AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 13
Chapter 13
It Suddenly Felt Like They Would Never Find Those Two Little Ghosts In This Lifetime.
Although he had already guessed what may have happened, seeing Ji Le’s aggrieved expression, Ji Yanqing couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.
The others, who were resting nearby while keeping an eye on them, also shifted their gazes away one after another.
“You’re very good.” Ji Yanqing tried to say something, but the words that came out turned into these three.
Ji Le sniffled, his eyes brimming with tears as he gazed at Ji Yanqing, looking as if he was asking if it was really true.
Disc0v3r exc1us1v3 c0ntent and s\/pp0rt creat0rs 0n the or1g1n@l site: https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/
Previously, the two cubs looked like alley strays, but after a good wash, they became sparkling clean dumplings, looking very well-behaved and adorable.
Their faces lacked the plumpness and roundness typical of their age, which made their pairs of eyes appear exceptionally large.
Those large eyes were clear-cut in black and white, further adorned with those damp, fluttering, fan-like eyelashes. Whenever Ji Yanqing gazed into them, he always felt as though he was looking into the eyes of two little kittens.
Covered in fluffy soft fur, they meowed out of fear, yet cautiously and gingerly approached, trembling slightly.
“Alright.” Ji Yanqing gently put down the wet cloth, glanced at the children’s clothing on the ground, then turned around and asked Xia Shen Shu and the others for two T-shirts.
In the aftermath of the virus outbreak, clothes and footwear have become the cheapest commodities. Those once exquisitely decorated luxury clothing stores have now turned into piles of rubbish that even passersby wouldn’t spare a second glance.
While dressing the two little ones in new clothes, Ji Yanqing couldn’t help but take another look at Ji Le’s back.‘He had previously seen a large amount of bloodstains and cuts from sharp objects on the back of Ji Le’s clothing. Just now, when he was wiping Ji Le’s body, he also noticed dried blood traces on his back, yet there were no wounds on Ji Le’s body.
In a seemingly careless moment, Ji Yanqing glanced at the injury on Ji An’s left chin. Initially, he had asked Sun Haifeng to help look after him, but Sun Haifeng not only snatched away the cookies he left behind but also injured Ji An.
As his gaze shifted, Ji Yanqing’s hands, which were helping with dressing, paused momentarily. On Ji An’s chin, there was no visible wound.
Ji Yanqing thought lightly, maybe he had seen wrong. As he was securing the over-sized clothing, he glanced again with a slight dip of his head. Ji An’s chin was smooth and unblemished, without a trace of a wound.
Ji Yanqing lifted his gaze to look at Ji An, who was obediently raising his hands, his eyes clean and clear.
After changing clothes, Ji Yanqing looked over the two little buns in front of him once again.
The T-shirts were a creamy yellow color, which really complemented their skin tone. The over-sized shirts made their already slender figures appear even more delicate, and this, combined with their reddened eyes, made them look all the more endearing.
Ji Yanqing really couldn’t comprehend why anyone would harm such two children. Neglecting them due to an inability to provide care was.. explainable in his eyes, given it was the apocalypse, but to harm them with malicious intent was an entirely different matter.
A pained moan emanated softly.
Disc0v3r exc1us1v3 c0ntent and s\/pp0rt creat0rs 0n the or1g1n@l site: https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/
Everyone turned their gaze; the bald man who had been unconscious all along had finally awakened.
“Awake?” Zhang Guxian approached.
To the side, Lan Zi emptied the remaining water from the pot, refilled it with fresh water, and set it to boil anew.
Regarding Baldy[e/n: Dear author, if he wasn’t going to die, why not give him a name?], they had prepared themselves for his possible death at any moment, given that he hadn’t received any medical treatment. However, now that he has awakened, it indicates that the situation is developing in a positive direction.
The water quickly boiled, and after letting it cool down a bit, Lan Zi offered it to him, then briefly explained the current situation to him.
When this matter was brought up, everyone turned their eyes towards Ji Yanqing.
They have already found and drunk the water, what should they do next?
“Should we chase after the team ahead?” Lan Zi asked.
Initially, they were already three days’ journey behind the survival team. Now, after this delay, if the other party has continued to move quickly during this period, it would be considered lucky if they could catch up within ten days.
Hearing that they needed to pursue the survival team ahead, Ji An and Ji Le’s faces turned deathly pale.
Ji Yanqing gently patted the heads of the two little ones, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Since he has already saved them, he won’t just abandon them afterward.
Ji Yanqing glanced at the others, without hesitation, he said, “Stock up on water, and then continue the pursuit.”
Amidst the chaos of a zombie apocalypse and a scarcity of supplies, it became increasingly apparent that strength lay in numbers. However, the imagined utopia of a survival team did not always live up to expectations.
“I remember there’s a village up ahead. We can head that way and take the opportunity to look for food in whatever remains of it,” Xia Shen Shu said.
“Village?” Zhang Guxian was momentarily startled.
Xia Shen Shu vaguely pointed in a direction, “That village is at the foot of the mountain outside the city. If we hurry, we might even get there before nightfall.”
Disc0v3r exc1us1v3 c0ntent and s\/pp0rt creat0rs 0n the or1g1n@l site: https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/
“We can’t go there,” Zhang Guxian immediately vetoed.
Everyone turned their gaze in that direction.
Zhang Guxian feigned calmness, but his pale complexion belied his true feelings. “What I mean is, we might have better chances of finding food in the city. What could a small village possibly offer? How about we head back to the city first?”
Ji Yanqing and Xia Shen Shu exchanged a glance, sensing that something was amiss with Zhang Guxian.
“We can’t go into the city,” Ji Yanqing said softly, “We can’t afford any more delays.”
Even in the scorching heat, it was impossible for each of them to carry tens of kilograms of water on the road. If they were to return to the city and then proceed, a significant amount of their water supply would be depleted. This could very likely prevent them from making it until their next opportunity to replenish their water.
Zhang Guxian’s lips quivered, seemingly very resistant to the idea of going to the village, but ultimately, he didn’t say anything more.
The few of them exchanged glances and sprang into action. While Lan Zi went to the lakeside to fetch more water, the others took the opportunity to rekindle the fire, intending to boil water to fill bottles that they would store for the journey.
The whole process took over an hour. By the time they filled all the bottles, it was nearly midnight. The group rested in the forest for half an hour, avoiding the hottest part of the day, before setting off again.
Before leaving, Xia Shen Shu suggested taking a look at the freight car they had been in earlier.
“If that small truck really was left behind by another survival team, there might still be supplies on it.” Xia Shen Shu’s reasoning was solid, making it impossible to refuse.
Initially, they also had to retrace their steps for a portion of the journey. Only upon returning to the mountain close to the city could they continue forward along its base.
Having made up their minds, a group of people quickly headed in that direction.
When they set out, their pace was slow due to the unclear circumstances ahead. On their way back, they doubled their speed and before two o’clock, they spotted those vehicles in the forest.
The zombies still aimlessly roamed around the car, not many in number, but enough to encircle the vehicle in the middle.
Ji Yanqing, together with a few others, teamed up with Xia Shen Shu and Zhang Guxian, splitting into two groups to act. Xia Shen Shu, with Zhang Guxian, went into the forest to create some noise and distractions, while Ji Yanqing and his team took this opportunity to loot the truck for any bags or goods.
The operation went very smoothly; those zombies, devoid of any rationality and incapable of thought, were easily lured away.
A few minutes later, having escaped the danger, the group stopped to check what they had grabbed on a road far from the vehicle.
They gained more than they anticipated. Not only did they find a pack of compressed biscuits inside, but they also stumbled upon a bag of bullets. It’s worth noting that firearms and ammunition are exceptionally rare and precious; ordinary people can hardly get their hands on them.
Unfortunately, there was no gun in the bag, and the bullets did not match the model of the handgun that Xia Shen Shu had previously found, rendering them temporarily useless.
Pei, forget the bullets, everyone’s attention was focused on the compressed biscuits. They were already starving to a point where their chests were sticking to their backs.
After walking forward for a while longer, the group found a spot to set up a stove and cooked a pot of porridge by adding water to compressed biscuits.
The compressed biscuits were too few, resulting in a very thin porridge, yet amidst the aroma wafting through the air, those nearly green with envy didn’t complain at all.
Once it was cooked, they portioned it out into disposable cups, and the group couldn’t wait to start drinking.
During this exchange, Ji Yanqing glanced to his side. Ji Le had already finished his share, while Ji An was blowing on the small half cup of porridge in the cup, cooling it down, but surprisingly hesitant to drink.
“What’s the matter?” Ji Yanqing asked softly.
Ji An shook his head and quickly gulped down the mouthful of porridge left in the cup.
As he swallowed, his brow lightly furrowed involuntarily, a clear sign of distress. Despite his overwhelming hunger, to the point where his limbs felt weak and limp, he suddenly found himself unwilling to drink the porridge. It was as though, for some inexplicable reason, this porridge wasn’t what he needed in order to be nourished.
He wanted to eat ... something else.
Ji Yanqing finished his porridge in several sips, then stood up after emptying his bowl. “Let’s go. We should try to reach the village before nightfall.”
Ji An quickly discarded his empty cup and got up, deeming the woods to be relatively safe. He and Ji Le started running through it.
In the midst of his actions, Ji An caught a whiff of a sweet and fresh aroma, prompting a growl from his stomach. He couldn’t help but let his eyes wander towards the direction from which the scent was drifting.
“What are you looking at?” The bald man weakly rose to his feet, his face covered in strips of cloth that were meant to serve as bandages, now thoroughly soaked with blood, presenting a rather frightening sight at first glance.
Ji An[e/n: seeee, seeee? Vampirreeees]’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, not dwelling too much on his thoughts. He quickly sped up to a jog to catch up with Ji Yanqing.
After walking a certain distance, Ji Yanqing habitually glanced back and saw Ji An and Ji Le, the two little cubs, following him like two small tails, about a meter behind him.
Their legs are short, requiring them to break into a light jog every few steps in order to keep up.
“Are you tired?” Ji Yanqing asked softly.
Ji Le shook his head.
Ji An hurriedly responded in a milky, childlike voice, “Not tired.”
Ji Yanqing spoke in a softer tone, “Stay close to me.”
The two little cubs became little pecking chicks, nodding vigorously. Their eyes, wet and shining, were filled with sincerity. They might be small, but they were determined to stick close to Ji Yanqing and not give him any reason to worry.
“Ha ha...” Lan Zi couldn’t help but chuckle.
Dressed in creamy yellow over-sized T-shirts, Ji An and Ji Le didn’t follow anyone else but Ji Yanqing. They trotted along, their demeanor resembling two newly hatched ducklings mistakenly treating Ji Yanqing as their mother.
Walking through the city, Feng Yimo suddenly stopped and turned around sharply, looking towards the mountains and forests outside the city.
“Aoo?” The enormous black beast followed his gaze.
“What place is that?” Feng Yimo asked.
“Woof...” The black beast had never been to that place before; it had come to this city in pursuit of the survival team.
“The survival team?” Feng Yimo seemed pensive. He had just faintly sensed the presence of one of the children. The presence was too weak for him to determine the specific location, but he was confident about the direction.
“Awoo...” The huge beastly eyes gazed upon the mountain forest.
Over the past two days, they’d practically turned the entire city upside down but caught glimpse of neither hide nor hair of two certain cubs. Now, it seems likely that those two cubs may have been taken away by the survival team. Those humans always tend to stick together.
During the search, it had indeed found traces of human activity within the city.
“Chase him.” Feng Yimo dashed out like an arrow released from a bowstring.
The beast quickly caught up.
Entering the complex of buildings heading towards the mountain, it was thrilled to finally have gotten a clue in the search, hoping to end this stressful cub-fetching mission. But just then, Feng Yimo suddenly turned and sprinted in the entirely opposite direction.
Everything happened too swiftly; before it could even react, Feng Yimo had already turned into a mere speck.
Facing the tiny figure that disappeared in a cloud of dust, the beast’s large eyes suddenly became lifeless, filled with despair. It suddenly felt that they might never find those two little ghost cubs in this lifetime.
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