Chapter 035 Surviving The Apocalyptic Era

　　Right now, to everyone else, he was no more significant than an ant.

　　Forget the fighters in the combat camp — even any old, weak, or disabled person in the main camp could finish him off easily. Probably, he should have died three years ago.

　　But he had been pulled back from death. Maybe his current pitiful state was just paying back the debt for those three years!

　　Still, he had survived a near-death catastrophe.

　　Once he recovered enough, he would start training hard and build up his strength. If he later joined Star’s First Search Team, he might even amount to something! As long as he worked hard enough and kept his will strong! He believed he could still live a decent life in this apocalyptic era...

　　Once Chu Mufan sorted out his thoughts, drowsiness washed over him. He rolled over and fell into a deep sleep...

　　……

　　Early the next morning, the sun had just reached Chu Mufan’s bed — but the neatly made bed was already empty. Chu Mufan was long up, holding onto a table, slowly swinging his legs to move his stiff limbs.

　　The small house he lived in had been arranged by Star. It was one of the better places in the combat camp, built with bricks and cement. It was far nicer than the military tents ordinary fighters used. Not to mention the many people in the main camp crammed into thatched huts.

　　Inside the brick house, besides a tattered bed and a small square table with one broken leg propped up by a stick, there were a few roughly made wooden chairs and a small stove.

　　On the stove sat a relatively new purple-clay jar.

　　The room was barely ten square meters, but with only these few things, it felt quite spacious.

　　From Youyou, he learned that besides the lord’s villa in the main camp, almost no one else had stoves or cooking utensils. All food was strictly rationed according to camp rules — the greater one’s contribution, the more food and supplies one received.

　　But because of Star’s favor, and his severe malnutrition, Chu Mufan was allowed extra nutrition to recover. So the lord had specially approved a stove and cooking utensils for Chu Mufan, with no limits on his rations — all so he could recover properly. Not that he could eat much right now anyway.

　　Just as Chu Mufan finished stretching his legs and tried to stand up from a squat, the door creaked open...

　　He didn’t even need to look. He knew it was Youyou. She came to care for him at this exact time every day.

　　“Youyou, you’re here?” He was squatting, holding the table with his back to the door, and spoke without turning.

　　“Mhm. Brother Chu.” Youyou’s soft, familiar voice echoed in the room. But Chu Mufan noticed something off in her tone. He turned around — and saw she was soaked through. He jolted, staggering toward her in a panic. “What happened? How did you get like this?”

　　“Brother Chu… you can walk on your own now?”

　　“Uh… guess I can… heh…” he’d been so worried about Youyou that he hadn’t even realized he was moving without support. Chu Mufan was overjoyed, but still pressed:

　　“How’d you get all wet? There aren’t even any rivers near the camp.”

　　“Ah, never mind that. Don’t just stand there — it’s windy outside, you’ll catch a cold. Come in and wrap my blanket around you first!” Chu Mufan said with all cares.

　　Youyou obediently stepped inside, but hesitated when she saw his clean blanket, afraid of soaking it. She just stood there frozen.

　　“What’s wrong? Hurry and put it on! Then I’ll go with you to change clothes!” Chu Mufan urged, seeing her staring blankly at his cup!

　　“Well, it’s okay, really, Brother Chu. I don’t want to.” She shook her head. As a servant, she felt bad about ruining his new blanket.

　　“What? It’s clean, it doesn’t smell or anything!” Chu Mufan frowned. Youyou glanced at him, then lowered her head and whispered quietly, “It’s not that… I’m scared I’ll get your blanket all wet…”

　　“Silly girl! What are you talking about? Do I look that stingy to you? It’s no big deal — we can just dry it in the sun later! If you get sick, who’s gonna take care of me?” Chu Mufan laughed, relieved once he understood. He walked straight to the bed, grabbed the blanket, and draped it over the shivering, soaked Youyou.

　　“How’s it? Better now?” Chu Mufan asked gently. Wrapped in the warm blanket, Youyou nodded happily...

　　“Let’s go. I’ll walk with you to change, and get some exercise along the way!” Chu Mufan continued.

　　“Let me help you.” Youyou gently held Chu Mufan’s arm. He tucked the blanket tighter around her, and the two stepped outside...

　　Youyou’s quarters were also in the combat camp, less than a ten-minute walk away. They stopped in front of a large two-story red-brick dormitory building...

　　Chu Mufan stared at the two girls in camouflage helmets holding guns at the entrance, and the other young women coming and going. He asked in surprise, “Is this where you live?”

　　“Mhm. My room is the last one on the right, second floor. Only unmarried girls like me live here. Before, drunk men would always come causing trouble, so Captain Star set up a female guard team, gave us weapons, and we take turns guarding the gate every night. Ever since we had guns, hardly anyone dares to mess with us anymore.” Youyou answered honestly.

　　“Oh, that explains why it’s all girls here. I probably shouldn’t go up — I’ll wait for you right here, okay?”

　　“Okay!” Youyou smiled brightly, still wrapped in the blanket, and ran upstairs.

　　Chu Mufan sat down on a large stone nearby. Before long, he caught the whispered chatter of the two female guards…

　　“Who’s that guy? He’s so ugly.”

　　“The skin-and-bones one, isn’t it?”

　　“The useless guy they picked up a while back who could barely walk?”

　　“That’s him. No one in the whole camp is uglier.”

　　“Ugh, he’s gross, looks like a zombie. What’s he doing here?”

　　“Who knows. Why do they even keep something like him around? Just an eyesore as a zombie!”

　　“Seriously. I hope I don’t run into him at night — he’d scare me to death.”

　　“Hmph, I’m on duty tonight. If I see him, I’ll just shoot him. Say I thought he was a zombie, save the camp some rations. Hehe…”

　　……

　　Every word drifted clearly into Chu Mufan’s ears. His mind was sharper now, and his hearing had also improved. But ever since he’d woken up, he’d been hearing this kind of meaningless mockery, as if he’d stolen their food...

　　Chu Mufan had already made peace with it. Unlike yesterday, he didn’t feel hurt anymore.

　　He couldn’t change how others saw him.

　　The world was just like that — people judged you by your looks, thinking ugliness meant evil and beauty meant goodness.

　　This wouldn’t be the first time he’d heard such words, and it wouldn’t be the last. Instead of feeling sad every time, he might as well let go and face it bravely. If he couldn’t change their opinions, he would just make himself stronger and better. When the time came, he would shut them up with his strength! He would recover well, and once his body was back in shape, he would join the First Search Team, fight alongside Captain Star, make a name for himself, and silence all the people and their mean words...

　　……