AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Can I Taste This?
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The image of a horde of massive Corpse Kings tilling a field was so pervasive that the entire truck fell silent. It was only when a wheel ran over something hard, jolting the vehicle, that they snapped back to reality. All the ocupants exchanged looks, their faces twisted into strange expressions.
Ji Yanqing tried to say something, but seeing Feng Yimo’s earnest, enthusiastic face, he swallowed his words. “…We’ll talk about it later.”
Dropping the subject, the group quickly turned their attention back to the selection of a site for their paradise. With the map, the process was surprisingly simple. They soon identified four potential locations in the designated area. Besides the one Mo Xian had found, which was far from the canal but met all other criteria, they had chosen three backup spots.
Even with the locations circled on the map, they still needed to scout them in person. The map was only a rough guide. After the virus outbreak, many things had mutated, and even the terrain itself had changed. No one could be certain that these places were still as they appeared on the map.
Having determined the general locations, they focused on compiling a list of supplies needed to build their paradise. In addition to the ever-essential food and water, there was equipment Lu Qing needed, and a large number of bok choy stalks for propagation. They also needed various tools, barbed wire for defenses, iron mesh, and more. They brainstormed, listing everything they could think of in as much detail as possible.
Two days later, the convoy left Wu City for good, stopping behind a mountain next to a large city. Their current food supply was only enough for about five days, and the journey to the nearest potential site would take nearly ten. To ensure they could scout all the locations as quickly as possible, they needed to stock up on a large amount of food.
It was past four in the afternoon when the vehicles stopped. The setting sun hung low in the sky, the evening breeze was gentle, and the temperature was pleasant. As soon as the convoy halted, Lan Zi immediately had people start preparing a meal. It was going to be a long night.
All eight hundred people disembarked. After stretching their limbs, they quickly got to work. Some set up tents between the vehicles, some found a place to set up stoves and cook, and the rest prepared the backpacks they would use for the supply run into the city.
From a distance, the eight hundred people were a sprawling, dark mass. The camp was bustling with activity, and a sense of purpose filled the air.
Ji Yanqing watched the busy crowd from afar, a gentle smile forming as he listened to the occasional bursts of laughter.
As he was lost in thought, he heard a familiar voice.
“You’d better not let me down…” From one of the vehicles, Xia Shen Shu appeared, carrying a large, long case. He got out, opened the case at the back of the truck, and began to take out its contents piece by piece.
It was a military-grade drone. Besides the drone itself, the case also contained a dedicated radio transmitter and a tablet computer.
Xia Shen Shu powered up the machine and used the remote control to send the drone into the air. At the same time, an image appeared on the tablet screen. The whirring of the drone’s propellers was quiet, but it still attracted the attention of many. This wasn’t the first time Xia Shen Shu had used it, so the members of Sunward paid it no mind.
It was, however, the first time Ji Yanqing had seen it. He walked over, peering curiously.
Seeing him, Xia Shen Shu, while maneuvering the drone toward the city, proudly showed it off. “Just got this recently. Military reconnaissance drone, the latest model. Not only does it transmit live video, but it also has thermal scanning…”
Ji Yanqing wasn’t listening to his detailed explanation; his attention was fixed on the tablet. As the drone ascended, images of the city were transmitted in real time. Grimy streets, zombies milling about, hollow concrete buildings with their doors wide open, various shops and supermarkets… If they had this earlier, they wouldn’t have had to send people in to scout every time. Their operations would have been much more efficient.
“Not bad, right?” Xia Shen Shu was as proud as if he were showing off his own son.
“It’s great,” Ji Yanqing nodded.
While he praised it, he also knew that they could only dare to use a drone like this now that their team was large. Once airborne, the drone was completely exposed. If there were Awakened Zombies or Corpse Kings in the city, they would be easily alerted. If they only had a few dozen or a couple hundred people, alerting them would mean certain death.
Ji Yanqing stood and watched for a while. It was only when Xia Shen Shu set the drone to auto-pilot and began marking the locations of supermarkets and safe routes on a map that he stepped aside. Xia Shen Shu was busy, and he didn’t want to disturb him. After a moment’s thought, he decided to go find Lu Qing.
***
After the team had grown, Lu Qing had been given his own vehicle, a medium-sized container truck. When Ji Yanqing arrived, the door was open, but Lu Qing was not inside. The back of the truck had been converted into a sort of office. On the left was a long table cluttered with papers, files, a microscope, and several unfamiliar machines. In the back, against the front of the truck, were a small refrigerator, a small generator, a battery, and a shelf filled with petri dishes and other miscellaneous items. On the right was a stool and a small coffee table, surrounded by various small electronics: phones, tablets, a printer, and a Polaroid camera.
The three walls of the truck, including the door, were covered with Polaroid photos. They were all analytical photos, showcasing various liquids, pieces of flesh, and even Awakened Zombies and Corpse Kings, ranging from bodies to closeups. It was quite gruesome.
After a quick survey of the room, Ji Yanqing went to look for the man himself.
Lu Qing was busy behind another vehicle nearby. The black beast was sleeping on the back of the truck, and Lu Qing was circling it, eager to try something. He snapped a picture of it with his Polaroid. Seeing that the beast didn’t move, he then tried to pluck some of its fur.
The moment his hand got close, the beast’s eyes snapped open and shot him a cold glare. Seeing that it was Lu Qing again, its claws, which were resting on the truck, flexed threateningly. The movement was slow and seemed light, but its claws easily sank into the metal, gouging four deep scratches into the truck bed.
Hearing the sharp, grating sound and feeling the killing intent radiating from the beast, Ji Yanqing was about to step in. However, Lu Qing beat him to it, rushing forward to take a series of pictures of the claw marks.
Seeing this, the black beast retracted its claws, jumped off the truck with a look of disgust, and walked away, wanting to get as far away as possible. As it went, it glanced back.
Lu Qing’s brain must have mutated too.
With the beast gone, Lu Qing practically draped himself onto the floor of the truck to study the claw marks. Not only did he take pictures, but he also produced a cotton swab from somewhere, apparently intending to collect a sample.
The black beast faltered.
Witnessing this, the corner of Ji Yanqing’s mouth twitched.
“Dad.” As he was lost in thought, Ji An’s expectant voice came from his feet. He looked down and saw that he and Ji Le were each holding a disposable plastic container. He glanced over at the cooking crew. The meal was ready. With a supply run into the city that night, many people were already lining up for food.
“There’s bok choy tonight,” Ji Le said, handing him a bowl and looking expectantly at one of the food lines. They had observed that only one line was serving bok choy. They had to hurry, or it would be all gone.
Ji Yanqing saw their anticipation and was about to take them to get in line when Lu Qing’s voice called out.
“Ji Yanqing.”
He looked over.
“I’ve cultivated enough of those three compounds. We can move on to the experimental phase,” Lu Qing said, putting away his cotton swab and looking at him with anticipation. Seeing Ji An and Ji Le beside him, he smiled brightly.
Meeting that brilliant smile, the two little ones immediately hid behind Ji Yanqing’s legs.
“How adorable,” Lu Qing said, his cheeks flushing and his eyes growing moist. He reached out to touch their faces, but they quickly dodged away.
Ji Yanqing had the urge to hit him over the head with his axe. He was increasingly tempted to find an iron cage to lock Lu Qing in.
“I’ll go into the city later and see if I can catch an Awakened Zombie for you,” Ji Yanqing said.
Lu Qing, disappointed at not being able to touch the little cubs, said pointedly, “Thrice-evolved Corpse Kings are different from ordinary ones, and even more so from Awakened Zombies. I haven’t done any research on them yet. I can’t be sure to what extent they’ve evolved. It would be best to get a sample...”
Ji Yanqing pretended not to understand. As a last resort we do have... he thought, glancing at the black beast…
Sensing his gaze, the beast immediately bared its teeth in refusal.
“Dad…” Ji An tugged nervously at his pant leg, reminding him that if they didn’t go now, the bok choy would be gone.
“Let’s eat first,” Ji Yanqing said, leading them to the line.
Bok choy was currently the only vegetable that was widely accepted as ‘safe for humans to eat’ But after eating it for so long, many were getting tired of it... However when compared to snacks and dry rations, it was still very popular. By the time they got to the back of the line, a long queue had already formed.
Ji An and Ji Le peeked around him, anxiously looking ahead. There was only one pot of bok choy, and there were a lot of people in front of them.
A few minutes later, when there were still about a dozen people ahead of them, the person serving the bok choy announced that it was all gone.
Ji Yanqing looked at the empty pot, then down at Ji An and Ji Le, who were devastated. They looked at their empty bowls with downcast eyes, poking the bottom with their chubby fingers as if they had just missed out on the greatest thing in the world.
“It’s alright. I’ll ask later if there’s any more for tomorrow,” Ji Yanqing comforted them.
Ji An looked at him with aggrieved, watery eyes. It was all your fault for talking to Lu Qing for so long.
Ji Le also pouted. “But I’m so hungry now…”
Seeing their pouting faces, Ji Yanqing found it both amusing and heartbreaking. His little ones were now getting angry with him. When he had first found them, they hadn’t even dared to speak loudly, like two pitiful kittens. Now, they even dared to pout so dramatically.
“Okay, it’s all Dad’s fault. When we get bok choy tomorrow, I’ll give you all of mine, how about that?” he coaxed softly.
Ji An looked at him, and his pout softened, but the thought of no bok choy still made him unhappy.
Ji Le looked at the people who had gotten some, then threw himself into Ji Yanqing’s arms to be comforted. Ji Yanqing quickly hugged him and stroked his head.
“Haha…” A clear, melodious laugh came from nearby.
The three of them looked toward the sound. Lan Zi was sitting on a box not far away, holding her dinner and watching them.
Before Ji Yanqing could react, Ji An and Ji Le had already hidden behind him. He couldn’t help but sigh as he looked down at their peeking faces.
Seeing their reaction, the smile on Lan Zi’s face stiffened for a moment, and a hint of bitterness appeared in her eyes. They’re afraid of me. Children were sensitive; they could feel when someone didn’t like them.
“I haven’t eaten yet. Do you want this?” Lan Zi offered the plastic container of bok choy and rice in her hand. Her feelings toward Ji An and Ji Le were complicated. She liked them—they were so young yet so sensible and caring—but their identities as Corpse Kings also frightened her.
Ji An and Ji Le peeked out from behind Ji Yanqing. Seeing the full bowl of bok choy and rice, they swallowed hard. They looked at Ji Yanqing, then at Lan Zi’s eyes.
“Do you want it?” Ji Yanqing asked.
They nodded their small heads.
“Then what do you say?”
They exchanged a look and said in unison, in their soft, sweet voices, “Thank you.”
“Now, go get it yourselves,” he said, giving them a gentle push.
Pushed forward, they looked anxiously from him to the smiling Lan Zi, then slowly walked over.
Lan Zi looked at the two little kittens approaching cautiously with their wide, round eyes, and her voice softened. “Be careful, it’s hot.” She handed the container to Ji An and watched as he awkwardly carried it back, taking one step at a time. Her expression grew more complex. Logically, she knew they were still the same children, but the shock of them being Corpse Kings was too great. Not just for her, but for everyone. They all needed time to adjust.
“Hey, how about you show us what you can do in the city tonight?” Xia Shen Shu asked, holding his food and trotting along beside Feng Yimo.
Hearing his voice, Lan Zi looked over and saw his excited face. The corner of her mouth twitched. She suddenly felt that she might be overthinking things.
Feng Yimo ignored him.
“Don’t be so stingy,” Xia Shen Shu persisted. “Can you really make them do whatever you want? Anything?”
“I’m busy,” Feng Yimo refused.
“Busy with what?”
Feng Yimo walked over to Ji Yanqing with two dinner portions and handed everything to him. Ji Yanqing took one portion and gave it to Ji Le so he could take it to Lan Zi. She had given the children her meal, and it was only right to make sure she had something to eat.
“For you,” Ji Le said, nervously running up to her. He shoved the food into her arms and then quickly ran away.
Lan Zi looked at the food in her arms, then at Ji An and Ji Le, who were peeking at her from behind Ji Yanqing once again. She gave a wry smile before digging in, speechless.
---
They ate early, but by the time they were finished, it was already 5:30. Only a faint glow of sunset remained on the horizon, and the temperature was dropping rapidly.
Having failed to recruit Feng Yimo, Xia Shen Shu finished his meal and dutifully gathered the other team leaders to explain the situation in the city and the plan for the night. The five of them—Xia Shen Shu, Lan Zi, Li Pingsen, Mo Xian, and Hei Long—would all go into the city. Their targets were five large supermarkets, one for each of them. The closest one was nearby, while the farthest required a short drive.
They all had extensive experience leading teams, and foraging for food was a routine part of their lives. After quickly dividing up the tasks, they each led their respective squads into the city.
Ji Yanqing watched them leave in the twilight, then picked up his axe, also preparing to head into the city. He needed to catch an Awakened Zombie for Lu Qing. Before leaving, he instinctively looked back, intending to tell Feng Yimo to stay and guard the camp, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Ji Yanqing scanned the area, but still couldn’t find him.
The black beast was also gone.
For a moment, he was worried. Not for Feng Yimo’s safety, but that he would wander off and get hopelessly lost. He imagined a small Feng Yimo wandering erratically on a world-sized map...
“Do you know where he is?” he asked Ji An and Ji Le, who, as Feng Yimo’s ‘subordinates’, would know.
Having eaten their bok choy, the two little ones were like content kittens. They were sitting on a small box side by side, holding hands and ready to wait for him to return. At his question, they raised their joined hands and pointed toward the city.
Ji Yanqing looked. When did he go into the city? What for? He thought for a moment but really couldn’t come up with a reason, so he turned back with a resolute sigh.
He turned to the square-faced man and the others who were staying behind. “I’m going into the city to catch an Awakened Zombie. You all, get prepared.”
Most of the camp had gone into the city, leaving only about twenty armed guards and thirty others who were too old, too young, or unable to move. The square-faced man was one of the guards. Hearing Ji Yanqing’s words, he froze.
Before the guard could say anything in reply, Ji Yanqing had already grabbed his cloth-wrapped axe and headed into the city.
Watching him go, the left behind Sunward members exchanged bewildered looks.
“What did he say he was going to do?” the square-faced man asked.
“…Catch an Awakened Zombie.”
“…” He fell silent. Although Ji Yanqing was the captain they had worked so hard to find, in that moment, he still thought he must have lost his mind. Catch an Awakened Zombie? Does he think he’s going grocery shopping?
“What should we do? Should we follow him?” one of the others asked nervously.
The square-faced man looked in the direction he had left, then at the thirty-odd people behind him who couldn’t be moved. He finally chose to stay. “Guard the camp.” As he spoke, he looked toward the city again. Ji Yanqing had already reached the edge.
He frowned, then, after a moment’s hesitation, picked up his walkie-talkie and reported the situation to Hei Long. If they lost Ji Yanqing again after all this trouble, Hei Long would have his head. Can’t this guy just stay put?
“It’s fine. Let him go. You guys need to get ready,” Hei Long’s voice came back over the radio.
The square-faced man, who completely disagreed, was stunned. Isn’t he worried something will happen? And get ready for what? A rescue? If Ji Yanqing stirred up the zombies in the city, there would be even more trouble.
***
In the city.
“Hiss.”
Boss, it’s all up to you.
“Ssss…”
Don’t worry.
The snake-like Corpse King, its head covered in sharp bone spurs My mind is now dominated by the snake boss in Hades. I died to that thing so many times….. I could only reliably beat it with a ranged weapon... , had a disturbingly human-like ferocity in its eyes. It wanted to see for itself what kind of Corpse King would lower itself to mix with humans.
“Grrr…” the badger-like Corpse King reminded it to be careful.
The snake-like one glanced at it, dismissing the warning with a hint of contempt in its eyes. The great war had already begun. As the leader of the First Vanguard Unit, one of the five great armies dispatched by the Devil’s City, how could it possibly fail now? Its long, forked tongue flicked out, hissing all the while. These outsider Corpse Kings were even weaker than it had expected.
“Grrr!” The badger-like one suddenly shot up from the ground, its eyes fixed on a familiar figure in front of the building. Why is the black beast here?
“Sss?”
That’s it?
“Grrr…” Overjoyed, the badger-like one quickly scanned the area around the black beast, looking for Feng Yimo and the others. Just as its gaze fell upon Feng Yimo, walking behind the beast, a shadow flashed past.
The snake-like leader shot toward Feng Yimo, and the three thrice-evolved Corpse Kings behind it followed. Seeing them charge in so recklessly, the badger-like one paced in a panic, wanting to follow but not daring. “Grrr…”
“Ssss…” The snake-like Corpse King, its scales as black as night and its head covered in bone spurs, drew near and reared up, looming over the mere human-shaped Feng Yimo.
A trench coat, a longsword, long hair.
To have a human form, he must be a thrice-evolved Corpse King, but for some reason, it couldn’t sense the aura of a Corpse King on him. It was momentarily confused, but the confusion quickly dissipated. It understood now why this Corpse King had been with the humans. He was too weak.
“Ssss…”
Feng Yimo looked at the black snake, which was easily twice his height.
No feet. Definitely couldn’t dig. Useless.
He shifted his gaze to the other three Corpse Kings.
“Can you dig?” his eyes settled on the small forelimbs of one that looked like a cross between a kangaroo and a dinosaur.
“Guk!” Angered by his stare, the creature took a step forward and bared its teeth. Is this guy looking for death?
Feng Yimo slowly drew his sword. “If you can’t dig, then you’re useless.”
Seeing his attention switch to the other Corpse King, the black snake beast lunged forward with a speed unfitting its size.
“Ssss—!” The black snake’s hiss was cut short as its head detached from its body, falling to the ground before rolling away.
Thump… thump…
The world fell silent for a moment.
Then, the pupils of the other three thrice-evolved Corpse Kings constricted violently. Before they could even react, a cold sensation touched their necks.
Thump…
Thud.
Clang.
“Ssss…” Seeing its own fallen body, the light in the black snake’s eyes faded, frozen in a moment of utter shock. Impossible. How can this be? I am the leader ... of the First Vanguard Unit of the Devil’s City... the strongest being besides our king. We were four thrice-evolved Corpse Kings…
“Where are you going?” Feng Yimo looked at the black beast, which was tiptoeing away with its tail between its legs.
The beast’s heart sank. It had been about to make a break for the alley.
Feng Yimo raised his sword silently.
The black beast turned back, dejected, and sat down obediently in front of him. Its eyes were vacant, seemingly resigning itself to its fate. “…Woof.”
Feng Yimo sheathed his sword. “Keep looking.”
He had promised Ji Yanqing he would help. He just didn’t know how big five mu was. Would two hundred Corpse Kings be enough to till it? Maybe he should catch some more.
Thinking of the happy look on Ji Yanqing’s face when he brought back two hundred Corpse Kings, Feng Yimo felt a surge of warmth in his chest, and walked with a motivated air.
He would catch three hundred.
---
The black beast staggered forward with resigned steps, leading the way to find the city’s next unlucky souls. In a corner, the badger-like Corpse King covered its eyes with its front paws, refusing to look at the headless corpses.
“Roooar…”
It was only after Feng Yimo and the black beast were long gone, their figures disappearing from sight, that it shakily rose to its feet. It cast a tearful glance in the direction they had left, then looked at the four bodies on the ground. With grim determination, it turned and fled the city. It was going to get reinforcements! No matter what, it would absolutely rescue the black beast. It couldn’t imagine the torture it must have endured. It looked so haggard, so thin. Even its cry had changed from the horrors...
***
Outside the city, back at the camp.
The square-faced man, already on edge because of Ji Yanqing’s unauthorized excursion, was instantly jolted by a grief-stricken roar. His face went pale as he raised his rifle and stared toward the city.
“What’s happen—?” a man beside him began, also looking nervously toward the city. His words died in his throat as his facial muscles began to twitch uncontrollably.
The square-faced man followed his gaze. Seeing the two figures—one large, one small—bursting from the edge of the city, his own face began to spasm. He took a deep breath and roared, “AWAKENED ZOMBIE!”
His voice, full and resonant, echoed through the entire camp.
After a moment of dead silence, the fifty-odd people waiting in the camp were seized by heart-stopping terror. Panic erupted. Everyone looked around frantically. The despair of imminent death, a feeling they hadn’t experienced for a long time, crashed down on them, and screams pierced the darkness.
“Ahhh!”
“What do we do?”
“Where are the team leaders?”
“Where is it…?”
The main force was in the city. Only about fifty people remained, and more than half of them were elderly or children who couldn’t move quickly. If they were attacked now, they were all dead.
“Form up!” the square-faced man yelled, his face dark with panic, trying to organize them. “I’ll count to three, then we all open fire…” Although they only had about twenty armed members, they couldn’t just abandon the camp and run. If they did, those who couldn’t move would surely die. How would they explain themselves to Xia Shen Shu and the others when they returned?
Hearing the commotion, the panicked group all turned their eyes toward the edge of the city. In just a few moments, Ji Yanqing, with the gaunt, larger-than-human Awakened Zombie in hot pursuit, had reached the front of their camp.
Seeing the square-faced man and his unit looking at him, Ji Yanqing yelled as he ran, “Are you ready?”
Ready? Ready for what? To fight to the death with an Awakened Zombie? Or to just die?
Hearing his question, the muscles on their faces twitched again. What is wrong with him?
Getting no response, Ji Yanqing was momentarily confused, but this wasn’t the time for questions. He glanced back at the Awakened Zombie still relentlessly chasing him and sprinted toward the camp.
As they charged into the camp one after the other, the square-faced man and his unit fanned out, about to open fire in their panic.
Then, Ji Yanqing stopped abruptly, digging in his heel as he spun to face the creature.
His sudden halt made the Awakened Zombie, which had been chasing him all this way, freeze for a second. The square-faced man and his men also froze.
The Awakened Zombie reacted first, lunging at the now stopped Ji Yanqing.
Ji Yanqing calmly took a step to the side, turning like a matador as the beast’s face whooshed past him.
The cloth-wrapped axe in his hand swung up, then came down hard.
“Urk!…”
Struck on the back of the head, the Awakened Zombie let out a whimper and collapsed face-first onto the ground, motionless.
Having knocked it out, Ji Yanqing let out a breath. This is much more convenient. If he had knocked it out in the city, he would have had to drag it all the way back.
“Where are the ropes?” he asked, looking at the pale-faced group still clutching their guns.
“…What?” The square-faced man looked from the nonchalant Ji Yanqing to the unconscious monster on the ground. His heart was hammering against his ribs, his palms slick with cold sweat. It was the same for the others. The despair and terror that they hadn’t felt in so long had returned, and their legs were trembling.
“Didn’t I tell you to get ready?” Ji Yanqing asked, at a loss. He had given them clear instructions before he left.
The square-faced man’s lips moved, but no words came out. They all knew Ji Yanqing was a good fighter—many of them had been on the receiving end of his beatings back in the forest—but that was human against human. What was lying at his feet now was an Awakened Zombie!
“Where’s Lu Qing?” Ji Yanqing asked.
“Here.” The voice came from right behind him.
Ji Yanqing jumped, startled, and whipped his head around. He saw Lu Qing already crouching on the ground, eagerly studying the monster at his feet. The corner of his mouth twitched. When did he get here?
“I brought back the Awakened Zombie,” Ji Yanqing said. Then, he looked at the still-frozen group. “Go find some ropes and tie it up. Iron chains would be best.”
Not a single one of them moved. They all stared at him with twisted expressions. After joining Sunward, they had quickly discovered that Lu Qing was a bit unhinged. They had thought he was crazy enough, the cliché ‘mad scientist’. They had never imagined there was someone even crazier. That was an Awakened Zombie—an Awakened Zombie, a monster that could easily wipe out their entire squad!
“Is there a problem?” Seeing them motionless, Ji Yanqing felt a bit helpless. It seemed he would have to find an opportunity to have a good talk with these newer members. If they were this unresponsive during a routine task, he couldn’t imagine the chaos of a real Corpse King battle.
The group, still in shock, exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“Then don’t just stand there,” Ji Yanqing said.
They looked at the motionless monster on the ground, then quickly went to find ropes and chains. They had been completely unprepared. The team had ropes, but most were being used for the tents. It took them several minutes to find enough, looking like a flustered chicken flock as they ran about, eyes shaking.
Returning to the clearing with the ropes and chains, they saw the unconscious Awakened Zombie and felt a chill run down their spines, their limbs turning to ice. No one dared to approach.
“Tie it up,” Ji Yanqing repeated.
The group looked from the monster, then back to their supposed Captain, unsure which of them was more terrifying. The square-faced man took the lead, approaching with trembling hands. He had just gotten close, when before he could even crouch down, the zombie on the ground began to stir, slowly regaining consciousness.
Seeing this, the approaching group’s breath hitched, their hearts leaping into their throats.
Thwack.
With that taken care of, Ji Yanqing looked at the sluggish group, his resolve to whip them into shape strengthening.
The square-faced man looked from the zombie, its scalp now split open under Ji Yanqing’s axe, to Ji Yanqing himself, and found himself on the verge of tears. He finally understood why Hei Long had told him not to worry. Was this something he could even begin to worry about?
The Awakened Zombie was twice the height of a man, gaunt and skeletal, with no clear signs of what it was evolving toward. It took the group a long time of fumbling before they finally managed to tie its hands and feet securely. For good measure, they wrapped layers of iron chains around its neck to ensure it couldn’t break free.
After tethering it to a tree at the edge of the camp, the group immediately scrambled back, trembling. Lu Qing, however, eagerly retrieved a pile of equipment from his truck and began to work on his latest subject.
Ji Yanqing watched for a moment, then looked around. In the darkness, everyone in the camp was staring in their direction, their faces pale and their lips blue, looking like a crowd of vengeful ghosts. No, even ghosts weren’t this terrifying.
As he was observing them, a familiar figure appeared in the distance. Feng Yimo and the black beast were returning. The black beast, walking in front, was trembling, its eyes vacant, as if it had suffered a great shock. Feng Yimo also looked displeased.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Yanqing walked over. Seeing that he wasn’t injured, he slowed down before continuing, “What were you doing in the city?”
Feng Yimo looked at him. “Catching Corpse Kings.” He had promised to help.
Ji Yanqing was stunned for a moment, his expression becoming a colorful mix of emotions. “Did you catch any?”
Feng Yimo shook his head, a little unhappy.
Ji Yanqing let out a sigh of relief. He was about to tell him not to bother with such things anymore—no one would dare eat anything grown in a field tilled by Corpse Kings—but seeing the disappointment in his dark, brooding eyes, he swallowed his words. Feng Yimo had gone to all that trouble for him, after all…
“It’s alright. We can always catch some later,” he said softly, a mixture of amusement and helplessness in his voice.
“Okay.”
Hearing that single word, the square-faced man and his group felt like crying. Before, if they had heard this conversation, they would have laughed at Feng Yimo for being insane. But after seeing Ji Yanqing catch an Awakened Zombie with their own eyes, they were now genuinely worried.
Are Ji Yanqing and that Feng Yimo guy really planning to catch a Corpse King and bring it back?
With this worry gnawing at them, listening to the continuous clanking of chains, the enraged roars of the Awakened Zombie from behind the tree, and Lu Qing’s happy muttering, the group spent the entire night on edge.
Later, just before dawn, Xia Shen Shu’s and the other squads returned. When they saw the teams ‘guard’ group huddled in a corner, quiet as mice, saw their pale faces and anxious expressions, and then heard the roar of an Awakened Zombie, their own expressions became quite colorful.
The news that Ji Yanqing had single-handedly captured an Awakened Zombie quickly spread through the camp. The original members of Sunward and Bai Haoxuan’s team had complex, yet resigned looks on their faces. The newer members, however, were skeptical. In their view, even with enough firepower to deal with an Awakened Zombie, it was impossible for one person to capture it alive. Their speed and strength were far superior to a human’s.
Those doubts were completely silenced the next day when, as they were preparing to leave, Ji Yanqing casually knocked the roaring Awakened Zombie unconscious with a single blow from his axe, dragged it over, and threw it into a truck.
As they set out again, there was a new addition to their convoy. Listening to the constant roars coming from the back of that truck, everyone in the team became just like the square-faced man’s group: quiet and obedient, like a flock of little chicks.
---
Nine days later, they reached the first survey point.
As the convoy rolled into the designated area, even before the vehicles came to a stop, the brows of Ji Yanqing and the others furrowed. On the map, the location had looked ideal: a town nestled between a mountain range at its back and a lake at its front, a layout perfect for both defense and survival.
But reality was different. After the trees in the mountains had mutated, half the town was now shrouded in their shadow. The area that was supposed to be a lake had long since dried up, revealing a parched, sunken ground overgrown with weeds. The town itself was also mostly in ruins. It was completely unsuitable for a long-term settlement.
Faced with this change, the group, which had previously only worried about a lack of farmland, now felt a wave of helplessness. Without stopping to make camp, they immediately pressed onward.
Three days later, they arrived at the second location. This was the one Hei Long had chosen. The river still had water, and the town was intact. However, the large city nearby was much closer than they had anticipated. Urban sprawl had pushed its boundaries outward, yet unreflected on the map. From the edge of the town, they could clearly see the silhouettes of zombies shuffling about in a construction site that had been in progress.
At this distance, any significant noise they made would attract the entire city’s zombie population.
Although disappointed and now apprehensive about the remaining two locations, the group showed no outward sign of dismay. They simply regrouped and continued forward. They had no time for anxiety or delay. It had been nearly half a month since they left Wu City—enough time for Huang Rongyue and Qin Yue to have cleared out several cities.
Holding their breath, the convoy sped down the highway, trying to reach the next potential site as quickly as possible.
Three days later, even before the vehicles stopped, the group, who had been craning their necks out the windows, let out a collective sigh of relief. The third location was the one Mo Xian had found, the county seat that was a considerable distance from the canal.
A range of low mountains encircled the county, providing a natural barrier that would aid in their defense. The county itself was situated slightly to the left of the basin’s center and was larger than an average one, covering an area equivalent to seven or eight large towns, with at least three main bustling streets. Judging by the new buildings that seemed to be sprouting up like bamboo shoots, the county had been undergoing significant development.
It was larger than they expected, which meant more zombies, and possibly Awakened Zombies, but these were minor issues they had the power to change. The only real problem was the distance from the canal. On the map, three to five li(里, lǐ) is a traditional Chinese unit of distance that has been standardized to exactly 500 meters, equivalent to half a kilometer or approximately 1,640 feet. had looked like a small stretch. In reality, they couldn’t even see the river from where they stood. Over such a long distance, even if they built a pipeline with pumps, it could be easily cut off, leaving the entire settlement without water. Huang Rongyue and the others wouldn’t even have to do anything; they could just wait for them to die of thirst.
“Should I take the drone over for a look?” Xia Shen Shu asked Ji Yanqing.
He nodded. The drone could record video, which would give them a clearer understanding of the situation by the canal.
“I’ll go too,” Lu Qing said.
Ji Yanqing and the others looked at him in surprise. He was usually uninterested in such matters.
Lu Qing held up a test tube. “I need to get a water sample to see if it’s usable.” He was indeed uninterested, but this was his survival team too, and he wanted to do his part.
“Be careful,” Ji Yanqing cautioned.
After launching the drone, Xia Shen Shu took the equipment and headed with Lu Qing toward the canal.
Ji Yanqing glanced at the nearby vehicles, took a few steps back, then got a running start before jumping and climbing onto the roof of a truck. From this high vantage point, he surveyed the surroundings carefully.
Many of the county’s residents had been farmers, so the flatlands around it were covered in dry fields. He even saw a field of the same purple and white Brassica napus flowers he had seen before, sprawling across the land.
In front of the county was a wide, paved road nearly two li long. The end closer to the county was cluttered with abandoned vehicles, while the other end led to a forest. A wide national highway ran through the forest. A few vehicles were visible on it, but for the most part, it was empty.
“We’ll set up camp over there,” Ji Yanqing said, getting down from the truck and pointing behind the forest. The land around the county was all dry fields, which, unlike paddy fields, were relatively flat and could be driven on directly.
The convoy quickly started up and headed for the area behind the forest. As they approached, about twenty zombies on the highway lunged toward them. They were too close to the county to risk gunfire. Li Pingsen’s well-trained squad fanned out, several men to a zombie. Ji Yanqing didn’t stay idle either. He was more skilled at close combat than anyone else on the team, and in just a few minutes, he had taken down a large number of growling, snarling dangers.
Seeing his monstrous strength again, the square-faced man and his group, who had just started to relax, were reminded of the Awakened Zombie they had in their convoy. For the first few days, it had howled incessantly with full-throated vigor, but as time went on, it had gradually fallen silent. They all tried not to think about why, but every now and then, the thought would surface, and each time it did, a wave of goosebumps would wash over them. The fear of Awakened Zombies and Corpse Kings was deeply ingrained in their souls.
“Burn the bodies. And then start setting up camp here. We’ll wait for Xia Shen Shu to get back and have his drone scout the county before we make any further plans,” Ji Yanqing said. He paused, then added, “Drag the bodies far away, to the foot of the mountain, before you burn them. Try not to contaminate the farmland.” They didn’t have a use for this land yet and didn’t know if they ever would, but no one would dare eat anything that grew from soil contaminated by zombie corpses.
The square-faced man and his unit moved quickly.
Xia Shen Shu and Lu Qing were gone longer than Ji Yanqing had expected. He thought they would be back in twenty minutes at most, but it was closer to forty by the time they returned.
“What’s the situation?” Ji Yanqing asked as the two of them emerged from the forest.
“The road was longer than we thought,” Xia Shen Shu said. “We looked around a bit when we got there. There’s a bridge over the river, just ahead of this highway. The other side of the river is also farmland, and the terrain is quite flat. The water is very clean.”
Ji Yanqing got a rough picture in his mind. He took the tablet from Xia Shen Shu and reviewed the recorded footage. The video was over twenty minutes long, so he watched it on double speed.
The entire area was a basin surrounded by a continuous mountain range, and the terrain was mostly flat. The land around the county was all farmland, with uncultivated grasslands further out. Although many of the county’s residents had been farmers, most families were no longer as poor as they had been decades ago. More and more people had chosen to work in the cities.
If they used all the flat land for farming, they could grow a lot, but just clearing such a large area would likely take months. Considering the consumption of resources during that time, it wasn’t a worthwhile trade-off right now.
“Go scout the county later,” Ji Yanqing said, handing the tablet back.
Xia Shen Shu had already planned to. He took the drone to recharge.
From his small truck, Lu Qing poked his head out. “The water is the same as the water in the canal.”
The group, who had been anxiously waiting for the results, let out a collective sigh of relief. Some even broke into smiles. This river was a tributary of the canal, so it was logical that the water quality would be the same. But in an environment where anything could mutate, a definitive answer was reassuring.
“If we need to purify large quantities of river water, will it consume a lot of resources?” Ji Yanqing asked him. Lu Qing was the only one on the team who knew how to purify the water. He was sure he would explain the principles if he asked, but he wouldn’t understand them anyway, so there was no point.
“The water is full of insect eggs. To make it potable, you have to kill them. I can make the pesticide, but producing it in large quantities will have a cost,” Lu Qing said candidly.
Hearing this, the group, who had just been celebrating, all paled. Insect eggs? Many of them looked disgusted, as if they had just eaten something foul. Lu Qing hadn’t mentioned this before.
The corner of Ji Yanqing’s mouth twitched. They had even bathed in the river before. At the time, Lu Qing had only said that drinking a small amount wouldn’t be a problem…
Trying to ignore the intensifying feeling of soft, wriggly things crawling all over him, he said, his scalp tingling, “How harmful are these insects? If we don’t purify the water, can we still use it for sanitation and farming?” The county was full of zombies. Even if they killed them all, they couldn’t just move in. A massive cleanup was necessary. And for farming, water and fertilizer were essential. Especially water. Without it, they could only let the plants grow on their own. If they thrived, great. But if they all decided to die, months of work would be for nothing. In their current situation, they couldn’t afford to fail even once. A single failure would mean starvation for the entire team.
“It’s hard to say, but I don’t think it will be a big problem,” Lu Qing said. “Those insects can only survive in water.”
Ji Yanqing decided not to worry about it for now. He looked at Li Pingsen and the other team leaders and took a deep breath. “First, let’s get a clear picture of the situation in the county and the surrounding area as quickly as possible. If there are no other major problems, we’ll build our paradise here.”
---
This might not have been the most ideal location, but their current situation left them no time or energy for a prolonged search.
Hearing Ji Yanqing’s decision, Li Pingsen, Lan Zi, Mo Xian, Hei Long, and Bai Haoxuan exchanged a look and took a deep breath. They had been discussing the preparations for the paradise constantly on their journey, but it was only in this moment that the reality of it—that they were truly about to build a home—finally sank in.
They all turned to look around them. Their gazes swept past the faces of their teammates—faces filled with a mixture of confusion, excitement, and anxiety—and settled on the distant county, the mountains beyond, the vast, azure sky above, and the sun that hung within it.
It was just after nine in the morning, the air beginning to warm. In this moment, they had found the location of their paradise, their future home.
The original members of the team looked at each other. When they had first heard the word “paradise” from Ji Yanqing’s lips, they had all found it amusing. It was good to have dreams, but his seemed utterly unrealistic. Later, when they realized he was serious, their helplessness had been tinged with a bitter sorrow. Did he have any idea how difficult that dream was to achieve?
Then, he had disappeared.
And then, he had reappeared.
He had brought them here and told them that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this land beneath their feet would be their home, his paradise.
Lan Zi’s eyes burned. She raised a hand to cover her mouth and nose and turned away, not wanting anyone to see her vulnerability. But as she turned, she saw that she was not the only one with reddened eyes. Li Pingsen, Bai Haoxuan, Mo Xian, Hei Long, and even the ever-smiling Xia Shen Shu—their eyes were all red.
“Haha…” Xia Shen Shu laughed, though he didn’t know why. When he had first encouraged Ji Yanqing to start a survival team, he hadn’t thought much of it. The “paradise” had been just a joke. He never believed such a thing could exist in this apocalyptic world. And while the paradise they were about to build was different from the one in their imaginations, Ji Yanqing had actually done it.
He said he would build a survival team, and they got Sunward.
He said he would build a paradise, and now they were standing on this land.
Xia Shen Shu took a deep breath. “Don’t just stand there, move!” With that, he unplugged the still-charging drone and strode toward the county.
Lan Zi and the others exchanged a look and, with a silent understanding, each selected about twenty people from their squads and sent them to scout the surrounding area, especially the mountains behind them, with their own eyes.
Seeing their team leaders with red-rimmed eyes, the other members of the survival team, after a moment of stunned silence, also broke into smiles. Many of them began to cry as they smiled.
They had brushed with death countless times, despaired countless times, given up and forced themselves to stand back up countless times. They had grown numb, forced themselves to be satisfied with simply being alive another day. They had thought this was all their lives would ever be, that a quiet, unnoticed death would be a blessing.
But now, everything seemed to be different. Ahead of them, they were going to build a paradise, a home that belonged to them.
For a moment, the entire camp was filled with the sound of sobbing. But unlike any other time, no one would laugh at them for it.
Feeling a tug on his pant leg, Ji Yanqing looked down.
Having never seen so many people with red eyes before, Ji An and Ji Le’s own eyes were as red as rabbit’s. They clung to either side of his legs, looking up at him.
“Dad,” Ji An’s voice was thick with tears and sincerity. “I will protect you. I really will.”
“Me too. I’m super, super strong. I will always, always protect you,” Ji Le’s voice was soft and sweet, but filled with a profound seriousness.
“Okay,” Ji Yanqing said, stroking their heads and wiping the moisture from the corners of their eyes.
Ever since he had learned about the coming war that would span the entire map, a heavy feeling had settled in his chest. But in this moment, that weight seemed to crack. No matter what the future held, he had two “super, super strong” little bodyguards who would surely protect him well.
Ji Yanqing looked up at Feng Yimo, who was standing in front of him, a faint trace of hope in his eyes. Feng Yimo was not a man of eloquent words, but in this moment, he wished he would hear him say, “Me too.”
But despite his hopes, Feng Yimo didn’t say it. Instead, under Ji Yanqing’s expectant gaze, he raised a hand and, mimicking the way he had just stroked the children’s heads, gently patted Ji Yanqing’s own fluffy head.
“Ji Yanqing.”
“Hmm?”
“What is more than like?” he asked.
Feeling the gentle pressure on his head, the warmth of his palm, a smile curved Ji Yanqing’s lips. He didn’t answer, just looked at him and smiled.
Under the gaze of those eyes, those eyes that held a faint smile, something in Feng Yimo’s chest began to pound. His mouth went dry, and he felt an urgent need to do something.
His hand slid down from Ji Yanqing’s head, his fingertips brushing against his slightly cool cheek before coming to rest on his pale pink lips.
“Can I taste this?” Feng Yimo’s voice was hoarse.
Ji Yanqing’s breath hitched.
The impulse in Feng Yimo’s heart grew stronger, stronger than the desire to just taste his lips. He wanted to do more… He swallowed instinctively, his already deep, cold pupils turning even darker, so dark that they seemed to swallow the light as one stared into them.
Ji Yanqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He looked away.
He crouched down and planted a kiss on each of the children’s cheeks. Kissed, the two little ones, their eyes still red, were overjoyed, their voices turning even sweeter. Ji Yanqing was the best dad in the world.
“Dad…”
“Come on, let’s go see how Xia Shen Shu is doing,” Ji Yanqing said, taking his two little bodyguards by the hand and heading toward the county.
After walking some distance, he looked back. Feng Yimo was still watching him, hand unmoved.
***
In the mountains surrounding the county, behind the camp.
The badger-like Corpse King stared at the now-silent truck in the camp, knowing that the Awakened Zombie inside was likely dead. It seethed with rage. Another poor brother has been brutally murdered! Feng Yimo and his group were too cruel.
“Roooar.”
Boss, it’s all up to you.
“Grrr…”
Don’t worry.
In the forest, a hedgehog-like Corpse King, its entire body covered in sharp, poisonous quills, narrowed its vertical pupils. If what the badger said was true, if the black snake from the first unit was really killed by Feng Yimo, then it would not let him get away with it! The black snake had been the strongest among all the Corpse Kings in their five vanguard units. It refused to believe it would lose to this ‘Feng Yimo’. He must have used some kind of trick.
“Grrr…”
I’ll go alone later. Don’t get in my way, the hedgehog Corpse King warned its five subordinates.
The five Corpse Kings behind it bowed their heads.
“Grrr?”
Which one is Feng Yimo? it asked.
The badger-like one immediately scanned the crowd, trying to find and point him out. But as its gaze swept over them, it couldn’t see him.
“Roooar—!”
“Looking for me?” Feng Yimo’s cold voice sounded lowly, right beside it.
The group of Corpse Kings, who had been plotting in the forest, jumping in fright as they all turned toward the sound.
Seeing him, the badger-like Corpse King trembled and instinctively turned to flee over the mountain. The hedgehog Corpse King and its squad frowned. They couldn’t sense the aura of a Corpse King on this man at all.
Is he that weak?
Could someone this weak really have killed the black snake? He must have used a trick.
“Can you dig?” Feng Yimo’s gaze lowered to the hedgehog’s feet.
“Grrr!” The hedgehog glared back angrily, venom dripping from the tips of its quills. It decided to pin him to the ground first in order to immobilize him, and then interrogate him slowly.
A hedgehog had no visible feet.
Feng Yimo glanced in the direction the badger had fled, considering whether to give chase.
He had made up his mind. He would catch five hundred Corpse Kings for Ji Yanqing. He didn’t know how big five mu was, but Ji Yanqing would surely be happy to see so many Corpse Kings helping him till the land. Xia Shen Shu and the others would be happy too.
----
Didn't think my posts would suddenly become synced with the holidays, didya? Neither did I xD. Up to ch 81 is up on the P, I just need to get better at scheduling the posts here... Anyhow, may your Christmas be full of yummy food and joy!
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