After eating and drinking their fill, everyone returned to their "homes" to rest. The sense of happiness and contentment was palpable. Although the farm was safe, we still assigned four men to take shifts on guard duty in the security room by the main gate. The rest of the people slept soundly, finally at ease.
The night passed without incident! For the first time, I slept so deeply that I didn't even dream.
When dawn broke, I opened my eyes feeling calm and refreshed. It was incredibly rejuvenating!
Outside, it was quiet. Heh, everyone finally feels safe enough to sleep in.Sleep well, my family, my companions. You've endured so much fear and hardship along the way.
I glanced at my husband, Jianan—he was already awake, stretching lazily. Ha, he's up too.
"It's only 7. Want to sleep more? If not, come take a walk with me!" Seeing I was awake, Jianan pulled me out of bed.
I'd been thinking the same thing. I'd visited the farm twice before—once years ago with Jianan and once for our wedding—but my mindset then was entirely different. Back then, I was just sightseeing; now, I needed to understand this place deeply.
The compound was quiet. At the main gate, we found De Yi and Chen Hao on duty. I felt a surge of emotion—Lao Deng's team hadn't been with us long, yet they volunteered for every task, never shirking danger. True SWAT professionalism!
"De Yi, Chen Hao, go back to your rooms and sleep! It's broad daylight, and the farm is safe. No need for daytime shifts! You look exhausted!" I said,my heart aching. These young men had been up half the night, their faces ashen.
"Sis Duo, it's fine! We only took over after 2 a.m.—we slept well earlier! We don't need much sleep. During training, we got by on four hours a night. Our bodies can handle it—we're tough!" Chen Hao thumped his chest proudly. De Yi grinned beside him, equally unfazed.
"Come on, this isn't the SWAT team. Our enemies are scarier than anything you've faced, but this isn't a drill. Don't push yourselves too hard! Rest when you need to, understand?" I insisted, noting the bloodshot eyes behind their bravado.
Just then, Lao Deng's voice came from behind us. "Heh, without my orders, even a knife to their throats wouldn't make them abandon their posts."
"Captain! All quiet from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m.! No suspicious activity!" The two young SWAT officers snapped a salute and reported crisply.
Such discipline! How are they trained?I was both impressed and amazed. Despite the chaos, their professionalism never wavered. That's the "special" in SWAT—ordinary folks would've crumbled.
Lao Deng nodded. "Good. You're dismissed. Breakfast at 8:30—no sleeping in. Eat first."
"Yes, sir!" The two straightened their backs, saluted again, and returned to their rooms.
I stared at Lao Deng. He's kind of ruthless!"Hey, Comrade Lao Deng, those two were up half the night. At least let them sleep in before eating! Why such a rigid schedule?"
Lao Deng chuckled. "Comrade Duo, you don't understand. Keeping them on a regular meal schedule protects their stomachs. As SWAT, mission timings are unpredictable. As their captain, I try to keep their meals regular. Otherwise, they'll develop stomach issues young—and that's hard to cure. I don't want them ending up like me, doubled over in pain! As for sleep, they're young—five or six hours is enough."
"Did you assign their shift last night?" Okay, meals over sleep—I get it!
"Yeah, I had Cheng Sheng, Le Nan, and Zhi Qiang on the first shift. Those two took the second half. Most of our group are civilians—guard duty should be left to us SWAT."
Cheng Sheng and Le Nan were the sturdy lads who'd helped Lao Deng lure the zombies in Anji City.
"Don't underestimate us civilians! We protected the elders and children all the way to Anji City!" I protested, detecting a hint of condescension.
"Not underestimating you! I truly admire you—surviving this world to get here is incredible. Our six might not have managed it. But we're trained, and it's our duty to do more now. Not arrogance—responsibility, Comrade Duo!" Lao Deng spoke earnestly before turning to leave.
Sigh…Watching his burly figure, I was moved again…
"Let's go." Jianan led me onto the farm's clean streets.
Even in normal times, the city couldn't compare to the farm—let alone now, with streets littered with garbage and abandoned cars. A visual nightmare!
But these clean little roads lifted my spirits!
The neat绿化带 (green belts) on either side looked slightly overgrown—the farm's gardeners clearly had no time for landscaping. But the habit of never littering kept the streets spotless.
As we walked past rows of quiet houses, I took a deep breath of fresh air, scented with earth and grass. So soothing!
Up ahead, about twenty people approached, armed—the farm's patrol team!
We walked toward them. Their leader was a burly man, 183 cm tall, carrying a massive bow, a quiver of arrows, and a two-meter-long iron pipe with a sharp tip.
His gear is fascinating!We were instantly intrigued.
"You're the ones who arrived yesterday?" His voice was deep and magnetic.
"Yes, just out for a walk. I'm Jianan, this is my wife Duo. And you are?" Jianan, though born and raised here, didn't recognize him.
"I'm Ghost. I've heard of you—Third Brother's classmate, right?" So this towering man was Ghost! The legend who escaped Anji City with his two-year-old daughter!
"So you're Ghost! Third Brother said you were the only one to make it back from Anji! We're in awe! Got time to talk?" Jianan was excited, and so was I. We wanted to hear his story.
Ghost sent his team ahead on patrol and stayed to chat.
"Can you tell us what you saw that day? And how you escaped that madness with a little girl?" I blurted out—can't help it, they call me Curious Duo…
"I'd love to hear about your journey too! That day was a Sunday. I'd taken Qiqi to Anji City to buy art supplies for my students—I'm the art teacher at Peach Spring Farm Elementary." He introduced himself (though Third Brother had already told us).
"But just inside the northern gate, I saw people running wild. Then some started pouncing on others—like corpses exploding to life! They bit and ate people alive!" He paused, as if reliving the horror.
We listened silently.
"I'm a horror movie buff—I'd seen zombies in foreign films, so I realized immediately: This is really happening!No time to gawk—I turned the car around and fled, almost getting swarmed by a zombie! Luckily, I'd just entered the city. Before the chaos spread, I sped off. Back at the farm, I warned everyone, but they didn't believe me—especially the elders. How would they know about zombies? They don't watch foreign horror films! They'd believe in 'corpse explosions,' but these weren't dead people—how could they 'explode' en masse?"
"I was frantic! I worried the zombie virus might be airborne—if so, the farm was doomed. If chaos broke out, my Qiqi wouldn't be safe! So I took her home, prepared supplies, and watched from the windows."
"Thankfully, after hours of observation, no one on the farm turned. I ventured out and found all signals dead—no contact with the outside. Then everyone believed me."
"Once they faced reality, things got organized. They elected Third Brother as temporary leader. He assigned tasks well—defense, labor, care for the elderly and children."
Ghost exhaled. "For over six months, not one zombie's shown up. I'm relieved but almost disappointed—I prepared so much, but never got to test it. Is that wrong? Others struggle to find safety, and I'm complaining it's toosafe."
I pointed to his large bow. "Ghost, did you make this yourself? You've got skills! We have a sharpshooter in our team—you two would hit it off!"
I meant Second Brother, though he's only interested in shadowing Shuai Shuai.
Ghost proudly touched his bow, then raised the pointed iron pipe. "Not just bows—short spears, slingshots, shields… I can make any cold weapon! My family comes from a long line of weapon smiths. The skill is passed down only to male heirs, and we're trained to use what we make. Useless in modern society, but now it's paying off! Against zombies, the right cold weapon can be deadly. Frankly, many are more efficient than knives—and keep you from getting bitten in close combat."
So his "iron pipe" was a short spear! On closer look, it was a pipe with a welded spearhead. Simple but lethal—aim at a zombie's skull, thrust forward, and pop—silence! With over two meters of reach, zombie gore wouldn't even splash on you, let alone bite you!
All we'd ever used were long and short knives—no one ever thought of making spears from pipes. This Ghost was a true talent!