End of the World Cycle

Zhou Lili saw the environment clearly after entering the tent. The surroundings were all worn-out clothes nailed to the wall for insulation. There was a mattress on the small floor inside, which was the bed. There was a small wooden table next to it with dishes and chopsticks. There was a brazier at the end of the bed, and charcoal was still burning in it, so it was still warm inside.

"Dad." Zhou Lili shouted with a hoarse voice from crying.

"Well, it's good to be alive..."

"Where are mom and Jiajun?"

"Your mother went with the construction team to install windows. Jiajun...went out with the supply team during the dry season and...never came back. I heard from their team leader that he was bitten by a zombie and died in Chong'an County."

Zhou Lili's heart twitched. It would be a lie to say that she was not sad. After all, they were husband and wife. Before the end of the world, the two agreed to divorce, but did not separate the family. Until now, no one in the family knew about it.

Xie Qin knew about this. Zhou Lili was talkative, and after the cold wave, the whole family lived together and loved to chat. Xie Qin sometimes sat next to them and listened to her mother and Zhou Lili chatting, and she heard most of what they said.

Zhou Lili brought some snacks and changed her son's clothes. The grandfather and grandson ate something and the child went to play with toys.

An hour later, there was a noise outside the door. Xie Qin was sitting at the door and saw a short woman coming in. The woman was very dark and very thin, but she looked strong. The noise came before the person came in.

"Nunu, look what grandma brought today!"

"Grandma! Mom, it's Grandma who's back."

As soon as the woman entered the room and saw Zhou Lili, she burst into tears

"Lili! I knew you were okay! Lili!"

"Mom! I'm fine." Zhou Lili wanted to cry again. Her parents-in-law were all good, especially her mother-in-law, who treated her like her own daughter. The mother-in-law, who used to be white and plump, was now thin and dark. She was holding a cartoon box in her hand, which was the lunch box she bought for her children before the end of the world. There was a bag hanging below, with two steamed buns in it.

Zhou Lili could tell at a glance that the small box contained the child's meal, and the two steamed buns were what the old couple ate. It was obvious that the child had grown a lot taller in the past year, with a round face, still so cute and lively. Even in the end of the world, the grandmother still raised the child well. The child did not suffer.

The living environment was poor, but it was very clean. She knew that her mother-in-law had always been hardworking. After chatting for a while, she learned that her mother-in-law was now doing odd jobs with the infrastructure team. In the past, the family was in the aluminum alloy door and window business. Before her father-in-law became paralyzed, he also worked in the base with his skills and saved some points.

Before my ex-husband passed away, my family lived in a two-bedroom apartment in the city center. After the accident, although I saved some points, my child was still young and no one knew what the future would be like. It was always a good idea to save more for the child. So the old couple moved to the slums with their child.

Even though they live here, my mother-in-law would still change the canned meat for the children once a week, and they usually eat clean rice and flour.

Xie Qin didn't say a word the whole time. After they finished talking and Xie Qin agreed, Zhou Lili took the child back to the RV. At night, Zhou Lili looked at the sleeping child and thought about the shabby environment. To be honest, she didn't want to leave the child here.

The RV was bright, clean, and warm. They ate well and lived well. If she followed Xie Qin, her life would not be bad. But she certainly couldn't take her parents-in-law with her.

Xie Qin seemed to see Zhou Lili's hesitation and spoke.

"If you are still willing to follow me, you can take the child with you."

"really?"

"I said, I'm used to your care. If taking in your child can allow you to stay, I'm willing."

"But. I'm still a little worried about my parents-in-law."

"You know, I don't like getting used to strangers."

"Can I...think about it?"

"However, I can help you settle them down. You will have a chance to meet in the future. If things go well, I will give you a chance to bring the people you care about to your side." Since arriving at the South China Base and seeing the orderly life here, Xie Qin had the idea of ​​building a base of her own. If things go well, she is also willing to build a paradise for herself and her family. Of course, this paradise also needs popularity.

"Okay! I'll go with you. As long as you can settle my family, I'll follow you wherever you go."

Xie Qin smiled and took out a third-level corpse crystal from his pocket and gave it to Zhou Lili.

Zhou Lili was shocked!

“Is it true that I am in the dark?”

"I promised you a year's supply."

"This. This is too much!"

"You've done a great job during this period. You've taken good care of me and our family. This is what you deserve. You also know that this is nothing to me." Xie Qin smiled and handed the corpse crystal forward.

Zhang Mingfang, who was holding Xie Jin, also pushed Zhou Lili.

"Take it, sister. Our family will still need you to take care of us in the future."

Zhou Lili accepted it and thanked him sincerely.

"You have ten days to settle your parents-in-law. We will set out on time at eight in the morning ten days later."

"Okay. Do you want to sneak into the base's psychic team?"

"Yes, you know, there are super powers here that I need. I can't come here in vain."

"I have a suggestion."

"You said."

"You are still young. I would never say such words to you in the past. But we are all in the end times now, so we should make use of everything we can. Your appearance is your most powerful disguise. Your beauty may allow you to quickly approach your target person. It can also allow you to quickly distinguish between good and bad people."

"What do you mean?"

"You are very good and powerful, but there are always people who are better than you. Never show all your cards. Your appearance is your greatest weapon to protect yourself."

"Me? Am I good looking?"

"You have a face that can most easily arouse others' desire to protect you." Zhou Lili said, raising her hand and patting Xie Qin's shoulder. Then she stood up and opened the closet. After searching for a while, she found a light yellow down jacket, light-colored jeans, and a pair of beige boots. She handed them to Xie Qin.

"Is it all right if I just wear this dress?"

"Of course not. You have to learn to be afraid and weak in front of outsiders, and always hide behind others. Speak less, and even when you do speak, speak in a low voice. That's how you'll act."

"Let me try." Xie Qin took the clothes and went to rest.

The next morning, Xie Qin changed her clothes and did not wear a mask. After washing up, Zhou Lili helped her tie a neat ponytail, revealing a fair and pretty face.

After the end of the world, almost everyone was short of food and clothing. Everyone had a dark yellow complexion and was a little thin. There were almost no girls like this pretty and cute girl with a face full of collagen. So, when Xie Qin walked to the gate of the base, she immediately attracted the attention of the security guard at the gate.

Xie Qin said that he was a person with special abilities and got a pass without paying any food. He fabricated a new identity and easily entered the base. He was also escorted all the way to the reception hall in the central square of the base.

Zhou Lili waited for Xie Qin to come in for a long time, took the child to eat breakfast, packed some things that her parents-in-law could use, and then returned to the base. The parents-in-law were much calmer when they saw Zhou Lili's family again. When they heard that Zhou Lili wanted to take the child away, the old couple were reluctant, but they knew in their hearts that the child would definitely be better off with his mother than with them.

Zhou Lili exchanged the third-level corpse crystal for 5,000 points and deposited them all into her mother-in-law's pass. Fortunately, Qiao Zhishuo had been following her and helped her find a small suite on the second floor with one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen and one bathroom. It was located near the central square and close to the trading market and the medical center.

Thirty-five points a month, Zhou Lili listened to Xie Qin and only rented the house to her parents-in-law for three years. Although she didn't know why Xie Qin only let her rent for three years, she knew that what Xie Qin said was not wrong.

After a busy morning, everything in the small suite was ready. The house was sturdy and warm, with a soft and comfortable big bed, a sofa, radio, dining table, and kitchen utensils. Zhou Lili prepared everything she could think of for her parents-in-law.

"Mom and Dad, in the next few days, if you can stay at home, don't go out, and don't look for work. Mom, just stay at home and take good care of Dad. In the future, just follow the main group and don't act alone, and you won't be in danger. Do you understand?"

"I have nothing to do at home, so I can't stay idle. I want to save more points for my baby while I still have strength."

"Mom! Just listen to me. I will earn points, and I won't let my baby live a hard life. The points in your card are enough for both of you to live a normal life. At least, at least until these few months are over. Okay? After the Chinese New Year, if you still want to find something to do, I won't stop you, okay?"

"Okay, it's up to you."

After convincing the mother-in-law, the family prepared a reunion dinner. The children happily played with toys in the living room, the father-in-law sat on the sofa reading a book, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law washed dishes in the kitchen, talking about what had happened during the one year they had been apart.

Meanwhile, Xie Qin had already met the deputy base commander, Xu Wanqing, a tall, thin woman who looked to be in her thirties. She had a serious face, but her eyes widened when she saw Xie Qin. Then they softened a lot.

"Are you a person with super powers?" Xu Wanqing asked seriously.

Xie Qin did not answer directly, but kept Zhou Lili's words in mind, bit her lip and nodded carefully.

"What kind of power do you have?"

Xie Qin raised his hand and condensed a water ball in his palm. He said in a low voice.

"Water system." Xie Qin's voice was deliberately softer, making people feel that she was a timid, gentle and shy girl.

"how old are you?"

"15."

"So young? Where's your family?"

"They...are all gone. During the cold wave, I hid alone in a secret room in the city's air-raid shelter and survived. When I came out, I saw the banners on the street and found me." Xie Qin spoke in a low voice, trembling slightly, making people sound like she was crying.

"Have you ever killed a zombie?"

"Yeah." Xie Qin nodded.

"Okay, come with me to the inner city later. After meeting the base commander, I'll arrange things for you. We've arranged food and accommodation for you. It's all in the inner city. There's a special auntie who cooks for you. As for accommodation, we have special dormitories for people with special abilities. They're villas in the inner city."

"Okay. Thank you sister."

This call of "sister" made Xu Wanqing's heart soften. Everything went smoothly. In just over an hour, Xie Qin had already taken a special car to the inner city.

The inner city is completely different from the outside. It is like a country resort, with greenhouse vegetables planted in square fields, chickens, ducks, cows, sheep and even horses raised on the grass.

The ripples in the stream showed that there were many fish. The most rare thing was that the road here was smooth and there were street lights on both sides. Although there was electricity in the base, it was very expensive, but this place was like a paradise, without any trace of the end of the world.

The villas are all identical three-story buildings. At the highest point of the inner city there is a large cement warehouse. It is tightly sealed, with only a closed iron door visible.

"What is that?" Xie Qin asked, pointing at that place, without hiding the curiosity in his eyes.

"granary."

"Granary, do you have so much food?" Xie Qin asked Xu Wanqing in confusion, tilting her head. Xu Wanqing was touched by the little girl's cute behavior and was not wary at all.

"It was the municipal government's relief food. Almost all of the food from the entire city is here. Even if we do nothing, this food will be enough for the people in this base to eat for several years."

No wonder this base dared to accommodate so many people in its early days. Xie Qin quietly explored the area with his mental power. There were a total of forty villas, twenty-three of which were occupied by people. However, except for the three villas at the highest point, the rest were occupied by ordinary people.

Xie Qin didn't say anything more, and sat obediently in the back seat, watching the villa at the highest point getting closer and closer. The car stopped in front of the villa at the highest point. The wall of the villa was higher than other places, and there was an electric fence. There were guardrails outside each window, which looked more solid than the house he had prepared on Butterfly Mountain.

After ringing the doorbell, the surveillance camera at the door moved and accurately captured Xu Wanqing and her own face. Only then did Xie Qin realize that the wall was surrounded by surveillance cameras.

"It's Wan Qing! What's the matter?" A female voice came from the surveillance camera.

"Yes ma'am, there is a little girl with special powers at the base. I am bringing her to meet the base commander."

"OK, wait."

After waiting for about two or three minutes, a mechanical sound of beeping sound came from behind the door. Then the door was opened. Xie Qin looked at the door in surprise. The door was as thick as a bank vault. In addition to the electronic lock, there was also an iron bolt behind the door. With this thickness, it was estimated that a first-level power-type mutant could not open it with bare hands.

The person who opened the door was a gorgeous woman, about thirty years old, very pretty, dressed delicately and wearing light makeup. She was wrapped in warm white fur and wearing furry international brand slippers.

She had all the jewelry on her body, but it was not too much, and the matching was very beautiful. She looked like a person who lived a life of luxury and had never suffered any hardship.

Xie Qin followed the two into the gate. The yard was also beautiful, with rockeries, flowers and trees. Xie Qin was surprised when he entered the villa. The decoration of the villa in front of him was comparable to the luxury houses before the end of the world. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was magnificent. The crystal chandelier on the ceiling of the living room alone was so bright that it blinded Xie Qin's eyes.

The room was filled with jade and antiques arranged in an orderly manner. Two servants wearing the same clothes were half-kneeling on the ground quietly cleaning.

Even the stairs leading upstairs were trimmed with gold, and there were induction lights under the feet, which lit up a level with each step. Xie Qin took a closer look at the lights under his feet. The woman seemed to have caught Xie Qin's curiosity and spoke.

"I was scared by the end of the world. I'm timid and afraid of the slightest darkness, so I keep the lights on during the day."

Xie Qin pretended to be a little shy and lowered her head, not looking up anymore, and continued to follow obediently. She arrived at the study room on the second floor.