Apocalypse: After Being Reborn, I Stocked Up on All Supplies-Chapter 107 - The Scarred Woman

Chapter 107: Chapter 107 The Scarred Woman

Zhang Xiumei’s words were resounding and passionate.

Like a lighthouse in the darkness, they instantly reignited belief and hope in those who had already fallen into despair.

The inhabitants of the building listened with their blood boiling and their emotions surging.

As soon as her speech ended, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.

In the eyes of many, there was light.

And for many, the words brought tears to their eyes.

...

This might well have been the most stirring moment since the onset of the high temperatures.

Several warriors on the cruise ship had already assisted the staff in lowering the gangway.

The several staff members who were previously standing next to Zhang Xiumei divided into groups and were the first to descend the gangway.

They would be responsible for answering questions at the glass windows of each building’s corridor and conducting preliminary verification of people’s identification cards and special “Skill” inquiries and the like.

Behind each group of staff was an armed warrior, providing a strong deterrent presence.

Soon, those who met the requirements began boarding the ship one after another.

Because identities had to be verified and it was pouring rain, the process wasn’t particularly fast.

Half an hour passed, and the warriors on the ship retracted the gangway.

The first and second decks of the ship were filled with people, and now the third deck was also crowded.

They were drenched by the rain as if they had fallen into a soup, but each face was filled with joy and excitement, similar to hitting a lottery jackpot.

In stark contrast were those who had almost made it onto the ship, each showing a face full of disappointment.

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Although Zhang Xiumei had said that they would return later to pick up more people, many still felt uneasy in their hearts.

“Wuu wuu wuu!” The sound of the ship’s whistle indicated that it was about to set sail.

Large waves started to form in the water as the cruise ship, filled with the hopes and dreams of many, slowly backed away from the central garden of the residential complex.

Jiang Yan pulled herself out of her thoughts and laid down the telescope.

*

Noon, 11:30 AM, came quickly.

Jiang Yan had a simple lunch, then picked out her oldest clothes to wear, put on a mask, shouldered a simple backpack, and left her apartment.

According to what Zhang Xiumei had announced earlier, around 12 o’clock, the second ship for evacuation would arrive.

The people responsible for identity verification and answering questions at the entrance of each building only had a regular loudspeaker, which wasn’t very loud.

Jiang Yan couldn’t make out the announcements clearly from the 32nd floor, so she wanted to head down to a closer floor a little earlier to indirectly glean some information.

To see if she could catch any useful details.

Since someone moved into 3203 last night, the door had been tightly shut.

The light in the corridor seemed much dimmer.

The fire door was not locked.

Jiang Yan guessed that someone must have gone downstairs.

She took out a flashlight from her bag and began descending the stairs.

As she reached the platform at the corner of the 32nd floor, she saw a woman gasping for breath as she climbed up from the lower levels, her hands clutching a plastic bag full of items.

The items probably weren’t heavy, but climbing stairs was no easy task.

The woman paused in her steps and gaze upon seeing Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan also recognized her.

It was the young pregnant woman who had moved into 3203 last night.

Her name seemed to be Wen Wanli.

She felt a bit puzzled; the corridor was pitch black, and though one’s eyes would gradually adapt to the darkness, it was easy to stumble while walking inside.

Especially since she had a plastic bag in front of her, completely obstructing her view.

She was likely in the early stages of pregnancy, the most dangerous time.

A slight misstep could mean losing the child.

Jiang Yan wondered how that man, Wang Jin, could rest easy letting his wife venture out like this.

Yesterday, during the move, it seemed like she had been carrying a lot of stuff on her.

Jiang Yan also heard that when her mother was pregnant with her, even on the verge of giving birth, she was still working overtime, sorting packages and wrapping large goods.

But nowadays, people’s bodies seemed a bit less resilient than before.

While thinking this, Jiang Yan’s flashlight instinctively illuminated the steps in front of Wen Wanli.

The light swept over the woman’s forearms, protecting the plastic bag.

Jiang Yan couldn’t help but inhale sharply.

Wen Wanli’s hands bore scars.

Many, many disconcerting scars.

They looked like the kind that would have been left behind by knife cuts.

They didn’t seem self-inflicted, which would usually be on the wrists.

Cuts on the backs of the hands appeared more like markers of deep-seated resentment or hatred.

There were fresh ones and old ones.

One of them had just scabbed over with a dark red crust, and it looked painful even to glance at.

Some scars were from cigarette burns.

Again, there were fresh ones and old ones.

Jiang Yan gazed at those two hands, not knowing what she had been through, only feeling the bridge of her nose beginning to sting.

It abruptly brought back her horrendous experiences in the basement from her previous life.

After her rebirth, she had always deliberately sealed away that period of her past.

But now, the memory was torn open.

In her previous life, after Song Deming had cut one of her hands, the other had been treated similarly.

Almost identical.

Not only from knife wounds but also from cigarette burns, and more.

She vividly remembered that just before she died, in the profound cold, Zhang Qiqi and Song Deming madly entered with a pair of tongs holding a red-hot piece of charcoal.

They blamed their being trapped on the mountain villa, with mud and snow covering the exterior and no government rescue because of her and her mother.

They said if it really came down to it, if they ran out of food, they’d roast Jiang Yan.

But not knowing how she would taste, they decided to char part of her first.

Actually, Jiang Yan knew it was because one day when Zhang Qiqi wasn’t attentive, Song Deming tried to assault her.

No sooner had his hands reached her than he was caught red-handed by Zhang Qiqi.

Song Deming’s bestial act was unsuccessful, but Zhang Qiqi, who was already jealous and mentally disturbed, blamed everything on Jiang Yan.

She insulted her as shameless and unseemly, marking the grudge against her.

To this day, Jiang Yan could clearly recall the sizzling sound as the glowing coals touched her skin and the pungent smell of her skin and hair burning.

And that excruciating pain was something she would never forget.

That was why she sealed away the memory, trying not to think about it.

But unexpectedly, it was evoked today.

Just reminiscing for a few seconds made Jiang Yan unconsciously break out in a cold sweat.

Additionally, Jiang Yan noticed a certain indescribable odor of bodily fluid coming from Wen Wanli.

That smell could either be from a man.

Or from the scent of the leaves of a plant called ball-flowered heather.

Given the situation, it was clearly the former.

“Are you Jiang Yan from 3201?” Wen Wanli saw Jiang Yan staring at her scar-riddled arms and, feeling self-conscious, pulled down her sleeves to cover them.

Jiang Yan silently took a breath, withdrew her gaze and thoughts, and nodded with an “Mhm.”

“We moved up here from downstairs last night and are living in 3203. You don’t mind, right?”

Wen Wanli looked at Jiang Yan with flickering eyes, asking cautiously.