Chapter 578: Sister

The two sat quietly together.

Tian Tian was a bit worried that Zheng Yingxiong’s neck might get sore, so she reached out from behind to support his tilted head.

Zheng Yingxiong didn’t resist at all. At one point, he just asked softly, “Sis… civilian, can you do me a favor?”

“‘Sis civilian’?” Tian Tian sighed. “Is it really that hard to just call me ‘sister’?”

She had assumed Zheng Yingxiong was just being playful, deliberately acting out the role of a “hero,” but what he said next left her completely baffled.

“I… can I?”

“Can you…?” Tian Tian frowned at him. “Can you what?”

“Can I call you ‘sister’?”

“Is there anyone stopping you from calling me ‘sister’?”

“Then… sister… can you do me a favor?”

“You’re such a strange kid,” Tian Tian shook her head with a wry smile. “We’re practically ‘life-and-death comrades’ now, and you’re still being so polite. What do you need?”

“I… my ‘crown’ fell off…” Zheng Yingxiong smiled faintly. “Can you pick it up for me?”

“Crown?” Tian Tian turned and saw the newspaper-folded crown lying quietly on the ground. She couldn’t help but feel curious. “Is this paper crown really that important to you?”

“Yeah, another sister gave it to me.” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “The crown itself isn’t important, but that sister is.”

Touched by his words, Tian Tian bent down, picked up the crown, gently brushed off the dust, and placed it on the nearby table.

It was probably the most ridiculous crown Tian Tian had ever seen—folded from newspaper years ago, its pages yellowed and the edges of its creases stained black.

After about a minute or two, Zheng Yingxiong’s nosebleed stopped. He slowly lowered his head and glanced at Tian Tian’s hand.

In her earlier panic, she had pressed her palm against his nose to stop the bleeding, and now her hand was covered in dried blood.

“Sister, your hand is dirty…”

“Don’t worry about me.” Tian Tian wiped her hand on her skirt, smearing off some of the blood. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah, thanks, sister.” Zheng Yingxiong smiled briefly but quickly retracted it, as if catching himself. “I’m fine.”

“Stubborn kid…” Tian Tian sighed helplessly. “I have a little brother, about your age.”

“Huh…?”

“What a coincidence, right? You have a sister, I have a brother.” Tian Tian patted Zheng Yingxiong’s head. “When I saw you at ‘Heaven’s Gate’ before, I thought you seemed familiar.”

“‘Heaven’s Gate’…” Zheng Yingxiong narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Sister, there was someone at ‘Heaven’s Gate’ who smelled really bad. Not the same as the ‘Cat’ person’s stench, but just as foul…”

“Hmm…” Tian Tian didn’t know how to respond. The boy always seemed fixated on “smells.” “Little brother, this place reeks of more than just people—even the air is foul. Why focus on people’s smells?”

“No… everyone’s smell is different.” Zheng Yingxiong shook his head, as if explaining something obvious. “Some people smell fresh, others smell rotten.”

“Ha…” Tian Tian chuckled. The boy reminded her so much of her mischievous little brother. “Then tell me, what do I smell like?”

“You…” Zheng Yingxiong sniffed but detected nothing. “Your smell hasn’t come yet.”

“Hasn’t come?” Tian Tian had never heard such a description before and could only shake her head. “Alright, little brother, do you have somewhere to go later?”

“I should go back to ‘Cat.’” Zheng Yingxiong looked up. “Sister, have you never heard of ‘Cat’ before?”

Tian Tian thought for a moment but had no recollection of the name. “Never.”

“Then… do you want to escape this place?” Zheng Yingxiong asked again.

“I…” Tian Tian smiled faintly. “No.”

“Come with me.” Zheng Yingxiong picked up his crown and placed it back on his head. “That place sounds perfect for you. Since I’m the ‘hero,’ it’s my job to arrange a safe place for every ‘civilian.’”

“Go with you? Now?” Tian Tian stood up, rubbing her aching legs. “If we had a bike, maybe… but shouldn’t you rest a bit longer?”

“I—”

Before Zheng Yingxiong could finish, voices drifted in from outside the building. Both of them tensed and glanced out the window to see three men approaching.

Two middle-aged men led the way, followed by a younger man. They were chatting as they walked toward the house.

Tian Tian silently pulled Zheng Yingxiong behind her. Running into others here wasn’t unusual, but strangers always brought an uneasy feeling.

“Damn, the black lines actually stopped for once… rare…” one of the middle-aged men muttered.

“Ugh, my feet are cramping… Let’s find a place to rest. I’m taking my shoes off,” the other replied.

“This place is weird…” the younger man added. “Every building for miles is wrecked except this one.”

“Let’s go, let’s go. Those black lines aren’t moving anytime soon. I’m dead tired.”

The three men swaggered up to the building and pushed the door open, only to freeze when they spotted Tian Tian and Zheng Yingxiong inside.

Both sides stared in surprise.

“Ah!” The lead middle-aged man raised his hands. “Don’t panic! We’re not bad people!”

Tian Tian remained silent, shielding Zheng Yingxiong behind her. She’d met enough people in her life to know one rule:

Don’t listen to what they say—watch what they do.

The lead man wore a black T-shirt under a gray suit jacket, his hair neatly combed. He looked presentable enough.

The other middle-aged man, however, wore only a tattered tank top, his flabby arms exposed.

Behind them stood a tall, lean young man, barely out of his teens, with a hint of youthful naivety in his eyes—like a college student.

Tian Tian didn’t engage. She simply stood and tugged Zheng Yingxiong’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Zheng Yingxiong nodded and turned to grab his bicycle.

“Hey! Wait! Hold on!” The sleazy tank-top man blocked their path. Tian Tian pulled Zheng Yingxiong further behind her, her expression unreadable.

“What?” Tian Tian frowned.

“Little miss, why run off the moment you see us? Do we look like bad guys?”

Tian Tian remained calm and shook her head. “Of course not. You gentlemen seem perfectly fine. We’ve just rested enough and need to head back now.”