AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 83
Chapter 83
“I Love You Too.”
---
Feeling the warmth radiating from Ji Yanqing’s embrace, the tension in Feng Yimo’s rigid body slowly seeped out of him. He allowed his full weight to settle against Ji Yanqing, resting his head sideways against the other man’s chest.
He listened to the heart beating within Ji Yanqing’s ribcage. Thump-thump. The rhythm was steady, vibrant, and strong.
Feng Yimo’s breathing, originally somewhat ragged, gradually evened out. Tightening his hold, he rolled over, settling down to lie side-by-side with Ji Yanqing.
“Feng Yimo.”
“Hm?”
“I love you, too.”
Feng Yimo’s breath hitched.
“Mm.” He pulled the person in his arms tighter.
***
Dawn broke, sending a faint halo of light filtering through the window.
When Ji Yanqing’s biological clock woke him, he looked at the two little ones curled up behind his back, then at Feng Yimo in front of him. For a moment, he couldn’t bear to get up.
He was developing a fondness for lingering in bed.
After basking in that warmth for another two minutes, Ji Yanqing gritted his teeth and forced himself to rise.
The moment he moved, Feng Yimo’s eyes snapped open.
Ji Yanqing made a hush gesture, glanced back at Ji An and Ji Le—who were still sleeping soundly—and slipped out of bed without a sound.
Heavy snow had fallen through the night, but the room remained warm, painting a soft flush across Ji An and Ji Le’s cheeks. When Ji Yanqing stole a kiss from each of their faces, Ji Le burrowed deeper into the duvet, face scrunched as he hid away to continue sleeping.
Downstairs, Ji Yanqing wrapped his heavy coat tightly around himself and crunched his way through the snow toward the hospital.
Though they called it a hospital, it was merely a residential building cleared out and repurposed for tending to the wounded.
When Ji Yanqing arrived, Lu Qing was re-examining the injuries of several critically wounded patients.
They still had a decent stockpile of medicine, including special agents that accelerated healing, but they lacked the capacity to build a sterile environment. Their surgical suturing techniques were also limited; once a wound became infected, death was still a likely outcome.
Just as Ji Yanqing was asking Lu Qing about the situation, a sentry on duty came running in a panic. Another squad had returned, and there were injuries.
Ji Yanqing and Lu Qing immediately rushed toward the outskirts of the county town. By the time they reached the gates, many of the severely wounded were already being carried toward the hospital.
Blood-soaked clothes. The faint, metallic tang of iron in the cold air. The two newly returned squads were in the same state as Xia Shen Shu’s team had been previously—more than half the members were injured.
Lan Zi was among them.
Seeing her, Ji Yanqing immediately fell into step beside her.
Lan Zi’s injuries were significant. Her right arm was tightly bound in cloth strips and suspended from her neck, and several distinct lacerations marred her face.
When Ji Yanqing reached her, she was being supported by others as they moved toward the town center.
“Is it bad?” Ji Yanqing asked.
“Just broke the skin,” Lan Zi replied dismissively.
As long as bones weren’t broken, as long as they didn’t die, it wasn’t considered a major injury to them anymore.
With new teams returning, everyone in the county town who had a free hand headed to the gates to help unload the supplies.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Kang Xiaodong dodged the oncoming crowd and slipped away from his assigned residential area, heading toward the left side of the town.
He ran a good distance in one breath. Only when he reached an uninhabited zone did Kang Xiaodong slow his pace.
Just as he exhaled a long breath, two little beans sprouted up in front of him.
Kang Xiaodong jumped in fright. Looking closer, he recognized Ji An and Ji Le, and he let out a sigh of relief.
“What are you two doing here?” Kang Xiaodong asked.
Ji Le extended a hand, showing Kang Xiaodong a small bear ornament resting in his fair, clean palm.
Ji Yanqing was always busy, and Feng Yimo refused to play with them. Having become familiar with the town, they often went on little adventures everywhere, scavenging quite a few ‘treasures.’
Ji Yanqing had prepared a large box for them, and they had nearly filled it to the brim.
Kang Xiaodong pursed his lips, uninterested.
Ignoring the two little guys, he tightened the straps of his backpack and walked forward, intending to flee while no one was watching.
“Where are you going?” Ji An asked.
“Papa said you aren’t allowed to run around,” Ji Le added.
“Kids shouldn’t meddle.”
Ji An and Ji Le exchanged a glance, then followed him.
Kang Xiaodong heard footsteps after taking two steps. Turning back to find Ji An and Ji Le trailing him, he quickly shooed them away. “Go away, don’t follow me.”
Ji An and Ji Le stopped.
Ensuring the children weren’t following, Kang Xiaodong sprinted toward the alleyway ahead, intent on his escape.
He ran through two alleys in a single breath, putting significant distance between himself and the main gate. Only then did he slow down.
Seeing that he was about to successfully leave the town, the corners of Kang Xiaodong’s mouth began to curve upward. But then, footsteps echoed from a nearby alleyway ahead. Kang Xiaodong scrambled into a nearby stairwell to hide.
Almost the instant he concealed himself, the footsteps stopped in the adjacent alley.
“Are you sure it’s there?” a male voice asked.
“It’s a nine out of ten.”
This answer evidently didn’t satisfy the man.
The second person added, “There are guards outside working three shifts. Plus, that guy Lu Qing goes in and out frequently. He’s the backbone of their research institute; I definitely didn’t mistake him.”
“Keep a close watch.”
“Understood.”
Their brief exchange finished, the two men quickly headed toward the town gate.
Kang Xiaodong remained hidden in the stairwell corner until their footsteps faded away. Only then did he slowly descend.
By the time he reached the ground floor, the footsteps had vanished behind distant buildings.
Kang Xiaodong looked at the alley next to him, then at the direction the two men had gone. He hesitated for a fleeting moment. A beat later, he scratched his head and turned back, heading toward Ji Yanqing.
He didn’t know what those people were planning, but something was clearly wrong.
He didn’t have a good impression of Ji Yanqing, but the people he had brought with him were still here. Since his identity as a Corpse King had been exposed, he had avoided those former teammates, but they were teammates once, had even called him their Captain…
Just as Kang Xiaodong was pondering how to explain this to Ji Yanqing, something suddenly flashed in front of him. He instinctively looked up.
Before he could see clearly, a sharp pain shot through his calf. He reflexively bent down, but before the cry of pain could leave his throat, something was thrown over his neck.
By the time Kang Xiaodong realized what was happening, his other foot had been kicked out from under him. He toppled backward, hitting the ground hard.
“Mmph...” Kang Xiaodong looked at Ji An and Ji Le, who were busy winding a rope around him. “You...”
Before Kang Xiaodong could finish, a gag was shoved into his mouth.
Ji An and Ji Le’s faces were flushed red, their eyes sparkling with excitement. They clumsily but effectively trussed up the squirming Kang Xiaodong, then began dragging him toward a deserted alley.
Ji Yanqing had said it: Kang Xiaodong was not allowed to run around.
***
Returning alongside Lan Zi was another squad. That team had also lost more than ten people, but both groups had completed their objectives, bringing back a substantial amount of supplies.
When Ji Yanqing returned to the gate, the people in the town were unloading the cargo.
Faced with that wealth of supplies, no one could smile, for it had all been paid for in blood.
After Lan Zi’s two squads returned, Li Pingsen, Hei Long, Mo Xian, and Bai Haoxuan also trickled back.
Mo Xian arrived with Bai Haoxuan; they had met on the road near the town.
When the vehicle stopped and Mo Xian got out, he gave Bai Haoxuan a fright.
Mo Xian’s entire face and chest were drenched in blood. His neck was wrapped in thick gauze, and fresh blood was visibly seeping through the layers.
As he stepped out of the car, he was already teetering on the edge of consciousness from blood loss.
Bai Haoxuan hurriedly helped rush him to the hospital.
Hearing that more people had returned, those who had gone back into town flooded the gates again to help. Seeing Mo Xian so grievously injured, the team captains of Sunward followed him to the hospital.
When they arrived, Lu Qing was stitching Mo Xian’s wound.
They had no anesthetics. Mo Xian sat on the bed biting down on a towel, his face darkening to a purplish-red from the pain, the veins on his forehead and neck bulging and throbbing violently.
Lu Qing was already accustomed to such scenes. It took him only two or three minutes to suture the entire wound.
The laceration stretched from Mo Xian’s shoulder all the way to behind his ear—long and deep. It had missed the carotid artery by a hair’s breadth; otherwise, what would have returned would have been a corpse.
“I’ll get you some painkillers later,” Lu Qing said. Painkillers were a rare commodity; they had some, but not much.
Mo Xian couldn’t speak. His forehead, neck, and even the back of his shirt were soaked in cold sweat. He collapsed onto the adjacent sickbed.
“What happened?” Hei Long asked.
He and Mo Xian had always been slightly at odds—Hei Long was impulsive while Mo Xian was overly serious—and they often argued two sentences out of every three. But Mo Xian was one of their own, a pillar of Sunward.
“Hit by a rock. Didn’t dodge in time,” Mo Xian rasped, his voice hoarse.
Xia Shen Shu and the others who had rushed over remained silent. Mo Xian’s words sounded ridiculous out of context, but they couldn’t laugh. When fighting Corpse Kings, flying debris and architectural shrapnel were as terrifying as bullets.
Mo Xian didn’t want to dwell on the topic. Sweating profusely, he shifted his attention to Xia Shen Shu. “You ran into Xia Chen earlier?”
Hearing this name, everyone in the room, including Lan Zi, straightened up.
They had heard the news over the radio, but they had been in the city at the time, surrounded by zombies and Corpse Kings. There had been no time to ask for details.
“Yes.” Xia Shen Shu’s face was dark.
“Are you sure it was him?” Lan Zi looked over.
“I’d recognize him even if he burned to ash.”
---
Lu Qing pushed through the door, painkillers in hand.
“How did he get away?” he asked, having overheard the tail end of the conversation.
Xia Shen Shu’s expression was grim. “He likely knew about the situation in the county town long ago, and he knew we were heading to the Devil’s City. The moment he saw a silhouette, he bolted. I didn’t react fast enough at first; I was too shocked to see another person in the Devil’s City. By the time I got my binoculars on him, he was already a long way off.”
Xia Shen Shu had led everyone in pursuit immediately. He would have killed that bastard at any cost, but the gunshot had drawn in the zombies. Between the horde and the sheer distance, they had lost him.
No one spoke. A dead silence filled the room.
“Xia Chen... is he the one who betrayed Ji Yanqing?” Bai Haoxuan finally broke the silence.
Bai Haoxuan had heard rumors about this person and the incident, but since Xia Shen Shu and the others studiously avoided the topic of Xia Chen, he had never felt it appropriate to ask.
“What exactly happened?” Bai Haoxuan pressed.
He genuinely couldn’t understand why anyone would betray Ji Yanqing or Sunward. From his perspective, Ji Yanqing wasn’t the kind of person who courted hatred.
“He was one of the first in our survival team...” Lan Zi began, offering a rough summary of the past.
Xia Chen had joined Ji Yanqing’s survival team in the very first wave, not far behind Xia Shen Shu and Lan Zi. He was also among the first to receive a gun from Ji Yanqing. He was, for all intents and purposes, a founding member.
When the truth of Xia Chen’s actions had come to light, the team had been consumed by a profound rage—not just for Ji Yanqing’s sake, but because Xia Chen had betrayed them all.
They had all once considered him a friend.
Among them, Li Pingsen’s face was the darkest.
He and Xia Chen had started in Xue Gang’s team together. They had both suffered Xue Gang’s inhumane treatment, joined Ji Yanqing’s team together, and received their guns at the same moment. Afterward, Xia Chen had even joined the squad led by Li Pingsen.
For a long time, Li Pingsen had held Xia Chen in high regard. They shared a traumatic past and had survived life-and-death struggles side by side. He had looked upon Xia Chen as a brother in everything but blood.
Bai Haoxuan’s lips parted, but for a moment, he couldn’t find the words.
“It was because the person Ji Yanqing chose as squad leader was me, not him,” Li Pingsen said, his jaw clenched tight.
When he had first learned of his promotion to squad leader, he had been elated, excited to contribute more to their survival. But looking back, he realized Xia Chen must have been festering with resentment even then.
He just couldn’t understand why Xia Chen hadn’t come for him, but instead targeted Ji Yanqing.
Bai Haoxuan gave a bitter smile. He felt there might be more to it. “Actually, I can understand it, in a way...”
Xia Shen Shu and the others turned to look at him.
Under their scrutiny, the bitterness in Bai Haoxuan’s smile deepened. “A person like Ji Yanqing... he’s too excellent.”
Bai Haoxuan had felt it before. Ji Yanqing was extraordinary, a beacon that would inevitably draw more and more talented people to his side.
And the facts bore this out. Huang Rongyue, Qin Yue, even the captains of major factions like Equator and Cradle—they had all been persuaded to follow him.
But as the circle of brilliance around Ji Yanqing grew, some people were inevitably going to fade into the background.
Xia Shen Shu, Lan Zi—they had once been the most crucial people by Ji Yanqing’s side. It wasn’t that they weren’t important now, but with the arrival of people like Tong Yue, and as the crowd around Ji Yanqing swelled, they naturally became less conspicuous.
“When I first learned we were joining Sunward, I actually hesitated. After all, I’m not as powerful as you guys, and I don’t share your history,” Bai Haoxuan said softly.
It wasn’t about romance or love. It was simply that universal human desire to matter to someone, to be significant rather than overlooked.
“Even so, that isn’t a justification for what he did,” Li Pingsen said, his voice rough.
“He’ll definitely return to the Devil’s City. We need to be careful from now on. Even if we run into him, don’t act impulsively,” Lan Zi advised. She didn’t comment on Bai Haoxuan’s theory, but it was clear she would not offer forgiveness so easily.
The room fell silent again, the group nodding somberly.
***
By the time Ji Yanqing received the news and rushed over, Mo Xian had already taken the painkillers and was lying down.
Entering the room, Ji Yanqing saw the blood-soaked gauze in the tray on the side table and Mo Xian’s face, pale from blood loss. His brow furrowed.
Seeing that the injury wasn’t critical, he breathed a subtle sigh of relief.
He looked at Mo Xian. “Rest at the camp for a while. No going out.”
“Mn.”
Ji Yanqing turned to Bai Haoxuan, who had returned with the rear guard. “What’s the situation at the Devil’s City?”
At the mention of the city, Bai Haoxuan’s expression turned serious. “Not good. We witnessed a skirmish. The Heavenly Flame Corpse Kings operate in squads of four or five. Their coordination is excellent—they have vanguards, support, strict order, and strategy. They aren’t like the Corpse Kings of the past that just claw and bite like wild beasts.”
Ji Yanqing had been hearing similar reports from other teams. The Heavenly Flame Corpse Kings moved in units and coordinated seamlessly; ‘Death’ was losing ground.
Hearing Bai Haoxuan confirm it, Ji Yanqing’s lips pressed into a thin line.
From the initial outbreak until now, everything was changing, and that evolution hadn’t stopped.
Corpse Kings had gone from simple awakenings to the third stage of evolution. A fourth stage was likely not far off. But now, it seemed they had begun to evolve in a different direction entirely.
They were no longer just evolving their bodies; now even their behavioral patterns were shifting.
Corpse Kings in the past would cooperate, but it was usually a crude method of blocking exits and mobbing a target. This was different. Now, they assigned roles and attacked weaknesses.
And the mastermind behind this evolution was obviously the intelligence-type Corpse King behind the Heavenly Flame faction.
“If this continues, I feel like Death is in danger,” Bai Haoxuan voiced the concern weighing on everyone’s mind. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.
Death was currently the largest faction among the Corpse Kings, but “largest” mostly referred to territory size and raw numbers, which didn’t directly equate to combat power.
The Heavenly Flame Corpse Kings were smart. They didn’t clash head-on with Death’s main forces. They moved in groups, picking off smaller numbers. If one did the math, their effective combat power far exceeded Death’s.
“Doesn’t Death still have Corpse Kings to the west and north?” Hei Long asked.
“If Death keeps suffering defeats, whether those Corpse Kings will still be willing to join him is a big question,” Mo Xian said from the bed.
“Surely they aren’t that fickle, right? Like grass swaying in the wind?”
“Hard to say. They don’t have much of a moral compass to begin with. Joining Death might have just been a whim.”
Hei Long wanted to argue, but found he had nothing to say in retort.
Mo Xian was right. The reason the Death faction was so massive was that Feng Yimo—the entity known as Death—had swept invincibly from north to south. If the Death faction started losing battles, it was hard to say how much of Feng Yimo’s authority would remain.
“The priority is to get the supplies back first. We can’t interfere in the battles between Corpse Kings anyway,” Lan Zi said.
The others nodded. That was the reality.
“We’ll go back to the Devil’s City tomorrow,” Li Pingsen stated.
“I’m going too,” Hei Long added.
Ji Yanqing knew it was dangerous, but he could only tell them to be careful.
They currently had forty squads. Their previous operations had been relatively smooth, but this trip to the Devil’s City would likely cost them.
***
That night, the matter was still weighing on Ji Yanqing’s mind as he returned home.
He had just set down his axe when, out of the darkness, Ji An and Ji Le trotted over.
“Papa.”
“Daddy...”
“What’s wrong?” Ji Yanqing looked at them.
Before he could finish his sentence, a familiar muffled wu-wu sound came from the shoe cabinet in front of him, accompanied by the thud of something hitting the cabinet door.
Ji Yanqing pulled the door open.
Inside, Kang Xiaodong was trussed up like a pig, rope binding him tight, his mouth firmly gagged.
Ji Yanqing raised an eyebrow. Why was Kang Xiaodong tied up and brought back again?
He looked toward Feng Yimo, who had walked over upon hearing the commotion. The man wore a look of utter indifference—this had nothing to do with him.
Ji Yanqing was puzzled. If not Feng Yimo, then who?
“Wu-wu!”
Ji Yanqing pulled the cloth from Kang Xiaodong’s mouth. “What are you doing in there?”
Kang Xiaodong, ready to launch a complaint, choked on his words. What did he mean, what was he doing there? If not for Ji An and Ji Le, why else would he be in a shoe cabinet?
He opened his mouth to demand justice, but then remembered he had sneaked out. He quickly changed his tune. “They are looking for your research lab.”
The smile vanished from Ji Yanqing’s face. “What?”
“There are people in the county town looking for your research institute.”
“How do you know?”
“I heard them.” Kang Xiaodong looked at Ji An and Ji Le. “They heard it too.”
Ji Yanqing looked at his sons.
Ji An and Ji Le shook their heads. They hadn’t heard anything.
Kang Xiaodong instantly panicked. “Really! Why would I lie to you? I really heard...”
Before he could finish, Ji Yanqing stuffed the cloth back into his mouth.
Kang Xiaodong was a bit of an oddball.
He had the strength to break the ropes, yet he didn’t. And he talked too much; once he started, he would chatter endlessly like a bird.
With his mouth plugged, Kang Xiaodong immediately resumed his muffled wu-wu protests.
Ji Yanqing looked at Ji An and Ji Le. “You two caught him?”
The two little guys nodded immediately, seizing the chance to tattle.
“He wanted to run away.”
“You said he wasn’t allowed to run around.”
The fact that Kang Xiaodong was a Corpse King was now common knowledge in the county town. Ji Yanqing had indeed instructed him not to wander off.
While the people in the town had more or less accepted the reality of living near Corpse Kings, that didn’t mean they weren’t afraid.
“Wu-wu...”
Ji Yanqing looked at Kang Xiaodong. “Either you keep making noise, or you settle down and I let you go.”
Kang Xiaodong went silent in a second, his eyes radiating a deceptive obedience.
Ji Yanqing began to untie the ropes on his hands.
Ji An and Ji Le had tied the knots in a chaotic mess. It took Ji Yanqing a while to find the main knot and loosen it.
The moment the rope fell away, Kang Xiaodong began to twist and struggle free.
Ji Yanqing didn’t help him. Instead, he patted Ji An and Ji Le on the head. “Thank you for helping Papa.”
Praised, Ji An and Ji Le beamed, flowers of joy blooming on their small faces.
Kang Xiaodong, having finally struggled out of the pile of ropes, felt the corner of his mouth twitch violently.
Did Ji Yanqing actually realize that Ji An and Ji Le were Corpse Kings?
Corpse Kings. The kind that bullets couldn’t even scratch!
---
Kang Xiaodong was dissatisfied in his heart, but he didn’t dare voice it. The moment he freed himself from the ropes, he hurriedly dashed downstairs, making a swift escape.
Seeing Kang Xiaodong flee, Ji Yanqing led Ji An and Ji Le back to the living room, intending to praise them some more. His two little ones were already learning to help him.
That night, everyone went to bed early.
The next day, as soon as the snow-covered ground became passable for vehicles, Hei Long, Li Pingsen, and several other squads formed up and set out, heading back toward Devil’s City.
Ji Yanqing saw them off at the county gate, taking the opportunity to remind everyone to be careful.
Watching the convoy depart, Ji Yanqing was about to return to the city when he spotted the old man from Death’s faction speaking with Feng Yimo not far away in the distance.
The old man’s expression was grim. Feng Yimo’s face was impassive.
After finishing his piece, the old man seemed to want to say more, but looking at Feng Yimo’s utterly expressionless demeanor, he ultimately swallowed his words.
Feng Yimo had always shown little interest in matters concerning Death.
Ji Yanqing waited at the county gate until the two finished speaking and Feng Yimo began walking toward him.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Yanqing asked.
“Shang Chan still hasn’t sent word. He’s probably dead. Learning that Death’s main force has come to Devil’s City, Heavenly Flame’s main army has moved north. They’re currently attacking the Corpse Kings of Death’s faction there. The Corpse Kings summoned from the north were also ambushed on the way,” Feng Yimo relayed.
Ji Yanqing knew the situation was bad, but he hadn’t realized it had developed to this point.
Heavenly Flame’s Corpse Kings had gone north. Weren’t they trying to uproot Death entirely?
A sense of foreboding filled him. Ji Yanqing led the way back into the county. After walking a few steps, he realized Ji An and Ji Le, who had been beside him earlier, were gone.
Ji Yanqing felt a pang of absurd worry.
He wasn’t worried about the children’s safety, but the fact that the two little ones no longer clung to him every moment left a sour, hollow feeling in his heart.
***
Kang Xiaodong was busy when he looked up and found two small faces staring at him.
“What are you doing here?” Ji Le asked curiously.
Kang Xiaodong glanced at the rope hidden behind Ji An’s back. Two little demons.
He looked toward the heavily guarded research institute ahead. “Do you know what’s inside there?”
Ji An and Ji Le exchanged a look, their clear black-and-white eyes showing wariness.
They didn’t know exactly what was being done inside, but they knew whatever it was, it was important.
Ji An slowly brought out the rope from behind his back.
Kang Xiaodong hastily sidestepped. “Don’t you want to help Ji Yanqing? Someone has designs on what’s in there. If those things get stolen, it’s all over.”
Ji An and Ji Le looked at each other again, unconvinced.
Kang Xiaodong had been crouched in a corner right now, peeking at the place. It was obvious he was up to no good!
Ji An held out the rope firmly.
“It’s true!” Kang Xiaodong grew anxious. Why didn’t anyone believe him?
***
That night, when Ji Yanqing returned home, he saw Kang Xiaodong, trussed up like a rice dumpling, being stuffed into the shoe cabinet by Ji An and Ji Le from the stairwell before he even entered.
Corrupted by Feng Yimo, Ji An and Ji Le seemed to think anyone they caught should be put in the shoe cabinet.
Entering, Ji Yanqing asked what had happened, then set the man free.
Later that night, after coaxing Ji An and Ji Le to sleep, Ji Yanqing was about to discuss the proper use of a shoe cabinet with Feng Yimo when he turned and found Feng Yimo staring out the window, lost in thought.
It was rare for Feng Yimo to space out like this, and Ji Yanqing found it quite novel.
Ji Yanqing didn’t disturb him, simply watched quietly.
In the night, Feng Yimo’s eyes were darker and more profound than during the day, his features rendered even sharper and deeper by the shadows.
There was nothing in Feng Yimo’s gaze, mirroring his indifference to everything in this world—a coldness that made him one with the darkness.
Such a person, who cared for nothing, liked him.
Just as Ji Yanqing was admiring the view, Feng Yimo looked toward him.
“What is it?” Ji Yanqing asked softly.
Feng Yimo didn’t answer immediately.
This was unusual. Ji Yanqing felt a flicker of curiosity.
Ji Yanqing moved closer to Feng Yimo, reaching out to grasp a lock of hair that hung naturally by Feng Yimo’s ear. “Can’t I know?”
“He said the God of Death will lose.”
“I want to go. Become the King.” Feng Yimo’s voice was low.
He didn’t care about Death, nor about who the ultimate victor would be. But if the war among the Corpse Kings couldn’t be stopped, it would be endless. Corpse Kings would keep coming, and Ji Yanqing would have to spend more and more time on his Paradise.
Simply eliminating Heavenly Flame wouldn’t be enough either. Even if they dealt with this Heavenly Flame, another would arise.
He had promised to help Ji Yanqing.
For a moment, Ji Yanqing couldn’t articulate what he felt. Feng Yimo wanted to go for his sake. He understood that.
“What will you do once you go?” Ji Yanqing asked.
“Cut them all down.”
Ji Yanqing couldn’t help but laugh. That was indeed very much Feng Yimo’s style.
“He probably won’t just wait for you to go and chop him down. He’ll definitely hide, play hide-and-seek with you, killing most of Death’s Corpse Kings in the process. Even then, he won’t face you. He’ll just keep harassing you, ambushing you, until he finds an opportunity to kill you.”
Feng Yimo frowned.
Ji Yanqing took a deep breath. “I’ll go too.”
Feng Yimo stared straight into Ji Yanqing’s eyes. He knew Ji Yanqing couldn’t rest easy leaving his Paradise. “I can handle it.”
“I’ll worry if you go alone.” Ji Yanqing rested his head against Feng Yimo’s chest.
Feng Yimo wasn’t stupid, but his nature of not caring about anything also meant he would never resort to underhanded tactics. So, faced with despicable tactics from all sides, he would undoubtedly choose the most direct approach.
He would just fight his way through.
But that would make it highly likely for Feng Yimo to be lured into a larger trap.
Feng Yimo was formidable, but he wasn’t immortal.
“And what if you leave and can’t find your way back?” Ji Yanqing said. “The world is so vast. Where would I even start looking for you?”
Feeling Ji Yanqing’s breath against his chest, the slight tremor of his head as he spoke, Feng Yimo’s heart softened.
He rested his chin on top of Ji Yanqing’s head.
He didn’t know why Ji Yanqing always thought he wouldn’t find his way back, but Ji Yanqing was wrong. If he really couldn’t recognize the way, how had he managed to find Ji Yanqing again and again all this time?
But he wouldn’t argue. Ji Yanqing was probably just afraid he’d lose him.
Ji Yanqing might seem fierce, unafraid even of Corpse Kings, but deep down he was just a coward, afraid of this and that, even hiding away to cry.
Feng Yimo shifted, looking down at the person beneath him. “What did you say earlier?”
“Hmm?” Ji Yanqing looked up at Feng Yimo’s face.
He could already envision the future scene of those Corpse Kings spending 360 days a year searching the world for their King.
“The thing before.”
“What if you can’t come back?”
“Not that one.”
“...I’ll worry if you go alone?” Ji Yanqing was puzzled.
…
“I love you too.” Feng Yimo bent down and kissed Ji Yanqing’s lips.
Lips brushing, breaths mingling, Feng Yimo’s kisses traveled from Ji Yanqing’s lips to the corner of his mouth, then slowly down his neck, finally disappearing beneath his collar.
By the time the kiss ended, Ji Yanqing’s chest was heaving. “...Next door.”
Feng Yimo wasn’t a man who understood restraint. Ji An and the others were sleeping right beside them.
Closing the door, Ji Yanqing shed his cumbersome coat. Looking up from below at the figure standing by the bed, whose expression was unclear and eyes darkly unreadable.
He liked the way Feng Yimo looked at him in these moments. That gaze felt like it was about to scorch him whole, making him feel as if Feng Yimo’s entire being burned for him.
The next moment, Feng Yimo indeed leaned down to kiss him, like a beast full of suppressed instinct.
Ji Yanqing only had time to clutch Feng Yimo’s sleeve before he was swept into that kind of maddening, delirious joy.
***
The sky was faintly light when Ji Yanqing awoke instinctively from sleep.
He opened his eyes slightly, didn’t get up immediately, but instead turned over, burrowing into the blanket and burying his face against Feng Yimo’s chest.
He was growing increasingly greedy for this warmth. He, who used to wake instantly alert, was gradually beginning to linger in bed.
Feng Yimo stirred awake. Seeing Ji Yanqing turtling into his embrace, he obediently wrapped his arms around Ji Yanqing’s head, letting him hide properly.
Feeling Feng Yimo’s protective hold, Ji Yanqing soon grew drowsy again.
When he woke once more, the sky was fully bright.
***
Downstairs, Ji Yanqing stood at the doorway for a moment before first seeking out the Black Beast.
The Black Beast had been up for a while. It had found a spot by the county gate to lie down, quietly watching the distant figures busy in the snow.
After Lu Qing had explained how to cultivate the bok choy to everyone, the people left behind in the county these past few days had been busy dividing and planting the shoots.
Of the seven edible mutant plants the team held, bok choy was currently the one they had the most of and the only one for which they had mastered a cultivation method so far, so everyone tended to it with extra care and caution.
Ji Yanqing sat down beside the Black Beast.
The Black Beast glanced at him, then ignored him.
“Feng Yimo and I will be leaving for a while, to go after Heavenly Flame,” Ji Yanqing stated bluntly.
The Black Beast, which had been observing the busy crowd in the distance, withdrew its gaze and looked at Ji Yanqing.
“While we’re gone, help me protect this place.”
“Awoo?”
Why should it help?
It wasn’t human. It was a Corpse King. It wasn’t even here voluntarily; Feng Yimo had captured it.
Ji Yanqing couldn’t directly understand the Black Beast’s meaning, but he could guess what it was saying.
Instead of answering, Ji Yanqing continued, “Once word gets out that Feng Yimo was previously located in this Paradise, Heavenly Flame will definitely come to attack. I’ll leave behind some people with guns in the county, but they alone won’t be enough.”
They still hadn’t managed to increase the firepower of their bullets to the point of taking down a Corpse King with one shot. As they were now, they wouldn’t last long.
“Awoo.”
What did that have to do with it?
Ji Yanqing looked at the Black Beast. Ignoring its murderous glare, he reached out and patted its head. “Help me.”
The Black Beast shook its head to the side, evading Ji Yanqing’s hand.
The Black Beast said nothing.
Ji Yanqing looked at the badger-like Corpse King eavesdropping nearby. He also reached out and patted its head.
---
Finished, Ji Yanqing rose and headed toward the county seat, seeking the only other Corpse King in the city he trusted.
When Ji Yanqing found Kang Xiaodong, the Corpse King was crouching in a corner with Ji An and Ji Le, the three of them stealthily peeking at the research institute in the distance.
Ji Yanqing’s sudden appearance startled the one adult and two children.
“What are you guys doing here?” Ji Yanqing looked past them toward the research institute.
The people outside the institute noticed him and turned their gazes his way as well.
Kang Xiaodong stood up, dusting himself off. “I told you ages ago, someone is eyeing the stuff inside there.”
“I know, you mentioned it before.”
“And you’re still not going to do anything about it?”
Ji Yanqing found it amusing that Kang Xiaodong, a Corpse King, was more anxious about this than he was. “Do what, exactly? First, you didn’t see who it was. Second, you didn’t catch them. There are over ten thousand people in this county; do you expect me to interrogate them one by one?”
Kang Xiaodong choked on his words. “So you’re just going to ignore it?”
Ji Yanqing didn’t continue that line of conversation. Instead, he brought up his imminent departure. “...After we leave, I’ll have to trouble you to help keep an eye on things.”
“I don’t have time.” Upon realizing what Ji Yanqing and Feng Yimo intended to do, Kang Xiaodong’s expression went through a spectacular series of changes before he flatly refused.
“No time?” Ji Yanqing raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t see how Kang Xiaodong was busy.
“Can’t I be busy running away?” Kang Xiaodong snapped grumpily. “The moment you two leave, I’m bolting.”
Ji Yanqing smiled, a hint of Xia Shen Shu present in his eyes, “I was actually worrying about who to assign to the rearguard. How about I ask the people from your old squad to stay behind? They’re familiar with Corpse Kings. If a hostile King attacks, surely they’ll think of a way to handle it.”
Kang Xiaodong’s face flushed red, then turned an iron-gray hue. He pointed a trembling finger at Ji Yanqing and cursed, “You despicable, shameless, lowlife!”
Before his voice had even faded, Ji An kicked him hard in the shin.
“Oww...” Kang Xiaodong immediately grabbed his leg, hopping on one foot with his face twisted in pain.
“If you’re going to run, go say goodbye to your squad before you leave. They still call you ‘Captain,’ after all.” Ji Yanqing led Ji An and Ji Le away, not forgetting to twist the knife one last time before departing.
Recovering slightly, Kang Xiaodong hopped around, cursing up a storm at their retreating backs.
Having spent so much time around his old squad, Kang Xiaodong had picked up a thing or two about swearing; he managed to unleash a torrent of abuse without repeating a single phrase.
Ji Yanqing ignored him, taking the two little ones to find Tong Yue.
Tong Yue and his younger brother were busy inventorying the ammunition Lu Qing’s team had produced recently.
Extracting the active agents from mutant plants and crafting the bullets was all done by hand, and every step was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Consequently, even though the combined personnel of Lu Qing’s research institute and the munitions team numbered nearly two hundred, the production rate remained agonizingly slow—far behind the consumption rate of their forty combat teams.
Hei Long and his group had just taken a batch, leaving fewer than two hundred rounds of ammunition in reserve.
Tong Yue had urged Lu Qing to hurry, but he didn’t dare push too hard, so in the end, he could only stare at the pile of bullets and quietly nurse a headache.
Seeing Ji Yanqing approach, Tong Yue looked up. “Something up?”
“Feng Yimo and I might be away for a while...” Ji Yanqing concisely explained the situation. “After I leave, this Sanctuary… our Paradise is in your hands.”
Although Tong Yue had a bit of a temper, his mind worked fast. He was well-suited to managing the Sanctuary. Even without their current base or the alliance with Death, Ji Yanqing believed Tong Yue would be among those who survived until the very end.
Hearing what Ji Yanqing intended to do, Tong Yue’s expression shifted multiple times before settling into grim solemnity. “Are you sure about this? Getting involved in a war between Corpse Kings... that’s no small matter.”
“I know it will bring us trouble, but if it works—”
“I’m not asking about the Sanctuary. I’m talking about you,” Tong Yue cut in. “Participating in the selection of a King as a human... do you think those Corpse Kings will let you off easily? If the leader of Heavenly Flame is truly as smart as they say, the first thing he’ll do is target you.”
Ji Yanqing remained silent.
“If he catches you, or kills you, do you think Feng Yimo will be able to stand by and watch?” Tong Yue asked.
Many people knew about the relationship between Ji Yanqing and Feng Yimo. While they had gossiped privately, they didn’t dwell on it—after all, when you don’t know if you’ll live to see tomorrow, who has the energy to mind someone else’s personal life?
Tong Yue didn’t care who Ji Yanqing liked, but he couldn’t stand idly by regarding Ji Yanqing’s survival. They had come this far because of him. Everything they had built was inextricably linked to Ji Yanqing.
If Ji Yanqing died, this county, this Sanctuary, would collapse in an instant.
Ji Yanqing took a deep breath, his gaze firm. “I have to go.”
Tong Yue frowned.
“If this succeeds... as long as Feng Yimo and I are alive, the alliance between Death’s faction and humanity will remain effective,” Ji Yanqing stated.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about the risks; he had considered them thoroughly.
The moment Feng Yimo said he wanted to go, Ji Yanqing had actually felt a sense of relief. Because only if Feng Yimo became that King would humanity truly have a chance to stop, catch its breath, and rebuild.
But he would not let Feng Yimo go alone. He wouldn’t let Feng Yimo die, and he certainly wouldn’t let Feng Yimo go to some place without him to become a King in isolation.
Once he claimed something, he didn’t let go.
Feng Yimo belonged to him.
Tong Yue fell silent.
For a moment, he couldn’t speak.
Ji Yanqing was right. If Feng Yimo could become the King, then at least for the duration of their lives, the alliance would hold.
During that time, humanity could develop rapidly. Their adaptability had always been strong. Perhaps in a few decades, the world would transform into that absurd yet beautiful vision Ji Yanqing had once described to him.
That world he had once thought was a hopeless dream.
Tong Yue breathed heavily. The more they interacted, the more formidable he found Ji Yanqing to be. From the initial alliance to the present, the journey of these few short months had already exceeded his wildest expectations.
And somehow, Ji Yanqing always managed to make him see hope.
“Come back early,” Tong Yue said finally.
“I will.” Ji Yanqing smiled.
Having settled the leadership, Ji Yanqing briefly mentioned the issue regarding the research institute that Kang Xiaodong had flagged.
Someone was hunting for the lab. Kang Xiaodong might not have realized the implication, but the moment Ji Yanqing heard it, he understood.
Everyone in the county knew exactly where the institute was; there was no need to search for it. The only people who wouldn’t know—and would need to snoop around—were the newcomers who had recently joined.
Xia Chen had been in the Devil’s City previously. He had undoubtedly witnessed the Corpse Kings being hunted down by their special bullets.
With that context, the situation was easy to deduce.
Xia Chen wanted their bullets. More accurately, he wanted the technology to manufacture them.
After handing over all necessary instructions, Ji Yanqing departed.
***
That night, Ji Yanqing dug out his backpack, which hadn’t seen use in a long time, and packed it with clothes, food, and water.
He was definitely taking Ji An and Ji Le with him, so he packed two changes of underclothes for them as well. As for food and water, the fact that Ji An and the others didn’t consume human food saved him a fair amount of trouble.
Preparations complete, he told the two little ones they would be leaving the next morning, and then led the group—one adult, two children—to an early bedtime.
The next day, before the sky had brightened, Ji Yanqing shouldered his pack, grabbed his axe, and led the children out of the county town.
They had risen early; aside from the sentries at the gate, the entire town was still deep in slumber.
Walking out of the city limits, Ji Yanqing looked back. Gazing at the city shrouded in the predawn darkness, he took a deep breath.
They followed the road forward, and as they reached the edge of the mountain range, Ji Yanqing spotted two familiar figures standing by the treeline in the distance.
“Morning.” Xia Shen Shu grinned brilliantly.
Lan Zi nodded gently.
Ji Yanqing stopped in his tracks. “What are you two doing here?”
Yesterday, he had only sought out Tong Yue, deliberately avoiding Xia Shen Shu and the others.
“Going with you, obviously,” Xia Shen Shu said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Go back.” Ji Yanqing’s face turned cold.
Xia Shen Shu ignored him and took the lead, heading into the forest. As he walked, he chatted with Lan Zi beside him. “Why do I feel like we’re back at square one?”
A look of nostalgia surfaced in Lan Zi’s eyes. “Mmn.”
In the very beginning, their team had consisted of just a few people. Later, the numbers grew, more and more, and their methods to survive shifted again and again. They formed a survival squad, then built a Paradise. Surviving became easier, yet they all deeply missed those early days.
Watching Xia Shen Shu and Lan Zi walk away on their own accord, Ji Yanqing couldn’t maintain the icy facade. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a headache forming, and stepped forward to catch up.
He hadn’t told them precisely because he knew Xia Shen Shu and Lan Zi would never obediently stay behind in the county.
To Xia Shen Shu and Lan Zi, titles like ‘Captain’ or ‘Commander’ were ornamental; they simply wouldn’t listen.
“Papa?” Ji Le looked up, his pale, clean face full of confusion.
Ji Yanqing’s tone was fierce, but his face was full of smiles.
What kind of person gets angry and smiles at the same time?
----
The final chapter of the main text has been posted onto the Patreon as of 14APR2026 - let the fireworks commence! But if you aren't caught up, no rush! It'll be here soon^^ *cough*... soon...
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