Chapter 33 Her Dad is No Simple Man

No one in the vehicle?

There was no one in the vehicle!

A simple fact: zombies lack intelligence. Even if a zombie had accidentally opened the door, it certainly wouldn't have closed it again afterward.

Did someone else come by and open the car door?

Possible, there were many possibilities.

But Luo Xingyu's mother was not in the car.

Given the current situation, that was a good thing.

If it was certain that Luo Xingyu's mother had become a zombie, then it didn't matter where she was now—as long as Luo Xingyu didn't see her, it was a good thing.

There's a saying, "When alive, show the person; when dead, show the corpse." This saying makes sense, but it also depends on the timing.

At least for now, Gao Yuan believed it was better for Luo Xingyu not to see her mother.

Upon hearing Xiang Weiguo's words, Luo Xingyu froze, her voice trembling as she said, "No one? Then, the bodies...?"

"Uncle Xiang, are there any bodies? Hmm... wait a moment."

Gao Yuan got out of the car first, closing the door behind him before whispering, "Any remains or skeletons?"

"That's the thing, there are none, nothing at all. It's very strange. Let Xiaoyu come and see."

If Xiang Weiguo was suggesting that Luo Xingyu should come over, then there truly was something odd. Without hesitation, Gao Yuan opened the tricycle door and said, "Come down. Let's go over and take a look, but try not to get too excited."

How could she not be excited? And so Luo Xingyu ran all the way there.

"Is it this car?"

Luo Xingyu rushed to the car door, her trembling quite severe.

"It's this one, no mistake. It couldn't be wrong."

Xiang Weiguo pulled open the driver's side door, which opened easily.

"Come take a look, don't be afraid. There's nothing inside."

Luo Xingyu cautiously approached, and then she said in amazement, "How is this possible… could it be Uncle Li also got sick and left?"

A luxury five-seater SUV. Dark brown bloodstains were everywhere inside the cabin.

But there were no bodies in the cabin.

A cruel fact: those bitten by zombies would definitely turn into zombies. But the problem was many who were bitten didn't have the chance to be turned, because those bitten often had almost nothing left of them.

So at least there should be some bones in the car, but there weren't any.

Clearly, someone had cleaned up the vehicle.

Xiang Weiguo looked inside the car and then stood in front of Luo Xingyu, blocking her view before asking, "Tell me what's inside the car?"

"There are… water, yes. This car was mainly used by my mom, the trunk always had her shoes, there was a case of mineral water, and a case of instant noodles that Uncle Li had put in. We left in a hurry at that time, so there should also be my mom's handbag, her tote, and my backpack. I can't recall if there was anything else."

Xiang Weiguo went to the car's rear and opened the trunk.

Inside the trunk were a case and a half of mineral water and a case of instant noodles, as well as the usual things you'd find in a car's trunk, but Luo Xingyu's bags were missing.

Xiang Weiguo and Gao Yuan exchanged glances, Gao Yuan's face first showing surprise, but then quickly changing to delight.

Luo Xingyu said with a trembling voice, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Wanting to walk to the back, Luo Xingyu was held back by Gao Yuan, who then thought for a moment before saying, "Your mother's handbag isn't in the car, nor is your backpack, but the water and instant noodles are still here."

Luo Xingyu was still pondering the meaning of these words, but she had already realized something, and so her eyes widened abruptly.

Gao Yuan didn't want to play coy at this moment. He nodded and said, "Yes, if other survivors had searched this car, they would have taken the water and food, not a useless luxury bag, and they certainly wouldn't have taken your backpack unless those items meant something special to them, like… your father."

Luo Xingyu's mouth fell open, she seemed to have difficulty breathing, and Gao Yuan could only hold her, whispering, "Don't get too excited, this is good news. Relax a bit."

Xiang Weiguo still stood there, frowning in thought. Gao Yuan looked at him and asked, "Uncle Xiang, is there a problem?"

Xiang Weiguo suddenly bowed his head and said, "Let's search around properly. If I'm correct, it should be here."

Xiang Weiguo walked to the passenger side door, standing at the door, he first looked down and then, stepping back just two steps, bent over to pick up a shell casing.

Gao Yuan looked at Xiang Weiguo, who nodded his head. After hesitating a moment, he said, "Xiaoyu can know this. I'll just say it—this is a DBP87 type 5.8 mm cartridge case. The rifles that use this type of ammunition include the Type 95, Type 03, and Type 15, but it's definitely a military rifle. The presence of this shell casing means that military personnel have been here."

Gao Yuan and Luo Xingyu both nodded unconsciously. Xiang Weiguo then looked into the distance, pondered for a moment, and said, "Follow me."

Gao Yuan and Luo Xingyu followed Xiang Weiguo.

At this time, Luo Xingyu was in a state of great sorrow, joy, and extreme curiosity. Her mind was completely muddled, while Gao Yuan remained clear-headed. Thus, he asked Xiang Weiguo, "What else are we looking for?"

"I don't know, but there must be something. Too much time has passed, but based on the most basic human sentiments, ethics, and the ... methods of dealing after infection, I believe the person should be nearby."

Xiang Weiguo spoke very implicitly, he didn't say that Luo Xingyu's mother should be nearby; the deeper meaning was that the bodies processed after such events were close by.

So what was Xiang Weiguo looking for? According to the most traditional practices of the people of Shenzhou, it would be to look for a graveyard.

After turning a bend, in a sunlit area, there were two grave mounds.

The three of them stopped in their tracks, and Xiang Weiguo turned his head, speaking softly, "The feng shui here is good, facing the sun, back against the mountain, and ... it's just good. Xiaoyu, go take a look."

Luo Xingyu was grief-stricken, unable to speak. Gao Yuan supported her as they approached the two distant grave mounds.

The graves were mounds of earth, with two tombstones on top. They were not carved from stone or made of wood but were two car window shields.

The lower halves of the window shields were buried in the earth, the words written with a marker pen; one read Li Jun's Tomb, and the other He Jingyi Madam's Tomb.

Moreover, there were dates written below both window shield tombstones, October 24th.

Seeing the name He Jingyi, Luo Xingyu couldn't stand anymore. Clearly, that was her mother's grave.

Luo Xingyu collapsed in front of her mother's grave, then she lay on the mound, beginning to cry softly but painfully.

Gao Yuan wanted to offer comfort, but Xiang Weiguo stopped him, then he took off his military coat and handed it to Gao Yuan, saying, "Drape it over her, let her cry, let her cry out loud without worries, don't be afraid of attracting zombies, and, don't disturb her."

After Gao Yuan draped the coat over Luo Xingyu then stepped back, he looked at Xiang Weiguo and asked, "What have you discovered?"

Xiang Weiguo took a deep breath and said, "There are crushed bone fragments on the ground, from a skull. Recreating the scene at that time, someone must have opened the car door and, after her mother got out, shot her in the head. The splatter and fragments propelled backward onto the ground, a fatal shot."

"... That part we can overlook ..."

Xiang Weiguo continued in a low voice, "Shooting at close range, although the target was a zombie, you can tell the person was not panicking. Simply put, the shooter was very likely a soldier, and these people's mission was to search for and take care of Xiaoyu and her mother. Otherwise, they wouldn't have buried the bodies, especially not the troublesome task of dealing with the driver's remains."

"Was it her father?"

"No, not just her father. One person couldn't have done all this; at least three or more. Opening the car door, control, gunfire—this sequence requires at least three people."

Gao Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I just thought of something. If her father had erected the stone, it wouldn't read 'He Jingyi Madam' but rather 'Beloved Wife He Jingyi,' right?"

Xiang Weiguo nodded and replied, "You're starting to learn to use your brain to analyze. Yes, that's right, from this we can tell that her father wasn't among the people who came."

Luo Xingyu started to speak, her voice not loud, but Gao Yuan could hear her mentioning her own name. If he wasn't mistaken, Luo Xingyu was beginning to confide her experiences to her mother, telling her there was no need to worry because she was taken care of by Gao Yuan.

It was a heartbreaking scene, yet Gao Yuan began to envy Luo Xingyu.

Luo Xingyu's mother still had a grave and, moreover, her father was still alive.

Xiang Weiguo spoke softly, "Looking at the date, it was the fifteenth day after the disaster struck. Someone found this place, um, ended her mother's suffering, buried two people and erected the tombstones. The fifteenth day after the disaster surely wasn't stable times. At that time, there was a team of at least three or more here. Xiaoyu's father is no ordinary man."

Gao Yuan said in a low voice, "Her father is Stonegate's richest man."

Xiang Weiguo looked at Gao Yuan and stated, "I know, but even if he's a provincial richest man, could he command the army?"

"What if it wasn't the army?"

Xiang Weiguo thought for a moment and answered, "Not the army? In a world full of zombies, for what would you risk your life for a rich man, money? If not money? Could her father really cultivate a loyal force in such a short time? Considering Shenzhou's national conditions, is it possible?"

"Impossible! Yes, absolutely impossible."

Gao Yuan pursed his lips and said, "Which means, Xiaoyu's father is truly no simple man."

Xiang Weiguo frowned and said, "But that's not right either."

"What else is wrong?"

"According to military habits, since Xiaoyu's mother was found, and Xiaoyu wasn't in the car, that means Xiaoyu could possibly have survived. If their orders were to find them at all costs, then these soldiers should have looked around at least. At that time, Xiaoyu was staying in the villa. It seems like finding her would have been simple, not easy but definitely not too difficult, unless these soldiers didn't have time. That means they carried out a task along the way, not that they came here specifically to find Xiaoyu and her mother. Yes, that must be it."

You know the benefits of following a smart and experienced master familiar with the situation? It spares you trouble, saves your heart, and even under a premise shrouded in dense fog, he can quickly unravel the mystery and offer you a plausible explanation.

Just then, Luo Xingyu looked at Gao Yuan and said, "Gao Yuan, come here."

Gao Yuan approached Luo Xingyu, then he immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times, sincerely and without hesitation.

"Aunty, you can depart in peace. Xiaoyu is doing well now. I will take good care of her, and she will live on well."

Gao Yuan's words were from the heart, and at this time Luo Xingyu held his hand and whispered, "Mom, this is him, take a good look at him. And Uncle Xiang, where is he? Uncle Xiang is really awesome and a very good person, you have to bless us. If you are somewhere your illness must already be cured by now, I am also doing well now, so don't worry..."

Luo Xingyu babbled on, and Gao Yuan listened intently. He now knew that Luo Xingyu's heart demon should be dissipating. Yes, even though she had seen her mother's grave, it also allowed Luo Xingyu to let go. Her nightmare could be waking now.