Chapter 223 – A Rose Given, Fragrance Remains

“Um…”

A female survivor asked in a trembling voice, “Could you… could you give us some food?”

As soon as she spoke, the others also began to plead.

However, none of them dared to approach Ling Mo and his companions recklessly, especially with the submachine gun slung over Ling Mo’s shoulder, which was quite intimidating to ordinary people.

Long-term malnutrition, coupled with being trapped in such a dark place, had left these people no better off than the refugees seen on TV.

Moreover, they all had a sour and musty odor, indicating they hadn’t bathed in who knows how long.

Most of them had chapped lips, suggesting that they rarely had access to water.

“Please…”

“Just a little food!”

“I’m starving…”

A middle-aged woman suddenly stepped out from the crowd, pulling along a little girl. The girl’s eyes were large but dull, lacking any vitality.

“I can go without, but please, just give my daughter some food!”

With that, she began to kneel, but Ling Mo quickly stopped her.

“Uh…”

All the survivors fell silent, their eyes full of longing as they looked at Ling Mo.

In the midst of the silence, the little girl timidly peeked out from behind the middle-aged woman and said in a faint voice, “I don’t need food, give it to my mom…”

These words made Ling Mo’s heart ache.

“Senior Sister, get some canned food out.”

If it were just any other survivors, Ling Mo wouldn’t have done this, but the environment in the amusement park was indeed terrible.

Zombies were everywhere, and there were few places where food could be scavenged.

It was a miracle these people were still alive.

The moment Ling Mo spoke, the survivors’ eyes lit up even more.

And when Li Yalin took out the military-grade canned food, Ling Mo truly understood the phrase “eyes turned green with envy.”

The survivors rushed forward but still didn’t dare get too close to Li Yalin.

“Thank you!”

“You are such good people!”

The people who received the canned food were so overjoyed that some even burst into tears. For those who had been starving for months and had never had a full meal, this reaction was not exaggerated.

Ling Mo discreetly handed two cans to the little girl and then pulled out a water bottle: “Share this with everyone.”

The little girl nodded, “Thank you…”

The middle-aged woman, her eyes red with emotion, looked at Ling Mo and said, “Thank you, thank you!”

“Go ahead and eat.”

Ling Mo watched as the middle-aged woman took the little girl to a corner and the two of them, with trembling hands, began to open the cans.

After taking a sip from the water bottle, the little girl handed it to the middle-aged woman.

The woman took a drink, then hesitated and glanced at Ling Mo before passing the bottle to another person.

For a moment, the room was filled only with the sound of chewing. Although these people were very excited, they ate slowly.

Food was extremely precious to them, and eating slowly allowed them to feel fuller for longer.

The woman also received a can but did not open it immediately. Instead, she walked over to Ling Mo.

“You must be a soldier, right? This canned food is military-grade,” the woman asked hopefully.

“Not really…” Ling Mo shook his head.

“If you don’t want to say, that’s fine. Anyway, thank you. You are good people.”

The woman spoke gratefully.

“Please, stop calling me a good person…”

Honestly, Ling Mo felt uncomfortable with this kind of praise.

He hadn’t done many good deeds, but when he heard that little girl speak earlier, he felt something inside him being touched.

“By the way, my name is Bai Yu.” The woman managed a small smile and then lowered her voice to ask, “Since you managed to get in here, I assume you found a relatively safe way in?”

“Sort of.”

There was no need to hide this. The zombies on that path had been lured away by Black Silk. If these people wanted to leave, they could follow the same route Ling Mo and his group had taken.

As long as they were careful, the chances of making it out alive were quite high.

Bai Yu’s face lit up with a hint of surprise, looking somewhat excited and at a loss for what to do.

“Outside…”

“It’s slightly better than here. If you have the courage, there’s food to be found,” Ling Mo said.

“No lockdown, no rescue?” Bai Yu asked.

Seeing Ling Mo shake his head, her eyes dimmed a bit. “I see… but it’s still better than staying here. Could you…”

“I can draw a map for you,” Ling Mo said, then hesitated for a moment before adding, “If you can wait, once I’m done with my business, I can take you out on our way back.”

“Really… really?”

Bai Yu immediately raised her hand to cover her nose, her eyes turning red.

“But I’ll only be taking you out. There’s plenty of food outside that you can gather on your own,” Ling Mo said. He couldn’t protect these people indefinitely.

Bai Yu nodded vigorously. “Of course! Just being able to leave here is enough. I’d rather die outside than wait to die here. But please, you must come back after you’re done. Please!”

Seeing her excitement, any hesitation Ling Mo had vanished.

This was a small matter for Ling Mo, something he could do easily, but for this group, it was akin to saving their lives.

Watching Bai Yu hurriedly run to inform the other survivors, Ling Mo couldn’t help but turn to look at Xia Na.

“Did you already know there were people inside?”

Hearing Ling Mo’s question, Xia Na flashed a sly smile but said nothing.

After a while, she looked at the group of survivors and said softly, “I just thought they resembled some people I knew, but they are much weaker. However, I don’t have the same feeling as before.”

Xia Na’s words were somewhat cryptic, but Ling Mo understood.

This group was very similar to the classmates she used to protect.

Xia Na came here to see if she would still have that self-sacrificing spirit when encountering helpless survivors.

This was a clash between her human memories and zombie nature.

If Xia Na were in her “little devil” state, she wouldn’t consider these things. This was also a collision of her dual personalities.

It seemed she was also seeking a way to integrate her personalities, but clearly, this attempt had failed.

“Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to force yourself to be the same as before. I believe you’re still Xia Na. No matter how you change, it’s all the same to me.”

Ling Mo reached out and grasped Xia Na’s wrist as he spoke.

Perhaps Xia Na’s current state could be Ye Lian’s in the future. Ling Mo’s words were meant for both Xia Na and Ye Lian.

As for Li Yalin, Ling Mo had only gotten to know her after she had already become an Advanced Zombie. So, the Senior Sister he knew was always a zombie.

Xia Na glanced at Ling Mo, then raised her head and subtly pinched the back of his hand. “You’re too cheesy.”

“What? Seriously? You dare call me cheesy! Watch me…”

Ling Mo was taken aback, then quickly showed a look of indignation.

It was rare for him to be so sentimental. Even if it was cheesy, this girl should at least play along.

“If you dare to mess with me, I’ll have Senior Sister and Ye Lian deal with you.”

Xia Na wasn’t fazed by Ling Mo’s threat. She even pulled Ye Lian over and said it directly.

“They definitely listen to me! Right, Ye Lian?”

Ye Lian nodded cluelessly, but when Ling Mo looked at Li Yalin, she slowly walked over to Xia Na’s side.

Ling Mo’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Why?!”

Li Yalin spoke slowly, “You’re the mate, Xia Na is a friend; you both get the same score. You’re human, Xia Na is a fellow kind; Xia Na gets one point. Zero to one…”

“Senior Sister, have your memories fully integrated?” Ling Mo’s eye twitched as he couldn’t help but ask.

Li Yalin winked at Ling Mo and said, “No, but I just remembered that I knew you before.”

“What?”

This took Ling Mo by surprise. He had always thought that Li Yalin’s familiarity with him was because he had accidentally appeared in a photo’s background.

“Yes, I remember during the freshman orientation, you were walking in front of me and accidentally stepped on a woman’s pant leg, causing her to fall and break her nose…”

Li Yalin showed a faint smile. “That was our homeroom teacher.”