Chapter 79: Red Braised Fish Today
Thunder roared.
With it, a torrential downpour accompanied by booming thunder; a bolt of lightning split the night sky, striking a large tree outside the base, which instantly charred.
In the thunderstorm, the lightning flailed like a silver snake wreaking havoc between heaven and earth.
The thunder was occasionally low, occasionally booming.
Amidst the whooshing rain, the thunder crisscrossed.
The rain seemed like a flood ravaging from the sky, pouring continuously, resulting in the base's Mountain Pond being already full and necessitating the opening of the floodgates to spill water from the base's underground channels to lower ground.
Crack!
Another boom startled Li Yu awake amidst the lightning and thunder. He sat up in bed and pressed his forehead with his hand.
Looking at the torrential rain outside the window, he remembered the dream he just had about a storm before his rebirth where he was alone on the rooftop, enduring for five whole days without any light, daring not to make a sound.
Alone in the bone-chilling night rain, he endured.
Loneliness, at times, is a pleasure, but too much loneliness transforms into extreme pain. Humans are social animals, and occasionally spending time alone can be relaxing amid busy social interactions.
But to be alone in pitch darkness without entertainment or diversions, where zombies might discover you at any time and amidst the cold rainwater, loneliness becomes an ordeal.
Shaking his head, he felt the warmth of the blanket and a faint fragrance in the room, from the incense he had stored.
He opened the window, and the outside air, along with a bit of rainwater, blew onto the windowsill and onto Li Yu's face. He took a deep breath and stretched lazily and then lit up a cigarette.
The smoke, swirled by the wind, flickered, but his handsome face seemed emptied, blankly staring out the window.
In that moment, his mind thought of nothing, pondered nothing.
Just blankly watching the outside through the window, breathing naturally.
1 second, 10 seconds,
1 minute
2 minutes
Suddenly, he felt a burning pain in his right index finger, and his consciousness slowly returned.
Following that were various thoughts, and he shook his head with a wry smile. That feeling of blankness was quite marvelous and enjoyable.
That state, neither sad nor happy, without any thoughts, only natural breathing.
It comforted him immensely.
He closed the window, though the sound of the thunderstorm outside was still very clear.
Yesterday evening he had stayed outside for 16 consecutive hours, originally working shifts, but because last night was a bit perilous, he felt uneasy and thus had to persist a bit longer until the zombies were less frenzied, and later Li Haoran and others came to replace him.
Li Yu checked the time; it was already 12:30 PM, but the sky outside was covered with dark clouds, dim and lightless.
He had slept for 6 hours.
Feeling the hunger in his stomach, he got dressed, and then made sure his ever-ready submachine gun and dagger were properly placed, and headed downstairs.
Meanwhile, he thought:
The rainstorm has already lasted for four days, and during these four days, although everyone in the base over the age of 16 has started to join the resistance against zombies, the number of people over 16 is now 40.
Today, with individuals like Yang Tianlong joining, along with the construction workers, the total population of the base has reached 45!
Especially since Uncle, Third Uncle, the brothers Li Tie, Yang Tianlong, Zhao Dapao, and others have all served in the military, and recently, under Li Yu's urging, the younger generation over 16 began to learn how to shoot guns.
Moreover, under the deliberate training of Li Yu, including murdering the Village Chief and others, as well as going out together to transport cement, killing Manager Zhou and his group.
It has made them more mature and deeply aware of the dangerous nature of humanity in this apocalyptic world.
Having gone through the last Zombie Tide, and this current one, has made them grow and become even stronger!
In the face of adversity, one needs to endure. As long as one perseveres, they will become stronger, and if they encounter similar situations in the future, they will know how to handle them, and their hearts will become more serene. This is growth.
Even Li Zhengping, who was just 16, transformed after witnessing the ruthlessness of Li Yu and others during their last outing.
Now, he is valiantly fighting zombies on the wall!
Just as he reached the living room, as if he remembered something, Li Yu took out the walkie-talkie he carried and said: "Uncle, what's the situation over there now?"
Seemingly affected by the thunder and interference from outside, Uncle's voice wasn't very clear:
"It's... okay in the front, just that... those speakers we had prepared are almost out of battery. There's just too many zombies, no way to tell when it will end."
Amid the crackling sounds, Li Yu barely understood Uncle's words, then said: "Wait for me for a bit, after I eat I'll come over to replace you."
Uncle replied: "No rush, the last time you were up for 16 hours straight, you haven't slept much yet, don't stress, I can handle it here."
Li Yu didn't say anything, then he turned to Li Hang who was guarding the back gate and asked: "Are there many zombies on your side right now?"
Hearing Li Yu's words, Li Hang responded happily, "Big brother, you're awake! Come on, swap with me, I'm so hungry, I need to go back for a meal."
Li Yu, somewhat speechless, said, "Feeling itchy for action? Are there any special conditions over there?"
"None."
"Let me eat first, then I'll bring it over to you. Just eat at the back gate."
"..."
Li Yu ignored him further, set the walkie-talkie aside, then opened the lid on the dining table, seeing a dish of braised fish, seaweed egg soup, and a small green vegetable dish.
Because of the recent heavy rains, many fish in Mountain Pond had surfaced, then were caught by the nets, so they simply cooked the fish.
The braised fish was well-made, fragrant, and topped with chopped green onions, Li Yu scooped a bowl of rice, then thought for a sec, took a beer from the fridge, and began to eat.
The delicious taste danced on the tip of his tongue, stimulating his taste buds. Li Yu hurried his eating pace. Soon, he polished off half of the fish.
He glanced at the other lids on the table, which were prepared for others. Li Yu took a large bowl, poured one of the dishes and some rice into it, then simply covered it.
Then he stood up and walked towards the back.
He didn't bring an umbrella; in such heavy rain, an umbrella would be of no use, as he would get drenched anyway.
But fortunately, each time after coming back from wall duty, the base's folks, like his second aunt, always had a bowl of ginger soup ready for everyone to drink.
Li Yu, braving the thunderstorm, headed towards the back door, his feet splashing in the rainwater, creating ripples that were quickly disrupted by the falling rain.
....