The Walking Dead : Rules of Survival

Yangyang noticed Rongrong's silence and gently pulled her into his arms, comforting her softly.

I sighed and turned to look out the window.

The snow was still falling heavily.

Having lived in the county town for years, I had never seen snow this intense.

Watching the snowflakes dance outside, I thought about the blood and brain matter splattered everywhere from the walkers.

It would soon be covered by this pure and gentle layer of snow.

People often find solace in snow's purity, which has a subtle cleansing effect on the mind.

That's why many feel a natural lift in mood when it snows.

The car drove on for a while before a low, steady voice came through the walkie-talkie.

I wasn't entirely sure about the hierarchy within their team, but I noticed Suo Tian seemed to hold this middle-aged man in high regard.

"Who died just now?"

The walkie-talkie fell silent for a moment before a relatively young voice responded, "Zhou Junjie."

The voice sounded familiar, and after a moment, I remembered – it was Nan An, the man in black who had spoken to me when we encountered the walker horde near the small building.

The walkie-talkie remained silent after that, but through its stillness, I could sense the sorrowful emotions emanating from the other vehicles.

It was like when Xiao Zheng was bitten – facing such situations, they could only suppress their grief and keep it locked away.

For them, nothing was more heartbreaking than losing a teammate who had been supporting each other.

It seemed ironic that two of their well-trained members had fallen, while we ordinary people had survived unscathed.

Due to the snowy road conditions, the convoy had to slow down.

Suo Tian's vehicle managed okay, but Shen Feng and Jun Di, driving a minivan, weren't so lucky.

Following behind them, I saw their car's rear end swerving unsteadily from side to side.

I imagined the drivers were probably frazzled, cursing under their breath.

The mental image of Shen Feng and Jun Di – usually composed individuals – simultaneously cursing made me chuckle.

Xu Shu, focused on keeping the car steady, asked curiously, "What are you laughing at?"

I coughed dryly and waved my hand at her. "Nothing, just thinking of something funny."

"You really are something," Xu Shu said with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"We just came back from a near-death experience, and you're already cracking jokes."

Rongrong was still shaken, and despite Yangyang offering her food, she hadn't touched it.

I wasn't hungry due to the blood covering me, and Xu Shu was too busy driving.

Only Chen Pu, Yangyang, and the oblivious Yiyi were munching away.

The walkie-talkie crackled to life with Suo Tian's voice: "About five kilometers ahead, take a left turn into a village."

I picked up the walkie-talkie and asked, "We're driving so slow, will the walkers follow us into the village?"

Big Beard's voice responded, "No way, girl. Do walkers know how to turn corners and chase people?"

I persisted, "Even if they don't know how to turn, if they follow us into the village, we'll at least have a night's rest there. But when we leave, we'll still run into them, won't we?"

"You're really something, aren't you? Still worried about the walkers? We've got a whole convoy, and those few walkers won't be able to stop us. As long as we avoid them during our rest, we're good to go. What's there to be afraid of?"

I couldn't help but twitch my eye at Big Beard's crude tone.

He was really something.

Although I disliked his tone, I had to admit he had a point.

I pouted and put the walkie-talkie aside, deciding not to respond further.

Otherwise, I might get annoyed and develop a headache before the walkers even got to us.

"When we arrive at the village, everyone gets out to clear the area. We'll be staying there until the snow stops and the roads clear up," Suo Tian's voice came through the walkie-talkie again.

The responses that followed were a series of assertive and confident affirmations: "Vehicle 1 received." "Vehicle 2 received." "Vehicle 3 received." ...

After they finished reporting, I chimed in, "Our vehicle received too."

But Big Beard wasn't having it. "What's with all the chatter? What did you receive? Shut up, woman. Don't interrupt."

I was amused by my own joke, but Big Beard's words made me furious.

I pressed the walkie-talkie button and shouted, "Who's chattering nonsense? You're the one talking nonsense! You received a bird's egg? And what's with 'little woman'? What's wrong with being a little woman? Did we hold you back?"

Shen Xue chimed in, her voice returning to its usual lively tone, "Yeah, Big Beard, you're really annoying. Times have changed, and it's not like the old days when men were superior to women. If you've got the guts, go tell those walkers about the three obediences and four virtues. I'm sure they'd be very interested... in your fat belly, that is."

Big Beard seemed infuriated by Shen Xue and me, and it took him a while to respond, "I'm not going to argue with you two girls."

The car continued to move slowly, and eventually, the vehicle in front of us turned onto a narrow dirt road.

I stretched my neck to look outside, and the road was typical of rural areas.

Although the car's tires didn't slip like they would on a cement road, the bumpy surface still made the ride uncomfortable.

Rows of poplar trees lined both sides of the road, behind which lay vast expanses of farmland.

The fields were now blanketed with snow, creating a dazzling white landscape that was almost blinding.

Amidst the whiteness, several earthen tomb mounds stood out, refusing to blend in with their surroundings.

When someone dies, families often try to secure a burial plot, believing it brings peace to the deceased.

Of course, whether the dead can truly feel this peace is a question that can only be answered after one's own passing.

The car continued to bump along for about 15 minutes before we finally saw houses on both sides of the road.

Suo Tian's voice came through the walkie-talkie, instructing some vehicles to park at the village entrance while the rest of us searched for suitable shelter, scouted the village, and assessed its safety.

Our two cars were also parked at the entrance, and after helping Rongrong out of the car, we began gathering our belongings.

Since we'd likely be staying here for several days, we packed warm items like blankets and quilts, which Yangyang and Chen Pu carried for us.

With others around, Chen Pu and Yangyang wouldn't need to intervene unless something serious happened.

Shen Feng and Jun Di also gathered some food and blankets, but they weren't as lucky as us.

Without anyone to carry their stuff, they had to take turns carrying packages.

Following Suo Tian's lead, the convoy entered the village.

I had guessed that there wouldn't be many walkers inside the village.

The walker horde had passed by on the main road, likely drawing in any walkers that were previously in the village.

It turned out that some of the walkers we killed earlier might have been wandering around this village.

After searching the area, we only heard a few walker calls from some farmyards, and we didn't encounter any others.

The village wasn't very large, and after circling around, we decided to settle in a yard with several houses.

The gate was open, and we could hear walker noises coming from inside.

Suo Tian and a black-clothed man went in and gave the all-clear signal after about a minute.

With so many people to accommodate, our belongings took up a lot of space.

The other vehicles parked neatly in front of the yard gate.

Everyone started helping to gather and organize our belongings.

I was thrilled to find a large box of almost new quilts in what seemed to be the master bedroom.

Apparently, in some regions, it's a tradition for families to prepare new quilts for their daughters when they get married, and the more quilts, the more face the family has.

Given this, it seemed that this family might have been preparing for a daughter's wedding.

When the black-clothed men were clearing out the walkers, I did see a young female walker corpse that was badly decomposed.

Regardless, with all these quilts, we wouldn't have to worry about staying warm in the freezing snow.

After distributing the quilts to each room, I wandered into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised to find a traditional earth stove with a pile of dry firewood nearby.

This was a great discovery, as it meant we could cook something hot to eat.

After rummaging through the kitchen, I found half a bag of rice, a small bag of flour, and some beans.

Seeing these ingredients made me incredibly happy – we'd have hot porridge for dinner tonight!

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