They set out. Jian Cheng and Tang Yi drove, while the others used the map to discuss the route plan. After that, they began chatting about random things.
Jiang Nian, whose mental state had already improved, blew a bubble with his chewing gum. He leaned against Cheng Jing’s shoulder and watched his teammates chat and laugh. For some reason, a kind of lazy comfort filled his chest.
He truly wished the apocalypse would end soon so that everyone could finally relax and be happy.
Cheng Jing glanced down and saw that Jiang Nian looked a little sluggish. He chuckled.
“Minister Wang said we can move into our new home once this busy period is over. They’ll try their best to provide us with the best possible living facilities.”
It wasn’t easy for a leader to think that way about them. This was the benefit of a strong partnership between the two sides.
Pop!
The bubble burst, and Jiang Nian’s eyes lit up.
“We should celebrate moving into a new house! This is the result of everyone’s hard work.”
After Minister Wang promised them a house, everyone secretly picked out items for the new place, big and small, and even cleaned out a warehouse to store everything.
They were a group of like-minded people who came together to encourage and help one another. With hope in their hearts, they had the courage and perseverance to face hardships.
“Yeah, of course.”
Cheng Jing agreed, then brought up the topic for everyone to discuss.
As he listened to everyone excitedly express their thoughts, Jiang Nian recalled the early days after he was reborn, when he had secretly hoarded supplies.
At that time, Brother Jing trusted him unconditionally. Later, to save his teammates, he used the excuse of training to ask everyone to store food and stay indoors when it rained.
Even though his teammates had doubts, they always chose to respect and trust him.
They had gone from being cautious and guarded to doing as they pleased. Though it had been less than two years, it felt like a lifetime ago, especially since they had experienced and survived so much together.
Everyone had changed, but one thing remained constant: their unity.
There was no backstabbing, falling-outs, misunderstandings, or division.
Very few teams could move forward without conflicts or clashing interests. Not even a family might be able to pull that off.
“…”
As they talked about their new home and their hobbies, the topic naturally drifted to life before the apocalypse.
Suddenly, Sister Qian remembered something and gave the two leaning against each other a gossip-loving glance:
“Speaking of Brother Cheng and Little Nianzi, did you two get your marriage certificate before the apocalypse?”
After Jiang Nian returned, the eldest brother had happily called to say that, once he got back from his business trip, he was going to register their marriage to avoid any future complications.
Jiang Nian smiled and shook his head.
“No, but we already have our wedding rings.”
Cheng Jing then added,
“I wanted to go, but after I got back from my business trip, there were so many things to deal with. Then, my superpower awakened earlier than expected. There were signs of the nightmare coming, so I was constantly busy. By the time I had taken care of everything, it was pouring rain.”
Right after they got back together, he found out his lover was hoarding supplies. Then, he heard about the so-called “nightmare signs,” and his own superpowers awakened. One absurd situation followed another—it was overwhelming.
After all, the reborn one couldn’t tell anyone the truth at that time, so marriage registration was the last thing on his mind. The plan to get the certificate was shelved.
“That’s a shame.”
Liao Yu felt sorry for them.
Cheng Jing smiled and shook his head.
“It’s fine. We discussed it earlier and submitted a request to Minister Wang. Once the Civil Affairs Bureau is established in South City Base, the first marriage certificate must be given to us.”
Jiang Nian nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, it has great symbolic meaning. I really like it.”
Before the apocalypse, getting a marriage certificate was common, but after the world ended, very few people had that chance.
“…”
Everyone fell silent and gave them a thumbs-up. They accepted that wave of dog food with respect.
When Lu Ningzhou and Zhao Lei heard that it was possible, they started discussing how they should go back and stand in line first to apply for a marriage certificate, too.
Meanwhile, Zhou Rongbin, Tang Yi, and Jian Cheng—the three single men in the team—gradually lost their smiles.
It wasn’t that they didn’t have romantic prospects; on the contrary, they were doing well. It’s just that, at times like these, most of the “love” that came their way felt like bargaining chips.
Finding a partner was easy. Finding true love? Not so much. Being in a relationship while constantly on guard was exhausting. It was better to stay single.
…
With the aircraft, they could cut travel time in half. If the team encountered any scattered zombie groups along the way, they’d have plenty of time to deal with them.
If they saw humans engaged in a shootout with zombies, they might lend support or otherwise intervene.
They were quick and decisive in their attacks, rescuing people but never capturing them. When asked where they came from, they simply said South City Base.
When faced with the worst kind of moral coercion, they turned and left without hesitation. If anyone tried to stab them in the back, they eliminated the threat completely.
Anyone who had survived this long wasn’t naive. If someone showed malice knowing they had superpowers, it was intentional. It wasn’t a misunderstanding or a moment of carelessness.
So, when they received half-hearted apologies after a failed betrayal, they politely suggested that the other party be more careful next life.
When they approached Base Z, they found a large number of traces of the zombie horde. Their team could not deal with it, so they reported the situation.
A few days later, the team arrived at Base Z on time as originally planned.
