I Pursued My Scummy Ex’s White Moonlight – Chapter 55

Arrival at the Harbor

The next day, the convoy returned the way they came and found the fireworks shop. Because the shop didn’t stock food or supplies, even if survivors had passed by, they wouldn’t have gone in to check. As a result, the fireworks inside were mostly well-preserved.

Everyone tiptoed into the shop, moved all the large fireworks outside, and then dismantled all the small fireworks to take their fuses. They connected these to the large fireworks until the lead was long enough, then twisted the fuses of several fireworks together.

When the sun was at its fiercest at noon, everyone who had a watch took it off, fixed it in place with something to ensure the light would focus directly on the fuse, and then the convoy immediately set off, returning to the small alley they were in before. They then covered themselves with pre-prepared clothes or fabrics and waited in collective silence for the fireworks to bloom.

The waiting process was undoubtedly agonizing. It was also very hot in the cars. Su Wenwen was already disgusted by the foul smell on her body, and at this moment, she felt as if she had fallen into a stinking sewer, involuntarily holding her breath.

It was at this exact moment that Luo Xi’s hand reached over and tightly gripped Su Wenwen’s right hand. The clammy feeling on her hand grew thicker. Su Wenwen was thin-skinned and easily embarrassed; she was in such a wretched state now that she was terrified Luo Xi would notice some strange odor and be disgusted by her, so she hastily pulled her hand away.

Luo Xi’s hand came away empty. She pressed her lips together, her gaze flickering as her mood plunged into the dead of winter, and the rosy color instantly drained from her face. But Su Wenwen, covered by the cloth and wishing she could wrap herself up even tighter to hide any unusual smells, naturally did not notice the change in Luo Xi’s emotions.

Just then, resplendent flowers began to bloom in the distant sky. The deafening sound of explosions belatedly traveled from afar, drawing roars of fury from the nearby zombies.

No one was in the mood to admire the fireworks. They hid themselves tightly in their cars. Before long, Su Wenwen could feel the car vibrating slightly. She lifted a small corner of the cloth, creating a tiny opening so her eyes could see outside the window.

At first, it was peaceful. But as the zombies’ cries grew clearer, the vibrations of the car’s body became stronger and stronger, until a zombie’s face suddenly appeared outside the window. It then looked up at the sky and opened its mouth, but before it could even roar, it was shoved to the ground by a succession of other zombies and trampled underfoot, one after another.

The number of zombies was extremely high. Some even climbed onto the car roofs, and the interior was filled with the thump-thump of impacts. Some viscous liquid splattered onto the car, and the vehicle shook even more violently. But no one dared to make a sound, slowing their breathing as much as possible, terrified that the zombies would detect living people in the car.

But of course, their worst fears were realized.

The faint sound of a child’s crying could be heard from one of the cars. The woman putting her finger in the child’s mouth was of no use; he seemed to have been frightened and was sobbing continuously. The woman, too, was crying silent tears, her eyes filled with terror as she frantically tried to cover her child’s mouth with her hand. But doing so only made the child more uncomfortable, and he began to struggle with his hands and feet, his cries growing louder.

The expressions of the people in that car changed, but they didn’t dare speak, only using their eyes to signal the woman to quiet the child. But the woman was at her wit’s end, her exhaustion evident as she held her child.

A few zombies stopped in their tracks.

Su Wenwen saw it and naturally noticed the abnormality on the woman’s side. She remembered her side mission and couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. She stared intently at the zombies, psychologically hoping they hadn’t heard and would quickly leave.

But, contrary to her hopes, the zombies turned back. Following the sound, they walked step by step toward the car the crying was coming from. Su Wenwen bit her lip, feeling agitated by the child’s cries. She wanted to save them, but she didn’t want to get herself involved, so conflicted she didn’t know how to react.

Hiding in the back seat, Chen Zixuan was watching Su Wenwen. She had, of course, also heard the crying, but she wasn’t familiar with those ordinary people and wouldn’t possibly risk her life to save them. Just as she was pondering what Su Wenwen would choose to do, she saw the zombies that had turned back have their necks abruptly twisted off, spinning like hemp rope until the juices were wrung out. They fell to the ground as true corpses. Passing zombies didn’t notice anything unusual and headed straight for the location of the fireworks. The few zombies that occasionally heard the crying were, without exception, all met with the same fate, their necks snapped, so thoroughly dead that there was no need to worry about the child’s cries being discovered.

Chen Zixuan glanced at the coldly indifferent Luo Xi, then at Su Wenwen, who had let out a sigh of relief under the cotton cloth, and offered her three seconds of silent mourning in her heart.

Time passed minute by minute. The fireworks in the sky were still vying for splendor. Even bats were drawn over, and a vast black shadow appeared in the azure sky, casting mottled light and shadow, like a dense mass of black dots that made one’s skin crawl with goosebumps.

After all the zombies had been led away, everyone felt as if a century had passed. Even their faces seemed to have become much more weathered. The Adjutant, without a moment’s hesitation, ordered the convoy to speed towards the harbor.

Taking advantage of the zombies being lured away, all the vehicles floored their accelerators, speeding down the empty streets. The journey was completely unobstructed. Half an hour later, Su Wenwen saw from a distance the towering wall erected at the harbor. Many steel rebars stuck out from the top of the wall, a clear sign that it was not yet finished and that its final height would be much greater.

The high wall was guarded by soldiers. Upon seeing the convoy, they opened the heavy iron gate in the middle of the wall. Behind the gate, three warships and several ordinary civilian ships were moored at sea.

On the shore, an intricate maze had been formed from an iron mesh fence. Inside, many survivors were separated into different areas. When they saw the convoy, they didn’t seem surprised, merely glancing over before looking away.

Su Wenwen parked the car in a wide, open area. Just as she got out with her spatial backpack, someone ran up and led everyone from the convoy into a tent for a physical examination. Men and women were separated.

“Place your belongings to the side. They will be returned to you after the examination,” a female officer said, pointing at Su Wenwen’s backpack and then at a curtained-off section inside the tent, gesturing for her to go there for the check-up.

After putting down her backpack, Su Wenwen looked around. The guards in the tent were all women, and her tense mood relaxed slightly.

Chen Zixuan asked, “Do we have to strip naked to be checked for bites?”

The female officer nodded. “Yes. At the same time, we will draw your blood and ask some questions. You can choose to answer or not. You can only board the ship after we’ve confirmed you are in good health.”

“Then what conditions are considered unhealthy?”

“Serious illnesses like heart disease, kidney disease, leukemia, and so on. Also, elderly people over seventy are not allowed to board.”

Hearing the female officer’s words, Su Wenwen understood. This was to prevent someone from suddenly dying on the ship. If a zombie appeared on board, the living would become like turtles in a jar¹, for the zombies to catch as they pleased.

Chen Zixuan frowned. “If people over seventy can’t board, do they just wait here to die?”

The female officer looked Chen Zixuan up and down and smiled. “Is there anywhere that isn’t dangerous right now? Staying here isn’t necessarily waiting to die. They will be responsible for building the harbor’s high wall, and then houses, while we will be responsible for their safety and food. It’s a mutual benefit, good for everyone.”

Chen Zixuan smiled apologetically. This method was indeed good for everyone. The elderly wouldn’t be left with nothing to do, just sitting around to eat and wait for death. Besides, the people in the base might not necessarily be willing to support them.

“Hurry up and get checked. I will assign you tents afterward.” Just as the female officer finished speaking, someone ran into the tent and whispered a few words in her ear. The female officer then changed her tune. “You all don’t need to be checked. Follow me.”

Confused, Su Wenwen shouldered her spatial backpack. The three of them followed the female officer into the iron mesh maze, turning left and right several times before arriving at another tent. The Adjutant and the other ability users were already waiting for them inside. The ordinary people were still undergoing their examinations and hadn’t arrived yet.

“Reporting, the people have been brought here,” the female officer said to the Adjutant.

The Adjutant looked at Luo Xi and said, “The female officer will assign you tents in a moment. In three days, we will board the ship and head to the sea base. During these three days, rest well and don’t cause me any trouble. Otherwise, I can revoke your boarding qualifications at any time.”

Chen Zixuan said with an awkward smile, “No problem.”

Neither Su Wenwen nor Luo Xi answered. The Adjutant paid them no mind, waved his hand, and had the female officer lead them to their temporary living tents.

The tent was reasonably clean, just a bit small; it would be very crowded for three people. Su Wenwen, thinking about how long it had been since she’d showered and the slight odor on her body, quietly asked the female officer if it was possible to bathe here.

The female officer shook her head and pointed to a water pump placed by the sea. “If you want to wash, you can only go to the seaside to get water. Use a filter to desalinate the seawater, and you can only manage a quick wipe-down. But entering the sea to bathe is forbidden; it would be very dangerous.”

Sigh, it seemed she would have to make do. She didn’t need to fetch water anyway, as she still had plenty of buckets of it in her spatial backpack. But with no place to wash her body, Su Wenwen asked the female officer for an extra single-person tent. The female officer agreed readily and soon delivered the tent to Su Wenwen, even personally helping her set it up.

Su Wenwen gave the female officer a bottle of water and a pack of cookies as thanks, then happily entered the tent to prepare to wash herself, not noticing the dark gaze Luo Xi cast her way. Otherwise, she certainly would have explained first, instead of single-mindedly wanting to get herself all nice and clean.

Nearby, Chen Zixuan looked at Luo Xi, then at the small tent, and said nervously, “Ahem, um… am I sleeping in this tent with you?”

Luo Xi squinted at her. Though eyes with a beauty mark at the corner should have been gentle, when Luo Xi’s eyelids drooped, all gentleness retreated, leaving only dangerous ice blades hanging over Chen Zixuan’s head.

She swallowed, instantly not daring to speak.

Only then did Luo Xi retract her gaze and turn to the single-person tent. Just as she pulled the zipper open, her originally cold eyes instantly turned to shock. The fair white skin of a back flashed before her eyes; the sight sent her mind reeling, a complete blank. She hastily zipped it back up, but the image kept floating before her eyes, as if it were being carved into her very bone marrow.

Su Wenwen heard the sound and glanced back. The zipper was closed, nothing amiss. She started humming a tune and continued to wash herself, occasionally sniffing her body to check for any bad smells, completely unaware that Luo Xi was standing guard right outside her tent.

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