How to Raise a Baby in an Apocalypse - Chapter 407
“Oh man, I need to sit down, I need to sit down.” The punk man, still grieving and furious, rips off his cracked sunglasses—damaged by a stray machine gun shell—and flings them aside.
Then he slumps down on a picnic bench, watching Zhao Ru pour water. His gaze shifts to a subordinate: a purple-haired youth with a rockstar vibe.
“Don’t we still have a few boxes of instant noodles in the car? Go on, bring them all out and cook for everyone.” He then turns to Luo Feifan and calls out in a familiar tone, “Bro, lend me some fire. I’ll treat you to instant noodles!”
Luo Feifan tosses a large fireball without hesitation, showing off a little. With a grin, he joins the fun, pulls a pot from a car trunk, and asks Zhao Ru to fill it with water. He brings the boiling pot to the punk man.
The punk man directs his people to cook a bowl of instant noodles for everyone, including An Ran’s group. He twists a white plastic fork in his calloused hand and starts eating, chatting casually with Luo Feifan as he slurps his noodles.
Luo Feifan is a natural at public relations. It doesn’t take long before he and the punk man are laughing like old friends.
Through the conversation, everyone learns that the punk man and his group aren’t really a band.
Before the apocalypse, they’d all come from different walks of life and corners of the country. They’re attending a massive open-air theme party in the south. That explains their bold, non-mainstream clothing. But then the world ends, and out of tens of thousands, only a few dozen survive.
Those survivors band together. Under the punk man’s leadership, they first hold out in a building. When the supplies run out and the zombies grow stronger, they head north, chasing rumors from a radio broadcast about Hubei.
As for the punk man, his real name is Wang Wei.
Their team also has a water-type power user—a woman named Xu Li’er, Wang Wei’s girlfriend. She sits in the front passenger seat of his jeep, wearing a leather jacket, lip studs, and dark red lipstick, which she now applies with practiced precision.
Looking at this flamboyant, edgy group, An Ran doesn’t feel any urge to join the crowd. They don’t approach her either.
Zhao Ru glances at Xu Li’er, then leans close to An Ran and whispers, “She looks like a thorny one.”
“Yeah, not someone easy to deal with,” An Ran replies. She turns around, holding Doll in her arms, with her back to Xu Li’er and quietly adds, “I think Wang Wei wants to join our team.”
Zhao Ru shrugs, unconcerned. “They’re not weak. As long as they don’t drag us down, it’s fine.”
After speaking, Zhao Ru walks to the edge of the highway, where a row of fat thornballs lines the concrete roadside. She turns and asks, “Do these plants need water?”
“Go ahead and water them. Looks like you’ve got nothing else to do.” An Ran shrugs, then adds a reminder, “They each have their own personalities. Don’t touch them. If you annoy them, I won’t be able to help you.”
“You talk like you didn’t make them yourself.” Zhao Ru curls her lip and keeps her distance from the thornballs.
They don’t look like much—easy to overlook if you’re not paying attention. But when did so many of them start growing along the highway? She’s sure An Ran created them.
Zhao Ru has chosen a strong team. If she wants to remain part of it, she’ll have to grow stronger herself—so she can match the standard of the group she’s part of.
