shifted to the other side, and Xu Haoran seized the opportunity, throwing a grappling hook to latch onto the restaurant’s wall edge.
He darted out from the bushes like a lynx, swiftly reaching the wall below the restaurant, hidden from view.
With his feet pushing off the wall and his hands gripping the rope, he scaled upwards smoothly.
Reaching the second-floor window, Xu Haoran stopped.
Both sides of the restaurant had windows, but those near town were sealed shut, blocking out all light.
This side, towards the wild, also had windows blocked, but not completely sealed, leaving ventilation gaps. Otherwise, the occupants inside couldn’t endure long.
Xu Haoran didn’t peer through with his head but pulled out a folding mirror.
This was part of his special forces gear, using the light refraction principle to see places a normal angle couldn’t.
The small pipe was placed against the window, and Xu Haoran looked through the other end to observe the interior.
"Commander, Scout Xu Haoran requests you switch to his perspective, do you agree?"
"Agree, switch immediately."
Ye Fan, growing impatient, saw what Xu Haoran saw with the perspective shift.
He saw the hotel’s second floor transformed into a large dormitory.
On the opposite side, quilts were scattered on the floor, laid together.
But none were lying on them now, the survivors were busy working on one side.
Some were chopping cabbages, separating their outer and inner parts.
The fresh, tender cabbage hearts were placed together, while the outer, tougher leaves were placed elsewhere.
Some women were sewing clothes, categorized differently—some clothes were finely stitched and somewhat ornamental, while others were ragged, barely wearable.
A few men worked on meat, separating prime cuts from fat, bones, and the like.
Some packed preserved foods, separating unexpired ones for storage, while expired ones were set aside.
There were over forty survivors, none appearing very robust, seemingly somewhat frail.
In a corner stood a table with a few young men smoking.
One young man smoked while wiping a police-issue handgun.
"Guys, this thing’s awesome, I’ve never used the real deal until now. When I shot that tall zombie, it saved me, one shot, bam! Took him down, haha!"
"Stop bragging. If it weren’t for Brother Jiang drawing away the horde, you wouldn’t have managed to kill that zombie. Without Brother Jiang’s skills, we might not be living this well now."
"Yeah, Brother Jiang’s the most capable guy I’ve ever seen, and he’s generous. I bet our group could survive just fine in this apocalypse, living well off. But he insists on bringing along all these useless old folks and weaklings, feeding them every day too."
"You can’t say that. Without these folks doing chores, we’d have to do everything ourselves. Do you really want to do hard labor? I don’t."
Then the young man with the gun shouted at the survivors: "Hurry up! Do you not understand Brother Jiang’s words? The good stuff’s for us fighters. Be grateful for a bowl of porridge and two bites of food since you don’t fight zombies."
The survivors kept their heads down, quickening their work.
Ye Fan scanned through the perspective but didn’t see his parents, feeling increasingly anxious.
Then the door of a distant room opened, and someone stepped out.
A woman.
A fashionably dressed woman.
Ye Fan froze; he recognized her!
His high school classmate, Lan Lili, who didn’t make it to college, was considered attractive in school but never focused on studies—a bit of a wild girl.
He didn’t expect her to still be alive and to have returned to this place.
Lan Lili stretched her arms, showing a glimpse of her waist, drawing the young men’s attention.
"Sis."
"Hello, sis!"
The men stood up, nodding slightly with deferential smiles.
"Oh, don’t call me sis, makes me sound old, I’m only twenty-one."
They chuckled, flattering Lan Lili’s youthfulness.
"Your Brother Jiang and the others are inside playing cards, they’re getting hungry. Ask when dinner’s ready?"
"Oh, we’re preparing it. Dinner will have cabbage stew with tofu and stir-fried pork. The pork’s from the pig farm, and the tofu’s made by Old Ye and his wife from our town, along with cans and beer, it’ll be ready for Brother Jiang soon."
"Hurry up, we’re all relying on Brother Jiang to live, his nutrition has to be the priority. Mess around with that, and prepare to meet zombies up close."
Lan Lili’s tone was haughtily instructive as she adjusted her clothes and returned to the room.
Ye Fan didn’t care about most of the conversation, but he caught an important line.
Old Ye and his wife!