62: Something's wrong.

In front of the tombstone, the members of the Qingyun Squad kowtowed to see him off on his final journey.

The departure of a loved one is not a sudden downpour, but a long, damp chill.

Even if everything seems calm now, he will always stir up a storm at some moment of seemingly placid stillness.

In just ten days, each of them felt as if they had lived through a long period of time, and they cherished the people accompanying them even more.

Yi Nian knelt, unwilling to rise for a long time.

She looked at the photo on the tombstone, an uncontrollable pain in her heart. The father in the photo still wore the same kind and benevolent smile.

Recalling every little detail from the past two years, she forced out a bitter smile.

"Dad... rest assured, your daughter will live well as you wished. I still have Sister Wan Wan and the others by my side, so don't worry. We will meet again someday."

She bowed to the tombstone with reluctance and reverence.

Lin Wan and Yue Yue held her hands, preparing to leave.

However, Zhao Yan walked over, bringing a disheveled woman with him.

As he approached, everyone realized it was Sun Ping.

Zhao Yan violently threw her down next to the tombstone.

"Leader, this bitch didn't actually die. She ran away during the chaos that day and I only managed to catch her today!"

Seeing her, the source of all this tragedy.

Not a single person didn't wish for her to die immediately.

Lin Wan moved her palm, intending to kill her.

But Yi Nian whispered softly:

"Sister Wan Wan, let me do it."

Lin Wan paused, retracting the wind blade from her hand.

Sun Ping was covered in blood.

The grand display by the Qingyun Base that day had terrified her out of her wits!

She knew that the people of the Qingyun Base would not let her go afterward!

She had fled during the chaos, spending the past few days hiding everywhere, afraid to show her face.

She managed to survive by selling her daughter for some supplies, never expecting to be discovered by Zhao Yan today.

She looked at the icy-cold group of people in terror, then glanced at Wang Peihua's tombstone, and was scared to death.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please spare my life! I will serve you like an ox or a horse to repay you. Bei Bei is still young; she can't lose her mother!"

She wept bitterly, but her cries suddenly stopped.

Looking down, she saw a knife plunged into her heart, courtesy of Yi Nian.

She looked expressionlessly at Sun Ping's terrified and twisted face.

"Die! Go to hell!"

As Yi Nian spoke, she slowly twisted the sharp dagger in her hand.

A piercing scream echoed across the night sky.

Ten minutes later.

"Zhao Yan, it's dirty. Drag her out to feed the zombies."

Zhao Yan inwardly cheered at the thought of it, dragging her corpse out.

Yi Nian threw away the dagger and smiled as she turned back.

"Sister Wan Wan, Sister Yue Yue, let's go."

Lin Wan and Yue Yue exchanged a glance and nodded silently.

They knew that the former Yi Nian had changed.

Parting and loss always made people grow in an instant.

...

They thought this matter was temporarily settled, but unexpectedly, another piece of bad news awaited them soon after.

After settling Uncle Wang's affairs, Lin Wan and the others threw themselves back into the construction and operation of the Base.

This incident made them realize even more how important it was to have their own strength.

The Authorities interrogated all the survivors from the Guangming Base and learned that the US and Japan were indeed planning major actions against Huaxia.

It was a pity that they were all peripheral figures who knew nothing about the inside story; the one who knew the most, Shen Mingqian, was already dead.

The Authorities dispatched high-level ability squads overseas to scout for information, while simultaneously strengthening border, sea, and air patrols and military presence.

Two months passed, and things had been relatively calm.

Under the pressure from The Authorities, the intelligent zombies made the major bases dare not slack off, and they gradually became fewer and fewer.

The first person to notice that something was wrong with Yi Nian was Shi Li.

Since Uncle Wang passed away, no matter how late it was, Shi Li would come to the Qingyun Base every day to accompany Yi Nian.

Shi Li had expressed his feelings to her, and although Yi Nian did not immediately accept, she also did not refuse.

Having experienced hardships since childhood and witnessed all aspects of life, she was already much more mature than children her age.

Moreover, watching Mo Chi and Lin Wan, as well as Yue Yue and Ji Chuan's interactions at the Base for the past two years, although she was somewhat slow regarding romance, she was not completely ignorant.

Every time she saw the tacit understanding and affection between them that outsiders could not penetrate, she would secretly envy it. To meet such a perfectly matched soulmate in this Apocalypse would mean not being so lonely, which was a very fortunate thing.

She was already seventeen years old, so when Shi Li confessed to her, she followed her heart and did not refuse.

However, Shi Li was 24 this year. He was erudite, powerful, and highly valued by Director Zhang, standing at the peak of his promising future.

Yi Nian's upbringing left her with a degree of deep-seated inferiority, always feeling unworthy of him, yet her inner loneliness and dependence made her selfishly unable to voice a refusal.

Therefore, she chose to let nature take its course, because she was certain that she also liked Shi Li. She enjoyed the feeling of being with Shi Li; it was a completely different feeling from being with Sister Lin Wan and the others.

Thus, the already good relationship between the two gradually grew intimate.

That day, Shi Li finished his work late, past twelve midnight.

To make it convenient for him to enter, Lin Wan had previously given him a key to a small side door.

He also had a key to Yi Nian's home.

It was late today, so Shi Li thought Yi Nian might already be asleep. He planned only to take a quick look at her; if she was asleep, he would go back. Thus, he didn't inform her via the walkie-talkie beforehand.

When Shi Li arrived, he opened the door and tiptoed in, only to find Yi Nian standing barefoot next to the refrigerator. Seeing him, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

"Brother Shi Li? Why are you here?"

"No... I mean, why didn't you say anything on the walkie-talkie?"

Seeing her rambling, Shi Li kept his expression neutral, simply changed into his slippers, walked over, and picked her up, placing her on the sofa.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes? Be careful not to catch a cold."