HSB Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Looking around the mini supermarket that still had many things left inside, Ivan was a little incredulous that the things in this supermarket hadn’t been taken.

Although most of the dates on the packaging had passed their expiration date, in this particular case, as long as it had not gone bad completely, it could still be consumed.

These things inside the supermarket were already a sizeable wealth.

“Grandpa found it,” Bambi said, bending down to the metal scrubber that had fallen onto the floor, standing on her tip-toes to put it back on the shelf.

This simple sentence made Ivan understand that it was precisely because there was this supermarket nearby—the food in it hadn’t been taken, and there was still a lot left—that Bambi’s grandpa would settle down here.

Even when he settled down, Bambi’s grandpa didn’t move all the food from the supermarket back home, in case someone came through, so they would be able to take some from the stash.

That was why when Bambi finished everything at home and was unable to bear the hunger, she finally plucked up the courage to go out to find something to eat and was able to find it right away—she knew where all the food was.

Ivan found some dried jelly ear fungus and vermicelli noodles, planning to combine them to make stir-fry vermicelli or something.

Bambi followed right behind him. If Ivan took something off the shelves, Bambi would study it with vivid interest.

There was a lot of canned luncheon meat on the shelves, and Ivan took a lot of it. This was a rare-to-find meat dish.

Bambi wanted to take some yesterday, but it would be useless to her since she couldn’t open it.

Bambi only took things she could eat.

Even opening bottled water required a ton of effort on her end.

“Minced meat vermicelli sounds good,” Ivan said, making Bambi’s eyes light up as she heard this.

Then Ivan noticed that the little girl was staring at the only bag of potato chips left on the upper shelf, her eyes longing.

Bambi thought that the mister and lady she met yesterday had taken the bag of potato chips, but it turned out they didn’t; the potato chips were still there—yesterday she wanted to take it, but she couldn’t reach it.

Bambi was overjoyed, but she didn’t immediately ask Ivan to get it for her.

She remembered when Grandpa used to take her to the supermarket to get something.

When Hugh decided to live here with Bambi, there were still many things in the small supermarket. Occasionally, after confirming that there was no danger, Hugh would take Bambi with him to the supermarket. The grandfather and granddaughter pair relished the joy of shopping around at the supermarket.

Little Bambi’s favorite thing to do at that time was to pick out snacks and then give Hugh her puppy eye look, waiting for Grandpa’s permission.

Although it had been five years since the apocalypse, the old man still carried some of the stubborn ideas before the apocalypse.

For example: potato chips were junk food—there were too many additives and it was not suitable for children to eat.

He would instill this “knowledge” in Bambi. Since they had enough supplies, there was no need for Bambi to eat more junk food.

If others knew that Hugh raised Bambi like this, they would roll their eyes and call him a psycho.

Who cared about this in the apocalypse? It was being way too nitpicky.

Therefore, little Bambi would ask Hugh’s opinion when choosing snacks. If Hugh didn’t agree, she didn’t beg either, only blinking her large doe-eyes and gazing up at Hugh.

How could Hugh remain stone-faced against those eyes? So over and over again, he ended up spoiling his granddaughter.

Originally, there were more than ten bags of potato chips left on the shelf, but in the end, only one bag remained; the rest were all in Bambi’s little belly.

Bambi’s favorite thing to do was to munch on potato chips at home. Hugh also used potato chips, instant noodles, and some flour to make flatbread for Bambi.

Even if it was junk food, Hugh would make tasty food for Bambi in all different kinds of ways. Of course, this didn’t affect his instillation in Bambi that these were all junk food.

One hand took the bag of potato chips off the shelf and tore them open. Tasting a piece first to make sure it hadn’t gone bad, Ivan then handed it to Bambi.

“Thank you, Mr. Ivan.” Bambi paused for a moment before taking it, her eyes bent into crescent moons as she smiled at Ivan.

Ivan’s big hand patted the little girl’s messy hair.

Without Hugh there to braid Bambi’s hair, Bambi always tied it crookedly.

Ivan found that though Bambi’s hair was messy, it wasn’t dirty. Even if the metabolism of a child was different from that of adults, if the hair wasn’t washed for a few days, it was inevitable that the hair would become dry.

But Bambi’s hair was clean and didn’t appear like it hadn’t been washed in a long time.

Without electricity, Bambi couldn’t boil water herself, so how did her hair stay clean?

Ivan asked curiously, “Bambi, did you wash your hair yourself?”

Bambi stuffed a piece of potato chip into her mouth, and the familiar taste of the snack made her miss her grandpa more and more, but Bambi didn’t show it as she nodded. “Grandpa used to wash it for me, and then I learned to do it myself.”

“You…how do you wash it?”

“It’s simple.” The little girl raised her chin, feeling a little proud of herself for being able to wash her hair. “Turn on the faucet, fill the basin with water, wet my hair, pour on some shampoo, knead until bubbles form and rinse it with water, and then dry it with a clean towel—and that’s how you do it!” Bambi seriously and meticulously listed the steps of washing her hair. “It’s just a little cold, but I’m used to it.”

The water was cold; even though it was summertime, the water was still cold.

She just gritted her teeth and then she got used to it.

Bambi had been forced to learn a lot of “bearing” and “adapting” in a short period.

“Grandpa taught Bambi to keep clean. If my hair is dirty, I can’t forget to wash my hair because Grandpa isn’t here.”

Ivan didn’t feel good inside. At the same time, he was glad that Bambi was a power user, and that her body was stronger than ordinary people. Otherwise, according to what she said, Ivan feared Bambi would have gotten sick long ago.

In the apocalypse, a simple cold could easily lead to death.

~*~

Taking the food back from the supermarket, Ivan made stir-fried pork with black fungus, minced meat vermicelli, vermicelli fungus soup, and a pot of white rice.

The ingredients were limited, but luckily, Ivan knew how to cook before the apocalypse. He was a decent cook. After the two dishes and one

fried meat with fungus, minced vermicelli, vermicelli fungus soup, plus a pot of white rice.

The ingredients were limited, but Ivan knew how to cook before the apocalypse, and the cooking skills were not bad. After the two dishes and one soup were ready, the fragrance wafting in the air made Bambi’s little stomach growl.

During this period, Ivan fed several pieces of luncheon meat to Bambi, and saw that she ate like a little hamster; Ivan was immensely satisfied from watching her eat

The little guy was so skinny she didn’t look like a five-year-old at all, thought Ivan.

By the time the dishes were finished and set on the table, it was already dark, and Bambi had already lit candles. For there to be enough light, Bambi lit a few more candles.

Bambi was a little upset. Usually, she only lit one for herself. One candle could last a long time.

Ivan could practically read Bambi’s thoughts on her face. He patted her head and comforted her, “You have me. We will look for more when we run out.”

Bambi was relieved and laughed joyously.

In Bambi’s heart, Mr. Ivan cooked food just as deliciously as Grandpa, so he must be as strong as Grandpa, so she didn’t have to worry about finding candles.

“We can eat now.” Ivan knew little Bambi was craving to eat.

Bambi pulled out an empty bowl. “For Grandpa.”

She didn’t forget what she said before—bringing the cooked meal to Grandpa.

Ivan was silent, knowing this was Bambi’s filial piety to her grandpa, but how could he explain to Bambi that the act of delivering the food itself was dangerous?

In any case, apart from everything else, even if the meal was sent over, ordinary human food was useless to zombies. Zombies won’t eat it. What zombies needed to eat was flesh and blood—fresh flesh and blood.

~*~

“Mr. Ivan?” Bambi was very clever. She thought of Ivan’s cautious steps down the stairs and immediately understood, obediently saying, “You don’t have to be afraid. Yesterday I brought water and food to Grandpa. We just have to put the food at the top and Grandpa will take it when he’s hungry.”

Listening to the little girl’s innocent words. Ivan sighed secretly, spurning his timidity in his heart. Even if Bambi’s grandpa was a high-level zombie, there was still that metal wall.

“Grab some more meat for Grandpa.” Ivan took the empty bowl from Bambi and pressed the food down under Bambi’s sparkling eyes, forming a tower of food.

Bambi held the candleholder while Ivan carried the bowl. The pair of large and small figures walked into the corridor, surrounded by silence with only the dim light emitted by the candle.

Ivan tried to ignore the terrifying aura that shook his soul and listen carefully to movements upstairs, but there was no sound.

The short flight up the stairs seemed to be like walking on a knife edge for Ivan, but Bambi wasn’t affected at all.

If she were alone, she would probably be a little afraid, but now that there was another person by her side along with Winnie, she wasn’t afraid at all.

She wanted to take the bowl up herself, but Ivan was worried that she would fall if she lost balance.

Besides, how could he watch little Bambi deliver it all by herself?

The bowl brimming with food was just the perfect size to fit into the small hole.

The sound of footsteps suddenly rustled. Such a sound was amplified in the quiet space. Ivan’s scalp tingled when he heard this sound.

Without having time to think of anything else, when the terrifying pounding rang in his ears, Ivan picked up Bambi and returned to their room in a rush.

Even when the door was closed, the sound of impact outside could still be heard, but after a while, the sound disappeared.

Sensing Bambi’s profound silence as he calmed his pounding heart, Ivan hastily added, “Okay, we brought Grandpa his dinner, so now we should eat.”

“Uh-huh.” Bambi nodded fiercely. The candleholder she was holding had already extinguished, so Ivan didn’t see the little girl quietly wipe her eyes.

Children’s feelings came and went quickly. The pair sat in their chairs and enjoyed the rare and hearty meal.

Bambi ate two bowls and only stopped eating when her stomach was full and content. The rest was swept away by Ivan.

Maybe because it was so good, both of them forgot about the existence of the big red apple.

After dinner, Ivan went inside Hugh’s bedroom and took out the metal box full of crystals, and offered them to Bambi, telling her sternly, “Bambi, you have to take good care of this thing. You can’t show it to anyone, do you understand?”

Puzzled, Bambi picked out a wind-type crystal by the light of the candle and said, “Mr. Ivan, don’t you need these cyan stones?”

Ivan didn’t know how to explain it to Bambi. Of course, he needed crystals of the same type as him. Not only could it be used for cultivation, currently, the crystals were circulating as currency in the apocalypse. As for the currency before the apocalypse, it has long become a useless wad of paper.

But these belonged to Bambi. He was a normal man with hands and feet of his own. Even though he was deeply tempered by this huge amount of wealth, he couldn’t take it for granted.

Otherwise, how was he any different than Miles?

“Bambi,” Ivan said, “You know what these stones are, right?”

Bambi nodded.

“These stones are very precious. You can’t just take them out and give them to others. They are yours. You have to keep them safe.”

Bambi didn’t quite understand, but she was an obedient child. Since Ivan told her to keep it safe, Bambi put the lid on the box.

When Mr. Ivan asks for it, she’ll give them to him then—thought Bambi.

seemed to understand, but she was always obedient, and Ivan told her to keep it, so she put the lid on the box.

That night, with Ivan’s help, Bambi finally took a fragrant hot bath.

Ivan boiled a kettle of hot water for Bambi and poured it into a large basin. After arranging everything and making sure the bathroom was bright enough by placing three candles in the bathroom—even if it wasn’t as bright as day, there was no problem seeing.

“Bambi, if there are any problems, call me.” Naturally, Ivan wouldn’t bath Bambi, so he exited the bathroom and closed the door.

Thinking back to Bambi’s absolute joy when she saw the hot water, Ivan felt his heart ache more and more.

Ivan sat down on the couch and began to make plans.

The base was a must-go.

Thinking of Miles, a cold killing intent flashed in Ivan’s eyes. Ivan wasn’t a saint; Miles treated him vilely. Since Ivan survived, it wouldn’t be like him if he didn’t take revenge.

Bambi saved him. He owed her a great deal. Ivan couldn’t leave the little girl here all alone. He had to take Bambi with him to the base.

The only problem was that…

Ivan frowned. Once Bambi’s identity as a psychic-type power user was exposed, when she arrived at the base, the higher-ups of the base would take her away.

To consolidate their strength, major bases would recruit strong people from outside, and would also train special power users to work for the base.

Bambi might be well-taken care of, but more than likely, they’ll force her to train to explore her infinite potential, and they even might…Ivan pushed away these thoughts.

He then remembered the high-level zombie upstairs that was once Bambi’s grandpa. From Bambi’s mouth, Ivan learned she didn’t know where the base was, which meant Bambi’s grandpa never took Bambi to live at the base.

From this, Ivan assumed, Bambi’s grandpa didn’t want Bambi to go to the base, in hopes of hiding Bambi’s special powers.

This was for Bambi’s own good.

If Ivan didn’t take Bambi with him, she would continue to live here alone, but knowing how the little girl lived, how could Ivan bear to let her continue living here all alone?

Even if he ended up taking Bambi with him, he was just a C-class power user. The base had countless powerful people. How could he protect Bambi?

Yet, he must go to the base.

Ivan rubbed his brows, torn on what to do.

“Mr. Ivan, I’m done.” The bathroom door opened, and Bambi, who was holding her teddy bear, came out. Ivan immediately pushed away those thoughts and led the little girl into her bedroom. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw the little girl obediently get into bed.

“Do you want to keep the candle lit?”

Bambi shook her head and yawned sleepily. Ivan said nothing more, blew out the candle, and walked out of the bedroom.

“Good night, Mr. Ivan.” Behind him came the soft and sweet voice of the little girl.

“Good night, Bambi,” Ivan said softly.

He had decided: that when he recovered from his injuries, he would take Bambi with him; maybe his strength would not be able to protect her for long, but at least he would protect her with his life.

It was better than letting her live alone in this cold house at such a young age.

When the door closed, in the darkness, Bambi pressed her face against her teddy bear and whispered, “Winnie, Mr. Ivan is a good person.”

“…”

Julius, who took the time out of his day to log into the game, heard his baby girl’s evaluation of Ivan, glared at his –45 intimacy, and drowned in frustration.

One was a good person while one was a bad guy—the sharp and apparent contrast between the two.

Baby, aren’t you too biased?

At this moment, a prompt from the System suddenly popped up on the screen: [Attention! A Level 3 undead beast appeared outside Bambi’s bedroom window! Hazard Index: 3 stars!]

“Undead beast? What is that?”

[Zombified beast.]

“？”

You let a beast harass my baby girl!