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The blood-stained Screwdriver was suddenly pulled back into Li Nan's sleeve as it fell, and then he extended his hand to help the child who had fallen onto the steps.
The child seemed confused by the man's intentions and immediately asked, "What do you want? I would rather die than sell myself!"
Li Nan smiled wryly, "I didn't expect you to know quite a bit. How old are you this year?"
The child stared at Li Nan in surprise, and after confirming that there were no ulterior motives, replied, "I'm twelve this year, almost an adult!"
Li Nan continued to smile, "By the time you become an adult, there will probably have been five or six conflicts in the Iran-Iraq War!"
The child shook his head and countered, "Why don't you just kill me?"
Li Nan's expression hardened. "Why would I kill you? You're just a child!"
The child struggled to understand Li Nan's reasoning. "If you killed me, you could take back the food I stole and occupy this building. All my benefits would then go to you. Why wouldn't you kill me?"
The child's words deeply pierced Li Nan's heart. "I'm not a bad person, nor am I a good one, but I will never kill for my own benefit. So don't worry, I won't harm you. You don't need to be so defensive around me!"
The child extended a dirty little hand. "My name is Gouzi. I live alone in this building, so I have to be careful. When I saw you coming through the window, I guessed you might have ill intentions, which is why I reacted the way I did. I just wanted to protect myself!"
Li Nan took Gouzi's small hand and said, "My name is Li Nan. I'm a doctor who has fled here. Since the road ahead is not safe, I thought I'd rest here for a while. Perhaps we can coexist peacefully!"
Gouzi made a nonchalant expression. "Since you're not going to kill me, I have no reason not to give you some space!"
Li Nan felt that this boy's maturity was far beyond that of an average twelve-year-old. Everything he had experienced indicated that this child was extraordinary. As the saying goes, poor children grow up quickly; Gouzi had matured early because not every child has the opportunity to grow up in a sheltered environment.
Li Nan followed Gouzi upstairs and observed the rooms. There were about seven or eight rooms on the second floor, but they were all bare brick walls and rough concrete surfaces without any finishing touches. Although Li Nan wasn't well-versed in construction, he could tell from their condition that the builders had cut corners.
The entire building indeed had only the boy, known as Dogzi. This was evident from the bed in his room, where a blackened and moldy blanket lay spread out on the floor in the corner. To the left stood a dripping glass bag, while another area was cluttered with various odds and ends, resembling a small makeshift home.
Dogzi explained, "I've lived here for a long time. I was here before everything exploded, and I stayed until the world changed, becoming more cautious than usual!"
"How did you live before?" Li Nan asked, showing interest in Dogzi.
Realizing that Li Nan meant no harm, Dogzi opened up and shared his story. He was a local, and four years ago, his parents went out to work and were involved in a car accident that took their lives. The driver fled the scene, and with no leads from the investigation, eight-year-old Dogzi was left to be cared for by his elderly grandfather in the countryside. Less than a year later, his grandfather also passed away, leading Dogzi to begin a life of wandering around the outskirts of Jiangbei City, where he made his home.
After losing three close family members at such a young age, none of his relatives were willing to take him in; they adopted an attitude of neglect. Consequently, Dogzi naturally ventured out on his own, surviving mainly through scavenging and begging.
Li Nan felt deep sympathy for Dogzi's plight. "If the world hadn't undergone such drastic changes, your situation might have improved. Although the so-called welfare protections under Socialism are basically nonsense now, children like you should still receive attention from society! But now that we are in an apocalypse, everything feels hollow; survival is what matters most. In this regard, you are luckier than many."
Dogzi smiled and said, "I've gotten used to this kind of life; it's just that sometimes I don't have enough to eat!"
Li Nan was moved by this child before him. Such a frail body had endured so much hardship, especially in this apocalyptic world where everything seemed even more precious. "How have you managed to survive until now? Aren't there any Zombies around here?"
"I don't know what those things are called; I've never seen anyone turn into that state. I've always avoided them—if I’m not discovered, there's no real danger! When those things first appeared, I was scavenging by the street when I suddenly saw a figure rushing towards me. I thought it was a drunkard looking to vent his frustrations on me! So as soon as I caught sight of that person, I ran like crazy. Then I saw a woman on the street who suddenly got grabbed by that drunkard without making a sound; she was knocked down to the ground. The next thing I knew was that he started biting her like mad—it scared me to death!"
Dogzi covered his chest with one hand as if still haunted by the memory. "I thought that drunkard had gone mad; little did I know everyone on that street had turned into that state—biting anything alive and shoving flesh into their mouths. They were all lunatics! I was terrified and could only run for my life while nearly a hundred crazed people chased after me, wanting to tear me apart!"
Li Nan understood what fear felt like and realized how traumatic such an experience could be for a twelve-year-old boy; only he could truly comprehend its impact.
"So how did you manage to escape?" Li Nan asked.
"In the end, I fell into a puddle by the roadside and got covered in mud. That group of crazies seemed not to see me at all and scattered away, allowing me to escape that ordeal and return to this home!"
Li Nan explained to the dog, "That kind of lunatic is actually a Zombie. They were once human, but for some unknown reason, they got infected by a virus and turned into the undead. These undead feed on Zombie blood; they have changed and can no longer be called human!"
The dog pondered for a moment and said, "I've seen them eat people, I've seen the dead turn into them, and I've even seen the living eat the living!"
Li Nan patted the dog's head, "It's okay. What you've seen are just the most extreme aspects of this world. Whether you believe it or not, there are still good people in this world, and good things do happen!"
The dog asked, "Like what?"
Li Nan smiled, "For example, you met us. We are good people, and that in itself is a good thing!"
The dog shook its head, "You say 'you', but aren't you just one person?"
Seeing the dog step back, Li Nan hurriedly said, "I might not have expressed myself clearly before. I have another partner. But don't worry; she is even easier to get along with than I am, and she won't have any ill intentions!"
Noticing that the dog seemed skeptical, Li Nan continued, "Trust me, neither of us has any malicious intent; I can guarantee that completely!"
The dog shrugged its hands, "Do I really have any other choice? If I don't trust you, what else can I do?"
Li Nan chuckled softly, "You really are something!"
"Simple people can't survive, whether before or after the apocalypse!" The dog tossed out this remark and walked into the room where it had previously kicked away the Fire Axe. It picked it up and handed it to Li Nan. "Let's meet your partner!"
In the rain, Li Nan was wrapped in a raincoat while beside him was a small child with a piece of white plastic on their head. The two of them waded through the water towards a large truck by the roadside.
Li Nan asked the dog, "How have you managed to get by these days?"
The dog pointed at a row of small buildings in front of the intersection. "That's where the local residents are, and there are no survivors. The food needed for survival is sourced from there, so at least it can fill our stomachs!"
The dog continued to explain, "The river bypasses Jiangbei City and ends here, pushing out to other provinces. This area belongs to Jiangbei City, referred to as the 'Victory Zone,' but I prefer to call it the stinky ditch. As you can see, this is the edge of Jiangbei City, so it's definitely not as prosperous as the city center!"
Li Nan chuckled, "In prosperous places, there are many people. Where there are many people, there's nothing good; it was true before and it is true now!"
The dog didn't understand what Li Nan meant. "I love big cities the most, but I've been sent back by the urban management there!"
"Urban management doesn't do that; you've underestimated their combat power. It should be the City Appearance Management Center that sent you back. But it doesn't matter now; they've all turned into zombies!"
The dog was confused about why Li Nan referred to those things as zombies; it was a term he had never heard before.
Li Nan placed his palm over his face to prevent rainwater from getting into his mouth. "The term 'zombie' is a foreign import. I'm not quite sure about its earliest origins, but a similar term, 'zombie,' you've definitely heard of!"
The dog nodded, and Li Nan continued, "These two things are quite similar. The zombie is domestically produced, while the zombie is global, so we refer to those things as zombies!"
The dog seemed to understand partially. "My grandfather told me stories about zombies, but I had never heard of zombies before. So it turns out these things were created by foreigners to harm us!"
Li Nan smiled broadly. "You're right; the evil capitalism always wants to harm socialism, but we always manage to resist!"
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