Chapter 343: Something Is Wrong with You
Chapter 343: Something Is Wrong with You
An Ran rushes out the door again. Because of the hot weather, she wears only long-sleeved sportswear and sneakers—she doesn’t dare wear short sleeves, afraid that if a zombie bites her, it’ll easily break the skin.
As soon as she steps out of the ward, a cool breeze greets her. The early morning air is relatively fresh and cool.
Yun Tao has already gone down the stairs to help Zhan Lian and the others fight off zombies. Hengheng is waiting outside Little Mint’s ward, sitting on a blue plastic chair, waiting for An Ran to open the door.
The moment she opens it, Hengheng calls out, “Good morning, Auntie!” and then heads inside to check on Little Mint.
Doll is still in the ward.
As An Ran looks around, she sees Zhao Ru coming out of the doctor’s office nearby. Instead of heading downstairs, An Ran stops at the second-floor stair railing and leans over to look toward the entrance hall.
Downstairs, Zhan Lian, Luo Feifan, Yun Tao, and several others are working together to kill the zombies.
“They came last night, around three or four in the morning,” Zhao Ru says, standing nearby in the shadows. Her skin is smooth and flawless, and her demeanor calm—far from what one would expect in the apocalypse. She smiles and adds, “They’re evolving quickly. A bit harder to handle now.” She turns to An Ran. “An Ran, can we talk? Just a doctor’s routine questioning of a patient’s family before surgery.”
Seeing that Zhan Lian and the others downstairs can manage the situation, An Ran straightens up, turns to face Zhao Ru, and replies bluntly, “You know, something’s off about you. From the moment we met, you wanted to hug my daughter, and I thought that was strange.”
“That’s only because your daughter is really cute,” Zhao Ru replies. She wears a floral short-sleeved top and a black skirt tied at the waist. With her hands behind her back, she tilts her head and smiles again. “You can’t assume that just because someone finds your daughter cute, they have bad intentions. Yes, it’s the end of the world and human nature has darkened, but not everyone is living in misery.”
“Say whatever you want.” An Ran takes two steps forward and stops in front of her, looking directly into her eyes. Her voice is firm and even. “My daughter is my life. Without her, I wouldn’t be alive right now. If anyone tries to hurt her, I’ll fight with everything I have. I won’t let that person walk away easily.”
“Pfft.” Zhao Ru gives a light, playful laugh at An Ran’s serious words. “You say that like everyone’s after your daughter. Honestly, if it weren’t for you, no one would even think she’s so precious. She’s not worth the effort it takes to get her—and you’re wasting food to raise her. Isn’t that a loss?”
Her attitude makes it seem like An Ran is making a big fuss over nothing, as if her words are a joke.
An Ran presses her lips together, eyeing Zhao Ru closely.
Zhao Ru doesn’t shy away—in fact, she even spreads her arms and turns in place, as if inviting An Ran to look her over.
Then, all of a sudden, she says, “An Ran, you know, in our country, there’s an ancient belief: the essence of the world lies in the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.”
“What are you trying to say?” An Ran interrupts her, growing impatient. But then, as if something clicks, her expression changes. “Zhao Ru,” she says slowly, eyes narrowing, “have you noticed that you’re completely clean? Spotless. When I first saw you, I felt something was off. Besides the way you insisted on holding my daughter, you’re also unusually clean. I didn’t think much of it then, but now… that’s a serious red flag.”