XG 18 - Was it so easy to disregard rules?

None of them have low EQ and immediately could see the young boy was uncomfortable having his illness being known.

"Actually, it's kind of cool." Chen Jiang An grinned, ignoring Low Lin Ya's meaningful glare that advised him to stop it. "He can get to fight how long he wants and won't feel any muscle pain. As for me, I will definitely feel sore tomorrow."

Wong Xue Guo secretly nodded in agreement. Dying without feeling pain was the greatest wish for all elderly folks. Of course, she does not dare to say those insensitive words out loud.

"I saw some pain relief patch somewhere outside. I will get them," Chen Yibo said to Vihaan, who nodded gratefully.

Even if Kim Sung-Ho does not feel pain, the patches will help with muscle inflammation and prevent most of the swelling.

Kim Sung-Ho did not move or resist when Vihaan rubbed an alcohol pad over his palms to disinfect the small cuts. No one, other than his parents, would be so careful when treating his wounds. He could feel the difference between one that acted out of obligation and one out of affection.

He blinked his stinging eyes as he reminisced about his parents that had sacrificed a lot just for him. Even their migration to Marigold was done just for him to have a less stressful environment from their relatives and wish for him to grow up safely.

"I can feel tired," Kim Sung-Ho slowly said and everyone could see he had slowly emerged from his defensive shell.

Nurul Hanani no longer had the energy to sit up, much less walk. Even the pain from the bite wound no longer made her feel uncomfortable and became easily ignorable. Her whole weight was practically supported by Suzie Yap, who wrapped an arm around her waist and carried her along.

She knew her zombification was getting closer as her thoughts grew scattered and became harder to focus. She only came to herself when she felt something cold on her back.

Inside the kitchen utility store, Suzie Yap had placed Nurul Hanani down and leaned her against the wall for support while she went to search for new knives. The blood and harsh usage had made her knives no longer in their top shape. She picked two knives that were much sharper than the ones she had been using, quickly losing her favour.

As someone that lived in a rule-abiding world, Nurul Hanani was shocked at how casual Mrs Wong was when she took the knives without hesitation. Was it so easy to disregard rules? It was only after they left the store and walked far ahead did Nurul Hanani come to terms with it.

The current situation was where the law was useless as it could not save her now. Which zombie still has the mind to obey them anyway?

Along the way, there were no zombies in sight and they entered another store, this time the convenience store. Once again placing Nurul Hanani on the floor with her back on a shelf, Suzie Yap grabbed a lot of snacks and tossed them at the teenager.

"Eat as much as you can. You need a lot of energy if you want to survive this." If Nurul Hanani does not have enough energy, her chance of survival will decrease.

Nurul Hanani slowly lowered her gaze onto the packets around her. Mrs Wong had grabbed a lot of fattening, high nutrient food for her. Strangely, these foods that usually held low appeal to her suddenly looked very appetizing to her eyes. It was with difficulty that she lifted her hands to grab the bananas. If it was not because of common sense to peel the skin first, she would have eaten the banana together with the skin.

Why was she suddenly so hungry? Even her stomach started to feel uncomfortable by its emptiness.

Suzie Yap watched as Nurul Hanani's speed in eating grew as she devoured the bananas and chocolate bars. Removing the cap, she handed the mineral water to Nurul Hanani.

"Drink. Then continue to eat."

Nurul Hanani could feel herself getting a little better after eating those foods. Gulping down the water until the bottle emptied out, she continued to gorge herself with food. She had never thought the method to survive this was actually this easy. But it is also difficult if one does not have enough food around.

Who would have thought to eat after being bitten anyway?

Suzie Yap was gathering more food when a guy stepped into her view.

"Hi." His clothing told her that he was a worker in this shop. He looked to be in his thirties with oily skin where the light could be reflected from them. "I… I'm a survivor, just like you."

The man stepped closer, and his shirt rode up to reveal his beer belly that was difficult to be covered. "My name is John. Can I follow you? We, survivors, should stick together. I can help you."

Suzie Yap forwardly revealed, "I have an infected person with me."

John's eyes twitched but his words were surprisingly rather accepting. "I don't mind. You can make all the decisions and I will follow you."

Towards his flattering expression that was eager to please, she was not impressed.

Logically, if she was in his shoes, she would first judge them according to their appearance. She was taller and fairer than the average woman of her age. Even with blood on her, it could not conceal her origin as a rich lady that was used to having others doing things for her. How would such a woman survive in hardship?

Suzie Yap had at least fifty years of experience and easily seen through this man's flattery was not out of desperation, but with a plan. His posture was one without arrogance, treating her like a big boss that he sought help from. But he could not hide his lust that he intended to hide under his reverence.

His sneaking glances at her figure were not one she was willing to endure.

Suzie Yap had seen this kind of scumbag that disrespects women before and could deal with him quickly with her own brand of violence. But she was interested in the glint of recognition she caught from his eyes when he saw her.

She was sure that she had never encountered this man before and she was careful to not get caught in media or photographed. As for shopping, she always called the store manager to bring the new products to her house for her to shop privately.

With a worrying sigh, Suzie Yap spoke with a sad tone, amplifying her feeble and delicate appearance. "I'm only a weak woman and my partner is infected. You should find other people instead."

John glanced at the brand new kitchen knives in her hand with a meaningful gaze before smiling like a saint. "I don't mind protecting you. I'm a man."

What a liar. He clearly does not believe her words and even the offer of protecting her was just lip service.

"Food is important now." Suzie Yap did not say whether he was invited into her group or not, but John was rather optimistic.

Being a worker here, he knew about the shopping mall's exit route rather well. Being antisocial, he often used the exit that was seldom taken by other workers to avoid the crowd. John hated those people that dared to look down on him when they were the same as him. They were so pretentious, dressed smartly with their second-hand goods to make themselves feel superior to others. He had never felt so refreshed in his entire life when he saw those pretentious bastards die under those zombies' bites.

John felt that this end of the world was a good opportunity for him to thrive. He managed to hide in time and survived. His luck had changed for the better when fate allowed this woman to enter his life.

"I will help you gather food. There is a large bag under the counter," John spoke helpfully.

"Please pick food with higher energy refilling," Suzie Yap said after grabbing a recyclable bag. "I will go over there to pick some medicine."

"I can go with you-"

"It would be faster if we go separate ways," Suzie Yap smoothly declined and left without waiting for his response.

Reaching the medicine shelves, she grabbed what medicines were needed. She shoved them all into the recyclable bag until it occupied half of the space.

Suddenly, her movement stopped and her ears twitched as she accurately pinpointed John's footsteps at the other end corner where the shelves were filled with canned food. Her eyes trailed to the path where John had come out from, which happened to be a small room filled with stored products.

Stepping into the room, Suzie Yap’s uninterested gaze swept over the boxes of food and rested on the black backpack that was left unzipped on the floor. An earphone wire sticks out from the bag, which was attached to a mobile phone.

With a swipe, the screen showed a paused video of a familiar place. Clicking onto the play button, the more she watched, the darker Suzie Yap's face became.

"What a trash," Suzie Yap sneered. Tossing the phone to the floor, she destroyed it with her shoes and crushed it into pieces.

But the video did answer why he would insist on being her lapdog, which was playing the moment she cut down the failure into large chunks of meat inside the washroom.