Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 33 - 31: Liu Ye’ye is Sick

Chapter 33: Chapter 31: Liu Ye’ye is Sick

Day 10 of the apocalypse.

SPLASH~

A heavy rain began to fall over Yanhai City, accompanied by gusts of cool wind.

As usual, Zhou was up early. He cooked a pot of preserved egg and lean pork congee, griddled four batter pancakes, and served them with a side of pickled vegetables, dividing everything into four portions.

"Zhou, has anyone ever told you that you’re a fantastic cook?"

Yu Dong felt it tasted even more authentic than what you’d get at a breakfast shop. He never imagined he’d be eating this well during the apocalypse.

"Ha~ Cooking is actually just like a chemistry experiment. As long as you master the measurements, the order of mixing, and the heat, you can create a high-purity product."

"’Conducting an experiment is like cooking a delicate dish,’ huh? Interesting..."

"Hahaha~"

Yu Dong ate his breakfast, feeling quite content as he flipped through a copy of *A Friend to Dual-Use Military and Civilian Talent*.

Ironically, the apocalypse had given Yu Dong more time to read and think.

Especially on a rainy day like this one, the first since the apocalypse began.

Yu Dong didn’t feel like doing anything today. He just wanted to curl up and lie on the sofa.

Zhou Jian Country slurped his congee, a nostalgic look on his face as he gazed at the gloomy, gray sky outside.

"On days like this, the students used to love holing up in their dorms. The entire laboratory building would be empty except for a few of us chemistry teachers... No one asking questions, no phone calls. We’d just do our experiments together in peace and quiet. It was so relaxing."

Sometimes, teachers get tired of students constantly asking questions.

Especially a question that his very first student, from twenty years ago, had asked ten times.

Seeing Zhou looking nostalgic for his lab, Yu Dong could relate.

"Zhou, I wish I’d met you sooner. Like, a week before the apocalypse."

"I would’ve just been leaving Kyoto for Yanhai City then... If you had called out my name back then, you probably would have scared me to death."

"Oh? Because of... the yoga pants?"

"We were truly in love, but... she was my student, after all."

"Got it."

Yu Dong didn’t press the issue. Romantic relationships were a big deal in times of peace, but now... teamwork was more important.

Zhou was a good partner. Yu Dong was sure of that now.

So was Liu Ye’ye.

"Huh? How come Liu Ye’ye isn’t up yet... Zhou, did you call for her?"

"I just knocked on her door."

Yu Dong went and knocked on Liu Ye’ye’s door himself. "Get up. We still need to deliver food to Shen Xinyi."

There was no sound from inside.

Yu Dong’s brow furrowed. He quickened the pace of his knocking.

"Liu Ye’ye, what’s wrong?"

Still no sound. Yu Dong was starting to get anxious.

"Liu Ye’ye! Are you in there? Say something!"

Zhou put down his food and instinctively grabbed a spear, handing another one to Yu Dong.

Just as the two of them were about to break down the door, it opened.

Liu Ye’ye, wearing a set of teddy bear pajamas, emerged with sleepy eyes. She looked at the two men, who were poised as if facing a great enemy, and asked, confused:

"What’s going on? Did a zombie get in?"

Yu Dong breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was worried... Why didn’t you open the door for so long?"

"I think I have a fever. I don’t feel well, I have no energy..."

Yu Dong now noticed that Liu Ye’ye’s lips were pale and her complexion was terrible.

He touched her forehead. It was burning up.

"Here, sit over here."

"Zhou, the thermometer."

He helped the weak Liu Ye’ye to the sofa and took her temperature. It was already 40 degrees Celsius.

"Here, Ibuprofen!"

Zhou found a box of Ibuprofen and handed it over.

It was something almost every household had, and Yu Dong’s group had found a lot of it while scavenging.

Of course, Yu Dong had also stockpiled a large amount in his own home.

After giving the feverish Liu Ye’ye some medicine and having her drink a little congee, her complexion improved slightly.

Liu Ye’ye glanced at the time.

"It’s time to deliver food to Xinyi..."

But then she looked at the heavy rain outside:

"The rain is so heavy. The drone might lose control... Why don’t we wait for the rain to stop before we send it?"

"Yeah, no rush. Missing one meal won’t kill her. We have to protect the drone; it’s our most important tool. You get some rest. I’ll call you when the rain stops."

"Mhm~"

Liu Ye’ye shuffled back to her bedroom, collapsed onto her bed, and fell asleep.

Seeing that Liu Ye’ye’s condition wasn’t critical, Yu Dong and Zhou both went back to their books.

Except Yu Dong had swapped his book for a copy of the *Barefoot Doctor’s Manual*.

...

Building 3, Apartment 502.

Shen Xinyi, dressed in slim-fit jeans, sat by the window, peering at Building 1 through a pair of binoculars. Her delicate white feet swung back and forth, as exquisite and captivating as a pair of jade carvings.

The outfit perfectly accentuated her sexy curves.

After watching for a while, Shen Xinyi reluctantly lowered the binoculars.

The heavy rain was blurring her vision, making it hard to see clearly over there.

’With rain this heavy, their drone probably can’t fly. Looks like no breakfast for me this morning~’

’They won’t be able to see me, either...’

Shen Xinyi closed the curtains, took off her jeans, and changed into comfortable pajamas.

For the past few days, aside from receiving food deliveries, she had spent most of her time watching Building 1 through her binoculars.

When Yu Dong and the others were clearing out zombies, she would cheer them on from her window, which gave her a strong sense of involvement.

’Those three are so great. They’re so capable and kind.’

Especially the man in the combat gear. His movements were always so clean and decisive. Even from a building away, he seemed incredibly reliable.

She really envied Liu Ye’ye for finding such a great protector right from the start. She didn’t have to worry about food or drink, nor did she have to join in the dangerous fights. All she had to do was tag along behind Yu Dong and play with the drone every day.

’If only I were in Building 1, too...’

’Oh, right! Yu Dong said to remember to collect water when it rains!’

Shen Xinyi quickly gathered some containers and a rope made of bedsheets, setting them up outside her window to collect as much rainwater as she could.

But through the blurry downpour, she thought she saw figures moving downstairs.

Grabbing her binoculars, she saw several people emerge from the property management office and head toward her building, Building 3.

"Huh? Are those the survivors from the management office?"

Shen Xinyi’s heart leaped with joy. If those people could kill the zombies in the stairwell, she could get out and go find Yu Dong and the others in Building 1!

...

「A day passed.」

Liu Ye’ye’s fever would break after she took medicine, only to spike again. After it spiked, she’d take more medicine, and it would break again. This cycle repeated for the entire day, and she was still running a high fever.

She was starting to get delirious from the fever.

Yu Dong and Zhou paced anxiously in the living room.

Yu Dong had practically worn out his copy of the *Barefoot Doctor’s Manual*. He found several possible remedies for her condition, but they required medicines he hadn’t prepared.

He tried the folk remedies mentioned in the book, but they didn’t work either.

"This isn’t working. If this keeps up, something bad is going to happen to Liu Ye’ye. I have to try giving her some more antibiotics..."

Yu Dong had bought many different kinds of antibiotics, but he didn’t know which one Liu Ye’ye needed.

He could only try them one by one.

He had already tried Amoxicillin last night, with no effect at all.

He needed to try the next one, but he didn’t even know if antibiotics would work, or what was actually wrong with Liu Ye’ye...

Zhou could only worry helplessly from the sidelines. His field of chemistry wasn’t related to pharmaceutical R&D, so he was completely in the dark as well.

"If only we had a doctor to take a look at her..."

Hearing this, something clicked for Yu Dong. He looked toward Building 3.

The rain had gradually lessened, and his line of sight was much clearer.