Gu Qing glanced back at Xu Qian, not daring to stop the car without permission.
Xu Qian nodded; such an old person posed no threat.
Gu Qing stopped the car in front of the elderly woman, lowering the window a crack, not daring to open it further in case of poisoning.
The old woman slowly shuffled to the car window, her cloudy eyes fixed on the gap.
"Hello, I have rooms for rent here. Just one cookie a night for a room."
Gu Qing was taken aback; he hadn't expected her to be advertising accommodation.
He scanned the surroundings. While the zombies were scattered, they were still present. It was strange that this old woman dared to come out to solicit business.
Seeing his silence, the old woman explained, "I used to run a boarding house. I'm just tidying up rooms and renting them to travelers. The rooms are very clean, you can rest assured."
Xu Qian narrowed her eyes. Few people rented out rooms in the apocalypse this way, especially in such a small village. Why would anyone be renting out rooms?
Seeing the people in the car remain silent for a long time, the old woman grew anxious. Her voice quivered slightly, "What can an old woman like me possibly cheat you out of? My grandson hasn't returned for two days, and I'm truly starving, which is why I came out to solicit business."
"Where is the house?"
A clear, cold female voice came from inside the car.
"It's just over here, follow me."
The old woman hurried along with her cane towards a building nearby, her legs still quite nimble. It was evident that these low-level zombies couldn't keep up with her.
Her house had four floors and looked quite large, just a typical residential dwelling.
Xu Qian said, "Let's get out and take a look. If it's fine, we'll rent it." If there were problems, they wouldn't be able to handle it.
The group followed the old woman upstairs to tour the house.
The old woman didn't understand concepts like beauty or handsomeness; she only knew that these people were dressed neatly and tidily, much better than the dirty people she'd encountered before.
The first floor of the building was for parking motorcycles, while floors two through four were for rental rooms, with six rooms on each floor.
The old woman led them to the fourth floor. The room was very clean and simple, containing a bed, a wardrobe, and a toilet.
Xu Qian carefully inspected the surroundings. There was no smell of blood, and the floor was gleaming. It was evident she was usually very meticulous about cleanliness, so the problem was likely minor.
"Are the second and third floors already full of people?"
The old woman nodded. "They all bully me, an old woman. They give me food sometimes, and sometimes they don't. I'm really starving, that's why I came out." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Everyone felt pity for the old woman and was quite satisfied with the rooms, all clamoring to rent them.
In the end, the six people rented four rooms: Mei Yuebai and Xu Qian shared one, the Cheng brothers took another, and the remaining two took one each.
Xu Qian handed over two boxes of Oreos. The old woman accepted them with trembling hands and offered repeated thanks.
After the old woman left, Xu Qian cautioned them not to sleep too soundly and to remain vigilant about safety.
Although the house itself seemed fine, they weren't sure if the other residents might have ill intentions.
Late at night.
Gu Qing was awakened by a meaty aroma. He sat up, twitching his nose. It smelled so good.
Was Sister Qian cooking?
The moment he opened his room door, a large hammer swung towards him. Fortunately, his training in recent days had been effective enough to dodge zombies, let alone a hammer.
Gu Qing dodged to the side, grabbed the hammer wielder, flung him to the ground, and tossed the hammer aside.
He was about to demand why he was being attacked.
A blow to the back of his head sent darkness before his eyes, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The others in the building were also gradually being awakened by the meaty scent.
Xu Qian hadn't been sleeping deeply. The aroma of meat had roused her immediately, and the smell seemed unusual, not like normal pork. It had a sour, gamey odor, like...
Human flesh?