AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 77
Chapter 77
“I Love You.”
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Feng Yimo’s move was so sudden that Ji Yanqing was pinned beneath him before he could react. Feeling his strength, looking into that fierce gaze that seemed to want to devour him whole, all the blood rushed to Ji Yanqing’s head. Before he could speak, his lips were captured.
Feng Yimo’s kiss was clumsy, a fumbling exploration of rubbing and suction. Something was stirring from the depths of his soul, making him restless. The moment his lips touched Ji Yanqing’s, that restlessness was momentarily soothed, only to be replaced by an even greater agitation, a deeper dissatisfaction. The feeling was more potent than any drug, a desperate need for more.
“Ji Yanqing…” He held Ji Yanqing tightly, an increasingly strange sensation radiating from where their bodies touched, leaving him trembling. He instinctively sought more.
Ji Yanqing’s breath hitched. He grabbed Feng Yimo’s roaming hand. “Don’t…” The word came out a hoarse rasp, laced with a distinct tremor. “The kids…”
Feng Yimo regained some of his composure and looked over at the two cubs. They were fast asleep, their pale cheeks flushed with a faint pinkness. He looked back at Ji Yanqing, his gaze sweeping over his flushed, panting face and the slight rise and fall of his collar. “Ji Yanqing…”
“Hmm?”
“I want to eat you…” Not in the literal sense, but something else, something he couldn’t name. He wanted to devour him, to merge their flesh and blood.
“…” Ji Yanqing gasped for breath, his gaze burning as he stared into those ever-deep eyes. He tilted his head up slightly and pressed a kiss to his lips. Feng Yimo immediately pressed forward.
When the kiss ended, he rolled onto his side, pulling Ji Yanqing into a tight embrace. Feeling their bodies pressed together, the restlessness in his heart intensified, but the depths of his soul found a moment of peace.
Held in that embrace, Ji Yanqing slept soundly.
The next day, the county began to stir before the sun was up. Ji Yanqing lingered in the warmth of Feng Yimo’s arms for a few more minutes before finally getting up. Leaving the warm embrace, he was immediately hit by a wave of cold that made him shiver. He dressed quickly. Just as he was about to leave, he turned and saw that Feng Yimo was awake.
“Help me look after them,” he said, looking at Ji An and Ji Le. Having not seen him all night, the two little ones would surely become little red-eyed rabbits when they woke up to see he’d already left. They had become even clingier than before, wanting to follow him everywhere. He wanted to stay with them, but he couldn’t, not yet. This was the most critical time for the alliance. Only after they had gotten through this period, only after they had found a way to coexist with the Corpse Kings, would he have time. He was tired of running. If he could, he would live with them in this small county forever... Drinking clean water, growing their own vegetables, occasionally going out for supplies, sleeping in every day—not rich, but at peace.
“Okay,” Feng Yimo said.
“Mmm…” On the bed, Ji Le turned over. Ji Yanqing looked. He had thought he had woken him, but he saw that the little boy’s face was full of anxiety. He seemed to be having a nightmare, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. His hand grasped at the air, finding nothing.
Ji Yanqing quickly went to him and took his hand. “Ji Le?” His fingers were tiny, barely able to wrap around two of his. The moment he grasped them, he held on with surprising strength, so tight it made his own fingers ache.
“Ji Le?” he tried to wake him.
“Mmm…” Ji Le groggily opened his eyes, glanced at him, and then closed them again, still sleepy.
“It’s alright, it’s alright…” Ji Yanqing whispered, gently stroking his head until Ji Le drifted back to sleep. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then quietly took his axe and left.
Downstairs, the snow in the complex was already covered in footprints. He was clearly not the only one who wanted to make a life here. Everyone was working toward that goal. He took a deep breath, letting the cold air clear the last traces of sleep from his mind, and walked out of the complex. More and more people were up early, working feverishly under the faint morning light.
Counting, cataloging, and centralizing the supplies, weapons, ammunition, and medicine was a massive undertaking. With nearly thirty teams now in the county, every step took an immense amount of time and energy. Clearing the zombies and debris was just as time-consuming. Tong Yue and the other major team leaders were busy with their tasks, while also sending people back to their own settlements to have their main forces and supplies brought over.
After a tour of the county, Ji Yanqing had wanted to ask them what they knew about edible mutated plants to get the farming started, but he was swamped all morning. The cleanup crew came to him asking for water. With more people, the cleanup was going faster, and they were using more water. The canal was too far. With just one generator and one pipe, they could only pump a dozen or so buckets in half a day, which wasn’t nearly enough. On top of that, the pipeline and generator were exposed. If a Corpse King came, they would be easily destroyed. Even a human- if anyone with ill intentions were to tamper with it, the entire county would be finished.
He had already been thinking about this, but he had no better solution.
He had just sent them away when Bai Haoxuan came to him, wanting to build a protective fence around the entire county. With so many people making noise, even though they had cleared the surrounding area, there was no guarantee that other zombies wouldn’t be attracted or that they hadn’t missed some. A fence would be the best way to keep ordinary zombies from getting in and hurting people. Before coming to him, he had already scouted the county and found shops that sold wire mesh and rebar. While they might not have enough, such materials were easy to find. Ji Yanqing, of course, had no objections.
He had just sent him away when the lookouts from the gate came to report that a new team had arrived. It was a small, unfamiliar team of over a hundred people. He welcomed them, spoke with their leader, explained the pros and cons and the rules of the alliance, and after they agreed to join, sent them to Huang Rongyue’s area.
He had just finished with that and was about to get back to his research on farming when Huang Rongyue and the others came to him asking for more warehouse space. They had too much stuff; the few warehouses they had weren’t enough.
He hadn’t even finished dealing with that when Lu Qing and the old team leader came to find him. The two of them had hit it off and had been talking all morning. They were setting up the research lab and had already selected a group of suitable people from all the teams. This was a top priority, and he wanted to send people to get all the necessary equipment immediately, but the squads hadn’t been properly assigned yet.
He had just managed to placate and send Lu Qing away when the group who had asked for water came back, this time to complain. After spending all morning gathering gasoline and getting the generator running, they had finally managed to get a little water. But before they could even start cleaning, Lu Qing had stolen all of it. They were already on edge from the water shortage, and now, they were on the verge of tears.
Faced with their aggrieved expressions, Ji Yanqing was at a loss. He quickly had someone else go find another generator and set up a second pipeline. Two pipelines should at least ease the water shortage.
He had just assigned the task and returned to the complex when the same group came back again. The sight of them made his head ache. After asking, his head ached even more. The generator they had just found had also been stolen by Lu Qing.
Hearing this, the corner of Ji Yanqing’s mouth twitched violently. What is Lu Qing trying to do? First the water, now the generator? He stormed off to confront him, circled half the city, then circled back. Lu Qing’s research was the top priority.
Returning to the complex, he was met by a crowd of wronged, pleading faces. A muscle in his cheek twitched. With a grim resolve, he sketched a rough diagram, went to find Feng Yimo, and, under the dark stares of the three beasts, tasked him with digging a river. He wanted to connect the canal directly to the county gate. He was so eager to find Corpse Kings to dig, was he? Fine. He could dig to his heart’s content.
That night, after a day of non-stop work, everyone went to bed early.
In the dead of night, when all was quiet, the world suddenly began to tremble.
The survivors, long accustomed to danger, were instantly awake. They grabbed their weapons, not even bothering with clothes, and looked around, on high alert.
After a wave of panic, the entire population of the county gathered at the western edge, staring in disbelief at the massive pit that had suddenly appeared. It was huge, almost the size of the county itself, and over ten meters deep. It connected to the canal, and a large volume of muddy, snowy river water was pouring in.
Under the snowy night sky, there was only the great pit. Nothing else could be seen.
---
Faced with the massive pit, the crowd, many of whom hadn’t even had time to grab their coats, stared in bewildered panic, completely unsure of what had just happened. A low murmur of discussion rippled through them and didn’t stop, with all sorts of theories emerging. Many suspected it was a Corpse King—only a Corpse King could do something like this—but if so, where was it? And why would it suddenly dig a giant pit here?
The others didn’t know, but how could Xia Shen Shu’s group not understand? Awakened by the tremor, they stared at the pit, their minds reeling. They all looked from Ji Yanqing to Feng Yimo, and then to the three roped creatures at his feet. The black dog’s paws were caked in mud, its eyes vacant. The scaly one was trembling, its armor covered in snow and dirt. It wasn’t clean anymore. The last one, the great rat, also looked lifeless, as if its soul had departed. Seeing them, Xia Shen Shu and the others were in a daze.
When Huang Rongyue and the other major team leaders, still in a state of shock, saw that Xia Shen Shu’s group wasn’t looking at the pit but at Ji Yanqing, they followed their gaze. He did this? But how is that possible?
Under their stare, Ji Yanqing, who was trying his best to look surprised, said, “It was probably a shift in the earth’s crust.”
The corners of their mouths twitched violently as they watched him lie through his teeth.
“That’s… impossible… right?” Huang Rongyue’s gaze darted back and forth between them.
“Did you see what did it?” he asked.
She was speechless. “…No.”
“If you didn’t see what did it, don’t make wild guesses. It obviously just cracked open on its own,” he insisted.
Seeing his utterly convinced expression, the other leaders’ faces became even more colorful. A pit that size, created at that speed… as far as they knew, only one thing could do that, but it was clearly impossible. Why would a Corpse King help them? It was a miracle it hadn’t just charged in and eaten them all.
Of all of them, only Tong Yue’s face was dark. He stared intently at Ji Yanqing. He had said that Lou Ye had once disguised himself as a human and infiltrated a survival team.
Could Ji Yanqing be…?
No one dared to sleep that night. They all remained on high alert. Later, they even sent people to the canal to investigate, but they found nothing. The heavy snow had long since blurred any footprints. They stood guard all night and saw nothing. The next day, the entire county was buzzing with talk of the incident. The theories grew even more absurd, with some swearing they had seen a giant rat digging while crying. Others said they saw a pangolin and a big dog. Everyone insisted that what they saw was the absolute truth. The only thing they all agreed on was that whatever was digging, it was crying while it did it. This only deepened the mystery.
Unsettled, some of the more timid members suggested leaving, but Ji Yanqing dismissed their concerns. The pit had obviously opened on its own. Seeing that he had no intention of moving, everyone could only grit their teeth and continue their work.
The preparations took much longer than expected. They had planned to be finished in about ten days, but by the time they finally stopped, twenty days had passed. On the fifteenth day, they had completed most of the major tasks, but then the follow-up forces from Equator, Cradle, and the other large teams arrived. A fleet of five or six hundred large trucks nearly filled the entire vegetable field outside the county. Hundreds of vehicles, and besides the ones carrying people, over four hundred were filled with supplies. The sheer abundance of resources lifted everyone’s spirits, and also kept them incredibly busy.
Twenty days later, when everyone was on the verge of collapse, their alliance finally had a basic structure. All supplies, weapons, and medicine had been inventoried and stored. All personnel were registered. The zombies in the county were cleared out, and a simple barbed-wire fence was erected around the perimeter. The main gate was reinforced. While it was still a far cry from a fortress, it was a good start.
In those twenty days, seven new teams had been drawn to them, three of which had over two hundred members, the other four close to a hundred each. With the original teams, the total population of the alliance now exceeded twelve thousand. Of them, the smaller teams were short on weapons, while the larger teams had a surplus. On average, nearly eight thousand people were armed and combat-ready, about seventy percent of the total population.
The eight thousand combatants were divided into eight divisions of one thousand each. Each division was further divided into five squads of two hundred. The eight division leaders were the seven original major team leaders and Xia Shen Shu. The forty squad leaders were the leaders of the smaller teams and the deputies from the larger ones.
The moment the teams were formed, Ji Yanqing dispatched thirty of the squads to the territories of Huang Rongyue and Qin Yue to gather any remaining supplies.
On the day of their departure, everyone gathered at the county gate to see them off. Thirty squads, five vehicles each—the procession was vast, like a great dragon. Seeing this, the spirits of the people, who had been working for nearly a month, were lifted. They didn’t know what the outcome would be, but their alliance was now a formidable force. It even gave them the illusion that they were already invincible, that things would only get better.
After seeing them off, Ji Yanqing led the other leaders back to the cafeteria in his complex. With so many people in the county, the cafeteria had been moved, and this space was now his office, though it was still just a few tables and chairs.
When they arrived, Lu Qing and the old man were already waiting inside. The old man’s name was Guo Panming. He was one of the eight major team leaders and had been a professor of microbiology. Now, he was primarily working with Lu Qing on researching mutated plants.
Seeing them enter, Lu Qing, who had been waiting, took a pile of things out of a glass case and placed them on the table. The leaders all gathered around. The items could be divided into two groups of six: one group was a set of test tubes filled with agents, one of which was tightly wrapped, and the other was a set of modified bullets infused with the agents.
The gruff-voiced man from Cradle, after returning from his Corpse King scouting mission, had been sent out again by Ji Yanqing, this time with Lu Qing and Professor Guo, to a large city to find a pharmaceutical company. They had moved heaven and earth to bring back a pile of machinery. In addition, Ji Yanqing had also procured a variety of mutated plants, including the flowers from the field.
“From the results of our R&D, this is the most complete solution we can offer right now,” Lu Qing said, getting straight to the point.
The leaders sat down at the table, waiting for an explanation. This was all beyond their expertise.
“To kill a Corpse King, there are four steps,” he began. “First, create a wound with a firearm. Second, inject an agent that makes them lose control of their body. Third, a special toxin. And fourth, a lethal poison.” Besides the tightly wrapped test tube of flower mud, he pointed to two other tubes on the table. One was a pale blue, the other clear and crystalline.
Ji Yanqing frowned slightly. “Does it have to be two steps?” He had no problem with the first two, but why was the final kill divided into two parts? They were facing Corpse Kings—thinking, dodging monsters. In a real battle, they might be facing dozens at once. An extra step meant extra danger.
“There are actually quite a few things that can affect Corpse Kings,” Lu Qing said. “We have nearly fifteen in our possession right now. The question is, how effective are they? Corpse Kings have powerful healing abilities. If you can’t destroy their brains and kill them completely in a short amount of time, their healing factor will likely consume the poison.”
Ji Yanqing was silent. He was right. They had all witnessed the powerful healing abilities of Corpse Kings.
Professor Guo added, “The first of these two agents isn’t actually very toxic. It can’t directly harm a Corpse King. We chose to include it because it can inhibit their healing ability. In addition, it also reacts with the third toxin to create a much more corrosive effect.”
As he spoke, he and Lu Qing stood up, took a small amount from the last two test tubes, and placed it in a glass tank they had prepared. Inside the tank was a large stone with a thick iron plate on top. When the first agent was dropped on it, there was no reaction. The moment the second was added, a violent reaction occurred. A large hole was instantly burned through the iron and the stone beneath it, a hole that was visibly and rapidly expanding. It grew from the size of a small finger to the size of a basketball, almost completely consuming the iron and stone, leaving only a pile of black, unknown material. The agent didn’t seem to affect the glass, but the intense heat of the reaction still made it warp.
The skeptical group smelled the acrid, burning scent, saw the vaporized iron and stone, and the corners of their mouths twitched.
In some ways, Lu Qing was no less dangerous than a Corpse King.
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“We haven’t figured out the exact reason, but it is effective,” Lu Qing said, his excitement palpable. “And we’ve already mastered the purification method. If we have enough materials, we can begin mass production immediately.”
Professor Guo, ever the pragmatist, added, “These substances are also harmful to humans. We don’t yet know the long-term side effects of exposure.”
No one spoke. If they didn’t use it now, they wouldn’t have a future to worry about anyway.
“How much can you produce right now?” Ji Yanqing asked.
“If we don’t waste any materials, a conservative estimate would be enough to kill two Corpse Kings,” Lu Qing said, picking up one of the modified bullets. “The modified rounds don’t have the same power as an unmodified one. Their range and penetration are weaker, so it’s best to use them at close range.”
“We need more materials,” Professor Guo stated.
Ji Yanqing nodded. “I’ll have people get them as soon as possible. For now, use what you have. Once you’re ready, we’ll begin the experiment immediately.”
“Give me three days,” Lu Qing said. Even he, who cared little for the alliance’s progress, understood. They had to produce results quickly. Only by seeing success could they stabilize morale. Otherwise, the alliance they had worked so hard to build could collapse in an instant.
With the plan set, Lu Qing and Professor Guo immediately returned to the lab.
As Ji Yanqing was leaving, Ji An and Ji Le ran to him, looking as if they had something to say. Before they could speak, he stroked their heads. “I still have some things to do.”
They fell silent. Ji Le lowered his head, and Ji An looked as if he wanted to say something but held back.
“I’ll be back tonight, can we talk then?” Ji Yanqing crouched down.
They didn’t answer. He had been coming back very late and leaving very early every day. They hadn’t seen him at home in days. They would see him during the day, but he was always too busy to talk for more than a few words.
“Be good,” he said, stroking their heads again before standing and leaving.
He had no time to rest. He assigned tasks to the squads resting in the county, sending them out for more materials, and also began selecting people for the first operation. They didn’t have enough ammunition for all eight thousand to participate. And since this was the first experiment, they had to succeed. He chose a group of the best marksmen from all the teams.
He selected two hundred people in total, the size of a standard squad in their new alliance, and their future basic combat unit. Once the team was assembled, they held a rehearsal in an empty area within the county. The people chosen were the elite of their respective teams. Although they had never worked together before, they understood the principles of cooperation.
By nightfall, they had developed three or four different tactical plans to ensure they could complete the mission without panic under any circumstances. The squad’s leader was also decided: Lan Zi. Her marksmanship was so great that even an old hand like Xia Shen Shu felt inadequate. The others, who had barely had a chance to touch a gun before the outbreak, were no match for her.
Two days later, with the modified bullets in hand, Ji Yanqing had everyone get a full night’s rest. The next morning, as soon as the snow had melted enough for the vehicles to move, he set out with the two-hundred-person team for a nearby city. Tong Yue, Huang Rongyue, and the other major leaders went with them. This mission directly concerned the future of their alliance, and they all wanted to witness it for themselves.
The city where the gruff-voiced man had found the two Corpse Kings was not far, and they arrived the same day. At just after three in the afternoon, the convoy stopped before the city. Torn-up and overgrown vegetable fields outside, low-rise, self-built houses at the edge, streets filled with trash and abandoned vehicles—the city was a picture of desolate ruin.
After resting for an hour in a forest outside the city, Lan Zi’s team geared up, donned their bulletproof vests, shouldered their backpacks filled with ammunition, and entered the city. Once inside, she gave a hand signal, and the two-hundred-person team split into smaller squads of ten, fanning out in parallel to quickly sweep through the city in search of their target. They had all been living in this world for nearly a year and were accustomed to the presence of zombies. The entire process was swift and silent.
It took them nearly two hours to find the Corpse King in the vast city. It was covered in black feathers but was not bird-like in shape. It moved on four limbs, with powerful hind legs and sharp claws on its front ones. It was eating an Awakened Zombie, its claws easily tearing the corpse apart. As it ate, it constantly turned its head, warily scanning its surroundings.
Having found their target, Lan Zi had everyone find a place to rest nearby. They had to be in peak condition.
Half an hour later, as the sky began to dim and the temperature dropped to below ten degrees, she gave the signal. The two hundred of them quickly split into four teams and moved to four different directions.
The Corpse King had eaten the Awakened Zombie down to the bone. Finding the skeleton difficult to chew, it gnawed at it a few more times before giving up and heading down the street.
Just as it reached a three-way intersection at the end of the street, a coordinated volley of gunfire erupted like a clap of thunder, echoing through the entire city.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The city, and the Corpse King itself, were momentarily stunned by the violent sound. Then, the city erupted in chaos. Countless normal zombies turned their heads. The Corpse King let out an enraged, bird-like screech before it charged toward the source of the gunfire.
The fifty people who had fired continued to shoot as they retreated, all their bullets aimed at the creature’s head, concentrated on a single point. The bullets weren’t enough to kill it, but under the intense, focused fire, the skin on its forehead was quickly torn to shreds.
“CAW!”
In pain, it dodged into a nearby alley. The fifty were prepared and immediately followed. Unable to evade the bullets, the Corpse King charged back at them.
“RUN!” one of them yelled. As planned, they all scattered into the smaller side alleys. The alleys were too narrow for the Corpse King to enter. Enraged, it slammed against the two buildings, making them tremble. “CAW!”
Seeing the first group retreat, Lan Zi’s second squad, the most crucial part of the plan, appeared on the rooftops. They lined up and fired down. The modified bullets had a shorter range and weaker penetration; they had to be fired at close range.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“CAW!”
Watching from a corner in the distance, Ji Yanqing and the others held their breath.
All the bullets hit the wound. Without pausing, Lan Zi immediately led her group to retreat, jumping across rooftops as they went. Below, the Corpse King had grabbed a window and was climbing toward them, its eyes bloodshot. It was thoroughly enraged. It would kill them.
“CAW…” Just as it was about to reach the roof, its body suddenly went limp, and it tumbled to the ground. Its massive, heavy body slammed into the street, making the entire area tremble, the wind of the impact sending feathers scattering through the air. It struggled to get up, but its limbs no longer obeyed. Like a doll with severed strings, it flailed for a few moments before going still.
The moment it fell silent, the gunfire erupted again. This time, it was even more intense than the first two volleys. The two squads in charge of injecting the toxins moved in quickly and opened fire at the same time.
“CAW!”
The moment the shots rang out, the Corpse King, which had been still, began to scream and struggle violently. The shredded flesh on its forehead began to rot at a visible rate. In just two seconds, a huge hole had been eaten into its head. A thick, acrid smell filled the air, and blood poured out. Through the hole, they could even see its brain tissue pulsing.
In less than five seconds, it staggered and collapsed, motionless.
Though it had stopped moving, the wound on its forehead continued to expand. The air was thick with the smell of burning flesh and rot, and more and more greenish fluid pooled on the ground. Snow began to fall in the dim twilight, instantly vanishing as it touched the liquid.
Seeing this from a distance, joy spread across everyone’s faces. The next moment, they all turned and ran out of the city, one with the darkness as they moved, like reapers in the night.
Half an hour later, they regrouped at the camp outside the city. Under the falling snow, Ji Yanqing saw their faces, brilliant and excited in the darkness, and a smile touched his own lips. He looked at Tong Yue and the other leaders beside him. Besides their smiles, their faces held a crazed sort of excitement. Their minds were already racing.
This method worked. That meant everything was about to change. They no longer had to be chased by Corpse Kings. They no longer had to live under the constant shadow of despair. They had the power to fight back. They had a hope of survival.
They all took a deep breath, letting the icy air sting their lungs. The cold wasn’t enough to cool their excitement; it only made the blood in their veins boil with more fervor.
No one slept that night. The next day, as soon as the snow had melted enough to walk, the team set out for the next city. They quickly found the Corpse King. Lan Zi’s group moved with practiced efficiency. “First squad creates the wound from a distance, second squad moves in to disable it, third and fourth squads approach simultaneously to deliver the kill.” The entire process took half an hour. They had spent nearly twenty-five minutes just finding the target. The hunt itself took less than three minutes.
With the plan once again successful, they didn’t hesitate, immediately withdrawing from the city. They were gone before the commotion they had caused could fully erupt, already miles away by the time the city’s normal zombies had gathered.
That afternoon, they returned to the county. The people left behind had been waiting. The moment their convoy was spotted, a large crowd gathered at the gate.
Getting out of the vehicle, before the approaching Lu Qing and Xia Shen Shu could even ask, Ji Yanqing quickly announced the results. “It was a success. The method is indeed feasible.”
---
The group, who had been on edge just moments before, broke into smiles. In that moment, they were all overcome with ecstatic joy, because they all understood what this meant for them.
“So what’s next?”
“What do you think? The Devil’s City, of course!”
“Forget the Devil’s City, is there anywhere we can’t go now?”
“Hahaha…”
…
Listening to their excited chatter, Ji Yanqing looked back at Huang Rongyue and the others, then said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “Get ready. We’re going to the Devil’s City.” The Corpse Kings had other strongholds, but the Devil’s City was the closest. Only by eliminating it could they have the peace of mind to plan their next move.
He looked at the gruff-voiced man from Cradle. “Send your people back to scout the Devil’s City as soon as possible. We need to know the situation so we can make arrangements.”
Then, to Lu Qing: “Once the materials are brought back, produce the agents as quickly as you can.”
“Okay.”
And to Xia Shen Shu: “When the other supply teams get back, have them stay in the camp. No more going out.”
Xia Shen Shu grinned. “Got it.”
Ji Yanqing took a deep breath and announced to everyone, “All of you, get ready. We move out in ten days.”
A roar of approval went up from the crowd. They couldn’t wait to go, to see the Corpse Kings scatter and flee before them.
At the edge of the crowd, on the outskirts of the county, the Lord of the Devil’s City watched the man in the center of the throng, watched the humans around him, their faces flushed and eyes shining with excitement. It listened to their conversation and fell silent.
Feng Yimo looked down at the three creatures by his feet. “We will help too, when the time comes.”
The Lord of the Devil’s City slowly looked up and let out a confused sound. “…Squeak??”
The scaled badger-like Corpse King also looked up. ???
The black beast didn’t move. Compared to the other two’s surprise, it was already numb. The most terrifying thing in the world wasn’t a man with no sense of direction. It was a man with no sense of direction who was completely unaware of it, who could pop up anywhere in the world at any time, and who, upon popping up, would ask you why you were following him… And the most tragic part was, you couldn’t beat him.
After giving his orders, Ji Yanqing looked for Feng Yimo outside the crowd. He saw him talking to the three Corpse Kings at his feet, then looked for Ji An and Ji Le, who were not with him. He scanned the crowded group, trying to spot his two little ones, but they were nowhere to be found.
After a few more words of instruction, he left the crowd and walked over to Feng Yimo, but still couldn’t find them. He was surprised. They were usually so clingy.
“Where are Ji An and Ji Le?” he asked.
Feng Yimo looked behind him. They had been there just a moment ago. He sensed for them and pointed toward the buildings. Ji Yanqing followed his finger and saw two small heads peeking out from a corner. They were hiding behind a house, watching him.
Before he could call out, they seemed to be startled and ran away.
He was at a loss. “What’s wrong with them?” he asked.
Feng Yimo’s dark eyes were cold.
Ji Yanqing knew he wouldn’t get an answer. He immediately headed in the direction they had run.
He passed through two alleys and rounded a corner, spotting them whispering to each other. Ji Le was pouting unhappily, and Ji An was trying to comfort him.
“Ji An, Ji Le,” he called.
Hearing his voice, they both looked up. Seeing him suddenly appear, they grabbed hands and ran, disappearing into the distance in a flash.
Watching them flee, the joy of finding a way to deal with the Corpse Kings vanished, replaced by a sense of loss and a faint, sour ache. They had been a little shy when he first found them, but after that, they had always been inseparable from him, always rushing to hug him and never letting go. After their last heart-to-heart, this was the first time they had ever avoided him.
He hesitated for a moment, then followed. He traced their path back to their complex, but by the time he got there, he still couldn’t see them. Most of the people were at the front of the county, and the complex was quiet, almost desolate.
After searching the tea shop and cafeteria, he went upstairs. He lived on the second floor of the first building. The moment he reached the landing, he saw that the door was open. Knowing they were home, he softened his steps and went inside.
The apartment had been lived in before. The previous owners had clearly loved their home; it was warmly decorated. From the entrance, a shoe cabinet was on the left, and the living room was straight ahead. It was spacious, with a tea table near the door and a white, cloud-shaped sofa further in. A matching white coffee table sat on a rug in front of it.
Ji An and Ji Le were sitting on the rug.
“Ji An, Ji Le.” He slipped on his slippers and walked in.
Hearing him, they both looked up. Ji Le immediately wanted to run again, but seeing there was nowhere to go, he looked at Ji Yanqing with unease. He had clearly just been crying. His eyes were red and wet, his face still damp.
Seeing him like that, Ji Yanqing’s heart softened. He sat down on the rug in front of them and asked gently, “What’s wrong?”
Ji Le didn’t answer, just looked down at his knees. After they had settled down, Ji Yanqing had found them some new clothes. There was a big, cute tiger on his knee.
“Who bullied you? Tell me, and I’ll go settle the score,” he said, pulling him into his lap. He tried to nuzzle his forehead with his cheek, but the moment he leaned in, Ji Le pulled away.
Rejected, Ji Yanqing felt both a sour ache and surprise. “Are you mad at me? Why?”
The question was a mistake. Ji Le, who had just been pouting, immediately had tears welling up in his eyes, clinging to his lower lashes, ready to fall.
Ji Yanqing looked at Ji An, who looked as if he wanted to say something but held back.
“What is it?” he asked, pinching Ji Le’s cheek. Over the past few days, they had started to put on some weight, which gave him a great sense of accomplishment.
Ji Le wiped his tears and stayed silent.
“He had a nightmare!” Ji An blurted out, unable to hold back.
Ji Le shot him a look, as if the words had struck a raw nerve. The tears he’d been struggling to hold back now escaped his control, falling in heavy, silent drops.
Ji Yanqing turned to Ji An. “A nightmare?”
He did recall Ji Le having bad dreams before.
“He dreamed you were going to kill us—that you shot us…” Ji An had started merely relaying the dream, but recounting it brought a sting to his own eyes, rimming them with red.
“Silly, who said I want to kill you?”
“You do,” Ji Le spoke up, abandoning his brief resolve to stay silent.
“When have I ever thought that?”
“You’re busy every day, and all you talk about…”
“It’s because I want to—” Ji Yanqing cut himself off abruptly.
“You’re busy every single day and never come home. When I was scared and wanted to talk to you, you wouldn’t even listen…”
Understanding dawned on Ji Yanqing, bringing with it a thick, sour ache in his chest—and a wave of guilt.
Lately, he had been leaving before dawn and returning late, consumed with plans to destroy the Corpse Kings. To everyone else in the county, this was a critical mission. But to Ji An and Ji Le, it was anything but.
They were Corpse Kings too—the very beings he feared, loathed, and was desperate to eradicate.
They were sensible and considerate, so they never complained. But surrounded by people who wanted them dead, they must have been terrified deep down.
And while they were already living in fear, he had been too busy to even come home. He left before they woke and returned after they’d fallen asleep. When they tried to talk to him, he waved them away.
Ji Le’s nightmare… was a fear he himself had nurtured.
“Daddy doesn’t…” Ji Yanqing started to explain why he’d been so busy, but swallowed the words. To Ji An and Ji Le, it would just sound like another excuse.
I’m busy, so you should understand. You should be good.
He drew Ji An into his arms as well, holding them both close. Feeling the solid, slightly heavier weight of them now, he said softly, “Do you know what ‘like’ means?”
Ji An and Ji Le, their lashes still wet, nodded. Of course they knew—they liked Ji Yanqing the most.
“Then do you know what’s even stronger than ‘like’?”
The two looked up at him and shook their heads.
No one had ever told them that.
“It’s love,” Ji Yanqing said, gently brushing the tears from their cheeks with his thumb. “What’s deeper than ‘like’ is ‘love’.”
He held the two finely-featured, red-nosed, teary-eyed children tighter. “I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you lately. But there’s one thing you must never, ever doubt: Daddy loves you so much.”
“Daddy would never want to kill you. Even if others tried, I would never allow it. If your identities were ever discovered, I would protect you—I would never abandon you.”
He loved Ji An and Ji Le not because they were powerful Corpse Kings who could protect him, but because he saw them as his own children.
He was grateful he had found them that day.
“…Really?” Ji Le asked between quiet sobs.
“Really.”
“Daddy…” Ji An clutched Ji Yanqing’s clothes.
“Hmm?”
“Ji Yanqing.” Feng Yimo’s low voice came from behind.
Ji Yanqing turned. Feng Yimo had returned at some point, unnoticed.
“I love you.”
----
I did... anyway, we are up to chapter 88 on patreon, where I post everything first. Hard to imagine I'll need to hunt for a new novel to work on sometime this year... members of the patreon can use the chat to recommend projects :3
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