When the apocalypse had first erupted, he continued to maintain his previous lifestyle, working, clocking out, paying money, and greeting people amiably, but Huang City didn’t improve because of his behavior.
The only thing he had changed was the secluded Sunshine District.
In Huang City, and in the whole society, it was really too insignificant.
Han Shuang and the others remained silent.
Gu Hang sighed deeply.
Just then, Lin Fan opened the window, causing Han Shuang and the others to look startled. Before they could react, they saw Lin Fan leap in.
He did not draw his sword, nor did he throw a punch, but let the group of children pounce on him.
The majority of children were only tall enough to reach his thighs.
Han Shuang and the others watched the scene before them with tangled hearts, worrying about what would happen if he got bitten. Then, to their shock, the zombie children couldn’t break Lin Fan’s skin; they only dirtied his clothes.
Lin Fan cradled a zombie child in his arms, stroking its head as he spoke softly, "Little baby, it will be quick. Uncle will be gentle. The apocalypse is a disaster for you, even as zombies. Have a good sleep, maybe the future will be different."
He twisted the neck, the vertebrae snapped, and the spinal cord nerves severed.
He did not know if this would make the zombies die, as he usually cut them down with his sword, or killed them with a punch or a kick.
The crisp sounds echoed through the classroom. Standing outside, Han Shuang and the others had an unusual emotion in their eyes. They watched dazedly, having seen Lin Fan decisively and ruthlessly hack zombies before, when each swing assuredly made the earth shatter and left no corpse whole.
The recent mutant zombie was instantly reduced to mush by a single punch, showing how terrifying it was.
The crisp sounds disappeared.
Lin Fan looked at the neatly stacked nap beds by the wall, carried them down, and arranged them orderly, then laid out the zombie children and covered them with blankets.
This was the only thing he could do, and the last bit of warmth he could give to the children.
Leaving them to wander around would be a hazard to the survivors, and it would mean the children, even though turned, would still suffer such pain.
This was something he did not want to see.
Climbing out the window and closing it behind him, he faced everyone with a smile.
"It’s okay, they’re all asleep now. Let’s head to the basement," he said.
As Han Shuang and the others left, they took one last look at the classroom; it was peaceful, without the agitation from before. For some reason, they felt...
This was perhaps the best outcome for them.
In front of a dilapidated wooden house.
They opened the door.
Inside was empty, with wooden planks embedded in the floor, each with zippers. Gu Hang stepped forward to open the zippers, revealing a light inside. This basement had been there since the time of the welfare institute.
It seemed to be from the time of the war, used to take shelter from artillery bombardments.
It had been preserved to this day.
They descended the stairs.
Lin Fan heard voices ahead, children talking quietly. The voices were soft, but he heard them clearly, and he was definitely not mistaken.
Reaching the innermost part.
There were five children, three boys and two girls. Among them, one girl looked to be about seven or eight years old, constantly shushing the others. Seeing Lin Fan and the other strangers enter, they all looked on baffled and frightened.
"Hello, kids," Lin Fan greeted with a smile.
Han Shuang and the others also smiled.
Hoping their smiles would make the children less afraid.
The group of children, unkempt and with dirty faces, clearly had been hiding here for a long time.
To any survivor in the apocalypse, children were a true burden because they were young, lacking understanding of the outside world. Perhaps, what seemed trivial to the children could be the critical factor leading to total annihilation.
Perhaps others wouldn’t care for these children.
Lin Fan wouldn’t ignore them.
Clang, clang, clang...
"Eat slowly, there’s plenty more," Lin Fan said as he watched the children gobble down their food; he couldn’t tell how hungry they had become.
Everyone around was watching the group of children.
Learning that they had been brought from the welfare institute, all they could say was that these children were lucky. As for the other children who had become zombies, they could only express helplessness. The apocalypse was truly horrifying. It wasn’t just the children; even they, the adults, were tormented almost to the point of insanity, with even their own lives not guaranteed.
If it weren’t for meeting Lin Fan, they would have already died.
"Here comes the delicious cake and bread," Su Xiaoxiao said, rushing in with a platter, placing it on the table, and looking at the children’s hunger, she felt heartbroken. Ever since she arrived at Sunshine District, she had never imagined that she would be able to continue running her cake shop here.
And what was even more surprising was that she could still earn an income.
Lin Fan said, "Xiaoxiao, how much? I’ll pay you later."
Su Xiaoxiao waved her hand and said, "Don’t worry about it, consider it my treat."
"No, I still need to pay you."
"Really, it’s not necessary."
After a few more attempts to push the issue and seeing that Su Xiaoxiao truly didn’t want the money, Lin Fan had to drop it.
Tingting ran home, came back with milk in hand, and said, "Little brothers and sisters, have some milk."
This was the milk she stored at home and drank a bottle every morning and night to keep her little mind sharp.