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Song Jiu felt a chill on his back as he furrowed his brow, staring at Liu Yan across from him, his mind in disarray. He had just given him a good person card, so why did Liu Yan react so strongly when the topic of Zombies came up? Had he misjudged him?
Luo Yu also noticed the young man that Song Jiu was trying to win over, his eyes filled with uncertainty. The events that had transpired at the wall earlier that afternoon were still fresh in his mind. This slightly bookish man had shot dead someone who attempted to ambush Song Jiu, and his performance during the whole ordeal was commendable—almost more cooperative than Chef Jia. However, the fleeting change in Liu Yan's expression just now was indeed puzzling.
Unlike the other Militia members who were shocked to learn about the presence of Zombies in the camp, Liu Yan's initial reaction had been quite natural; it was only after Chef Jia spoke up that he changed. As for the other individual, Song Jiu was equally surprised because it was a woman—a young matron around Chef Jia's age.
Song Jiu exchanged a glance with Luo Yu, both silently agreeing to set aside their doubts for now. After all, this could be a good thing; they had gone from being in the dark to having some leads, which would save them considerable effort.
The others remained oblivious to the undercurrents in the room, with the excited Militia members still bombarding questions. Chef Jia seemed unfazed by it all; perhaps it was psychological, but Song Jiu couldn't shake off the feeling that there was a hint of disappointment reflected in Liu Yan's vague gaze.
The Militia members had already left their seats, surrounding Chef Jia as they clamored to see the dungeon, making it hard to believe Chef Jia's words otherwise. Song Jiu had anticipated this scene and sent Luo Yu over. With so many people around, if a Zombie were to lash out at Chef Jia in anger, it would be a significant loss.
Luo Yu squeezed through the crowd with a few Young Men and happened to bump into Pockmarked Girl as she helped Xiaofei out of the throng. They exchanged glances before heading straight for Song Jiu.
"Song Song, handsome! Sister Jia wants you to arrange accommodations for us first; she’s taking people to the warehouse," Pockmarked Girl said. Although she wasn't particularly close to Song Jiu, she was certainly more familiar with him than Xiaofei, who couldn't even bring herself to meet his gaze.
Song Jiu glanced around; there really wasn't much for him to do at that moment. He decided to take care of Chef Jia's request since his own people still needed housing as well.
"What about Fat Brother?" Song Jiu suddenly remembered the greasy man. Among the five men rescued, Cold Man had expressed hostility early on while the other three were still undecided. Only Pan Sheng'an had actively approached him. Song Jiu pondered whether he should absorb him into their ranks; after all, he was one of the veterans of this camp and having him around could save a lot of trouble.
"They all went with Sister Jia; just arrange it all together. There are plenty of empty rooms here; each can accommodate quite a few people," Pockmarked Girl replied. She didn't understand why Song Jiu brought up the greasy man; she held no fondness for him since he had been clinging to Xin Mengfan ever since they left the warehouse. To her mind, what did it matter if Xin Mengfan had slightly larger breasts or was more flirtatious? The way that greasy man's eyes seemed glued to her was simply intolerable.
"Oh come on, don’t you have a room? You two can just move in there," she suggested.
"I want to change rooms! You’re in charge now; we’re working together in this revolution—there should be some perks!"
"Go cool off somewhere else." Song Jiu flatly rejected her unreasonable request and said, "I’m still sleeping in a pigsty; let’s find me a presidential suite."
In truth, there wasn’t much choice involved. On the night he entered the camp, Xiao Zhu had already shown him around. The houses on either side of the square were identical—each consisted of a bedroom and a small living room. Two people would have enough space; if they squeezed in a few more beds, ten people could easily fit. One end of these rows of houses leaned against a concrete Brick Wall while the other extended towards a shaded path behind the Cafeteria. It was a short distance from the livestock pen and Vegetable Greenhouse, ensuring they wouldn’t be disturbed by unpleasant odors.
Currently, there seemed to be no regularity regarding accommodations in the camp; it appeared that once one row filled up, they would move on to another. Thus, most of the houses near the cafeteria were fully occupied while those remaining were further back. Song Jiu wasn’t picky about where he stayed but thought that since he was overseeing things now, he should have some geographical advantage. To put it bluntly, they needed to keep an eye on these Militia members early on; those from small households wouldn’t have anywhere to station guards if trouble arose.
However, there were many issues to resolve at the moment, so Song Jiu had no time to dwell on other matters. He secretly harbored a thought of building a new house on the barren land outside the warehouse after some time. Moreover, the existing two rows of houses were not very practical; they were square and resembled coffin boards. Clearly, an additional floor could be added to accommodate more people, and from a higher vantage point, it could also serve as a lookout tower.
Song Jiu silently reviewed the camp environment in his mind, adopting an air of authority as he waited to deal with the Zombies before embarking on ambitious renovations for their new home. The group following him had no idea what Brother Jiu was thinking. Seeing him looking around, they assumed there was another situation brewing. The Young Men were highly alert, swiftly drawing out a row of Steel Saw Blades, their edges reflecting glimmers of cold light, which made Xiaofei feel even more anxious.
"Let’s go with these few houses," Song Jiu said, snapping back to reality as he pointed to the empty rooms in the back row. "Let’s concentrate our people here for now; four per room, with the Ladies in the middle. We can adjust later."
Xin Mengfan pushed open one of the empty rooms and peeked inside before turning back to ask, "Are we supposed to go out and get bedding and furniture ourselves or is there a wholesale supply here?"
The Pockmarked Girl was still sneaking glances at her exposed legs and silently criticized her for wearing so little so early in spring. When she suddenly noticed Xin Mengfan looking at her, she quickly averted her gaze and explained, "There are blankets in the warehouse; we’ll have to go out for furniture. But we won’t need much furniture; I remember there are some wire beds piled up in a few rooms that we can move in later if needed."
" Jiu Jiu, I want to go into town tomorrow for supplies," Xin Mengfan said as soon as she heard there were only wire beds. Her pretty face immediately fell as she rushed over to grab Song Jiu's arm and shook it vigorously. "After all this time on the road, it’s finally settling down; I don’t want a wire bed!"
Song Jiu had no way to deal with her; the soft warmth of her touch on his arm combined with her pleading tone made Song the Official feel flustered. He smiled wryly and said, "Let’s make do for now; we can renovate once this busy period is over."
"Division of labor—there shouldn’t be anything you need me for right now," Xin Mengfan replied sensibly. She had clearly thought this through before getting close to him. With a playful smile, she added, "I’ll go with Ziqian or your new little brother."
"As long as there’s a bed and we eat in the cafeteria, what else do you need?" The Pockmarked Girl was somewhat confused; they rarely went out and had grown accustomed to their small world.
"Come on, Pockmarked Girl, we are women; we’re different from those rough men!" Xin Mengfan shook her finger at Pockmarked Girl playfully and counted off on her fingers. "We need a bed, a vanity table, a wardrobe, a sofa—how do we keep warm in winter? I also want wool carpets laid down! And we need some decorations in the house; how can people live in an unnatural place? By the way, there isn’t a bathroom in here—is there a public toilet or somewhere to shower?"
Pockmarked Girl was left speechless with her head full of black lines.
It was Xiaofei, who had been silent until now, whose eyes lit up as she timidly asked, "Dream Fan, can I go with you?"
"Oh?"
"Yes! I also want to find some decorations," Xiaofei said shyly. Seeing Song Jiu turn his head toward her made her blush even more as she spoke almost inaudibly.
"I’m impressed; you two can share a room then," Pockmarked Girl rolled her eyes and teased them. "The world changes so much yet hasn’t cured your princess syndrome."
"What’s wrong with living like a person?" Xin Mengfan wasn’t angry at all; instead, she affectionately wrapped her arms around both Pockmarked Girl and Xiaofei and smiled. "Let’s all go together! It’s been ages since we’ve gone shopping; our clothes and skincare products are running low!"
"I’m not going. The nearest place is just a county town, and there’s nothing interesting there." Pockmarked Girl shook off Xin Mengfan's hand. Although she was already tempted, she refused to admit it: "Besides, the town is full of Zombies. I’m not going to risk my life for some shabby furniture."
"Guli, let’s go together." Xiaofei's eyes sparkled with excitement. She must have been a beautiful spendthrift a few years ago, and it was rare to meet someone like Xin Mengfan in such an environment. Her cheeks flushed with enthusiasm. She had thought about such things before, but the team wouldn’t allow her to waste time on those trivial pursuits when they needed to find food and water.
Song Jiu didn’t want to get involved in this kind of conversation. He marked the remaining Young Men’s houses and divided them into two posts, assigning them to the walls. The camp's Survivors were currently distracted by the Zombies, so he had to arrange personnel. It was always better to be prepared for any eventuality.
Xin Mengfan greeted him and followed Pockmarked Girl and Xiaofei into a room, not knowing what they were planning. Anyway, she was a non-combat unit and didn’t need to participate in patrols, so Song Jiu let her go. Besides, Dream Fan was also around, just like Luo Yu; they could handle things without Song Jiu worrying too much.
Once everyone was dispatched, only Song Jiu remained standing in front of the dark doorway, gazing up at the ink-black sky. He felt a wave of relief wash over him; Chef Jia should be fine on his end. At least they could get through tonight safely and think about other matters tomorrow.
Song Jiu closed the door and sat on the steps in front of it, pulling out half a cigarette. He struck a match against the rough wood and lit it, taking a deep drag of the slightly damp tobacco as the spicy smoke swirled in his lungs. The little girl and Jiao Ziqian had gone up to the wall, leaving him feeling suddenly bored. Song Jiu shook his head with a wry smile; history always seemed remarkably similar. When he was just a kid, he loved following his sister around to play, but girls generally didn’t pay much attention to little boys. They would gather together while leaving snotty-nosed Song Jiu behind.
In the stillness of the night under the moonlight, memories inevitably surfaced. Looking up at the sky, Song Jiu's gaze revealed a rare sense of loneliness.
A breeze blew by, rustling the low branches and leaves in front of the house.
Song Jiu blinked and grasped the hilt of his knife: "Come out."
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