Chapter 95: Survivors
Chapter 95: Survivors
An Ran gazes at the streets outside her community as she drives. The shops in the blocks slightly farther from her home are still relatively well preserved, but most of the stores on her street, like supermarkets and tobacco shops, are emptied, indicating they are severely affected areas.
It seems there are still traces of survivors in Xiangcheng!
Looking at the maternal and child stores along the way, An Ran notes that most of the items inside are still intact. The pharmacy appears sparse and messy from the outside, but there are still many medicines piled up inside.
The gate to her community is intact, with several zombie corpses piled outside. An Ran's car rolls over the remains and approaches the gate. There are no zombies following her; she has dealt with those that trailed behind one by one.
Her community, called Sunshine Lake, is a mid-to-high-end area featuring a solar-powered energy storage system, an automatic irrigation system, and the so-called world's most advanced water purification system used by every household.
However, recalling the water purifiers at the hospital and the poor quality of water they produce, An Ran doesn’t have high expectations for the brand-name system in this community.
She glances at the electric gate in front of her, takes out the key for the community gate from the car, presses it, and watches as the gate opens. Typically, the community property and residents use two separate power systems, and the electric gate naturally relies on the solar energy storage system. An Ran can easily open it with her key.
However, as the heavy golden gate swings open, An Ran drives in, feeling an uneasy sensation from the lush green plants lining the passageway.
Suddenly, An Ran feels a strong urge to avoid entering the community altogether. Still seated in the driver’s seat, she presses the brake, bringing the car to a stop outside Building 1. Clutching the steering wheel and the electric key in her hands, she bites her lip, trying to discern the source of the unease in her heart.
Her home is in Building 1, right next to the entrance of the community.
After a moment's hesitation, An Ran gets out of the car, wanting to confirm if the plants lining the path are truly conveying something to her.
Then she sees several people in security uniforms walking out from the end of the passageway.
That's right—they are people!
Instantly, An Ran dismisses her earlier unease and smiles happily as she spots a young security guard leading the group. She raises her hand and greets, “Hey, Xiao Wang.”
"Yo, look who’s back!" The leader, Wang Xin, replies with a smile, his tone a mix of friendliness and familiarity. The way he looks at An Ran reminds her of a cat spotting a fish. He waves to the two security guards behind him, saying, "It’s okay, safe; it’s Miss An from Building 1."
An Ran returns the smile, but as Wang Xin and the two security guards approach without even acknowledging her, her smile gradually fades. The guards go straight for the trunk of her car and open the door and trunk lid, intensifying her unease.
Had she come to the wrong place? Wasn’t this home? Why does her home feel more dangerous than the hospital?
At that moment, An Ran would prefer to face the zombies outside rather than deal with these survivors.