How to Raise a Baby in an Apocalypse - Chapter 408

Because the fat thornballs evolve at night, most people’s attention stays on the mutant snakes, so Zhao Ru still doesn’t realize that these thornballs are actually mutated plants. She assumes An Ran’s comment about not being able to “handle them” is just modesty.

Regardless of whether An Ran is being modest or not, Zhao Ru is focused on training her ability. All her bottles and jars are already full. On the run, she can’t exactly draw the curtains and drag everyone away from fighting mutant snakes just to take a bath.

So, Zhao Ru comes up with a great idea—she’ll water An Ran’s plants instead!

No plant hates water, right?

But these fat thornballs aren’t ordinary. They’re proud, almost arrogant. What they really like isn’t water—it’s blood. The fresh blood of mutant beasts.

So when Zhao Ru waters them, the results are underwhelming. It’s just like watering regular cacti. The absorption is slow and lacks any dramatic effect.

While she’s trying this out, the copper-skinned zombies at the end of the national highway finally catch up.

Luo Feifan is still slurping instant noodles. The punk guy is about to pull out his guitar for some fun. The rest of the group quickly downs their noodles as someone suddenly yells, “Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!”

“Waaaahhh~~!!”

Doll starts wailing the moment Zhan Lian opens the car door and An Ran tries to put her in. She refuses to go back into her “turtle shell,” squirming with all her tiny strength.

An Ran has no choice but to shove the angry, flailing baby into Zhan Lian’s arms with a frown.

“You coax her. She falls for your tricks more easily. I’ll drive!”

“Alright, step on the gas. If anything blocks the way—just run it over!”

Any obstacle standing in the way of human survival—crush it.

An Ran smiles at his words, opens the driver’s door—and a fat thornball rolls under her foot. She gives it a quick kick to keep it from stabbing her toes.

Zhan Lian sits in the back with Doll, next to Little Mint. An Ran gets in quickly, fastens her seatbelt, steps on the gas, and drives straight toward Xiangcheng.

The road into Xiangcheng is oddly quiet and peaceful. Even the surrounding plant life feels more subdued. Except for the fat thornball under her feet, which occasionally sends her feedback, everything else is silent.

As soon as they enter Xiangcheng, An Ran feels like she’s stepped into a world without plants.

Tang Jianjun’s team has already gone ahead, and the stragglers have scattered throughout the city.

“This isn’t right…” While driving, An Ran looks at the eerily empty shops lining the streets and frowns. “Why are there no zombies?”

Their group enters Xiangcheng from the north via the national highway. Tang Jianjun’s team enters first and probably clears out some of the zombies. But no matter how thorough they are, it’s impossible for there to be no bodies at all.

The road is empty. Only scraps of trash swirl in the night wind.

Zhan Lian, holding Doll in the back seat, keeps his sharp eyes fixed on the shops outside. He reaches out and taps the back of An Ran’s seat. “Stop the car. We’re not going into the city tonight.”

Something is off.

Zhan Lian is a native of Xiangcheng. As far back as he can remember, this provincial capital has always been bustling. Even after the apocalypse, the streets should be swarming with zombies.

But now—there isn’t a single one.

That is definitely not normal.

Still, if they don’t go deeper into the city and try to settle in the northern outskirts, they won’t get much rest either—because that massive horde of copper-skinned zombies is still chasing them from behind.