AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 18
Chapter 18
The Corpse King In The City Followed Them?
“Bang! Bang!” The sound of two gunshots abruptly halted Qian Guoyun and Kang Haoyi’s relentless assault on the creature, snapping everyone back to reality.
The crowd turned to look.
The creature’s limbs were long, emaciated, and grotesquely twisted. Even though its head had been completely severed, everyone still had the unsettling illusion that it might stagger back to its feet at any moment.
Although Qian Guoyun and Kang Haoyi were no longer a threat, no one present felt any relief. Just a moment ago, they had been teammates. Living, breathing individuals.
Ji Yanqing headed toward the pit, where Ji An and Ji Le were still waiting.
Are you reading this on https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/? If not, it's been stolen! Come read on the OG site. No ads, and it keeps me motivated~
He hadn’t gone far when a small figure emerged from the darkness and clung to his leg.
“Ji An?”
“Wuu...” Ji An sobbed, looking up at Ji Yanqing. He thought he would never see Ji Yanqing again.
“What about Ji Le?” Ji Yanqing attempted to wipe away the tears from Ji An’s face, reaching out his hand before realizing it was covered in blood. Both of his hands had been injured in the fierce fight with the creature.
Ji An quickly turned his head towards the tree. He had been taking care of Ji Le, holding his hand the whole time, until they hid behind the tree.
Following Ji An’s gaze, Ji Yanqing looked towards the darkness behind the tree. Ji Le lay limp on the ground, not moving.
Ji Yanqing’s heart skipped a beat as he lifted Ji An up and hurried over.
Getting closer, Ji Yanqing checked on Ji Le. Tears soaked Ji Le’s face, but there were no visible wounds on his body.
“Fainted from fright?” Xia Shen Shu remarked with a hint of amusement.
The others were left speechless.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, they slowly came to their senses. A mixture of fear, despair, and the joy of narrowly escaping death swirled together, causing a complex and intense surge of emotions that made their chests ache.
With the pain from their wounds adding to their distress, everyone’s legs became weak, and they fell to the ground one after another.
In the darkness, there was silence.
Within that silence, only the heavy breathing of those present could be heard.
“There are still some supplies and weapons left in the village, on the second floor,” Zhang Guxian suddenly said, his tone more relaxed than ever before.
Reminded, everyone turned towards the direction he was in. What exactly was the connection between Zhang Guxian and that creature?
“Bam!”
Before anyone could ask, the sound of a gunshot rang out. Zhang Guxian slowly fell backwards, and the gun that he had somehow obtained from Xia Shen Shu slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
The moment the gun hit the ground, Zhang Guxian slowly closed his eyes, the face before him a familiar one.
He came from no distinguished family background, possessed no particular talents, and even his personality was dreadfully dull, making him almost invisible in a crowd.
Nuo Yun was different from him; as a dance student, she had won awards at a young age. She was destined to have a brilliant life, yet fate was unjust to her, bringing it all to an end with a bout of illness. However, she didn’t wallow in despair or spend her days in complaints. She passed the university entrance examination, joined the workforce, and started anew.
The moment he realized he had fallen for Nuo Yun, he completely gave up, knowing he wasn’t worthy.
He persuaded himself to give up hope, yet he couldn’t help but pay attention. Using work as a pretext, he stealthily added her as a friend and sent holiday greetings under the guise of work obligations.
Are you reading this on https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/? If not, it's been stolen! Come read on the OG site. No ads, and it keeps me motivated~
He thought he had hidden it well, yet things spiraled out of control, with ceaseless gossip and tentative invitations. Just three months into their official courtship, in the early summer of June that year, he could hardly wait any longer and eagerly proposed.
When they announced their wedding to their colleagues, everyone was surprised. Their expressions seemed to convey, “How could a person as outstanding as Nuo Yun take a liking to someone as ordinary as him?”
Even he himself was astonished—how could Nuo Yun, such an outstanding woman, have ever thought to even give a boring no-one like himself a second glance?
After they had obtained their marriage certificate, Nuo Yun burst into tears of joy. He stood by, utterly at a loss, and for the longest time, couldn’t find a single sweet word to say.
On the day of the wedding as well, Nuo Yun’s eyes were continuously red and swollen. He, clumsy and at a loss for what to do, tried to console for a long while but to no avail.
He was not adept with words; he simply didn’t know how to express his affection.
When the outbreak occurred, he was taking a nap on the second floor. In retrospect, he vaguely recalled hearing some commotion, but he paid it no mind, for at that moment, he was nearly smothered to death in bliss within his dreams.
When he awoke, the world had already undergone a tremendous transformation.
Nuo Yun wandered around the living room in an odd manner, accompanied by his parents who also roamed aimlessly.
He couldn’t accept it. He locked himself on the second floor, wracked with pain, anger, and regret. Several days later, when he stood on the rooftop, resolved to end his own life, he unexpectedly discovered that Nuo Yun was unlike any other zombie; there was a light in her eyes.
Following that incident, he completely lost his mind.
He took Nuo Yun into his care, confining her within the living room. He attempted to converse with her and discovered that after she consumed his parents, she became increasingly intelligent. This revelation led him to capture the zombies from the village to feed her. When the local zombies were depleted, he risked venturing into the city to capture more. He even brought back batches of living humans…
He thought that his Nuo Yun could still return.
However, the person residing within Nuo Yun’s body became increasingly alien to himself, even beginning to gaze at him with eyes filled with an unsettling avarice.
He was reluctant to admit it, striving to numb himself as he brought back more zombies and living humans.
It wasn’t until one day that he heard his own name emanate from those parted lips that he realized…
The voice sounded exactly the same as it did in his memory, yet entirely different. There was nothing but greed, without a drop of tenderness.
That moment, he suddenly realized something distinctly. The body that called out his name may still be the same as before, but the person calling his name was no longer the same.
Are you reading this on https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/? If not, it's been stolen! Come read on the OG site. No ads, and it keeps me motivated~
The person he loved was already gone, never to return.
He completely fell apart and ran away in the middle of the night.
After two months on the run, he went to the neighboring city and ran into a search and rescue team, but just like how everything seemed predetermined by fate, days later the search and rescue team encountered the Beast Corpse King. He ran together with the team back to a city nearby.
He met Ji Yanqing in the city, and then followed Ji Yanqing back to the village…
In the darkness, the group saw the pistol that had rolled onto the ground, and they saw Zhang Guxian lying on the ground beside it. Everyone was stunned, and their breathing stopped.
Lan Zi parted her lips, trying to say something but not able to utter a sound. All of a sudden, her mind flashed back to the wedding banner hung in front of the building where that monster was locked up before.
The scarlet couplets glowed vibrantly in the darkness, carrying the outsiders’ blessings for the newlyweds.
Everyone collapsed onto the ground silently. Darkness enveloped them as only the chilling silence of death and the pungent smell of blood remained.
After a long while, Lan Zi was the first to break the silence. She looked at Ji Yanqing lightly, “What should we do? Should we return to the village?”
Zhang Guxian said that there was food and supplies there.
Ji Yanqing stood up and said, “Let’s go back and see.”
At this moment, Ji Yanqing lightly ordered, and the rest of them forcefully climbed up from the ground to retrieve their packs from the hole.
Seven packs, five people.
Qian Guoyun and Kang Haoyi had only packed a few pieces of clothing and four bottles of water in their backpacks. After replenishing the water, Lan Zi emptied one of the backpacks and placed the unconscious Ji Le inside it, and carried it herself.
As they were about to leave, Ji An saw Ji Yanqing’s axe still lying on the ground, and he trotted over to pick it up.
The axe was much taller than he was, so when he picked up the axe and walked, he wobbled.
“I’ll do it.” Wu Yao stepped forward to help, as Ji Yan’s left hand had been slightly injured.
The axe weighed much more than Wu Yao had expected. As soon as he moved the axe away from Ji An’s embrace, it immediately fell downwards; the force of it nearly brought him crashing to the ground.
Wu Yao was taken aback. That axe weighed no less than seventy or eighty catties (35 to 40kg, 77 to 88 lbs), and even as an adult, he couldn’t easily lift it, yet Ji An had so casually picked it up just now.
“Let’s go.” Others nearby had already packed up.
They did not bury the bodies of Qian Guoyun, Kang Kaoyi, or Nuo Yun. Infected corpses could not be handled arbitrarily, and everyone who had been tossing about all night had suffered more or less serious injuries. They had neither the strength nor the energy to.
As they emerged from the tree line, the eastern horizon was already luminescent, with the frosty morning air yielding to the warmth.
It took them a little over an hour to finally return to the village. Last night, they gave it their all to escape, which is why they ran quite a distance.
As the morning sun peeked over the village, it seemed unchanged from their memory. It was quiet and clean, like a paradise hidden from the outside world, yet an unsettling strangeness pervaded the air, jangling their nerves.
After they paused there for a moment, the crowd headed towards the villa from the previous night.
After walking halfway across the village, they came back in front of the courtyard gate. Seeing the bright red couplets and the iron-chained gate once again, the group had a mix of complex emotions.
The front of the villa is a separate hall, while in the back are the kitchen, pantry, and the stairs to the second floor, which aren’t accessible through the hall but instead are adjacent to the kitchen and pantry.
The second floor had been renovated. Outside the main door was a security iron window. The door was locked, but the lock wasn’t complicated, and they managed to pick it open with ease.
The originally spacious living room on the second floor was piled high with countless supplies of all sorts: clothes, basins and buckets of various sizes filled with water, as well as burlap sacks, plastic bags, and jars of food. Six to five eye-catching guns leaned against the wall in the front corner.
The house was messy, but there was one place that was as clean as a whistle – the bedroom.
Are you reading this on https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/? If not, it's been stolen! Come read on the OG site. No ads, and it keeps me motivated~
The bedroom door was ajar, the beige bedding giving off a sense of warmth and homeliness.
On the wall opposite the bedside table hung a wedding photo. In the photo, Zhang Guxian and a woman with beautiful and elegant features were wearing a suit and wedding dress, smiling with incomparable sweetness.
There is a chance that a zombie will awaken, and the zombies that have awakened possess intelligence and the ability to think, but they have long since ceased to be the people they once were…
Stepping inside, everyone immediately made their way towards the table piled with food.
Most of the things had been eaten, but there was still some left, just as Zhang Guxian had said.
There wasn’t much food left: Bread, flatbread, biscuits, and others that were just as unpalatable. However, no one was picky at the moment. They dropped their bags and started stuffing their faces without a second thought.
Their stomachs had been empty for so long that they could not recall when they had last eaten their fill. The term itself, “eating,” had become unfamiliar to them.
Inhaling the fragrant aroma of food that filled their nostrils and savoring the delicious flavors that continuously tantalized their taste buds, they chewed without pause. They ate voraciously, not stopping until they were so full that they could not take another bite, at which point they finally ceased, clutching their aching bellies.
Halting, when Xia Shen Shu exchanged glances with those around him once more, he found their eyes filled with complexity.
The bald man suffered the most, with the only eye he had left deeply reddened.
When he realized something was wrong with his eyes, he thought he was surely doomed. Yet, he survived. Last night, too, he believed without a doubt that death was imminent, but still, he lived on.
The baldy wiped his face, not wanting others to see his disheveled state.
Everyone saw it, but no one laughed at him.
If not for the great number of people around them, if it had only been the two of them, they might already have burst into tears when they survived the earlier ordeal.
After having eaten and drank their fill, the crowd turned their attention to the guns in the corner.
あなたは https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/ でこれを読んでいますか？そうでなければ、それは盗まれています！オリジナルサイトで読んでください。広告はなく、私をやる気にさせます〜
There were six guns in total. There was a sub-machine gun with a fast firing speed suitable for close range combat, as well as a pistol with an effective range of three to four hundred meters and strong penetrating power suitable for long range shooting. Among them, there was even a machine gun with great power and lethality.
Xia Shen Shu, who knew a thing or two about guns, and the bald man lunged at the machine gun at the same time.
Ji Yanqing, Lan Zi, and Wu Yao didn’t participate because their knowledge of guns were limited to television and movies. They didn’t even know how to load a gun, and studied the other guns curiously.
Baldy and Xia Shen Shu quickly decided the victor. Baldy seized the machine gun.
Ji Yanqing was slightly surprised that Xia Shen Shu, a man who understood firearms, would give up a heavy machine gun.
When Xia Shen Shu noticed Ji Yanqing’s gaze, he seemed to have understood what was on Ji Yanqing’s mind. However, he didn’t explain. Instead, he smiled and approached Ji Yanqing. He wanted to teach Ji Yanqing how to use a gun. “The one you’re holding is suitable for long-range shooting...”
Lan Zi, Wu Yao, and the bald man quieted down upon hearing this and listened attentively.
Everyone took this incident exceptionally earnestly.
With the addition of guns, the martial prowess of their team instantly rose several levels.
In the past, they could only engage in close combat with knives and their bare hands. When faced with a swarm of zombies, fleeing was their only option. Now, however, even if they were besieged by twenty zombies, they possessed the strength to fight back.
Xia Shen Shu truly had an in-depth understanding of firearms. He explained the advantages and disadvantages of each type of gun, as well as their specific methods of use, in such a clear manner that it was easy for anyone to remember.
When it was Lan Zi’s turn, Xia Shen Shu swapped out her weapon for a long-range pistol. Though Lan Zi wasn’t as physically strong as the others, her agility was unmatched, making her an ideal candidate for the sniper role when necessary.
Beside the guns lay several medical kits. While the group excitedly discussed the firearms, they simultaneously checked the wounds on their bodies.
¿Estás leyendo esto en https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/? Si no, ¡ha sido robado! Ven a leer en el sitio original. Sin anuncios, ¡y me mantiene motivado!~
Lan Zi, the bald man, and Wu Yao were previously sent flying by the monster, some crashing into trees while others fell to the ground. They were covered in bruises, turning their skin into shades of blue and purple, with countless scrapes all over.
Xia Shen Shu’s right hand, which he used to shoot, was dislocated, and there might have been fractures as well. However, the most terrifying sight was the slash from Nuo Yun’s poisoned nails across the back of his clothing—a mere two millimeters deeper, and it would have grazed his skin.
Ji Yanqing’s body was covered in countless bruises and abrasions, but the most severe injuries were to his hands, which had been so violently shaken that they were split open, oozing blood in a sight that was unbearably painful to behold.
Lan Zi and Wu Yao quickly tended to their minor injuries before assisting Ji Yanqing and Xia Shen Shu with their hands. Then, they found some anti-inflammatory and pain relief medication for Ji Yanqing, Xia Shen Shu, and the bald man to take.
By the time all these tasks were completed, it was nearly 10 in the morning. Outside the window, the sky was a brilliant blue, reminiscent of the height of summer, and the temperature outside had already soared to over fifty degrees.
Wearied from their desperate struggle for life, they let out sighs of relief as survivors of a calamity, finding joy in a full meal and a sense of security from the firearms they carried. In the silence, they were gradually overwhelmed by a burning heat, drifting into drowsiness.
Knowing that there were no zombies in the village, Ji Yanqing gently helped Ji Le drink some water and then did the same for Ji An. Afterward, he simply had everyone lock the door and get a good night’s sleep.
Lisez-vous ceci sur https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/? Si non, il a été volé ! Venez lire sur le site original. Pas de publicité, et ça me motive~
Drowsiness swiftly descended upon them, and soon, everyone was fast asleep.
The world was quiet, with only the stifling heat remaining.
“RooAAArr!”
In the stifling heat, a sonorous beastly roar abruptly erupted, sounding much like a thunderclap rippling across flat ground.
Suddenly jolted awake from their slumber, the group looked towards the foot of the mountain with their hair standing on end and their souls still trembling in fear.
Had the Corpse King from the city followed them here?
----
Comments
Post a Comment