184: Surprise, sisters recognize each other
Such actions truly made it impossible not to feel apprehension.
Yet, Bai Wanning’s calmness and rationality made it impossible for her to refuse.
In fact, there was a complete reason why Bai Wanning was so cautious.
Before the Apocalypse descended, most people infected with the virus were sent to hospitals immediately. These people were among the first in the world to mutate into zombies.
Therefore, hospitals were never simple places.
High-level zombies, or even mutated variants, were very likely to exist there, and the destructive power of such zombies… far exceeded ordinary people’s imagination.
Coupled with the vast number of ordinary zombies, once they rushed in recklessly, even if there were a few Ability Users in the team, it would still be difficult to retreat unscathed.
Bai Wanning also wanted to rush into the hospital immediately to save people and collect crystal cores, but she understood that now was not the time.
She not only had to consider the safety of the team but also had to take care of the children Shen Zhen brought out.
It was difficult enough for a group of adults to retreat unscathed, let alone children.
“Don’t you think they also need to rest?” Bai Wanning’s voice was very soft, but it carried a hint of undeniable firmness.
Shen Zhen was startled and turned to look at the children.
They were clearly exhausted, their small faces dirty, their eyes full of fear and unease, but not a single one cried out in tiredness or asked to stop.
She, of course, understood why.
These children, before and after the Apocalypse, either lost their parents or were abandoned by their relatives. Now, being able to depend on a safe adult was their only way of survival.
They were afraid that once they stopped or cried, they would be abandoned again.
Therefore, although these children were afraid, they also understood that they had to work hard, otherwise they would only become a burden to others.
They came to her for food simply because they didn’t want to be driven out by the adults again for only eating and not working.
Shen Zhen sighed and nodded in agreement with Bai Wanning: “There’s a small hotel nearby; we can rest there.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Wanning turned to Lei Qian and the others and said, “Alright, let’s go; it’s time to rest.”
They had been searching for food and crystal cores since morning, and no matter how skilled they were at killing zombies, they still had to take care of their bodies.
Upon hearing Bai Wanning’s voice, Lei Qian immediately stopped hunting zombies and retreated with the others.
Lu Yin watched, feeling very displeased.
Lei Qian was clearly the captain, yet he was always willing to listen to Bai Wanning. To her, as the captain, he seemed to lack authority.
However, despite Lu Yin’s dissatisfaction, she didn’t say a word.
Now, the team members still respected Bai Wanning, and she didn’t want to be isolated for speaking out of turn.
She knew very well that if she were isolated, she wouldn’t be able to follow Lei Qian and his group anymore.
The other team members also drove to the small hotel Shen Zhen mentioned, according to Bai Wanning’s arrangements.
Of course, no one paid attention to the survivors still trapped in the mall, shouting about “cleaning up the remaining zombies.”
Shen Zhen looked at the people begging for help, and before she could even feel compassion, she heard Bai Wanning say lightly, “Don’t think too much. We’ve mostly cleared out the zombies; there aren’t many left. As long as they have some courage and act in time to kill those few zombies, they can escape.”
“In short, if even these children dare to face monsters, they certainly can too.”
Bai Wanning was not hard-hearted; it was just that seeing these young children fleeing everywhere with supplies, she truly couldn’t bear to waste any more energy pitying those adults who only waited for rescue.
Ten-year-old children knew to rely on themselves to survive, yet these adults were still waiting for someone to save them. What exactly were they waiting for? And by what right did they expect others to lend a helping hand?
After hearing Bai Wanning’s words, Shen Zhen also involuntarily felt emotional. She remembered that when she was first trapped in the mall, the people she complained about the most were that group.
They complained about the children being noisy and even threatened the little girls, saying they would throw them out if they made any more fuss.
And when they suggested going out, those people, as if afraid zombies would break in, unhesitatingly drove them out, not even giving them any time to prepare.
If Bai Wanning and her team hadn’t appeared in time, Shen Zhen and her group would probably have already become zombie fodder.
These people were truly not worth her further concern.
Even Lu Yin, who always prided herself on being kind, chose to remain silent at this moment.
If it were before, she would have definitely jumped out to express goodwill, but after being reprimanded by Bai Wanning once, she no longer dared to meddle in others’ affairs.
Moreover, her mind was entirely focused on Lei Qian; how could she have any extra energy to care about others?
Thus, without any disturbances, the group drove to the small hotel Shen Zhen had mentioned.
The zombies had already been cleared out by Bai Wanning’s team.
The hotel had also been mostly tidied up.
Shen Zhen and the children from the back seat of the SUV got out of the car together. Looking at the clean hotel in front of them, the children finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although there were still bloodstains on the floor, at least it was much better than facing those man-eating monsters.
Shen Zhen was about to tell the children not to run around when her gaze suddenly fixed on a certain figure. She widened her eyes and exclaimed, “It’s you!”
Jiang Dai was called out and jumped in surprise.
She blinked, turned to look at the person behind her, and seeing it was the doctor Bai Wanning was looking for, she politely smiled at Shen Zhen, saying nothing else.
She had just handed in the crystal core and was about to leave with Guoguo to quickly exchange materials with Bai Wanning. Who knew that before she had even walked a few steps, Shen Zhen rushed over.
Her eyes were red, her breathing rapid, and her gaze was tightly fixed on Jiang Dai, as if she had seen something precious.
Jiang Dai was startled by her sudden action and quickly shielded her son behind her, asking with a slight tremor in her voice, “Wh-what’s wrong?”
She was afraid Shen Zhen was looking for trouble with her, but she didn’t expect that the moment their eyes met, Shen Zhen burst into tears and tightly embraced Jiang Dai.
“It’s good that you’re alright, it’s really great, you’re still alive…” Shen Zhen choked, gently stroking Jiang Dai’s head.
She wasn’t surprised that her sister didn’t remember her, after all, Jiang Dai was only three or four years old when her parents sent her to the orphanage.
What could a child of that age remember?
Jiang Dai’s face turned pale from the sudden hug of this stranger, but she also widened her eyes, and a strange sense of familiarity inexplicably arose in her heart.
She didn’t understand what was happening, but in the end, she didn’t struggle, allowing Shen Zhen to hold her.
Bai Wanning stood by, watching Shen Zhen hug Jiang Dai, with a hint of confusion in her eyes. But when she carefully examined the appearances of the two women, she suddenly realized that there was indeed some similarity between them.
Although Jiang Dai’s features were not as bright and prominent as Tong Huan’s, standing next to Shen Zhen, one could still see the connection of their bloodline.
Bai Wanning’s heart stirred, and she was glad that she hadn’t left Jiang Dai behind, otherwise this matter would have been troublesome. It was a blessing in disguise.
Jiang Dai and Shen Zhen hugged for a while before their emotions slowly calmed down.
Seeing that the two sisters had something to say, Bai Wanning did not go forward to disturb them, but instead turned to the others, signaling them to go upstairs to find empty rooms to rest.