The Walking Dead : Rules of Survival

Xiao Zheng was carried by a few people to the other side of the road and buried.

I finally felt a bit better.

At the very least, he was luckier than Wai Zui.

May he rest in peace.

Suo Tian didn't seem to have any intention of leaving just yet.

When we returned to the small building, everyone had gathered on the second floor.

Shen Feng, Yangyang, and I had no choice but to head back up to the third floor.

As I passed the second floor and saw Suo Tian sitting upright on the sofa, frowning as he talked with the people around him, a sudden sense of unreality surged in me.

It felt like the days when I used to know him and live with him were nothing but a dream.

And now, this version of him was the real Suo Tian, truly alive in the real world.

The thought left me confused.

After getting back to the third floor, I briefly cleaned the dirt off my clothes and then collapsed onto the bed, unwilling to move another inch.

A few lines of conversation drifted from the living room — it seemed like Shen Feng and Yangyang were trying to talk to Jun Di.

I irritably pulled the blanket over my head, not wanting to hear another word.

If Jun Di keeps going on like this, completely lost and broken, not even a God could guarantee his safety.

It's understandable to feel heartbroken and devastated — even like your whole world has collapsed — but you still have to consider the situation we're in.

The few of us are weak and alone, walking a road filled with danger.

After finally running into Suo Tian, we then encountered a group of people whose identities are completely unknown.

And now, even Suo Tian doesn't seem as trustworthy as he once did.

Things are already chaotic enough, and yet he's still making things worse at a time like this.

My left arm still ached in waves, but compared to the overall exhaustion in my body, it had become something I could completely ignore.

That sleep was like falling into a deep, dark abyss.

I kept waking up again and again, but every time, I quickly fell back asleep.

When I finally opened my eyes and felt truly rested, the sky outside had already gone completely dark.

I'd slept so deeply that I'd lost all sense of time.

At this point, I had no idea what hour it was.

But seeing Shen Xue and Xu Shu still fast asleep, it was probably around midnight.

Next time, I've got to get myself a watch.

Otherwise, moving through this fog with no concept of time really isn't going to work out.

I sat on the bed for a while longer, and soon my thoughts started spiraling again.

A flood of random worries and questions rushed into my mind the moment it cleared.

Shaking my head to snap out of it, I got up and headed toward the window to get some air.

I wasn't sure if the power was out everywhere or just in this building, but the lights in the room wouldn't turn on.

The living room was quiet.

Compared to the bedroom, it was a little brighter — moonlight was spilling in.

Suo Tian, Yangyang, and the others were fast asleep on the bedding laid out on the floor.

Seeing Suo Tian sleeping so peacefully made me purse my lips and let out a small chuckle.

"Sister Chen Yang," a hoarse voice suddenly called out from the corner of the room — it was Jun Di, who had been curled up there the whole time.

I'd thought he was asleep, so his sudden voice startled me so much I nearly cried out.

"How are you feeling? Do you want to go lie down for a bit?"

I hurried over to him and crouched in front of him, lowering my voice so I wouldn't disturb the others.

Jun Di didn't respond.

Instead, he took a few deep, shaky breaths and tilted his head back, closing his eyes as if trying hard to rein in his emotions.

After a long while, he seemed to calm down a bit.

He looked back at me and slowly spoke: "Sister Chen Yang… Xiao Yin is dead."

Jun Di's voice trembled slightly, and even though he tried his best to hold it back, it still caught in his throat when he said Xiao Yin's name.

To be honest, I'd never really paid much attention to Jun Di and Xiao Yin.

To put it bluntly — selfish as it may sound — it was because they hadn't exactly been helpful to us all this time.

Back when things weren't so bad that we had to leave our homes, Jun Di and Yin Shangtang's humor did bring some light to our lives.

But after everything that happened, when survival became the priority, I had no choice but to focus only on the people who could actually help us stay alive.

Because I didn't pay much attention to them, I didn't form much of an emotional bond either.

So yes — I was sad about Xiao Yin's death, it did hurt — but compared to the current situation, I couldn't afford to dwell on it or waste energy mourning.

After all… so many people have died already.

Who among them wasn't worth grieving?

But now, seeing Jun Di so heartbroken yet still desperately trying to hold himself together — it struck something deep in me.

That's when I realized.

I used to cry over the death of a kitten I raised…

And now, without even noticing, I've become someone like this.

Whether that change is good or bad… I don't even want to judge anymore.

At the very least, it's the change I need right now — to survive.

I sighed and reached out to pat Jun Di on the shoulder.

"Jun Di, I know how heartbroken you are, how much it hurts, and how important Xiao Yin was to you.

But you have to face reality. No matter how devastated you feel, even if you stay curled up like this for a week, a month, or even a year…

Xiao Yin still won't come back."

As I spoke, Jun Di just kept nodding.

But when I mentioned Xiao Yin's name toward the end, he broke down in tears.

He didn't turn his face away — he just looked straight at me, letting the tears fall freely.

I guess he'd long forgotten that whole "real men don't cry" thing by now.

In the face of death's cruel finality, what are a few tears, anyway?

Even if you cry yourself blind, the ones who are gone… are gone.

The pain that cuts like a knife — it's just a phase.

Once he gets through this, I hope Jun Di can recover quickly.

My nose stung a little too.

I leaned in and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, trying not to cry myself as his body trembled softly in my embrace.

"So Jun Di, you need to pull yourself together soon.

The world outside stopped caring a long time ago — it has no sympathy for anyone.

Only the strong can survive.

You and Xiao Yin worked so hard when he was alive, wasn't it all so you both could stay alive?

Now that he's gone, it's your job to carry on for the both of you — to survive.

Beating yourself up like this won't help.

If you're hurting, cry it out.

But what I want to see is the healthy, sunny Jun Di — the one full of life."

Jun Di didn't say a word.

After a while, with trembling arms, he wrapped them around my shoulders — as if clinging to a lifeline — hugging me tighter and tighter, burying his face in the crook of my neck, sobbing uncontrollably.

His muffled, stifled cries echoed through the dark, silent space, filled with a deep sense of loneliness and despair.

The others lying nearby must've woken up, because I no longer heard the deep, steady breathing of someone in restful sleep — only deliberately softened breaths.

They were all awake…

But they were staying silent — to give this boy, who was nearly crushed by grief, one last bit of wordless support.

That quiet understanding moved me deeply.

As I glanced around the pitch-black room, I was suddenly struck with a flash of clarity — as if a part of my heart that had been shut tight all this time finally swung open.

A sense of peace and clarity washed over me.

I think I finally understood what we'd been holding on to all this time.

It was our humanity and conscience.

That — more than anything — is what sets us apart from the walkers.

We are alive.

We feel love and sorrow.

We have thoughts and emotions.

We adapt to living in a community, and though we live in our own little worlds, we are constantly brushing against the lives of others.

Our brains haven't rotted away.

We're still… human.

Jun Di cried for quite a while.

It wasn't until Shen Xue's soft voice came from behind — "Are you okay?" — that he suddenly stopped, turning his face away and hastily wiping his tears with his sleeve and hand before turning back to look at her.

I also turned to look at Shen Xue.

Her hair was a little messy — clearly, she'd just woken up.

She stood there for a moment, looked at him, then slowly walked over and crouched down beside me, face-to-face with Jun Di.

I smiled at the two of them. "You two talk. I'm going out to get some air."

"What do you mean, get some air? It's pitch dark out there — why are you going out? It's dangerous!"

Shen Xue couldn't help but raise her voice a little when she was worried about someone.

"Shhh… Don't wake the others."

Even though I knew they were all awake, I still said it to remind her.

"Don't worry — there are so many people downstairs with guns, all acting tough. It's probably the safest place imaginable."

Without waiting for either of them to respond, I turned and ran toward the door, opened it, and dashed down the stairs.

Suo Tian and the others were extremely cautious.

After what happened during the day, nearly two-thirds of the group were assigned to night watch.

I figured only the ones who needed to drive tomorrow were sleeping.

The rest, even if they were on night watch, could always catch up on sleep in the car during the day.

The moonlight was bright.

Aside from this row of houses, the area was mostly farmland, so under the moonlight, it didn't feel dark at all.

Those black-clad men were patrolling around the small building with their guns at the ready.

There were also several people lying flat on top of the cars — if I wasn't mistaken, they were emergency snipers.

I walked up without paying any attention to the wary glances those black-clad men cast at me, picked a spot that hadn't been splattered with walker blood from earlier in the day, and plopped down.

Stretching comfortably and settling my mind, I found myself drawn to the guns those black-clad men were holding.

I stared at one of them, the one closest to me, and examined his weapon.

It looked somewhat familiar — I think I'd seen something similar in one of those shooting games Yangyang used to play.

Girls usually don't pay much attention to that kind of stuff or have much interest in it, so I hadn't really studied or remembered it.

After staring for a long while and still not figuring out anything, I simply looked away and tilted my head back, dazing off under the moonlight.

As I kept watching, I suddenly remembered the person who talked to me earlier today.

What was his name again...?

Oh, right — Nan An.

I quickly scanned the nearby black-clad men, but despite the bright moonlight, it still wasn't enough for me to clearly see everyone's faces.

After staring so hard my eyes started to blur, I still couldn't find the guy named Nan An from earlier.

He was probably sleeping upstairs now — maybe he had to drive tomorrow.

From far away, I suddenly heard the faint roars of a few walkers.

I froze for a second, then stood up and looked in the direction of the sound.

Out in the distant fields, three or four walkers were staggering toward us in a crooked line.

Two of the black-clad men had already handed their guns to nearby comrades and drawn their knives, waiting for the walkers to get closer.

The ones on top of the vehicles also started aiming their guns.

Since it was nighttime, they wanted to avoid making too much noise, so they'd try not to fire if possible.

Still, they had to be prepared just in case.

I placed my hand on my bag as well, staying alert.

But clearly, those few stumbling walkers, who could barely walk straight, were no match for such well-equipped people.

The two black-clad men took them down in just a few dozen seconds, slashing them to the ground.

I moved my hand away from my bag and let out a relieved sigh.

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