AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 27
Chapter 27
“I Don’t Bite.”
“What is it?” Ji Yanqing asked softly from the rooftop.
Feng Yimo’s gaze lingered on Ji Yanqing for a moment, then shifted towards the hospital in the distance.
Ji Yanqing withdrew his gaze and focused on the hospital once more. He backed away, then broke into a sprint towards the edge of the rooftop. Reaching the brink, he pushed off powerfully, his body soaring through the air towards the opposite building.
Taking advantage of the height difference, he landed smoothly on the opposite rooftop. He rolled to absorb the impact, then looked back at Feng Yimo.
Feng Yimo retreated a few steps, and in a flash, he appeared in the air, landing gracefully beside Ji Yanqing.
Seeing Feng Yimo land safely, Ji Yanqing let out a sigh of relief before making his way towards the edge of the roof closest to the hospital.
They were now very close to the hospital. The smell of disinfectant hung heavy in the air, and a faint metallic tang of blood drifted through.
From their vantage point on the side of the hospital, they could clearly see several inpatient buildings and a small garden between the main medical building. Unlike the deserted front entrance of the hospital, the garden teemed with zombies – fifty or sixty of them, just within their line of sight.
The zombies were trapped, unable to get out due to the surrounding buildings and walls.
Ji Yanqing took a deep breath, focusing on the corridor of the nearest ward building. He could see human-shaped shadows through the ward windows, but the corridor itself was clear of zombies.
After quickly estimating the distance, he took a running leap and jumped across to the ward corridor, landing silently. He then cautiously approached a window near the end of the corridor.
This ward housed multiple patients, each room with four single iron beds, equipped with a cabinet and a chair. The rooms weren’t large, and the abundance of furniture made them appear cramped.
Within the room, three figures moved sluggishly – two clad in patient gowns and one in a nurse’s uniform. Near the doorway lay an overturned trolley, its contents – bottles and jars – scattered across the floor.
The nurse must have been changing the patients’ medications when the virus broke out.
Ji Yanqing glanced back at Feng Yimo, who had followed him to the corridor. He crouched low, passing by the window and arriving at the door.
As they reached the door, snow began to fall from the sky. Large, goose-feather-like snowflakes blanketed the ground. Had they not been at a hospital filled with the stench of blood and disinfectant, it would have been a picturesque scene.
The heavy snow quickly caught the attention of the zombies in the open space. Many began to look up at the sky, moaning and groaning. The sight was strangely eerie, like a group performing some sort of ritualistic dance under the falling snow.
Ji Yanqing waited at the door for a while, until all three zombies had turned their backs. Then, he swiftly led Feng Yimo through the ward.
He repeated the process in the second and third wards, until he reached the stairwell.
Darkness enveloped the stairwell. Faint shuffling sounds echoed from below. Descending to the third floor, Ji Yanqing saw a lone, grotesque figure wandering aimlessly.
Seizing the moment when the figure turned away, Ji Yanqing quickly jumped down from above and swung his axe, striking the back of its head before it could react.
With its head destroyed, the zombie collapsed soundlessly.
Reaching the ground floor, Ji Yanqing peered from the stairwell into the small garden. Dozens of zombies, their ragged clothing hanging off decaying bodies, stood with their heads tilted back, moaning towards the snowy sky.
Seizing the opportunity while the zombies were distracted, Ji Yanqing quickly dashed across the garden, using the flower beds as cover, and entered the main building.
Before he could find a place to hide, the pungent aroma of disinfectant hit him full force. He instinctively furrowed his brow, his body momentarily stiffening in resistance.
Feng Yimo noticed.
Ji Yanqing quickly continued onward, following the corridor and searching for a pharmacy or any room that might contain medicine.
The main building of the hospital was composed of two adjacent buildings, forming a long rectangular shape from the outside. Inside, however, it was a labyrinth of identical corridors, making navigation a daunting task.
He chose one corridor and entered.
An even stronger stench of blood assaulted his senses. Intermingled with the blood was the stench of decaying flesh, like dead rats in a sewer, a nauseating odor that made him dizzy.
And for some reason, the smell seemed disturbingly fresh.
His nerves were on high alert, but he did not slow down. Following the corridor in the darkness, they soon arrived at its end.
At the end stood a transparent glass door. One of the panes was shattered, with shards still clinging to the frame.
The cafeteria, a place that should have been bustling with life, was eerily silent and empty. Not a single zombie in sight.
Ji Yanqing’s brow furrowed beneath his goggles. Just as he was wondering what was going on, a figure scurried across his field of vision.
The figure was no longer human. Crawling on all fours, with a thin tail protruding from behind, it was a partially awakened zombie.
Ji Yanqing held his breath, his hands and feet turning ice-cold.
How could an awakened zombie be here?
This partially awakened zombie resembled the ones they had encountered before, but it was not alone.
Ji Yanqing quickly pulled open the door of a nearby room and pulled Feng Yimo in with him, without checking if any zombies were inside.
They had stumbled into a consultation room. A file cabinet, a desk with a pediatric doctor’s nameplate, and the doctor himself nowhere to be found.
His gaze rested on the inscription “Pediatric Doctor” for a brief moment before he looked away. He turned back, peeking through the crack in the door towards the cafeteria. The sight that greeted him made his already pounding heart skip a beat.
From this new angle, he had a clearer view of the cafeteria.
On the right side, tables and chairs lay overturned, haphazardly piled in the corner. The floor, where the furniture should have been, was covered in a thick layer of blood, and scattered atop the blood were mangled limbs.
The limbs belonged to both zombies and humans. They were piled so high they formed a grotesque mound on the left side of the cafeteria.
On top of this mound of corpses, a massive, fleshy creature, easily over three meters tall and unable to stand upright in the room, slumbered amidst the carnage.
It was a Corpse King. Although he still retained the semblance of a human form, he was far from human. His stomach was monstrously bloated, almost touching the ground. His skin was caked with blood and decaying fluids. The stench emanating from him was unbearable.
The overpowering odor permeating the entire hospital originated from him.
Surrounding the Corpse King, five or six partially awakened zombies were crawling and patrolling the floor and walls. The one Ji Yanqing had seen earlier was just one of them.
Ji Yanqing swallowed hard, the sound deafening in his own ears.
He snapped back to reality and glanced at Feng Yimo.
Feng Yimo’s face was hidden in the darkness, his expression unreadable, but from the faint outline of his jaw, he seemed neither nervous nor afraid, even with a Corpse King right in front of him.
In the darkness, Ji Yanqing took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He peered back towards the cafeteria.
The awakened zombies showed no intention of attacking the obese Corpse King. Instead, their actions resembled those of guards protecting their king.
Awakened zombies protecting a Corpse King? Were they perhaps feeding him?
A surge of realization flooded Ji Yanqing’s brain, and he suddenly understood what was happening in this city.
The reason there were so few zombies in the city wasn’t because they were swallowed by the forest, but because they had been devoured by the Corpse King.
Zombies had a natural tendency to consume their own kind, and awakened zombies devoured even more to gain the energy needed to evolve, ultimately into Corpse Kings.
They had likely been detected the moment they entered the city. Their journey towards the hospital was no coincidence; they had been deliberately led here, manipulated by the Corpse King.
Just like humans herding cattle or sheep, leading them to the slaughterhouse for convenience, it was far easier to gather food in one place.
Understanding this, a cold sweat broke out on Ji Yanqing’s forehead.
He had never heard of anything like this before.
He knew that awakened zombies possessed a certain level of intelligence, and there were Corpse Kings who could control other zombies, but he always believed their intelligence was limited, akin to wild animals. This Corpse King, however, was clearly as intelligent as a human.
And it seemed he was far more than just “intelligent.” He was an existence far surpassing the average Corpse King.
Ji Yanqing had never heard of a Corpse King being able to control partially evolved zombies. Ordinary, intelligence-focused Corpse Kings could control zombies, but only ordinary ones.
He suddenly recalled what Xue Gang had said about the “King of Corpse Kings,” and how the Corpse Kings were establishing their own hierarchy.
“We need to leave–” Ji Yanqing turned back to speak to Feng Yimo, but the words died in his throat as a figure crawled through the broken glass door and entered the corridor.
Ji Yanqing instantly fell silent.
The awakened zombie that had entered their corridor crawled upside down on the wall, seemingly patrolling.
It crawled from one end of the corridor to the other, making sure nothing was amiss, then turned back and re-entered the cafeteria.
After a few minutes, it returned to the corridor.
It tirelessly repeated this routine, ensuring the Corpse King’s safety.
Ji Yanqing observed everything, his body hidden behind the door growing colder, his blood turning to ice. They had no chance of escaping.
He glanced back at Feng Yimo.
Feng Yimo was gazing at him, his expression calm and unwavering, seemingly unfazed by their predicament.
Ji Yanqing was speechless. Under Feng Yimo’s dark, steady gaze, he regained some composure.
The zombies hadn’t discovered them yet. It wasn’t time to despair.
“Let’s wait. There’s got to be a way out,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
He wasn’t going to try and force their way out. It was no longer a question of whether they could win a fight. The sheer number of enemies meant that even if they could kill half of them in an instant, the remaining half would be enough to overwhelm them. Worse, they might even alert all the zombies in the city.
Ji Yanqing took another deep breath, slowly closing the door, and glanced back at the consultation room.
The room wasn’t big. Near the door was a two-seater sofa, followed by a chair for patients, a desk, and a long file cabinet against the wall. There were no windows.
He didn’t bother searching the room for medicine. Instead, he sat down against the wall by the door.
“Don’t be afraid,” a cool voice suddenly said.
Ji Yanqing turned to look at the other person in the room, and only when he saw the other’s eyes looking at him did he confirm that those words were indeed directed at him.
Ji Yanqing chuckled, “I’m not afraid.”
He was actually quite frightened, but not to the extent that he needed Feng Yimo’s reassurance.
Feng Yimo said nothing, his eyes lingering on Ji Yanqing’s slightly trembling hands, hidden in the darkness. Ji Yanqing was clearly afraid.
Not of the zombies, but of this room.
Feng Yimo took two steps forward and sat down beside Ji Yanqing.
Ji Yanqing looked at him. Feng Yimo was so close that he could feel the other’s body under his clothes.
The room was quiet and dark.
The partially awakened zombies continued to patrol the cafeteria, never straying far from the Corpse King. They occasionally entered the surrounding corridors to patrol, giving Ji Yanqing no opportunity to escape.
Hours passed. As dawn approached and a faint light started to filter into the enclosed consultation room, there was finally movement from the zombies in the cafeteria.
The slumbering Corpse King had awakened.
Ji Yanqing didn’t risk opening the door to look. He held his breath and listened intently.
The newly awakened Corpse King seemed ravenously hungry. He let out a series of guttural growls, and the awakened zombies around him grew restless.
Soon, several figures left the cafeteria, seemingly in search of food.
After they left, only two awakened zombies remained in the cafeteria. The Corpse King seemed to be throwing a tantrum, which made them even more anxious.
Ji Yanqing listened intently for a moment, then cautiously opened the door a crack.
The cafeteria was connected to the main entrance, and beyond the
entrance was the bright light of dawn.
*
Bathed in the morning light, Xia Shen Shu, hiding in an apartment building, frowned at his watch.
“I told you, going there was a death wish,” a man in Xue Gang’s five-person team, who had disagreed with Ji Yanqing’s decision to go to the hospital, voiced.
Xia Shen Shu shot him a cold look.
After resting and reorganizing, the five of them were now ready to leave.
“We’re leaving,” the man said.
Xia Shen Shu remained silent, showing no sign of getting up or following them.
“Are you crazy? Are you seriously going to wait here? If he was coming back, he would have been back last night. He’s not back now, which means he’s dead.” The man frowned. He wasn’t concerned about the safety of Xia Shen Shu and the others; he just thought they were crazy for risking their lives for a dying person.
“Don’t see us out,” Xia Shen Shu said coldly.
The man was momentarily stunned. He scowled at Ji An and Ji Le, who had barely slept and were huddled in the corner, their faces filled with worry, before snorting disdainfully and leading his four team members out the door.
Xia Shen Shu watched them leave, then closed the door behind them before turning to look at Ji An and Ji Le.
They hadn’t slept all night, and now that dawn had arrived without Ji Yanqing’s return, their small, malnourished faces were pale, their eyes red and swollen.
Xia Shen Shu walked to his bag, pulled out some food and water, and tossed them over to the children.
Ji An and Ji Le didn’t eat. They just stared at the food and water in their hands.
Ji Yanqing still hadn’t returned. He was supposed to be back before dawn.
Xia Shen Shu felt a headache coming on. He tried to think of something comforting to say, but he had never been fond of children, both before and after the outbreak, and had no experience comforting them.
“If Ji Yanqing knew you were being this unreasonable, he wouldn’t be happy,” he said.
Ji An and Ji Le’s small bodies, hidden under the blankets, trembled. They looked at the food in their hands, then back at Xia Shen Shu. Instead of continuing to sit idly, they quickly picked up the food and started eating.
They knew they had to be well-behaved. They couldn’t be a burden to Ji Yanqing.
They knew Ji Yanqing was already kind enough to bring them along. He even treated them like his own children, carrying them as he ran. How could they cause him any further worry?
Ji An took a large bite of fruit bread. As the taste of banana and bread filled his mouth, a wave of nausea washed over him.
He was about to spit it out, but then he remembered Ji Yanqing’s face, and he forced himself to swallow.
Seeing that Ji An and Ji Le had started eating, Xia Shen Shu relaxed.
He checked on Lan Zi, who was still burning with fever and had flushed cheeks. After giving her some water, he sat down, took out his own food, and began to eat.
The food tasted bland.
If Ji Yanqing and Feng Yimo were coming back, they would have been back by now. They had not returned, which meant they must have encountered trouble.
“Ugh,” a sudden retching sound broke the silence.
Xia Shen Shu quickly refocused.
Ji An was hunched over in the corner, vomiting violently as if he was trying to empty every organ in his body. His pale face turned even whiter.
Xia Shen Shu was startled. He rushed over to Ji An and asked, “What’s
wrong?”
*
Ji Yanqing pressed his ear against the door, listening intently. After confirming that there were no zombies patrolling this corridor, he seized his chance. He opened the door and swiftly ran with Feng Yimo towards the other end of the corridor.
They ran for a long while until they reached the opposite side of the medical building. Only when they felt safe did they enter a nearby room to hide.
Once hidden, Ji Yanqing hesitated for a moment, then left again to search for the pharmacy. They had to bring back medicine, or Lan Zi wouldn’t survive.
This time, luck was on their side. They quickly found the pharmacy, its contents having been ransacked several times before.
The glass windows and doors were broken, and various bottles and jars were scattered across the floor.
The people who had searched here before were likely patients from the hospital. They had selectively searched for medicine, leaving the majority behind.
Ji Yanqing entered the pharmacy and emptied his backpack, discarding the clothes inside. He quickly began picking up medicine bottles from the floor and stuffing them into his bag.
His backpack was large enough to carry supplies and a small child. After discarding the clothes, there was ample space for medicine.
He methodically grabbed some of each type of medication, filling the backpack to the brim. He then grabbed a handful of syringes before stopping.
With enough medicine secured, the two retraced their steps.
They spent some time returning to the roof of the building adjacent to the hospital, then descended to the ground floor and made their way back towards Xia Shen Shu’s hideout, avoiding the main roads.
There were few zombies along the way. Ji Yanqing had found that odd earlier, but had simply been wary. Now, knowing the reason, the sight of even a single zombie sent chills down his spine.
If they were spotted by a zombie, any zombie, and news reached the Corpse King, they would never escape this city.
There were no zombies near the building where Xia Shen Shu was hiding. Xue Gang had lured them all away, making things easier for Ji Yanqing.
After slipping through the entrance, Ji Yanqing carefully closed the iron gate and hurried upstairs.
Reaching the door, he knocked softly.
The door didn’t open immediately. Only after his second knock and a brief pause did it slowly creak open.
Xia Shen Shu, his face flushed, had peered through the peephole and, upon seeing them, quickly opened the door. “What took you so long?” he asked even before they had a chance to close the door behind them.
They were supposed to be back before dawn.
“We ran into some trouble,” Ji Yanqing replied, handing Xia Shen Shu his backpack. He didn’t understand medicine, but it seemed Xia Shen Shu knew something about it.
Xia Shen Shu was taken aback by Ji Yanqing’s vague explanation, but he didn’t press for details. He quickly emptied the backpack, laying out all the medicine and studying the names and instructions.
Ji Yanqing took the opportunity to check on Ji An and Ji Le. He had returned late, and the two little ones must have been worried sick.
However, he froze as his eyes fell on them. Ji Le, as expected, was by his side, his eyes red-rimmed. Ji An, however, lay on the floor, pale and motionless.
“Ji An?” he quickly rushed over.
“Brother threw up and then fainted…” Ji Le said, his soft voice filled with unshed tears.
“Fainted?” Ji Yanqing knelt in front of Ji An. He reached out to touch Ji An’s forehead, finding his skin burning hot, despite the paleness of his face.
“After dawn broke and you still hadn’t returned…” Xia Shen Shu briefly explained what had happened that morning while simultaneously studying the medicine instructions.
Ji An had suddenly started vomiting, and Xia Shen Shu was caught off guard. He rushed over to help him.
Only after Ji An had emptied his stomach did he stop, his body completely drained.
Xia Shen Shu initially thought the food had gone bad, but everything seemed fine. He asked Ji An where he felt unwell, but Ji An didn’t say anything, so he could only give him some water.
Just when Xia Shen Shu thought Ji An was getting better, the child fainted and quickly developed a fever.
The fever escalated rapidly, and within half an hour, his forehead was burning hot.
Xia Shen Shu tried to bring the fever down by giving him more water, but it was pointless. Ji An’s temperature continued to rise, well above 39 degrees Celsius.
Just as he was at his wit’s end, Ji Yanqing and Feng Yimo returned.
“I suspect he caught a cold last night and got sick from worrying about your return. Children are more susceptible to illness,” Xia Shen Shu said, finding anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing medication. He quickly prepared a syringe and began injecting it into Lan Zi.
Lan Zi’s fever was also severe. Without timely treatment, she wouldn’t make it.
Leaving Lan Zi in Xia Shen Shu’s care, Ji Yanqing focused all his attention on Ji An.
He lifted Ji An from the floor and cradled him in his arms. Ji An was much smaller than a typical three-year-old, and felt almost weightless in his arms.
“Dad, is brother going to…” Ji Le tugged anxiously on the fabric of Ji Yanqing’s shirt, unable to voice his fears. He wanted to ask, but the word “die” stuck in his throat.
He had seen it before – Xue Gang abandoning sick and weak children.
Ji Yanqing wouldn’t abandon Ji An, but sick children, if they didn’t recover, would die.
“It’s alright. I’ll give him some medicine to bring his fever down,” Ji Yanqing said, trying to reassure Ji Le despite his own worries.
Ji Le looked at Ji Yanqing, then at the pile of medicine on the floor. Without overthinking, he ran to collect the medicine, hoping to find something that would help Ji An.
He didn’t want Ji An to die.
Ji Yanqing used the opportunity to check on Ji An. “Check” was perhaps too strong a word, as all he could do was touch Ji An’s forehead and feel the intense heat radiating from his skin.
“Ji An?” he called softly, trying to rouse him. If Ji An was sick from worrying about him, seeing him return might help.
“Ji An, open your eyes and look. Who is it?” Ji Yanqing gently pinched Ji An’s cheeks, finding them alarmingly thin.
Sensing the touch on his face and hearing the familiar voice, Ji An’s long eyelashes fluttered. He opened his eyes weakly.
He remained in a daze for a while before his vision focused.
As he recognized Ji Yanqing’s face, Ji An’s pale lips trembled, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
He clutched at the fabric of Ji Yanqing’s shirt with one hand while wiping away his tears with the other. His sobs grew louder. He begged Ji Yanqing not to kill him, he was scared of the pain.
“Why are you crying?” Ji Yanqing asked, his heart aching. “Silly, didn’t I tell you I’d be back?”
“...Zombies...” Ji An choked out, barely able to speak between sobs.
“What?”
“...What if I turn...turn into a zombie?” Ji An’s words, barely audible through his sobs and delirious fever, were filled with despair.
Ji Yanqing was speechless. “You won’t turn into a zombie.”
“Bu…but what if?” Ji An’s soft voice was choked with sobs.
“You won’t,” Ji Yanqing said, helpless and heartbroken.
Ji An had always been mature beyond his years. He ran alongside Ji Yanqing, never complaining, whining, or crying about being hungry or tired. He even helped take care of Ji Le. His maturity was that of a six or seven-year-old, so much so that Ji Yanqing often forgot he was only three, and that he would also be afraid.
The apocalypse, zombies, being beaten, being abandoned, hunger, pain – all of these things must be incomprehensible and terrifying to him.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.” Ji Yanqing patted Ji An’s back gently, unsure what he had dreamed of, but knowing it must have been a nightmare.
“If...if I become a zombie, please don’t kill me, don’t cut off my head, okay? I’ll be good…” Ji An pleaded, clutching tightly at Ji Yanqing’s clothes. Even if he became an ugly little zombie, he would still be good and obedient.
“Okay,” Ji Yanqing agreed. “Even if you become a zombie, I won’t kill you.”
As long as he was alive, he would never let Ji An become a zombie, but if saying this would ease Ji An’s worries, then he didn’t mind saying it.
“Really?…really…?” Ji An sobbed, his words broken and disjointed.
“Really,” Ji Yanqing soothed, rubbing his chest to help him breathe. “I promise.”
Hearing Ji Yanqing’s reassurance and promise, Ji An, still delirious from the fever, cried a little longer before calming down. He soon fell back asleep.
Even in sleep, Ji An clung tightly to Ji Yanqing’s shirt, his knuckles white, his body curled up against Ji Yanqing like a frightened kitten seeking comfort.
Ji Yanqing couldn’t bring himself to put Ji An down. He couldn’t offer long-term reassurance, but he could let the child sleep peacefully in his arms for a little while.
He wiped the tears from Ji An’s thin face, and as he looked up, he met Ji Le’s worried gaze.
Ji Le stood before him, his arms full of various medications, his expression anxious.
He had found many different pills and bottles, but unable to read, he had no idea which ones were right for Ji An. He could only bring them all to Ji Yanqing for help.
He didn’t want Ji An to die.
“Let me see,” Ji Yanqing said, taking a box from Ji Le’s arms and looking at the instructions.
He had never raised a child before. He didn’t know which medicine to give Ji An, only that medication for children differed from that for adults.
As he was pondering, Xia Shen Shu handed him a box.
He may not have liked children, but that didn’t mean he disliked Ji An and Ji Le.
He had said those harsh words earlier because, with Lan Zi’s fever and Ji Yanqing’s absence, he had no energy to comfort anyone. He hadn’t expected his words to trigger such a reaction in Ji An.
Ji Yanqing glanced at Lan Zi.
“I’ve already given her fever reducers, painkillers, and anti-inflammatory medicine. I’ve also cleaned her wounds. The rest depends on her,” Xia Shen Shu said.
Ji Yanqing nodded and took the medicine from Xia Shen Shu.
“I’ll boil some water. It’s for dissolving the medication,” Xia Shen Shu said, heading into the kitchen.
Ji Yanqing looked at the medicine in his hand – a box of fever and cold medicine for children.
For an adult, he could have just swallowed the pills, but Ji An was still so young and delirious from fever.
“Do you hate zombies?” a cool voice suddenly asked.
Ji Yanqing looked up.
Feng Yimo was sitting against the wall, his dark eyes fixed on him.
Feng Yimo’s face was expressionless, but there was a hint of confusion in his dark eyes, as if he was asking about something mundane and commonplace.
Ji Yanqing suddenly recalled the fleeting confusion in Feng Yimo’s eyes when he had offered him food earlier.
At that moment, Ji Yanqing felt a strange sensation wash over him.
Feng Yimo didn’t seem to know what was edible, and he hadn’t been afraid of the Corpse King. He even seemed unaware that zombies were repulsive. It was as if he didn’t belong to this cruel world, as if he was completely detached from the desperate struggle for survival.
“There’s no one in this world who likes zombies, unless they’ve lost their mind,” Xia Shen Shu answered before Ji Yanqing could speak.
Xia Shen Shu emerged from the kitchen with a small saucepan in hand. After rinsing out the dust and wiping it clean, he began to look around the room for furniture he could dismantle.
The buildings in this area weren’t old, and not many people had moved in yet. The furniture in this apartment was clearly new.
Xia Shen Shu walked around the room, collecting the few unread books from the bookshelf and moving them to the living room. He then went to the dining room and carried several solid wooden chairs over.
The chairs were made of mahogany, seemingly expensive – a single chair likely worth half the price of this small apartment. Xia Shen Shu seemed pleased as he disassembled them, even more so as he burned the wood.
While boiling the water, Xia Shen Shu looked at Ji Yanqing. “You still haven’t told me why you only got back now.”
After dawn, when Ji Yanqing had still not returned, he had been forced to consider the worst-case scenario.
He couldn’t carry Lan Zi, so he would only be able to take Ji An and Ji Le, but leaving Lan Zi alone in this place was unthinkable. He had even contemplated giving her a merciful end.
Reminded of his experience at the hospital, Ji Yanqing shivered, a cold dread creeping up his spine.
“We encountered a Corpse King at the hospital. An intelligence-focused one, seemingly capable of controlling even awakened zombies…” he recounted everything he had seen and heard, his voice low and urgent.
The sun was shining outside, and the room was already over thirty degrees Celsius, yet he still felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled what he had witnessed.
“You’re saying we were detected the moment we entered the city, that our every move was orchestrated by the Corpse King, that even our arrival at the hospital was part of his plan?” Xia Shen Shu was shocked and disbelieving.
He had heard of intelligent Corpse Kings, but a Corpse King this intelligent was no longer just a zombie; it was practically a monster.
“Xue Gang was the one who led the way. He was choosing paths with fewer zombies,” Ji Yanqing said, piecing together the events.
He had already noticed that the lack of zombies was strange, but since he hadn’t been the one leading, he hadn’t paid much attention to the route. Now that he thought about it, Xue Gang had likely been manipulated from the start.
Otherwise, how could they have ended up at the hospital in such a large city?
“What do we do now? Leave immediately?” Xia Shen Shu’s face was grim.
He believed Ji Yanqing wasn’t joking, and if what Ji Yanqing said was true, if that Corpse King was truly as intelligent as he described, and had several awakened zombies under his command, then staying here was tantamount to suicide.
Ji Yanqing glanced at Lan Zi. “Xue Gang caused a commotion and drew the attention of the zombies. We had separated from him long ago, so he shouldn’t know where we are.”
He had planned to leave the city immediately after returning with Lan Zi, but Ji An had fallen ill.
He could carry Ji An on his back, but if they encountered zombies, he would have to fight, and in the chaos, he wouldn’t be able to protect Ji An.
“Let’s wait until Lan Zi wakes up, then we’ll leave,” he decided.
Xia Shen Shu opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.
The zombies were likely searching for them everywhere. Moving now was risky. It was better to take a gamble that after a couple of days, the zombies, believing they had captured everyone in the city, would lower their guard.
The water boiled quickly. Xia Shen Shu found a small bowl in the kitchen, wiped it clean, and dissolved the medicine in it.
The medication was soon ready. Ji Yanqing took it and tested the temperature, blowing on it to cool it down before bringing it to Ji An’s lips.
Perhaps it was the taste of the medicine, but Ji An only drank a sip before turning his head away, burying his face in Ji Yanqing’s clothes like an ostrich.
Ji Yanqing sighed. There was no other choice but to ask Xia Shen Shu for help, holding Ji An down while Xia Shen Shu force-fed him the medicine with a spoon.
After Ji An finished his medicine, Ji Yanqing had Xia Shen Shu mix a dose for Ji Le as well.
Medicine shouldn’t be taken unnecessarily, but getting sick was even worse.
The nights in this mountain region were indeed much colder. The drastic temperature difference could easily make even adults sick, let alone children. It was better to take some medicine as a precaution.
The medicine seemed to have a drowsy effect. Soon after taking it, Ji Le began to feel sleepy. Coupled with the fact that he hadn’t slept all night from worrying, his head started nodding like a sleepy little chick.
Ji Yanqing let him sleep beside him.
Lying down, Ji Le glanced enviously at Ji An, who was asleep in Ji Yanqing’s arms. He quietly reached out and took Ji Yanqing’s hand, holding it tight.
Sensing his touch, Ji Yanqing enveloped Ji Le’s small, thin hand in his own.
Feeling the warmth and security radiating from Ji Yanqing’s hand, Ji Le moved closer, snuggling up against him like a kitten next to its mother.
He relaxed, his anxiety fading, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
Watching them, Xia Shen Shu also found a place to lie down. He had not slept a wink all night.
He couldn’t trust those five people from Xue Gang’s team. Lan Zi was unconscious, and Ji An and Ji Le were too young to rely on.
Ji Yanqing waited until Ji Le was asleep before gently withdrawing his hand. He brushed a hand against Ji Le’s cheek, then wiped the tearstains from Ji An’s face.
Even in his sleep, Ji An seemed to be plagued by his nightmare, tears still clinging to his lashes. The sight tugged at Ji Yanqing’s heart.
As he looked up after tending to Ji An, he met a pair of familiar, dark eyes.
Feng Yimo was staring at him.
His pupils were dark, cold, and bottomless, devoid of any emotion, as if they did not belong to a human.
His gaze sent shivers down one’s spine, even in broad daylight.
Ji Yanqing didn’t look away. He met Feng Yimo’s gaze directly. “What?” he asked.
Feng Yimo’s lips moved slightly. “You also hate zombies?”
Ji Yanqing was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Feng Yimo to be dwelling on that.
“Of course,” he replied firmly.
Just like Xia Shen Shu had said, there was no one in this world who didn’t hate zombies, unless they had gone insane.
Feng Yimo remained silent, his dark eyes seeming to lose their chill and instead fill with confusion, as if he couldn’t comprehend the sentiment.
Ji Yanqing was speechless. The feeling that Feng Yimo didn’t belong to this world grew stronger. “Zombies lack rationality for the most part. Any small trigger can send them into a frenzy, especially the awakened ones. They constantly attack and even devour humans, not to mention the Corpse Kings. You’ve seen the one at the hospital, and the beast-like one in the forest.”
Feng Yimo said nothing, his gaze falling upon Ji An, who was cradled in Ji Yanqing’s arms, and Ji Le, curled up against Ji Yanqing like a kitten, fast asleep.
“They bite,” Ji Yanqing continued.
Feng Yimo lifted his gaze. “What about zombies that don’t bite?”
Ji Yanqing was taken aback. Zombies that didn’t bite?
“There’s no such thing as a zombie that doesn’t bite.”
“What if there were?”
Ji Yanqing looked into those dark eyes staring at him, and suddenly he felt as if he was looking at another Ji An, filled with silent aggrievement. He swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue, and said instead, “...Then they might not be so bad.”
A faint ripple appeared in Feng Yimo’s eyes. “I don’t bite.”
----
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