The advanced zombie, seeing the meal before it, couldn't resist another lunge. As it moved, You Rong aimed and shot its arm again.
The advanced zombie recoiled in fear, emitting an enraged roar that severely damaged Lin Qinghe's eardrums, leaving her head ringing.
Jiang Xun, having dealt with the last low-level zombie, said nervously, "Brother! Be careful, that sister is still in his hands. You must not hurt her!"
Jiang Wanwan also watched with great tension, not daring to blink.
You Rong ignored them, keeping his gun aimed at the zombie holding Lin Qinghe. He would fire without hesitation at any opportunity.
This created a stalemate. The zombie dared not move due to fear, and You Rong dared not act rashly.
Time ticked by, and everyone, including Lin Qinghe, was sweating with tension. The advanced zombie holding Lin Qinghe was also becoming increasingly agitated, tormented by its inability to consume the meal before it.
The advanced zombie finally couldn't stand it and decided to bite off Lin Qinghe's neck regardless of the consequences, even if it meant being shot.
You Rong saw the advanced zombie's intention and his heart clenched. He glared at the zombie and roared, "Let her go!"
Lin Qinghe, sensing the advanced zombie was about to bite her recklessly, closed her eyes in terror. But the expected pain never came. The zombie had actually let her go!
Lin Qinghe was stunned and looked back. The advanced zombie, as if controlled by something, stared at her greedily but its body retreated uncontrollably, roaring with angry unwillingness.
What was happening?
While Lin Qinghe was lost in thought, she heard You Rong shout, "Get down!"
Lin Qinghe snapped back to reality and quickly dropped to the ground. With a "bang," the advanced zombie that had nearly taken her life was shot in the forehead by You Rong and fell heavily to the ground.
You Rong quickly ran over, pulled the startled Lin Qinghe up from the ground, and asked urgently, "How are you? Are you injured?"
Jiang Wanwan and Jiang Xun also crowded around. Jiang Wanwan asked worriedly, "How are you? Miss, are you okay? Are you alright?"
"Sister, did that advanced zombie bite you just now? It didn't, right?"
Lin Qinghe shook her head and gave them a reassuring look. "I'm fine, don't worry." She turned to look at the advanced zombie lying on the ground and asked doubtfully, "What happened just now? Why did he suddenly let me go?"
Jiang Xun echoed her confusion. "Yeah, that's strange... why did he suddenly let you go and keep retreating? Was he scared of Brother?"
You Rong, after confirming Lin Qinghe was unharmed, lowered his gaze and remained silent.
Had he just... been able to control that advanced zombie? Or was it his imagination?
You Rong himself was unsure.
Lin Qinghe couldn't figure it out, so she decided not to dwell on it. Her priority now was to enter the frozen wholesale market.
Lin Qinghe said, "Alright, since we're all okay, let's not dwell on it. Let's go in quickly and see if the cold storage is still functioning and if there's any frozen meat inside."
Without waiting for a response, Lin Qinghe pulled You Rong inside. "You guys hurry up and follow, be careful, there might be other zombies."
Jiang Wanwan nodded heavily. "Okay. We understand." She also pulled Jiang Xun and hurried after them.
Entering the cold storage, Lin Qinghe's eyes lit up at the sight of boxes upon boxes of frozen steaks. She turned back to You Rong excitedly and said, "Great! With this, you won't go hungry! So much frozen beef, it will last you a very, very long time!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Xun asked curiously, "Sister, didn't you come here to eat steak yourself? Why are you saying Brother won't go hungry?"
"Uh..." Lin Qinghe belatedly realized she had gotten too carried away in her excitement and almost let something slip. She quickly made up an excuse. "He likes it too, he's... he's picky! He only likes to eat beef!"
"Really? Brother doesn't look like a picky eater!"
Jiang Xun found it even stranger. Someone who was picky about food in the apocalypse sounded bizarre to anyone who heard it.
"He... he is picky! Everyone has things they like and dislike, what's so strange about that!" Lin Qinghe said, feigning composure.
Seeing Lin Qinghe's slight panic, You Rong inexplicably added, "Yes... I'm picky."
Jiang Xun looked surprised. "Really? Brother... you really don't look like a picky eater!"
You Rong ignored him. Jiang Xun was about to ask more, but Jiang Wanwan shot him a warning glance, making him abandon his intention to ask further questions.
Lin Qinghe let out a sigh of relief. She walked over, tugged at You Rong's clothes, and whispered in his ear, "We can't store it all at once. Let's take some raw beef back for now, and we can come back for more later."
You Rong gazed at Lin Qinghe with deep eyes and nodded slightly.
After leaving the frozen wholesale market, it seemed that because Jiang Wanwan had helped, Lin Qinghe didn't want to owe them a favor and wanted to reciprocate. So she took them around Jiang City to many places.
Unfortunately, they found no news of their father. As evening approached, they unanimously decided to return to the warehouse and make other plans.
Back at the warehouse, the large horde of zombies that had gathered in the morning had inexplicably disappeared.
To prove her point, Lin Qinghe, although she couldn't find a pan for steak, found some wood in the warehouse, piled it up, and lit a fire. She then grilled several pieces of steak, which tasted decent.
You Rong naturally wouldn't eat it. When Jiang Xun asked why he wasn't joining them, Lin Qinghe made up an excuse, saying he was tired and resting in the tent, and she would bring some back for him.
The steak brought back to the tent was also not eaten by You Rong. It all went into Lin Qinghe's stomach.
After the Jiang Wanwan siblings fell asleep, Lin Qinghe accompanied You Rong to the car to feed.
Upon returning from feeding, Lin Qinghe, exhausted from a day of running around, fell asleep as soon as she lay down. She then embraced You Rong with her limbs, burying her face in his neck and nuzzling him unconsciously.
You Rong's eyes snapped open, his expression grim, his brow furrowed. For some reason, the image of Lin Qinghe kissing him desperately flashed in his mind.
The sharp lines of his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
Hungry!
So hungry!
You Rong looked down at Lin Qinghe, lost in thought, and slowly leaned towards her neck...
Why did he feel hungry? Hadn't he just finished feeding?
It also felt different from his usual desire to devour someone completely, mixed with irritability and something he couldn't quite articulate...
By the time You Rong regained his senses, his lips had already touched the fair skin of Lin Qinghe's neck.
You Rong's body stiffened abruptly.
He scrambled away, looking at the sleeping Lin Qinghe, his handsome face filled with a hint of panic.
It must be that he hadn't fed enough, that's why he felt hungry!
No!
This was too dangerous!
He had to feed!
You Rong fled the warehouse as if escaping. He didn't notice Jiang Wanwan waking up and looking at his retreating figure with confusion. After hesitating for a moment, she followed him out.