I Am a Landlady in the Apocalypse – CH219

Chapter 219: You Called ‘Zijin’ Several Times in Your Dream

“You—”

Su Tao opened the door and saw Shi Zijin, covered in blood, with his chest torn open, revealing mangled flesh. His mechanical limb was broken, with sparks crackling at the joint. His head was lowered.

Blood gushed from his feet, its heat seeming to scorch her eyes, causing tears to fall uncontrollably.

She wanted to speak, but her throat felt constricted, unable to make a sound.

She wanted to reach out to support him, but her arms felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, refusing to lift.

He was so close, as if just inches away, yet utterly out of reach.

His lips moved gently, forming two words over and over again.

Su Tao couldn’t hear them no matter how hard she tried.

“Tao… Tao—”

Su Tao suddenly sat up in bed, gasping for air, her familiar bedroom coming into focus. Her face was streaked with tears.

Xuedao jumped onto the bed, whining and licking away her tears with its big tongue.

Hearing the commotion, Lin Fangzhi ran upstairs barefoot, too hurried to put on slippers. His wide, deer-like eyes were filled with confusion and concern, silently asking what was wrong.

Su Tao grabbed the fluffy Bai Sesame next to her, using its soft belly to wipe away her tears and Xuedao’s saliva. She muttered gloomily, “Nothing, just a nightmare. Go back to sleep.”

Lin Fangzhi wasn’t reassured and pointed to the doorway, signaling that he would sleep here tonight.

Su Tao’s eyes narrowed. “No.”

She had to shoo him away three times before he reluctantly went downstairs.

Su Tao lay back down, trying to calm herself.

From the shadows of the night, Jiang Yu emerged and said in a cool tone, “If you’re worried, just tell him not to go.”

Su Tao looked at his tall figure by the window and asked sullenly, “How do you know what I dreamed about?”

Jiang Yu sighed. “You called ‘Zijin’ several times.”

Su Tao hesitated. “…Was I loud?”

Jiang Yu glanced at White Sesame, which was dozing off. “It woke up.”

White Sesame was famous for its ability to eat and sleep. Normally, nothing could wake it.

Then he added, “I heard it from the next room too.”

Su Tao’s expression stiffened, but embarrassment only lasted a few seconds before worry took over again.

She wasn’t sure if her dream was a premonition or just a reflection of her thoughts haunting her at night.

She sighed. “I can’t persuade him, and besides, he’s already accepted military orders.”

Jiang Yu said nothing more, blending back into the shadows.

Su Tao called after him, “By the way, I already asked Captain Song and his team to help look for your sister. They’ve traveled all over the country and know a lot of people, so they might find some clues. Also, once our website goes live, I’ll have Gan Hongyu post a missing person notice.”

Jiang Yu was momentarily stunned, his heart suddenly racing.

He had thought he would have to wait a long time. He hadn’t expected her to take it so seriously and start searching so soon.

Jiang Yu thanked her sincerely and said in a quiet voice, “Rest well. Call me if you need anything.”

Su Tao rubbed her temples. “Got it. You should sleep too.”

It was a sleepless night.

At dawn, she called Shi Zijin.

She didn’t ask him anything, nor did she try to persuade him. She just nagged at him with reminders.

Shi Zijin listened quietly.

When she finally ran out of things to say but still didn’t hang up, he chuckled. “Why don’t you say it to me in person?”

Su Tao paused. “You’re back?”

Shi Zijin smiled. “Mm. Just arrived. Wait for me, I need to report to the commander first.”

Even before the appointed time, Su Tao couldn’t help but go downstairs and wait at the Taoyang gate.

There were quite a few people outside, mostly wandering survivors and others who had come in hopes of finding refuge but hadn’t passed the application process.

They had set up tents around the area, with scattered belongings piled up beside them. The unsanitary conditions—food waste, excrement—combined with the sweltering heat made the contrast between inside and outside Tao Yang strikingly stark.

Su Tao frowned. “When I picked up Gu Mingchi a couple of days ago, there weren’t this many people. Why is it so crowded today?”

Zhuang Wan, who had come outside with her, sighed.

“Before that day, Sister Lan had Xiaobo drive them away, but it didn’t work. After just a few days, they all moved back. It’s like they believe that staying close to Tao Yang gives them a better chance of survival.”

Su Tao glanced around and spotted many elderly people, disabled individuals, pregnant women, and mothers with children.

Seeing her gaze, some of them shrank back in fear.

Su Tao felt uneasy and told Zhuang Wan, “Ask Auntie Kang and the others to talk to them. If they can maintain hygiene and avoid causing trouble, they can stay around the area long-term. If zombies attack, Tao Yang will try to protect them.”

“But if someone repeatedly ignores hygiene warnings, picks fights, or bullies the weak, have Xiaobo and Mist drive them out early.”

Zhuang Wan thought this was a good plan and agreed happily.

Just as she finished speaking, three or four burly men suddenly rushed out from a corner.

Their target was clear—they locked onto Su Tao and charged straight at her.

Jiang Yu reacted instantly, appearing out of nowhere to kick the first man down.

But even he couldn’t fend off four men alone. He barely had time to shield Su Tao and push her backward.

Meanwhile, before Zhuang Wan could even shout, two other men covered her mouth, dragged her to a nearby van, and shoved her inside.

Su Tao was horrified. She immediately aimed her gun at the van’s tires and fired.

Bang!

A direct hit. The van screeched as its tire burst, and it stalled.

The surrounding survivors scattered in terror.

“You bitch!” The bald driver turned around and cursed.

Jiang Yu was about to rush over, but suddenly—the entire van disappeared.

Vanished without a trace.

Even the tire marks were gone.

It was as if everything had been an illusion.

Su Tao was shocked and furious.

She ran forward, searching in disbelief.

Her heart pounded with anxiety.

Those men had likely come for her, but when they failed, they took Zhuang Wan instead.

Hearing the commotion, Qi Yunlan, Bao Tu, and others rushed over.

After listening to what had happened, Lei Xing said grimly, “It’s an ability. They didn’t actually disappear. Find them!”

Chen Yang, eyes red with anger, pulled out his gun and started searching wildly, nearly getting into a fight with bystanders.

Lei Xing had to yell at him to pull himself together.

Chen Xi’s face was pale. She wanted to cry but didn’t dare to. Zhong Gaoyi tried his best to stay calm, held her shoulders to comfort her for a while, then strode over to Lei Xing and Su Tao to discuss how to find the missing person.

Just as everyone was about to disperse the survivors and use fire to force the van out of hiding, a military jeep pulled up at the entrance.

Stepping out of the vehicle was Shi Zijin, dressed in a sharply pressed military uniform. Perched proudly on his shoulder was a sleek black cat wearing a leather collar, exuding an air of confidence.