The sounds from outside receded once more, but the small figure still dared not emerge from the closet.
He bit his lip tightly, preventing himself from making even a sound.
Just a little longer, and the monsters outside would leave, and he could come out to eat something.
There was still some rice in the kitchen. As long as those monsters were gone, he could find something to eat.
His parents had turned into monsters to protect him, telling him not to come out. To protect himself. But he was truly at his limit.
He missed his parents so much, missed his friends, and even missed school.
He used to dislike school, with no appeal to him except for the snacks outside.
But now, he truly missed his old life, missed his teachers and classmates, and even the dean of students who always had a stern face.
Tears trickled down his face, and he quickly wiped them away. He couldn't cry, he couldn't.
He was all alone now; he couldn't be so weak.
"Knock, knock, knock." Three knocks on the door interrupted the young boy's thoughts.
He thought it was his hallucination and held his breath. But then more knocks followed.
"Who?" he asked, immediately covering his mouth. He shouldn't make noise.
He thought he had made a loud sound, but his voice was faint from disuse.
"Is anyone there? Little one, are you awake?"
The voice from outside was one he hadn't heard in a long time – a human voice.
"Are you... are you alive?" he mustered up his courage to ask.
"Are you awake? Do you have any food?"
"Are you really alive?" He opened the closet door a crack, peeking out.
"I am. Don't worry. Is this your home? I've closed the outer door, and those monsters can't get in."
"Are you here to save me?" He opened the crack wider.
"If you want to, you can come with me to a new place."
He slowly opened the closet and stepped out. His legs felt stiff from being in the closet for too long, but he didn't care and ran straight to the door.
"Are there really no more monsters outside?" he asked cautiously, peeking from behind the door.
"Yes, I've locked the outer door. You can move freely within this small courtyard. Do you have any food here? Do you need me to get you some?"
The voice from outside was gentle, much like his favorite Chinese teacher. That teacher was an intern and only taught for one semester, but they all liked her very much.
"I'm new to this town. You don't need to be afraid. I'll help you."
"Aren't you afraid of those monsters?"
"I've awakened my abilities and can deal with them. You probably don't have much food left at home. I'll leave some food here. I have to go to the next house."
As he spoke, he heard the rustling of a plastic bag.
"I'm leaving now. You can come out and get the food later."
"Wait!" He heard footsteps leaving and quickly called out. He hadn't heard another person in so long.
"What is it?"
"I... I want to go with you."
As the door opened, a child of about eleven or twelve years old peeked out from behind it.
The moment he peeked out, he saw a beautiful and kind-looking young woman. She smiled when she saw him.
At that moment, he felt as if he were looking at an angel!
Lin Yan had visited almost every house with survivors that day, but not everyone was willing to leave with her. After all, she looked like just a young girl, and many adults didn't trust her.
However, she left food and water for all of them, which she had collected from small supermarkets and convenience stores along the way.
These people hadn't left their homes and had almost run out of food. If Lin Yan hadn't come, they would likely have ventured out in a few days.
But for these children, there was no such option. Unless there was a blood relation, adults wouldn't be willing to take them along.
Logically, there should have been more survivors in this town, but for some reason, fewer than a hundred remained.
However, after Lin Yan visited everyone, she understood. Many of the remaining survivors were children, or adults with burdens.
Guided by the system, Lin Yan found a community of resettlement housing. These were all two-story buildings, connected to each other. By blocking the roads on both sides, all the houses in between would be safe.
Lin Yan used her abilities to transform the iron gate into a two-meter-high iron fence, wedging it firmly into the walls on both sides.
She pulled hard on the fence and, finding it very stable, moved to the other side and did the same.
This row had ten houses. The system had already scouted them before they arrived, and there were no zombies here, as everyone had either left or turned into zombies.
This area was also quite secluded, not on the main road, so no zombies were attracted. Therefore, Lin Yan didn't need to clear anything.
"Host, if this is sealed, how do you get in and out?" The system was confused as Lin Yan had blocked both roads without leaving an entrance.
"Getting in and out is still very convenient," Lin Yan said, walking to the fence. She grasped one of the bars, twisted it gently, and lifted it upwards. The bar was raised.
The gap between two bars merged into one, large enough for an adult to pass through sideways.
"I saw this operation in high school. Isn't it very convenient? Zombies would absolutely not use such a method. It will be very convenient for those children to come and go.
As for me, I don't need to go through here either." Lin Yan reconfirmed the fence's stability, then extended the iron bars on both sides into the walls.
The system was surprised by Lin Yan's idea, but even more surprised by her control over her abilities.
After all, their host had only awakened her abilities last night!
And it thought the fence was a single piece, but it turned out to be detachable. The host's control was too precise!
Lin Yan inspected every house. Although the system had already scouted them, she checked them again. She needed to have a thorough understanding of the supplies in these houses so that she could better allocate them.
All ten houses were two stories, with the same layout. They were all furnished and equipped with appliances.
Because they were resettlement houses in a rural area, each household had a considerable amount of food. Some houses even had vegetables planted in their small yards.
Some even grew vegetables on their rooftops, but the recent scorching sun had dried them out.