Chapter 43: The Old Man and the Dog

Baiyu's cold would probably take a few days to get better.

And it just so happened that these few days were rainy and pouring.

It was okay at first, but it got colder afterwards.

In such cold weather, having some hot cooked food would undoubtedly be the best.

Therefore, relying solely on bread and dry rations from her bag to get by, White Baiyin wasn't very fond of it.

"I'm going out for a bit, you stay home with Blackie.

Don't open the door for anyone, and don't make too much noise to attract others!"

White Baiyin was putting on the rain boots she had just found, while instructing Baiyu on some precautions.

Baiyu, lying on the bed, was stroking Blackie in her arms, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Should... should I go with you? I can help!"

White Baiyin glanced at her, didn't give a direct answer, and just said:

"I'll take you to find B City, promise made, promise kept."

With that, he took the umbrella and left.

Soon after, there was a loud bang from the front door.

---

After White Baiyin left, Baiyu showed a relieved expression lying on the bed.

Then came a sweet smile, feeling lucky from the bottom of her heart.

Baiyu was afraid, afraid that White Baiyin would consider her a burden and abandon her.

That's why she was so eager to help, hoping to demonstrate her own value.

But undoubtedly, White Baiyin saw through this anxiety.

That's why he said those words.

Those words eased Baiyu's heart a little bit.

But only a little bit...

---

White Baiyin had the key to the villa's front door, which was found under the doormat.

So Baiyu didn't have to open the door for him.

Any knocking at the door would definitely be someone else.

---

White Baiyin went to the nearest department store.

He searched for a long time, but only found some candies and such.

Compared to those things, White Baiyin was more interested in finding noodles or rice.

After all, he didn't have any at hand.

---

On the third floor, White Baiyin found a large travel bag.

It had a hole in it, but it didn't affect his ability to pack things.

Rustling, he packed some spices and candies he had just found into the bag.

Then he continued to explore upstairs.

"Squeak..."

When passing through the corridor on the fourth floor, a mouse suddenly ran past from the front.

Three zombies followed behind, stretching out their hands to chase after it.

How should I put it?

There was a feeling that the stretching hands looked pitiful, like a dying person reaching out to touch something while lying in bed.

The three zombies soon chased after the mouse.

White Baiyin went in the opposite direction of their route.

If there were still mice here, it meant there was still food.

---

The road ahead was quite dark because there were no windows here, it was the central part of the department store.

After the power outage, it had been in darkness ever since.

Luckily, White Baiyin had brought a small flashlight with him.

He turned on the flashlight and walked straight into the darkness.

At the end of the darkness was a warehouse.

Above it was written "Warehouse Restricted Area, No Unauthorized Entry".

White Baiyin tried to twist the doorknob to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

The warehouse must have been locked from the outside, or locked from the inside.

White Baiyin took out a small lock-picking tool from his waist pouch.

Crouching down, he fiddled with it for a while, until he heard a click, and the door opened.

"Creak~"

He pushed open the door.

And what greeted him was a white world.

The warehouse had windows, and many of them, so it wasn't dark inside.

White Baiyin walked into the room without closing the door.

He was afraid that if he closed the door and then opened it again, there might be zombies passing by the entrance.

If he accidentally opened the door and the other party gave him a scare and swiped at him, it wouldn't be worth it.

---

The warehouse wasn't big.

White Baiyin wandered around inside and found that it was full of washing machines and such.

"Rustle..."

Just as he stood by the window looking at the scenery below.

He suddenly heard a very faint rustling sound from the corner of the warehouse.

"A rat?"

Curious, White Baiyin walked over.

In the end, he arrived at that corner.

And what he saw next was:

An old man in his seventies, holding a black mongrel dog in his arms.

The old man was thin and emaciated, with all white hair, like a skeleton.

The dog in his arms was even more pitiful, skin and bones, but still breathing.

But apart from moving its eyes and breathing, it couldn't do anything else.

The old man was still alive, and he didn't seem surprised when he saw White Baiyin.

He seemed like someone who knew his time was up, choosing to quietly die in this corner with his beloved dog.

"Kind sir..."

The old man spoke, his voice hoarse and weak.

He forced a smile that was uglier than crying.

His eyes were deep and seemed to see through everything.

"Could you spare us some food..."

White Baiyin took out a piece of candy from his pocket:

"Would you like this?"

"Yes, yes..."

The old man tremblingly took it, tore open the packaging, and put it to the dog's mouth, but the dog didn't react.

"Sigh..."

He could only sigh and then put it into his own mouth.

After that, a look of complete enjoyment appeared on his face, as if he were a drunkard tasting the most delicious wine in the world.

Throughout the whole process, neither side said a word.

White Baiyin didn't say much either, just turned around to leave.

"Wait a moment..."

But after walking only a few steps, the old man behind him called out to him.

White Baiyin turned back:

"Is there something else?"

"I have something here, can I exchange it for some food from your bag?

I want to give my dog a good meal before he dies..."

"That depends on what it is!"

"Good stuff, there's cigarettes, and there's also alcohol..."

The old man pointed to a nearby box, and sure enough, there was a backpack inside.

He took out the bag, unzipped it, and saw that it was filled with good cigarettes and alcohol.

"Can these things exchange for some food in your bag?"

The old man's face showed a pleading expression, his eyes full of supplication.

But White Baiyin's answer was somewhat cruel, just saying:

"Exchange is possible, but I don't have any food in my bag!"

"Oh... I see..."

The old man was very disappointed, smiled bitterly, and lowered his head, saying:

"Then you can have these things, anyway, I can't enjoy them anymore..."

"Thank you!"

White Baiyin squatted down, put the backpack into his travel bag.

After zipping it up and putting it in, he didn't stand up.

He just continued to squat on the ground, at the same height as the old man's eyes, and said:

"There's a shelter not far from here, do you know?

"Do you know!"

"Then do you know how much food you can get for these things there?"

"Well... I've heard of it..."

"

Then why don't you go there? While you still have the strength to gather so many cigarettes and alcohol."

To this question, the old man only showed a helpless smile, saying:

"I just don't want my dog to be eaten by others, that's why I'm not going."

"You can't even survive on your own, why bother about these things as a vagrant?"

"I'm a vagrant, but my dog isn't a stray dog."