Chapter 204: Let's Go to the Second Floor
Chapter 204: Let's Go to the Second Floor
Anran gradually begins to control the lilies, guiding their growth in the direction she needs. For instance, she intentionally lets the lilies near the base of the flower wall eat less while allowing those higher up to consume more. As a result, all the zombie skeletons are lifted onto the wall, causing it to grow taller and taller. Before long, the stems and skeletons intertwine, securing the ladder’s legs tightly against the flower wall.
Turning around, Anran waves to Little Mint, who is standing beside her. She then jumps down from the flower wall, takes Doll from Little Mint’s arms, and secures the child in a sling on her back.
With her greasy hair loosely tied behind her head, Anran plucks a lily and tucks it into Doll’s sling before climbing up the thick flower wall. She carefully steps onto the ladder and calls out to Little Mint below, "Little Mint, climb up the wall. Let’s go to the second floor."
The first floor mainly houses cosmetics and clothing stores, including the children's clothing store they are currently in. However, the second floor is dedicated to children's needs, featuring numerous maternal and baby supply stores—many of which are well-known brands. Having visited this mall before, Anran is quite familiar with its layout.
Leading the way, she carefully steps over the white bones embedded in the flower wall, slowly making her way to the second floor with Doll strapped to her back. Reaching up, she grabs the glass guardrail of the second floor with both hands, pulls herself over, and turns back to help Little Mint climb up.
After walking a short distance, she reaches a passage that stretches across the oval-shaped mall, positioned directly above the car showroom. From this vantage point, she has a clear view of the first floor.
Looking outside the clothing store, she notices that the once-powerful white lily wall has now reverted to an ordinary flower wall. Dense swarms of zombies are tearing it apart, and without its former strength, the wall is unable to fight back.
Standing on the sky bridge, Anran peers down at the car showroom below. One of the white cars parked there contains Liu Yuan, Yun Tao, and Hengheng. It is directly beneath the guardrail she is holding onto. At this moment, the vehicle is completely surrounded, almost swallowed by the sea of zombies.
Now that she has a bit of breathing room, Anran finds herself reflecting on the look of guilt Liu Yuan gave her when she got into the car. The memory makes her heart ache. She once believed that, in a life-or-death crisis, people would be more cautious about whom they abandoned.
But if she were in Liu Yuan’s position, wouldn’t she have done the same? If the choice were between letting Liu Yuan and Hengheng die or sacrificing herself and her baby, the answer is clear.
With this realization, her heart steadies.
From now on, she will no longer rely on Liu Yuan for survival. At a critical moment, she will protect only herself and her child. There is no point in disappointment if she never places hope in her to begin with. If they can travel together, then fine—but if not, they should part ways sooner rather than later.
It is best to look at things rationally.
That said, Hengheng is just a child, and Yun Tao has saved her multiple times back at the gas station.
Her feelings toward Liu Yuan are complicated. She doesn’t want to see her die, but she knows she can’t afford to trust her completely. However, Yun Tao… If not for him, neither she nor her baby would have survived.
After coming to terms with her thoughts, Anran reaches into Doll’s sling, pulls out the lily she had tucked there, and channels her supernatural power into it. Holding the flower in her hand, she tosses it toward the car below. The moment it lands, the lily rapidly grows, devouring the zombies swarming on the vehicle’s roof.
Author’s Notes:
I saw some friends suggesting tearing cloth to make a diaper for Doll, so I wanted to explain why I don’t recommend it. A baby girl’s bottom is extremely delicate, and non-absorbent fabric is practically useless. Personally, I’ve never used disposable diapers for my child—only cloth diapers. I raised Xiaomeimei alone without any help from elders, so sometimes I couldn’t change her immediately when she peed. But because the cloth diapers absorbed the moisture, her skin stays dry. Even when I transitioned her to toilet training, I prepared 30 pairs of small pants for her, changing them as needed. I always carried a large bag of spare pants when going out and another bag of diaper pants for nighttime. In an apocalypse scenario, using cloth diapers would only cause severe diaper rash since they don’t absorb moisture well. If I had time to tear cloth to make diapers, I might as well go straight to a children's clothing store and grab some ready-made baby pants. The key to preventing diaper rash is keeping Doll’s skin dry. Also, babies under a month old who are breastfeeding don’t actually need water. Drinking too much water can reduce their milk intake because their tiny stomachs—about the size of a small plum—will fill up with water instead. ...Wait, why am I discussing parenting here? ???! ...