AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 50

 Chapter 50

“I Want To Be Good To You Too.”

Xia Shen Shu and Lan Zi, who were walking beside Ji Yanqing, exchanged a glance and quietly walked past the two.

Ji Yanqing noticed their gazes, quickened his pace, and moved to the front of the group. “Don’t be ridiculous.” he muttered, a retort to something unsaid.

Feng Yimo was acting like a child.

Even as he said those words, and the thought lingered in his mind, Ji Yanqing’s heart did not regain its calm.

They followed the forest at the foot of the mountain and soon circled to the other side.

Standing at the foot of the mountain facing the town, the group looked towards the park on the right side of the town. The Awakened Zombie was still hanging on the signal tower.

In the past few days, it had only come down once, to feed. After devouring several zombies in one go, it had hung itself back on the signal tower.

The group didn’t linger at the foot of the mountain for too long. They circled along the mountain range to the other side of the town and entered from there.

There weren’t many zombies in the town. Although they could be seen everywhere, they were not densely packed.

This town was far less developed than the one Lu Qing and the others had previously been in. It was also large, but it was not prosperous. Old and vacant buildings were everywhere.

There were not many young people in the town, mostly elderly people and children. This was likely due to many townspeople successfully escaping, and also because the town’s economy wasn’t good, so the young people had gone out to find work and start businesses.

Quickly crossing the street, the group soon arrived at the location they had already chosen for their operation – the township government building, which had a large open space in front of it.

Upon reaching the designated location, everyone quietly dispersed.

They needed to find suitable ambush spots and safe houses for retreat nearby and familiarize themselves with the environment.

They had all previously climbed to the mountainside to get a bird’s-eye view of the town and were familiar with the area, but seeing it from afar was completely different from seeing it up close.

Ji Yanqing looked at Feng Yimo. “You don’t need to come with me. We’ll split up. If I fail, you can take over.”

Ji Yanqing looked at the busy group around him and lowered his voice, “If the plan fails, find a way to get them out of here.”

Feng Yimo’s brows furrowed slightly, his eyes showing a hint of disapproval.

Ji Yanqing, carrying his axe, headed towards the park.

Feng Yimo’s gaze followed Ji Yanqing until he disappeared around the corner.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”

Feng Yimo looked over. It was Xia Shen Shu.

Feng Yimo turned and walked towards the entrance of the township government building.

Xia Shen Shu was baffled.

There were zombies in the lobby of the government building. Because the glass doors were closed, they couldn’t get out and were constantly banging on the doors.

Feng Yimo removed the wooden stick blocking the door, pushed the door open, and as the zombies rushed towards him, his sword flashed.

Seeing Feng Yimo’s swordsmanship, which was even more ruthless than usual, Xia Shen Shu’s mouth twitched, “Damn brat!”

Moving quickly through the building, Ji Yanqing arrived at the edge of the park.

Looking at it up close, the Awakened Zombie hanging on the signal tower was even more unsettling. Its pale, grayish skin, coupled with large patches of peeling flesh, made it look like a corpse growing new flesh.

Ji Yanqing didn’t act immediately but waited, counting the time.

Five minutes later, having confirmed that he had given Xia Shen Shu and the others enough time to prepare and that it was time to act according to their agreement, Ji Yanqing took off his coat, tightened his grip on the axe, took a deep breath, and walked into the park.

The park was empty, except for a small, dried-up fountain and some fitness equipment and public benches near the woods.

The heavy snow covered the entire park, making it a sea of white.

As soon as he entered the park, Ji Yanqing was completely exposed in the open space.

The Awakened Zombie hanging on the signal tower was sleeping soundly and did not notice Ji Yanqing’s approach. It probably never expected anyone to approach it willingly.

Ji Yanqing stopped about five meters from the signal tower and checked the time again.

There weren’t many zombies in this town, but there were still a few tens of thousands. Once they opened fire, it would immediately alert the entire city, so they didn’t have time to waste.

Once the shooting started, they had at most five minutes to retreat, or they would face an army of tens of thousands of zombies.

Having confirmed that the time had come, Ji Yanqing took another deep breath and blew his whistle.

The sound of the whistle was sharp and clear, breaking the morning silence.

Hearing the sound, the monster hanging on the signal tower slowly moved. It stretched its body and turned its head towards the source of the sound.

When it saw Ji Yanqing clearly, a hint of surprise appeared in its still-sleepy eyes.

Upon seeing the face that had been hidden in its embrace, Ji Yanqing was also stunned.

It could no longer be considered a human face. The corners of its mouth were split all the way to the back of its ears, and its nose and chin were also split, extending from its forehead down to its throat.

Its entire face was split open from the center of its mouth into four fleshy petals like a fan, and the edges and insides of each petal were filled with sharp, slender teeth.

The four petals of its mouth were slightly open, and a greenish liquid dripped from it.

As the liquid dripped, a foul stench, accompanied by the smell of blood and rotting flesh, assaulted their senses.

“Going for a morning jog?” Ji Yanqing switched the axe to his other hand.

“Hiss...” More greenish liquid flowed out of the Awakened Zombie’s terrifying mouth. It grabbed the signal tower and slowly moved downwards, headfirst.

Ji Yanqing stood still, waiting patiently.

The signal tower was six or seven stories high. It took the Awakened Zombie some time to climb down to about halfway. It stopped, then suddenly pounced on Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing, who had been prepared, did not retreat but instead advanced. He swung his axe upwards diagonally, and with a loud bang, the axe slammed into the creature’s face.

The Awakened Zombie was in mid-air and had no leverage. It was knocked aside by the blow and landed in the snow.

“Hiss!” A pained and angry sound came from the Awakened Zombie as it landed.

Ji Yanqing did not hesitate any longer and turned to run towards the buildings behind him.

Seeing Ji Yanqing flee, the Awakened Zombie immediately got up from the ground and chased after him.

It looked even stranger when it stood up. It was a bit taller than an average person, but its arms and legs had become thin and long. It also had small, slender, fleshy growths on its abdomen and back.

It was clearly evolving in the direction of strength, about to become a beast. Ji Yanqing thought it looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place what it reminded him of.

It was extremely fast, agile, and had a great jumping ability. It almost instantly jumped over the flower bed in front of it and landed to Ji Yanqing’s left, pouncing on him.

Ji Yanqing ignored its presence and, like an arrow released from a bow, dashed towards the building in front of him with a whooshing sound.

The Awakened Zombie missed its target.

Upon landing, it slid on the snow and crashed into the wall, leaving a pool of greenish liquid on it.

Ji Yanqing was stunned for a moment. When he reacted, it was already dark above him. The Awakened Zombie could climb walls. It had climbed up the wall and then pounced down from above.

Ji Yanqing didn’t stop. As the Awakened Zombie was about to pounce on him, he suddenly bent backward, dropped to his knees, and slid on the snow, dodging the attack.

Having dodged again, Ji Yanqing looked at the top of the building in front of him.

On the rooftop, a member of Lan Zi’s team responsible for relaying information immediately made a gesture to another person on the same roof behind him. The other person immediately signaled to Xia Shen Shu and the others who were ambushed near the township government building.

“Everyone, get ready!” Xia Shen Shu alerted them.

Almost as soon as he said that, Ji Yanqing, with the Awakened Zombie constantly pouncing on him, rushed into the open space in front of the township government building.

Seeing the monster that was a bit taller than an average person, and seeing its split mouth, the people who had been mentally prepared for a long time still couldn’t help but feel their scalps tingle.

“Move!” Xia Shen Shu was the first to rush out.

Seeing him move, one of the teams behind him responsible for trapping the creature immediately followed.

As they approached, the person beside Xia Shen Shu responsible for throwing the rope immediately acted. The rope, tied into a loop, flew through the air, accurately heading towards the monster’s head.

Just as the rope was about to land and loop around the Awakened Zombie’s head, the creature suddenly dodged to the side.

The Awakened Zombie turned to look at the group that had rushed out, its eyes filled with anger and killing intent.

Having failed on the first attempt, the group that had rushed out with Xia Shen Shu was stunned.

The fear they had forgotten was rekindled under the gaze of those malevolent eyes, and many instinctively retreated.

Seeing the first group’s reaction, the two other groups hiding in different locations, who were supposed to rush out at this moment according to the plan, were also stunned.

For a moment, everyone panicked and felt a sense of dread.

That was an Awakened Zombie, a terrifying existence that could easily kill them.

If they angered it…

“Don’t stop!” Ji Yanqing’s voice rang out as he swung his axe at the Awakened Zombie’s head.

Hearing the sound, the Awakened Zombie immediately dodged to the side. It was fast, but it couldn’t completely avoid the attack. Ji Yanqing’s axe hit its left arm heavily.

Having hit his target, Ji Yanqing didn’t stop. He took a step forward and swung his axe again.

He used a lot of force, and the 35-to-40-kilo axe made a whooshing sound as he swung it. He moved so fast that the others’ eyes could barely keep up with his speed.

The Awakened Zombie was also having trouble keeping up. Faced with Ji Yanqing’s attack, it had no chance to fight back and could only retreat in a sorry state.

“Bang!” The axe landed on the ground, leaving a visible crack in the cement.

Ji Yanqing’s eyes were fixed on the monster in front of him. Before it could steady itself, he rushed forward again.

Seeing this scene, seeing the monster being beaten back by Ji Yanqing, the group that had just been in a panic couldn’t help but twitch their mouths.

At that moment, they even had a ridiculous thought.

A thought that even without them, Ji Yanqing could kill the Awakened Zombie by himself.

In that absurd thought, the group completely forgot their fear. Their brains were somewhat unable to think, and their bodies instinctively followed the plan.

“Continue, spread out, look for an opportunity!” Xia Shen Shu shouted while holding his gun, moving to protect the team beside him, and reminding them.

Having missed the initial opportunity, the others who were supposed to come out in stages to take advantage of the time difference all came out at once. Everyone threw out their ropes at the same time.

The monster was being forced back by Ji Yanqing. It tried to create distance several times but was immediately caught up to. Now, facing the sudden barrage of ropes falling from the sky, it tried to swat them away with its hands but was still caught by one rope around its neck.

Seeing their rope hit its target, the group responsible for that rope quickly flushed red.

Without needing to be reminded, they immediately pulled the rope back in unison, trying to tighten it.

The Awakened Zombie immediately tried to struggle, but it was too late. The rope tightened instantly, firmly securing around its neck.

“We got it!” someone yelled in a low voice.

“Be careful not to let it get close—” The person next to him, who was trying to warn him, didn’t finish his sentence before the Awakened Zombie pounced on the people pulling the rope.

The group pulling the rope and retreating faced the pouncing Awakened Zombie, unable to think, much less react.

They had been pulling backward, and now that the rope suddenly slackened, they all fell backward.

They didn’t have time to escape.

Ji Yanqing swung his axe and slammed it into the Awakened Zombie’s chest. He used so much force that it left a visible dent in its chest.

Such an injury would have killed a human long ago.

“Hiss!” The Awakened Zombie staggered backward from the blow.

It ignored the people pulling the rope and immediately turned to look at Ji Yanqing. It was no longer human, so its eyes couldn’t turn red, but the killing intent in its eyes was just as vicious and angry.

“Whoosh.” The sound of a rope being thrown came again, and the second rope successfully looped around the Awakened Zombie’s neck.

The Awakened Zombie immediately reached out to grab the rope, but before it could get a good grip, the group responsible for the second rope quickly retreated and tightened the knot, making the rope tightly bind its neck.

“It’s working!!”

“Don’t panic!”

“Spread out to both sides, don’t stand in one direction, spread out...”

“Pull diagonally, pull tight, don’t let it pounce on others...”

Shouts and voices continued, a group of seventy or eighty people seemingly in chaos, but everyone was in their proper position.

They might be unfamiliar and afraid, but they were not timid in their actions.

Watching this scene from afar, Lan Zi, who was aiming at the Awakened Zombie through a scope on the roof, felt her heart race. The pounding was so loud that she could barely hear Xia Shen Shu and the others below.

Lan Zi took a deep breath. Her finger gently rested on the trigger. She tried to fire.

Lan Zi’s throat bobbed as she swallowed, but her finger couldn’t pull the trigger.

She wanted to shoot, but she couldn’t.

This time was different from any other time. Before, all she needed to do was help, and as long as she could help, it was fine.

This time, her goal was to find an opportunity to kill the Awakened Zombie. According to their plan, she had even become a crucial part. After the others controlled the Awakened Zombie, she would be the first to shoot, aiming for a headshot.

Their opportunity was fleeting, and they had to seize it.

Lan Zi took a deep breath and aimed again. She clearly saw the Awakened Zombie’s head through the scope, but before she could fire, Ji Yanqing appeared again.

It wasn’t Ji Yanqing’s fault. Keeping the Awakened Zombie occupied was a crucial part of the plan.

It was her hesitation and fear that made her miss the opportunity to shoot.

She lacked confidence. She was afraid of hitting Ji Yanqing.

Having missed the opportunity again, Lan Zi punched the ground beside her. The skin on her knuckles immediately broke, and a sharp pain shot through her.

The pain swept through her body, and Lan Zi instantly calmed down.

Lan Zi held her breath and aimed amidst the pain.

She held her breath and waited. The moment that ugly face appeared within her scope again, she calmly pulled the trigger.

The bullet shot out, flew through the air, and pierced straight into the left side of the Awakened Zombie’s mouth, passing all the way through and embedding itself deep into the cement below.

The enraged hiss of the Awakened Zombie tore through the air, filled with fury and pain. The left side of the creature’s face had been split open, its sickly green blood running freely down its grotesque features.

The moment the team saw the injury and heard its pained roar, morale surged like wildfire through the group—they could see it now, hope gleaming sharp and unrelenting. Their plan was working.

Another rope flew toward the creature. This time, it was ready. As the rope sailed toward it, the Awakened Zombie swiped at it mid-air, the loop catching around its hand instead.

The man who had thrown it froze for a split second before snapping back into action. “Pull!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

The team behind him reacted immediately, yanking on the rope with every ounce of strength. The loop tightened instantly, binding the monster’s left arm. Already straining under the pull of two other ropes around its neck that tugged it in opposite directions, it now had one arm immobilized as well.

The beast was monstrously strong, its unnatural might enough to drag the group of sixty men and women holding the ropes closer. Trembling legs dug into the ground, boots grinding against the snow as the ropes groaned and strained.

But it was momentary. They had it. It was trapped.

Ji Yanqing recognized the critical window and didn’t hesitate. “Hold position!” he commanded as he moved back, clearing the way.

Almost immediately, Xia Shen Shu surged forward, flanked by a squad of gunmen. “Ready! Aim! Fire!” his authoritative voice boomed across the clearing.

The sharp cracks of gunfire followed like an unrelenting storm.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Bullets tore into the Awakened Zombie, targeting its body, its limbs, its wide-open, howling mouth. The thing’s skin wasn’t as tough as a Corpse King’s, and within seconds, its body was riddled with bullet holes. Sickly green liquid spilled out in copious streams, staining the snow beneath it with a putrid stench that churned everyone’s stomachs.

Lan Zi remained steady, her aim precise. Three consecutive shots hit the creature directly in the mouth, the blows forcing it to emit a choked, furious roar of pain.

“Pull harder! Keep it steady!” one of the team yelled from the back, struggling against the monster’s violent thrashing.

The restraint team, shoes sliding and fingers raw, refused to let their grip falter. Blood dripped from palms as the ropes dug deeper, but not a single person loosened their hold. Gritting their teeth, they endured.

If they could just hold on a little longer…

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

More shots followed, the sounds mingling with gritted commands, the creak of ropes, and the Awakened Zombie’s enraged bellows. Slowly, agonizingly, the creature’s movements began to wane.

Its resistance faltered. Its massive frame grew limp and began to sag under its own immense weight.

“Keep going! Don’t stop!” someone shouted, urging the gunmen to fire until every last bullet was spent.

The collective cacophony of effort quieted gradually as the monster dropped to its knees. Its head dipped before finally crashing to the blood-soaked ground.

A long silence followed. The clearing, littered with shell casings and suffused in the smell of blood and decay, felt like it had frozen in time as everyone stared at the fallen creature. Was it… really over?

Xia Chen was the first to move, swallowing hard as he crept forward, his grip on his gun visibly tight. Four others hesitated briefly before joining him, their faces pale and strained.

Summoning his remaining courage, Xia Chen nudged the creature’s hand with his foot, bile rising in his throat as his gaze skimmed over its mangled, pitiful face. The stench made his gut churn violently.

No reaction.

“It’s dead,” he whispered, voice trembling but audible enough for everyone to cling to the assurance.

Relief swept over the entire group like an uncontrollable flood.

For a moment, exultant smiles began to break across faces. They had done it. They had killed an Awakened Zombie. A surge of victory began bubbling over—

“HISSSSSS!”

A blur of movement interrupted the moment as the supposedly dead creature sprang to life with a ferocious roar, its grotesquely deformed body twisting unnaturally.

The team barely had time to scream.

The creatures’s remaining eye gleamed with murderous rage as it lunged toward Xia Chen.

The young man didn’t even have a moment to react. His foot, still resting on the creature’s hand, slipped as it was jerked upward. Falling backward, he narrowly avoided the creature’s hand clawing for his face.

He survived… but the others weren’t as lucky. Four of the team who had approached behind him were struck, their bodies flung aside like rag dolls. Fresh wounds split their flesh, and their expressions froze halfway between triumph and confusion.

Around them, the others were paralyzed in shock.

Xia Chen fell back hard, landing unceremoniously in the snow. The creature loomed over him, its ruined face descending toward his. The rancid smell hit him square in the nose, rendering his mind blank with terror.

Then, out of nowhere, a wind-splitting whoosh cut through the chaos. An axe sliced its way through the air, slamming into the Awakened Zombie with enough force to throw it back several meters. Blackened fluid sprayed through the air, coating Xia Chen’s face.

Ji Yanqing stepped forward, his face calm yet sharp with focus. Gripping the axe handle tightly, he struck again, smashing it into the creature’s shoulder with all his strength. The steel buried itself deep, forcing the zombie’s shoulder to slump grotesquely.

Even as it staggered, though, its right hand lashed out. Ji Yanqing barely managed to brace, kicking himself back and wrenching the axe loose, using its handle to block the incoming strike.

The impact was jarring, but before Ji Yanqing could think of his next move, he heard the unmistakable sound of wood splintering. Looking down, he realized with a sickening jolt that the axe handle in his hands had snapped clean in two.

The Awakened Zombie surged forward. Its gnarled face, torn to ribbons, was inches from his own.

“Ji Yanqing!”

Time slowed as panic swept through the group, everyone frozen in horrified realization.

Ji Yanqing was doomed.

From afar, the scene was captured in one man’s eyes: A young man moving backwards, a piece of axe handle held in each hand, face rising to meet a grotestque face, one filled with teeth and the stench of death- qq: Alright so I added this paragraph in, it’s not actually in the og text… but ironically, in the upcoming chapters there are some moments where text is legit just missing and I have to figure what is supposed to be there so things make sense. See if you can spot them lol

But then came another sound—one clearer, sharper than anything else.

The sound of Feng Yimo’s blade slicing through the air.

His golden, glowing eyes narrowed in intensity as he propelled himself forward. A monster seemed to be rushing through his veins, filling every second with an unrelenting tension. This was fear, raw and unfiltered, clawing at his chest. He hadn’t even felt this when up against a Corpse King, but here it was now, suffocating and visceral.

He was afraid, afraid that Ji Yanqing would die.

If Ji Yanqing were to die like Ji An and others who weren’t infected with the zombie virus, then he could give Ji Yanqing his blood. But if Ji Yanqing were to be infected with the virus and died, then even if he gave Ji Yanqing blood, Ji Yanqing would no longer be himself.

Ji Yanqing would forget everything.

Feng Yimo didn’t hesitate. His heartbeat thundered unnaturally fast, as though his body itself was screaming at him to act. Faster. Just a second faster! He had to reach him in time.

Ji Yanqing’s body swayed slightly, but in a split-second motion, the body that regained it’s balance didn’t retreat. Instead, he surged forward. The broken axe handle in his grasp became a weapon. With all his strength concentrated into one motion, he thrust it into the creature’s decaying head. The momentum carried through, the sharp point breaking through bone and tissue to exit from the back of Awakened Zombie’s skull.

Time truly seemed to freeze.

As the monster reeled back, Feng Yimo’s long blade came down with chilling precision, severing head from body with a single, fluid motion. Only then did the bloated corpse finally collapse backwards, lifeless at last.

The group remained frozen in collective shock, breaths caught in their throats.

It was Ji An and Ji Le, seated nervously with small hands clutching each other behind the mountain, who first reacted. Their golden irises glinted as they turned toward the town, an unspoken bond jolting through them. Without hesitation, they scrambled from the car, running toward danger.

Their king is afraid!

A strong image of Feng Yimo appeared in their mind, tugging them forward. Only to be replaced with a sense of worry for Ji Yanqing.

Being presented with Ji Yanqing’s image, both boys stumbled, instantly waking up from the hold on their minds.

What had happened to Ji Yanqing!?

The two resumed their frantic running, this time calling out in unison, “Dad!”

Back on the battlefield, silence reigned again, broken only by the dull thud of the zombie’s head rolling away. Feng Yimo stood, eyes wild and uncharacteristically unsettled, pulling Ji Yanqing roughly into his arms.

“Feng…” Ji Yanqing tried, only for his words to falter as Feng Yimo’s hands moved urgently over his face, shoulders, torso—searching for any injury. His face was pale, eyes trembling with uncontrollable fear.

“I’m fine,” Ji Yanqing managed, though his own voice sounded far from steady.

Ignoring him outright, Feng Yimo continued until Ji Yanqing physically grabbed his wrist, halting him mid-motion.

“I said I’m fine,” Ji Yanqing repeated—gentler, this time. Looking into Feng Yimo’s uncharacteristically emotional eyes, a strange warmth flushed through him, leaving his skin burning where the other man had touched.

His entire body felt like it was on fire, heat rolling off him as if he were about to combust.

“Ji Yanqing…” Xia Shen Shu was the second to rush forward, his usual laid-back demeanor nowhere to be found. His face had gone so pale it was almost translucent, his voice trembling as words stumbled from his lips—words that sounded disjointed and unlike him.

“Are you okay? Are you—” His sentences broke, unable to form anything coherent. His eyes, usually filled with mischief, were wide and glassy, betraying the fear that still gripped him.

“Ji Yanqing…”

One after another, others surged forward, unable to hold themselves back. Their faces were ashen, their lips trembling as if frozen in the chill of death itself.

For one heart-stopping moment earlier, they had all believed Ji Yanqing was finished—that he was dead. In that split second, it felt like their hearts had been seized by an invisible fist, squeezing so tightly it stopped them from breathing. Even now, as reality slowly settled back in, a phantom ache lingered in their chests, sharp and unyielding.

“I’m fine,” Ji Yanqing finally said, his voice dry and calm in a way that almost felt absurd amidst the chaos. He let go of Feng Yimo’s wrist, wiping at the zombie fluid smeared across his face.

Someone nearby, too panicked to even think twice, yanked off their T-shirt on the spot and handed it to him without a word.

The fluid clinging to him reeked of decay and danger—it carried the infection, after all. Everyone here knew that one wrong smear, one unnoticed cut, could mean the end. Ji Yanqing didn’t waste any time, taking the shirt and hastily scrubbing it over his skin, wiping away every trace of the vile substance.

“You…” Xia Shen Shu looked like he had finally regained the ability to breathe, but his chest still rose and fell in short, uneven gasps. The terror had drained the color from his face earlier, but now it surged back with a vengeance—his cheeks flushed an angry red, and for once, his always playful eyes were bright with visible emotion. To everyone’s shock, his reddened eyes even started to well up.

“I’m really fine,” Ji Yanqing repeated, trying to reassure.

Xia Shen Shu wasn’t the only one struggling. As Ji Yanqing swept his gaze around the group, he saw the same wide eyes, trembling lips, and pale faces reflecting back at him. Everyone was shaken to their cores, fear still lingering in their expressions.

Seeing their collective state, Ji Yanqing exhaled quietly and allowed himself a small, tired smile. “Really, it’s nothing. Just gave me a bit of a scare.”

A beat of silence.

Everyone froze, blinking at his words as if they hadn’t heard him correctly. Then, hoarse laughter bubbled up, raw and filled with disbelief.

“A scare?” someone croaked, voice raspy with exhaustion.

Ji Yanqing’s “bit of a scare” had been a near-death experience. A second slower, and it would’ve been the end—and he was calling it a scare?

If that was just a “scare,” then what exactly had they all just gone through? Their hearts had been beating so hard they might as well have jumped out of their chests. In fact, even now, long after the monster was dead and Ji Yanqing was standing in front of them alive, their hearts continued to pound like war drums, relentless and merciless.

“It’s fine as long as you’re okay,” someone muttered, breaking the tense silence. With that single phrase, the group collectively exhaled in relief, a wave of fatigue washing over them.

For many, their legs gave out, and they collapsed to the ground, utterly drained now that the adrenaline had left their systems.

Ji Yanqing tossed aside the shirt soaked with zombie fluid and scanned the crowd until his gaze landed on Xia Chen. The younger man was still sitting in the snow, stunned and unmoving.

“You alright?” Ji Yanqing asked, extending a hand.

Xia Chen’s head turned slowly, his dazed eyes focusing on the offered hand. He stared blankly at it, his mind still processing what had just happened. When his gaze shifted to the greenish liquid coating Ji Yanqing’s hand, his mind went completely blank for a second.

Following Xia Chen’s line of sight, Ji Yanqing glanced down at his own hand and noticed the fluid smeared across it. Without hesitation, he wiped his hand on the clean fabric of his jacket, then extended it again.

This time, Xia Chen instinctively grabbed hold, and Ji Yanqing hauled him to his feet in one smooth motion.

“Ji Yanqing…” Lan Zi’s voice came from across the clearing, trembling with a mixture of relief and lingering fear.

Ji Yanqing turned to face her. Lan Zi and her team had descended from the building they had been using as a vantage point. She had seen everything from afar, and even from that distance, the events had been enough to shake her to her core.

“I’m fine,” Ji Yanqing said, giving her a quick wave as he stretched his limbs to show he was unharmed.

Lan Zi let out a shaky breath, her already red-rimmed eyes brimming with fresh tears.

“Alright, no time to linger here! Move!” Xia Shen Shu snapped back into focus, raising his pistol and firing three shots into the air. The loud cracks echoed across the area, signaling their success—the prearranged signal they had agreed upon.

As the sound faded, the group around them reacted immediately. Whether still sitting or standing, everyone sprang into action, rushing toward the safety of the already-prepared shelter.

The commotion had attracted more zombies; the once-empty streets were now swarming with over fifty undead closing in fast. The team sprinted the 200 meters to the safe house, the undead hot on their heels, but they managed to slam the doors shut just as the first wave of creatures reached them.

The relentless pounding of zombies against the door echoed through the building. Without stopping, the group began making their way upstairs. They had already mapped the escape route: from this building to the adjacent one, and then out of the city entirely.

They moved quickly, adrenaline fueling their tired legs as they crossed rooftops, scrambled down fire escapes, and made their way into the woods. Only when they had left the town far behind, its ominous silhouette barely visible through the tangle of trees, did they finally stop.

Snow crunched beneath them as they collapsed to the ground, entirely spent. For a moment, no one said anything. Then, one by one, they began to laugh—high, uncontrollable laughter that soon turned to muffled sobs. The mixed symphony of cries and laughter filled the forest, raw and unrestrained.

The emotions poured out for a long moment, until the team left behind to guard the camp finally grew restless and came looking for them. Seeing their comrades sprawled in the snow, looking half-dead yet victorious, the reinforcements let out a collective breath of relief.

“We won,” murmured one of the fighters as they finally sat up, looking at the others who had come searching for them.

The words hit like a bell ringing through the forest, and the faces of those who had stayed behind turned pale and red in turns. Some had tears welling in their eyes; others openly broke down into sobs.

They had done it. They had faced an Awakened Zombie—a creature capable of wiping out their entire team, a living nightmare that defied logic—and they had won. Somehow, impossibly, they had survived.

“Wasn’t that hard, honestly,” Su Luo said, his voice lighthearted as he leaned back on his hands, the snow crunching beneath him.

That earned him more than a few incredulous looks from the group, many of whom still bore red-rimmed eyes from crying.

“Cut the crap,” Li Pingsen shot back, unimpressed. “Who was the one so scared their legs gave out earlier?”

Su Luo’s face flushed immediately. “You were no better! I saw you—you almost puked from fear!”

His indignant defense coaxed scattered laughter from the group. For a brief moment, the tension broke, and their shared amusement lightened the mood.

“Yeah, I was scared. So what? We still won,” Su Luo shot back defiantly. “And really, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. If we’d been a little more prepared, we might’ve taken it down for real before—”

Mid-sentence, Su Luo stopped abruptly, his voice trailing off.

The laughter died with him, the forest growing quiet once more. They had won, yes, but their victory hadn’t come without loss. Four teammates were gone, left behind in the town to wander as the very creatures they had fought so hard to kill.

Ji Yanqing took a deep breath, his voice breaking the silence. “Let’s head back.”

The others didn’t argue. Slowly, they picked themselves up and began the trek back toward their camp.

Ji Yanqing barely managed a few steps before a hand caught his arm.

“It’s not that bad,” Ji Yanqing said quietly, glancing at Feng Yimo, who was now looking pointedly at the bruises on his shoulder and back.

Feng Yimo didn’t respond. His gaze remained fixed on Ji Yanqing, silent but firm, his grip unwavering.

With a resigned sigh, Ji Yanqing let himself be supported along the way.

Behind them, Lu Qing had already set his sights on the chaotic town, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. “I’m going back to check it out,” he announced, taking two steps forward before Lan Zi and Xia Shen Shu, one on each side, grabbed him by the arms and hauled him back.

“What’s your problem?!” Lu Qing protested, struggling as they dragged him away.

Neither of them answered. It wasn’t worth the breath. The town was a dangerous mess right now, flooded with zombies drawn in by the gunfire. Whatever Lu Qing thought he’d accomplish in that chaos wasn’t worth risking his life.

Back at the camp, Ji Yanqing hadn’t even reached the perimeter before two small figures came barreling toward him, their little feet kicking up snow as they ran.

“Daddy!”

“Dad!”

Ji An and Ji Le threw themselves into his legs, their faces streaked with tears. Their red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks painted a miserable picture of what they’d felt waiting for his return.

“I’m fine,” Ji Yanqing assured them quickly, pulling back before they could cling to him further. The zombie fluid clinging to his clothes was too dangerous. “Stay back for a second, alright?”

Not far away, Feng Yimo had already climbed into one of the vehicles, searching for clean clothes. Each of them carried at least one spare set for emergencies, and Ji Yanqing’s was no exception.

By the time they returned to the camp, those who had been on the mission were eagerly retelling the story to the ones who had stayed behind. Excitement and dread painted their words in equal measures—the triumph of ensnaring the Awakened Zombie met with somber recounts of its sudden resurgence and the deaths that followed.

Ji Yanqing didn’t join in the storytelling. Instead, he took the chance to wash off the filth, melting snow for water and scrubbing every inch of his skin in a makeshift shower built from a draped bedsheet. The icy water bit into him, but it was still a welcome reprieve from the sticky, virus-laden zombie fluids.

When he stepped out, drying his hair, three faces greeted him immediately: two small and red-eyed, and one tall, stern, and equally pale. Ji An, Ji Le, and Feng Yimo all looked up at him like a trio of overly concerned rabbits.

Ji Yanqing couldn’t help but laugh softly despite himself. “I’m really fine,” he reiterated.

Ji An and Ji Le didn’t reply. They just stepped closer, gripping the fabric of his pants tightly as if afraid he might vanish. Ji Yanqing let them stay like that, their small hands warm against the cold fabric.

Feng Yimo, seeing no space left at Ji Yanqing’s sides, quietly resigned himself to following just a step behind, his silent presence as constant as ever.

Ji Yanqing briefly felt like he was the most important person in the world as he was carefully escorted back to the group by Feng Yimo and the two little ones.

The group spent the next three hours regrouping, resting, and preparing. Once everyone was ready, they finally let Lu Qing, who had been tied up to keep him from sneaking off, rejoin them. Together, they returned to the town to finish the job—retrieving supplies and ensuring their fallen teammates could rest in peace.

When they came back hours later, they brought with them a significant haul. Though most parts of the town had been scavenged repeatedly, they found a jackpot in the storage warehouses of two looted supermarkets. There was no shortage of supplies this time—enough food, materials, and essentials to keep them going for weeks.

Most importantly, they found what they had long been searching for: a small, portable generator. It wasn’t perfect, but it ran on gasoline and was compact enough for travel—a rare and precious resource in such a world.

As Xia Shen Shu dumped the last of the supplies onto a growing pile, he turned to Ji Yanqing with an idle grin. “So, what are we calling ourselves?”

The question caught Ji Yanqing off guard. He hadn’t thought about it before. They were just… them. A group without a name. But things were changing now—they were becoming something more.

After a moment of thought, Ji Yanqing replied, “Sunward.”

“Sunward?” Xia Shen Shu tilted his head.

“Facing the sun, moving toward the light,” Ji Yanqing explained with a small, almost wistful smile.

To some, hope might still seem like a foolish dream in this broken world. But for Ji Yanqing, it was something worth striving for—and now, more than ever, he believed they had a chance to reach it.

Xia Shen Shu pondered for a moment, nodded lightly, turned, and left to re-enter the city.

Xia Shen Shu didn’t show it on his face, but his retreating figure revealed a bit of eagerness and impatience.

“What’s he planning?” Ji Yanqing asked the others around him.

The people who were asked shook their heads and ran off excitedly.

Ji Yanqing raised an eyebrow. Xia Shen Shu and his group were acting all secretive.

Ji Yanqing glanced at the others who were preparing to cook a meal with the mutated bok choy, then got up and decided to follow them into the city to see what was going on.

Xia Shen Shu was definitely up to something.

Seeing Ji Yanqing move, Feng Yimo and the two cubs, like three tails, immediately followed him, one on his left, one on his right, and one behind.

Following the crowd back into the city, Ji Yanqing quickly found Xia Shen Shu, who had dropped a rope from the roof and was now busy on the wall of a building.

After Lu Qing finished his examination, Xia Shen Shu had hung the Awakened Zombie’s corpse on the side of a taller building opposite the township government, with their team’s name and the fact that they had killed the Awakened Zombie written on the wall.

From afar, Ji Yanqing saw the large, childishly scrawled yellow characters and Xia Shen Shu, who was still working hard on his masterpiece. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

But Ji Yanqing didn’t stop him. He took some supplies and returned to the camp.

When Ji Yanqing returned to the camp with his three inseparable shadows, an argument was breaking out.

Ji Yanqing put down his things and looked in the direction of the noise. Li Pingsen was arguing with Xia Chen.

The two were arguing fiercely, their faces flushed, and they even looked like they were about to come to blows.

Ji Yanqing casually grabbed someone and asked what was going on. He quickly understood after someone recapped the situation.

Li Pingsen had confronted Xia Chen about the four people from before, Xia Chen was defiant, and so they started arguing.

Ji Yanqing watched from a distance as Xia Chen, who was arguing with Li Pingsen, looked in his direction.

Ji Yanqing didn’t go up to intervene.

Although Xia Chen couldn’t be blamed subjectively for that incident—none of them had any experience in verifying whether an Awakened Zombie was dead or alive—it was indeed because Xia Chen had made the hasty decision to declare it dead that they had completely let their guard down.

Subjectively, he couldn’t be blamed, but Xia Chen had indeed misled them.

Seeing that Ji Yanqing wasn’t going to do anything, Xia Chen’s face darkened, and he looked away.

He pushed Li Pingsen, who was still talking, aside and walked away.

Ji Yanqing let out a breath, hoping that Xia Chen would calm down and understand.

By nine o’clock, all the snow on the ground had melted.

By ten o’clock, as the sun became increasingly unbearable, Xia Shen Shu and his group all returned from the city.

They had brought back all the supplies they could use, as well as the bodies of the four people.

They dug a large pit near the camp and buried the four of them.

Death was inevitable in the apocalypse, but they had all been living, breathing people, talking and laughing with them not so long ago.

After burying the bodies, the group collected themselves and lined up with disposable bowls and chopsticks to get their lunch.

On the menu was the mutated bok choy stewed with vermicelli noodles that they had brought back earlier.

The bok choy had grown into root-like stalks. They were as tall as adults, and the roots were thicker than an adult’s thigh. The leaves were also edible, but the roots were the main part to eat.

The roots were full of moisture, similar to celtuce.

Several people who had brought pots from the city stir-fried the sliced roots with oil until they released their juices, then added vermicelli noodles and stewed them, making four large pots of bok choy stew with vermicelli.

Since the apocalypse, they had been eating all sorts of junk food and dried goods. They couldn’t even remember the last time they had a proper meal cooked with oil.

After everyone got their large portion of stewed vermicelli, they found places to sit and stared at the food in front of them.

The vermicelli smelled delicious, and the oily soup looked very appetizing, but the thought of the mutated bok choy in it brought back some unpleasant images.

They had all been witness to people who were so hungry that they ate these mutated plants. But in their experience, those people were mostly rotting corpses now.

Ji Yanqing looked at the particularly large bowl of stewed vermicelli in front of him, smelled the fragrant aroma of oil, and swallowed, his mind filled with the image of the eyeball covered in roots that he and Xia Shen Shu had dug out of Baldy’s left eye.

Ji Yanqing looked around. Apart from the people from Lu Qing’s team, almost no one dared to eat, and everyone was just staring.

Ji Yanqing picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of the white bok choy, tried to imagine it as celtuce, and put it in his mouth.

The bok choy was indeed as Lu Qing had said, tinged with a slight sweetness. Its texture was also like celtuce.

Stir-fried with oil and then stewed with vermicelli, soy sauce, MSG, and various other seasonings, it tasted quite delicious, even better than celtuce.

Seeing Ji Yanqing start eating, the others in the camp swallowed and eagerly started eating as well.

Having been around Ji Yanqing for a long time, they had developed a blind trust in him, a trust that even overshadowed their resistance and fear of mutated plants.

As the food entered their mouths, they tasted the oil and salt, the sweetness of the bok choy, and the silkiness of the vermicelli. The group that had just been filled with fear couldn’t help but smile with happiness.

They hadn’t had a normal meal like this in a long, long time. They had almost forgotten how to use chopsticks.

“Hold it lower...” Ji Yanqing stopped eating to help Ji An and Ji Le correct their grip on the chopsticks.

Ji An and Ji Le sat on the ground, eating with their bowls on a cardboard box.

Ji An and Ji Le had hardly used chopsticks since they could remember, and their hands were still too small and their fingers lacked the strength to control the chopsticks properly. They looked quite clumsy.

Fortunately, they didn’t need to pick up food, so they simply used the chopsticks like food-pushing tools, scraping the food along the edge of the bowl into their mouths.

Ji An and Ji Le had never had a good appetite, especially Ji An, who hadn’t been able to eat much for a while, and Ji Yanqing had to watch him every day to make sure he ate.

But now, they were attracted by the aroma and were eating with hearty enthusiasm.

Seeing Ji An and Ji Le like that, Ji Yanqing’s eyes softened.

Ji Yanqing looked at Feng Yimo beside him. Feng Yimo was lowering his head, drinking the soup in his bowl.

Seeing Feng Yimo like that, Ji Yanqing suddenly had a strange feeling.

He usually focused most of his attention on Ji An and Ji Le during meals. Every time he turned around, Feng Yimo had already finished eating. He rarely saw Feng Yimo eat.

“Is it good?” Ji Yanqing asked.

Feng Yimo nodded slightly.

“There’s more in the pot. There’s enough for everyone this time,” Ji Yanqing said.

There was a lot of bok choy, and since it couldn’t be stored for long, they had to eat it all within five days.

After talking to Feng Yimo, Ji Yanqing looked down at Ji An and Ji Le again.

Their bowls only had vermicelli left, and they were searching for the mutated bok choy.

Ji Yanqing was puzzled. The bok choy was indeed quite delicious, but the vermicelli was also very tasty. Yet, Ji An and Ji Le were only eating the bok choy.

Did Ji An and Ji Le like the bok choy that much?

After searching their bowls for a long time and turning the remaining pile of vermicelli upside down without finding any more bok choy, the two little ones pouted slightly, looking unhappy.

Ji Yanqing chuckled and gave them some of the bok choy from his bowl.

Seeing the delicious bok choy suddenly appear in their bowls, the two little ones immediately looked at Ji Yanqing. They swallowed but didn’t start eating.

If Ji Yanqing gave them his, he wouldn’t have any.

This bok choy was so delicious…

“It’s okay, I’ll just eat the vermicelli,” Ji Yanqing said, “Actually, I think the vermicelli is tastier than the bok choy.”

“Really?” Ji Le’s dark eyes lit up.

“Yes.”

With that confirmation, Ji An and Ji Le didn’t hesitate any longer and quickly started eating.

Ji Yanqing’s lips curled up.

This bok choy was very watery, allowing them to cook the vermicelli without adding water, and also allowing them to replenish their fluids without having to drink water. It was a pretty useful ingredient.

After they arrived at a new town, they could try to find more.

After taking care of Ji An and Ji Le, Ji Yanqing looked up at Feng Yimo again.

He saw that Feng Yimo, like Ji An and Ji Le, had no bok choy left in his bowl, only a pile of vermicelli.

Ji Yanqing was speechless. Was Feng Yimo also a child?

Ji Yanqing rummaged through his bowl, found the last few pieces of bok choy, and gave them all to Feng Yimo.

“You have to finish the vermicelli too,” Ji Yanqing reminded him. He suddenly had the illusion that he was taking care of three children.

“Okay.” Feng Yimo’s voice was low and hoarse.

Feng Yimo didn’t immediately start eating the bok choy. He was quietly looking at Ji Yanqing, his deep black eyes like a mysterious deep sea, filled with a dark, eerie chill.

Ji Yanqing didn’t feel any coldness in those eyes. Instead, he felt something else, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but it made his heart race uncontrollably.

Just like when he said he playfully offered to kiss Feng Yimo before, only to be stumped by his acceptance.

Ji Yanqing looked away, feeling a bit flustered. He lowered his head to drink the soup in his bowl.

Feng Yimo looked at Ji Yanqing’s bowl, which only had vermicelli left, and then at the last few pieces of bok choy in his own bowl that originally belonged to Ji Yanqing.

“I want to be good to you too.”

Ji Yanqing almost choked on his soup. He felt even more flustered and looked up.

What was wrong with Feng Yimo?

“How should I do it?” Feng Yimo’s cold, questioning voice sounded again.

Feng Yimo couldn’t describe the feeling churning in his chest. He only knew that he wanted to be good to Ji Yanqing, very good, better than now.

But he didn’t know how to do it.

Should he give Ji Yanqing endless food and water, or countless guns and bullets, or kill all the Corpse Kings in the world that Ji Yanqing didn’t like?

Feng Yimo felt that none of these were enough, not even all of them combined.

----

<Prev><TOC><Next>

----