AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

 Ji Yanqing Approached Feng Yimo And Got Into His Blanket.

After tugging Ji Yanqing’s clothes a safe distance away, Ji An no longer spared a glance at Feng Yimo, who sat there like a statue, entirely motionless. Instead, Ji An buried his head in Ji Yanqing’s embrace. Lan Zi’s sobs made him want to cry as well.

Lan Zi cried for a long time, venting all the despair she had suppressed since the virus outbreak, eventually crying herself to sleep.

After Lan Zi fell asleep, Ji Yanqing laid her down on the ground.

After a night of commotion, everyone silently fell asleep.

Having learned from the previous experience, Ji Yanqing dared not let Xue Gang’s men keep watch alone. After a brief discussion with Xia Shen Shu, they decided to take turns keeping watch.

After Ji An and Ji Le had dozed off, Ji Yanqing casually glanced at the time. The hour hand pointed ominously to eight o’clock.

It was already night when they woke up in the forest. Since they had been running in the forest for nearly eight or nine hours, it made sense to think that dawn should be approaching, but instead, it was only just getting dark.

Ji Yanqing furrowed his brows. What they had previously thought was the darkness of night in the forest may not have been nightfall at all. Had it been part of the illusion as well?

Ji Yanqing glanced at the other people around him who had their eyes closed, and put the watch back into his backpack.

He sat back down in his previous position, between Ji An, Ji Le, and Feng Yimo.

After a night of being tossed around, the two little guys quickly fell asleep. Feng Yimo leaned against a wall and quietly closed his eyes, seeming to fall asleep as well.

Ji Yanqing gently caressed Ji Le’s cheek, and then instinctively glanced towards the window not far away. What he saw rendered him speechless.

There was something white floating outside the window, giving the impression of snow.

Snow?

Ji Yanqing rose from his seat and walked towards the window.

The window was shut from the inside, but a chill still seeped into the room.

It was indeed snowing outside, and the snow was falling in big fluffy flakes. The snow had been falling for a while now, and many of the buildings were already covered in a thick layer of white.

The deceased city was abruptly draped in a layer of hazy white snow, a spectacle that held an eerie sort of beauty.

After the weather became erratic, the temperature every night became very low, but this was the first time Ji Yanqing had seen it snow in a while.

Ji Yanqing gently took off his goggles and walked quietly through the sleeping crowd towards one of the bedrooms.

This house has a layout of three bedrooms and two living rooms. The owners have lived here for quite some time, and the walls are adorned with the innocent and whimsical drawings of children.

The virus broke out so suddenly that the host didn’t have time to take anything away from the house, and there was still a mobile phone on the bedside table in the bedroom.

Entering the bedroom, Ji Yanqing quietly opened the closet and took out both of the quilts inside.

Returning to the hall again, Ji Yanqing removed the coat that had been covering Ji An and Ji Le, and covered the two little guys and Lan Zi with one of the thicker quilts instead.

Finally, he threw his coat, which had previously been covering the two buns, onto Xia Shen Shu. Xia Shen Shu, who had been sleeping, took a look at Ji Yanqing, pulled the coat over his head, and continued to sleep.

Ji Yanqing was momentarily stunned. He extended the down quilt in his hand towards Feng Yimo and asked, “Do you want it?”

Feng Yimo’s gaze shifted from Ji Yanqing’s face to the blanket in his hands, a momentary look of confusion crossing his features.

Just when Ji Yanqing thought that the other party had refused, Feng Yimo’s long and well-proportioned fingers lifted. He casually took the quilt and draped it ontop of himself, looking somewhat clueless.

Without his protective goggles, Ji Yanqing appeared several years younger. The usual air of solemnity was replaced by a more transparent and pure aura. Especially his eyes, like a pair of dark yet shimmering glass stones, they made it impossible for anyone to resist him.

Ji Yanqing was at a loss for words.

Sitting back down next to Feng Yimo, Ji Yanqing glanced at the others in the house, who had huddled together because the sudden heavy snow had made it freezing, and put his goggles back on.

Putting on his goggles, Ji Yanqing tightened his inner coat and let out a long breath. The white fog of his exhale blurred his vision.

After adjusting his clothes, Ji Yanqing rubbed his hands gently. After the snow, the temperature at night might reach negative 20 degrees Celsius.

As he was moving, there was movement next to him, and Feng Yimo lifted the quilt close to him.

Ji Yanqing was stunned for a moment, and then realized what Feng Yimo meant.

He looked into Feng Yimo’s eyes, who was looking at him, his dark eyes clearly reflecting Ji Yanqing’s appearance even in the darkness.

Ji Yanqing felt a momentary discomfort, but he still moved closer to Feng Yimo and slipped under the blanket. In the face of the apocalypse, there was no room for propriety.

Covering himself with the quilt, the sword-like coldness was blocked by armor, and Ji Yanqing’s hands, which were so cold that they ached, gradually became warmer.

The body gradually warmed up, and Ji Yanqing gradually realized the problem. Feng Yimo seemed to have no warmth at all, and it was frighteningly cold even under the quilt.

Ji Yanqing looked at Feng Yimo. After Feng Yimo got the quilt, he just put it on his body casually without tucking in the edges. The coldness raging through the gaps on his side got under the quilt, but he didn’t react. It’s like he doesn’t even know what cold is.

Ji Yanqing leaned his left shoulder against the wall, slightly turning his body. His right hand reached out from under the blanket towards Feng Yimo’s left side. Just as he grasped the edge of the blanket, he sensed Feng Yimo stiffen beneath it.

Ji Yanqing looked lightly, and as soon as he raised his head, he saw a face very close to him.

Feng Yimo’s facial features are three-dimensional[e/n: In the context of Chinese danmei, “three-dimensional facial features” is a way to describe someone as extremely handsome. It doesn’t have a literal meaning related to 3D but rather emphasizes that their features are:
Sharp and Defined: Think high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and a prominent brow bone. It creates a sense of depth and structure, making the face look more sculpted.
Visually Striking: The features aren’t just present, they stand out. This can be further emphasized by the contrast of light and shadow on the face, making it even more captivating.
Almost Unrealistically Attractive: This phrase is often used to describe characters who have an almost unreal level of beauty. It’s like they’ve stepped out of a meticulously drawn illustration.] and stern, his temperament is extremely cold, and his eyes are particularly eye-catching. They are so dark and deep that sometimes one might suspect that there are no human emotions in them.]

At this moment, those eyes were staring directly at him, merely a breath’s distance away.

He was too close.

“There’s air leakage.” Ji Yanqing explained softly while holding his breath.

With that said, Ji Yanqing gently tucked in the quilt and plugged the hole on Feng Yimo’s side.

Having completed these tasks, Ji Yanqing sat back down.

“They are not your children.” Feng Yi Mo’s voice was as cold as this winter night.

Ji Yanqing was slightly startled and replied, “En.”

Feng Yimo stared straight at Ji Yanqing.

“In such an environment, if we abandon them, they surely won’t survive,” Ji Yanqing said softly, not wanting Xue Gang’s men to overhear his words.

To someone like Xue Gang, children like Ji An and Ji Le, who had no parents, were probably an eyesore, grating the senses simply by existing.

Feng Yimo gazed quietly at Ji Yanqing’s profile with his black eyes. Ji Yanqing found it strange. Xue Gang and the others did not care about the lives of others besides their own, and neither did the zombies.

Ji Yanqing remained alert until midnight, at which point he switched shifts with Xia Shen Shu. Only then did he sit against the wall and finally drift off to sleep.

Later that night, Feng Yimo’s body seemed to warm him up. It wasn’t particularly warm, but it was uniquely comfortable. After Ji Yanqing fell fast asleep, he seemed to lean against him. Feng Yimo didn’t push him away.

Ji Yanqing’s next awakening was to a chorus of insults.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he looked over and saw Xue Gang losing his temper at his subordinates. Upon waking up in the morning, Xue Gang had ordered them to take inventory of their remaining firearms and supplies. The amount of items lost last night was even greater than he had anticipated.

They originally had twenty-four guns, but nearly ten were lost last night.

“Dad!” When Ji Yanqing woke up, the two little guys rushed to get closer. They had already woken up, but they had kept quiet because they saw Ji Yanqing was still sleeping.

Ji Yanqing gently touched the heads of the two little buns.

When Ji Yanqing first awakened, the first thing he did was to look to his side. Feng Yimo was nowhere to be found.

Ji Yanqing now turned his head to search the room. Only when he confirmed that there were indeed people inside did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Feng Yimo always had a way of getting himself lost.

Ji Yanqing lightly gazed out the window. The snow hadn’t fully melted yet, but as the temperature had been rising quickly, there wasn’t much left.

Ji Yanqing stood up and stretched his body to wake himself up completely. Then, he took out the remaining food from his backpack and shared it with Ji An and Ji Le. He also started eating.

After finishing their meal, they would move on.

“Just what was going on in that forest?” asked Lan Zi, who now felt much better after a good cry and a nap, except that her eyes were still a little puffy.

“Illusions coupled with a magnetic field. The illusions were primarily aimed at making us tired and sleepy, making us believe it was already nighttime. I believe the smell of those trees has hallucinogenic effects.” Xia Shen Shu also leaned closer; he had been mulling over this issue during the second half of the night watch.

“Where’s the magnetic field?” Lan Zi furrowed her brows.

They had already guessed the hallucination part last night, and she had more or less understood it.

“Isn’t it true that there are places like mountains or seas that one can never escape from? I suspect this is similar. Those trees have evolved to form a biological magnetic field. Once we enter it, our senses are affected, and we’ll keep turning in one direction endlessly.”

Yesterday, when Lan Zi led them forward in the dark, from the impressions of all those who had watched, it appeared that Lan Zi was continuously walking towards the right.

Judging from the results, Lan Zi and the other ’‘guide’ were correct, so the onlookers who believed that they had been walking ’‘straight’ could only be wrong. They thought they had been moving in a straight line, but in fact they had always been curving to the left.

Just like when rowing a boat, walking in a leftward curve only resulted in the group walking in circles. The circles they walked were very large, and may have even included the scope of two mountains. Walking in circles, coupled with the auditory and visual hallucinations keeping them unaware, they had been utterly clueless about their predicament.

If they hadn’t stumbled upon the right solution by sheer luck, they might still be wandering around inside, going in circles to this very day.

When the group became tired, stopping to rest, or even collapsing one by one as they marched on, the forest would reach out with its roots, collecting their bodies to be used as nutrients, blissfully unaware of their doom.

While the two were talking, several people had already finished the food they had been given.

Ji Yanqing looked at Ji An and Ji Le. He was going to let the two little guys drink some water before setting off, but when he looked back, he found that Ji An hadn’t eaten the bread he had been given.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Yanqing asked lightly.

Ji An looked at Ji Yanqing and then at the bread in his hand, shaking his head guiltily.

He was starving, so much that his hands and feet felt weak, but he had no desire to eat that bread. Just the smell of it, the mere thought of consuming it, made him feel nauseous.

It was as if the bread was inedible; it simply wasn’t meant for him.

“Do you—” Ji Yanqing was just about to ask him if he was feeling unwell when one of Xue Gang’s men rushed hurriedly through the doorway.

“Boss, come and take a look!”

Xue Gang frowned, took a gun, and headed towards the door.

The two of them descended the stairs but did not leave the building. Instead, they stopped at the corner of the corridor.

The two were conversing about something, and the person who came up to call them sounded particularly agitated.

Everyone in the room became nervous like frightened birds. Many people craned their necks to look, and Ji Yanqing also stood up and headed over there.

Arriving in the corridor, Ji Yanqing looked out the window.

At the place where the distant forest and the city intersect outside the window, a tree’s branches and trunk were bent to one side, showing fresh signs of impact. It seemed as if something enormous had followed them out of the forest the previous night.

“Could it be that Beast Corpse King, the one from before?” Xia Shen Shu followed suit.

The trees near the city weren’t as large as those in the forest, but they would still require several people to encircle their trunks. Their branches were also very high up. The creature who bumped into one of these trees must have been quite tall.

“Then why didn’t it attack us?” Ji Yanqing asked softly.

Xia Shen Shu was rendered speechless by the question.

Indeed, if that beast corpse king did follow, why didn’t it attack them?

And how did it follow them here? If it had been lured by their gunshots, then it ought to have attacked them last night, given how they remained in the woods for several more hours after firing their weapons.

“Don’t worry about it, let’s just leave here first,” Xue Gang said hastily as he dashed upstairs to grab his supplies.

Upon hearing this, the other people in the hallway hurried back to their rooms.

Inside, everyone had already started packing up. They had long since become accustomed to days like these.

“Which way should we go?” the bald man asked.

“We don’t have many supplies left. If we don’t restock in this city, we definitely won’t make it to the next one, so we can’t just leave. Before we head out, we have to go to the mall first,” Xue Gang said.

“The mall?” The bald man paused. The mall was crowded with people and zombies. When traveling, he and Ji Yanqing used to choose to avoid it.

“Let’s go!” Xue Gang did not explain. After packing his things, he took the lead and headed downstairs.

Everyone moved quickly.

Their number was reduced by half last night, and now there were only more than 130 people in total. Everyone quickly assembled downstairs.

The snow on the ground attracted everyone’s attention, but except for Ji An and Ji Le, no one could muster the energy to take a second look.

When he came downstairs, Xue Gang chose a direction immediately took the lead in marching onwards.

Ji Yanqing frowned slightly and looked back to the broken tree in the distance, then looked at the people in his own team. Xia Shen Shu, Lan Zi, Ji An and Ji Le were all there, all except Feng Yimo.

Ji Yanqing was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to search.

At the end of the street, Feng Yimo looked at the big furry black butt hiding behind the corner building with an expressionless face.

“Feng Yimo.” Ji Yanqing called softly.

Upon hearing the name Feng Yimo, the enormous beast that had been trying to curl itself into a small ball behind the building shrank back even further, endeavoring to hide its large tail beneath its belly.

“Let’s get going.”

Feng Yimo couldn’t resist the urge to deliver one last kick to the fluffy butt before turning around and walking toward Ji Yanqing.

Watching Feng Yimo approach, Ji Yanqing lightly admonished, “Stay close to me and don’t wander off.”

“En.”

Ji Yanqing glanced at the direction where Xue Gang and his group were heading, hesitated for a moment and then followed. The first priority was to leave the immediate area.

With only half of the survival team remaining, their travel speed was faster than before. In ten minutes, they were far away from the building in which they had spent the night.

As the sky gradually grew brighter, the view became unobstructed, and the city below them gradually became clear before their eyes.

The bustling city is enormous, as was evident from its intricate streets, numerous shops, and the tall buildings that filled the scene.

The city was large with a dense population, which naturally meant that there would be more zombies.

Following closely behind the person in front, Ji Yanqing tensely focused all his attention; however, after walking for nearly half an hour, they still hadn’t seen many zombies.

After walking for another ten minutes and still not seeing many zombies, the others breathed a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Ji Yanqing’s brows furrowed slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Lan Zi noticed.

Ji Yanqing thought about it briefly, but finally shook his head slightly.

“Maybe they were dragged into the forest.” Xia Shen Shu had also noticed that Ji Yanqing had been looking for zombies.

Ji Yanqing remained silent. It was indeed possible. They had seen a lot of zombie corpses in the woods before, but for some reason he had a premonition that couldn’t be easily explained.

At nearly six o’clock in the morning, when there was not much snow left on the road, Xue Gang suddenly stopped at the entrance of a commercial street.

The street was not especially bustling, with over twenty shops lining the way, most of which were old and worn. Yet, the street was filled with food vendors, as this place was originally a snack street.

There weren’t many zombies on the street, only scattered figures numbering around a dozen.

Xue Gang did not let the opportunity slip by. He instructed his men to create noise, luring all the zombies into a shop. Once they were inside, he quickly shut the door from the outside, trapping all the zombies within.

When it came to dealing with zombies, Xue Gang was quite experienced.

After finishing these tasks, Xue Gang gave the order to begin scavenging. Those without guns swiftly wove through the streets, searching everywhere for food.

Those people were not doing this for the first time. Their speed was incredibly fast and their efficiency remarkably high. In less than five minutes, they had already visited every shop on the entire street.

Their harvest was quite rich. They found a lot of flour, noodles and other dry ingredients. They even found a bag and a half of rice in one of the stores.

Faced with this harvest, everyone’s faces turned red in excitement.

Baldy, who didn’t know what position he held in the team now, counted all the things and ordered several of them to divide the things on their backs and take them away.

When it came to giving orders, Baldy had become increasingly adept.

Ji Yanqing watched from a distance without participating.

After a group of people carried their belongings across the street, Ji Yanqing looked back again.

The streets were eerily quiet. If not for the litter scattered everywhere and the shops on both sides ransacked to ruin, it would have seemed as idyllic as it had been before the outbreak of the virus.

After finding the needed supplies, Xue Gang and his group, who had narrowly escaped death, transformed their previously listless expressions into ones brimming with vigor and determination.

The virus outbreak had persisted for over half a year. Nearly every shop in the city had been raided countless times, leaving scarce supplies for the taking. It had been a long while since they had managed to find this much food in one go, and it was especially surprising given how smoothly it had gone.

Faced with this situation, Xue Gang even began to contemplate whether he should set up camp in the city and stay for a while. The despair and fear of having no food were no less than the terror brought by knowing there was a corpse king within the city.

With his prior experience, Xue Gang knew that this city likely hadn’t been visited by too many people yet. He began intentionally inspecting the streets in the area.

Soon, they found a second potential resource street ahead.

The street could hardly be considered a commercial avenue; it was merely an old road outside a few residential areas with several small grocery shops clustered together, selling daily necessities.

The items on the shelves are long gone. There is some garbage on the shelves and on the floor, but the traces of rummaging are not serious. Maybe there are some fish that have slipped through the net.

There were no zombies outside the stores. In fact, there hadn’t been many seen in the city at all.

Xue Gang ordered a few people to stand guard as the group of people behind him rushed into several stores and ransacked them.

While they were searching through the shops, Ji Yanqing took the opportunity to walk to the entrances of several nearby residential complexes, which were home to a few zombies, two or three scattered here and there.

“Do you still think something’s amiss?” Lan Zi scanned her surroundings. The city was indeed rather quiet, but she did not think that was a bad thing.

Ji Yanqing said nothing, but beneath his goggles, his brows were furrowed.

Xue Gang’s group finished quickly. Their harvest this time was still quite good; although it didn’t measure up to their previous haul, they managed to find quite a few edible items. It took three of his men working together to pack everything up.

After tidying up once again, the group continued their journey.

Ji Yanqing, Xia Shen Shu and others were still walking at the rear.

About ten minutes later, Xue Gang and his group came to a halt once again.

Ji Yanqing glanced over, thinking that Xue Gang and his group had found another shop along the street. To his surprise, Xue Gang and his men were retreating swiftly.

“It’s a hospital,” Wu Yao said in passing as he ran past Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing looked at Wu Yao’s leaving figure and pursed his lips lightly. He quickly moved forward, approaching the corner that Xue Gang and the others had reached before.

Turning the corner and looking towards the other end of the street, a hospital with a conspicuous sign came into view, its entrance situated in the middle of the road.

The hospital was a public city hospital, with an incredibly comprehensive range of departments. There were as many as five or six buildings dedicated solely to wards, covering an extensive area. From a distance, it looked like a colossal behemoth, a sight that made one’s scalp tingle just at the mere glance.

Schools, hospitals, and commercial venues are the places with the most zombies in the city. At its peak, there can even be tens of thousands of zombies in one school or hospital.

Such a vast number, once alarmed, not even the Emperor of Heaven himself could save them.

This should be the case, but there were only a few zombies wandering around aimlessly at the entrance of the hospital.

They couldn’t see if there were any zombies in the hospital from the outside. There might be, but the fact that there were only a few zombies at the entrance of the hospital was already very abnormal.

“Ji Yanqing...” Lan Zi reminded.

Ji Yanqing looked back and saw that Xue Gang and the others had retreated to the other side of the street away from them. Xue Gang and a few others were looking at them with frowns, as if they were afraid that they would make a mistake and alert the zombies in the hospital.

“Let’s go.” Ji Yanqing hesitated for a moment, then took the lead and headed towards Xue Gang and the others.

Seeing Ji Yanqing and the others leaving the corner, Xue Gang breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to continue studying how to bypass the hospital.

As he approached across the street, Ji Yanqing looked at Xue Gang and commented, “Something’s amiss with this city.”

Xue Gang, who was surrounded by others, stopped talking and looked back at Ji Yanqing. “What’s wrong with it?”

“There are too few zombies in the city. I didn’t see many zombies at the hospital entrance just now. This is just... abnormal.” Ji Yanqing said softly.

Xue Gang frowned, pondering for a moment before dismissing it, “So what of it?”

Ji Yanqing was silent.

“This city hasn’t been fully searched yet. There’s definitely a lot of supplies left. Leaving now and hoping to find a place like this again would be incredibly difficult,” Xue Gang said, glancing at the others around them who were watching. “Even if I were willing to leave, you still need to ask if the other’s here agree or not.”

Ji Yanqing looked at those people.

Without exception, the entire group, disheveled and battered, met Ji Yanqing’s eyes. After a brief moment of bewilderment, they all averted their gazes.

Most of the supplies they had gathered along the way were used to sustain Xue Gang and his group. They had endured bouts of hunger and starvation to get this far. Now, having finally found food, not a single one of them was willing to give it up so easily.

If they could find more food, they might be able to get a bigger share.

Ji Yanqing looked at Baldy and Wu Yao. The two, who had been looking at him in turn, shifted their gazes subtly.

Ji Yanqing wanted to say something, but finally swallowed the words.

As long as Xue Gang disagrees, even if some people in this group are willing to believe him, they probably won’t dare to say anything at all.

Seeing that Ji Yanqing stopped talking and no one stood by Ji Yanqing’s side, Xue Gang smiled and said in a rare good mood, “Okay, don’t delay any more. It’s almost eight o’clock now. We still have to find a place to camp before ten o’clock.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Gang took the lead in a good mood and headed towards his re-planned route, bypassing the hospital and continuing forward.

Ji Yanqing retreated to the side of the road and watched others quickly pass by him.

Everyone left, but Ji Yanqing stayed for a moment to distance himself before following.

Xue Gang led the way, walking a considerable distance down the street. Only after they were far from the hospital did he make another left turn.

Far from the hospital, Xue Gang accelerated once more, widening the gap between the two groups again.

Ji Yanqing seized the opportunity to glance at Feng Yimo beside him. “Do you want to come with us?” he asked.

Feng Yimo looked over.

“We’re leaving the city. Something’s wrong with this place.” Ji Yanqing said lightly.

Xia Shen Shu and Lan Zi exchanged a surprised glance. They didn’t say anything, but throughout this journey, they had managed to survive by placing their trust in Ji Yanqing’s judgment.

Feng Yimo glanced at Ji An and Ji Le, following silently behind them.

Xie Gang quickly moved forward along the chosen detour route, but Ji Yanqing purposely slowed his pace. After Xie Gang’s group had all turned the corner, he immediately gave Xia Shen Shu and the others a look, then led them running toward the opposite direction to the right.

Quickly running through the passageway, Ji Yanqing led the way, making left and right turns in the alleyway, quickly distancing themselves from Xue Gang and his group.

After running non-stop for about five or six minutes, Ji Yanqing finally slowed his pace, ensuring he was far from Xue Gang and his group, as well as the hospital they were at earlier.

They halted as they reached the entrance of a residential area.

The small neighborhood had no perimeter walls. Five houses stood unhurriedly along the main road. The faded building numbers, which had long been exposed to the sun, hung on the walls, marking the houses from one to five.

Ji Yanqing chose the nearest Building Two and quickly entered.

At the base of the second building, there were two storefronts: a small supermarket and a courier service station. Both shops had already been ransacked, their interiors looking incredibly chaotic.

Ji Yanqing chose the courier station where the iron gate was half-lowered. He bent down and swiftly slipped inside.

Upon seeing this, Xia Shen Shu and the others hurriedly followed.

Upon entering the shop and confirming that there were no zombies inside, the group moved a shelf to the door and stuffed it with various cardboard boxes to block the view from outside.

After doing this and confirming that it was temporarily safe, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Ji Yanqing also breathed a sigh of relief and took off his backpack.

The backpack in his hand was about to be placed on the ground when a chill suddenly ran up his back. He reflexively dropped the bag and clenched the axe in his hand.

He looked out the door.

Looking out, he could only see the stairs of the building in front and a small part of the road. The feeling of being watched came from across the road.

Ji Yanqing stared across the road, but he could see nothing on the road or on the roof of the house across the road.

“Ji Yanqing?” Xia Shen Shu approached the door and looked out through the gap in the makeshift barrier.

“It seems like something is watching us...” Ji Yanqing was unsure.

“Something?” Lan Zi also approached the shelf.

Xia Shen Shu and Lan Zi looked outside for a long time, but didn’t see anything.

“Aren’t you too nervous? There are only zombies in this ghost town... And if it were really zombies, they would have rushed over long ago.” Xia Shen Shu said.

Ji Yanqing extended his hand, attempting to massage the bridge of his nose. Only when his hand touched the lenses did he remember that he was wearing protective goggles.

He was still lost in thought when a sudden burst of gunfire, like a thunderclap a clear day, abruptly shattered the silence.

Everyone in the room turned their heads almost simultaneously toward the direction of the gunshot. A chill surged from their feet straight to the tops of their heads.

Did something happen to Xue Gang and his men?

Hearing the gunshots, Lan Zi guessed that Xue Gang and his group must have encountered something. Her face turned as pale as a sheet, and she couldn’t help but glance at Ji Yanqing. Regardless of what Xue Gang and his group had run into, Ji Yanqing had once again saved their lives.

In the dimly lit room, with the entrance having been largely blocked by a shelf, everyone fell silent. No one uttered a word, let alone suggested going to the rescue.

Although Xue Gang was an annoying person, he had a knack for dealing with zombies.

There was a hospital nearby, and if it weren’t an emergency, he definitely wouldn’t have allowed his men to use their guns so easily. Since he had chosen to use bullets, the thing they encountered must have left them with no other choice.

In such a situation, going there would have been tantamount to sending themselves to their deaths. Moreover, Ji Yanqing had already warned them once before.

As for Baldy and Wu Yao, the moment they had given the supplies of their own team to Xue Gang[e/n: callback to chapter 23, if you forgot], they had no longer been on the same side.

The gunfire lasted for more than thirty seconds, and then stopped abruptly, the world becoming quiet once again.

In the post station, Ji Yanqing and the others exchanged glances, their hearts still suspended in their chests.

Two minutes later, gunfire started again, this time on the road to their left. Xue Gang and the others had fled in their direction!

“Tsk!” Xia Shen Shu’s face darkened instantly.

He had forgotten that since Xue Gang and the others could not go to the hospital or run back in the direction of the forest, they could only come towards them.

“What should we do—” Xia Shen Shu was just about to ask Ji Yanqing whether they should run or take a gamble and pull down the door to hide. But when he turned his head, he found Ji Yanqing staring intently at the opposite side.

His eyes, hidden behind the protective goggles, were as cold as ice. He resembled an assassin completely focused, having cast aside all unnecessary thoughts. In his gaze, there was only a chilling intent to kill.

From their vantage point, they could see nothing but the back of a large building ahead. Behind the building, everything was flat and even, with only rows upon rows of windows breaking the monotony.

It was meant to be this way.

At this moment, on the outer wall of the second floor from the top of that tall building, a “person” with a long tail, resembling a large lizard, was clinging there, head raised, looking in their direction.

Tattered strips of cloth still clung to its body—remnants of the clothes it wore when it was human. The clothes had long since fallen into ruin, revealing large patches of ashen-gray skin beneath.

With an 180-degree spin of its head, the zombified beast revealed a gaping maw that reached all the way to its ears, from which a viscous, blue-black liquid oozed. Before them stood a zombified beast that had undergone a secondary awakening.

“Get ready to run.” Ji Yanqing whispered in a hushed voice.

He picked up his bag and slowly put it on. As he moved, the lizard stared at him, its head even turning with his movements.

Xia Shen Shu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and the sound of it was astoundingly loud in the tense silence.

Lan Zi’s face was pale as she loaded the gun in her hand. She had never used a gun before, and the clicking sound of the bullet being loaded was louder than she had expected, causing the muscles on her face to twitch violently.

Ji Yanqing focused all his attention on the lizard in front of him, and after confirming that everyone was ready, he gritted his teeth and was the first to rush out around the shelf.

Xia Shen Shu and the others followed closely behind.

Almost at the same time as they moved, the lizard on the opposite wall descended at an extremely fast speed and reached the third floor. It jumped directly from the wall and pounced on them.

It was so fast that before Ji Yanqing could react, the other party had already jumped in front of him.

Ji Yanqing instinctively swung the axe in his hand, and the axe hit the opponent’s side firmly, sending the opponent flying out, hitting a red car on the street.

“Bang!”

The entire roof of the car was dented, and glass flew everywhere.

Xue Gang and his group, already running down the road, heard the commotion and turned back to look.

Seeing Ji Yanqing, a flash of malice crossed Xue Gang’s face. He hadn’t realized Ji Yanqing was missing at first, not until they were ambushed.

Ji Yanqing had definitely noticed the problem long ago, yet he intentionally kept it a secret, leaving them behind as scapegoats to seize the opportunity to escape.

At a second glance, when he saw the creature sprawled on its back ontop of the car, Xue Gang’s face turned ashen.

One awakened zombie was already enough for them to suffer, but there was actually another one here? What on earth was going on in this city?

Xia Shen Shu and the others glanced back at the lizard that was swatted away. Without hesitation, they all turned and fled in the opposite direction.

They responded quickly, and their hearts were pounding with nervousness, so how could they not understand when Ji Yanqing didn’t even need to remind them?

This monster was different from the woman in the woods before. The woman before had deliberately wanted to play tricks on them, so she never attacked. However, this monster was not prepared to waste time with them at all. It was really ready to eat them.

If it could be said that they had only lucked out in their previous encounter with that woman, narrowly grasping victory by chance, then this time, they stood absolutely no chance of winning.

Everyone pushed themselves to accelerate, but just as their feet were beginning to move and their bodies had barely entered into the rhythm, something immensely heavy suddenly came hurtling towards them.

“Ji Yanqing, get out of the way--!”

Instinctively, Ji Yanqing turned his head to look, but before he could make out who it was, Lan Zi slammed into him, sending him flying to the ground. As he landed, intense pain shot through his arm, head, and back.

At the same time, a red car with a dented roof flew over the two of them and hit the ground directly in front of him.

The car was instantly shattered into pieces, a deafening sound was heard, and countless parts and pieces of iron were scattered at the same time.

“Ugh...” Lan Zi groaned and rolled to the side.

The car’s flying metal fragments had grazed her head.

Ji Yanqing looked over and saw only a scene covered in blood.

Ji Yanqing’s breath caught in his throat, and he felt a surge of blood rush to his head. His mind buzzed incessantly. Before he could react, a dark shadow accompanied by a gust of wind came hurtling toward him once again.

Ji Yanqing only had enough time to reflexively leap towards Lan Zi, pressing her beneath him. In the next instant, the dark shadow engulfed them completely.

Everything happened so quickly, it was as if it occurred in the blink of an eye.

The car hurtled towards Ji Yanqing but never hit the ground. Just before it could, something intercepted it. The car crumpled in midair before being flung to the side, crashing into a nearby supermarket. The glass doors of the supermarket shattered with a loud crash.

Amid the deafening crash and the shower of shattered glass, Ji An caught the car with a fierce glare filled with anger and murderous intent. Though his frame was slight, the wild killing intent he unleashed in that moment made it impossible for anyone to ignore his presence.

His mind went completely blank, leaving only the image of the blood-soaked ground in his thoughts.

It actually dared to try to kill Ji Yanqing. It actually dared to harm Ji Yanqing. It actually dared—

Kill it!

Kill it!

He wanted to kill it!

Ji An’s entire face warped due to the searing killing intent he released.

“Gu...” The lizard on the opposite side of the road fixed its eyes on Ji An, its pupils instinctively contracting. In a flash, it took several steps backward, its body trembling uncontrollably.

Since its awakening, it had never once felt true terror, but now, it was trembling with fear. The killing intent and terror felt so real, it was as if they were tangible knives, stabbing into its body and shredding it to pieces, leaving it bloodied and broken.

It froze in place, unable to move.

“Ugh...” Xia Shen Shu, who had been knocked out by the door of the first car, finally regained consciousness. His brain was extremely dizzy as he struggled to control his aching limbs in order to get up from the ground.

He looked over at the direction where Ji Yanqing and Lan Zi were. His head was dizzy and his vision was blurry. It was as if there was blood in his eyes, and all he could see was a bunch of vague shadows.

Ji Yanqing and Lan Zi seemed to be lying on the ground motionless…

“Cough Cough...Ji!...” Xia Shen Shu struggled to get up from the ground and headed towards Ji Yanqing.

His body was beyond his control, and the dizziness continued to intensify.

Just as he was about to fall back to the ground, someone rudely grabbed his clothes and lifted him up.

After depositing Xia Shen Shu beside Lan Zi, the figure grabbed Ji An and lifted him off the ground as well.

“Let go—!” Ji An, his eyes red with rage, struggled with all his might, his attention fixated solely on the lizard. Like an enraged young beast, he fought furiously, determined to kill that bastard!

“Stop.” Feng Yimo ordered.

Ji An has not yet fully awakened, and such a sudden and crazy release of his abilities would make him weak for a long time.

The words that Feng Yimo uttered were like an icy sword, instantly piercing through Ji An’s consciousness, causing him to falter for a moment before quickly fainting.

Having completed these tasks, Feng Yimo grabbed the two small cubs along with the larger one and sprinted ahead.

Xue Gang and his gang had crossed the road and entered the residential area, and the hoard of zombies that had forced them into this situation, as well as another awakened zombie, had also entered the residential area.

In his panic, Xia Shen Shu held Lan Zi, taking a full two seconds to finally regain some semblance of composure. He glanced at Lan Zi’s face and neck, both stained red with blood, and involuntarily drew in a sharp breath.

He didn’t have the time to think about anything else, nor to check Lan Zi over thoroughly. Seeing Feng Yimo carrying Ji Yanqing and running towards the front, he also hastily half-supported and half-dragged Lan Zi as he followed.

Leaving the residential complex and entering the alley in front of it, Feng Yimo turned his head and dashed towards the left.

“Go straight,” Xia Shen Shu promptly reminded.

Feng Yimo, without a second glance, ducked into the alley on the left and swiftly emerged from it a moment later, already far ahead.

Xia Shen Shu’s facial muscles twitched violently. He could only grit his teeth and follow.

As Xia Shen Shu ran forward, he fervently prayed in his heart, hoping that Feng Yimo wouldn’t suddenly change his mind and make a left turn back to the neighborhood they had just left.

It was practically a miracle that Feng Yimo had managed to survive alone in this post-apocalyptic world until now!

Gunshots from behind were already alarmingly close. Xue Gang and his men had caught up. Xia Shen Shu could even feel the vibrations as bullet casings hit the ground nonstop.

Up ahead was an intersection; one path led left, the other continued straight.

Feng Yimo turned to his left and continued walking.

“Don’t turn!” Xia Shen Shu’s facial muscles twitched frantically.

Feng Yimo ignored him again.

“Go straight.” Ji Yanqing’s weak voice came.

Feng Yimo glanced at Ji Yanqing, his steps unwavering as he plunged into the alley ahead and continued straight on.

Xia Shen Shu saw it and let out a deep sigh of relief, though the muscles on his face twitched violently once again. What kind of grudge did Feng Yimo have against him?

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