AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 53

Chapter 53 

 "Don't Keep Plucking Wool From The Same Sheep." 

Hearing the roar of approaching footsteps and furious howls behind him, his heart pounding at its limit, Ji Yanqing’s mind went blank. Just then, something furry slammed into his back.

The force of the impact sent him stumbling forward a couple of steps.

He quickly regained his balance, bracing himself for a fight. But when he turned, he saw the black beast Corpse King, fur bristling, frantically scrambling away on all fours.

In the blink of an eye, the black beast had vanished back into the city, disappearing among the buildings.

Watching it flee, Ji Yanqing was numb with disbelief.

He recognized the black beast. It was the same Corpse King they’d encountered multiple times before. But why was it here? And why was it running?

Shouldn’t they be the ones running?

In Ji Yanqing’s arms, Ji An had also recognized the badger King among the three – the “delicious” Awakened Zombie from before.

It looked even more delicious now.

Ji An swallowed hard, mouth watering.

“Ji Yanqing…”

The sound of Huang Rongyue’s voice snapped him back to reality.

He turned. Huang Rongyue stood there, white-faced, gun still raised, forehead glistening with cold sweat, staring at him in utter bewilderment.

It took Ji Yanqing a moment to register the shock on her face, then he glanced around at the others. Sure enough, everyone scattered across the highway was staring at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

Their faces, their expressions of utter astonishment, looked as if they’d just witnessed a miracle in broad daylight.

“You… you know them?” Qin Yue finally managed to stammer out the word “know.”

Ji Yanqing’s brain finally started to whir back to life. He glanced back at the city, at the now-vanished black beast and monkey King, then at Li Xiao, whose face was a mask of stunned disbelief.

Ji Yanqing took a deep breath, trying to project an air of calm nonchalance. “Sort of. We’ve crossed paths before.”

Hearing Ji Yanqing’s casual words, Huang Rongyue and Qin Yue’s expressions became even more complex. Li Xiao’s already bewildered face twisted further.

The others, shaking off their initial shock, turned to each other, seeing the same disbelief and confusion mirrored on every face. Their blank minds slowly started to process the impossible.

“Sort of?” “Crossed paths before?” What did that even mean?

Had Ji Yanqing really just… scared off two Corpse Kings?

Xia Shen Shu, Lan Zi, Li Pingsen, and the others in their group also turned to Ji Yanqing. Unlike the others, they’d been with Ji Yanqing through it all. They knew about the black beast Corpse King.

But even they were momentarily thrown. If Ji Yanqing hadn’t scared them off, then what had just happened?

After the initial shock, Xia Shen Shu’s group quickly regained their composure. A knowing look passed between them. They smoothly adopted an air of nonchalance.

Scaring off a couple of Corpse Kings? Nothing to write home about.

Ji Yanqing did it all the time.

The stunned onlookers, seeing Xia Shen Shu and the others’ composure, their “nothing to see here” expressions, were even more bewildered. Their expressions shifted to something bordering on awe.

For a long moment, silence reigned. No one spoke.

The silence stretched for several minutes, until the scattered groups had all regrouped on the highway.

“Should we move out?” Huang Rongyue’s second-in-command finally asked, breaking the spell.

On the highway shoulder facing the city, the once-lush grass was torn up, patches of bare, reddish-brown earth exposed, stark reminders of the recent, impossible battle.

Huang Rongyue instinctively looked to Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing, still projecting an outward calm, turned to Qin Yue, who was already watching him, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Qin Yue had recovered from his shock first. He was studying Ji Yanqing, his eyes narrowed in contemplation.

Now that the initial shock had worn off, Qin Yue didn’t actually believe a human could scare off two Corpse Kings. But he couldn’t explain why the Kings had fled.

Before they’d turned tail, they had both looked directly at Ji Yanqing.

Qin Yue’s gaze shifted to the two children in Ji Yanqing’s arms, Ji An and Ji Le.

Ji Yanqing had been feeding them well. Their cheeks were rounded, fair, and plump, their eyes wide and bright, noses small and delicate. They looked utterly harmless, adorably innocent.

Those two faces were definitely not capable of terrifying Corpse Kings.

“Has your group set up camp around here?” Ji Yanqing asked Qin Yue, breaking the silence.

Qin Yue snapped out of his thoughts.

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Yue gestured towards a long, low mountain ridge to the side of the city buildings.

The mountain wasn’t particularly high, but it stretched far, eventually merging with the distant mountain range. Its base skirted the city, with several buildings nestled at the edge of the woods fringing the mountain foot.

It wasn’t far from the highway, a ten-minute walk at most.

“Dusk’s coming. Want to join us? That area’s the best camping spot around here,” Qin Yue offered, extending an invitation.

Ji Yanqing, who had been considering just that, glanced at the sky. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, darkness closing in rapidly. He nodded. “Thanks. We appreciate it.”

Turning to Huang Rongyue, Ji Yanqing sought her agreement.

Huang Rongyue, still visibly shaken, quickly recovered, agreeing to Ji Yanqing’s plan. “Sounds good to me.”

Nightfall was imminent, and snow was likely to start falling soon. Even if they left immediately, they wouldn’t get far. And Li Xiao was still a factor.

There were four groups in total on the highway, a small number, but the situation was delicate, complex.

Li Xiao was only holding back because of Qin Yue’s presence.

They had thoroughly alienated Li Xiao. Given the chance, he would undoubtedly attack. But with Qin Yue around, they and Li Xiao were effectively on the same side, because Qin Yue’s group alone could overpower all three other groups combined.

Before, when Li Xiao’s group was large and well-supplied, he could disregard everyone else, acting with impunity. But now, everything had changed. In front of Qin Yue, Li Xiao was suddenly vulnerable.

Ji Yanqing turned to Li Xiao, extending an invitation. “Care to join us?”

Li Xiao would inevitably stick around. He was desperate, stripped of everything. He wouldn’t give up until he recovered his stolen supplies.

And while Li Xiao was a pain, without him, Ji Yanqing would have to seriously reconsider getting too close to Qin Yue.

Appearances could be deceiving. Qin Yue seemed gentle, but he might just be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Hearing Ji Yanqing’s invitation, Li Xiao’s jaw clenched. He didn’t verbally respond, but instead, glanced back at his group.

His men, understanding the unspoken order, quickly climbed back into their vehicles, preparing to follow.

Ji Yanqing and Huang Rongyue’s groups also scrambled back into their trucks.

Qin Yue smiled at Ji Yanqing, then led his group away, towards their designated campsite.

Qin Yue’s group walked. Ji Yanqing, Li Xiao, and Huang Rongyue’s groups drove. Ji Yanqing’s convoy reached the mountain base first.

They didn’t drive directly into Qin Yue’s camp, but parked a short distance away, waiting for Qin Yue to arrive.

Ten minutes later, Qin Yue’s group reached the mountain’s base.

Seeing Qin Yue, his men guarding the camp rushed out to greet him, having witnessed the earlier Corpse King spectacle from afar.

“Make yourselves at home,” Qin Yue said to Ji Yanqing and Huang Rongyue, then rejoined his own group.

As Qin Yue walked away, Li Xiao shot a venomous look at Ji Yanqing. “This isn’t over,” he snarled, then stalked off towards the rear of the mountain.

Qin Yue’s chosen campsite, behind the mountain, wasn’t far from the city, but the mountain itself acted as a natural barrier between the city and the clearing behind it. As long as they kept the noise down, city zombies wouldn’t easily detect them.

Qin Yue’s camp was already established, quite extensive. At least ten vehicles, and three large canvas tents.

About eighty people had been left to guard the camp.

Combined with Qin Yue’s returning group, their numbers swelled to nearly five hundred.

Qin Yue’s firepower was also formidable, rivaling Li Xiao’s. They likely had close to three hundred guns.

Li Xiao chose a campsite far from Qin Yue’s, deeper into the mountain’s shadow.

Ji Yanqing and Huang Rongyue exchanged glances, then chose a spot in the open space between the two larger camps.

They didn’t camp separately, but clustered their vehicles close together, a precaution in case Li Xiao tried anything.

As they began setting up camp, Xia Shen Shu held up a small metal box. It was something they’d found in Li Xiao’s supply trucks, its purpose unclear, so they’d just tossed it in with the rest of the loot.

“Signal transmitter,” Xia Shen Shu announced, “probably linked to those cell phones. Like our walkie-talkies, but longer range. They’ve been tracking us this whole time.”

Hearing this, Ji Yanqing and the others quickly grasped the implications.

They’d wondered how Li Xiao had caught up so fast, despite them putting so much distance between them. It turned out, they’d never actually escaped Li Xiao’s gaze.

“Didn’t recognize it at first,” Xia Shen Shu said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He should have recognized it immediately, but this civilian-grade model was vastly different from the military equipment he was used to. “But I’ve turned it off now.”

“What now? Run again tonight?” Lan Zi asked.

Li Xiao, stripped bare, wouldn’t give up easily. With Qin Yue present, he couldn’t attack openly, but they couldn’t rely on Qin Yue’s protection indefinitely.

“Stay the night. We’ll figure it out tomorrow,” Ji Yanqing decided.

He glanced towards Qin Yue’s camp.

Qin Yue’s group showed no signs of leaving soon. They were unloading supplies from their trucks into the tents, as if settling in for a while.

Ji Yanqing turned to Xia Shen Shu and the others. “If Qin Yue’s group goes into the city tomorrow, we’ll go in too. See if we can scavenge some more supplies.”

As long as Qin Yue didn’t drive them away, they’d play a waiting game. The current situation favored them. Li Xiao was desperate, stripped of resources. He was the one most likely to crack first.

“Mini-fridge!” Lu Qing piped up, suddenly animated at the mention of going into the city. Ji Yanqing had promised him one.

Ji Yanqing sighed, rubbing his temples, a headache already forming. “We can look. But it has to be a small, car-sized, ten-liter capacity at the max.”

Hearing the ten-liter limit, Lu Qing immediately protested. Ten liters was practically nothing!

Before he could fully articulate his objections, Ji Yanqing cut him off. “If it were just about the fridge, I’d get you a double-door, industrial-sized one, no problem. But we can’t power it. We have a generator, yes, but it runs on gasoline.”

Their generator wasn’t large. It could only produce a few kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour.

Enough to charge computers and radios, but not nearly enough to power a full-sized refrigerator.

Lu Qing, who had been using the generator, knew the limitations all too well. Realization dawned, his refrigerator dreams deflating like a punctured balloon.

He visibly slumped, all his enthusiasm draining away.

“There’ll be plenty of time for that later.” Ji Yanqing soothed, “Tomorrow, while we’re out, I’ll see if I can find a microscope or something for you.”

Lu Qing, who had been drooping like a wilted flower, instantly perked up, vitality surging back into him. “And an alcohol lamp, and petri dishes!”

“I’ll do my best,” Ji Yanqing promised.

Standing nearby, Lan Zi and the others who witnessed this exchange shared a look.  In each other’s eyes, they saw a shared sense of helpless amusement. Ji Yanqing had completely and utterly wrapped Lu Qing around his little finger.I know they mean that Ji Yanqing now understands how to keep ahold of Lu Qing, but in this situation it definitely seems like JYQ is wrapped around LQ’s finger lol

“So, you know how to make bombs?” Xia Shen Shu suddenly recalled the previous incident. Before, they had been too preoccupied with fleeing for their lives to delve into such topics.

“No, that was just a chemical explosion.” Lu Qing understood that Xia Shen Shu was referring to the time he’d blown up Li Xiao’s camp.

Xia Shen Shu was taken aback, momentarily speechless.  Then, unwilling to give up, he pressed, “But could you make one?”

“If I knew the principles and had the materials, I could try, but no guarantees of success.”

The corners of Xia Shen Shu’s lips instantly curled upwards into a sly grin.  His eyes darted around, already brewing mischievous schemes.

Ji Yanqing didn’t bother asking what Xia Shen Shu was plotting. If Xia Shen Shu gained access to bombs, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for their group—assuming Xia Shen Shu and Lu Qing didn’t accidentally blow their entire team sky-high first.

“I’ll go tomorrow too. I could use another axe, while we’re at it.” Ji Yanqing said.

Without an axe in his hands, he felt uneasy. He could use a gun, sure, but he was more accustomed to the heft and feel of an axe.

“Oh, right, I brought back your old axe for you.” Xia Shen Shu said, heading towards a nearby vehicle.

Ji Yanqing watched him go.

Soon, Xia Shen Shu emerged from a pile of supplies, holding a bundle of clothing. He unwrapped the clothes, revealing the axe nestled within.

The axe handle was snapped near the axe head.  The remaining piece of handle was still lodged in that Awakened Zombie’s skull.  All that was left here was the iron axe head and a stub of broken wood stuck within it.

“There’s no way that can be used again, is there? Might as well just find a new one,” Li Pingsen commented.

The entire axe head was coated in the Awakened Zombie’s fluids. That stuff was infectious. It would be more trouble than it was worth to clean it thoroughly and reattach a handle.  They’d be better off finding a new one.

Ji Yanqing agreed, but he still stepped forward and examined the axe again through the cloth wrapping.

“Is it important?” Lan Zi asked.

Ji Yanqing hesitated for a moment, then said, “After the virus broke out, zombies were everywhere. My dad figured we couldn’t escape, so he decided to kill me and then himself. He had always hit me, but that time, I pushed him away and ran.”

Ji Yanqing paused for a beat. “After running, I quickly attracted zombies and got chased. In the chaos, I hid in a construction site. This axe, I found it at that construction site.  I’ve carried it with me ever since.”

It was also from that moment that he resolved to protect himself.

Listening to Ji Yanqing’s words, the group around him was stunned into silence.

Ji Yanqing had never voluntarily spoken about his past in front of them before. This was the first time.

Lan Zi was the most surprised. She had always assumed Ji Yanqing came from a happy family, because she had always believed that only a happy, fulfilling home could nurture a personality like Ji Yanqing’s.

Earlier, when they had encountered the home of the family of three who had committed suicide in the city, she had even said to Ji Yanqing how envious she was. She had never imagined Ji Yanqing had experienced something like this.

A bitter taste rose in her throat.

“Then he…” Xia Shen Shu looked at Ji Yanqing with complicated emotions.

“I never went back, but he’s probably dead.” Ji Yanqing re-wrapped the axe, planning to throw it away later.

Li Pingsen suddenly spoke up, “After the virus outbreak, I ran with my family. There were several of us, but in less than half a month, it was just me and my mom left.”

“My mom wasn’t in good health. She’d always worked the fields back home, which had taken a toll on her. After the virus outbreak, she couldn’t eat or sleep properly, and she withered away quickly. When we ran, she couldn’t keep up; I had to drag her along.”

“I’ve always been really close to my mom. For a long time, I was terrified she would die. I even dreamt of her being bitten by zombies. But then, after she actually died, I actually felt a sense of relief—”

Li Pingsen’s words abruptly cut off. He suddenly realized this was not the time or place for such heavy confessions. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Ji Yanqing shook his head slightly, not minding. “Let’s eat first.”

Everyone alive, still standing here, had once had family and friends. But now, they were all standing here, utterly alone.

The group fell silent again. After standing there for a while longer, they dispersed.

Ji Yanqing took the cloth-wrapped axe and walked towards the woods behind the vehicles. He tossed the axe into the trees.

Far away, Feng Yimo, having witnessed this scene, fixed his gaze on the axe lying discarded on the ground.

After throwing the axe away, when Ji Yanqing turned back, he saw Su Luo talking to Xia Shen Shu in the distance, gesturing towards the mountains behind them.

Ji Yanqing glanced in that direction, but could only see the mountain range and the trees.

As Ji Yanqing started walking towards them, Xia Shen Shu was already following Su Luo into the woods behind the camp.

Ji Yanqing looked at the woods behind the camp again, wondering if he should follow them, when he met Feng Yimo’s cold, indifferent eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Yanqing asked. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but although Feng Yimo’s expression was as blank as ever, he seemed preoccupied.

Feng Yimo scrutinized Ji Yanqing.

“Is there something wrong?” Ji Yanqing looked down at his black windbreaker, seeing nothing amiss.

“Lu Qing likes you,” Feng Yimo stated.

“And?”

Feng Yimo silently stared at Ji Yanqing, seeing no emotion on Ji Yanqing’s face other than confusion. Feng Yimo shifted his gaze.

Not receiving any follow-up, Ji Yanqing felt utterly perplexed.

“Where are Ji An and Ji Le?” Ji Yanqing changed the subject.

He hadn’t seen the two little ones since earlier. He wasn’t worried; they were sensible and wouldn’t wander off. Besides, everyone in the team would keep an eye on them.

However, it was rather unusual for Ji An and Ji Le not to be clinging to him. Normally, as soon as they saw he was free, they would come running over, thumping sounds as they ran to hug his legs, calling ‘Papa’ in their soft voices.

Feng Yimo nodded towards the front of the vehicles.

Meeting Feng Yimo’s gaze, Ji An and Ji Le, who had been peeking at Feng Yimo from behind the vehicle’s hood, were startled. They quickly turned and fled.

Ji Yanqing bent down and looked under the vehicle. The two little ones had hidden on the other side.

They were huddled together, whispering something secretively, their small faces filled with lingering fear and solemn seriousness, as if they were discussing some momentous matter.

Seeing the two little guys acting so mysteriously, Ji Yanqing was speechless, a touch of wistful tenderness washing over him.

Rounding the vehicle, Ji Yanqing deliberately softened his footsteps, wanting to eavesdrop on what the two little ones were saying. But as soon as he rounded the corner, the two little guys immediately looked over at him.

Being stared at, Ji Yanqing felt a fleeting sense of strangeness.

Ji Yanqing came up to the two little ones and crouched down. “What are you two talking about?”

Ji An and Ji Le exchanged a look, then shook their heads in unison.

“Nothing.”

“We weren’t saying anything.”

Their eyes fixed straight on him, trying hard to act as if nothing was amiss, but the more they tried, the more Ji Yanqing knew they were lying.

Ji Yanqing reached out, one hand gently cupping each of the little ones’ cheeks, feeling the soft texture under his fingers. He was about to press them further, but the words caught in his throat.

Ji Yanqing knelt on one knee, leaning forward to give the two little ones a tight hug.

Night was falling, and the air temperature was dropping rapidly. It was probably only a few degrees now, making the two feverish little ones feel extra warm when held close.

Embracing him, Ji An and Ji Le also quickly reached out their little arms to hug Ji Yanqing back.

“Papa.”

“Hmm?”

“I like you the most.”

“Me too.”

“Yeah, I know…” Ji Yanqing was talking to the two little ones when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Xia Shen Shu and Su Luo returning from the woods, both with excited expressions on their faces.

Back at the camp, Xia Shen Shu immediately called over several people, told them to grab knives, and then mysteriously led them into the woods behind the camp.

“You two stay close to the team, alright?,” Ji Yanqing said, getting to his feet.

Ji An and Ji Le nodded.

Ji Yanqing quickly headed into the woods, wanting to catch up with Xia Shen Shu and see what he was up to.

Xia Shen Shu and the others were moving fast, and because they were not far from the city, the mountain behind them wasn’t very high. They crossed over to the other side of the mountain in less than five minutes.

The other side of the mountain was closer to the city, and the hillside was covered in vegetable patches.

Xia Shen Shu led the group of knife-wielding people into the vegetable patches and immediately lowered his voice, assigning tasks. “Move quietly, don’t let them find out. They still don’t know this stuff is edible.”

“Team Leader,” one of them suddenly spoke up.

Xia Shen Shu slapped him on the back of the head. “I told you to be quiet!”

“But, Team Leader, there are people over there…” The man pointed, somewhat aggrieved, towards the foot of the mountain in the distance.

Xia Shen Shu immediately looked over, and with one glance, he recognized several familiar faces.

Huang Rongyue’s second-in-command, a man who looked like he was also a second-in-command from Li Xiao’s team, and people from Qin Yue’s team. Each of them was leading a group of people, all armed with knives, all acting furtive and sneaky.

They were all there to steal the mutated bok choy. Some of them, quick on the uptake, had already chopped down several heads.

From afar, their eyes met. Everyone who was trying to be secretive and not be discovered was momentarily stunned.

The next moment, everyone awkwardly and politely smiled, and then immediately sped up their movements, trying to chop as much as possible.

They had all been trying to prevent other teams from finding out about this. Now that everyone knew, it was a race to see who was faster.

These bok choy didn’t belong to anyone yet. Of course, whoever chopped them down first got them.

“What are you still standing around for?” Xia Shen Shu rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

The others snapped out of their daze and immediately joined the scramble.

Ji Yanqing, having climbed over the mountain, saw this scene from afar.

After a brief moment of surprise, Ji Yanqing quickly understood.

Qin Yue and Li Xiao’s teams were a given. Their two teams were already among the largest in the vicinity. They must have come into contact with many other survivor groups and learned that this mutated bok choy was edible—that wasn’t strange at all.

As for Huang Rongyue’s team, before encountering them, Huang Rongyue’s team had also been a large group of nearly three hundred people.

Compared to those three teams, Ji Yanqing’s own team was actually the smallest.

Understanding this, Ji Yanqing looked at the group of people frantically snatching vegetables and rubbed the bridge of his nose, pretending he hadn’t seen anything as he turned to walk back.

Ji Yanqing was walking back, wondering if it was a bit unfair to call for reinforcements for Xia Shen Shu and the others, when he saw Xia Chen in the distance.

Xia Chen was being cornered in the woods by Li Xiao, who was saying something to him.

Li Xiao must have been saying something unpleasant, because Xia Chen’s face was ashen.

“Captain Li.” Ji Yanqing called out without hesitation, immediately heading towards them.

Hearing the voice, Li Xiao stopped talking at once and looked in the direction of the sound.

Recognizing Ji Yanqing, Li Xiao snorted coldly without waiting for Ji Yanqing to get closer, and then turned and left.

Ji Yanqing approached Xia Chen and scrutinized him. Xia Chen’s face was still pale even after Ji Yanqing reached him. “Are you okay? Was he giving you any trouble?”

“...No.”

“Don’t stay alone recently, try to stay with other people,” Ji Yanqing reminded him. Someone like Li Xiao was capable of using any dirty tricks to get revenge.

“Mm.”

Ji Yanqing turned to walk back to camp.

“Captain Ji.”

Ji Yanqing stopped and looked back. “What’s wrong?”

“...Nothing.”

“Xia Shen Shu and the others are stealing vegetables on the other side of the mountain, do you want to go?” Ji Yanqing asked.

“Stealing vegetables?” Xia Chen was taken aback.

“There are vegetable patches on the other side of the mountain, with mutated bok choy. Qin Yue, Huang Rongyue, and Li Xiao’s people are all over there.”

Xia Chen imagined the scene and his expression became strange for a moment.

Ji Yanqing chuckled, finding the situation quite amusing. He didn’t say anything more, turned, and strode back towards the camp, intending to call for reinforcements for Xia Shen Shu.

Huang Rongyue and Qin Yue probably already knew about the vegetable patches behind the mountain. They hadn’t told them, clearly wanting to keep it all to themselves.

Everyone had the same idea, it just came down to who had the thicker skin.

Back at the camp, Ji Yanqing grabbed the first person he saw. Before he could even tell the person about the vegetable stealing, he heard a commotion.

They were not far from the city, so everyone was trying to keep the noise down as much as possible. The commotion was loud and unrestrained, quite out of place.

The noisy voices were coming from Li Xiao’s team.

Looking over, Ji Yanqing saw the man who had led the group that had snatched Lu Qing away from their team earlier, speaking angrily, his face flushed. Several others around him also looked livid.

In front of them, Li Xiao, who had just returned to his team, listened to their words, his face visibly falling.

The next moment, Li Xiao glared fiercely in Ji Yanqing’s direction.

Being glared at, Ji Yanqing was completely baffled.

Ji Yanqing looked at the people in his own team. “What happened to them? Did you guys beat them up?”

Hearing Ji Yanqing’s question, many people in their team instantly grinned.

Su Luo couldn’t wait to speak. “No, but they were just knocked unconscious in the woods by someone, and their guns were taken.”

Ji Yanqing was speechless.

Before Ji Yanqing could even react, the man who had lost his gun and been knocked out looked towards Ji Yanqing and his team. “It must have been them!”

Hearing this, Su Luo and the others who were watching the drama instantly dropped their smiles.

“You say it’s us, so it is? Where’s the proof?” Li Pingsen retorted.

“Who else could it be besides you?” The man’s eyes were bloodshot.

“That’s hard to say. Who knows how many people you’ve offended?” Li Pingsen sneered.

“Exactly,” Su Luo chimed in, fanning the flames.

The man wanted to say something more, but Li Xiao kicked him from the side. “Useless trash.”

After kicking the man, Li Xiao glared coldly at Ji Yanqing again, then turned and went back into his tent.

Ji Yanqing ignored him and turned back to the others around him. “Find some rice, we’ll cook rice tonight.”

Hearing that they were going to get rice, Su Luo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he lowered his voice. “Rice tonight?”

They did have a lot of rice and flour, but cooking it required a lot of water. Although they still had a decent amount of water, it couldn’t withstand daily use like this, so they rarely ate rice.

“Xia Shen Shu and the others are chopping down bok choy behind the mountain,” Ji Yanqing explained.

“Bok choy?” Su Luo and the group around him couldn’t help but swallow. They all particularly liked Bok choy now.

“Qin Yue, Huang Rongyue, and Li Xiao’s people all know about the Bok choy. No need to keep it secret anymore,” Ji Yanqing said.

Hearing this, surprise flashed across everyone’s faces.

After the brief surprise, everyone eagerly began to pull out large iron pots from the vehicles, wanting to start preparing.

The sky had already darkened. In less than half an hour, it would be pitch black.

Several people who were quicker on the uptake, hearing that Xia Shen Shu and the others were chopping vegetables behind the mountain, headed towards the woods to join the fun.

“Take knives with you,” Ji Yanqing kindly reminded them.

The others were a bit confused, but they still went back and grabbed their knives.

In less than half an hour, Xia Shen Shu and the others returned.

Although there was a large vegetable patch behind the mountain, not all of it was planted with bok choy. Coupled with the number of people harvesting, they quickly cleared out all the  bok choy in the fields.

Xia Shen Shu and his group had a good haul, bringing back over a dozen of the giant mutated heads.

Ji Yanqing gave a quick glance, and it seemed their team had out-harvested two of the other teams.

“Too bad we found out too late. If we’d known earlier, we could have probably brought back half of everything planted in those fields,” Xia Shen Shu said, clearly pleased with the outcome. Carrying a head of bok choy almost as tall as himself, his smile was the picture of smug satisfaction.

Knowing that everyone was now aware of the bok choy, the other three teams no longer bothered to hide it, openly starting to cook bok choy in their own camps.

Hearing that they could have bok choy again that night, smiles bloomed not only on the faces of Ji An and Ji Le, but also on everyone else in Ji Yanqing’s team.

The bok choy had a wonderful texture, and more importantly, it was rich in moisture and could even be used to cook noodles or rice vermicelli – a real treasure.

Seeing everyone’s expectant expressions, Ji Yanqing remembered they still had some canned food. “We still have some cans left, let’s take them out and distribute them too.”

He paused, then added, “One can for every three people.”

From Li Xiao, they had acquired six boxes of canned food. Each box contained fourteen cans, totaling almost one hundred and fifty cans.

The cans were small, only two hundred grams each, all of them braised beef.

One can per person would be too extravagant. One can for every three people meant they could enjoy them this time and still have more than half left for another meal.

Hearing Ji Yanqing’s words, knowing there would be meat to eat that night, cheers erupted from the team.

Several people hurried towards the vehicles to unload the supplies.

The cans weren’t heavy; one person could easily carry a few boxes.

Once the boxes were opened, everyone quickly stepped forward to claim their share.

“One can per three people, no chaos, no fighting,” Li Pingsen reminded as he distributed the cans.

The first few people to receive their cans passed them around to their teammates, examining them with curiosity, turning them over in their hands. Then, one of them carefully pried open the lid.

As the lid was lifted, the Adam’s apples of the three people in their team, and those watching around them, all involuntarily bobbed.

“Smells so good.”

“What flavor is it?”

“Braised beef!”

Hearing the words ‘braised beef’, everyone’s Adam’s apples bobbed again, and the suppressed sounds of discussion and laughter grew louder.

The people from Qin Yue, Huang Rongyue, and Li Xiao’s teams, who had gathered in their own camps waiting for dinner, all looked over, drawn by the commotion.

Seeing Ji Yanqing’s group taking out and opening cans, envy immediately flickered in the eyes of Huang Rongyue and Qin Yue’s people.

Especially Huang Rongyue’s team, every single one of them turned to look at their own captain, their mouths practically watering. They had canned food too!

Huang Rongyue kept a stern face, ignoring the hungry gazes of her team.

Li Xiao’s group, however, immediately recognized that the cans Ji Yanqing’s team was opening were theirs, and their faces darkened with rage.

They had been reluctant to eat those cans, keeping them like precious treasures. Yet here was Ji Yanqing, casually enjoying them right in front of their faces.

If Qin Yue’s people hadn’t been nearby, they would have already pulled out their guns and started spraying bullets at Ji Yanqing’s group.

Qin Yue, who had been in his tent, also heard the restrained cheers. He emerged from his tent.

Catching the scent of meat from afar and seeing the cans, Qin Yue looked at Ji Yanqing. “These things, we usually use them to trade for other supplies.”

Ji Yanqing looked back.

“They’re quite popular,” Qin Yue smiled.

Ji Yanqing thought for a moment and quickly understood what he meant.  Over half a year since the virus outbreak, various vegetables and dried goods were scarce, and meat was even rarer.

Small teams probably couldn’t afford or wouldn’t be willing to trade for meat, but for larger teams where most resources were no longer in short supply, canned meat would be quite desirable.

“It’s alright,” Ji Yanqing glanced at Li Xiao in the distance, whose face was as dark as charcoal. “Our team isn’t at that stage yet, so no need to worry too much.”

Their team was still too small. They might not even be able to attend the gathering in two months.

There would definitely be many people like Li Xiao at that gathering. If they wanted to go, they would need at least five hundred people, and they only knew Huang Rongyue’s team right now.

If they could go, that would be great, but he wasn’t planning to take any risks.

Qin Yue nodded, saying nothing more.

In just a few moments, everyone in Ji Yanqing’s team had received their share of cans.  Many, unable to resist, had already started eating.

Smelling the increasingly rich aroma in the air, Huang Rongyue’s team watched Huang Rongyue with even more pleading eyes.

Their team was even smaller than Ji Yanqing’s now. They could forget about attending the next gathering. Instead of carrying those cans around every day and torturing themselves with temptation, they might as well just eat them.

Huang Rongyue remained unmoved.

Seeing Huang Rongyue’s heart of stone, the gazes of her team turned increasingly aggrieved and reproachful, silently accusing her of cold-heartedness.

Feeling the aggrieved expressions from everyone around her, the corner of Huang Rongyue’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

“So delicious, the meat is tender, not over or undercooked, and so flavorful…”

Ji Yanqing followed the voice.

Xia Shen Shu, at some point, had taken a sturdy box and sat down near the edge of Li Xiao’s camp. He was eating and smacking his lips with relish, sighing with contentment.

“Want to try some?” Xia Shen Shu looked over at them.

Veins bulged on Li Xiao’s forehead.

The same went for everyone around him. They clenched their teeth, their facial muscles twitching, practically murderous.

“You just wait…” the man next to Li Xiao, the one who had led the group to snatch Lu Qing before, hissed.

Xia Shen Shu chuckled. “I just like the way you look when you can’t beat me, and can’t get angry at me, all at the same time.”

Ji Yanqing saw this, but didn’t stop him.

From the moment Li Xiao’s people had tried to take Lu Qing, their two teams were already enemies.

From the moment they had retaliated and robbed Li Xiao’s supplies, the relationship between them became one of ‘either you die or I die’.

“Yours.” Lan Zi walked towards Ji Yanqing, handing him a fresh can and giving Feng Yimo a can that was already opened and about one-third full.

Feng Yimo glanced at it, but didn’t take it.

Lan Zi was taken aback. “You don’t want meat either?”

Feng Yimo was unmoved.

Lan Zi thought for a moment, then simply gave the can to Ji Yanqing.

They were almost used to it now.

Feng Yimo was unsociable.  When it came to Feng Yimo’s matters, they just needed to consult Ji Yanqing instead.

Ji Yanqing didn’t refuse, taking the opened can. He carefully poked a piece of meat out with a stick and offered it to Ji An, who was looking at him expectantly.

Ji An immediately opened his little mouth.

Having smelled the aroma, Ji An’s Adam’s apple had already involuntarily bobbed. But as the meat entered his mouth, his brows immediately furrowed. The meat wasn’t tasty at all.

Seeing Ji An’s reaction, Ji Le blinked, but unable to resist the allure of the scent, he still opened his mouth.

Tasting the meat and experiencing it’s strange, stale flavor,  Ji Le’s small face quickly crumpled into a bunched-up expression.

Ji Yanqing saw this and skeptically picked up a piece to taste himself. “It’s not spoiled, is it?”

In just this short time, the rice cooked with  bok choy was ready.

Hearing that bok choy was available, Ji An and Ji Le, without waiting for Ji Yanqing to feed them any more meat, quickly went to get their little bowls and join the queue.

Ji Yanqing looked at their eager figures, then at the canned food in his hand, momentarily speechless. Could bok choy really be more delicious than meat?

Feeling helpless, Ji Yanqing didn’t force them any further.

After getting their rice, Ji Yanqing, as usual, divided the bok choy in his bowl between Feng Yimo, Ji An, and Ji Le, and took some rice from their bowls in return.

Ji An and Ji Le ate happily, clumsily using their chopsticks.

Ji Yanqing opened the new can. Feng Yimo only tasted one bite before stopping.

Ji Yanqing had no choice but to eat the entire can himself, under the red-eyed scrutiny of Huang Rongyue’s team.

After finishing the meat, pouring the last bit of gravy into his rice and mixing it in, Ji Yanqing didn’t immediately take the two little ones back to the vehicle to sleep. Instead, he sat in place to rest for a while longer.

Ji An and Ji Le were also a bit full. The two little ones imitated him from before, comfortably rubbing their bellies.

Feng Yimo sat beside them for a while before leaving.

The snow came early that night. Snow that was supposed to start falling at eight o’clock began as early as a little before seven.

When the snow started, Ji Yanqing led the two little ones back to the vehicle to prepare for sleep.

Arriving at the vehicle, Feng Yimo was already inside, spreading out blankets. Ji Yanqing was slightly taken aback. He rarely saw Feng Yimo being this proactive.

Just as Ji Yanqing was distracted, another argument erupted from Li Xiao’s team on their left. This time, the volume was even louder than the afternoon’s quarrel.

Ji Yanqing looked over, and everyone else around him also turned to look.

In the darkness, within Li Xiao’s camp, the main players were still the same people from before – Li Xiao and the man from his team who had previously tried to snatch Lu Qing.

Li Xiao was even angrier than in the afternoon. He slammed the gun in his hand hard against the man’s face. If firing a gun wouldn’t attract zombies, he might have already shot him in the head.

The man in front of Li Xiao kept his head lowered, not uttering a word of complaint.

Ji Yanqing and the others watched for a good while before they finally figured out what was going on. After being knocked unconscious and losing his gun in the afternoon, Li Xiao had given the man another gun. But just a moment ago, while he was eating, he had been knocked unconscious in the woods again, and the newly acquired gun was gone too.

Having learned from the previous experience, this time the man had been very careful. Yet, in a moment of distraction, he had been knocked out again. He hadn’t even seen who had done it from start to finish.

Hearing that the man had been robbed of his gun again, smiles couldn’t help but spread across the faces of Li Pingsen and the others. At the same time, they also felt a bit uneasy.

They definitely hadn’t done it. If it wasn’t them, was it Huang Rongyue’s people?

Li Pingsen and the others looked towards Huang Rongyue’s camp.

In Huang Rongyue’s camp next to theirs, Huang Rongyue’s team was also looking at them. Huang Rongyue’s people seemed to assume that they were the ones who had done it, their eyes filled with amusement.

Li Pingsen and the others were speechless.

Li Pingsen and his group then looked towards Qin Yue’s side. Qin Yue’s team was also looking at them, seemingly also believing that they were the culprits.

Faced with this, Li Pingsen and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

“Add two more people to the night watch,” Lan Zi said.

“Be careful,” Xia Shen Shu also reminded with a laugh. This whole thing was strange.

“Okay.” The smile faded from Li Pingsen’s face.

Li Xiao flew into a rage. He cursed the man vehemently and told him to get lost.

He glared at Ji Yanqing, his eyes bloodshot, before going into his tent.

Seeing this, the others also dispersed.

Getting into the vehicle, Ji Yanqing found that Feng Yimo had already spread out the blankets by the time he arrived.

Ji Yanqing took Ji An and Ji Le’s blankets and spread them out next to Feng Yimo’s. The two little ones crawled into their blankets and settled down.

Just as Ji Yanqing was busy tucking them in, Xia Shen Shu, Lan Zi, and Li Pingsen climbed into the vehicle.

Once inside, making sure Li Xiao’s people couldn’t see, Lan Zi turned to Ji Yanqing. “I just asked around, it wasn’t anyone from our team who did it.”

“Probably not Huang Rongyue’s people either,” Li Pingsen added.

“Probably Qin Yue’s,” Xia Shen Shu guessed, but even he sounded doubtful.

If Qin Yue’s people wanted guns, they wouldn’t need to do something like this. They could just directly rob them. Moreover, both times the person robbed was the same individual, making it seem more like some personal grudge.

“Could it be Li Xiao’s team staging it themselves?” Lan Zi speculated.

“What would be the purpose?” Xia Shen Shu asked.

Lan Zi frowned in thought, but she couldn’t figure it out after thinking for a long time.

“In any case, be careful—” Ji Yanqing cautioned.

Before Ji Yanqing could finish speaking, Feng Yimo, who was beside him, lifted the blanket he had laid out. Underneath, there were five or six guns.

Seeing the guns, everyone in the vehicle was taken aback.

The next moment, everyone turned to look at Feng Yimo.

“Where did these come from?” Ji Yanqing asked.

Feng Yimo had no intention of explaining.

Xia Shen Shu, reacting first, immediately grinned and gave Feng Yimo a thumbs up. “Well done.”

Ji Yanqing looked complex. For a moment, he didn’t know how to react. After holding it in for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, “Don’t keep fleecing the same sheep.” qq: A chinese idiom meaning ‘don’t exploit one source’

Feng Yimo looked at Ji Yanqing, his dark eyes unfathomable, unable to understand, sheep?

“We can shear them all, together...” Ji Yanqing had the feeling that he was leading a child astray. 

“Why did you go and steal guns?”

Feng Yimo didn’t use guns, and he wasn’t the type of person to proactively do things like this for the team.

Feng Yimo said, “For you.”

As he spoke, Feng Yimo instinctively glanced at Lu Qing, who was just about to get into the vehicle.

Ji Yanqing looked at Lu Qing, then at Feng Yimo, who seemed quite hostile towards Lu Qing, feeling even more confused.

Why would Feng Yimo go to the trouble of stealing several guns just for him?

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