Combing Hair

The convoy arrived at Wanda Plaza, near the center of A City, a familiar place to Ping Chengcheng, after six hours of travel.

This was where the girl had grown up.

The time had reached 5:00 PM.

All of the nearby zombies had been driven away by the neurotoxins.

Before the toxins dissipated, the area was unlikely to see any more zombies.

This location was only twenty or thirty kilometers away from the sewage treatment plant.

The girl on top of the Kamaz felt increasingly restless.

She wanted to find the medicine to suppress her transformation into a monster as soon as possible.

She had a premonition that if she didn’t suppress it soon, it would be too late!

Last night and today… the various events served as a constant reminder that time was running out.

Even now, her head still throbbed with pain, and faint voices seemed to murmur in her mind.

As dusk deepened, the convoy stopped in front of a large hotel, preparing to spend the night.

The team members quickly entered the hotel and sealed all the doors and windows to prevent being harmed by the toxins or experiencing hallucinations.

Because Ping Chengcheng was present, no zombies appeared outside to cause trouble.

Even if there were zombies locked inside the hotel, they were easily eliminated with a couple of shots.

Once everything was settled, it was 8:00 PM, and the sky was completely dark.

The team members chatted cheerfully in the hotel.

The operation was proving to be easy and enjoyable.

Although some minor incidents occurred today, their commander had effortlessly resolved them.

Until now, there had only been one death, which happened last night during the encounter with the Lurker when a member was ambushed.

The entire hotel was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Such a situation was truly rare in the apocalypse.

In their eyes, the convoy was no longer afraid of zombies, so what could stop them?

What dangers could they encounter?

Even if they encountered a Special Infected like the Tyrant, so what?

Wouldn’t their commander just casually take care of it?

There was absolutely no pressure!

Inside a clean, tidy suite with understated and luxurious decor…

Ping Chengcheng had just finished dinner and was sitting on a soft, pink, round stool in front of a vanity.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she looked at Song Ning standing behind her in the mirror.

The young woman had now exited biohazard mode, revealing her beautiful features.

“Sister, can you do my hair for me?”

The girl’s voice was soft, sounding incredibly gentle.

The dim, warm-toned ambient lights illuminated the bedroom, and the suite’s excellent soundproofing blocked out all the noise from the team members outside.

In the silence, Song Ning could hear the girl’s rhythmic breathing.

Before her, the small girl sat at the vanity, her little hands resting on her knees, like a diligent student listening attentively.

Song Ning took the comb from the vanity and gently stroked the girl’s dark hair.

“It’s a bit messy. You haven’t taken care of it properly these past few days.”

“Oh, right, Sister,” Ping Chengcheng said as if something had occurred to her, taking off a cherry-patterned hair tie from her wrist.

“Sister, how about you put it in a ponytail for me?”

The girl was a little curious about what she would look like like that.

She didn’t know how to do her hair at all; she had no idea how to style it in any way.

Song Ning reluctantly agreed.

As she combed the girl’s hair, she thought about Ping Chengcheng.

She noticed that Ping Chengcheng was looking excitedly at herself in the mirror, seemingly fascinated by the idea of having her hair tied up.

“Ping Chengcheng, what do you wish for?”

Song Ning found it a little suspicious.

Why was the girl so happy?

Was it because Song Ning was doing her hair, or something else?

Ping Chengcheng giggled, “Sister, I’m not very good at doing hair yet.

Can you teach me sometime, Sister?”

‘Not very good?’

Song Ning paused almost imperceptibly.

How could the girl not know how to do hair?

That’s impossible.

It’s impossible not to know how to do hair, especially something as simple as a ponytail.

Besides, Ping Chengcheng said she was 18…

Suspicious, too suspicious.

“Chengcheng, haven’t you ever learned?”

Hearing Song Ning’s question, Ping Chengcheng suddenly realized that what she had said was too easy to arouse suspicion.

She pretended that nothing was wrong, saying casually, “Oh, Sister, who says girls have to learn those things? Besides, I don’t usually like to tie up my hair.”

Song Ning hummed in acknowledgment, outwardly appearing to believe the girl’s explanation.

She carefully combed Ping Chengcheng’s hair and tied it into a short ponytail.

“How is it?” Song Ning asked with a smile, looking at the girl, who was standing in front of the mirror with a look of wonder on her face, admiring her own small face.

“Wow, Sister… it’s really good, it looks quite nice!”

The girl exclaimed, looking lively and adorable.

To get so excited just from getting her hair done?

Song Ning chuckled softly.

“Alright, it’s getting late, let’s get ready to sleep, Chengcheng.”

Outside the window, the dark night had enveloped the entire world.

The colorless and odorless neurotoxins still permeated the space outside the hotel.

Ping Chengcheng had overused her ability to create the toxins without regard for her stamina, so it would take at least ten hours for the external toxins to dissipate.

At 10:00 PM, in the dimly lit room, Song Ning’s eyes were closed, but she was not asleep.

She planned to wait for the girl to fall asleep and then go to the archives at Ruolan High School to see if there was a student named Ping Chengcheng in the class of 2022.

Suddenly, she felt Ping Chengcheng stir in her arms.

Song Ning was a little puzzled, but she remained in her original position, pretending to be asleep.

The girl gently crawled out of her embrace.

Ping Chengcheng quietly sat up on the soft bed, looking at Song Ning’s face in the dim light, a faint smile on her face.

‘Sister is very beautiful when she’s sleeping, too.’

The girl leaned over and gently kissed the young woman’s forehead.

She slowly got off the bed, went to the window, and nimbly climbed out, without making a sound.

After closing the window, the girl turned into a streak of black, rapidly heading off in one direction.

In the bedroom, Song Ning, who was pretending to be asleep, opened her eyes.

‘What is Ping Chengcheng up to?’

Should she follow her to take a look?

No, given Ping Chengcheng’s speed, she probably wouldn’t be able to find her now.

She frowned and sat up in bed.

‘I should go check the archives at Ruolan High School first. It’s close to here, maybe I can finish the investigation before Ping Chengcheng comes back.’

After putting on her exoskeleton, Song Ning went to the window, flipped out, and landed on a towering, dilapidated wall across from the hotel.

The night wind blew.

The slight chill made Song Ning unusually clear-headed.

She quickly headed south towards A City, lightly leaping and darting between the various tall buildings.

Intuition told her that what Ping Chengcheng had told her earlier was also false, but Song Ning needed to confirm it herself.

At the same time, a question swirled in her mind.

If what Ping Chengcheng said was all lies, then why did Ping Chengcheng know so much about her and Ping Yan?