Chapter 68-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World

Chapter 68: Heart

The card became blank again and was stored in the system interface. Zhu Ning's palm was empty.

Lin Xiaofeng had been forced into the Blank Card. Although Zhu Ning had never been inside, being contained must be quite unpleasant.

Lin Xiaofeng was only ten years old this year. Zhu Ning had read through all the posts on her social media account, but still couldn't summarize this person's character. Lin Xiaofeng lived too repressively.

She had just lost her mother and suddenly became a Source of Contamination—or rather, became an Ability User. She probably had difficulty controlling her own abilities. At this time, whatever Zhu Ning said to her would seem condescending.

The room was very quiet for a moment, without even a rustling sound.

Zhu Ning sat on the sofa. Opposite her, a pure black TV screen reflected her image.

"I'll tell you a secret," Zhu Ning began. "Actually, I'm not from this world."

Lin Xiaofeng didn't answer her, so it looked like Zhu Ning was talking to herself. In fact, she was just talking to herself.

"Our world was taken over by zombies. You know what zombies are? They're a kind of monster. After people get bitten, they turn into monsters, then go bite others. This way the whole world gets infected." Zhu Ning's tone was very relaxed, like telling a story to a little girl.

"When the zombie crisis first broke out, our area reacted quickly. The training base was full of national-level athletes with developed motor nerves, reaction speeds ten times faster than ordinary people, and complete security facilities. After assessing the situation, we immediately formed a new shelter."

"I was on the shooting team. Bullets and firearms were readily available. We shooters were the team's darlings—everyone gave way to us."

During the zombie crisis, every bullet was a limited resource. Shooters were the best firepower output.

When Zhu Ning spoke, Lin Xiaofeng made no movement at all. She probably wasn't interested at all.

But Zhu Ning continued on her own: "Our camp was very safe—you probably couldn't find many places that safe. But I had to leave. I had to find my mom. They all thought I was crazy, because my mom was a doctor. Hospitals had the most people. Crossing the city to find someone who was probably already dead seemed very foolish."

Lin Xiaofeng had been hiding in a corner, but hearing this, she suddenly looked up.

Zhu Ning didn't look at her at all. She stared at the TV in a daze.

Zhu Ning's mother was a cardiac surgery specialist. When busy, she couldn't even come home. It was a single-parent family with no one to take care of her at home. From a young age, Zhu Ning got used to finishing her homework by herself, playing with friends by herself, then waiting for Zhu Yao to come home.

Zhu Ning always felt it was a miracle that her mom worked so hard to raise her, and it was also a miracle that she worked so hard to be raised by her mom.

Zhu Ning used to be disrespectful and called her Ms. Zhu.

Ms. Zhu's parenting philosophy was very rough. She didn't know what book she'd read, but felt that as long as the child didn't fall off a cliff, everything else was fine.

Zhu Ning grew up under this casual education. When Zhu Ning was interested in shooting, Ms. Zhu casually threw her into a training camp and let her play around.

Zhu Ning's shooting talent showed early. She won awards all the way at first, until she met the professional team.

The first time she competed against the professional team, Zhu Ning was crushed. She used to win gold medals, but that day she couldn't even touch a bronze medal.

So there were so many geniuses in the world, and the gap between geniuses could be so large.

Zhu Ning was only nine years old then, facing a crushing blow from life. After the competition, Ms. Zhu came to pick her up.

It was the first time Zhu Ning came out of the competition empty-handed. She was a bit uneasy and secretly looked at Ms. Zhu's expression. She wasn't disappointed at all.

Zhu Ning said dejectedly: "I didn't win."

"It's okay."

Hearing this made Zhu Ning even more unhappy. She asked: "Don't you have any expectations for me?"

Ms. Zhu walked with her, saying very indifferently: "What expectations could I have for you?"

Hopeless. Her mom had no expectations for her at all. She'd given up on her.

The sun was particularly strong that day. The car was parked far away. They shuttled under tree shadows, from one patch of shade to another.

It seemed all coolness was temporary—people always had to be exposed to sunlight.

Zhu Ning hung her head, looking at her own shadow, and asked a question she really wanted to ask: "What kind of person do you want me to become?"

Why didn't her mother care about her at all? She had no expectations for her, as if letting her grow wild.

Ms. Zhu didn't even turn her head. "I want you to become a super happy person."

"Super happy?" Zhu Ning was stunned. She often heard other parents say they hoped their children would be happy, but why didn't Ms. Zhu follow convention? Why wasn't just happy enough—why super happy?

How happy was super happy? Why couldn't she imagine it?

Zhu Yao: "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."

Zhu Ning couldn't accept a second blow. "Who are you looking down on? I'm your daughter. You're a heart specialist—I must be very smart too."

Zhu Yao laughed. How could she be so cocky?

She thought about it and said: "I want you to have a strong heart."

Zhu Ning froze. Her face instantly fell, becoming very serious. Zhu Yao had been walking fine with her, but when she turned around, Zhu Ning hadn't followed. Zhu Ning stood there stubbornly, looking like she was about to cry.

Zhu Ning looked up at her very bravely. "Mom, tell me the truth. Do I have heart disease?"

Her mind was full of melodramatic family dramas. No wonder Zhu Yao had no requirements for her at all. She must have heart disease, so Zhu Yao was so permissive with her, only hoping she'd be happy.

Her heart must be very weak.

Zhu Ning: "Am I going to die soon?"

Zhu Yao: "..."

She looked at the huge teardrop hanging in Zhu Ning's eyes and laughed unkindly. What was this child thinking?

Zhu Yao: "If you had heart disease, could you run and jump like this?"

Zhu Ning did more than just run and jump. As a child, she played wildly like a crazy dog. After entering the training camp, she had to undergo physical training. Her stamina was at least twice that of girls her age.

Zhu Ning choked up. Zhu Yao was a chief physician. What she said should be true—a very authoritative diagnosis.

They stopped. Zhu Ning stood under the tree shade. Zhu Yao squatted down halfway, her whole body bathed in light.

Zhu Yao poked Zhu Ning's chest with one hand. Her young heart was beating strongly, healthy and full of vitality.

Zhu Yao looked directly into Zhu Ning's eyes: "I hope you have a strong heart. I hope you're at ease, relaxed, and happy."

I hope when you climb peaks, your heart has enough power to climb.

I hope when you fall into valleys, your heart has the ability to bear it.

I hope when you lie flat, your heart is calm enough.

I hope no matter what this world becomes, you can find your place in it.

I hope that even if I'm not here someday, you still have the energy to run forward.

I hope you're confident, brave, and calm.

I hope you're happy—super happy, doubly happy.

Zhu Ning was very young then. As expected, she couldn't understand Zhu Yao's words. She forgot many details, only remembering that day by the roadside, the weather was particularly hot, and cicadas kept calling.

Ms. Zhu looked at her gently, speaking in a very calm tone, as if talking about something very ordinary.

Zhu Ning, I hope you have a strong heart.

Later the zombie crisis broke out. She knew the training camp was the safest place, but she left the training camp. She had to go to City People's Hospital to find Ms. Zhu.

In her teammates' view at the time, this behavior was suicidal. Face reality and give up fantasies—in a zombie world, just staying alive yourself was good enough. But Zhu Ning left the safe shelter.

She felt that Ms. Zhu couldn't do anything except treat patients. Her survival ability was very low. Without her, it would be hard to survive.

Ms. Zhu couldn't even cook, let alone fight zombies. Zhu Ning had to protect her.

She carried a gun and provisions on her back, walking toward Ms. Zhu. The streets were densely packed with zombies. They occupied the roads. What normally took two hours by car took Zhu Ning nine days to walk.

During those nine days, she became increasingly uneasy. She knew Zhu Yao might be dead, but she was very stubborn about going to City People's Hospital.

When the end came, she only thought of Zhu Yao—the person most closely connected to her in this world. She had to see Zhu Yao once. She had a small fantasy in her heart: maybe she's still alive, what if?

City People's Hospital was densely populated. When Zhu Ning reached the entrance, her heart had already sunk halfway. There was no "what if." She hesitated for a moment, gritted her teeth, and still walked into the hospital.

The hospital campus was very large. Because of Zhu Yao's profession, Zhu Ning was too familiar with the hospital. She'd grown up here since childhood. When Zhu Yao was on duty, Zhu Ning would bring homework to do. Many department directors knew her.

On the way, she saw many familiar faces. They'd all become zombies. It took her two days to cross through the zombie horde to reach Zhu Yao's office. Zhu Ning opened the familiar office door. Zhu Yao had her back to her.

Ms. Zhu indeed had no survival ability. She looked foolish, constantly banging her forehead against the glass window.

Her neck had been bitten open. Her white coat was covered in blood.

Zhu Yao sensed movement behind her and glanced this way. Zhu Ning saw her current appearance—her face was pale green, her features already somewhat distorted.

Ms. Zhu used to love cleanliness. Her hair was always combed meticulously. All these years, she'd never even wrinkled her collar.

She used to be so smart and calm. She used to shine. She used to be Zhu Ning's idol.

She used to hold a scalpel and save people in the operating room. Now she was foolishly banging against a glass window.

"Mom?" Zhu Ning called her. That was the last time Zhu Ning called her mom.

Zhu Yao responded to her. She smelled the scent of a living person and suddenly ran toward Zhu Ning. Relying on the strong heart Zhu Yao had cultivated, Zhu Ning didn't dodge or fear.

She raised her gun.

Then aimed at the target, wrist steady, fingertip pressing the trigger, just like she'd trained countless times.

Bang—blood exploded. Blood droplets and flesh fragments splattered all over her. Zhu Yao fell.

Zhu Ning's face was covered in blood. She breathed deeply, feeling her heart pounding wildly, beating too fast, as if about to burst through her chest.

Blood and tears mixed together. She felt as if something had covered her head.

The zombies outside had already heard the commotion and were frantically surging this way. She casually picked up Zhu Yao's commonly used pen from the desk, jumped out the window, and left the hospital forever.

Later she came to the Wasteland. That pen also disappeared. She completely lost everything about Zhu Yao.

She hadn't thought about Ms. Zhu for a long time. She looked at her hands. Ever since Yue Kaiyuan showed her this world's Zhu Ning's life story, she'd been caught in doubt. Did she really exist?

When she first came to the Wasteland, Zhu Ning was too lazy to struggle and just wanted to be a salted fish. Later she entered the Sanitation Center. At first she was very excited, finding everything novel, excitedly browsing dead posts late at night, trying to research and summarize patterns of Contaminants after entering contamination zones.

Now she felt everything about to happen was commonplace. It was hard to feel curious or excited anymore. She found it increasingly difficult to generate emotions, as if she'd lived here all along and had completely integrated into the Wasteland world.

Honestly, she was a bit unclear about who she was now. Did she really exist?

Maybe Zhu Ning didn't exist at all. The real Zhu Ning was just a "brain in a vat," the only brain soaking in a petri dish. Both the zombie world and the Wasteland were just fantasies she imagined in the petri dish.

Was that Zhu Ning from the zombie world real? Or was everything just implanted memories? Could memory implantation achieve this level of realism?

But Zhu Ning remembered Zhu Yao so clearly—the back of her head when she drove her to training camp, the faint smell of hospital disinfectant on her body.

She remembered when she brought trophies home, Zhu Yao raised her eyebrows and said: "Not bad, Ning Bao."

Although nothing proved Zhu Yao truly existed, she hoped Zhu Yao existed. She had cultivated a strong heart for her.

Even if Zhu Yao was a virtual character fabricated by someone and implanted in her mind, she still thanked Zhu Yao.

Zhu Ning closed her eyes. She was afraid that thinking further would plunge her into complete nihility, unable to distinguish virtual from reality. Before more evidence appeared, Zhu Ning still firmly believed the zombie world was real.

"From a profit calculation perspective, that was the most unprofitable thing I've done in my life. I crossed half the city and in the end just shot my mom in the head. She was already dead long ago."

Zhu Ning said, looking at the reflection in the TV. Her voice had no fluctuation at all. Lin Xiaofeng couldn't understand her emotions either.

Zhu Ning added: "This is also the thing I've done in my life with the least regret."

She couldn't bear a zombie wearing Zhu Yao's face. She felt that was what Zhu Yao would have wanted too.

Zhu Ning took a deep breath. "Okay, my story is finished. Now you understand me too. We're even."

Making friends required mutual understanding. They were getting to know each other.

After Zhu Ning finished this story, the room fell silent again. After a while, she heard rustling sounds. Then the fabric sofa sank on one side—someone sat beside her.

Zhu Ning couldn't see Lin Xiaofeng. From the shadow on the TV, there was only her alone on the sofa. Zhu Ning was sitting with a transparent person.

One had lost her parents and become an invisible transparent person.

One had lost her parents and crossed over to the Wasteland as a stranger.

They now had a common goal. Probably because they'd dealt with each other at the oceanarium before, and Zhu Ning had guided Lin Xiaofeng, she currently had no hostility toward her.

Zhu Ning: "From now on I'll talk to you as an adult, because you only have yourself now, just like I only have myself."

There was no more protection from Su Qingqing, and no one would coax her to sleep anymore. Lin Xiaofeng had to face this.

Zhu Ning: "Bao Ruiming isn't dead. He uploaded his consciousness and escaped long ago. I can't find his whereabouts. There's very likely an organization behind him. You alone can't fight against it."

Zhu Ning felt the rustling beside her grow louder. Children found it hard to hide their emotions.

Zhu Ning continued: "I don't know what he's doing all this for. At first I thought he wanted to cultivate you, but he clearly had no such intention. I guess Bao Ruiming just sacrificed you to lure the Sanitation Center, to divert attention from other matters."

Quite cruel, but what Zhu Ning guessed was very likely the truth. Lin Xiaofeng was just a sacrifice. She didn't even have extra value—used and then discarded.

Rustle rustle—

The movement beside her from Lin Xiaofeng grew louder.

"Stay rational, Lin Xiaofeng." Zhu Ning looked at the TV screen. The sofa reflected in it was already distorted. Lin Xiaofeng had gripped the sofa tightly. With her abilities, she could instantly crush this thing.

"I'll find a way to locate the cloud where he uploaded his consciousness. I'll help you kill him. I can definitely do it. But these things have conditions." Zhu Ning said very calmly.

Lin Xiaofeng's rustling stopped.

"You can think of me as a very nasty adult. I value your abilities. I need to form a team. I hope you'll become my team member. You may face life-threatening danger in these missions."

These words were very nasty, equivalent to making a ten-year-old girl work for Zhu Ning. But this was the Wasteland. Except for X-Class Citizens, everyone had to find ways to survive. Lin Xiaofeng was no exception. In this damn world, children had to face the same cruel life as adults.

Zhu Ning: "Correspondingly, I'll provide you with protection and help. You can rely on me appropriately."

The sofa sank deeply in a large area. It seemed Lin Xiaofeng was still very tense. Zhu Ning didn't expect to make a little girl understand instantly. She'd said everything she needed to say today.

Her understanding of Lin Xiaofeng was very limited. For example, she didn't know whether Lin Xiaofeng was currently a Contaminant or human. Zhu Ning looked at the depression in the sofa, barely finding Lin Xiaofeng's position, talking to a transparent person was a bit awkward.

"You can think about it. You can answer anytime. You can also refuse. Just tell me in whatever way is comfortable for you."

If Lin Xiaofeng didn't want to speak, she could type or write to tell Zhu Ning.

"There are two rooms total, both the same size. I chose for myself. I'll live on the right, you live on the left? Any objections?" Zhu Ning still couldn't hear an answer. She looked like she was talking to herself alone in the room.

Getting no answer, Zhu Ning stood up and walked into the right room. "Good night."

After just a moment, the sound of showering came from inside. She really had a big heart—together with a transparent person with tremendous strength, yet not afraid at all.

After Zhu Ning left, Lin Xiaofeng's hand gripping the sofa cushion slowly loosened. She sat there alone in a daze.

She couldn't see herself in the TV's reflection. She couldn't see herself in mirrors either. She'd become completely transparent.

The basement safe house had no wind and no other light. This place was like a cage.

Lin Xiaofeng breathed deeply. Stay rational. She kept repeating these four words.

...

Zhu Ning lay in bed.

Song Zhizhang's sedative was very effective. She was already sleepy as soon as she lay down. She didn't think about Ms. Zhu anymore. Her mind relaxed for a moment.

Suddenly, the bedroom door made a creak. The wooden door was pushed open a crack, but there was no human form. A transparent person had come in.

Lin Xiaofeng circled to Zhu Ning's back, standing quietly like a ghost. Zhu Ning could feel Lin Xiaofeng's gaze. She didn't turn around or move. Her body was somewhat tense. She couldn't be sure what Lin Xiaofeng was thinking now.

After all, Lin Xiaofeng was a B-Level contamination zone's Source of Contamination. If Lin Xiaofeng insisted on attacking, Zhu Ning could only contain her in the card again.

After a while, a little girl's voice came from behind, timid: "Can I sleep with you?"

Zhu Ning's body relaxed. "Yes."

She felt her bed sink—someone had gotten on the bed.

Lin Xiaofeng hugged Zhu Ning's waist. Seeing Zhu Ning had no intention of struggling, she buried her forehead in Zhu Ning's shoulder, nestling against her like a small beast.

Zhu Ning heard the heartbeat from behind, very clear. That was a human heartbeat.

---

Author's Note:

Revision: As pointed out in comments, cardiology doesn't do surgery—cardiac surgery does. Sorry for not checking the information carefully when writing. I've changed Zhu Yao's identity setting to chief cardiac surgeon.

I hope everyone has a strong heart. I hope everyone can be happy—super happy!

The book Ms. Zhu read was Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye." He hoped to be a catcher in the rye, to protect children and keep them from contamination.

Here's a passage from the original:

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around—nobody big, I mean—except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be."

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