Chapter 474 - 87 - Searching for mommy

Chapter 474: Chapter 87 - Searching for mommy

The trail through the forest eventually led them to an old school.

Chen noticed the building first, partially hidden behind thick trees and tangled vines. A rusted metal fence surrounded the property, although several sections had collapsed beneath the weight of fallen branches. Beyond it stood a three-story school building with faded yellow walls and broken windows. An abandoned playground occupied the courtyard, its swings hanging crookedly from rusted frames while weeds grew through the cracked concrete.

Lili immediately recognized the playground equipment and hurried a few steps ahead, but Chen caught her by the shoulder before she could enter.

"Wait here with Skyy. I’ll check inside first."

Skyy nodded and gently pulled Lili back beside him.

The school had clearly sheltered survivors at some point. Chen found makeshift beds arranged inside several classrooms, empty food tins piled near a cooking area and old clothes hanging from hooks along the corridor. Someone had even reinforced the main entrance with wooden planks. However, dust covered everything, and the footprints he found were too old to tell him anything useful. Whoever had stayed here had abandoned the place long ago.

He searched the classrooms and stairwells before returning to the courtyard.

"It’s clear. We can stay here tonight."

Skyy looked relieved. They had been walking for hours, and Lili was beginning to struggle despite her determination to keep up. Chen chose a classroom on the ground floor with an intact door and windows that could be covered. They cleared a space for sleeping, and Skyy helped Lili wash her hands before giving her some crackers and water.

The little girl ate quietly while looking around the classroom.

There were still colorful drawings taped to the walls. A faded alphabet chart hung beside the blackboard, and several tiny chairs had been pushed beneath desks that were now covered in dust.

"Did children live here?" Lili asked.

"They went to school here," Skyy explained, sitting beside her.

Lili looked at the drawings. "I used to go to school too. Mommy walked me there."

Skyy smiled gently. "Did you like it?"

"Sometimes." She thought about it. "I liked drawing. My teacher said I was good at flowers."

Skyy handed her a pencil he’d found among the abandoned supplies, along with a piece of relatively clean paper. Lili’s eyes brightened, and she immediately began drawing.

Chen watched them from the doorway for a moment before returning to secure the windows.

By the time darkness fell, Lili had finished a picture of three people standing beneath a large yellow sun. She showed it to Skyy, proudly explaining that the tallest person was her father, the one with long hair was her mother, and the little figure between them was herself.

Skyy praised the drawing and helped her fold it carefully.

Lili tucked it inside her bag beside the letter.

That night, she fell asleep on a makeshift bed near the classroom wall. Skyy waited until her breathing became steady before settling beside Chen.

Chen had been unusually quiet while checking the map.

Skyy leaned against his shoulder. "What’s wrong?"

Chen folded the map and put it away. "We need to leave tomorrow."

Skyy lifted his head. "Already? We haven’t searched much of the forest."

"I know." Chen glanced toward Lili before lowering his voice. "But this area could be bombed at any moment. I don’t know whether the dates in that diary are accurate, and I don’t want to find out while we’re still here."

Skyy’s expression became troubled.

Chen slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. "We’ve already spent too much time inside the danger zone. I can’t risk anything happening to you or Lili."

"But her parents..."

"We’ll keep looking for them. Just not here." Chen brushed Skyy’s hair away from his forehead. "We can follow the road toward Haicheng. If they survived, there’s a chance they reached another settlement."

Skyy looked toward the sleeping child.

He knew Chen was right. They couldn’t remain in a dangerous place indefinitely, especially when they had no proof that Lili’s parents were anywhere nearby.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.

Chen noticed his expression and gently squeezed his waist.

"Don’t look like that. We’ve done what we can here."

Skyy sighed and rested his cheek against Chen’s chest.

Chen kissed the top of his head before pulling the blanket over them. He kept one arm wrapped securely around Skyy, and eventually the two fell asleep together.

Neither noticed the small figure lying awake near the wall.

Lili had heard everything.

She hadn’t meant to listen. She had woken when Chen mentioned the bombing, and once she heard him talking about leaving, she couldn’t make herself close her eyes again.

They were going to leave tomorrow.

They would go to Haicheng, just like the letter said.

She should have been happy.

But what if Mommy and Daddy hadn’t reached Haicheng? What if they had escaped into the forest after the convoy was attacked and were still waiting somewhere nearby?

Lili pulled the blanket closer around herself.

She remembered her mother holding her hand while they walked to school. Whenever Lili complained that her legs hurt, her mother would promise to carry her after they reached the next corner. Sometimes her father would surprise them on the way home with something sweet.

She missed them so much.

Lili turned her face into the blanket, trying to stop herself from crying.

Chen and Skyy had been very kind to her. They gave her food, carried her when she was tired and promised to help her find her parents. She knew Chen was worried about the bombs. She didn’t want him or Skyy to get hurt because of her.

But she wasn’t ready to leave.

Not when her parents might be somewhere in these woods.

Lili lay awake for a long time, staring toward the classroom window. She thought about the abandoned convoy and the trail of belongings leading into the forest. Chen had said people escaped that way. If her parents were among them, perhaps they had found somewhere to hide nearby.

Maybe they were waiting for her.

She glanced toward Chen and Skyy, who were sleeping together beneath their blanket. She wanted to wake them and ask Chen to search just a little longer, but she already knew what he would say. The bombs were coming, and they had to leave.

Lili bit her lip.

She didn’t want to make them stay somewhere dangerous because of her.

Perhaps she could look around by herself and return before morning. She wouldn’t go very far. She only wanted to see whether there were more signs of the survivors. If she found something, she could bring Chen and Skyy there tomorrow.

The idea frightened her, but the thought of leaving without finding her parents frightened her even more.

Eventually, Lili pushed aside her blanket and quietly slipped on her shoes. She picked up her little bag, checking that her parents’ letter and the drawing she’d made were still inside.

She hesitated beside Skyy.

He was sleeping peacefully against Chen’s chest, one hand curled loosely into his shirt.

Lili watched him for a moment.

"I’m sorry," she whispered.

Then she carefully opened the classroom door and stepped into the corridor.

The school was frighteningly quiet at night. Moonlight entered through the broken windows, illuminating the abandoned desks and peeling walls. Lili hurried toward the entrance, trying not to look into the dark classrooms as she passed.

She squeezed through a narrow gap beside the wooden planks Chen had used to secure the doorway and stepped into the courtyard.

Cold air brushed against her cheeks.

For a moment, she stood beside the playground, clutching the straps of her bag.

The forest looked much darker than it had during the day.

Lili swallowed nervously.

Then she remembered her mother’s face and the letter she’d left behind.

Mommy, please wait for me.

She gathered her courage and hurried toward the trees, following the same direction as the trail they’d discovered earlier.

Soon, her small figure disappeared into the forest.

Skyy woke to sunlight falling across his face.

For a moment, he remained comfortably tucked against Chen, enjoying the warmth of the arm around his waist. Then he remembered that they needed to leave early and carefully lifted his head.

His gaze moved toward Lili’s sleeping place.

The blanket was empty.

Skyy blinked.

"Lili?"

He sat up.

Perhaps she had gone outside to relieve herself.

Skyy slipped out from beneath Chen’s arm and walked into the corridor.

"Lili?"

There was no answer.

He checked the neighboring classroom, then the washroom at the end of the hall. When he returned and noticed her little bag was missing too, an awful feeling settled in his stomach.

"Lili!"

His voice echoed through the abandoned building.

Skyy hurried outside and searched the playground, looking behind the broken equipment and beneath the old slide. He called her name again and again, growing increasingly frightened when nobody answered.

By the time Chen found him, Skyy was running toward the fence.

"Skyy!"

Skyy turned.

His face was pale, and tears were already gathering in his eyes.

"Chen, Lili’s gone."

Chen’s expression immediately changed.

"What?"

"I can’t find her. I checked everywhere. Her bag’s gone too." Skyy’s voice trembled as he pointed toward the school. "She was right there when we went to sleep. I don’t understand how she could have left without us hearing."

Chen caught his shoulders before he could run off again.

"Skyy, look at me."

Skyy shook his head, tears spilling down his cheeks.

"She’s so little, Chen. What if something happened to her? She doesn’t even know how to fight. What if there are zombies out there?"

His voice broke.

Chen immediately pulled him into his arms.

Skyy clutched his shirt, trembling as he tried to hold back his sobs.

"I should’ve checked on her. I should’ve noticed."

"Hey, listen to me." Chen held him firmly against his chest, one hand cradling the back of his head. "We’re going to find her."

Skyy shook his head against his shoulder.

"Chen..."

"I know." Chen kissed his hair and tightened his embrace. "I know you’re scared. But I’m here, all right? I’m not going to leave her out there."

Skyy clung to him, struggling to calm his breathing.

Chen’s expression had turned grim as he looked toward the dark forest beyond the playground. He had no idea exactly where Lili had gone, but one thing was certain.

He wasn’t leaving this place without her.