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墨書 Inktalez
Houlinc District is one of the less populated areas within Wangcheng Base, primarily inhabited by military officers and staff working at the base.
Most residents here have their own jobs to attend to, but the evenings tend to be much livelier.
However, today is a festive occasion, and the vast majority of people have left their homes to join their families in the bustling commercial areas, leaving the expansive Houlinc District almost deserted, with only a few lights still shining in the night sky.
Chu Donglin's parents live in a five-story building.
In this base, a five-story structure is nearly the limit.
After all, during the construction of the base, there was a shortage of materials and engineers, and there was no real need for tall buildings. Thus, five or six-story residential buildings have become the norm within the base.
What stands before Chu Donglin is such an ordinary building, common throughout the base, with nothing particularly special about it.
The newly constructed building still shows faint traces of paint on its exterior walls, and naturally, the brick walls have not been tiled. In this post-apocalyptic world, constructing housing is essential for survival, but laying tiles on exterior walls—something more aesthetic—was not deemed necessary.
This is Building Three on Qilin Road. The large metal sign on the exterior prominently displays the words "Building Three."
It happens to be illuminated by a streetlight.
Standing at the foot of the building and looking up reveals a dark structure; clearly, everyone has gone out to celebrate, except for one window on the second floor that remains lit. It’s uncertain whose home it is.
Seeing this situation, Chu Donglin paused for a moment before realizing that his parents might have gone out to join in the festivities.
He hesitated at the corner for several seconds but ultimately steeled himself and walked up.
Even if his parents weren't home, he should at least familiarize himself with the area or wait for them in the hallway.
The second floor had an open door; he could sit there and ask about his parents' whereabouts. After all, they lived on the second floor too, so perhaps they were familiar with that family.
However, when he reached the second floor and began searching for their apartment by number, he was astonished to discover that the lit window belonged to Unit 05.
This was the room where Father Chu and Mother Chu lived.
Chu Donglin couldn't believe his luck; in a situation where everyone else had gone out, he actually encountered his parents.
He looked at the not-so-thick wooden door in front of him, took a deep breath, and gently knocked three times.
Knock, knock, knock—
The rhythmic knocking echoed in the night breeze, and it seemed that something inside the room had paused.
After a few seconds, a young girl's voice came from behind the door.
It was somewhat guarded yet curious.
"Who are you looking for?"
Chu Donglin stood frozen in the hallway. He recalled carefully. It was indeed the voice of a young girl.
But weren't his parents living here?
Chu Donglin was confused.
He instinctively asked, "Is Chu Jianguo home?"
The girl behind the door sounded curious. "Who are you? Are you looking for Uncle Chu?"
In the next moment, the door swung open, revealing a beautiful face before Chu Donglin's eyes.
She wasn't exceptionally stunning, but her pure demeanor, reminiscent of a neighbor's little sister, easily made a good impression.
She was a cute girl, not very old, probably around sixteen or seventeen years old.
At that moment, she was looking at Chu Donglin in front of the door with curious eyes, somewhat confused. "Who are you...?"
Chu Donglin remained silent for a few seconds, not revealing his identity.
"I am an old friend of Mr. Chu. I just arrived at the base a few days ago. I heard he was here, so I came to see him... Is he not home?"
This made the girl even more surprised.
"The people at the base didn't tell you? Uncle Chu has already left Wangcheng."
This answer caught Chu Donglin off guard; his face showed shock and disbelief, completely unprepared for such news.
"Where did he go? Is he safe? Who did he leave with?"
Looking at the anxious man at the door, the girl sized him up several times before suddenly bursting into laughter.
"Chu Donglin Brother, you really care about Uncle and Auntie."
She playfully revealed a cheerful smile, opened her arms, jumped over, and hugged Chu Donglin's neck, playfully pressing her forehead against his.
"Since you're so worried about Uncle and Auntie, I'll generously forgive you for forgetting me."
Chu Donglin stared in astonishment at the laughing girl before suddenly realizing.
"Sasha? Is that you?"
The girl giggled as she released his neck and stepped back two paces, twirling around while holding the hem of her dress. "Finally remembered me? Forgetful Chu Donglin Brother. Although we’ve been apart for many years, you shouldn’t have completely forgotten me!"
Chu Donglin looked at her carefully several times, then smiled wryly.
"When we parted back then, you were just a little kid with a runny nose. Who would have thought that after ten years, you would grow up to be this beautiful? Truly, women change a lot as they grow."
"Hehe... So, do you regret rejecting my proposal to marry you back then? Considering you've finally remembered me, I'll give you a chance to take it back."
Amidst the girl's laughter, Chu Donglin shook his head and replied with a smile.
"No thanks, I already have a wife, so it seems this chance will go to waste."
The moment Chu Donglin finished speaking, the girl's expression dimmed for an instant, but almost immediately she put on a cheerful face and continued to tease him.
"Your wife, Brother Donglin? She must be very beautiful, right?"
Chu Donglin nodded and said with a smile, "Of course she is."
"Is she more beautiful than me?"
"Not more beautiful than you."
"Really?"
"Of course that's not true."
Chu Donglin chuckled and said, "In my heart, Xing'er will always be the most beautiful."
"Tsk... Being so partial to your wife is really enviable. Speaking of which, Brother Donglin, don't you think it's cruel to show off your love in front of me like this? You should be kind to single girls."
Chu Donglin smiled and said, "Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?"
The girl pouted, "This is your home... How can you talk to a guest like that, Donglin Brother? You really don't know your priorities."
"Hahaha... Although this is my home, I haven't been back in a long time... or maybe I've never been here before, so it's understandable that it feels unfamiliar," Chu Donglin replied with a smile. As he saw the girl step aside to open the door, he no longer held back and walked directly into the living room.
"Do you need to change your shoes?"
"No need, it's not that troublesome. We're in the apocalypse now, Donglin Brother; we can't be as leisurely as before."
"That's true... Hehe..."
Chu Donglin followed the girl into the living room, taking in the decorations while accepting the stool she handed him and sitting down.
As the girl mentioned, this was indeed an apocalyptic world where life was always at risk, and they could no longer afford to be leisurely like before. For these human Survivors, having a safe place to live was already a great blessing; thoughts of sofas and furniture were simply out of the question.
After sitting down in the living room, Chu Donglin's gaze swept across the monotonous decor before finally resting on the girl across from him.
"So how have you all been in Sun City these past few years? It's the capital of Qianzhou, so it must be more developed than Wangcheng, right?"
"It is developed, but unfortunately, their Lamb Noodle Soup is terrible; it doesn't even compare to what we have here in Wangcheng. A bunch of greedy Bosses use mutton from regular sheep instead of Black Goat meat and still advertise it as Wangcheng Black Goat meat... It's just too much."
As the girl complained, Chu Donglin shook his head and chuckled. "Don't start complaining about food as soon as we meet; it makes you sound like a foodie."
"What do you mean by sounding like a foodie?"
At his teasing, the girl wrinkled her nose in displeasure and huffed, "I am a foodie! Good food is my lifeline; it's very important."
"Alright then..."
Chu Donglin smiled, a look of defeat on his face, filled with the kind of indulgence one has for a mischievous younger sister.
"I'm relieved to see you so happy, just like before."
He glanced around the living room and asked, "Where's your father? I remember he used to be a government official, right? Before the military collapsed, he should have been able to find some connections to ensure that you two lived better than most."
The girl fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled lightly with a hint of mockery.
"He's dead."
Yet there was no sorrow in her expression.
Chu Donglin was taken aback, looking at the suddenly quiet girl with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."
The girl shook her head, reassuring Chu Donglin not to worry about it.
"That fellow deserved it anyway; there's no need to feel sad for him. Instead of discussing his life or death, why don't we talk about what you've been through these past few months... You were studying in Wocheng, right? Given that it's already an Apocalyptic Crisis, how did you manage to travel such a long distance back to Wocheng?"
She looked at Chu Donglin with curiosity, eager to know the answer.
"With so many Zombies and dangers along the way, how did you get through it? And I'm sure there were plenty of thrilling and dangerous experiences on your journey, right? Did you encounter any powerful Zombies? Like those bizarre animals mutated by the virus? Last time we even ran into a Colorful Serpent that could breathe fire; it was simply amazing. You must have seen even more incredible Zombies, right? Can you tell me about them?" (To be continued...)
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