For Lian Ru Ning, the addition of beads on the finger cot didn’t make much difference; after all, they were both beginners in this matter and hadn’t yet reached the so-called “legendary spot.”
Realizing that the money for this little accessory had gone to waste, Hao Jian channeled her relentless curiosity and thought for a long while. She realized that they didn’t necessarily need to find any legendary spot, there was a perfectly accessible way to reach a higher truth right here, wasn’t there?
"Hey, junior sister, want to play a game of 'bead match-up'?" she asked with a mischievous grin.
"...You’re seriously outrageous," Lian Ru Ning thought, "outrageous both on and off the bed!"
"Bead match-up" was indeed a new and closer step in their “soulful connection.” Already drenched in sweat, Hao Jian reached over to the bedside and pulled out a small object. Before Lian Ru Ning could even see what it was, it was slipped into a finger cot.
Lian Ru Ning, looking at Hao Jian in slight confusion, then recognized it—it was a small stone carving she had gifted Hao Jian, something Hao Jian had treasured and carried with her everywhere.
Blushing furiously, she protested, "No way!"
Hao Jian’s eyes sparkled. "Why not? This is a keepsake from you to me. Why not make full use of its value?"
Lian Ru Ning shot her a mortified look: "How am I supposed to look at it the same way again?"
After this, Lian Ru Ning couldn’t even look at small stone carvings without blushing. And she had even once remarked that this one looked a bit like a lucky cat...
"Junior sister, you handled three to four centimeters just fine, this one’s only about two. So why not?" Hao Jian said, sounding considerate yet regretful as she watched Lian Ru Ning’s hesitant reaction.
Playing with the small stone, Hao Jian's expression turned mock-sorrowful, as if she was just one step away from singing, "That night, you rejected me once again."
Lian Ru Ning sighed, biting her lip, then muttered, "Just this once, okay? No next time."
Hao Jian's woeful look melted away in a flash, her face breaking into a gleeful smile.
Lian Ru Ning cursed inwardly at having been tricked.
But afterward, she found that acts carrying a sense of vulnerability and embarrassment somehow brought even deeper satisfaction. Recalling her words about "no next time," she started to wonder if she might be willing to drop her guard and entice Hao Jian to try such things again.
Thoughts of all sorts floated around her mind as Hao Jian brought water to wipe them down. After tidying up, they lay down and drifted off to sleep, exhausted yet thoroughly content.
_____
As it turned out, sleep came easily after deep, genuine satisfaction, and the rest they enjoyed was blissfully restful.
The next morning, Lian Ru Ning was bright and energetic as she joined Zhao Yuhuan for breakfast. Yet, while her spirit was revitalized, her body held onto certain “memories” of the previous night’s exploration.
With her keen eye, Zhao Yuhuan noticed a red mark on Lian Ru Ning's neck. She leaned in, examining it closely, "Is that a mosquito bite? Though it doesn’t quite look like one..."
Realizing what it might be, Lian Ru Ning quickly covered her neck, laughing awkwardly, "Probably just a mosquito."
Zhao Yuhuan wasn't naive. All her previous romantic experiences would have been in vain if she hadn't understood by now. Having grown up in a conservative family, Zhao hadn't crossed it herself before getting married. At twenty-seven, she hadn't yet experienced such intimacy.
She’d actually been about to marry a guy she met through matchmaking, but then the zombie outbreak happened, and her fiancé got bitten at work by someone infected with the virus.
Thinking back, she couldn’t help but sigh at her twisted fate. She hadn’t felt much loss for her fiancé, it had been an arranged setup. What’s more, when she visited him after he was bitten, she found her best friend there, bringing him all kinds of nourishing food.
Later, she learned that zombie infections could also be sexually transmitted, clearing up her suspicions in an instant.
Turning to Lian Ru Ning, Zhao Yuhuan couldn’t help but advise, "Listen, Lian, it’s a harsh world out there, and you need to be careful. Whatever you do, use protection, alright?"
Her words, so earnestly spoken, had Lian blushing furiously. Although she and Hao Jian had grown quite close, having someone else talk about these things was both embarrassing and awkward.
Luckily, Zhao didn’t dwell on it. She wasn’t exactly an expert herself, it was just a “work habit” from years of experience in managing people.
Lian Ru Ning didn’t mind Zhao Yuhuan’s fussing. She could tell that Zhao Yuhuan was well-meaning, a fact reflected in the way people greeted her warmly wherever they went.
When they reached the cafeteria, Zhao Yuhuan spotted a bespectacled young man who looked studious and polite. She greeted him and asked, “By the way, Ah Zhao, any news on that favor I asked you about?”
Ah Zhao nodded, “Yes, there’s been some progress on the information you asked me to look up, all thanks to South City clearing up resources to start recording survivor information.”
At the mention of “South City,” Lian Ru Ning’s ears perked up, her interest piqued.
“That’s fantastic! It’s great news for survivors in different cities who are trying to reconnect with their families,” Zhao cheered. “Ah Zhao, you’re amazing! Let me treat you to breakfast.”
Ah Zhao’s ears turned red, “N-no need, really. It was just a matter of running a search, nothing difficult. By the way, Zhao Yuhuan, those people you asked me to check—are they relatives?”
Zhao Yuhuan hurriedly said, “Oh! I almost forgot to introduce you. This young lady here is Lian Ru Ning, from Nanfang City. She’s also searching for her family, and the information I asked you to find is about her relatives.”
Lian Ru Ning greeted Ah Zhao and curiously studied him, noticing that his gaze toward her was rather reserved. In contrast, when he looked at Zhao Yuhuan, there was a trace of emotion he couldn’t quite hide.
Lian Ru Ning understood that kind of emotion all too well now, it was hard to miss the subtle affection that wasn't even being hidden. She glanced at Zhao Yuhuan, who seemed oblivious, chatting away with Ah Zhao, oblivious to the atmosphere. At last, Lian Ru Ning realised why Zhao Yuhuan knew so much - it seemed she had an admirer who was adept at gathering information.
With Zhao Yuhuan’s help, Ah Zhao shared what he’d discovered with Lian Ru Ning. “A recent survivor list from Nanfang City's shelters was just transmitted to us over the local network. We found two people named Lian Qingmiao: one in a remote district and one who’s a professor, though his location is classified. There are eight people named Gao Ruosu, but no one named Lian Ru Meng.”
At that moment, Lian Ru Ning felt as if her heart had plunged into an icy abyss.
At some point, Hao Jian had arrived quietly. She'd been listening for a while and now asked, "Are these shelters only outside the city center?"
Although Hao Jian had been keeping the news of the city center’s lockdown from Lian Ru Ning, she knew she couldn’t hide it any longer.
Ah Zhao glanced at her and replied, “Yes, all these shelters are outside the city center. Nanfang City's core was ordered to close off as of July 30th, so the city center has been excluded from this list.”
Lian Ru Ning’s face turned pale, and she swayed unsteadily. Hao Jian caught her and said, “But as far as I know, there are still guard operations in the city center.”
“That’s right. Although the Nanfang City government officially abandoned the city center and locked it down, there’s still a natural shelter there…”
“Ersha Island and Haixin Island.”
Ah Zhao nodded. “Correct. Both islands are in the river’s center. Ersha Island is quite large and densely populated, while Haixin Island, a well-known tourist attraction, often sees many visitors. But even before the lockdown, the unknown virus had already instilled fear in people’s hearts. Most locals, having lived through SARS, bird flu, and dengue fever, were wary of going to crowded places. So, not many people went to Haixin Island before the lockdown.”
“Although the city center is locked down, Nanfang City’s strike team is still using the islands as a makeshift shelter, welcoming nearby survivors. They’ve destroyed the bridges nearby and cleared the zombies from the islands. They’ve even started establishing communication points there. That’s why I received an updated survivor list. Among those named Gao Ruosu, one is listed as a professor. The information also shows a mother-child relationship with someone named Lian Ru Meng.”
Lian Ru Ning’s heart soared as if she were on a roller coaster. Tears filled her eyes. “My mom, she’s an associate professor…”
“To me, associate or full professor makes no difference,” Ah Zhao remarked.
At that, Lian Ru Ning turned and embraced Hao Jian. “It’s them – it really is them. My mom’s alive… she’s still there…”
Feeling the weight of her emotions, Hao Jian shared her joy as though she, too, had regained something precious.
Zhao Yuhuan, equally thrilled, grabbed Ah Zhao’s hand. “Ah Zhao, you’re amazing! You’ve really done something wonderful! Breakfast alone isn’t enough to thank you. Tell me what you’d like – I’ll get you a gift!”
Ah Zhao’s ears reddened. “I haven’t thought of anything yet.”
“Well, then it’s an IOU. Once you think of something, I’ll get it for you, no matter what!”
Ah Zhao smiled and nodded happily.
Hao Jian then asked, “Sharing this with us… you won’t get into any trouble, right?”
Ah Zhao responded, “With certain hostile forces around, it’s wise to stay cautious. But this information is destroyed immediately after retrieval, so it won’t fall into the wrong hands… as long as you keep it secret.”
“We won’t tell anyone,” Lian Ru Ning assured him earnestly. “This concerns tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of lives. Thank you, Ah Zhao!”
Looking slightly embarrassed, Ah Zhao replied, “I didn’t find anything on Lian Ru Meng, so there’s no need to thank me.”
Hao Jian thought for a moment. “Are you only able to access information from Nanfang City?”
“Not exactly. The larger cities forming the triangle – Xiangshi, Nanfang City, Focheng, and Shen City – are closely connected, so these areas share information with each other.”
“In that case, could you also look into Focheng and Zhushi for us?”
Ah Zhao seemed a bit hesitant, so Hao Jian added, “I can compensate you.”
He shook his head. “There’s no need to make it sound like I’m trading information. We’re all colleagues here, and the official survivor lists are part of managing survivors and detecting hostile elements. It’s also to establish a family-tracing system to ease survivors’ restless hearts. Eventually, it’ll be open to everyone, so I don’t mind helping you check a little early.”
Contrary to what “Wujiu” and others thought, the officials weren’t rigid or oppressive. After learning about Wujiu’s presence, they had come up with a plan. First, they confirmed each survivor’s identity, so if anything happened, they’d be able to trace it back. Having a comprehensive list also made it easier to manage survivors, making it possible to quickly identify individuals and reduce the chance of crime.
Lastly, by setting up a family-tracing network spanning various shelters, they offered survivors motivation and hope for the future. At the same time, survivors were made aware that if they joined hostile forces and broke the law, their loved ones in other shelters could face repercussions.
These measures would swiftly bring stability.
Hao Jian and Lian Ru Ning expressed their gratitude, both feeling a growing sense of anticipation.