AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 54
Chapter 54
“Where did these come from?” Lu Qing asked as he reached for a gun.
Before his fingers could even brush the cold steel, the weapon was yanked backward, out of his reach.
Lu Qing turned to see Feng Yimo.
Lu Qing met Feng Yimo’s eyes, dark and fathomless as the deep sea, and undeniably hostile. He was momentarily stunned, unable to fathom what he had done to offend Feng Yimo.
Witnessing this exchange, Ji Yanqing grew even more perplexed by Feng Yimo’s strange behavior.
Just as Ji Yanqing was lost in thought, Xia Shen Shu’s low, surprised exclamation broke through. “This is…”
Xia Shen Shu had picked up one of the guns and was turning it over and over in his hands, examining it with keen interest.
The gun was long, nearly one and a half meters, and looked heavy. It was equipped with a specialized scope – a sniper rifle.
“What is it?” Ji Yanqing asked.
Ji Yanqing, having been around Xia Shen Shu for a while, had gained a basic understanding of firearms, but their team had never possessed a weapon of this type.
Feng Yimo had originally intended to snatch the gun back from Xia Shen Shu as well, but hearing Ji Yanqing’s question, he desisted. He had taken these guns specifically for Ji Yanqing, and whom Ji Yanqing chose to give them to was his own decision.
“This is a treasure, the best sniper rifle on the market right now, the king of snipers.” Xia Shen Shu thoroughly inspected the weapon before ejecting the magazine and examining it too. “If I remember correctly…”
He trailed off mid-sentence, abruptly placing the gun down and jumping out of the vehicle, heading towards another vehicle parked nearby with a swift, almost frantic urgency. This sudden departure left Ji Yanqing and the others waiting for his explanation in bewildered silence.
Moments later, Xia Shen Shu returned.
This time, he carried a handful – a dozen or so – of bullets.
These bullets were slightly different from their usual ammunition. They were headless, or more precisely, the tips seemed to have been sheared off.
Back inside the vehicle, Xia Shen Shu unloaded the magazine of its previous bullets and replaced them with the ones he had just retrieved. He reloaded the magazine, slotted it back into the rifle, and then, lifting the weapon, aimed it at a vacant corner for a moment.
Satisfied, he propped the rifle against the blankets and resumed his explanation.
“Those just now were dumdum bullets, a special type of –” Xia Shen Shu caught himself, changing his wording. “Basically, they’re bullets that explode upon impact.”
Hearing this, the previously puzzled expressions on Ji Yanqing and the others’ faces sharpened with attention. They straightened up in their seats.
Seeing their reaction, Xia Shen Shu’s grin widened, confirming their unspoken questions. “If we can land these bullets in an Awakened Zombie’s head, it’s entirely possible to take them down solo. Actually, if you hit the brain, these bullets could even inflict damage on a Corpse King.”
Good bullets, paired with a good gun – the perfect combination for maximum lethality.
As he spoke, Xia Shen Shu’s fascination with the rifle and the bullets only intensified. Excitement misted his eyes, and he couldn’t suppress the widening curve of his lips, looking as if he wanted to kiss the rifle right then and there.
“Why haven’t you ever mentioned these kinds of bullets before?” Lan Zi asked.
“These bullets are specialized, extremely gruesome. If they don’t kill instantly, but get lodged in someone’s body, they’re incredibly difficult to remove. Too cruel, generally banned from use…” Xia Shen Shu’s explanation faltered, his face contorting.
His eyes had landed on Lan Zi.
If there was anyone on their team who could truly maximize the potential of this rifle, it was undoubtedly Lan Zi.
With a pained expression, as if tearing a piece of himself away, Xia Shen Shu hesitantly offered the gun to Lan Zi. “You should swap out your rifle for this one.”
Lan Zi observed Xia Shen Shu’s reluctant, almost heartbroken expression. She hesitated for a fleeting moment but quickly reached out and accepted the weapon. Xia Shen Shu’s willingness to entrust her with this rifle was the highest form of recognition. She wouldn’t let him down. She would cherish this gun and ensure every single one of those dozen or so bullets was used with deadly precision.
After handing over the rifle, Xia Shen Shu continued to gaze at it longingly before finally shaking himself back to reality, a hint of regret in his voice. “It’s just a pity there are so few bullets. Only about twelve or thirteen in total.”
“Will we be able to trade for more from other survivor groups later?” Li Pingsen inquired.
“These bullets are rare to begin with, and with their immense stopping power, even if others have them, I doubt they’d be willing to trade,” Xia Shen Shu replied. “Ammunition is a resource that dwindles with use, becoming more precious as time goes on. Unless someone can manufacture them…”
“Manufacture…” Lan Zi gave a wry smile. Someone with that kind of skill would be one in ten million, and the number of living humans was already dwindling rapidly.
“Not necessarily impossible,” Xia Shen Shu argued with conviction. “Those with such skills are more likely to survive until the end.”
Xia Shen Shu’s point held weight, but such things felt distant to them now. Manufacturing ammunition like this required sophisticated equipment and a vast supply of raw materials—unthinkable unless you were part of a massive group, numbering five or six hundred.
Even their group, now over a hundred strong, hadn’t even managed to find a water purifier yet.
A collective silence fell over the vehicle. Each person, after processing the information, retreated into their own thoughts and prepared to sleep.
The next day, just as dawn painted the sky with pale light, Ji Yanqing awoke naturally.
Still drowsy, he instinctively turned to look behind him, but Feng Yimo wasn’t there.
Ji Yanqing snapped awake. Had Feng Yimo gone off to ambush someone again?
He glanced at Ji An and Ji Le sleeping soundly beside him, their cheeks flushed pink in slumber. Silently, he rose, stepping over the still-sleeping forms of the others in the vehicle, and climbed out.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he looked towards Li Xiao’s camp. Aside from the sentries, everyone in Li Xiao’s camp was still asleep. After yesterday’s incident, Li Xiao had doubled the night watch. The dozen or so guards in their camp stared blankly at each other, a scene both striking and comical.
Seeing Ji Yanqing emerge from his vehicle, they immediately tensed, as if facing a major threat.
Ji Yanqing, observing their reaction, suddenly understood why Xia Shen Shu found such amusement in provoking them.
In a surprisingly good mood, Ji Yanqing nodded to the guards.
Being directly greeted only heightened the anxiety of the already on-edge sentries, their brows furrowing even deeper.
Enjoying their apprehensive expressions, Ji Yanqing continued his search for Feng Yimo.
He found Feng Yimo in the woods, meticulously whittling a stick with his long saber. His eyes were downcast, his expression focused and serious.
Why was Feng Yimo up at the crack of dawn, carving a stick?
Ji Yanqing remained outside the treeline and addressed one of the sentries. “How long has he been up?”
“An hour and a half, maybe?” the sentry, Mo Xian, replied. “Woke up and just started whittling over there.”
Ji Yanqing was speechless. Even if he was planning another ambush, surely he didn’t need to get up this early to prepare his next weapon of choice, right?
Puzzled but unconcerned, Ji Yanqing decided not to interrupt.
Half an hour later, people from all four camps began to stir, waking up one after another.
Qin Yue’s people showed no signs of packing up and leaving, which relieved Ji Yanqing and Huang Rongyue.
Seeing Qin Yue’s camp starting to prepare breakfast, Ji Yanqing’s group also took out their pots and began to cook.
They didn’t touch the freshly harvested bok choy from the previous day. Instead, they brought out the bok choy they had been carrying in their vehicle, peeling off the outer leaves. They still had some of the bok choy they had dug up from the town, but they had largely avoided it since meeting Huang Rongyue, barely even opening the vehicle compartment where it was stored.
Left for too long, the bok choy was on the verge of spoiling. To people who had been constantly hungry, this was a criminal waste, and many in their team felt a painful sting at the sight.
Just as breakfast was nearing completion, Qin Yue, accompanied by two others, approached Ji Yanqing’s camp.
Ji Yanqing looked up. “What’s up?”
“Do you have a lot of medicine on hand?” Qin Yue asked.
“Medicine?” Ji Yanqing blinked, realizing Qin Yue was proposing a trade.
Sure enough, Qin Yue continued, “We also have some common medicines.”
Medicine was a broad category, but currently, the most precious were wound treatments: antiseptics, anti-inflammatories, and hemostatics. Among these, hemostatic and pain relief medications were the most frequently used.
Ji Yanqing nodded and gestured to someone nearby to fetch Lu Qing.
Lu Qing quickly came over to them.
Ji Yanqing briefly explained the potential trade, mentioning that Lu Qing was responsible for their team’s medical supplies.
The person accompanying Qin Yue seemed to be a medic, or at least someone knowledgeable about medicine. He and Lu Qing moved aside to discuss specifics privately.
Ji Yanqing watched them for a moment, then caught the eye of someone passing by and asked him to call Huang Rongyue over as well.
According to their previous agreement, they had given a third of the supplies seized from Li Xiao to Huang Rongyue, including medicine. However, many in Huang Rongyue’s team were injured, and their medical supplies were likely depleted.
They and Huang Rongyue were now in the same boat. Helping them was only logical.
Qin Yue noticed but didn’t object. As long as his team could get the medicine they needed, who they traded with was irrelevant.
Qin Yue didn’t leave either. After glancing at the group bustling around Ji Yanqing’s camp, preparing breakfast, he initiated conversation with Ji Yanqing. “Are you heading into the city later?”
Ji Yanqing nodded. “We should probably go in and look for food.”
Qin Yue smiled, extending an invitation. “Want to join forces?”
“No, we’re just going for a casual look around,” Ji Yanqing declined.
Cooperation between survival teams was complicated. Without sufficient trust, going into the city together was disadvantageous for everyone. The subsequent division of resources would also be a headache.
Qin Yue clearly hadn’t been serious about the invitation anyway. Hearing Ji Yanqing’s rejection, he said, “We’ll probably head for the nearby wholesale market.”
Confirming that their objectives wouldn’t clash, Qin Yue exchanged a few more words with Ji Yanqing before turning his attention to Lu Qing and the other man.
Lu Qing and the medic had finished their discussion and returned to their respective teams to brief their leaders.
“We haven’t had many injuries recently, so we have a decent stock of most medicines. I traded some of our more abundant common medications for other types, trying to create a more balanced inventory,” Lu Qing explained.
“Do whatever you think is best,” Ji Yanqing said, having complete trust in Lu Qing’s judgment, in regards to this at least.
Once each team had confirmed their Captain’s agreement, they exchanged goods.
By the time the trade was concluded, breakfast was nearly ready.
Since they were going into the city soon, everyone ate quickly.
Ji Yanqing scooped up the still-drowsy Ji An and Ji Le from the vehicle, carrying them to the ground. He then led them to the food line with disposable bowls and chopsticks.
The thought of bok choy made Ji An and Ji Le remarkably enthusiastic.
After getting their food and finding a place to sit, Ji Yanqing scanned the area for Feng Yimo. He spotted him approaching from a distance.
Feng Yimo had finally emerged from the woods, carrying an axe in his hand.
The axe head was the one he had previously discarded in the forest. The handle was new, made of the stick he’d been whittling all morning.
Reaching Ji Yanqing, Feng Yimo wordlessly handed him the axe.
Ji Yanqing took it, examining it closely.
The axe head was meticulously cleaned, no trace of any residue remaining. The blade looked as if it had been sharpened, appearing appreciatively fatal. The handle had been crafted to the same size and length as his previous one, though the craftsmanship was visibly clumsy and amateurish.
Holding the axe, feeling its familiar weight, Ji Yanqing couldn’t resist reaching out and touching Feng Yimo’s forehead.
Being touched on the forehead, Feng Yimo remained still, only looking at Ji Yanqing with a questioning gaze.
Ji Yanqing then touched his own forehead. “Huh, no fever?”
Feng Yimo turned and walked away.
Watching Feng Yimo’s retreating back, Ji Yanqing looked down at the new axe in his hands, feeling its solid weight in his palm. A smile crept onto his lips, warmth blossoming in his chest.
Ji An and Ji Le, who were happily munching away, noticed Ji Yanqing’s smile and exchanged a glance, both sensing a looming threat.
In the next instant, the two little guys began shoveling down their food at an accelerated pace.
After breakfast, Qin Yue’s group quickly departed for the city.
Nearly four hundred people were in their city-bound contingent, including Qin Yue himself. The number of people they left behind was roughly the same as the previous day.
For a group of Qin Yue’s size, small supermarkets held no interest. Their targets were likely the larger supermarkets and wholesale markets in the city center. They probably had already scouted locations yesterday but had to retreat early due to the Corpse King.
Seeing Qin Yue’s group move out, Li Xiao’s people were quick to follow.
Li Xiao selected over one hundred and fifty people from his group, led by his second-in-command, and they entered the city closely behind Qin Yue’s team.
As they passed by Ji Yanqing’s camp, each member of Li Xiao’s group turned to glare at Ji Yanqing and his people, their eyes burning with animosity.
Li Xiao’s team was now in the most dire situation of the four groups. They lacked cold-weather gear, food, and water, all directly caused by Ji Yanqing and his team.
Furthermore, Lan Zi’s new sniper rifle, unveiled last night, only solidified their conviction that Ji Yanqing’s group was responsible for the ambushes.
With old grievances and fresh resentments combined, their group was seeing red.
The man who had been ambushed twice the previous day, if not for those beside him holding him back, would have charged over immediately.
Facing their hostile glares, Xia Shen Shu responded with his brightest smile and most solicitous concern, “Take care out there! Be safe! If you find more stuff than you can carry, feel free to ask us for help!”
Xia Shen Shu was a master of the art of taunting. These words alone caused half of the group to halt and turn to glare daggers at him.
Witnessing this scene, Huang Rongyue and her people couldn’t help but twitch their lips.
Once Li Xiao’s group had also departed, Xia Shen Shu and his team started preparations.
Huang Rongyue’s group followed suit.
Huang Rongyue approached Ji Yanqing. She had intended to subtly advise Ji Yanqing to be a bit more restrained, but the words shifted as they left her mouth, “Want to go together?”
They and Li Xiao were already mortal enemies, why not watch each other's backs?
Ji Yanqing looked at her. He had just been contemplating whether to seek out Huang Rongyue.
“What are you looking for?” Ji Yanqing asked.
“Mainly food and water,” Huang Rongyue replied. “We are running quite low.”
They had lost all their supplies previously. It was only after meeting Ji Yanqing and his team that they had managed to trade for some food. Later, raiding Li Xiao’s group provided more supplies, but it was still far from enough.
“Besides food and water, we need to find some other things. We might need to go to a school,” Ji Yanqing said.
“A school?” Huang Rongyue frowned.
Schools were densely populated and, unlike stores, which at least contained supplies, schools were practically zombie nests. They usually avoided them.
“Depends on the situation. If it’s too crowded, we’ll abandon the idea,” Ji Yanqing said, glancing towards the group gathering around them, searching for Lu Qing. His words were also meant for Lu Qing to hear.
Lu Qing looked at Ji Yanqing upon hearing this but said nothing.
He desperately wanted microscopes and similar equipment, but he wasn’t the kind of person who would prioritize his desires over others’ safety.
“Shall we cooperate then?” Ji Yanqing asked.
Huang Rongyue hesitated briefly before nodding.
“I’ll go. You stay behind to guard the camp,” Huang Rongyue said, glancing in the direction Li Xiao’s group had taken.
Although Qin Yue was around, Li Xiao wouldn’t dare do anything openly. But it was hard to say what he might do in secret. Li Xiao was that kind of person – insidious and opportunistic.
Ji Yanqing nodded in agreement.
After a brief discussion, Ji Yanqing and Huang Rongyue quickly began organizing their respective teams for the city run.
Ji Yanqing’s team numbered around one hundred and twenty -to- thirty people, with nearly ninety being armed. Ji Yanqing kept twenty armed individuals behind for camp security, and the rest were to go into the city.
Ji Yanqing instructed Xia Shen Shu, Lan Zi, and Li Pingsen to go to the city as well. This was a major city, not a small town. If something went wrong, the consequences could be severe.
“This city run is different from before. The city is huge. You might have to travel far. You won’t be able to just run back and ask me about everything like before, so you’ll have to make decisions yourselves,” Ji Yanqing said to Xia Shen Shu, Lan Zi, and Li Pingsen.
He wasn’t truly worried about Xia Shen Shu and the others. They were all intelligent people. But these things needed to be stated clearly.
Xia Shen Shu and the others nodded.
Xia Shen Shu distributed his precious walkie-talkies to several members of the team for better communication.
“You be careful too,” Lan Zi cautioned Ji Yanqing.
They might even be safer in the city. After all, the city was swarming with zombies, and the two Corpse Kings from before might still be lingering. Even if Li Xiao’s people were itching for trouble, they definitely wouldn’t dare to act rashly in such a place. But Ji Yanqing’s situation back at camp was less certain.
Ji Yanqing understood. He turned to Lu Qing, “If we can’t find it here, we’ll search again at our next spot.”
Lu Qing also needed to go. He was the only one who knew what kind of microscopes and equipment they needed.
Lu Qing acknowledged his instructions.
Ji Yanqing looked at everyone again, “You must return before nightfall.”
A chorus of nods confirmed their understanding.
As Ji Yanqing’s group finalized their preparations, Huang Rongyue’s side had already completed their arrangements.
Ji Yanqing glanced back at his own team. Xia Shen Shu and the others quickly slung backpacks over their shoulders, heading towards Huang Rongyue’s group. Knowing a swift return was unlikely, Xia Shen Shu and his members had packed food and water alongside their other gear.
Once ready, Huang Rongyue delivered a brief set of instructions, and then the combined group swiftly set off towards the city beyond the mountains.
Ji Yanqing hesitated for a moment before following them to the bend in the mountain path.
Huang Rongyue proved to be an experienced leader. Despite this being their first foray into the city ahead, she quickly led the group into its shadowed depths.
Ji Yanqing watched from afar until the group vanished completely amidst the buildings.
Their current location was on the city’s outskirts. The architecture in this area was far from opulent, consisting mainly of low, self-built houses. Many structures had collapsed, victims of the Corpse Kings’ earlier battles, lending the scene a distinctly desolate air.
This only amplified the city’s deathly stillness, stirring an inexplicable unease within Ji Yanqing.
“Captain Ji.”
Ji Yanqing turned to see Su Luo.
“Um.. Captain…” Su Luo glanced at Ji Yanqing, offering a shy smile, as if wanting to speak but hesitant to voice his thoughts.
“If you have something to say, then say it.”
Su Luo’s cheeks flushed slightly. The words reached his lips, but he swallowed them back. “I’ll head back first.”
With that, Su Luo darted towards the camp.
Su Luo was young, barely thirteen or fourteen. Though his complexion had improved since they first met, he still appeared quite thin.
Watching his rapidly retreating figure, Ji Yanqing shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. Just a kid.
Ji Yanqing turned back to survey the city ahead for a moment longer. Hearing no sound, confirming the silence, he finally returned to the camp.
...
In the woods behind the camp, Ji An and Ji Le, the two little brothers, crouched amongst the trees, whispering conspiratorially.
“Brother…” Ji Le glanced at Feng Yimo’s back, a flicker of unease in his eyes.
“It’s okay, I’ll protect you,” Ji An declared with a serious expression, clenching his small fist for emphasis.
Seeing his brother’s chubby fist, Ji Le seemed to gain a sliver of confidence. He took a deep breath and turned his gaze towards Feng Yimo in the camp.
He attempted to awaken the golden luminescence in his eyes, a phenomenon he’d experienced before. His first attempt failed, but he quickly rediscovered the sensation.
The inky black pupils within his otherwise clear eyes began to radiate a faint golden light. He focused his gaze on Feng Yimo.
Come here.
Feng Yimo, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, facing away from the woods, snapped his eyes open and turned his head.
His gaze pierced through the camp, slicing between the gaps of the vehicles, reaching the woods, before finally locking onto Ji Le.
The moment their eyes met, Ji Le instinctively recoiled, a jolt of fear surging through him. But he quickly regained his composure, forcing himself to hold Feng Yimo’s gaze.
“Come here,” Ji Le commanded, mimicking the tone he vaguely recalled from his memory.
His small hand gripped Ji An’s tightly, unsure if this was the right course of action, or if it would even have any effect on Feng Yimo.
Ji An felt the pressure of Ji Le’s grip on his hand. A fierce expression hardened his features.
He had tested his strength. He could now effortlessly snap branches thicker than his own arm. The stones he threw could travel incredible distances. If Feng Yimo dared to misbehave, he would beat him!
Ever since that unsettling instance when they sensed Feng Yimo’s anger, Feng Yimo had become…different. They couldn’t help but constantly watch him, as if he was someone incredibly important in their world.
The feeling was strange, and it frightened them.
Who exactly is Feng Yimo?
They were already anomalies, rapidly transforming into little zombies. Could Feng Yimo be one of them too?
This suspicion planted seeds of anxiety in their hearts. Even if they became zombies, they would never bite Ji Yanqing; they would always protect him. But what about Feng Yimo?
What if Feng Yimo suddenly turned into a bad zombie and bit Ji Yanqing?
Feng Yimo was tall and strong, skilled with his sword, and perpetually expressionless, making him intimidating—more so than even Lu Qing. But it didn’t matter. They would protect Ji Yanqing.
In the camp, Feng Yimo hesitated for the briefest of moments, then rose to his feet and headed towards the woods.
“Feng Yimo?” Ji Yanqing called out, noticing Feng Yimo heading back towards the trees again. Why is Feng Yimo always wandering into the woods?
Hearing Ji Yanqing’s voice, Feng Yimo stopped and turned back.
Ji An and Ji Le, hidden in the trees, startled at the sound. The two little figures scrambled to their feet and turned to flee.
Ji An, faster, had already put some distance between them when he realized Ji Le was struggling to get up. Not forgetting his brother, he quickly pounded back, grabbed Ji Le’s small hand, and led him in their escape.
Ji Yanqing watched the two boys flee, looking genuinely frightened. He was utterly perplexed. “What were you doing just now?”
“They told me to go over there,” Feng Yimo replied.
Ji Yanqing was even more confused. Why would Ji An and Ji Le call Feng Yimo into the woods?
Though Ji An, Ji Le, and Feng Yimo were always by his side, a trio of devoted shadows, Feng Yimo’s cold and aloof nature meant there was little interaction between them. Ji An and Ji Le even seemed slightly afraid of Feng Yimo.
Feng Yimo paused, then stated truthfully, “They wanted to hit me.”
“Huh?”
Feng Yimo turned to look at the two fleeing figures, his dark eyes filled with a subtle hint of grievance.
Clearly, he was their King. And yet, upon fully awakening their powers, their first thought was to plot a beating.
Understanding finally dawned on Ji Yanqing, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “What did you do to provoke them?”
Feng Yimo looked at him, his dark eyes seeming to glisten, filled with confusion and innocence.
For a fleeting moment, Ji Yanqing felt an almost overwhelming urge to reach out and ruffle his hair.
Suppressing the impulse, Ji Yanqing turned his gaze to Ji An and Ji Le, who had circled back to the camp after their sprint through the woods.
They were now peering back at them from a distance. Catching Ji Yanqing’s eye, they immediately averted their gazes.
Ji Yanqing approached them.
“What were you two playing?” Ji Yanqing crouched down in front of them.
As if they had rehearsed it beforehand, the two boys exchanged a glance, then simultaneously shook their heads, their soft hair bouncing around their faces.
“Nothing.”
“We weren’t playing.”
Looking into their earnest eyes, so desperate to be believed, Ji Yanqing was speechless.
Ji Yanqing gently patted their heads. “Go play then, but remember, don’t leave the camp.”
Ji An and Ji Le instantly darted towards a nearby vehicle, seeking refuge and hiding.
Watching their retreating backs, Ji Yanqing’s smile faded, replaced by a flicker of worry in his eyes.
But the worry was fleeting, quickly masked.
With Xia Shen Shu and the others gone, only forty or fifty people remained in the camp. The sudden drop in numbers left everyone feeling slightly uneasy, their gazes frequently drifting towards the city’s direction.
The city remained eerily silent, devoid of any sound.
This silence brought a measure of relief, yet also amplified their underlying anxieties.
For lunch, they didn’t cook the bok choy, but instead simply distributed some dry rations.
After eating, most remained in the camp, quietly waiting, though a few attempted to rest.
As they ventured further north, the oppressive heat that had once baked them alive at ten and eleven in the morning had lessened its ferocity.
Now, those hours peaked at just over forty degrees Celsius. Still hot, but not unbearable.
Sometime after one in the afternoon, Ji Yanqing was studying a map, analyzing the surrounding terrain to find a potential escape route from Li Xiao, when a sudden clamor erupted in the camp.
The sound wasn’t loud, but it was clearly approaching their position.
Ji Yanqing immediately looked up. His gaze locked onto a familiar face.
Xia Chen, weapon in hand, was sprinting towards their camp, his expression frantic, a bruise blooming on his jaw, and fresh wounds marking his body.
Seeing Xia Chen in such a state, everyone in the camp was instantly on edge.
Ji Yanqing’s team members immediately clustered around, a palpable anxiety filling the air. The other three teams watched with open curiosity, their own members still within the city.
Ji Yanqing snatched up his axe, jumped down from the vehicle, and hurried towards Xia Chen. “What happened?”
“It’s bad, something terrible has happened, Captain Ji, you have to come with me…” Xia Chen, catching sight of Ji Yanqing, spun around and raced back towards the city, urging him to follow.
Xia Chen’s frantic urgency and speed left no room for questions or hesitation. Ji Yanqing immediately pursued him.
Seeing Ji Yanqing leave, the rest of his team instinctively moved to follow. Xia Chen, realizing this, glanced towards Li Xiao’s camp. If they all left now, Li Xiao would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to attack.
“You all shouldn’t come, just Team Leader Ji needs to come with me,” Xia Chen quickly warned.
His words struck home. Those about to follow suddenly remembered the ever-present threat of Li Xiao.
They all turned to look towards Li Xiao’s camp.
Li Xiao, who had been resting in his tent, had already emerged, alerted by the commotion. Seeing Ji Yanqing’s team looking his way, he smirked coldly.
Nearby, the faces of those left behind from Huang Rongyue’s team also paled.
If Ji Yanqing took his team away, their camp would be left vulnerable, only they and Li Xiao’s people remaining.
While Qin Yue’s team also had members left behind, they were unlikely to offer any assistance.
“Team Leader Ji?” Xia Chen pressed, his eyes urging Ji Yanqing onward.
“You all stay here,” Ji Yanqing commanded, making a swift decision.
Ji Yanqing then turned to Xia Chen, “Tell me, what exactly happened?”
Even as Ji Yanqing moved, a figure materialized silently behind him. Without looking back, Ji Yanqing knew it was Feng Yimo.
In the camp, Ji An and Ji Le watched Ji Yanqing and Feng Yimo race away. They exchanged a quick look, then bolted after Ji Yanqing.
Feng Yimo was…strange. They had to protect Ji Yanqing from him!
Seeing Ji An and Ji Le dash off, Su Luo hesitated for a moment, then followed.
They passed Qin Yue’s camp and reached the bend in the mountain path. As the city came into view, Xia Chen finally explained to Ji Yanqing, “They’re trapped inside the mall.”
“Trapped in the mall?”
“Huang Rongyue’s people wanted to look for supplies inside. Our people went with them. It was going smoothly at first, but then someone accidentally bumped something, and it fell from upstairs…”
Xia Chen didn’t need to finish. Ji Yanqing understood immediately. This was the city, a city with a population of millions. Any noise in this place would instantly draw every zombie for miles around.
“Are they alright?” Ji Yanqing increased his pace, falling into step with Xia Chen as they entered the city limits.
Feng Yimo remained close behind.
“They’re still upstairs. I was supposed to be on lookout nearby. When I realized something was wrong, I came back to find you…” Xia Chen explained, panting slightly.
Almost as soon as the three of them entered the city, Ji An and Ji Le, panting, caught up.
Feng Yimo, bringing up the rear, sensed movement behind him. He glanced back, his dark eyes meeting the wary gazes of the two boys. A dark glint flickered within them.
Ji Yanqing also heard their footsteps behind him. “You two…”
Ji Yanqing hadn’t expected Ji An and Ji Le to follow. He was about to order them back, but they were already within the city. “Stay close to me.”
“This way…” Xia Chen led them quickly forward.
The scarcity of zombies nearby allowed them to move swiftly. The initial clash of the three Corpse Kings the previous evening had occurred deeper within the city. Though their battle had eventually spilled out into the outskirts, ordinary zombies were far slower than Corpse Kings. The majority had been drawn into the city’s core by the initial commotion.
Navigating through a deserted back alley, Xia Chen cautiously peeked his head out. Confirming the coast was clear, he dashed across the street.
About ten minutes later, a shopping mall loomed into view in the distance.
It was a large complex composed of four interconnected buildings. Signs of previous chaos were evident in the area. The open spaces and roads surrounding the mall were filled with wandering figures. Peering through the clear glass doors, they could see more figures milling about inside the mall as well.
Ji Yanqing’s brow furrowed immediately at the sight. Why would Huang Rongyue and her team come to a place like this?
This wasn’t a supermarket. While such malls might have snack or prepared food vendors, they primarily sold clothing and shoes. They generally avoided places like these unless absolutely necessary.
“This way,” Xia Chen urged, quickly leading them around the side of the mall.
The mall was massive, with entrances on all four sides. Xia Chen was leading them to a service elevator entrance located between two main doors, facing the underground parking lot. The number of wandering figures seemed less concentrated in this area.
“We should be able to get in this way,” Xia Chen said, ducking low as he weaved through the rows of parked cars, heading towards the elevator entrance.
Ji Yanqing glanced around, then back at the mall entrance ahead. He saw no sign of Huang Rongyue’s team outside, only zombies.
A flicker of confusion crossed Ji Yanqing’s mind. Why didn’t Huang Rongyue leave more people outside as lookouts? When they’d searched the supermarket, they always left sentries in the distance, as a precaution.
Amidst this brief confusion, Ji Yanqing felt a strange sense of unease, something feeling off-kilter.
“This is the way in,” Xia Chen announced from ahead. He had reached the service elevator.
Beside the elevator was an employee access door. Narrower than a standard doorway, it offered a direct view into the mall’s ground floor hall.
The employee entrance didn’t open directly into the central hall, but rather into the back of a clothing store. Zombies were visible inside the store, but the doors were closed, and their backs were turned away from the employee entrance.
Xia Chen glanced at the zombies inside, then carefully eased open the glass employee door.
Ji Yanqing’s brow furrowed deeper. He turned to Xia Chen. “Are you sure they’re inside?”
Xia Chen, who was still holding the door open, paused, a confused look on his face. “…Yes, why?”
Ji Yanqing tightened his grip on his axe and stepped inside.
Feng Yimo, followed by Ji An and Ji Le, moved immediately behind him.
Once inside, Ji Yanqing focused his attention entirely on the store ahead, remaining vigilant, ready to react if the zombies inside noticed them.
Clang. The sound of the door closing echoed behind them.
The sound sent a shiver down Ji Yanqing’s spine. He whipped around to face the door, anticipating that the noise would have alerted the zombies in the clothing store. Sure enough, the zombie closest to them was already turning its head.
“Ji Yanqing…” Feng Yimo’s voice was low and urgent.
Ji Yanqing turned back to see what Feng Yimo was indicating. He’d initially assumed Xia Chen had accidentally made noise while entering, but turning back, he saw that Xia Chen was still standing outside the door.
Xia Chen was locking the door.
The clang he’d heard was the sound of a metal lock falling into place.
Ji Yanqing froze, his mind blank for a split second. “What are you doing?”
At the same instant, a shuffling sound began to spread from the mall’s main hall beyond the employee access corridor. More and more zombies were stirring, alerted by the noise.
“…Sorry,” Xia Chen muttered, his face drained of all color.
Having locked the door, he raised the weapon in his hand, pointing the muzzle skyward, preparing to fire.
This was a mall, filled with at least five or six thousand people, perhaps more. A gunshot here would summon every zombie within earshot.
“Why?” Ji Yanqing’s expression hardened, becoming menacing. He believed he had never mistreated Xia Chen.
Xia Chen avoided Ji Yanqing’s gaze and took a step back, retreating towards a parked car nearby, positioning himself to escape.
“Why?” Ji Yanqing insisted, his voice strained. His head was buzzing, and a sharp pain pierced his chest.
Feng Yimo drew his sword. In that instant, zombies from the main hall surged into the corridor, spotting them.
“…We just want different things.” Backing up to the car, Xia Chen gave Ji Yanqing a bitter smile.
Ji Yanqing was always fixated on whether there was enough food for everyone, on keeping everyone alive. But that alone, Xia Chen clearly felt, was not enough.
“Food will only become scarcer in the future. There will inevitably be conflict between survivor groups…”
“And so?” Ji Yanqing pressed.
“Is this about Li Xiao?” Ji Yanqing suddenly remembered seeing Xia Chen talking with Li Xiao earlier. He had assumed Li Xiao was just cornering Xia Chen in the woods to try and bully one of his team members.
Xia Chen’s lips twitched. He refuted almost immediately, “No, it’s not.”
“Then what is it?”
Xia Chen fell silent again.
“What did he offer you?” Ji Yanqing demanded. He couldn’t understand what kind of incentive could possibly drive Xia Chen to do this.
In the brief moments of their exchange, more and more zombies crowded into the corridor. Ji Yanqing was forced to raise his axe. With swift, decisive movements, he slammed the axe against the glass door in front of him.
CRASH!
The axe head struck the glass, but it didn’t shatter completely. Instead, it fractured into a web of cracks – shatter-resistant glass.
Almost simultaneously with Ji Yanqing’s attack, Xia Chen fired. BANG!
The deafening gunshot reverberated through the entire mall.
“Xia Chen- ge? [Ge - brother, term of respect]”
Xia Chen spun around, startled.
“What are you doing?!” Su Luo cried out. He looked from Xia Chen outside the door to Ji Yanqing and the others trapped inside. Instinctively, he raised his own gun.
BANG! Xia Chen fired immediately.
Su Luo froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. He looked down at his chest.
A crimson bloom was rapidly expanding across his chest.
“Xia Chen… ge…” Fear crept into Su Luo’s eyes as he slumped to the side.
Xia Chen took a step forward, an instinctive urge to reach out and grab Su Luo momentarily overriding his shock. But he hesitated, hand outstretched, then abruptly pulled it back.
Xia Chen turned and sprinted away, as the sounds of approaching zombies grew louder around them.
“Xia Chen!” Ji Yanqing’s second axe blow slammed into the door.
Xia Chen faltered, stopping in his tracks. He glanced back at Ji Yanqing through the cracked glass.
Ji Yanqing’s eyes were bloodshot, burning red. He stared at Xia Chen through the fractured glass.
“Why was Li Pingsen made captain instead of me? Xia Shen Shu and Lan Zi, fine, but why was the third captain Li Pingsen and not me?” Xia Chen heard himself saying, the words tumbling out.
Ji Yanqing blinked, momentarily stunned.
Xia Chen himself seemed surprised by his own outburst.
A moment later, a sardonic smile twisted his lips.
Receiving no answer, he hesitated no longer, and bolted.
“Xia Chen!”
“Captain Ji…Ji Yanqing...”
Ji Yanqing tore his gaze away from Xia Chen and looked at Su Luo, lying motionless just outside the door. Why was Su Luo even here?
“Captain……” Su Luo coughed, blood bubbling from his lips. He looked at Ji Yanqing, his expression filled with unease.
He had wanted to ask for a better weapon. Ji Yanqing had promised him a new gun, once they acquired more. He’d heard Feng Yimo had brought back several last night.
When Ji Yanqing ventured into the city, Su Luo had impulsively followed, thinking that if he performed well, Ji Yanqing might finally agree to give him a better gun.
Xia Chen and the others had such powerful weapons. His own pistol felt weak, ineffective against the zombies.
“Stay right there, I’m coming!” Ji Yanqing yelled. His axe swung again, faster now, desperate to break through.
Behind him, the employee corridor was now choked with zombies. Countless figures pressed forward like a tide, lunging towards them. Feng Yimo stood alone, a bulwark against the surging mass.
Feng Yimo was strong, but his sword was too long, the narrow corridor constricting his movements, preventing him from wielding it effectively.
Ji Yanqing continued to hack at the door, his axe finally tearing a hole through the glass. But the opening was still too small to squeeze through.
Ji Yanqing reached through the hole, trying to unlatch the lock on the other side. But as soon as his hand extended out, a figure lunged at him from just beyond the door.
Ji Yanqing recoiled, snatching his hand back.
“Cap…” Su Luo’s voice was barely a whisper, fading rapidly. He looked towards the doorway.
Ji Yanqing had always saved them.
“I’ll be right there, just hold on!” Ji Yanqing shouted, his gaze flicking to Su Luo as he frantically brought the axe down again.
Su Luo was only thirteen or fourteen. He’d been one of the first to receive a gun, but he was still so young. In Ji Yanqing’s eyes, he was barely older than Ji An and Ji Le – just a kid. Ji Yanqing had rarely, if ever, assigned him any real responsibilities.
CRASH! Ji Yanqing’s axe slammed against the door again, striking something that felt like a hand reaching in through the hole.
The zombies seemed impervious to pain. Even with their hands crushed and mangled, they continued to claw and push through the opening.
Ji Yanqing swung his axe again.
As the axe fell, Ji Yanqing risked another glance towards Su Luo. He was now completely obscured, pinned beneath a cluster of zombies, being devoured. The light had already faded from his eyes.
He looked towards the doorway, his expression filled with unease, and fear.
Ji Yanqing froze, stunned.
“Ji Yanqing!” Feng Yimo’s voice cut through his shock.
Ji Yanqing spun around.
The corridor behind them was now a seething mass of zombies, pressing relentlessly. Feng Yimo shoved them back with brute force, but they surged forward again instantly.
Behind them was an endless tide of zombies, a dense, writhing mass.
Worse still, above the swarming figures, a grotesque, humanoid shape clung to the wall, its head lowered, fixated on them. An Awakened Zombie.
Ji Yanqing’s already pale face drained of all remaining color. Su Luo was dead. He couldn’t let Feng Yimo and Ji An, Ji Le, die too.
He’d felt something was wrong, a prickling unease. But because it was Xia Chen – one of their own – he had dismissed his gut feeling, refusing to entertain the suspicion…
He had already caused Su Luo’s death. He couldn’t condemn Feng Yimo, Ji An, and Ji Le to the same fate.
Ji Yanqing shoved Ji An and Ji Le into the narrowest corner of the corridor beside him. He gripped his axe tighter, turning to resume his assault on the door. But even as he raised his axe, the Awakened Zombie launched itself down from the wall.
CLANG! Ji Yanqing swung the axe with all his might, aiming for the iron bar between the glass panes of the door. The force of the impact jolted back through his arm, causing blood to well up from beneath his fingernails.
Shards of glass sprayed outwards, embedding themselves into his skin. His face and hands were instantly lacerated, blood trickling from the cuts.
The coppery scent of blood ignited the zombies around them into a frenzy. Their movements became even more frantic, rabid.
Ji Yanqing braced himself to swing the axe again, but something slammed into his back, sending him staggering forward, towards the door – towards the grasping hands reaching through the hole.
Just as he was about to fall into their grasp, he was yanked back by his collar.
Feng Yimo, one hand gripping him tightly, the other clenched around his long sword, glared with icy ferocity at the Awakened Zombie poised to attack.
“Papa…” Ji An whispered, his voice cracking. He stared at Ji Yanqing’s bloodied form, his gaze fixating on the zombie hands clutching at Ji Yanqing’s arm, the dark smudges of filth and blood smeared across his skin by their claws. His pupils constricted.
“Papa…” Ji An’s voice was hoarse, on the verge of breaking into sobs.
If this continued, Ji Yanqing would die.
If Ji Yanqing died…
“Don’t be afraid,” Ji Yanqing gritted out, bracing his foot against the door, using his body as a shield, creating a sliver of space for Ji An and Ji Le.
Ji An and Ji Le stared up at Ji Yanqing, their faces white with terror, watching him desperately try to break through the door. They were trapped, with nowhere left to retreat, as more and more zombies swarmed towards them.
These zombies were fearless, driven by pure, mindless hunger, relentlessly attacking.
A dark shape descended from above. The Awakened Zombie, poised to strike, plummeted down towards them.
Feng Yimo ignored the claws tearing at his own body, his long sword flashing out in a blinding arc. Almost simultaneously, two small, furious roars, filled with primal rage, erupted through the chaos.
“Get lost!”
“ROAR!”
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