AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 62

Chapter 62

"Why Does My Heart Ache When He's Unhappy?"

Hearing Feng Yimo’s accusation, the black beast felt a primal urge to sink its teeth into that infuriatingly calm face. The thought was fleeting, however; it knew it couldn’t win a fight against him. The stark realization of its own powerlessness immediately caused its bravado to wither, leaving it utterly dejected.

“This dog’s pretty smart, huh?” Bai Haoxuan remarked, watching the black beast slump listlessly at Feng Yimo’s implied reprimand, seemingly understanding every word. He sounded genuinely amazed.

Hearing this, the black beast slowly lifted its head, fixing its gaze on Bai Haoxuan. Fine. If it couldn’t bite Feng Yimo, biting this human would have to suffice.

“Let’s head back,” Ji Yanqing cut in, not believing Feng Yimo’s deflection for a second. He was all too familiar with Feng Yimo’s unique talent for getting lost. He glanced briefly at Bai Haoxuan, who nodded and immediately refocused his attention on scanning the snow-swept plain beyond the trees.

The blizzard had provided excellent cover for their escape earlier, but now it was a hindrance. Visibility was dangerously low; Lou Ye’s zombie army could be halfway across the plain already, and they wouldn’t even see them coming. Bai Haoxuan doubled his vigilance, keeping watch. Ji Yanqing led Feng Yimo back towards the main camp, gave a quick update on the situation, and urged the others to get into the vehicles and rest.

Once everyone else had settled in, Ji Yanqing took the map Bai Haoxuan had given him and found a seat near the back of one of the less crowded vehicles. He spread the map out, trying to plan their next route. The darkness was profound, allowing him to make out only the faintest outlines. There were only three major cities in this region, connected by numerous smaller towns and villages, but those would have been picked clean by countless other survival teams long ago. Edible food and clean water weren’t regenerating resources; they would only become scarcer as time passed.

As Ji Yanqing mulled over their options, a dark figure materialized before him, blocking the map. He looked up. Feng Yimo stood just outside the vehicle, watching him. The snow had been brushed from his hair and shoulders, but the chilling intensity in his dark eyes remained, unnerving Bai Haoxuan’s team members who saw him.

Feng Yimo held out the cloth-wrapped axe he’d brought back.

“What’s this?” Ji Yanqing didn’t reach for it.

Feng Yimo simply kept his hand extended.

Ji Yanqing took it. The moment its weight settled in his hands, a suspicion formed. He placed the bundle on his lap and carefully unwrapped the cloth bindings. It was an axe, slightly larger and longer than his old one, clearly not crafted from ordinary iron and wood. The obsidian-black blade and the handle, smooth and cool like polished bone, confirmed his guess.

“I haven’t done anything to deserve thisWu Gong Bu Shou Lu (无功不受禄) - An idiom meaning one should not accept rewards if they haven't done anything to deserve them. ,” Ji Yanqing stated, carefully rewrapping the axe and holding it back out to Feng Yimo.

Feng Yimo stared at the offered axe, momentarily stunned. He had thought this gift would appease Ji Yanqing, that his anger would fade. A flicker of panic tightened his chest. Ji Yanqing was still angry? Why?

He didn’t take the axe back.

Ji Yanqing pressed it firmly into Feng Yimo’s arms. Even knowing Feng Yimo was a Corpse King, Ji Yanqing didn’t hate him. But the fact remained: Feng Yimo was a Corpse King. Ji Yanqing wasn't alone anymore; Xia Shen Shu, Gu Wenmo, and all the others were now tied to him. He couldn’t afford to gamble their lives on Feng Yimo’s unpredictable moods.

Ji Yanqing folded the map, stood, and moved to get back into the vehicle. He had just placed one foot on the step when Feng Yimo’s hand clamped around his wrist.

Ji Yanqing turned to look at him. His expression was neutral, showing neither disgust nor fear. Yet, it was precisely this blankness that sent a chill through Feng Yimo, making his hand on Ji Yanqing’s wrist feel colder than ice. It felt as though shards of ice had pierced his own chest.

Feng Yimo slowly released his grip.

Ji Yanqing straightened up.

“That was… to thank you. For taking care of Ji An and Ji Le for me…” The words were barely out before Feng Yimo knew he’d said the wrong thing. He looked up, confirming his fear. Ji Yanqing, who had already turned away, paused.

Ji Yanqing’s gaze shifted towards Ji An and Ji Le, who were peeking at him from the rear of another vehicle. Caught watching, they instantly squeezed their eyes shut, pretending to be asleep. Ji Le burrowed his face into the crook of Ji An’s neck. They were still so young, utterly inept at deception. Their clumsy attempt was almost endearing, enough to bring a bittersweet smile to one's face.

Ji Yanqing looked back at Feng Yimo and calmly took the axe from his arms again. “Then, this makes us even.” He hadn’t cared for the boys seeking reward; he genuinely saw them as his own children, treasures to be protected. But that didn’t matter anymore.

Feng Yimo’s lips parted, then closed. He reached for the axe, wanting to take it back. He didn’t want to be even. The word felt like a final severance, Ji Yanqing drawing an uncrossable line between them.

Before he could protest, Ji Yanqing spoke again, his voice quiet but firm. “You three should leave tomorrow. Don’t follow me anymore.”

Hearing this, Ji An and Ji Le, in the nearby vehicle, could no longer maintain their pretense of sleep. Their eyes flew open, wide with distress as they stared at Ji Yanqing. He was sending them away?

“You and I… We walk on different roads Dao Bu Tong Bu Xiang Wei Mou (道不同不相为谋) - A classical Chinese proverb meaning "those whose paths diverge cannot plan together" or "people with different principles cannot work together." , and being together… isn’t possible,” Ji Yanqing stated, the words feeling heavy.

“Papa…” Ji An’s lower lip trembled, his voice cracking with unshed tears.

Ji Yanqing turned away, resolutely ignoring the children’s tear-filled eyes, and climbed into the vehicle.

“Wuu…” Ji Le looked pleadingly at Feng Yimo, his small face crumpled in misery. Ji An, tears now streaming freely, also turned his desolate gaze on Feng Yimo. They had finally found Ji Yanqing, only for Feng Yimo to anger him like this.

Faced with those two pairs of accusing, tearful eyes, even Feng Yimo felt overwhelmed. His already chaotic thoughts tangled further. Avoiding their gaze, he turned and walked towards a different vehicle. Climbing aboard, he squeezed in beside the black beast. The beast, previously curled into a ball and pointedly feigning sleep while eavesdropping, cracked open an eye, saw Feng Yimo usurping its space, but dared not voice its indignation. It merely sighed internally and curled itself into an even smaller, more pathetic ball.

---

The next morning, around 8:30, the snow had melted just enough for the vehicles to navigate the road, albeit carefully. Ji Yanqing immediately roused everyone, organizing them to board the trucks and depart. Everyone was ready, and they quickly filed into the vehicles.

Ji An and Ji Le automatically went to the side of a truck but stopped at the steps. At only three years old, their legs were too short to reach the first step; climbing aboard by themselves was impossible. Ji Yanqing saw them from a distance amidst the flurry of activity but made no move to help.

The two boys, who had been watching Ji Yanqing with hopeful eyes, felt their lips tremble. They fought back tears and began clumsily attempting to scale the steps on their own. Seeing their struggle, others boarding nearby quickly lent a hand, lifting them inside.

Once aboard, Ji An and Ji Le found an out-of-the-way corner and sat down quietly. Several people, noticing their red-rimmed eyes, approached to offer comfort, but the boys remained silent, huddled together.

Ji Yanqing hardened his heart. Separation was the only viable option. He couldn’t simply take the boys from Feng Yimo, and besides, they weren’t human anymore. Life as Second Stage Corpse Kings would be harsh, but perhaps it was better than living among humans, constantly facing fear and hatred.

“Ready to go,” Bai Haoxuan reported after confirming everyone was aboard, looking to Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing nodded curtly and boarded one of the vehicles—one that didn’t contain Feng Yimo or the children.

The highway guardrails were mangled ruins, and a thick layer of snow still coated the road. The trucks slipped occasionally as they drove, leaving deep tire tracks in their wake. The tracks revealed their path, but staying hidden in the forest was just as dangerous. The convoy pushed onward through the vast white landscape, heading towards the next city.

---

Unseen by the departing group, Lou Ye, elegant in a white fur coat, emerged from the woods on an adjacent mountain slope. He watched with detached interest as the vehicles rumbled away, eventually shrinking into the distance and vanishing over the horizon. Without needing a verbal command, one of his Awakened Zombies detached itself from the mountainside shadows and began swiftly following the tire tracks.

Lou Ye turned his gaze towards the forest where Ji Yanqing’s group had sheltered the night before. He inhaled slowly, detecting the faint, lingering scents of three other Corpse Kings on the air. A smile touched his lips, cold and devoid of warmth. The auras were strong, yes, but not beyond his ability to handle. Ji Yanqing was his discovery. No one else would be allowed to claim him.

THUMP.

The heavy impact of something immense landing on the ground vibrated through the air, shaking the concrete highway below. Lou Ye turned, locating the source of the sound farther down the road.

A gigantic, badger-like Corpse King burst from the trees. It moved with surprising speed, yet also a strange caution, as it lumbered after Ji Yanqing’s convoy. It had to save the black beast. It couldn't let the black beast be eaten. Fear warred with a burning shame for having fled earlier. Without the black beast’s help, it never would have successfully evolved into a Corpse King. The smaller creature had aided it so much, yet it had abandoned its friend when captured.

Its entire focus fixed on the distant vehicles, the badger king charged forward, covering ground rapidly.

Lou Ye observed the massive creature’s swaying departure. Then, his gaze dropped to the highway, where his own Awakened Zombie now lay flattened into the snow like a grotesque road marking, crushed beneath the badger king’s enormous foot. Lou Ye’s smile froze, and the corner of his mouth gave an involuntary twitch.

---

The Awakened Zombie, half-buried in snow, struggled to its feet. It glanced back at Lou Ye, whose mouth was twitching almost imperceptibly, and without waiting for a command, scrambled forward, continuing its pursuit.

Lou Ye offered a saccharine smile.

---

The vehicles reached the highway and drove for a solid half hour without incident. A collective sigh of relief went through the passengers, Ji Yanqing included.

Inside one of the trucks, Ji Yanqing turned to Bai Haoxuan. “What do you know about the city ahead?”

They couldn’t afford delays. They needed to be out of that city and find another secure hiding place before nightfall brought the heavy snow. They wouldn’t reach the next city until around two or three in the afternoon. The snow was predicted to start around seven in the evening, and by eight at the latest, the roads would be impassable for the vehicles. Factoring in the time needed to exit the city on the other side, they had, at most, three hours to replenish their supplies. Since it wouldn’t be dark yet, even if they located a supermarket, their previous tactic of using lights to lure zombies wouldn’t work.

“It’s a new urban development, been growing fast these past few years. All the facilities and buildings are pretty new. Last time we stopped here, we saw a large stretch of construction sites that were still being built,” Bai Haoxuan described.

Ji Yanqing’s brow furrowed slightly. Extensive construction sites meant navigating in and out of the city would take longer.

“There are supermarkets, but they’re likely far from the highway,” Bai Haoxuan added.

Ji Yanqing had anticipated as much.

“Why don’t we stay in the city for one night? Otherwise, we can’t use the flashlights to draw them out,” Gu Wenmo suggested.

“No,” Ji Yanqing rejected the idea immediately.

“Flashlights?” Bai Haoxuan looked puzzled.

“It’s a method using ropes and lights…” Gu Wenmo quickly explained their previous zombie-luring tactic.

Bai Haoxuan listened without surprise. To have survived this long in the apocalypse, his own team had experimented with countless methods. “If that’s the concern, don’t worry. We have our own way,” he said, preempting any questions. “We usually use sound to draw them out…”

Bai Haoxuan’s method and Ji Yanqing’s were different approaches to the same problem—his relied on sound. After entering a city and locating a supermarket, they would place a powerful speaker on a nearby building. The speaker would be set to play for ten minutes, drawing all zombies in the vicinity towards that building. After another twenty minutes, once the sound had stopped and the attracted zombies had dispersed or settled, they could then enter the supermarket.

“But this method has two main drawbacks,” Bai Haoxuan continued. “First, while we can control the volume, we can’t control the chain reaction. There’s always a risk of triggering a larger horde or attracting Awakened Zombies and Corpse Kings.”

“Second, most zombies are mindless. Even if drawn by the sound, not all of them will necessarily leave the supermarket. Some might get trapped by doors or in corridors. So, there’s a high chance some zombies will remain inside. If we encounter that, we usually abandon the attempt.” He gave a wry smile. “Sometimes, if our luck is bad, we can go a long time without finding any food.” Dealing with up to ten zombies was manageable for his team, but if they encountered more than twenty, especially if discovered all at once, their only option was to flee.

Ji Yanqing considered Bai Haoxuan’s explanation. His method was safer in some respects, but it also relied heavily on chance. Bai Haoxuan was a good man, but in this world, being good wasn't enough. Lacking overwhelming strength and being unwilling to risk his team members meant that while they might have fared well in the early days of the apocalypse, their chances of survival would dwindle as Awakened Zombies and Corpse Kings became more prevalent and food scarcer.

“We’ll use your method,” Ji Yanqing decided. “I’ll deal with any zombies remaining in the supermarket.”

With the decision made, Bai Haoxuan turned and instructed his team members in the vehicle to clear their backpacks and prepare the sound equipment. His team included individuals skilled in repairing various audio devices and mobile phones. Due to their reliance on this tactic, they had collected a wide array of speakers, sound systems, and numerous mobile phones. They even had a small generator for power.

The distance between the two cities wasn’t vast, but the ordinary buses were much slower than high-speed trains. Even traveling at their maximum speed, they arrived at their destination half an hour later than anticipated. It was 4:30 PM; the intense heat of midday had passed, and the sun was beginning its descent.

The vehicles pulled into a patch of woods. The group, already prepared, disembarked quickly and headed towards the nearby construction sites. Feng Yimo followed, and Ji An and Ji Le immediately tagged along. The individuals assigned to stay behind and guard the vehicles saw the children following and tried to stop them, but Ji An and Ji Le were surprisingly quick. Before anyone could catch them, they darted into the main group. The guards, seeing this, could only give up.

The city was clearly in a phase of rapid development. From a distance, the large swathes of construction sites gave it a strangely green appearance, the protective netting wrapped around unfinished buildings lending a touch of artificial vitality to the concrete skeletons.

Upon entering the urban area, the group quickly sought out high ground to get their bearings, pinpointing the layout of the streets and the location of a suitable supermarket. Then, they advanced. Bai Haoxuan’s survival team had been operating for over four months and were well-practiced in their usual tactics. Without needing any intervention from Ji Yanqing, they had everything set up within about twenty minutes. They selected a large, four-story supermarket; with a group of nearly one hundred sixty people, smaller stores wouldn't suffice.

The moment the sound blared from the distant rooftop, the previously quiet city erupted with waves of rustling and shuffling noises. Zombies wandering in the alleyways and between buildings, like a poked ant hill, surged towards the source of the sound. From the main entrance of the supermarket ahead, countless figures poured out, scrambling over each other. The plan was working even more smoothly than they had hoped.

Ji Yanqing glanced at Ji Le. The boy’s eyes were fixed on the supermarket, his face pale.

Ten minutes passed, and the sound abruptly stopped.

Bai Haoxuan didn’t immediately lead his people down. He sent someone back to the rooftop for another look. Only after confirming that no Awakened Zombies or Corpse Kings had been attracted by the commotion did he give the signal to proceed.

Reaching the supermarket entrance, Ji Yanqing took the new, cloth-wrapped axe and swiftly entered. Bai Haoxuan and the others followed, but without the ability to use firearms, their combat effectiveness was significantly reduced.

The entrance opened into a first-floor lobby. To the left, an escalator, now motionless, led to the second floor. The first floor was a chaotic mess of overturned shopping carts, scattered clothing, and various daily necessities. The clutter, combined with the lack of lighting and the open doorways of numerous small shops, created an intensely unsettling atmosphere; it felt as though zombies could burst out from any dark corner.

Ji Yanqing slowed his pace.

A figure shot past him, heading directly for the second floor. Ji Yanqing looked; it was Feng Yimo. The first floor housed mostly clothing stores and small snack shops; the main grocery section, with food and produce, was on the second floor. Feng Yimo’s back quickly disappeared up the stalled escalator, followed by sounds of activity from above.

“He…” Bai Haoxuan’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat. Did Feng Yimo not fear death?

“Everyone, head upstairs,” Ji Yanqing said calmly.

Bai Haoxuan swallowed hard and led the way upstairs. Ji Yanqing remained at the stairwell entrance, waiting.

More than ten minutes later, people began to emerge, carrying supplies downstairs. Just by the excited expressions on their faces, Ji Yanqing knew Feng Yimo must have cleared all the zombies on the second floor. He had always had faith in Feng Yimo’s capabilities, a thought that now left a bitter taste in his mouth.

After another twenty to thirty minutes, Bai Haoxuan and his group reappeared, laden with bags and boxes of goods. Descending again, everyone’s face was flushed with excitement and relief. Their gazes towards Feng Yimo now held a more complex mixture of awe and apprehension.

“Move out,” Ji Yanqing reminded them.

Without delay, the group quickly retreated along their pre-planned route. Just as they had all withdrawn from the supermarket entrance and taken cover behind the building opposite, one of the lookouts stationed on a nearby rooftop came running towards them.

“Captain, there’s a situation!”

The smiles instantly vanished from everyone’s faces.

Ji Yanqing turned to the scout.

“There’s a group of people,” the man reported.

“People?” Blank surprise registered on every face. This was a city, once teeming with life, now a desolate kingdom of the dead. The probability of encountering other humans here was incredibly small.

“Fifty or sixty of them. They look rough, many are injured. They must have been in the city already. Probably heard the music we played. They’re heading this way now.”

Bai Haoxuan frowned and looked at Ji Yanqing. Ji Yanqing’s brow furrowed as well. Injured, and actively approaching them—the newcomers' intentions were clear. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t mind taking in a few more, but right now, their own situation was precarious.

“Should we make contact?” the scout asked.

Bai Haoxuan looked to Ji Yanqing; he was the captain now.

“Make contact first,” Ji Yanqing decided quickly. “See what they need. If it’s just food and water, give them some.” They had found a substantial amount of supplies in the supermarket, enough to feed their group of one hundred sixty for about ten days. The other group was only fifty or sixty strong; giving them two days' worth of their own provisions would be enough to sustain the newcomers for six or seven days.

Bai Haoxuan nodded and quickly dispatched a few armed individuals from their edges of the group, who followed the scout back towards the approaching group. Ji Yanqing hesitated for a moment, then also headed that way. Seeing him go, a small contingent of his team members followed.

----

The group of fifty to sixty survivors was in a harrowing state; they had clearly suffered a recent, brutal encounter with a Corpse King or a pack of Awakened Zombies. Many were missing backpacks, their clothes torn, and fresh blood still seeped from jagged wounds. An aura of death clung to them, with many members still gripped with panic, their wide eyes and disheveled states leaving the group look wretched as a whole.

Bai Haoxuan was already in hushed conversation with them.

“We still have some bullets…”

“There were almost three hundred of us to start… now, we’re all that’s left. We ran into this middle-aged man… a Thrice-Evolved Corpse King. He had several Awakened Zombies with him, too…”

“Truly? You… you’re really willing to give us food? Oh, thank you, thank you so much…”

“You all should get out of this city fast…”

“Can you… could you possibly take us with you?”

The desperate plea cut through the air. Ji Yanqing, who had been on the verge of turning away, froze. He spun around, his gaze sweeping over the ragged cluster of survivors.

Before Bai Haoxuan stood a girl, no older than eighteen or nineteen, her eyes red-rimmed as she looked at him with raw anxiety. “My mom, I… hic…” Words failed her as fresh tears streamed down her face.

“I’m sorry, we’re currently…” Bai Haoxuan began, but the girl’s sobs only intensified. He was clearly ill-equipped to handle such displays of grief. With a headache throbbing at his temples, he cast a helpless glance across the street towards Ji Yanqing.

Across the street, Ji Yanqing’s eyes were riveted on the crying girl.

“Captain?” Gu Wenmo, perplexed, followed Ji Yanqing’s unblinking stare.

“Please…” the girl choked out, her voice thick with despair. Her sorrow was infectious; the other survivors, still reeling from their own narrow escape, felt their eyes burn. They all turned towards Ji Yanqing, a fragile hope flickering in their desperate gazes. His earlier willingness to share food had already marked him as a decent man. Following a team like his seemed like their only hope of survival.

“I apologize, it’s truly not a good time for us…” Bai Haoxuan forced out the refusal, his voice strained. Lou Ye could be on their trail at any moment.

Ji Yanqing strode forward. “We’ll take them.”

Bai Haoxuan, in the middle of his difficult refusal, stopped dead, turning to stare at Ji Yanqing in disbelief. The members of Gu Wenmo’s group were equally stunned. They didn’t necessarily object to helping these people, but they were being actively hunted by Lou Ye, and Ji Yanqing himself had been adamant about not taking on more burdens.

Ji Yanqing’s gaze swept over the survivors, whose faces were now alight with incredulous joy. His eyes finally came to rest on the weeping girl. “Wait a moment. I need to speak with you.”

The girl froze, her tears momentarily forgotten.

His words drew surprised looks not only from the fifty or sixty newcomers but also from Bai Haoxuan’s contingent. Did Ji Yanqing know her? Bai Haoxuan exchanged a quick, questioning glance with Gu Wenmo and the others; Ji Yanqing had been standing nearby for some time and had given no sign of recognition.

“Take the supplies and lead them back first,” Ji Yanqing instructed Bai Haoxuan.

“Do you know…” Gu Wenmo’s eyes darted between Ji Yanqing and the girl, his curiosity palpable.

“Don’t waste time,” Ji Yanqing said curtly, offering no further explanation.

Gu Wenmo’s lips moved, but he swallowed his questions, his confusion deepening.

“Perhaps we should all head back first and then…” Bai Haoxuan began, still hesitant.

“What’s your name?” Ji Yanqing suddenly addressed a young woman, about twenty-one or twenty-two, who was part of Gu Wenmo’s original team. Gu Wenmo himself was too young, barely thirteen or fourteen; Ji Yanqing couldn’t entrust this to a child.

The young woman startled slightly before replying, “Gu Ranran.”

Ji Yanqing nodded, committing the name to memory. “I need you to find Sunward. Tell them Ji Yanqing sent you. When you find them, let them know that Ji Yanqing is doing well.” He paused, then added, his voice softer, “And tell them… thank you, for me.”

“Huh?” Gu Wenmo was utterly lost. Why was Ji Yanqing suddenly bringing up Sunward?

Gu Ranran and Bai Haoxuan, however, after a brief, chilling moment of stillness, understood the grim implication behind Ji Yanqing’s words. The color drained from their faces.

Bai Haoxuan looked at Ji Yanqing, a deep, unspoken understanding passing between them. He wasted no more time. “Move out!” he barked.

Gu Ranran acted immediately, turning to the fifty or sixty survivors. “This way! Quickly!”

Seeing the stark change in Bai Haoxuan and Gu Ranran’s demeanor, Gu Wenmo and the others behind him were even more confused, but their ingrained trust in Ji Yanqing spurred them into action. They began to guide the newcomers towards their supply cache, intending to take both the people and the provisions and flee the city.

“I…” The girl in front of Ji Yanqing took a hesitant step, as if to follow the departing group.

Ji Yanqing gave her no such opportunity. The axe in his hand, a blur of motion, flew suddenly through the air.

Sensing the flicker of murderous intent, the girl reacted instantly, throwing herself to the side. She was fast, terrifyingly so, but Ji Yanqing was faster. She couldn't fully evade the blow. His axe slammed her left arm against the brick wall behind her with a sickening crunch, shattering bone and tearing flesh.

“Ngh…!” A guttural sound of pain escaped her lips.

The group across the street, witnessing this sudden, brutal assault, erupted into panicked shouts. What was Ji Yanqing doing?

“Go! Run!” Bai Haoxuan roared, shoving them onward.

“What are you do—!”

Ji Yanqing didn’t let the girl finish. The axe, now free of its cloth wrapping, arced again, aimed at her neck. This new weapon was heavier than his old one, the handle longer, granting him devastating reach and power. His swing was a blur of deadly speed.

“Plea—!” The girl dodged desperately, but before she could regain her footing, the axe descended again, this time aimed at her face. She twisted away, but a searing chill raked across her throat.

The blow landed. The girl’s panicked cries ceased. She reached up, her fingers brushing against her neck, and when she drew them away, they were slick with a viscous, greenish fluid. In an instant, the terror on her face warped into a mask of feral hostility.

The sight of that unnatural blood jolted Gu Wenmo’s group from their shocked stupor.

“Corpse King!” The cry ripped through the air, and the fragile semblance of order among the survivors shattered.

“Run!”

“This way! Towards the city exit!”

“Don’t panic! Everyone, stick together!”

Bai Haoxuan took the lead, urging them towards their stashed supplies, needing to warn the others, to get everyone clear.

Ji Yanqing didn’t look back. His gaze remained locked on the girl before him, her feigned vulnerability now replaced by raw, seething rage. “Where is Lou Ye?” The moment she had first spoken, the instant Ji Yanqing had truly focused on her, an unsettling dissonance had struck him—a feeling distinct from humans, yet chillingly akin to Feng Yimo, and to Lou Ye.

“Who?” the girl snarled, her face contorted.

Ji Yanqing wasted no more breath on her. He lunged, his axe a whirlwind of destruction. He wasn’t hunting Lou Ye for sport. It was kill or be killed; if he didn’t eliminate Lou Ye, Lou Ye would inevitably come for Xia Shen Shu and the others. There was no alternative. He had retreated before to recover, to find an opening. Now that Lou Ye had brought the fight to him, he would not back down again. To delay further was meaningless.

“Haha…” A familiar, chilling laugh echoed from a nearby alleyway. Ji Yanqing ignored the retreating girl, his attention snapping towards the sound.

Lou Ye, immaculate in a fresh white fur coat, strolled out from the shadows, regarding Ji Yanqing with an air of detached amusement. He had intended to toy with Ji Yanqing longer, to savor the sight of Ji Yanqing watching his companions die one by one. But Ji Yanqing had prematurely ended his little game. It was a disappointment, yet, in a twisted way, it only deepened his satisfaction, his fascination with Ji Yanqing. He’d never failed at this particular charade before. This was the first time. No, the second. Ji Yanqing had seen through him at their very first encounter. And now, he’d even unmasked his subordinate.

“I must admit, I’m terribly curious. How did you realize—?” Lou Ye began, his voice smooth as poisoned silk.

Ji Yanqing had no time for his theatrics. He bypassed the girl, launching himself directly at Lou Ye, the axe aimed at his throat with lethal intent.

Lou Ye sidestepped, but not entirely—he rather enjoyed the sting of a blade. Ji Yanqing’s axe, powered by his full strength, slammed into Lou Ye’s left arm. Unlike their previous clashes, this time the weapon bit deep, cleaving through skin and shattering bone. Staring at his severed arm, the smile on Lou Ye’s face momentarily stiffened.

Ji Yanqing didn’t falter. He raised the axe again, driving it towards Lou Ye’s neck. This new weapon was undeniably sharper, and in that, he saw a flicker of hope. In terms of raw speed and power, he was Lou Ye’s equal. If he could land a clean blow to the neck, victory was within reach.

“Tsk!” Lou Ye’s eyes narrowed, cold and reptilian. Two figures materialized from the alley behind him: one, a man in his thirties, the other, a hulking monstrosity nearly three meters tall, its upper body massively muscled, with a long, thin tail whipping behind it. These two, along with the girl—two clearly evolved for intelligence, one for brute strength—were all Second Stage Corpse Kings. And, without exception, they were all Lou Ye’s subordinates.

Ji Yanqing wasn’t surprised. If Lou Ye dared to hunt the entity known as the "Grim Reaper," it was only logical that his power extended beyond controlling mere ordinary zombies and a few Awakened. These three Second Stage Corpse Kings were his true ace in the hole.

“Take him.” Lou Ye’s severed arm was already regenerating, flesh and bone knitting back together at an alarming, visible rate. His cold gaze flickered past Ji Yanqing to Ji An, Ji Le, and the black dog huddled behind him. His original plan had been to infiltrate Ji Yanqing’s group and spirit him away, but Ji Yanqing had proven far too astute.

At Lou Ye’s command, the entire city seemed to ripple, waves of bodies converging on a single point. Countless figures, tens of thousands strong, poured from windows, rooftops, and darkened alleyways. The dead city sprang to horrifying, vibrant life, transforming into a slavering, multi-limbed beast, roaring its intent to consume everything. Five more Awakened Zombies joined the surging tide.

Facing the overwhelming, nightmarish onslaught, Ji Yanqing didn’t waste a breath. He drove his attack towards Lou Ye— to deal with bandits, aim for their king."擒贼先擒王". - "To capture a thief, capture the king first." , an idiom, with the meaning being: ‘ The key in resolving issues is to understand/ deal with the main idea, the other details can be resolved later’ (https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%93%92%E8%B4%BC%E5%85%88%E6%93%92%E7%8E%8B/227413)

---

As soon as Ji Yanqing moved, three shadows intercepted him. Lou Ye’s three Corpse King subordinates converged, a blur of deadly intent.

Ji Yanqing dodged, twisting away, but before he could fully reorient himself, the monstrous Corpse King materialized behind him. The sheer speed and power of a strength-type evolution were on a different scale entirely from its intelligence-based counterpart. The monster moved so fast that Ji Yanqing barely registered its approach. It lunged, its massive hand reaching for Ji Yanqing’s axe, intending to rip the weapon from his grasp.

Seeing the attack coming, but still off-balance, Ji Yanqing reacted with pure instinct. He threw himself backward, directly into the monster’s reach, using the momentum to narrowly evade the crushing grip while simultaneously creating a desperate, fleeting opening. He dodged the hand, but the monster’s reflexes were lightning-fast. It immediately tried to close its arms and engulf him in a bone-shattering embrace.

There was no time to swing. In that infinitesimal moment, Ji Yanqing thrust his axe vertically between them in a desperate bid for space. The monster’s arms slammed together, but Ji Yanqing felt no impact. He dared to look back, only to see that the monster’s massive arms had been cleanly severed at the elbows, thudding heavily to the ground a moment later.

With his sword still held in one hand, Feng Yimo delivered a devastating kick to the monster’s chest. The impact was immense, launching the three-meter-tall behemoth backward through the shattered remnants of a shopfront, glass and debris exploding outwards. Without pausing, Feng Yimo whirled, another kick lashing out to send an Awakened Zombie that was pouncing towards him from the side, flying.

Lou Ye, witnessing this, froze.

He had noticed Feng Yimo earlier, but had dismissed him as a mere human.

“A Corpse King?” A slow, predatory smile spread across his face. He hadn’t sensed the tell tale aura from Feng Yimo, which could only mean one thing: Feng Yimo was stronger than him. Significantly stronger.

The city’s ordinary zombies, all under Lou Ye’s control, swarmed the street, forming an impenetrable wall of decaying flesh. Just as they were about to engulf Ji Yanqing, Ji Le’s shout rang out, slicing through the din. “Stop!”

Instantly, every zombie in the immediate vicinity froze mid-lunge, as if time itself had stuttered. A breath later, these same zombies pivoted in perfect, horrifying unison and launched themselves at the fresh wave of undead still pouring into the street. They became a tide of frenzied beasts, tearing and biting with mindless, redirected fury.

Lou Ye’s gaze cut through the struggling masses, fixing on Ji Le. “So, it was you back then.” As the words left his lips, an Awakened Zombie, hidden within the ranks, broke free and leaped at Ji Le. Just as its claws were about to connect with Ji Le’s throat, it jerked to a halt.

Ji An had its newly regrown tail in an iron grip. “Don’t! Bully! My! Brother!” he roared, his small voice filled with disproportionate fury.

WHUMP!

The Awakened Zombie was hurled clear across the street, smashing into the building at the far end with enough force to send spiderweb cracks radiating across the brickwork. Without even a roar, it slumped forward, motionless.

“Ji Le!” Ji An planted himself protectively in front of his younger brother. He wasn’t tall, and he wasn’t yet overwhelmingly strong, but he would shield Ji Le with his life. Ji Yanqing had told him he was the older brother, and older brothers protected their little brothers!

A fresh stream of blood trickled from Ji Le’s nose, and a searing pain pulsed deep within his skull. He swiped at the blood, his small face pale but resolute. He didn’t stop. Lou Ye’s mental strength was greater than his, and the two Thrice-Evolved intelligence-type Corpse Kings flanking Lou Ye were also formidable. Overwriting their collective mental imprints on the horde of ordinary zombies was an agonizing, draining feat.

The smile on Lou Ye’s face widened into a terrifying, vicious grimace. “All of you—”

Ji Yanqing’s axe descended, aimed at Lou Ye’s neck with vicious force. Lou Ye dodged, but a line of icy cold still traced his skin. The axe blade, sharper than the one Ji Yanqing had faced him with before, scraped against his vertebrae. This time, a visible crack spider-webbed across the bone.

CRUNCH! The axe bit deep into the pavement. Before, his blows had glanced off or only superficially damaged the surroundings. This time, the ground shattered, and the axe head embedded itself.

Lou Ye clutched his neck, desperately trying to accelerate his healing. The smile on his face intensified, twisting his features into the mask of an ecstatic, pain-fueled madman.

Ji Yanqing gave him no chance to recover. He ignored the Thrice-Evolved Corpse Kings, the Awakened Zombies, and the endless tide of ordinary undead ceaselessly pushing towards him. His entire focus narrowed to Lou Ye. Around him, a blur of a sword flashed. Black fur rushed, and two small figures stood back to front. No matter how ferociously the swarm attacked, no matter their numbers, they were kicked, swatted, or simply thrown aside before they could lay a hand on Ji Yanqing.

“ROOOAR!” The monstrous Corpse King, its legs once again severed by Feng Yimo, bellowed in agony and impotent rage. Feng Yimo paid it no mind, wrenching his longsword from the skull of the thirty-something-year-old male Corpse King. He turned his cold gaze upon the girl, whose face was now ashen.

“You… you’re actually…” The girl stared, her voice laced with disbelief. They were Thrice-Evolved Corpse Kings, formidable in their own right, yet this single individual was holding off all three of them, and not just holding them off—he was dominating them.

Feng Yimo gave her no opportunity to continue. He moved, a blur of deadly grace, closing the distance. The monster, its legs already regenerating with horrifying speed, lunged at Feng Yimo again, roaring its defiance.

“Ngh—!” A choked groan was ripped from Lou Ye as Ji Yanqing’s blow caved in his entire chest cavity. The searing agony was so intense, so exquisite, it almost sent him spiraling into unconsciousness from sheer, perverse euphoria.

Ji Yanqing pressed his advantage, stepping in closer. Using the momentum of his upward swing, he brought the axe whistling down in a fierce arc, smashing it onto Lou Ye’s already bent and broken back. Without the interference of Lou Ye’s subordinates, Ji Yanqing’s speed and strength were a match for the Corpse King.

“Urk…” Lou Ye coughed, greenish blood spraying from his lips as he tried to climb to his feet. Ji Yanqing’s knee shot upwards, aiming for the mangled ruin of Lou Ye’s chest. Lou Ye managed to block the knee with a desperate hand, his face still stretched in that ghastly, pain-fueled smile. “Haha…” Before, he wanted to play with Ji Yanqing, watching him crumble with despair. But then, he wondered what it would be like turn Ji Yanqing into his subordinate. Now, that desire burned hotter than ever.

“Die!” Ji Yanqing’s axe fell once more, this time crashing directly onto the exposed, splintered spine on Lou Ye’s back. The sickening crack of shattering bone mingled with Lou Ye’s choked gasps and deranged laughter.

Sprawled on the ground, unable to move, Lou Ye’s face was still contorted in that horrific rictus of pleasure. With Lou Ye immobilized, Ji Yanqing raised the axe for the final blow, aiming for his neck. Lou Ye’s left hand shot out, clamping around the axe head. The blade bit through his fingers, splintering the bones in his hand, but it arrested the axe’s descent.

Drenched in his own greenish ichor, Lou Ye lay on the ground and looked up at Ji Yanqing, his smile suddenly, chillingly radiant. “Together, then.” Lou Ye didn’t fear death; his only fear was a boring, uneventful demise. He had hunted the entity known as the “Grim Reaper" not for power or dominion, but purely for the visceral thrill of the struggle, reveling in the desperate dance one can only have on the precipice of oblivion. And Ji Yanqing, in this moment, had given him precisely that.

Ji Yanqing opened his mouth to refuse, to deny him that twisted satisfaction, but before any sound could escape, the cacophony around them swelled to an unbearable crescendo.

The ordinary zombies relentlessly surging towards them, those Ji Le was desperately trying to counter-control, the single remaining Awakened Zombie, and the girl Corpse King—all of them, a tide of undead, converged on Ji Yanqing. In that instant, the overwhelming wave of killing intent from every direction, the earth-shattering cacophony, made every cell in Ji Yanqing’s body, trapped at the epicenter of this maelstrom, feel as if it would be crushed to dust.

Staring at the black tide of figures, facing the renewed onslaught of Corpse Kings, Ji Yanqing raised his axe again, preparing to bring it down on Lou Ye’s exposed neck. Even as hands and claws reached out towards Ji Yanqing, his mind, overloaded, went terrifyingly blank.

Lou Ye had to die, even if-

“SCRAM!”

A chilling roar, somehow quiet yet boundlessly echoing, imbued with an indescribable, soul-crushing killing intent, ripped through the pandemonium, aimed not at Ji Yanqing, but at everything that dared threaten him.

For a single, deafening heartbeat, the world fell silent.

The next instant, reality shattered.

With Feng Yimo as the epicenter, every non-human entity in the entire city—Corpse Kings, Awakened, and ordinary zombies alike—recoiled as if struck by an invisible, irresistible force. They then surged away in the opposite direction, a panicked, stampeding tide. They seemed to have rediscovered fear, a primal terror that clawed at the very essence of their being. They fled madly, their throats emitting high-pitched, unearthly screams of pure, undiluted dread, as if they were about to be snuffed out by the sheer intensity of that fear.

Many were. Those too slow to escape, those caught in the initial, undiluted wave of Feng Yimo’s wrath, simply stopped moving amidst their own horrified shrieks. Already dead, they died again, their re-animating force extinguished like snuffed candles.

The fear was so potent, so absolute, that even Ji Yanqing, his mind still adrift in the blankness, felt his body react instinctively. His heart, which had been hammering a furious rhythm against his ribs from the exertion and adrenaline, stuttered and stopped.

CLANG!

The axe fell from Ji Yanqing’s suddenly limp grasp. With nothing holding it up, the axe smashed to the ground under its own weight, severing Lou Ye’s neck.

The heavy axe head bit deep into the unforgiving earth. Lou Ye’s head, detached, rolled to the side, coming to rest against a crumbling wall. Lou Ye’s pupils, which had constricted in abject terror at that soul-shattering roar, trembled one last time, then stilled.

Ji Yanqing’s head was ringing, full of a high-pitched whine that drowned out all other sound. His hands, still loosely curled around the axe handle, throbbed with a phantom ache. The intense pain of the battle, the jarring impact of the axe striking the ground, seemed to coalesce into a physical sensation, sharp and unbearable. His heart, after that terrifying pause, hammered back to life with a vengeance.

He instinctively looked towards Feng Yimo.

Raising his head, Ji Yanqing’s vision was filled with an endless, silent sea of corpses. Lou Ye’s three Second Stage Corpse King subordinates, the Awakened Zombies, and all the ordinary zombies that hadn’t managed to flee in time—aside from those killed in the earlier fighting—all lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies uniformly facing away from them, as if struck down mid-flight. The scene was mind-shattering, a chilling tableau of absolute power, a true vision of hell itself.

And Feng Yimo was the undisputed King of that hell.

The King of Hell is looking at me. The thought, stark and unbidden, flashed through Ji Yanqing’s mind. A moment later, as the ringing in his ears began to subside, his rational mind reasserted itself. He looked again. Feng Yimo was indeed still watching him. And Feng Yimo was angry. But not at him. Angry because Lou Ye, in his final moments, had intended to kill Ji Yanqing.

“Ji Le?!” Ji An’s panicked, terrified voice cut through Ji Yanqing’s daze.

Ji Yanqing immediately spun towards the sound. Ji Le, his small face a ghastly mask of blood, was slumping backward. Ji An caught him, his arms barely strong enough to support his brother’s limp weight. Ji An’s face was contorted with fear and helplessness. He looked at Ji Yanqing, tears streaming down his cheeks, his voice a child’s desperate wail. “Papa—!”

Hearing that raw cry, seeing Ji Le’s blood-streaked, unconscious face, Ji Yanqing forgot everything else—the battle, Lou Ye, Feng Yimo’s terrifying power. He surged forward, gathering Ji Le’s small, still form into his arms. “Ji Le?” He gently patted Ji Le’s cheek. No response. “Ji Le?” He tried again, a little more forcefully, his voice laced with rising panic. Still nothing. He looked at Ji Le’s deathly pale face, at the dark blood still trickling from his nose. A sharp, agonizing pain, as if a knife were being twisted in his own heart, lanced through him. “Ji Le?” In his turmoil and fear, he looked desperately at Feng Yimo. What was wrong with Ji Le? He had been fighting, straining himself, but he had been fine just moments ago.

Stared at by Ji Yanqing’s wide, terrified eyes, Feng Yimo reacted immediately, his voice flat. “Not dead.”

Ji Yanqing froze, the bluntness of the statement momentarily stunning him.

Feng Yimo, realizing he’d misspoken yet again, showed a flicker of internal annoyance. “As long as he’s not dead, he can recover.”

Ji Le was a Corpse King, after all.

---

Listening to Feng Yimo’s flat statement, Ji Yanqing’s chaotic mind finally regained a sliver of rational thought. He looked from Feng Yimo to Ji Le, pale-faced and unconscious in his arms. “What happened to him…?” There were no obvious wounds on Ji Le’s small body.

“That person was stronger than him. His mental imprint was overwritten,” Feng Yimo stated, his voice devoid of inflection.

It took a moment for Ji Yanqing’s muddled brain to process Feng Yimo’s meaning. The zombies in this city had initially been under the control of Lou Ye and his two intelligence-type subordinate Corpse Kings. Later, Ji Le had managed to overwrite a portion of their mental imprints, effectively claiming those zombies as his own. Lou Ye’s final, desperate act, his attempt to drag Ji Yanqing down with him, had been to reclaim absolute control over those zombies, and in doing so, he had violently erased Ji Le’s imprint.

Roughly understanding what had transpired, and knowing that Ji Le wouldn’t die from this, the crushing tension in Ji Yanqing’s body gradually began to ease. As his muscles loosened, a wave of aches and pains, deep and pervasive, surged through him from head to toe.

He looked towards Lou Ye. The eyes in Lou Ye’s severed head were already dull, lifeless; he was truly dead. Ji Yanqing’s axe remained embedded in the earth where it had fallen, planted beside Lou Ye’s corpse like a grim monument.

Around them, the streets, the buildings, the entire city was a grotesque landscape littered with the bodies of zombies that had tried to flee Feng Yimo's wrath but hadn’t been fast enough. The setting sun dipped below the horizon, and night descended, bringing with it an even earlier and heavier snowfall than before. The city fell silent. The world fell silent.

Ji Yanqing didn’t know how long he sat there amidst the carnage. He sat until his limbs, once numb, gradually regained their strength, sat until a thick layer of snow had blanketed him. Only then did he finally move. He rose from the frozen ground, Ji Le still cradled carefully in his arms, and started walking towards the city outskirts.

Even knowing that Ji An and Ji Le were both Second Stage Corpse Kings, even knowing that as long as their necks weren’t severed or their brains destroyed, they could recover from even the most grievous injuries, Ji Yanqing still couldn’t shake the instinctual, human fear of them being cold, of them being hurt.

There wasn’t a single living zombie left in the city, only countless corpses. The closer to the city center, the denser the piles of bodies; the closer to the edge, the fewer. Walking from the heart of that slaughter, through the desolate outskirts, and finally out of the city, Ji Yanqing almost felt like he was returning to the human world from the very depths of hell.

Leaving the city, heading towards the woods where they’d parked earlier, Ji Yanqing hadn’t even gotten close before he saw figures in the distance. Bai Haoxuan, Gu Wenmo, and the others were all rushing towards him.

“Are you alright?”

“Just now… what happened…?”

The group had a million questions burning on their tongues, but at this moment, seeing Ji Yanqing emerge, they were all momentarily speechless, unsure even of what they truly wanted to ask. Following Ji Yanqing’s earlier instructions, they’d escorted the unarmed survivors out of the city, then immediately tried to return to help Ji Yanqing. They hadn’t gone far when the entire city’s zombie population had surged towards Ji Yanqing’s location like a monstrous wave. Faced with that bizarre, terrifying spectacle, faced with the unending tide of zombies rushing past them, yet completely ignoring their presence, a cold sweat had broken out over everyone. After the main horde had passed, many of them had simply collapsed onto the ground, their legs turned to jelly with fear.

It took them a while to finally regain their senses. They tried to approach the city center again, only to be met with an impenetrable wall of zombies. They tried to find higher ground, tried to figure out a way to clear a path, tried to do something, but before they could even begin to formulate a plan, the zombies suddenly began streaming back in the opposite direction, fleeing in blind panic. Faced with this returning wave of terror, they could only flee towards the city outskirts themselves, utterly terrified.

Just when they thought they were about to be overrun, the zombies once more ignored them. They fled past, a torrent of panicked undead, running out of the city, running far into the distance, disappearing from sight. Being ignored again by the zombie horde, their minds went blank, their legs already weak from previous terror, and for a long time, they couldn’t collect themselves. This time, they no longer had the courage to step back into the eerily strange city. They could only support each other as they stumbled back to their makeshift camp.

They waited in the camp, their thoughts in utter disarray, unable to even organize themselves enough to think rationally. Just as they were still reeling from the shock, grappling with the inexplicable events, they saw Ji Yanqing emerge from the city in the distance.

“What’s wrong with him?” Bai Haoxuan asked, his gaze fixed on Ji Le in Ji Yanqing’s arms. Ji Le’s face was deathly pale, his small features smeared with blood from his nose.

“…Took a fall,” Ji Yanqing said, his voice rough with exhaustion.

Hearing that it wasn’t anything life-threatening, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief. Ji Yanqing remained silent, carrying Ji Le into the relative shelter of the woods. The woods were full of people, all eyes turning towards him as he approached. Ji Yanqing was bone-weary, with no energy left to explain anything. He carried Ji Le to one of the vehicles and gently placed him on the cushions inside. Ji Le was still, his small face unnervingly white. Ji Yanqing used his own sleeve to carefully wipe the dried blood from Ji Le’s face. Feeling the faint warmth under his fingertips, sensing Ji Le’s shallow but steady breath, Ji Yanqing finally allowed himself to relax a fraction. He also found he had the mental space to begin processing everything he had just witnessed.

“Lou Ye?” Bai Haoxuan couldn’t help but ask, his voice hushed.

“Dead.”

“Dead—!” Bai Haoxuan’s heart leaped in his chest. The group gathered around also stirred, a murmur of disbelief rippling through them. Lou Ye was dead? Then… Everyone looked at Ji Yanqing, their expressions a mixture of awe and incredulity. Ji Yanqing killed Lou Ye? Ji Yanqing had actually killed Lou Ye?

“Then just now… those zombies… were they…?” Bai Haoxuan asked, his voice still shaken by the memory of the inexplicable events.

“Don’t know.”

Bai Haoxuan’s expression shifted repeatedly, a mirror of the confusion on the faces of everyone else around him. They didn’t press further. Their understanding of zombies was limited to begin with, and what they had just experienced was utterly beyond anything they could comprehend.

“I want to rest for a while,” Ji Yanqing said, his voice heavy with fatigue.

Bai Haoxuan nodded, and the group fell silent, no longer disturbing him. The heavy snow had been falling steadily for some time now; they wouldn’t be going anywhere today. Bai Haoxuan, after composing himself, got out of the car. He instructed the team to take inventory of the supplies they’d managed to bring out and also to count the number of survivors they’d rescued from the city.

After the accounting was done, Bai Haoxuan glanced at Ji Yanqing, who was resting with his eyes closed in the vehicle. He didn’t disturb him, instead taking it upon himself to distribute food and water to everyone. Even after experiencing such a profoundly bizarre and terrifying event, they still had to survive.

Half an hour later, with food distributed and water shared, the faces of the group, still dazed from the afternoon’s horrors, finally began to soften. The camp gradually filled with the low murmur of voices as people began to talk. Bai Haoxuan quickly ate his own share, then took Ji Yanqing’s portion and got back into the vehicle. Doctor Wang, who had been waiting nearby, quickly followed, intending to re-bandage Ji Yanqing’s wounds.

Ji Yanqing hadn’t been asleep, merely resting his eyes. Hearing the movement, he opened them.

“Yours.” Bai Haoxuan placed the food and water beside Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing nodded his thanks, then offered his injured hand to Doctor Wang. Seeing the blood-soaked gauze, Doctor Wang frowned. She carefully unwrapped the bandage, revealing the wound beneath, which had split open yet again. She couldn’t help but nag, “This time you absolutely must wait for it to fully heal. If you keep going like this, you might as well just throw your hands away.” In the apocalypse, medicine was a precious, dwindling resource. With the way Ji Yanqing’s wound kept reopening, it risked becoming infected, which was nearly a death sentence.

“Mm,” Ji Yanqing agreed obediently.

Seeing Ji Yanqing so compliant, Doctor Wang swallowed the rest of the lecture she had been about to deliver. She carefully cleaned and treated Ji Yanqing’s wound, then wrapped it with fresh gauze.

Ji Yanqing, his hand now re-bandaged, gently touched Ji Le’s forehead through the gauze, then reached for the food packet beside him, attempting to tear it open. Both of his hands were heavily wrapped and throbbed with pain. He fumbled with the packet for a few moments but couldn’t get it open.

Bai Haoxuan, noticing his struggle, made to step forward to help, but before he could move, a different hand—long, slender, with well-defined joints—reached out from beside him. Feng Yimo took the packet from Ji Yanqing’s grasp and tore it open with ease. He placed the opened food in front of Ji Yanqing. But Ji Yanqing didn’t touch it. Instead, he reached for another unopened packet, intending to try again himself.

Feng Yimo and the others had helped him. If it weren’t for them, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to kill Lou Ye. But their intervention had also put the sheer extent of their power on display. Especially Feng Yimo. Lou Ye had seemed incredibly powerful to him, but Feng Yimo was on another level entirely. Lou Ye and his two subordinates could control the zombies in an entire city, but Feng Yimo, with just a single word, could make all those zombies flee in abject terror. That kind of power, if directed at humans…

Ji Yanqing’s hand, still trying to tear at the second food packet, trembled, and the packet fell with a sad plop onto his lap.

Bai Haoxuan was taken aback. He looked from Feng Yimo to Ji Yanqing, then, forcing a smile, stepped forward and tore open the second packet for Ji Yanqing.

“Thank you,” Ji Yanqing said quietly.

Bai Haoxuan retreated to sit on the side. He looked up and found himself meeting Feng Yimo’s deep, dark, unreadable eyes. Bai Haoxuan managed a strained, silly grin. Feng Yimo ignored him completely. Bai Haoxuan choked slightly.

Gu Wenmo and the others, who were climbing into the vehicle to try and get some sleep, took in this entire silent, charged exchange, then looked at each other with wide, questioning eyes.

“Did you two have a fight?” Bai Haoxuan finally blurted out, unable to bear the awkward tension any longer.

Ji Yanqing continued to eat his food with clumsy, bandaged hands, offering no response.

“Cough…” Bai Haoxuan coughed awkwardly. He hadn’t intended to press the issue, but after a moment’s thought, he added, “If there’s anything… you can talk to me about it.” They were all part of the same survival team now, living in close quarters. It wouldn’t do for things to remain this strained.

Feng Yimo remained silent.

Bai Haoxuan waited for a moment, but still, no response. He glanced at Ji Yanqing, who was still eating as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, and sighed silently, giving up.

“If you make someone angry, what should you do?” A voice, as cold and sharp as wind-driven snow, suddenly cut through the quiet stillness of the vehicle.

Bai Haoxuan realized, with a start, that the speaker was Feng Yimo. He immediately looked over. Feng Yimo’s dark eyes were deep and unfathomable, yet in their depths, Bai Haoxuan could discern a faint, almost imperceptible hint of confusion.

Bai Haoxuan’s lips twitched. “…How exactly did you make them angry?”

Everyone else in the vehicle, who had been pretending not to listen, now perked up their ears, their attention fully engaged. They hadn’t spent a great deal of time with Ji Yanqing, but in their interactions, they had come to realize that he wasn’t the type to hold grudges over trivial matters or get easily upset. Honestly, they were also intensely curious about how Feng Yimo had managed to provoke Ji Yanqing to this extent.

Feng Yimo didn’t answer.

“Uh… well, how about trying to… coax him?” Bai Haoxuan offered tentatively, already regretting opening his mouth.

“How to coax?” Feng Yimo asked, his brow furrowing slightly in genuine puzzlement.

Beside the still-unconscious Ji Le, Ji An also pricked up his ears, listening with rapt attention.

All eyes in the vehicle turned towards Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing, continuing to eat his food with a focused, almost pointed indifference.

In the dim, cramped interior of the vehicle, the atmosphere was thick with things unspoken.

“Well, you must have made him angry for a reason. First, you should apologize…” Bai Haoxuan’s facial muscles twitched. This was getting more awkward by the second. “Then, maybe see if you can do something… to show you mean it…” He was really starting to regret ever bringing this up.

A hint of something that looked suspiciously like grievance flickered in Feng Yimo’s dark eyes. “I gave a gift.”

Ji An, overhearing this, also felt a pang of injustice. He and Ji Le had given small cookies.

Listening to Feng Yimo’s quiet statement, and seeing that almost imperceptible trace of hurt on Feng Yimo’s usually impassive face, everyone else in the vehicle fell silent. The atmosphere inside the car became even more delicate, charged with a strange tension.

Bai Haoxuan’s lips twitched again. He was now profoundly regretting his attempt at mediation.

“He is unhappy,” Feng Yimo stated, his voice still holding that cold, flat quality, yet somehow conveying a deeper, more complex emotion. “Why do I feel uncomfortable when he is unhappy?” He could understand the concepts of happiness and unhappiness in an abstract sense. What he couldn’t comprehend was why Ji Yanqing’s unhappiness should cause him to feel unhappy, why Ji Yanqing’s dislike should cause a distinct, aching sensation in his chest.

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qq words Happy Beginning of July! Happy Independence day to some of you, and happy 'previously colonized but now laughing at Britain' day for others. Have tasty food with family! I'm gonna be doing a shift, rip. I wonder if they'll have any free food. Also FML I didn't edit out my note to self in the title before posting ;a;