Chapter Twelve: The Family Reunites

“A villa district, you know! What’s there to hesitate about? There are so many zombies outside—how can we be safe here? With my brother-in-law around, at least we don’t have to worry about food or safety,” Liu Xue nudged her mother as she spoke.

“That’s right, let’s move. Who would have thought, after living most of my life, I’d get the chance to try out a big mansion like a wealthy landlord,” Liu Wen’s father chimed in, clearly in a much better mood after his earlier outburst.

After Ma Yi’s experiment, ignoring Lao Sun who was being devoured by zombies, he understood that as long as he exuded his aura, he could lead a group of survivors and, provided they stayed within thirty meters of him, the ordinary zombies wouldn’t dare approach.

As soon as Liu Xue left the residential area, she couldn’t contain her excitement and began shouting and calling out. Although this drew the attention of some zombies, Ma Yi and Tie Zhu’s combined auras kept them at bay, forcing them to scatter and not dare come close.

Lao Sun’s son-in-law and daughter followed nervously behind Ma Yi. They had no other option but to stick with him—if he left them behind for even a moment, they’d be surrounded and devoured by the zombies.

Liu Wen’s father carried the travel bag Ma Yi had brought. The three of them had left in a hurry, bringing almost nothing. In these times, even water was precious; there was no way to wash clothes. If an outfit got dirty, you simply threw it away. Ma Yi had already prepared clothes for them, so the family of three set out at once.

Liu Xue was like a bird set free. After being cooped up at home for so many days, she was overjoyed to finally get outside—after all, she was still just a teenage girl.

When they reached the city center and saw the dense swarm of zombies on the street, Liu Wen’s mother couldn’t help but swallow nervously. There were just too many—imagine, three million people in the whole city, which meant at least over two million zombies. If you tried to count them, you wouldn’t finish in a lifetime. She quickly moved closer to Ma Yi, pressing herself to his side, and Liu Wen’s father did the same.

“I want to go shopping!” Liu Xue exclaimed excitedly, looking at the luxury mall. Spying the damaged entrance, she grabbed Ma Yi and headed that way.

Ma Yi remembered the clothes he’d stashed behind the bar in the mall for Liu Wen, so he agreed readily. It was just noon, after all, and it wouldn’t be a long detour. If need be, they could find a vehicle once they left the most zombie-infested areas.

The young girl dashed from counter to counter, her spirits high as she browsed and picked out whatever she liked. Encouraged by Ma Yi, Liu Wen’s mother also selected a few things she fancied.

As for Liu Wen’s father, he simply stuffed a few packs of quality cigarettes into his backpack. When Ma Yi mentioned they had plenty at home, he lost interest in taking anything else.

Ma Yi had never gone shopping with girls before, and now he truly understood the stamina required. He could spar with Tie Zhu for an hour without tiring, but following behind Liu Xue as she zigzagged through the mall, even his legs were aching. Sometimes, after climbing an entire floor, Liu Xue would suddenly remember something she liked in a previous shop and double back for another round.

More than once, she almost collided head-on with a zombie—if not for Ma Yi’s quick reflexes, Liu Wen’s little sister would have already said farewell to this world.

Luckily, Tie Zhu was downstairs, keeping an eye on Liu Wen’s parents and the two people Ma Yi intended to experiment on. Otherwise, with so many people running around, there were bound to be mistakes. If the two experimental subjects died, it didn’t matter—but if anything happened to Liu Wen’s parents or sister, how could he ever explain to Liu Wen?

One thing that pleased Ma Yi was how attractive Liu Xue was. She had inherited her mother’s long, slender legs—even under thick winter clothes, her mother’s legs were perfectly straight.

“Brother-in-law, come here and open the door for me,” Liu Xue called out sweetly at the entrance of a major international fashion boutique. Some luxury shops in the mall hadn’t opened their doors when the virus broke out, since they opened late in the day.

“Alright.” Ma Yi heard Liu Xue call him “brother-in-law” with such sweetness—a far cry from when they first met and she called him ugly—that he felt quite pleased. If his experiment succeeded, he figured Liu Wen would be as good as his. After all, her parents and sister had already accepted him. If not for worrying about carrying the virus, he would have rushed home and swept Liu Wen off her feet long ago.

“Stand back.” With a powerful jerk, Ma Yi tore the sturdy lock—and the thick glass handle—right off the door.

Liu Xue charged in, grabbing a limited edition handbag for herself, another for her sister, and then one for her mother.

By the time Ma Yi and Liu Xue returned to the main hall, Ma Yi’s hands were laden with shopping bags. He counted—no fewer than thirty, even after Liu Xue had swapped out many items. If she’d kept everything, they’d have had at least sixty or seventy bags.

“You’re finally back,” Liu Wen’s mother hurried over.

“What’s wrong?” Ma Yi asked, curious.

“Just now, Lao Sun’s son-in-law tried to stir up trouble between us and your guy, but your man Tie Zhu didn’t even acknowledge him. If he had, who knows what would have happened to us,” Liu Wen’s mother said, still shaken.

“Don’t worry, Tie Zhu isn’t human—he can’t be manipulated by people. When we get home, I’ll deal with them. You can rest easy,” Ma Yi nodded, letting her know he understood.

Normally expressionless, Tie Zhu broke into a wide grin when he saw Ma Yi.

“Come take these,” Ma Yi walked over and handed the bags to Tie Zhu, then headed outside.

Before long, Ma Yi returned in a battered old minivan. He’d searched for ages before finding one with the keys still in the ignition—the owner must not have worried about theft. After parking, he hadn’t even bothered to take out the keys, which was convenient for Ma Yi.

“Brother-in-law, did you do this to the car?” Liu Xue asked, eyeing the roofless vehicle with disbelief.

“As long as it gets us there, it’s better than walking.” Ma Yi grinned. It had taken considerable effort to rip off the roof barehanded, so the minivan looked anything but neat.

“Come on, get in.” He waved his hand, and everyone piled in: Tie Zhu alone took up the last row, Liu Wen’s parents sat in the second, Liu Xue jumped into the passenger seat, and the other two squeezed into the trunk space at the back. Without a roof, it didn’t feel crowded at all.

Besides, the legendary minivan had once carried over twenty people—this was nothing.

Since the apocalypse began, Ma Yi’s life had turned upside down. No more rent, he could drive any car he liked as long as he found the keys, food and drink cost nothing, and he could even pick up a wife. He was so happy he could hardly contain himself.

Humming a tune, Ma Yi drove the minivan at a leisurely pace—the streets were full of zombies, so there was no need to hurry. With Ma Yi and Tie Zhu’s aura, the little van ambled along like a tourist vehicle on its way back to Ma Yi’s neighborhood.

Tie Zhu was overjoyed as well. No need to walk—this thing kept moving by itself! Ever since he got in the car, his mouth had been stretched in a broad grin, glancing this way and that, occasionally baring his teeth at the two people in the back and scaring them so much they didn’t dare lift their heads.

At a third-floor window, a slender figure stood, having waited there for over two hours. When it was time to meet her sister, Liu Wen had called, but the phone was off. Ma Yi had left early that morning and hadn’t returned. She couldn’t help but worry that something had happened.

Anxious and uneasy, Liu Wen stood at the window, praying for Ma Yi’s safety, praying that her family was all right.

Just then, a dilapidated van turned through the gates and into the courtyard, packed with people.

“Ah!” Liu Wen exclaimed in delight when she recognized the tall dark driver. Her face broke into a smile, and when she saw her family in the vehicle, her smile grew even brighter. Her sister and parents—Ma Yi had managed to bring them all.

She didn’t recognize the tall, dark man who resembled Ma Yi in the back, but since he was with them, he had to be one of their own.

Liu Wen quickly splashed water on her face, checked herself in the mirror, and smoothed her disheveled hair before hurrying to the door. She opened the wooden door and peered down the stairs.

A noisy crowd, laden with bags, climbed the stairs. At the front was Liu Xue, bursting with excitement.

“Sis!” Liu Xue shouted, spotting the beautiful woman at the door.

“Little Xue,” Liu Wen hurriedly opened the security door and pulled her sister inside.

“Xiao Wen.” Their mother arrived as well, and the three women embraced, sobbing with joy, completely ignoring Liu Wen’s father, who trailed behind.

Ma Yi watched and shook his head with a wry smile, then carried Tie Zhu’s bags into the room before heading downstairs with him.

Upstairs, the family poured out their hearts to each other. Downstairs, Ma Yi led the two from the Sun family to the basement—a courtesy, all things considered. Once his experiment was over tomorrow, they would serve no further purpose. Ma Yi had no need for servants; Liu Wen did everything herself, and even if she needed help, she wouldn’t choose people who bore them a grudge.

There were two rooms in the basement. Originally, Ma Yi had kept two female zombies there. Now, he locked the Sun family couple in the innermost room, so he wouldn’t have to worry about them escaping. After all, in the outer room, there were two perfectly intact female zombies. To say nothing of the daughter, even the son-in-law would struggle against one, let alone two.