Could you please provide the text you would like me to translate?

Three months after the apocalypse, some of the zombies began to evolve. In the death zones such as City A, due to the high density of zombies, there were many second-tier zombies, and some were on the verge of evolving into third-tier ones. For someone like Ye Yin, hunting second- and third-tier zombies was not difficult, but dealing with a large group at that level was quite a challenge. In the past, when she went out at night to collect supplies, she liked to clear out all the nearby zombies before leisurely gathering what she needed. Now, she made a point to avoid zombie hordes, putting supplies as her top priority—taking what she could quietly and leaving as fast as possible.

Of course, she still needed to keep collecting crystal cores. Since the zombies in the death zones were too dangerous to provoke, Ye Yin set her sights on the less densely infested areas within City W, no longer limiting herself to the surroundings of her own home. After all, a second-tier crystal core was much more powerful and valuable than a first-tier one; whenever she had the chance, she had to try to get her hands on them.

Because of Ye Yin, there were very few zombies left in the area around Evergreen Street. Some survivors noticed this, and gradually they all gathered on this street. To their delight, while there was still no electricity here, there were ways to get water. Many of the residents maintained rural habits, storing plenty of rice and other grains at home, not to mention those who ran small grocery stores and had all sorts of daily necessities.

The original residents had either died or fled; those now living on Evergreen Street were almost all from elsewhere. These people formed a fixed little community. The strong and brave men would team up to search for food nearby, while the women did laundry, cooked, and cared for the elderly and children. Some even set up a makeshift barricade at the end of the street, serving as a rough defense.

The sturdiest house on Evergreen Street belonged to Ye Yin. Many people had wanted to move in, but with most of their tools broken, the doors and windows wouldn’t budge—the place was just too solid.

The farm folk always rose and went to bed early. As darkness fell, they climbed into bed to save electricity. Ye Yin had headed to a small city near City A at half past seven, but things didn’t go smoothly. Less than an hour later, over thirty late-stage second-tier zombies appeared, forcing her to hurry back to Evergreen Street, planning to hunt some second-tier zombies instead.

Aunt Pan’s house was close to Ye Yin’s. Normally, when Aunt Pan did laundry or cooked on the balcony, Ye Yin could hear everything clearly. Now, with her heightened senses as a late-stage shaman, she could even hear the two children in the next room talking while staying inside her own house.

“Brother, I’m hungry,” the little girl’s voice was very weak.

“Hang in there. We’ll have food tomorrow,” the boy replied, not sounding much better himself.

“Is it still the bitter vegetable porridge? I want bread.”

“We’re lucky to have porridge at all. Did you forget how Little Fatty starved to death?”

“But it’s only a small bowl of porridge every day. My stomach hurts so much. The lady who cooks always gives me just watery soup but gives her own kids lots of rice and vegetables.”

The older brother seemed to fall silent for a moment.

“She’s not doing it on purpose; maybe she didn’t see clearly.”

“I’m just scared that you and I will starve to death…”

“Don’t be afraid. If we die, we’ll see Mom and Dad again.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

The voices grew fainter, either from sleepiness or sheer exhaustion. Ye Yin turned into a moth and flew next door. There, in Aunt Pan and Uncle Pan’s bedroom, she saw five children sleeping—three on the big bed and two on what looked like a cot brought from elsewhere, who were probably the siblings she’d just overheard.

The oldest of the children looked about thirteen or fourteen, the youngest was just a toddler; who knew how they’d all ended up together.

The next day, a very peculiar young man arrived on Evergreen Street. Riding a motorcycle and carrying a large bag, he walked straight to Ye Yin’s house, took out a key to unlock the door, and entered, closing the door heavily behind him.

Some of the women who’d been watching wanted to question him, but seeing he had a key, they felt a little awkward and quietly dispersed.

When Dong Guojun, the leader of the little group, returned with his men, his wife Liu Meili rushed to tell him the news: the original owner of the house they wanted most had come back!

Dong Guojun was extremely surprised and quickly asked for details. From his wife’s description, the guy didn’t look the least bit disheveled. Could it be…?

A glint flashed in his eyes: was this yet another person who had awakened an ability?

Dong Guojun had been a Chinese teacher at a high school, usually cowed by both his superiors and his wife, bullied even by students. When the apocalypse broke out, he happened to awaken his own “strength” ability and could chop off zombie heads as easily as slicing tofu. His entire family and neighbors had only escaped their building’s zombie siege thanks to him, surviving by fleeing to Evergreen Street.

After that, he changed completely. No longer meek and timid, he became arrogant and domineering, feeling like the local emperor of the street—no one dared defy him. Old Man Lü’s house had a well, so without hesitation, Dong Guojun moved his family into the best house, and anyone who wanted to borrow water had to get his family’s approval.

Since they operated collectively, lunch was prepared and eaten together every day. Dong Guojun had originally wanted his wife to cook, so he could control the food supply, but Liu Meili’s cooking was terrible—no one could eat it. In the end, he gave the job to Zhao Dong, the wife of his most sycophantic follower, Dong Wenwu.

Zhao Dong, like her husband, was slick and knew exactly whom to flatter. She was a good cook, so that was settled.

The more Dong Guojun thought, the more restless he became. He hid a sharp knife in his clothes, brought two trusted men, and went to knock on Ye Yin’s door. After a while, the young man inside finally came to open it, still chewing something.

Naturally, this young man was Ye Yin in disguise. She’d created a new identity for herself not just for those pitiful children, but more importantly to keep an ear out for any news about the base. Judging from the current situation, these people might survive until the base was established; they might even form a certain power or network. For her own future plans, she thought it wise to probe a bit.

“Are you the owner of this house?” asked Dong Guojun.

Ye Yin replied ambiguously, “Where do you think I got the key?”

“Ahem, we meant nothing by it, just asking,” Dong Guojun said, a little put out but unwilling to make trouble before knowing her strength. “Would you mind if we came in to talk?”

Ye Yin didn’t hesitate and let the three of them inside.

She’d just cooked herself a lunch and hadn’t even eaten yet. The aroma drew Dong Guojun’s attention immediately. The moment his eyes landed on the table, he swallowed hard.

There was a large plate of spaghetti topped with fragrant meat sauce, two plump red sausages on the side, and, most tempting of all, an open can of luncheon meat…

Ye Yin didn’t ask if they’d eaten. “What do you want?” she asked directly.

The three of them tore their eyes from the table with difficulty. Dong Guojun forced a smile. “Heh, it’s rare to eat so well these days. You’re pretty capable, young man.”

Ye Yin just made a noncommittal sound.

“So, how did you get back here?” he asked.

“Rode my motorcycle,” Ye Yin replied.

“No, I mean, how did you survive out there so long?”

“Just lucky, I guess,” Ye Yin said. “My relatives are farmers, so there was plenty of food. Lately, it’s running short. I didn’t want to keep eating for free, so I gritted my teeth and came back. Luckily, there weren’t too many zombies on the road, and I had enough fuel, so I made it back without too much trouble.”

Dong Guojun relaxed. So, this wasn’t some big shot—just a simpleton.

“I see. Well, nowadays it’s hard to survive alone. Why don’t you team up with us? We can go out together for supplies, eat together, and my wife can wash your clothes. Your house is big—how about letting my family move in too? That way, we can look out for each other. Did you bring a lot of food back with you?”

“No,” Ye Yin refused flatly. “I don’t like living crammed in with others.”

Dong Guojun’s face fell, and one of his men snapped, “Our boss is offering you a chance out of kindness—don’t be ungrateful! Without him, how long do you think you’ll last? When you run out of supplies, you’ll be on your knees begging to join us!”

“We’ll see about that,” Ye Yin replied coolly, refusing to take the bait.

Dong Guojun was so furious his nostrils flared. He sneered a few times, then stormed out with his men. Ye Yin went to the door to watch them leave, about to close it when she noticed the children next door peeking at her, fingers in their mouths.

“What are you looking at? Have you eaten?” she asked.

The children froze, then shook their heads vigorously.

“Well, come in and eat, then.”

Starving children could eat impressive amounts, on par with adults. Ye Yin cooked two large bags of frozen dumplings, steamed a box of ten custard buns, and made a pot of noodles—only then did she manage to fill the bellies of the five little hungry wolves.

“Big brother, you’re so good! Burp—I haven’t had anything this tasty in ages.”

“The buns are delicious.”

Ye Yin’s own portion didn’t survive; she split the can of luncheon meat among them, gave up a sausage—cut into five pieces for them—and could only sit on the side, twirling spaghetti with her fork, feeling rather lonely.

She’d always thought the farm kids were pretty pitiful, rarely seeing meat, but compared to these children, those little rascals were truly lucky—they could eat their fill every day and had parents to protect them.

From another perspective, these children were also fortunate—they’d met Ye Yin. In many unknown corners, countless children had already died, or were slowly dying in even more tragic ways.

When Dong Guojun got home, he was furious. He’d always had things go his way and had never been treated like this before. If it weren’t for that young man’s key, he’d have dealt with him on the spot.

When Liu Meili heard about Ye Yin’s lavish lunch, she was even more impatient than her husband. “If he’s eating like that, he must have a stash at home. Just look at our kids—how they’ve been starving these days. And you call yourself so capable?”

Dong Guojun snapped impatiently, “We can’t go far, and we’ve already raided all the nearby places. If you’re so capable, go find supplies yourself!”

Liu Meili wasn’t offended at all. She smiled sweetly and leaned in to whisper a plan in Dong Guojun’s ear.

After she finished, Dong Guojun nodded.

Author’s Note: Ever since I started writing this post-apocalyptic story, I, a true foodie, have cherished food even more! Today’s lunch had carrots, which I usually don’t eat, but I finished them all, and the plate was spotless. Everyone, please remember to save food whenever you can! (≧▽≦)/~