Chapter 17: My Mom Said You Are a Good Person
At the Pioneering Army’s main base, Su Tao felt low-spirited the entire way.
She asked Shi Ziyue:
“When did your brother start serving in the army?”
“At sixteen. Sister Tao, I know what you’re thinking. You’re a good person. No one has ever cared about my brother’s life and death like you do—questioning whether everything he does is worth it, and if it’s more important than his own life. But you know, when my dad died, my brother was only fourteen. He knelt beside my dad’s corpse and swore that as long as the apocalypse wasn’t over, he would fight for us. To him, his life is far less important than protecting ordinary people like us.”
Su Tao felt incredibly distressed. She had never felt more than at this moment that being a hero was not a good thing at all.
She truly just wanted Shi Zijin to live well—not to end up like Brother Zhuang Hu, where one day she might suddenly be told he was gone forever from her life.
“Sister Tao, I’ve tried to persuade him, but he’s as stubborn as a mule. Once he sets his mind on something, he will never look back.”
*
Shi Zijin rested until the afternoon. Feeling he was mostly fine, he took a car to see the old chief.
When he arrived, he saw Xing Shuyu there as well.
“Major General Shi? You’re… injured again? Why have you been getting hurt so often lately? I just saw you lose a hand last time.”
Shi Zijin responded with a soft “Mm,” not explaining further, and walked in just a step behind her.
Xing Hongwen had just finished eating the Taoyang bento his granddaughter brought earlier. When he saw Shi Zijin’s condition, he frowned:
“You’re seriously injured.”
Shi Zijin shook his head:
“Compared to losing a teammate, I’m already very lucky.”
Xing Hongwen’s frown deepened:
“That shouldn’t have happened. What exactly occurred?”
Shi Zijin recounted the entire situation.
Xing Shuyu was stunned:
“A zombie that looks like a four- or five-year-old human child? How is that possible?”
Shi Zijin glanced at her:
“Impossible? Yet it happened before our eyes.”
Xing Shuyu’s mind was filled with shock—”Oh my god, it’s over.”
A creature that looked human… and a child at that. It could completely infiltrate the base and wreak havoc.
Moreover, it was so bizarre—nothing like the ordinary zombies, as if it were a completely different species.
Xing Hongwen’s frown deepened:
“You severely injured it, yet it still managed to escape?”
He understood Shi Zijin’s abilities—almost all-rounder powers. It was rare for prey to escape from him.
“Yes, its bone wings seem to contain venom that can cause numbness and paralysis. After it wounded me, I lost all sensation. My teammates noticed this and didn’t dare to approach, allowing it to escape.”
What a truly troublesome creature…
Xing Hongwen rubbed his temples:
“Understood. Zijin, take a good rest for now. I’ll send other teams to search again. This is a significant threat. We need to figure out its abilities and growth speed as soon as possible.”
Shi Zijin nodded.
Xing Hongwen then turned to ask Xing Shuyu:
“Shuyu, how’s it going with that landlord, Su?”
Shi Zijin’s ears immediately perked up.
Xing Shuyu scratched her head:
“Not bad. She’s a good person, very straightforward. I didn’t hide my identity from her, and she took it well. She didn’t kick me out.”
Xing Hongwen nodded:
“She’s a reasonable and simple girl. Shuyu, I called you here today because I need you to discuss a business deal with Su Tao.”
“What kind of deal?”
“The electric grid around Taoyang can not only output high-voltage current to repel zombies, but its alloy walls are also very sturdy and well-constructed. They must have a factory for unified production. Go talk to Su Tao and tell her we want a batch of electric grids—however many they have, we’ll take them all.”
Xing Shuyu was stunned:
“For Dongyang? Grandpa, are you worried about a large-scale zombie evolution leading to a siege?”
Xing Hongwen nodded heavily:
“There’s a high possibility. To determine the exact scale of evolution, we need to get more blood and tissue samples from the Blood Scythe for further research. Regardless, the sooner our defensive walls are built, the better.”
Xing Shuyu hesitated:
“Are you sure we need as much as we can get? What if we buy too much?”
Shi Zijin suddenly spoke up:
“It won’t be too much. Even if we have excess, other bases will need these supplies too. The real problem is whether Taoyang has that many in stock.”
Su Tao really didn’t have that many.
When she heard Xing Shuyu wanted to buy them, she felt troubled.
Because the electric grid walls were part of the hidden shop, aside from the ones already around Taoyang, she couldn’t produce any more—not even for money.
She spread her hands:
“I’m not lying. If I had them, I’d have sold them already. I really need money right now.”
She had no idea how to trigger the hidden tasks. Sigh.
Xing Shuyu was quite disappointed:
“If you manage to get more later, please let me know immediately. By the way, was Jiang Ze the guy who stayed here before?”
Su Tao frowned:
“Yeah, he was the one practicing his powers in the room, burned the place down, and had a terrible attitude. I kicked him out that same afternoon. What happened with him?”
Xing Shuyu’s eyes narrowed:
“No wonder I smelled something burning when I passed by a room the other night. So someone was really playing with fire indoors. What a scumbag! On my way back, I heard he complained to the Land Management Bureau, saying Taoyang scammed him on rent—kicked him out after less than two days without refunding the rent and didn’t return his belongings. Ugh! And there are actually fools who believe him.”
She turned to leave, ready to confront him.
Su Tao was speechless. It was absurd to see someone playing the victim like this.
But she wasn’t too bothered. The demand for rooms in Taoyang far exceeded the supply. Fewer people coming here only meant less work for her.
The ten newly opened rooms had barely been announced before they were flooded with applications.
Su Tao was worried. She’d likely have to pull a few all-nighters to sort through all the information and select suitable tenants.
Su Tao was relaxed, but Xing Shuyu wasn’t. Deep down, she believed nowhere could compare to Taoyang—it was the most honest and comfortable place to live. She couldn’t stand anyone slandering it maliciously.
Seeing Xing Shuyu rush out like a ticking bomb, Su Tao didn’t stop her.
She sighed, preparing to clean up before sorting through the tenant information later.
Having more residents had its downsides—the public areas got dirty quickly.
When all fifteen new tenants moved in, the cleaning workload would increase. She really needed to hire a housekeeping cleaner.
Unexpectedly, just as she was about to mop the floor, a small figure had already finished cleaning and was taking out the trash.
Su Tao recognized her—Qian Rongrong, the sixteen-year-old daughter of a single mother from Room 004. She no longer attended school and usually managed seeds in the plantation.
With the apocalyptic collapse of societal systems, the nine-year compulsory education had long been abandoned. Families with better conditions, like Shi Ziyue’s, sent their kids to private schools. These schools not only taught regular subjects but also apocalypse survival rules, self-rescue, emergency care, and various survival skills.
When Qian Rongrong saw Su Tao, she said shyly:
“I finished work early today, so I helped tidy up. Is… is that okay?”
Su Tao smiled:
“Of course! I should be thanking you.”
Qian Rongrong shook her head vigorously:
“My mom said you’re a good person and told me to help you more. I’ll come clean up whenever I get off work early.”
“No need, no need—” But the little girl had already run off.
Su Tao felt warm inside, but also a bit helpless. She’d have to find a chance to talk to the girl’s mother. She couldn’t let her work for free.
That night, Su Tao stayed up late, staring at the application forms until her eyes were sore.
The Su family hadn’t given up. Not only did Su Zhengqing’s information appear on the application forms, but Jiang Jinwei’s did too.
