Chapter Seventy-Five: The Temptation of Cigarettes

The younger sister looked utterly speechless, as if her older sister belonged to the opposite side.

"I..."

The older sister finally managed to pick up speed, but overshot, nearly blurting out something truly inappropriate.

"Sis, hurry up! If they catch you, you're done for. Don't expect me to help."

...

"Go after them! I don't believe those two women can keep running for long."

It was a single road, and the pursuers behind had already gathered together, a formidable crowd of fifty or sixty, their presence imposing.

But at this hour, most people were resting; there was a fierce battle looming at midnight.

Their direction had taken them away from Dawn City’s garrison, so there was little fear of running into anyone else.

The chase had lasted half an hour now.

Although the sisters were both second-tier fighters, they had barely trained, and half an hour was their absolute limit.

"Sis, just admit I'm overweight, all right? Can you tell me how much further we have to run? I really can't go on."

"Up ahead, turn left."

Obeying her sister's instruction, the older one hurried to keep pace.

They twisted through two more corners, and a garrison appeared before them.

Before Jingru could make out where they were, a figure suddenly appeared from the right and grabbed her tightly.

She was about to resist when a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

"Don't fight back."

The next moment, Jingru and the man vanished, while Jingyi, seemingly unfazed as if she’d expected it, showed no alarm.

A second later, the man reappeared, this time seizing Jingyi.

"Where’d they go?"

"Damn, there’s no way two living people just disappeared. They must’ve gone inside."

With dozens of people around, the group felt emboldened and noisily prepared to rush in.

"What’s the meaning of this? Are you here to make trouble for the Lone Wolf Squad?"

A booming shout rang out, and dozens of men brandishing combat knives rushed forward to block the entrance.

"We’re looking for someone—those two women."

"Yes, we’re looking for them."

Chaos erupted at the scene.

"Looking for someone? Looks to me like you’re looking for death."

The leader wasted no words, signaling his men to get ready for a fight.

Outnumbered and outclassed, not to mention facing dozens of blades, the crowd knew better than to provoke further. Seeing the Lone Wolf Squad was serious, they scattered in all directions.

---

So it's the Lone Wolf Squad, is it? Tomorrow, we'll spread the word—those two women must belong to them.

Several buildings away, just a hundred meters distant, three people crept cautiously.

"Brother Fang, your skill is incredible—just one move and we're this far!"

"Shut up, or you'll get us caught. Hurry back to your own territory."

Another battle had ended, leaving some to rejoice and others to mourn.

"Why so dejected? We survived another day."

Two men sat casually on the ground, their backs against the corpses of their comrades.

Some had been bitten by zombies, others killed by their own hands.

They’d been through such scenes countless times—from initial terror, plagued by nightmares every night, to numb acceptance.

If someone got bitten by a zombie, it was almost a kind of release.

"Got any cigarettes?"

"Only two left."

Each lit one, the smoke filling their lungs and lifting their spirits a little.

Nearby, dozens of pairs of green eyes watched them intently—or rather, watched the cigarettes in their hands.

Some even synchronized their breathing with the smokers, inhaling the air in rhythm.

No more cigarettes. Tonight would be sleepless.

...

The next morning.

The entrance to the trade market was thronged with people.

"The cigarette buyers aren't here today, stop crowding around. Where were you all a few days ago?"

Staff members had come out to clear the congestion.

"I'm not here to sell, I want to buy my cigarettes back."

"Me too, I want mine back."

"Do you know when those women will be here? Right now, they've got the most cigarettes in all of Dawn City."

The staffer looked at them in exasperation.

These people were absurd—just days ago, they were eager to sell, afraid no one had enough money. Now they wanted to buy them back? What’s so great about these cigarettes anyway?

"Stand aside, stop causing trouble. Are you disrespecting Dawn City?"

The captain of the security team emerged, a cigarette clamped between his lips.

He was in a foul mood—no twin sisters to watch, no cigarettes delivered, and now this noisy crowd, as if he were just a decoration.

None dared openly oppose Dawn City; seeing the captain’s cigarette flicker between his lips, their frustration only deepened.

They couldn’t win a fight, wouldn’t dare steal, and the main sellers hadn’t even shown up. What good was making a scene?

---

The crowd dispersed reluctantly, though a few persistent ones lingered, watching for the sisters to appear.

At ten in the morning, a rumor swept through Dawn City.

"Hey, did you hear? Last night, those two women escaped—word is they ran toward the Lone Wolf Squad’s base."

"Really? Weren’t they supposed to belong to Dawn City?"

Whispers spread rapidly.

"I got precise info! My buddy’s uncle’s cousin’s younger brother went to intercept them last night—he saw them run into the Lone Wolf Squad’s territory with his own eyes."

"That’s not all. Yesterday, my cousin’s uncle’s son was part of the blockade too. They ended up fighting with the Lone Wolf Squad. Those two women walked right in, plain as day."

The storm intensified. With nothing else to do during daylight, and unable to compete with the large groups for supply drops, no one dared leave Dawn City for now.

At three in the afternoon, at the entrance to the Lone Wolf Squad’s territory.

Over a hundred people faced off, and even more were gathering.

...

"Hey, a little lower—now to the left. Right there, that’s perfect."

On the sofa, Fang Xia sprawled across the longest section, commandeering it entirely, while Jingru sat atop his hips, kneading his back.

Her sister crouched nearby, massaging Fang Xia’s legs.

Dr. Jiang sat in a distant corner, clutching a comic book, helplessly watching the trio.

"Massage’s done. Where’s my chocolate?"

Jingru bounced off Fang Xia’s hips and held out her hand expectantly.

"You barely lasted a few minutes. Look at your sister—she’s been at it much longer and hasn’t asked for anything. Learn from her."

Fang Xia was just starting to enjoy himself, but the girl had already stopped.

"I don’t care. I want chocolate. I want a Snickers. Without a Snickers, I have no energy."

"Fine, fine."

Fang Xia produced a box of Dove chocolates from thin air, then another box of Snickers.

Jingru grinned, immediately feeding her sister a piece, then handing some to Dr. Jiang.

Seeing this, Fang Xia took out two more boxes.

"Dr. Jiang, with this bitter cold, I’ll have to trouble you."

In the past two days, with nightly battles and daytime supply raids, many women in the squad had caught colds.

They couldn’t simply rely on upgrade crystals to solve every problem—there were nearly a thousand people in the group now, and no way could they afford that. Minor illnesses still depended on medicine.

"It’s no trouble. The medicine was all gathered by the women themselves. I just check them over and prescribe a bit. It’s what I should do."