Chapter 336 - 337 - Surviors here

Chapter 336: Chapter 337 - Surviors here

The three continued deeper into the compound, moving carefully through the streets while keeping an eye on every corner and every villa they passed. The entire area had been designed in a strange but rather elegant pattern. The villas around the outer ring were smaller, meant for ordinary families, while the houses became larger and more luxurious the closer they got to the center of the compound. The streets themselves curved in a wide circle around the central area, making the whole place look almost like a giant maze.

Yunfeng had only visited the compound a few times before, so even he didn’t remember every street clearly.

Zei, on the other hand, had never been here at all.

"This place is huge," Zei muttered, looking around. "Are you sure you know where you’re going?"

Yunfeng glanced at him. "I’m sure."

"You said that last time before we walked past the same house three times."

"That was different."

"How?"

"I wasn’t paying attention."

Jai immediately laughed.

Zei pointed at Yunfeng with his gun. "See? Even he knows you’re hopeless."

"Put that thing down before you shoot me by accident."

"I have excellent aim."

"You shot a zombie’s ear off earlier."

"It was a very difficult shot."

"You were aiming for its head."

Zei paused.

"...It moved."

Jai covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.

Yunfeng shook his head and continued walking. "The two of you are impossible."

"Yet you’re still walking with us," Jai pointed out.

"Unfortunately."

They continued through the curved streets, occasionally stopping to listen for movement. Most of the villas looked abandoned. Some had broken windows and blood smeared across their doors, while others appeared almost untouched from the outside. That somehow made them even more unsettling. They didn’t know what might be waiting behind any of those doors.

Yunfeng was just about to suggest checking one of the larger villas when Jai suddenly stopped.

"Wait."

Yunfeng and Zei immediately became alert.

Jai tilted his head slightly, concentrating on the vibrations beneath the ground.

Then his expression changed.

"I don’t feel zombies."

Zei raised a brow. "That’s supposed to be good news, right?"

Jai ignored him.

Yunfeng looked around. "People?"

"Maybe."

Before they could move, a small movement caught Zei’s attention.

"Over there."

He pointed toward one of the villas farther down the curved street.

A curtain moved behind one of the upper windows.

Then a hand appeared.

Someone was waving frantically.

Yunfeng’s expression immediately changed.

"Survivors."

The three of them hurried toward the villa, weapons ready in case it was some kind of trap. As they approached, another hand appeared at the window, followed by a woman’s frightened face.

"Please!"

Her voice was hoarse from crying.

"We’re here! Please help us!"

"Stay inside!" Yunfeng called out. "Don’t come out yet."

The woman immediately nodded.

Yunfeng, Jai, and Zei quickly checked the surrounding area before approaching the villa. Once they were certain there were no zombies nearby, Yunfeng opened the front door and stepped inside.

The moment they entered, they were met with the sight of a family huddled together in one of the rooms.

There were only women and children.

Three adult women were sitting close together, their faces pale and exhausted. Their clothes were dirty, their hair messy, and dark circles had formed beneath their eyes from days of little sleep. Around them were several children, all of them looking thin and frightened.

One little boy was clinging tightly to his mother’s clothes.

Another child was crying quietly in the corner.

And the youngest of them all was barely a year old.

The baby was being held in the arms of one of the women, but even the infant seemed too exhausted to cry properly anymore, only making small, weak sounds.

The sight made Yunfeng stop.

Something in his chest tightened.

He had seen countless people die since the apocalypse began. He had seen blood, corpses, broken families, and people fighting simply to survive another day.

But seeing hungry children still hurt differently.

Maybe it was because he was going to become a father himself.

His gaze lingered on the youngest child, and for a moment, he imagined his own baby.

He didn’t want his child to ever experience this.

He didn’t want to see his own child crying from hunger while he stood helplessly nearby.

Yunfeng immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out some energy bars.

The women’s eyes widened.

"Eat," he said, handing the supplies to them. "Give the children some first."

One of the women immediately burst into tears.

"Thank you..."

Her hands trembled so badly that she nearly dropped the food.

The children, however, didn’t wait for permission. The moment they saw the food, they instinctively moved closer. One of the older children grabbed a protein bar with both hands and began eating so quickly that the woman beside him had to gently tell him to slow down.

"Eat slowly, sweetheart. There’s enough."

Jai’s expression also softened, though he tried to hide it.

Zei looked away for a moment before quietly placing another packet of food beside the woman.

"There’s more."

The woman looked up at him with tears still running down her face.

"Thank you."

Zei scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah... well, don’t make me regret being nice."

Jai glanced at him.

"You’re capable of being nice?"

"Occasionally."

"I thought that was a zombie ability you lost."

Zei looked offended. "Hey."

Despite everything, one of the older children let out a tiny laugh.

Jai smiled.

Even Yunfeng couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

The atmosphere eased for only a moment, but it was enough.

Yunfeng crouched in front of the woman holding the baby.

"Don’t worry. Stay here for now. We’ll clear the compound."

The woman looked at him as though she wasn’t sure she had heard correctly.

"You... you’re going to clear this place?"

"Yes."

"There are so many of them..."

"We know."

Yunfeng gave her a reassuring look. "But we’ve already dealt with several groups. Stay inside this villa, lock the doors, and don’t come out until we return."

The woman nodded repeatedly, tears still falling from her eyes.

Yunfeng then looked around the room once more. There were no men among them.

His brows furrowed slightly. "What happened here?"

The woman’s hands tightened around the baby. The fear returned to her eyes. She opened her mouth, but for several seconds, no words came out.

Yunfeng noticed the change.

He didn’t press her.

"its... it’s okay" he said quietly. "For now, just stay here and eat. We’ll come back for you."

The woman nodded.

Yunfeng stood and turned toward Jai and Zei.

"We should go out."

Jai glanced back at the family before following him. Zei was the last to leave, looking at the children one more time before quietly closing the door behind them.

Once they stepped back onto the street, the joking atmosphere from earlier had completely disappeared.

Yunfeng looked toward the deeper part of the compound. "Something happened that traumatised these people. Fuck... this place is a mess." He ran a hand though his hair.