If before, he lived for the beliefs in his heart.
Now, he lived according to his own free will.
Simply put, his free will was lost the moment he met Su Ling.
In the future time he hadn't anticipated, he now had someone he wanted to protect.
With the topic reaching this point, Fatty and Skinny understood everything.
Fatty, having finished washing the dishes, found nothing more to wash. He simply stood by Skinny, watching Xu Lin smoking by the wall. "Su Ling is a girl of few words, aloof and quiet. It won't be easy to win her favor."
"It doesn't matter," Xu Lin flicked the ash from his cigarette and looked up at the starry night sky. "We have plenty of time."
Companionship was the most enduring confession of love. He would do his best and let nature take its course.
Xu Lin's principles in interacting with people deeply resonated with Fatty. He looked at Xu Lin and gave him a thumbs-up gesture.
The three fell silent, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward.
Xu Lin glanced at his watch, then moved from his spot to the wall, looking down.
Below the tall building, visibility was not clear.
Especially in the apocalypse, with insufficient power, the area below where people could move was pitch black.
Fatty, seeing Xu Lin suddenly walk towards the wall railing, exchanged a glance with Skinny. He then turned and walked towards Xu Lin.
Reaching Xu Lin's side, Fatty looked down but saw nothing suspicious. He then asked, "What's wrong?"
Xu Lin continued to gaze at everything below, his eyes not moving. "According to the original plan with the team, they were supposed to leave this building at ten o'clock. I just checked the time; it's almost ten."
He wouldn't be leaving with them. He would send them off here.
Hearing Xu Lin's words, Fatty understood.
He glanced at Xu Lin, who was focused on the movements below, then reached out and patted his shoulder. "I'll go help Skinny. Let us know if you need anything; we're close by and can come immediately."
"Mm."
Thus, Xu Lin waited from around 9:50 PM until about 10:30 PM, but no one came.
It was quiet below. There was no sound of anyone leaving the building, nor the sound of vehicles starting.
The only commotion was likely the roars of zombies active at night, and the occasional heart-wrenching screams that echoed in the night sky.
So, where were Li Yunlong and the others at this time, and what were they doing?
The third floor of the department store.
According to the original plan, Li Yunlong and the other three were supposed to leave the building at ten. Currently, they were in a corner of the supermarket.
Inside the tent they had temporarily set up, Zhang Miaomiao was lying down, held in Li Yunlong's arms. Her face was pale and bloodless, her whole body listless. She appeared to be in great pain and discomfort, her face covered in fine beads of cold sweat.
Beside them, Jiang Zhimin leaned into her boyfriend Chen Jiakai's embrace, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes, as she looked at Zhang Miaomiao, were filled with self-blame and regret.
So, what had happened?
After Li Yunlong and the four parted ways with Xu Lin, they retraced their steps and took the elevator back to the third floor.
Upon exiting the elevator, they headed straight for their stronghold.
As they neared their stronghold, they heard loud, chaotic noises and intermittent shouts.
Unsure of what was happening, the four of them went to investigate.
As they approached, they saw a middle-aged man hacking at them with a blood-stained cleaver.
The situation was urgent. Jiang Zhimin saw the cleaver about to fall on her. Without hesitation, she directly pulled Zhang Miaomiao, who was beside her, to block the cleaver for her.
As a result, Zhang Miaomiao's shoulder was deeply cut by the cleaver, and she bled profusely.
This led to the scene that was now unfolding!