Her mother’s breathing trembled again. "I understand, I locked it already. I checked it twice. The television keeps saying not to go outside. I closed the balcony windows too. LiLi asked why she cannot even go near the corridor."
"Good," Yan Cijin said softly. "Keep her inside. Let her play in the living room, give her snacks, cartoons, anything. Don’t let her go near the entrance if soone knocks. And if you hear noise outside, pretend you hear nothing."
Yan Laojin gave a weak sound of agreent, but tears were still obvious in her voice. "Yanyan... if things are really bad there, don’t think about ho first. Find sowhere safe and hide. Staying alive is the most important thing. If you cannot co back imdiately, then don’t force yourself. We are inside, we will listen to you, but you must not take risks because of us."
Yan Cijin’s eyes softened slightly at those words. Even after so many tilines, hearing her mother speak like this still made sothing inside her chest tighten in a way she never fully got used to. In earlier lives, there had been tis when those words beca regrets she could never answer in ti. This ti she would not allow that again. "Mom," she said, her tone gentler now, "I know. Nothing will happen to . I said I will co back, so I will co back. You trust , right?"
On the other side, Yan Laojin imdiately answered without hesitation despite still crying. "Of course I trust you. Since you were young, whenever you say sothing in that voice, you always do it."
That made the faintest smile touch Yan Cijin’s eyes. "Then keep trusting now too. Stay inside. Don’t panic. There may be noise outside later, maybe shouting, maybe soone running in the corridor, but no matter what happens, don’t open the door."
"Alright," her mother whispered, this ti calr than before. "I will do exactly that."
For a brief mont, the call fell quiet, and just as Yan Cijin was about to end it and conserve ti, a small familiar voice suddenly pushed through from the other side, bright, energetic, and completely untouched by the fear that adults carried.
"Mommy! Mommy, LiLi misses you~"
The mont that voice reached her ear, the calm line of Yan Cijin’s mouth changed visibly. A smile appeared almost without her noticing. In previous lives, especially the first ti this happened, she had often ended calls too quickly, afraid her own unstable breathing or fear would frighten the child, afraid hearing LiLi cry would weaken her own focus while trapped in danger. But now everything inside her remained steady enough that hearing that little voice only softened her further.
"LiLi," she said, and for the first ti since the outbreak began, laughter could clearly be heard in her voice, warm and light enough that even the frightened people in the room unconsciously glanced toward her. "My baby, be good for Grandma, alright? Mommy misses you too."
On the other side ca imdiate cheerful movent, probably the child climbing closer to the phone. "Mommy, why are there so many sirens outside? Grandma says I can’t go to school. Did school break?"
Yan Cijin almost laughed softly. Even now, the child’s mind naturally searched for simple explanations. "Mm, think of it like school is taking a break today. So you stay ho and play nicely. Stay with Grandma, don’t run around, and be good until Mommy cos back."
"Will Mommy co back soon?" LiLi asked in the sa innocent tone.
"Yes," Yan Cijin answered without hesitation, and this ti even she noticed how much certainty there was in her own voice. "Very soon. Mommy has sothing to finish here first, then I’ll co back and play with you."
"Then I’ll wait," LiLi said proudly, then added in a little secretive tone, "Grandma gave strawberry biscuits."
That finally drew a small laugh from Yan Cijin, soft but real. "Then save so for Mommy."
"Okay!"
For a second she almost wanted to keep listening longer, almost wanted to throw every future calculation aside and simply leave imdiately, return ho now, sit with that little one and her mother, and let the world outside collapse however it wished. But that thought passed as quickly as it ca. She knew very well that certain things still had to be handled now while the early stage remained manageable.
"Mommy has work now," she said gently. "Goodbye, LiLi."
"Goodbye, Mommy," the child answered brightly.
After the call ended, the room fell quiet again. Only two other people inside still held phones, speaking in hurried whispers to their own families, trying to sound brave while clearly afraid themselves. Neither spoke for long. Both quickly ended the calls as if even speaking too much might sohow invite danger closer. Then silence returned fully, broken only by distant screams, heavy dragging footsteps outside, low rough growls, and the occasional desperate cry for help echoing through the hospital corridor like sothing from a world that had already stopped belonging to ordinary people.
At around noon, after several hours of observing the outside situation, Bai Li finally left the control room and went into the kitchen. The apartnt remained quiet around her, almost too quiet compared to the chaos visible through every cara feed and window outside. From ti to ti faint sounds still rose from below, distant screams, hurried footsteps sowhere in the building, doors opening and shutting in panic, but inside her duplex everything remained orderly, clean, and strangely calm. That contrast only made the reality outside feel sharper. She opened one of the cabinets where part of the easily accessible food had already been arranged after the renovation and took out a can of self heating hot pot food she had deliberately kept nearby for convenience. She did not use the self heating pack itself and instead emptied the contents into a pot, adding a little water before placing it on the stove. Soon the kitchen filled with the familiar rich spicy sll of hot oil, chili, preserved vegetables, and seasoning. While that heated, she washed rice and placed half a pot into the electric cooker. Steam gradually rose, carrying warmth through the otherwise silent kitchen.
She was not in a hurry while preparing lunch because she knew that the next few hours mattered more if her body remained properly fed and stable. Going outside on an empty stomach would be foolish. The first ti killing zombies in this world was not sothing she wanted to do while distracted by hunger. More importantly, she had already waited through the most sensitive early morning hours for a reason. From nine in the morning until now, the police system of Jinghua City had already been pushed close to its first real limit. At the beginning, patrol units still responded quickly, ergency teams still moved, and scattered police presence could still be seen trying to suppress violent infected individuals. But now the city had already crossed that fragile early line where manpower began collapsing under numbers. Too many outbreak points had appeared simultaneously, too many ergency calls overlapped, and too many officers themselves had already beco victims. By noon, ordinary law enforcent would no longer have ti to pay attention to a single person moving carefully through one district.
The rice finished steaming just as the hot pot food thickened properly. Bai Li served herself a generous portion into a bowl and sat down at the dining table, eating while it was still steaming hot. The spicy heat spread quickly through her mouth and throat, but the warmth steadied her mind more than she expected. Outside, the world had already begun collapsing, yet she still ate slowly and thoroughly, making sure not to waste energy or leave herself half prepared. She knew very clearly that once she stepped outside, the day would stop being theory. Watching through binoculars and caras was one thing. The first actual kill, the first close sll of infected blood, the first mont of standing within arm’s reach of a zombie trying to tear flesh, that was entirely different.
More than that, today’s purpose was not simply testing herself.
She needed crystal cores.
A huge amount of them.
The system had already made it clear that everything truly important ahead depended on crystal cores. Weapons needed them to grow. Her own future abilities would need them. And most importantly, the mythical RV system required an absurd amount just to activate.
One thousand crystal cores.
Even thinking of that number made her pause briefly while eating.
One thousand ant one thousand zombies.
At minimum.
And that was only for activation, not even upgrades.
That alone showed how important the RV truly was if even the gods tied such a cost to it. Compared to ordinary shelter, that RV represented future movent, defense, long range survival, ergency retreat, and perhaps later far more than the system had fully explained. If she failed to secure it early, many later routes would beco much harder.
So today was not simply practice.
Today was the first step toward that thousand.
After finishing the al, she washed the dishes imdiately instead of leaving anything behind. The habit ca naturally. Even now she disliked leaving disorder around when she knew she would return tired later. Once everything was clean again, she dried her hands, walked directly to the supply room, and began preparing without delay.
The room still slled faintly of cardboard, sealed plastic, and stored food. Shelves and stacked supplies lined the walls neatly. She crouched briefly near one section and pulled out a waterproof backpack she had bought earlier when purchasing outdoor survival equipnt. She had bought several kinds of bags then, tactical bags, hiking packs, smaller utility packs, larger frad carriers, but after looking through them again this morning she felt this one suited today’s purpose best.
It was not too large.
Not too small.
Around thirty liters in capacity, enough for essentials without becoming bulky during movent.
The material was dark, durable, and water resistant, with tight zippers and reinforced shoulder straps. If she needed to run, climb, or fight, it would not shift too much on her back.
She placed it on the table and began choosing items carefully.
First ca the compound crossbow.
Not the soul weapon revolver. Not yet.
For ordinary early stage zombies, the crossbow was quieter and practical. Ammunition could be reused when possible, and noise discipline still mattered because gunfire at this stage would attract unnecessary attention.
She secured the crossbow properly, then added ten bolts first, packed in a side compartnt where they could be drawn quickly. She considered taking more, but for a first short trip outside ten was enough if used efficiently, especially since she also had other weapons.
Next ca food.
Several energy bars.
A few high calorie biscuits.
Two sealed bottles of water.
One electrolyte drink.
She was not planning to stay out for very long, but dehydration and sudden exhaustion in this heat were still things she would not ignore.
Then ca practical tools.
A high powered telescope.
Compact rope.
A folding torch.
A small dical pouch.
A pair of gloves.
A light cloth she could use if blood splatter beca troubleso.
She also placed one spare kukri inside, though the main blade she planned to carry separately.
When the bag was packed, she tested the weight once on her shoulder.
Balanced.
Light enough.
Then she went to dress properly.
Even though the weather outside remained hot and humid, she deliberately did not dress lightly. Scratches now carried too much risk, and while her current body was far stronger than ordinary humans, there was no reason to expose skin unnecessarily.
She chose dark fitted pants first, easy for movent.
Then a plain inner shirt.
Over that she wore a denim jacket, not because it was ideal armor, but because the thicker material gave at least so protection against accidental scratches or shallow bites from slow early stage zombies.
She tied her hair back neatly, checked her sleeves, tightened the backpack straps again, and finally stood before the mirror for a brief second.
.
.
.
To be continued.
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