Chapter One Hundred and Ten: Never Forget That We Have Always Been Enemies

秦笙 gave a faint smile and shook her head. “Who knows?”

Perhaps noticing that Qin Sheng had no intention of paying Zhang Dong any mind, Wang Qiang was tactful enough not to bring him up again.

The two of them talked for quite a while, ranging from the heavens to the earth, from workouts to meals.

Before long, they had become fairly familiar with one another.

Little Fatty was also a talkative sort. Seeing that Qin Sheng and Wang Qiang got along well, he soon joined their conversation as well.

By contrast, after setting up his own tent, Shen Shi sat quietly across from Qin Sheng without saying a word, listening in silence as Qin Sheng chatted with Wang Qiang and the others.

Noticing the silent youth seated before Qin Sheng, Wang Qiang politely asked her, “Do you two already know each other?”

Qin Sheng realized he was asking about her and Shen Shi.

She glanced at Shen Shi; just then, Shen Shi lifted his head too. Their eyes met, and Qin Sheng seemed to glimpse a trace of expectation in his gaze.

Was he actually hoping for her answer?

Qin Sheng truly could not make sense of what Shen Shi meant.

Still, they did know each other in a sense. They were not close, but they had met several times before, so she honestly answered Wang Qiang’s question.

“Yes, but we’re not familiar.”

The moment Qin Sheng said she knew Shen Shi, the youth, who had been looking down, suddenly raised his head. There seemed to be a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but in the next instant it dimmed again.

Qin Sheng, however, did not notice Shen Shi.

“Hello, I’m Wang Qiang, and this is Little Fatty.” Wang Qiang politely extended his hand to Shen Shi and introduced himself with a smile.

Shen Shi nodded, but did not take Wang Qiang’s hand. He merely replied coolly, “Shen Shi.”

Wang Qiang withdrew his hand and shrugged, none the wiser.

With Shen Shi acting so cold, Wang Qiang had not really expected him to shake hands anyway, but he would still have made the gesture.

Qin Sheng naturally noticed that Shen Shi’s arrival had gradually made the atmosphere awkward.

She coughed lightly and stood, saying to the others, “I’m going to find some firewood for tonight.”

With that, Qin Sheng found an excuse and left.

After she was gone, the atmosphere became even more awkward.

Shen Shi sat there like a block of wood, motionless and unbothered by the world. He did not interfere with their conversation, but having such a silent wooden figure beside them, like a surveillance camera, was still somewhat unnatural.

“Uh, Brother Qiang, I’m going to tidy up my things for a bit. You two talk.” After only a few more words, Little Fatty found an excuse and slipped away as well.

Wang Qiang shook his head helplessly and glanced at Shen Shi, who still said nothing, then let out a troubled sigh.

He had always been a talkative person; being forced not to speak was truly uncomfortable for him.

After a long while, Wang Qiang could no longer hold back and started talking again.

“Shen Shi, did you know Qin Sheng before you came to the safety zone?” Wang Qiang did not really have much in common with Shen Shi; the only thing they shared might have been knowing Qin Sheng.

So he asked directly about Qin Sheng.

Moreover, from what he had observed, Shen Shi seemed interested only in matters concerning Qin Sheng. Just now, while they had been chatting, Shen Shi would only lift his head to look at Qin Sheng whenever she spoke.

The moment Qin Sheng fell silent, he would lower his head again and retreat into his own world.

Sure enough, just as Wang Qiang had guessed, Shen Shi was especially interested in anything related to Qin Sheng.

“No.”

His voice was indifferent, but at last the youth had spoken, and Wang Qiang did not feel the conversation had become too dead.

Wang Qiang smiled. “So you met after arriving at the safety zone then. Shen Shi, I watched your second match. That kick was really impressive!”

Who at the arena had not noticed Shen Shi and Qin Sheng, the two who won with scarcely any effort?

Wang Qiang truly could not help admiring them.

Only a quiet “Mm” came from Shen Shi.

Wang Qiang swallowed and for a moment did not know what else to say.

“Well, I’m going to see how Little Fatty’s getting on with packing up. If you’re free, you can go help Qin Sheng. It’s not exactly safe for a girl to be alone.” Wang Qiang left Shen Shi with that one sentence and hurried off.

Shen Shi sat where he was in a daze for a few seconds, then rose from the ground and followed in the direction Qin Sheng had taken.

After he had gone only a few steps from the camp, Shen Shi stopped and glanced over his shoulder. His expression remained as composed as ever. Then he stood and continued toward the depths of the woods.

Once Shen Shi stopped, Zhang Dong, who had followed him out, quickly ducked into the bushes.

Earlier, he had noticed Qin Sheng walking this way, and before long Shen Shi had followed after her. There had to be something suspicious between them.

Without thinking, Zhang Dong had decisively trailed them.

Of course Shen Shi knew someone was following him, but he could not be bothered to care. The person’s target was obviously not him, and if not him, then there was only one possibility.

Qin Sheng.

It was not long before Shen Shi saw Qin Sheng ahead. Her petite figure had a Tang-style saber strapped across her back at some point.

Shen Shi’s attention was instantly drawn to the blade.

It was exquisitely crafted, clearly no ordinary object. Since Qin Sheng had brought it into the zombie forest, it was certainly more than a collector’s piece. Perhaps it had already tasted blood.

Shen Shi’s steady breathing became rarefied and slightly quicker.

A sharp whoosh cut the air, and the Tang saber he could not help admiring suddenly flashed before his face. Shen Shi frowned and sidestepped the swift attack.

When Shen Shi landed, the young girl who had just been standing where she was had already appeared before him. The Tang saber, which could claim a life if handled carelessly, was now held securely in her hand.

Of course Qin Sheng knew the one who had come was Shen Shi, so she had thrown the saber without the slightest hesitation.

As expected, Shen Shi had dodged exactly as she anticipated.

His skill was no ordinary matter. When she hurled the saber just now, she had put force behind it; its speed would have been impossible for most people to evade, yet Shen Shi reacted and moved aside at once, without the slightest sign of surprise.

It seemed he had indeed held back during the arena match.

“What are you following me for?” Qin Sheng slid the Tang saber back into the scabbard behind her, folded her arms, and lifted her chin at Shen Shi with an expression of breezy, unrestrained ease.

A light breeze brushed the girl’s cheek, revealing the mole at the center of her brow and making her all the more striking.

Shen Shi steadied himself, then answered flatly, “Wang Qiang was worried it wasn’t safe for you to be alone.”

Qin Sheng raised an eyebrow. She was not surprised by Shen Shi’s answer; what surprised her was that he would actually listen to Wang Qiang and come looking for her.

That was not like the Shen Shi she knew.

It felt as though something had changed after the second arena match. He seemed to be under some kind of restraint now, no longer as casual or as free to do as he pleased as before.

“Is that so? Don’t forget, the two of us might be enemies.”

Qin Sheng’s smile remained faint as she carefully watched Shen Shi’s expression.

He froze slightly and pressed his lips together, but before the words reached his mouth, the sound of the saber slicing through the air cut them off.

“Could also be…”

“Who’s there!”

Qin Sheng noticed movement in the bushes and swiftly hurled the saber. It struck and pinned itself firmly into a tree stump, while the branches and leaves of the bush trembled, shedding a scattering of dead leaves.

“It’s me, it’s me…”

A trembling figure emerged from the bushes: Zhang Dong, who had followed Shen Shi here.

Qin Sheng arched a brow and looked at Shen Shi, as though asking whether he had really failed to notice Zhang Dong tailing them.

Shen Shi’s expression remained cold and detached, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Clearly, he did not take Zhang Dong’s presence seriously at all.

Qin Sheng understood the meaning well enough and could only shake her head helplessly. She strode forward, pulled the saber free from the tree stump, and returned it to its scabbard.

Zhang Dong had been watching Qin Sheng all along. When he saw the saber behind her back, he could not help shivering.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to slap himself twice. If he had known Qin Sheng carried such a huge saber with her, he would never have entertained any of those wild ideas.

“What are you following us for?” Qin Sheng asked Zhang Dong, who was still regretting his life choices in silence.

Realizing Qin Sheng was speaking to him, Zhang Dong clenched his fists nervously, looking exactly like a wolf with its tail tucked between its legs. “I was just curious, so I followed to take a look... I didn’t expect to disturb the two of you...”

Qin Sheng nodded lightly, then bent to gather the usable branches she had found and turned to leave with the saber on her back.

“I’ll help you, I’ll help you, Sister Qin Sheng...” Zhang Dong said as he stepped forward and took the branches from Qin Sheng’s arms.

Qin Sheng brushed the dust from her clothes. Seeing Zhang Dong clutch the branches tightly, she gave an exasperated smile and allowed it.

For all his faults, Zhang Dong was certainly strong.

“Let’s go.”

Qin Sheng had nothing to say to Shen Shi anyway. Just as the three of them started toward the camp, they heard the furious roar of zombies from that direction.

Qin Sheng’s brow furrowed. Something was wrong. She was just about to sprint back when Zhang Dong blocked her path.

“Qin Sheng, the zombies are here. If you go back now, aren’t you just walking into death?” Zhang Dong seemed to find courage from somewhere, reaching out to seize the scabbard on Qin Sheng’s back to stop her from dashing off.

Qin Sheng’s brows drew tightly together. Personally, if she wanted to win the championship, it would indeed require the active withdrawal of others, but she truly did not want anyone to come to harm.

There were not many camp sites around. If the camp were overrun by a few zombies like this, the three of them would have to sleep outside tonight.

In the apocalypse, nighttime temperatures were already low, and this was still in the forest. By morning, the three of them would likely have turned into blocks of ice.

“If you’re scared, stay here.”

With that one sentence left behind, Qin Sheng sprinted back toward the camp.

Another figure followed close behind her without hesitation: Shen Shi.

The two of them seemed to have no understanding of just how terrifying zombies were, charging toward the camp without the slightest concern. They moved so fast that before Zhang Dong could even decide whether to go with them, Qin Sheng and Shen Shi were already gone.

“What sort of mess is this?” Zhang Dong did not want to go back and save those irrelevant people at all, but since Qin Sheng had gone, if he did not follow, wouldn’t he seem even more cowardly?