175: nightmare
Bai Wanning raised her hand and directly handed over a large bowl of steaming rice.
“Take it. Then I’ll trouble you to make some fried rice for the team to eat. I’m tired, and I still need to eat a little more. Pay attention to the portions.”
After she finished speaking, she was about to go back to her room for another nap, but it was as if she remembered something. She suddenly stopped and looked back at Jiang Dai, saying seriously, “You want to collect crystal cores? It’s not that easy.”
“You still have a child with you. If you go out rashly, and once you are not well-prepared, that’s suicide.”
“You have to first teach your son to wait, or you have to train your stamina and carry him.”
“However, you are pregnant now, and I don’t think this arrangement is very realistic.” Bai Wanning looked at Jiang Dai, her tone cold but rational, “So you’d best entrust the child temporarily to someone trustworthy, or teach him to understand that as long as he’s not in the car, he must stay put in a fixed spot and not run around.”
She paused, then added, “Once the children are born, tie them to you with a baby carrier. In the Apocalypse, rather than entrusting your children to others, it’s better to grit your teeth and hold on yourself. At least, you can still fight for it yourself.”
Jiang Dai nodded solemnly: “I understand.”
She learned quickly and was willing to change. In the Apocalypse, hesitation was a recipe for death.
She turned her head to look at Meng Suisui not far away, only to see her wielding a large machete, practicing against a dummy made of straw bales, one strike after another, gritting her teeth and repeating the same movements.
She was practicing arm strength, practicing movements, and also forcing herself to become stronger in this way.
Only the strong can survive in this world.
Bai Wanning nodded, turned and left the kitchen. She had woken up too early and planned to take another nap before going out when the sun was higher.
Half an hour later, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.
Jiang Dai had finished stir-frying the rice. She first scooped a small bowl of rice and tiptoed into the room to wake Guoguo.
The little boy was still sound asleep. After she gently shook him awake, he opened his eyes and smiled, revealing a mouthful of baby teeth.
Seeing that her son’s condition was significantly better than yesterday, Jiang Dai’s eyes softened a few shades. She wiped his drool, then sat down to feed him.
The fried rice had few seasonings, but compared to not even having a hot meal for the past few days, this meal was simply delicious for Guoguo.
He ate and chewed, his eyes full of satisfaction, not even willing to waste a single grain of rice.
Jiang Dai watched her son finish eating gently, then cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks, preparing to serve rice to Bai Wanning.
Just then, the kitchen door was gently pushed open. She looked back and saw Lu Yin standing at the doorway, with a hint of probing and disdain in her eyes.
“Miss Lu?”
“Could you serve some rice to Brother Qian and the others?” Lu Yin’s tone was gentle, a smile on her face that seemed to come uninvited, “They just finished clearing out the zombies, they must be hungry. I’ll take it to them, so you won’t be delayed.”
Her tone was polite, but her eyes held obvious calculation.
Bai Wanning was sleeping, which was perfect. She would take this opportunity to gain some presence in the team. She didn’t believe anyone would disturb Bai Wanning over a bowl of rice, nor would anyone be foolish enough to report it.
Anyway, she was just delivering breakfast. Even if Bai Wanning found out, at most she would just frown, nothing more.
Jiang Dai hesitated for a moment.
She didn’t want Lu Yin to do it. This woman was always biased when distributing food, either serving Lei Qian a full bowl, putting on an act of a virtuous wife and loving mother, or serving scraps to those she disliked as charity.
Although she had only been with the team for a short time, she could tell that while Bai Wanning tolerated Lu Yin’s presence in the team, she didn’t trust her.
Jiang Dai opened her mouth, and finally said softly, “I’ll go with you.”
Lu Yin’s expression stiffened, seeming unwilling, but Jiang Dai had already added with a smile, “There are too many bowls. You can’t carry them all by yourself. A dozen bowls of rice, the wooden tray won’t be stable, and if it spills, it’ll be wasted.”
Lu Yin’s mouth twitched, and she rolled her eyes, “Suit yourself.”
Jiang Dai breathed a sigh of relief, quickly served several bowls of rice onto the wooden board, her gaze sweeping over the rice in the pot. There was almost none left.
She gritted her teeth, scooped out the last bowl of rice, and handed it to Guoguo: “This, take it to that kind elder sister who helped you out yesterday.”
Although Guoguo was a bit slow to react, his eyes showed understanding.
He nodded, carefully carrying the rice, and walked towards Bai Wanning’s room.
Lu Yin snorted coldly, her eyes scanning the mother and son with contempt.
She had no good feelings for them at all.
In her eyes, Jiang Dai was just a woman who held them back, and Guoguo was a burden who could only be carried back by adults.
These two weaklings, even if they lived, were only barely tolerated.
Although Jiang Dai saw her disdain, she said nothing.
She knew that she currently had no standing and no right to confront her. No matter how uncomfortable she felt, she could only grit her teeth and endure it... On the other side, Bai Wanning was sound asleep in her room.
She turned over, frowning slightly, as if struggling in a dream.
The next second, tears silently fell. In her dream, she was back to that day again.
The laboratory was in a mess, no one responded, and her son, Xiao Cai, was missing.
She almost turned the entire base upside down to search, even if reason told her the child was no longer there, her heart still held a last glimmer of hope.
The laboratory was empty, everything was destroyed.
There was no trace of her son. Even if she called out to Cai Cai, her son didn't respond, but she was sure he was here, at least Su Hu told her so.
Even if Bai Wanning didn't find her son, she continued to search.
It was as if an obsession had taken over her mind.
She knew Bai Cai wasn't in the lab, but her heart refused to believe it. She kept searching for Bai Cai, as if the little boy was playing hide-and-seek with her.
Bai Wanning didn’t know how long she had searched for her son. Finally, when she killed the last resisting force, she realized her son wasn’t in the laboratory.
Her eyes were red, and a sense of despair welled up in her heart.
Was it her fault? She couldn't help but wonder.
If she hadn't ignored her father's foolish lies and gone to Bai Cai's father, perhaps her son would still be alive! Compared to those beasts in human skin, Lei Qian would definitely treat her and her son well.
Even if he had other women by his side, he was still a strong man, capable enough to establish a base single-handedly, and naturally capable of raising their son.
So even if her son were taken away by him, and never returned, at least, he would still be alive.
But now, because of a moment of hesitation and selfishness, she had personally cut off that last possibility.
Bai Wanning closed her eyes, slowly squatted down, her chest feeling as if something had been brutally crushed.
She wanted to know if those deranged researchers had taken her son, or if... her son had already... No, she couldn't think that way.
She was a mother, she had to believe that her son was still alive.
As long as he was alive, she was willing to give anything, even her own life.
Bai Wanning took a deep breath, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, opened her eyes, blinked, suppressing the dampness, and resolutely turned around.
She hadn't given up, because she hadn't yet checked the basement.
Perhaps, Cai Cai was waiting for her there?
She quickly arrived at the laboratory building. The elevator was already broken, so Bai Wanning could only step down the cold, hard metal stairs, one step at a time.
The corridor was dim and cold, the mottled bloodstains on the walls had dried, but the air was still filled with a strong smell of blood.
She stopped in front of the small door leading to the basement, her fingers trembling slightly.
As soon as the door opened, a nauseating stench of decay mixed with blood rushed out.
Bai Wanning’s pupils constricted, and her heart suddenly tightened.
She didn't hesitate, kicked open the door, and rushed in.
“Cai Cai—”