AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Why Were His Cubs Calling Someone Else Dad Now?
They were said to be sobbing, yet the crying of Ji An and Ji Le was only slightly louder than that of a kitten on the side of the road on a cold winter night. Restraint and fear had long been etched into their souls.
Even when given free rein to cry, they dared not raise their voices.
Ji Yanqing knelt on one knee, setting aside his axe, and tightly embraced the two frail and helpless bodies.
Listening to the cat-like cries spilling from their throats, feeling the unstoppable trembling of their bodies, his heart felt as if it were being viciously gripped and crushed, suffocating in pain, and immersed in an indescribable bitterness.
“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared...”
Ji Yanqing had no experience in coaxing scared kittens, so he could only repeat these three words over and over. In response, the two youngsters clutched at his clothes as if they were holding onto their only lifeline.
The commotion did not last too long. Xue Gang still remembered that there was a corpse king in the city. After beating up the people and letting out enough anger, he immediately asked everyone to get up and leave as quickly as possible.
“Can you two walk on your own?” Ji Yanqing asked Ji An and Ji Le, whose eyes were swollen from crying.
Ji An nodded his head while sobbing, “I’m not tired.”
Ji Le wiped away his tears, head nodding like a little chick alongside his brother.
Ji Yanqing let out a soft sigh.
After running for so long, even he could barely lift his legs anymore, and the soles of his feet felt like they were being stabbed, so how could two three-year-old kids not be tired?
Ji Yanqing unzipped his backpack and turned to Ji Le.
Ji Le looked at Ji Yanqing, then at Ji An.
“Occasionally acting spoiled is fine, too.” Ji Yanqing quietly muttered.
Ji Le didn’t really understand, but he obediently entered the backpack.
Ji Le had grown thinner; Ji Yanqing’s backpack was spacious enough to accommodate him.
After zipping up the backpack, leaving an opening for airflow, Ji Yanqing put on his backpack and carried his axe before picking up Ji An.
Preparing to depart, Ji Yanqing instinctively looked towards a certain someone he had recently encountered. After confirming that the other person was staring at Ji An in his arms and not wandering around, he led the way to follow the main group.
A group of two to three hundred people silently exited the shop and headed out into the darkness, towards the suburbs outside the city, their footsteps carried on the wind like those of ghosts headed for hell.
From afar, it looked bizarre and oppressive.
Even though their speed was inevitably affected by their increased numbers, it was still quite fast, and in less than ten minutes, they had already put a fair distance between themselves and where they had started.
This urban area was far smaller than the previous city. The survival team had already been heading out of town, so after two hours of additional travel they could see the edge of the concrete jungle from far away.
Outside the city was a ring of farmland, containing rice paddies and various other mutated crops.
The group of survivors must have encountered the terror of those mutated rice plants before, for they didn’t need a warning to cover their mouths and noses, and shut their eyes as tightly as possible.
This time, they were rather lucky. Not far to their left was an old, abandoned highway with a tattered surface. The highway intersected the entire field, with one end reaching the city and the other end connecting to distant mountains.
Along the city’s road, there were cars and zombies, but not many.
Once Xue Gang’s men made some noise and drew all the nearby zombies away, the large group swiftly exited down the path.
The fields were vast and they walked for about 40 minutes before they finally left the crowds behind.
Meanwhile, a streak of white broke in the sky.
Beyond the farmland, a mountainous area emerged, its craggy terrain teeming with overgrown weeds. The mountain range was complex, with sheer cliffs and winding pathways. Amid this verdant labyrinth, a sleek asphalt road snaked through the rapidly proliferating forest, resembling a treacherous silver serpent poised to strike.
Standing at the foot of the mountain alone made the group disinclined to continue, but they had no other choice.
Marching ahead beside the highway, the group crossed one mountain and reached the foot of the backside of the second mountain, facing away from the city, before Xue Gang finally gave the order to take a break.
Upon hearing that they could rest, the originally silent company grew lively. Everyone was already so exhausted that their legs were trembling, and they collapsed onto the ground, massaging their legs.
Hundreds of people sat on the ground along the national highway. All the people with weapons gathered around Xue Gang, joking and resting. The dozen or so people without weapons on the outermost edge of the crowd were on guard.
Ji Yanqing chose to sit in a corner far away from Xue Gang and the rest, and even further from the crowds. He took Ji Le from his backpack and placed down both cubs before sitting down himself.
Ji An and Ji Le had already fallen asleep; after running around all day yesterday and having a big cry before this march, even their stamina, far surpassing that of their peers, was thoroughly depleted. They fell asleep before even leaving the city, with Ji Yanqing carrying them.
“Here.” Xia Shen Shu, who had come over, tossed a pile of things to Ji Yanqing.
Ji Yanqing caught it lightly and looked. There was a box of milk, an apple, and a cooked and dried rice cake. There weren’t many items, but in this apocalyptic world, this small haul could be considered quite extravagant.
Ji Yanqing turned to Xia Shen Shu, “Where did you get this?”
“Breakfast from Xue Gang.” Xia Shen Shu sat down next to Ji Yanqing, holding a similar breakfast in his hand.
Ji Yanqing looked at Xue Gang. Xue Gang, who was watching them, pretended to gaze deeply into his breakfast milkbox before raising it to Ji Yanqing.
Ji Yanqing swept his gaze over the group of people around him, who dared not utter a sound as they watched the food but did not dare to eat it. He lowered his eyes.
“What are you planning to do?” Xia Shen Shu asked, his words slurred.
Ji Yanqing looked up, his eyes shadowed with incomprehension.
Xia Shen Shu happily sucked on his milk, the straw making a “gurgle” sound, causing the Adam’s apples of several people nearby to involuntarily bob.
Ji Yanqing suspected he did it on purpose.
“To stay, or to go?” Xia Shen Shu’s voice sank to a whisper.
Ji Yanqing was slightly surprised. He had, indeed, been thinking about this, but he had not expected Xia Shen Shu to take the initiative to speak about it with him.
The combat capability of a large group is improved, and they can carry more supplies and water. Although a large group also needs more resources, and brings its own complications, it is always better than a few people fighting on their own.
Xia Shen Shu drank all the milk and threw away the empty box. “If you want to leave,” he said, “just say the word, and I’ll leave with you at once.”
“What’s the point of leaving? Who can guarantee that the next one will be any better?” Lan Zi’s voice emanated from behind Ji Yanqing.
Ji Yanqing turned his head to look back, and somehow, Lan Zi had taken a seat at a tree behind him at an unknown time.
The post-apocalyptic environment was not kind to women. Although there were women in Xue Gang’s team, it was evident that they were not faring well.
“Then, let’s form our own survival team.”
“What good does forming a survival team do? Life still goes on as usual, wandering without a fixed abode, fleeing from place to place.” Lan Zi was momentarily dazed before she let out a bitter laugh, realizing that in this apocalypse, they were no more than ephemeral mayflies.
“Let’s establish a paradise once we have enough people, and then continuously strengthen and perfect it until it becomes a fortress where we no longer have to wander and be displaced, until that place can be called home.” Xia Shen Shu shrugged, a relaxed smile on his face, “One must always have some aspirations in life.”
Xia Shen Shu patted the dust off his trousers as he stood up, turning his gaze towards Ji Yanqing. “When you decide to leave, remember to tell me.”
Xia Shen Shu then left.
Ji Yanqing watched the receding figure of Xia Shen Shu as he walked away.
Survival team, paradise, a home—although he knew that the beauty described in Xia Shen Shu’s words was merely a fantasy, his heart couldn’t help but be moved.
Sighing deeply, Lan Zi leaned against a tree and gazed up at the sky. The clear morning sky was as picturesque as a brilliant azure painting, yet, within a few hours, it would bring with it deadly high temperatures.
Lan Zi tossed her portion of bread from the breakfast to Ji Yanqing, intending to save it for Ji An and Ji Le.
Xue Gang did not allocate any rations to Ji An and Ji Le.
Lan Zi knew that Ji Yanqing wouldn’t let them go hungry; she was even more aware that Ji Yanqing would probably save his own portion to share with them.
Ji Yanqing softly expressed his thanks, placing the bread, his own rice cake, and an apple into his backpack, only taking out the milk to insert a straw.
Just as he was about to drink, the bald man who had previously been by Xue Gang’s side, but had traveled with Ji Yanqing for a while, approached him.
Drawing closer, Baldy tossed two modest-sized loaves of bread to Ji Yanqing, saying, “I asked for these from Xue Gang, for Ji An and the others.”
Ji Yanqing looked over.
The injury near his bald head caused fine beads of sweat to cover his forehead. Coupled with the exhaustion from days of fleeing for his life, his complexion was terribly pale, as if he might collapse at any moment. Yet, his spirit remained unyieldingly strong.
The bald man’s eyebrows were dancing and he said in a brisk tone, “It’s better now. The road ahead will be much easier.”
Ji Yanqing remained silent.
The bald man was stunned for a moment and soon understood that Ji Yanqing had always been a soft-hearted person.
The bald man’s gaze lingered only momentarily on the people resting quietly around them before he put away his smile and looked towards Ji Yanqing, his voice lowering to offer comfort. “Although Xue Gang has a bad temper, some things are inevitable. Without rules, there is no circle; without discipline, there is no organization.”
“Mmm,” Ji Yanqing gazed lightly at the milk in his hands. The last time he tasted milk was before the outbreak of the virus.
The bald man sighed, “With so many people, it’s impossible to look after everyone. Choices must be made.”
The bald man patted Ji Yanqing’s shoulder and turned to walk towards Xue Gang and his group. In just a few hours, he had already become familiar with Xue Gang and the others.
Wu Yao was also there. Before the apocalypse, he had been a college student who hadn’t yet entered society. Clearly, he was not quite accustomed to the atmosphere, appearing awkward and at a loss.
It was evident that he was making an effort to adapt.
Ji Yanqing’s disdainful gaze swept across several members of their team, eventually resting on the man he had caught on the road the night before.
They had met before, yet this was the first time Ji Yanqing had truly seen the other’s face.
The man’s tall and slender figure was clad in a crisp white shirt, black suit pants, and a black trench coat. His eyebrows were sharp as blades, with a high-bridged nose, and a pair of deep, dark eyes that were cold and impassive as if their owner had never experienced human emotions. Merely locking eyes with him was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
His waist-length black hair was casually tied behind his head, and the few strands that fell across his forehead softened the icy sternness between his brows, yet also accentuated the thinness of his lips.
Cold, alienated, it seemed like he could only be described as such, but at this moment, the other party was staring at Ji An and Ji Le, who were sleeping in two small balls next to Ji Yanqing like kittens, with a blank and confused gaze. The gaze held a faint sense of... being wronged…
He looked like a pitiful large dog, left out in the cold, gazing through a window at his precious toys that had been coveted by a sly cat right under his nose.
Feng Yimo was indeed puzzled.
He just couldn’t understand at which point things had gone awry. Why were his children now calling someone else “Daddy”?
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