Chen Xiaofei spent some time coaxing the siblings before finally calming them down. Then, with a clawed hand, he picked up one in each arm and carried them down.

Their parents had been unusually foresighted. Knowing that something might happen to them, they had stockpiled a large amount of food for the siblings and locked them upstairs to keep them safe.

The older brother had been taking care of his three-year-old sister for over two months. He had even learned how to observe his surroundings and would use a clothes-drying pole to pick loquats from the tree outside when there were fewer mutated animals around.

Their food supply was nearly depleted, which was why the boy had been so anxious when Chen Xiaofei and Xu Duoduo were picking loquats earlier.

Qin Luo stuffed the little zombie into the car and then carefully placed the siblings inside as well.

Zhou Siqi quickly took the siblings to the back seat, awkwardly trying to comfort them.

"Don't cry, little ones. You've already done so well. You're so young, yet you managed to take care of your sister. That's amazing. Don't worry, once we get to the base, everything will be better."

She wasn't lying.

The fact that the siblings had survived until now was a stroke of incredible luck. Once they reached the base, they'd finally be able to live in relative safety. The base even had a specialized childcare center for kids like them.

That’s right.

In the apocalypse, orphanages weren’t called orphanages anymore. Children who had lost their parents or guardians were collectively raised by the base. They called it a childcare center.

Wang Weihu also chimed in to comfort them. "Exactly. You're an amazing big brother—so strong and responsible. Look at how well you've taken care of your sister."

Although the siblings had no parents to look after them, they were both clean and tidy.

The younger sister, being so small, wasn’t crying or fussing. She simply curled up in her brother’s arms, her gaze still bright and innocent. When she heard Wang Weihu praise her brother, she echoed, "Big brother is great!"

Then she turned to her brother and asked for their parents, pointing toward their house and saying "Mom and Dad," indicating that they hadn't come back yet.

Cheng Cheng hugged his little sister tightly. "Mom and Dad went ahead. We'll see them in a few days, okay?"

The little girl believed him immediately. She obediently wiped her brother’s tears, trying to comfort him.

Zhou Siqi felt a lump in her throat as she watched. She reached out and gently patted the siblings’ heads.

The little zombie, observing this scene, rummaged around and pulled out a box of milk tablets, handing it to the siblings.

Cheng Cheng swallowed hard before taking it and whispered, "Thank you, sister."

Qin Luo noticed the three-year-old girl still staring longingly at her house, so he pulled out a tablet and took a photo of it. He tapped the screen and said, "Hey, look over here. I’ve taken a picture of your house. When we get to the base, we can print it out for you as a keepsake, alright? Now, say goodbye to your home. Once we’re at the base, don’t dwell on it anymore."

People needed to look forward.

Cheng Cheng couldn’t hold back his tears again. After wiping them away, he looked at his house one last time and silently said goodbye to his parents in his heart. Then, he nodded earnestly. "Thank you, big brother."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Qin Luo nodded approvingly. Meanwhile, Chen Xiaofei returned from his scouting trip, flapping his wings. "Qin-ge, I checked the area. No other survivors, just zombies inside."

"Take care of them," Qin Luo said simply.

It was better to let the zombies rest in peace.

He then gestured for Chen Xiaofei to take a break. "Let’s move further ahead. There are a few more mutated fruit trees over there. You two gather the fruit while we search for any other survivors."

The team agreed without hesitation.

Xu Duoduo noticed that the big brother was likely hungry too. She handed him a rice ball and then rummaged through her multi-dimensional cube space, pulling out some baby formula she had found in a maternity store. She quickly mixed a bottle for the little sister, using the hot and cool water she had on hand.

Cheng Cheng watched the beautiful sister conjure items from thin air, his eyes wide with amazement. While wolfing down his food, he mumbled, "Are you guys… magicians?"

Besides, the rice ball was so delicious!

He nearly cried at the taste—it had been so long since he’d had a proper meal.

His little sister, drooling at the sight of the food, was fed a bite by her brother. That’s when they realized that even a three-year-old could eat some regular food. They learned something new!

Xu Duoduo then pulled out a small bottle of porridge, which Zhou Siqi took and used to feed the little girl.

After a flurry of activity, the siblings were finally fed and content.

Bai Shu found some educational videos made by the base specifically for children. Since many young kids had no idea what was happening in this apocalyptic world, the base had created animated videos to help them understand their new reality.

The unknown was the scariest thing.

At least the kids in the base, though confused, had some grasp of the situation.

Cheng Cheng, being ten years old, had no trouble understanding. If not for his overwhelming fear, he wouldn’t have cried at all. He was, at heart, a tough little guy.

After watching the video, he quickly grasped the basics of this new world. He was both amazed and intrigued. "It’s like magic!"

It really did feel like something out of a cartoon.

Kids and younger people were indeed quicker to adapt to this strange new world.

Even the elderly had to relearn and adapt to new knowledge, much like children. The only silver lining was that due to the effects of the polluted environment, everyone’s genes had undergone some degree of mutation. Surprisingly, some elderly people even experienced rejuvenation, with their bodily functions gradually recovering and their lifespans significantly extended.

The downside, however, was that the fertility rate among ability users was extremely low. Ordinary people still had relatively normal rates, but this was an issue for the future.

For now, the team’s priority was rescue missions and gathering supplies to sustain the base’s large population of survivors.

The question of humanity’s continuation and the base's development would come later.

When the vehicle reached a mutated pear tree, Chen Xiaofei and Xu Duoduo eagerly jumped out to pick fruit again. Qin Luo remained on high alert, dealing with mutated frogs as they appeared.

Meanwhile, Bai Shu went off to search for more survivors.

After eating their fill, the little sister fell asleep peacefully, while the older brother, Cheng Cheng, began pointing out locations of fruit trees to Wang Weihu. "There’s a row of loquat trees up ahead. A lot of people here liked planting fruit trees in front of their houses."

This area indeed had an abundance of mutated fruit trees, and Chen Xiaofei and Xu Duoduo were soon harvesting to their hearts’ content.

The mutated fruits were unbelievably delicious, though it was best not to think too much about what nutrients they were absorbing.

This region was mostly populated by small mutated animals rather than zombies. The animals often fought and killed each other, leaving corpses that served as fertilizer for the trees.

As for other details… it was better not to dwell on them.

After clearing out the fruit in this area, Bai Shu used his flying squirrel mutation core to mimic and scout the surroundings but found no additional survivors. The siblings were truly fortunate.

When Chen Xiaofei, Xu Duoduo, and Bai Shu returned, the siblings were fast asleep. The team got back into the vehicle, closed the sunroof, and prepared to rest.

Wang Weihu checked the nearby mission board and saw that other combat teams had already taken on tasks in the area. Their team had been out for quite some time and needed to head back to the base to recuperate.

After all, staying on high alert outside made it impossible to rest properly.

Qin Luo nodded after hearing this. "Alright, let’s head back. We’ll keep an eye out for survivors on the way. If we don’t find anyone, we’ll go straight to the base. Everyone needs to recharge."

No one objected.

Every battle drained them physically and mentally. Without a proper rest back at the base, they wouldn’t last long.

The 3A Special Operations Team was strong enough to handle multiple missions in one outing, but even they needed to retreat eventually. Other teams, like the Cheetah Team and the White Dove Team, were often shocked by how long 3A could stay out in the field without returning.

"Let’s go home!" someone cheered.