hsntnovel Chapter 5 Quiet Night Preparations
Chapter 5 Quiet Night Preparations
Night has truly fallen.
Zhang Xun lifted a corner of the curtain and, by the moonlight, observed the activity downstairs.
The streetlights were still on, but the light was eerily dim. Through the gap in the curtains, he could see those swaying figures moving slowly down the street—their movements were aimless, just wandering around, like a group of soulless shells, searching for something, or perhaps waiting for something.
"Bang bang bang—"
A crashing sound came from downstairs. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to make one's heart race.
Zhang Xun held his breath and raised his phone to shine a light on the back of the windowpane—three infected individuals were gathered around the roller shutter door, one of them repeatedly banging its shoulder against it, making dull thuds. The other two stood to the side, seemingly watching.
Lin Xiaotang curled up in the corner of the sofa, her body taut like a bow.
She clutched the rabbit doll to her chest, its two black eyes on its fluffy head gleaming faintly in the darkness. Qin Wei leaned against the wall, her legs curled up, her chin resting on her knees. She wasn't asleep; she just sat there quietly, her gaze piercing through the gap in the curtains, fixed on the darkness outside.
None of the three spoke.
It's not that I don't want to say it, it's that I'm afraid to say it.
Qin Wei had said that those creatures were extremely sensitive to sound. Last night, she had seen too many examples in the hospital's emergency room—a patient's scream attracted an entire floor of infected people; a nurse's cell phone rang for three seconds, and three infected people at the end of the corridor pounced on her at the same time.
In this disaster, speaking out is tantamount to suicide.
Zhang Xun quietly stepped down from the windowsill, squatted on the floor, and typed in his phone's memo app:
"We change shifts at 3 AM. I'll be on duty for the second half of the night."
He turned his phone screen towards the two of them.
Lin Xiaotang looked at it and nodded gently, but didn't loosen her grip on the rabbit. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she ultimately held back.
Qin Wei took the phone and typed a reply:
"You come during the first half of the night, and I'll take over during the second half. The early morning hours are the hardest."
Zhang Xun took the phone, typed "OK", and then handed it back to her.
The living room fell silent again.
Only the occasional thuds coming from downstairs, one after another, sounded like some kind of eerie countdown.
Three o'clock in the morning.
Zhang Xun's watch trembled slightly.
He was just about to get up and call Qin Wei to relieve him when a loud crash suddenly came from downstairs—
boom!
The force was heavy and powerful, causing the windows of the entire building to tremble slightly, and dust to fall from the cracks in the ceiling.
On the bed, Qin Wei and Lin Xiaotang slept nestled together, the rabbit doll Lin Xiaotang had hugged so tightly it was deformed. Zhang Xun's makeshift bed on the floor was less than half a meter from the edge of the bed.
Both women were fast asleep: Qin Wei, who was supposed to be on duty waiting for her shift to be relieved, leaned against the outside, her breathing so heavy it looked like she had fainted; Lin Xiaotang curled up on the inside, her face buried in her rabbit ears.
The loud noise made Lin Xiaotang shudder. A sob was barely in her throat when Zhang Xun had already propped himself up from his makeshift bed on the floor. He pressed her shoulder down with one hand and pushed her back onto the mattress, while covering her mouth with the other.
"Don't make a sound." He lowered his voice, his lips almost touching her ear.
Lin Xiaotang's eyes widened suddenly, filled with fear.
His warning came too late—an even more violent thud followed from downstairs, each impact louder than the last.
"Bang bang bang bang bang——!!"
The entire roller shutter door was shaking violently, as if a dozen hands were pounding on it simultaneously. The sharp, piercing sound of metal scraping against metal was like a death knell.
Zhang Xun's heart sank.
Judging from the sound, it was definitely not just two or three birds that were hit—at least seven or eight, or even more.
The first impact may have been accidental—perhaps the wind blew a can outside the door, or perhaps an infected creature was startled by its shadow. The meaningless collision attracted its kind, and the roars of its kind drew even more. They might not have known there were people inside, but they could keenly detect movement, and movement meant prey.
At this moment, this accidental commotion is turning into a deadly crisis that is closing in step by step.
Zhang Xun stood guard at the top of the stairs on the second floor, his eyes fixed on the direction of the roller shutter door downstairs, his muscles tense, ready to deal with any sudden situation at any time.
Qin Wei had already stood up, her back pressed firmly against the wall, her hand tightly gripping the outdoor knife. Lin Xiaotang grabbed her arm, half her body hidden behind her, her other hand clutching the rabbit doll tightly.
Qin Wei's face was pale, her fingertips trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with fear, but she still tried her best to remain calm.
"Don't move," she mouthed.
"Bang bang bang bang bang——!!"
The sounds of impact grew more frequent and frantic. The roller shutter door creaked and groaned within its frame, the hinges groaning and rattling as if it were pushing itself to its limit.
Zhang Xun's mind raced.
Seven, no, eight. The roller shutter door frame was old-fashioned aluminum alloy; it could barely withstand the impact of a single zombie, but they weren't charging in a line—they pounced on each other simultaneously. The combined weight of eight hundred pounds and the momentum of their impact—
"Bang—!!"
With a loud crash, the roller shutter door dented inward.
Lin Xiaotang's body trembled violently. She covered her mouth tightly, tears streaming silently down her cheeks, leaving two wet streaks.
Zhang Xun's heart almost stopped beating.
But the next second, the roller shutter door bounced back to its original position—it was just bent, not broken.
The sounds of impact continued, one after another.
Zhang Xun immediately typed on his phone and handed it to Lin Xiaotang:
"They can't get in. Don't be afraid."
Lin Xiaotang glanced at her phone screen, bit her lower lip hard, and nodded.
Qin Wei picked up the phone and typed:
"Don't move. Let them think there's no one inside. Once the noise stops, they'll leave on their own."
Zhang Xun nodded.
The three of them stood frozen in the darkness, staring intently at the constantly shaking roller shutter door, holding their breath and waiting.
The impact lasted for about fifteen minutes.
Then, gradually, one, two, three... the impacts became sparser and weaker.
Finally, it was quiet.
Zhang Xun listened intently. Downstairs, all was quiet except for the occasional roars in the distance and the meows of stray cats on the street corner.
He let out a long sigh of relief, but dared not relax, and gestured to the two of them in sign language: Keep sleeping, I'll keep watch.
Qin Wei glanced at him but didn't move.
Lin Xiaotang remained standing there, her eyes wide open, staring at the direction of the roller shutter. The rabbit doll was deformed from being held so tightly, its black eyes looking like two deep holes in the darkness.
Zhang Xun came to her side and gently patted her shoulder.
Lin Xiaotang turned her head and her eyes instantly reddened.
"It's alright," he said softly.
"Mmm." She nodded, but her fingers were still gripping the rabbit tightly, her knuckles turning white.
The latter half of the night felt like an eternity. Zhang Xun stared at the gap in the curtains, watching the darkness gradually turn gray, then blue, then bright. Lin Xiaotang finally drifted off to sleep, her breathing shallow. Qin Wei leaned against the headboard, a knife across her lap, and closed her eyes sometime earlier.
7:12 AM.
Zhang Xun was awakened by the smell of rice—Lin Xiaotang had already gotten up and was cooking porridge on an alcohol stove. He rubbed his eyes and realized that he had fallen asleep, slumped against the sofa armrest, his neck stiff as if it were broken.
Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting a thin beam of light on the floor. Zhang Xun walked to the window, carefully lifted a corner of the curtain, and peered outside.
A thin layer of morning mist shrouded the streets, making the wandering figures look even more eerie. They seemed unsure of where to go, simply circling in place, occasionally letting out a few hoarse groans.
Zhang Xun counted them. Within the visible area of the window, there were at least seventeen.
It's twice as many as last night.
He frowned and took out his binoculars to observe more closely. Most of the shops on both sides of the street were already closed, and some roller shutters were half-open, revealing the messy shelves inside. Various supplies were scattered on the ground—stomped instant noodle boxes, broken glass bottles, and clothes stained with blood.
A woman lay curled up on the street corner, motionless.
No, that's not right—
Zhang Xun adjusted the focus of his binoculars and saw a pool of dark red blood beside the woman. She was dead, not killed by the infected, but trampled to death. Her position on the ground was contorted, like a rag doll carelessly discarded.
Zhang Xun put down the binoculars and took a deep breath.
This is the cruelty of the apocalypse. The infected are not the only threat—fear itself is.
---
"The porridge is ready."
Lin Xiaotang's voice came from behind.
Zhang Xun turned around and saw her placing a steaming bowl of congee in front of him. The congee was very thin, almost to the point that you could see the bottom of the bowl, but in these times of scarcity, it was considered a luxury.
"Little Sugar, have you eaten yet?"
"I've eaten." Lin Xiaotang smiled, but the fear of last night still lingered in her eyes. She handed over the porridge. "Brother Xun, you eat first. Sister Qin Wei said we need to take stock of the supplies today and make a detailed consumption plan."
Zhang Xun took the porridge and took a sip. It was a little hot, but it warmed his stomach.
"Have you discussed the supplies with Qin Wei?"
"Hmm." Lin Xiaotang nodded, taking a piece of paper out of her pocket. "We roughly calculated it while you were sleeping. Look—"
Zhang Xun took the paper; it contained Lin Xiaotang's neat handwriting:
---
[Supplies List]
Staple foods:
- Rice: 100 jin (50 catties) → 250 jin (1.5 kg) per person per day, enough for 60 days.
- Noodles: 50 jin (25 catties) → 3 liang (150g) per person per day, enough for 55 days
- Compressed biscuits: 15 boxes (approximately 200 packs) → enough for 22 days at one pack per person per day.
- Instant noodles: 30 packs → Snack/Emergency
-Canned food (various kinds): Approximately 120 cans → enough for 40 days, based on one can per person per day.
Side dishes:
- Cooking oil: 5 bottles (10L) → for stir-frying/replenishing calories
- White sugar: 15 jin (7.5 catties) → Energy replenishment/Flavoring
Salt: Several bags → Long-term storage
-Vitamin tablets: 3 bottles → To prevent nutritional deficiencies
Lin Xiaotang Shop Supplies:
- Flour: 30 jin → Enough to make pancakes/steamed buns for 25 days
- Powdered sugar/granulated sugar: 20 jin (10 catties) → Replenish calories
- Cooking oil: 3 bottles (6L) → Extra reserve
- Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders: 2 cylinders → Currently still usable
drinking water:
- Mineral water: 120 bottles (500ml) → In short supply, use according to the prescribed dosage.
- Bottled water: 5 bottles (18L) → Enough for 5 days
--Total: Enough for three people to drink for 25 days.
Nearby water sources need to be explored.
Medical category (statistics by Qin Wei):
- Antibiotics: Enough for 10 days
Bandages/gauze: A sufficient quantity
- Alcohol/Iodine solution: Almost empty
- Antipyretics/Painkillers: Several
---
"For the three of us..." Lin Xiaotang's voice was tinged with worry, "According to Sister Qin Wei's calculations, the food will probably last about eighty days. If we eat very sparingly, it might barely last three months. But water is a big problem—at normal drinking levels, it'll only last twenty-five days at most."
Zhang Xun put down the paper and remained silent for a few seconds.
Eighty days.
Three months. Zhang Xun silently calculated in his mind. This number was much more than he had expected—he had indeed gone all out when stocking up, bringing back boxes and boxes of rice, noodles, and compressed biscuits. But what about three months later? What would the outside world be like? Nobody knew.
"I'll take care of the water problem," Zhang Xun said. "There should be a few water supply points around here; I'll go and check them out later."
"You can't go out!" Lin Xiaotang immediately grabbed his arm, her voice suddenly rising, "There are so many people outside..."
"Shh—" Zhang Xun gently gestured for silence, "Keep your voice down."
Lin Xiaotang quickly covered her mouth, but her eyes were already red.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless." Zhang Xun patted the back of her hand. "Let me think it over first. Let's eat."
---
After breakfast, the three of them began the formal work of sorting out the supplies.
Zhang Xun was in charge of organizing and reinforcing the first-floor warehouse. Qin Wei was in charge of classifying and recording medical supplies. Lin Xiaotang was in charge of counting and distributing food—she neatly categorized compressed biscuits and canned goods according to type and expiration date, and even drew a table in her notebook to mark the daily consumption.
"Eat compressed biscuits according to their expiration date, and eat the ones that are about to expire first," she muttered as she organized the food. "The same goes for canned goods. Canned fruit can be saved for last to supplement vitamins."
Qin Wei watched from the side, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"You're very good at managing these things," Qin Wei said.
Lin Xiaotang blushed: "I...I just...the dessert shop has been open for half a year, I've gotten used to it."
"A dessert shop?" Qin Wei raised an eyebrow. "No wonder."
"No wonder what?"
Qin Wei did not answer directly, but instead lowered her head to continue organizing the medicines, her smile deepening and her eyes softening.
---
At 2 p.m., Zhang Xun stood by the window on the second floor, holding an iron pipe he had taken from the warehouse.
He wanted to conduct a small experiment.
"I'm going up to the second-floor platform. You two stay here." He typed on his phone for them to see, "No matter what you hear."
Lin Xiaotang nodded nervously. Qin Wei took the iron pipe and typed a reply:
"be safe."
Zhang Xun tucked the iron pipe under his arm and tiptoed to the second-floor platform.
The platform was piled with unused shelves and miscellaneous items. He stopped in the innermost corner, found a secluded spot, squatted down, held the iron pipe in his hand, and observed the street below against the wall. Now, what he needed to do was test just how sensitive the infected people were to sound.
He took a deep breath and tapped the iron pipe lightly with his fingertip.
"bite--"
The sound was very faint, like someone gently tapping metal in the distance.
Zhang Xun immediately pressed his ear to the floor, listening carefully to the sounds downstairs.
Ten seconds passed. No sound.
Twenty seconds passed. Still nothing.
Zhang Xun frowned. Was his voice too soft?
He changed his posture, raised the iron pipe higher, and then slammed it hard on the floor.
"Bang!!"
This time the sound was very loud, like a muffled thunderclap exploding in a quiet room.
Almost instantly, Zhang Xun heard a commotion downstairs—
He quickly lay down on the floor, pressed his ear to the ground, and carefully tried to discern the source and direction of the sounds.
Down on the street below, came the sound of hurried, chaotic footsteps, as if seven or eight hands were running towards them at the same time.
Zhang Xun's heart tightened suddenly.
He dared not move, and even his breathing became soft.
The footsteps lasted for about thirty seconds, then gradually subsided—the infected people couldn't find the source of the sound and dispersed.
Zhang Xun lay on the ground, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead.
The results of the two tests are already quite clear:
- Small sounds can hardly attract their attention.
But loud noises—especially the sound of metal clanging—can attract all infected people within a radius of tens of meters within seconds.
He put down the iron pipe and tiptoed back into the house.
Qin Wei and Lin Xiaotang were waiting there.
"I checked," Zhang Xun typed on his phone, "whispering doesn't work. Shouting will attract all the infected people on the street."
He briefly described what he had just observed, and then wrote:
"From now on, everyone must remain silent. Speak using gestures or typing, use softer methods instead of harsh ones, and walk lightly."
After reading it, Qin Wei nodded, then typed a line on her phone:
"I observed the same thing in the hospital before. I'd like to add that they react fastest to screams and baby cries."
Lin Xiaotang's face paled for a moment when she saw this line of text.
Zhang Xun glanced at her, gently patted her shoulder, and said nothing.
Lin Xiaotang lowered her head and clenched the notebook in her hand.
---
As evening fell, the three of them gathered in the living room on the first floor and sat around a low table.
Qin Wei took out a piece of paper and began to write her observation record for the day:
Survival Rules (First Edition)
1. Do not make a sound.
Use gestures, eye contact, and typing on your phone to speak. Use sticky notes when necessary.
2. Light source management
Never turn on the lights at night. Use your phone at its lowest setting and cover the screen with a red cloth.
3. Food rationing
Based on Qin Wei's calculated calorie intake rations, the shelf life of supplies is extended. Drinking water is rationed, not exceeding 1.5 liters per day.
4. Sound control
Do not use metal utensils. Wrap items that may make noise with cloth or soft padding.
5. Outdoor exploration
There must be at least two people, and they must be armed. Avoid main streets and take the alleyways.
---
Qin Wei pushed the paper to the middle of the table, and the three of them passed it around to read.
"Is there anything else to add?" she mouthed.
Lin Xiaotang looked at it for a long time, then added a note to the paper:
"Keep hope. We will survive."
Zhang Xun stared at the line of words, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and a softening light spreading across his eyes.
He added another line below:
"No matter what happens, the three of us will stand together."
Qin Wei stared at the two lines of text in silence for a moment before signing her name at the end. Lin Xiaotang also signed, and Zhang Xun signed last.
The three signatures seem like some kind of invisible contract.
Qin Wei pushed the paper to the middle of the table, and the three of them passed it around to read.
---
Dinner was made by Lin Xiaotang—compressed biscuits were broken into pieces, baked in the oven into small crispy cookies, and served with a little bit of white sugar, making them fragrant and delicious.
"It's much better than eating it dry." Zhang Xun chewed on the crispy biscuit and gave a thumbs up.
Lin Xiaotang's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"Seriously. It tastes even better than the food at those trendy restaurants."
"You're just trying to coax me." Lin Xiaotang said this, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.
Qin Wei watched the interaction between the two, a slight smile playing on her lips, but she remained silent.
After dinner, Qin Wei volunteered to wash the dishes—actually, she just wiped the tableware clean because she needed to conserve water.
Zhang Xun walked to the window, opened it a crack, and looked outside.
The sky had completely darkened. Some of the streetlights had gone out at some point, and the remaining ones were swaying precariously, creaking and groaning in the night wind.
He took out his binoculars and observed the movements in the distance.
In the distance, from the direction of the government building, faint lights flickered. Occasionally, gunshots rang out—one, two, three—before fading into silence.
The government is still resisting.
But how long can this resistance last?
---
"Looking for my brother."
Lin Xiaotang's voice came from behind.
Zhang Xun turned around and saw her standing at the top of the stairs, holding the rabbit doll in her hands, with a hesitant expression on her face.
"What's wrong?"
"I..." Lin Xiaotang hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the balcony (the balcony facing the street, distinct from the second-floor platform where miscellaneous items were stored), "I want to go out for some fresh air."
Zhang Xun glanced at his watch: 8:30 PM. Visibility outside was very low, and the infected would move relatively slowly—at least it was safer than during the day.
"Okay. I'll go with you."
---
The balcony on the second floor is a small terrace, only a dozen square meters.
This place, which Zhang Xun usually used to dry his equipment, has now become the only place for the three of them to catch their breath in the apocalypse.
Zhang Xun and Lin Xiaotang moved two folding stools and sat side by side on the edge of the terrace.
The sky above was filled with stars. The city's light pollution had disappeared, and those stars that could never be seen in the city were now densely covering the night sky.
Lin Xiaotang hugged the rabbit and leaned on Zhang Xun's shoulder.
"Looking for my brother."
"Um?"
"You say... is there any hope for those people outside?"
Zhang Xun remained silent for a while.
"I don't know," he said truthfully.
Lin Xiaotang lowered her head and buried her face in the rabbit's fur.
"I just saw someone... rush out." Her voice was muffled. "Three people, running together, and then they got surrounded by those things."
"I know. I saw it."
"Before they died... they kept screaming for help," Lin Xiaotang's voice trembled. "They screamed so pitifully."
Zhang Xun didn't say anything, but simply reached out and gently put his arm around her shoulder.
"I'm not afraid to die," Lin Xiaotang suddenly said, her voice soft but firm. "Really. I just..."
"Just what?"
"I'm just afraid someone will die." She hugged the rabbit tighter. "I don't want to face all this alone."
She paused, looked up at the night sky, and her voice suddenly became somewhat unsteady: "Grandma used to say that the stars in the city were fake, only the ones in the countryside were real... Is she looking at these stars now?"
Zhang Xun followed her gaze: "The view from Cuiping Mountain is better; you can definitely see more clearly there."
"But I can't see it anymore." Lin Xiaotang buried her face back in the rabbit fur, her voice muffled, tinged with suppressed sobs. "I'll never see her looking at the stars again... and I'll never eat her braised pork again. She always added two rock sugar pieces, saying it wouldn't be too sweet..."
Zhang Xun tightened his grip on her arm, remaining silent. He knew that anything he said at this moment would be futile.
Lin Xiaotang looked up at the starry sky, tears silently streaming down her face: "Her last voice message said... I should listen to you and not go back. Did she already know... knew I would never see her again?"
"Little Sugar..."
"I just miss her." Lin Xiaotang interrupted him, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, her fingers gripping the rabbit's ears tightly. "Even knowing that it might... might already be... I still miss her. I wonder if she's cold now, if she has a blanket..."
Zhang Xun was silent for a moment, then reached out and gently patted her back: "Her greatest wish is to see you safe. So we must survive, live well... only then can she rest in peace."
Lin Xiaotang buried her face in Zhang Xun's shoulder again, nodded sullenly, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"You won't be alone," Zhang Xun said.
"Really?"
"Really." He turned to look at her. "No matter what happens outside, as long as the three of us are together, we're much luckier than those people out there."
Lin Xiaotang raised her head and looked at his profile in the faint starlight.
"Looking for my brother."
"Um?"
"Why... are you so kind to me?" Her voice was very soft, almost inaudible. "Sister Qin Wei has medical skills and can help you. But I... I don't know anything."
Zhang Xun was stunned for a moment.
He had never asked that question.
But Lin Xiaotang asked the question, and she asked it very seriously and cautiously, as if she was afraid of hearing a certain answer, yet also afraid of not hearing that answer at all.
"You're my neighbor," he said.
"Just neighbors?"
Lin Xiaotang looked up, a light shimmering in her eyes. Not starlight, but something else entirely.
Zhang Xun gazed at the night sky, a slight smile playing on his lips. "The first time I saw you, you were only eight years old, with two pigtails, sitting on the doorstep, lost in thought."
Lin Xiaotang was stunned.
"Back then... I had just moved back, and you were the first person to smile at me." His voice was soft, as if telling a story from long ago. "You had just lost your parents, and you were completely stunned. You may have long forgotten these things, but I remember. I remember you holding that rabbit, I remember you sitting quietly on the doorstep."
"You're the one who sewed it for me later," Lin Xiaotang suddenly said.
Zhang Xun turned his head: "What?"
"I remember you." She looked up at him earnestly. "You fixed my bicycle, sewed rabbits for me, and chased away those who bullied me. You always called me a little troublemaker, but you never really found me annoying."
Zhang Xun was stunned.
"When we were filling out college applications," Lin Xiaotang said softly, "I fell asleep on the table, and when I woke up I found the phone was still connected. You said on the other end, 'I just found out that the food at this school's cafeteria is terrible, don't apply.'"
"...That was a long time ago."
"Yes, it's been a long time." Lin Xiaotang buried her face back in the rabbit, her voice muffled. "But I remember everything."
The two remained silent for a while.
A night breeze blew in from the distant streets, carrying a faint smell of blood. But on this small terrace, those sounds seemed to be shut out from another world.
"Little Sugar," Zhang Xun said softly.
"Um?"
"Thank you for still being here," Zhang Xun said. "You were still here when the disaster struck, you didn't leave."
Lin Xiaotang's eyes instantly reddened.
She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but swallowed the words back. In the end, she just gave a soft "hmm," buried her face in Zhang Xun's shoulder again, and closed her eyes.
---
The night was deeper.
Zhang Xun told Lin Xiaotang to go downstairs and rest first, and then he stayed on the terrace for a while longer.
Qin Wei walked over from the stairwell and stood beside him.
"Is she asleep?"
"Yes. She fell asleep while hugging the rabbit," Zhang Xun said. "I put her back on the sofa."
Qin Wei nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
The two stood side by side, gazing at the dark street in the distance. Occasionally, one or two infected individuals would pass by downstairs, letting out low growls, but they didn't look up.
"You've changed," Qin Wei suddenly said.
"What?"
"You've changed a lot." Qin Wei turned her head, looking at him in the starlight. "The Zhang Xun of ten years ago wouldn't be like this now."
Zhang Xun was taken aback: "Ten years ago?"
"That elective class, the one where you sat next to me," Qin Wei said, "you were a full fifteen minutes late, and you even borrowed a pen from me to doodle in your notebook."
"...You still remember this?"
"I remember a lot of things." Qin Wei's lips curled up slightly. "For example, you pressed the CPR button like 'breaking a boulder on your chest,' and I showed you the correct position on my hand, and you just stared blankly at the calluses on my palm."
Zhang Xun couldn't help but laugh: "I remember that time. You looked at me with such disgust."
"It's not that I dislike him," Qin Wei said, "it's that I feel this person is neither reliable nor good at reading people."
"And now?"
Qin Wei didn't answer immediately. She lowered her head, looked at the first-aid kit in her hand, and then said softly:
"Now... I think you're much more reliable than I thought."
Zhang Xun did not respond.
The two remained silent for a moment.
A few more gunshots rang out in the distance, like some distant signal.
"Zhang Xun." Perhaps because of the gunshot, Qin Wei seemed to have thought of something and suddenly spoke up.
"Um?"
"When I was in the hospital... I saw members of the SWAT team."
Zhang Xun's heart tightened suddenly.
"What?"
"Before I escaped early this morning," Qin Wei's voice was calm, but every word struck him like a stone, "a group of wounded were brought to the emergency room. They were all from the Lanshan City SWAT team."
Zhang Xun stood still, without moving.
"What mission were they on when they were injured?" Qin Wei continued, "Most of them were lacerations and scratches, clearly caused by those things. One of the wounded... was still breathing when he was brought in, but soon..."
She paused.
Zhang Xun's hands clenched unconsciously as he thought of Su Nian.
Qin Wei turned her head, looking at him with some confusion: "What's wrong? Is there someone you know there?"
Zhang Xun remained silent for a few seconds.
"...Maybe," he said softly. "A friend of mine from the SWAT team, who always buys equipment from my shop, even gave me a compound bow a few days ago; it's the one I keep by my bedside."
He didn't say anything more.
The two fell silent.
Another street lamp went out, and the remaining one swayed precariously, making a faint creaking sound in the night wind.
Zhang Xun stood on the edge of the terrace, his gaze piercing through the darkness, looking towards the distant government building.
She was probably there in the early hours of this morning, just a few hours ago.
He stood quietly, gazing into the darkness in the distance, his eyes becoming more solemn than ever before.
---
[End of Chapter 5]