Chapter 30: Perfect Revenge

At this moment, Dai Lan woke up. The first thing she said upon opening her eyes was, "Please, spare us this one time." Her voice was faint and weak.

Gu Pan looked at her and asked, "Then why didn't you spare us in our past life?"

Dai Lan's eyes struggled to stay open, but she forced herself to continue, "I was wrong, but my child knows nothing. My parents are old; they cannot survive without me."

Gu Pan replied, "In the eyes of the law, murderers are not spared the death penalty just because they have parents or children. You must bear the consequences of your own actions. Whatever happens to them is their own fate; they enjoyed comforts they didn't deserve in the past life anyway."

Dai Lan reached out to grab Gu Pan’s leg, pleading, "I was truly wrong, please, I beg you..."

Gu Pan kicked her hand away. "Do you really think I would believe your crocodile tears? If I let you go today, you would hire someone to kill us by tomorrow—or rather, by tonight. I know your nature too well. So, just go on your way."

Having said what needed to be said, Gu Pan thrust a knife into Dai Lan's neck. Because of her scarf, no blood sprayed out. Dai Lan tried to speak but could not; she died with her eyes wide open in resentment.

Zhuang Jie was so terrified he had wet himself. Because he was wearing many layers, the liquid didn't spill out but quickly froze against his legs. He felt as though he could no longer move his legs; the freezing sensation was like having his skin ripped off, and he screamed in pain.

Gu Pan looked over at him. "I honestly didn't expect you to love your wife so deeply. You’re in such agony over her death—then go and join her."

Lu Ruisheng twitched his nose, seeming to understand. He frowned, then with a swift motion, finished Zhuang Jie off as well. Leaving him to freeze would have taken too long, and for the sake of the past-life vendetta, he and his wife needed to settle the score themselves—one for each. Only then could they truly step into this apocalyptic "hell" together.

Afterward, there was no need to clean up; they simply dragged the two bodies into the snow to ensure no one scavenging for food at night would be frightened. They only killed those who deserved it and didn't want to implicate the innocent. They would find a time to burn them later to prevent them from becoming a source of disease when the weather warmed.

Once finished, the two retreated into their spatial dimension, changed their gloves, and sprayed their entire bodies with disinfectant. After drying off, they emerged, climbed onto their snowmobile, and continued their search for supplies.

There were very few vehicles on the road now. With temperatures below minus sixty degrees, ordinary cars were difficult to start; the season for antifreeze hadn't even arrived, and fuel tanks were frozen solid. Even if one managed to start a car by heating it with fire, it took a long time. Furthermore, only the main roads were passable; the side streets were buried in snow and had to be cleared manually, making them impossible for vehicles. Given that ninety percent of cars were buried in snow, most people chose to travel on foot. There were more routes available, and it was safer; if they encountered an enemy, they could hide in a snowbank to escape disaster.

***

On the road, Gu Pan felt somewhat surprised by how painfully Zhuang Jie had cried when Dai Lan died, so she said to Lu Ruisheng, "I really didn't expect Zhuang Jie to be so good to his wife. His pain when Dai Lan died didn't seem faked."

Lu Ruisheng hadn't intended to discuss this with his wife—it wasn't exactly a pleasant topic—but since she brought it up, he couldn't avoid it. "Zhuang Jie's pain wasn't because of Dai Lan's death."

Gu Pan was confused. Was there more to it? "Then why?"

Lu Ruisheng scratched his head. "Zhuang Jie wet himself. Because the temperature was so low, the urine froze almost instantly, causing frostbite on his legs. His skin and clothes were fused together; every time he moved, it was like tearing off his own flesh. How could he not be in pain?"

Gu Pan was stunned at first, then realized the truth, and finally laughed. "I overestimated Zhuang Jie."

The air was too cold for further conversation, so they fell silent and continued their search for supplies. They were in high spirits today; this hidden threat had been completely eliminated, and their search yielded great results—they even found weapons in an underground casino, which was quite unexpected.

Back home, the two enjoyed a feast to celebrate the resolution of their troubles.

Three days later, more people began coming out to search for supplies. The "golden period" had passed, and they had already obtained most of what they needed, so they no longer needed to go out alone. They started joining Chen Shaonan and his group, which kept others from suspecting they had any secrets.

Early in the morning, they knocked on the door across the hall, proposing to search for supplies together. Chen Shaonan was pleased and agreed, saying he would be ready shortly. He decided to bring Chen Lang along; in the apocalypse, it was necessary for him to see the reality of the world.

Just then, the occupant of 901 came down, mentioning that he had met Teacher Chen and Dr. Feng outside the previous day and had arranged to go together. He was delighted to hear that Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng would be joining them.

Soon, Chen Shaonan and Chen Lang emerged. They went downstairs to meet Feng Zhekai, and the group set off. As they walked, Gu Pan learned that the young man from 901 was named Cheng Yang. His family was in real estate, but he was rebellious and wanted to make his own way without relying on them. Now that he couldn't return, he was at least relieved that his parents still had his older sister. Gu Pan had known 901 was wealthy, but she hadn't realized he was *that* wealthy—the young master had simply been out trying to experience a commoner's life, only to end up truly destitute.

As they reached the entrance of the apartment complex, a woman blocked their path. At the sound of that delicate voice, Gu Pan immediately knew who it was. It was 902, the woman who had previously asked her for sanitary pads.

The woman’s voice was frail and pitiful. "Please take me with you to look for supplies. I’m just a girl; I’m scared to go out alone."

Among Gu Pan's group, she was the only woman, so she stepped forward and said to 902, "Our team consists only of our own people. We don't trust outsiders. You should look for someone else to team up with."

The woman from 902 whimpered, touching her eyes with her hand. "But, but I’m just a girl, I have no strength or skills. No one else will take me. Please, just take pity on me. I’ll just follow along and pick up whatever is left over."

At this, Cheng Yang looked at 902 in surprise. "Wait, are you crying? It's so cold, won't your tears freeze your eyes shut?"

Gu Pan suddenly realized that Cheng Yang had a bit of a comedic streak. She hadn't interacted with him much before, only in the group chat, but these two encounters revealed that the young man had a rather cheerful spirit.

She smiled and said to Cheng Yang, "Even if they don't freeze shut, they'll give her frostbite on her face, so she won't really cry. It’s just an act for those with soft hearts—or rather, for men. Women don't fall for this routine."

Cheng Yang gave a meaningful "Oh." "Sister, you’re an expert."

Lu Ruisheng smiled and said, "Let's not waste time, let's go."

The group ignored the "green tea" act from 902 and bypassed her as they set off. 902 watched them go, her eyes filled with malice.

Once they were out, Gu Pan asked Cheng Yang curiously, "Cheng Yang, you live next door to 902. Does she live alone?"

Cheng Yang replied, "Yeah. She's a mistress. I've seen her 'benefactor' come over many times. He’d stand at the door and tell his wife he was in a meeting, only to be inside with her. I was planning to sell my place because I found it disgusting to live next to a mistress, but then this happened. Now I'm stuck being her neighbor."

Gu Pan finally understood why Cheng Yang ignored her despite living right next door.

"I didn't realize you had such a strong sense of justice for someone so young, Cheng Yang," Gu Pan said with a smile.

Nearby, Chen Shaonan said to Chen Lang, "The world is no longer safe. Never trust people easily, especially delicate-looking women. Any woman who can survive in this environment certainly has her own tricks."