AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 89
Chapter 89
It Was Definitely Deceived.
Feeling the touch against his palm and seeing Feng Yimo’s earnest expression, Ji Yanqing felt his heart settle, sinking deep into a quiet ocean. In that instant, his world narrowed down to just the man before him.
Having finished writing, Feng Yimo looked up.
Ji Yanqing stood, letting the previous topic drop. He closed his hand tightly, as if to physically treasure those three words. “I’m going to check on Lu Qing.”
Feng Yimo stood as well. Seeing the faint smile in Ji Yanqing’s eyes, he knew the man was no longer grieving the loss of their home. His own gaze softened; sometimes, it was Ji Yanqing who needed coaxing like a child.
But that was fine. He was more than willing to do the coaxing.
Leaving the cafeteria, Ji Yanqing headed straight for the hospital.
The hospital was a converted five-story residential building where all the injured were gathered for treatment. Medicine was a profession unlike any other; it required specialized knowledge that couldn’t be faked. Out of the ten thousand people in their entire sanctuary, only twenty or so possessed the relevant skills.
Twenty people caring for over a thousand—everyone was scrambling, their hands full.
When Ji Yanqing arrived, Lu Qing was in the middle of the chaos. Ji Yanqing didn’t step forward to interrupt. He simply took a lap around the hallway to gauge who was injured and the severity of the situation, then tactfully withdrew.
He had just reached the bottom of the stairs when Ji An and Ji Le came running toward him.
The two little guys had completely shed their previous sorrow. Their eyes, though still red from crying, were now brimming with smiles. They had found a new home.
“Over here...” Ji Le and Ji An each grabbed one of Ji Yanqing’s hands, eager to drag him off to see it.
A few minutes later, Ji Yanqing stood before the residential area they had lived in previously.
Seeing the familiar ruins, Ji Yanqing was confused for a moment, until the two little ones pointed to a building on the left.
It was a self-built, three-story structure. In front of the door lay a small garden, now the domain of mutated plants. Unknown vines crawled up three sides of the building, adding a splash of vibrant green to the architecture.
Their previous apartment complex had been close to the edge of the county town, but this self-built house was even further out. Just a few buildings to the left lay the lake outside the city limits.
Ji An and Ji Le hadn’t chosen this place because it was particularly grand, but simply because it was close to where they used to live.
Ji Yanqing looked left and right. He didn’t object. Although it was a bit close to the city’s edge, the advantage was the quiet. Plus, if anything happened outside the county town, they would be the first to know.
“Are you sure you want this one?” Ji Yanqing crouched down and asked.
The two little guys looked at each other, then nodded vigorously. They glanced reluctantly at the ruins nearby—the place that had been their first real home.
“Then this is it.” Ji Yanqing took the lead, heading inside to clean up.
They had already cleared every zombie from the county town long ago, but after being uninhabited for so long, the interior was inevitably coated in dust.
Passing through the courtyard gate, Ji Yanqing glanced at the wall covered in vines before stepping into the main hall.
The family who lived here must not have been home when the virus broke out; there were no bloodstains or signs of struggle inside. The hall had been tidied up slightly in the past, but miscellaneous items were still scattered everywhere.
Ji Yanqing rolled up his sleeves. Seeing this, Ji An and Ji Le mimicked him, baring their chubby little paws, ready to help.
Ji Yanqing first did a rough inspection of all the rooms in the building. He selected a room on the ground floor to serve as a storage area, then directed Feng Yimo, Ji An, and Ji Le to move all the unnecessary clutter into it.
Useful items were stored away, while useless trash was bundled up and moved to the building next door.
Once everything was cleared, Ji Yanqing took his three tagalongs to the nearby lake to fetch water. They wiped down the entire house, then swept and mopped the floors.
Ji Yanqing also sorted through the usable clothes and bedding. With the help of the one big and two small assistants, he washed everything and strung up a line in the ruins of the neighboring complex to let them dry.
The weather was hot during the day, so by the time they finished, everyone was soaked in sweat.
Since water was easy to access and they were living right by the lake, Ji Yanqing decided to boil some water and get everyone bathed.
By the time they stopped, the house was clean, they were clean, and there was a refreshing sense of accomplishment on their faces.
Ji An and Ji Le, acting like two little adults, did a careful inspection of the house. Afterwards, the two stood in the courtyard, looking at it from a distance. This was going to be their home.
Once they had solemnly confirmed this fact and walked back inside, Ji Yanqing pulled two small notebooks and two pens from behind his back.
Seeing this, the little guys forgot all about the house and trotted over to him.
“Dad...”
Ji Yanqing found two small stools and had the boys sit in front of him. They were very serious, their small hands resting obediently on the table.
Seeing them like this, the smile on Ji Yanqing’s lips never faded.
“Ji. An. Ji. Le.” Ji Yanqing wrote the characters out, stroke by stroke, for them to see.
After writing them once, he held each of their hands in turn, guiding them through the motions three times.
Once the guided practice was done, Ji Yanqing let them try on their own.
They learned with intense focus, drawing every stroke exactly as Ji Yanqing had taught them.
Ji Yanqing didn’t know their exact birthdays, but they were definitely under four years old. Despite possessing strength that far exceeded an adult’s, their fingers weren’t even as thick as the pens they held. Their control was endearingly clumsy.
Watching them struggle with the pens, Ji Yanqing’s smile became impossible to suppress.
The two little guys were patient, drawing character after character until the sky grew dark and Ji Yanqing took the pens and notebooks away. Only then were they willing to stop.
Under the cover of night, the two little ones followed Ji Yanqing to the cafeteria for dinner. The moment they returned home and heard Ji Yanqing mention sleep, they scrambled onto the bed to claim their spots, terrified that Feng Yimo would beat them to it.
“Dad sleeps here.” On the bed, Ji An patted the space between the two brothers.
Ji Le glared at Feng Yimo warily, guarding their territory.
Feng Yimo remained silent, thinking about those two little traitors.
Ji Yanqing took off his outer coat and lay down between the two children.
Ji An and Ji Le immediately snuggled in, hugging his arms.
Children have high body temperatures, and these two were no exception. Feeling the warmth radiating from both sides, Ji Yanqing looked up at the man standing in the doorway. “Feng Yimo.”
Feng Yimo looked up.
“Help us close the door. There’s a draft.”
It had been snowing outside; it was cold.
Feng Yimo gave Ji Yanqing a dark, silent look, then closed the door from the outside.
As the door clicked shut, victorious smiles broke out on Ji An and Ji Le’s faces. Ji Yanqing was theirs.
“Go to sleep now,” Ji Yanqing reminded them.
Ji An and Ji Le had always been easy to care for. They obediently closed their eyes, and in less than ten minutes, the darkness was filled with the sound of slow, steady breathing.
Listening to their rhythmic breathing, Ji Yanqing closed his eyes, preparing to sleep as well.
After surviving two attacks, there were many matters in the county town waiting for him to handle.
In the darkness, the bedroom door opened from the outside.
Ji Yanqing looked up from the quilt, but before he could see clearly, the covers were thrown back.
The next moment, he was scooped up completely.
Feng Yimo tucked the quilt back around Ji An and Ji Le, then swiftly fled with the person he had stolen. He entered the adjacent room, and as he closed the door, he didn’t forget to lock it.
Feeling Feng Yimo’s sequence of actions and imagining how puffy and angry Ji An and Ji Le would be when they woke up to find him gone, Ji Yanqing was dumbfounded. Is Feng Yimo a child?
While Ji Yanqing was lost in thought, Feng Yimo burrowed the two of them into the blankets and wrapped himself around him.
Ji Yanqing adjusted his posture, settling more comfortably into Feng Yimo’s embrace.
After such an exciting ‘kidnapping’, Ji Yanqing found himself too awake to sleep.
However Feng Yimo, having successfully stolen his prize, grew drowsy very quickly.
Noticing this, Ji Yanqing leaned in and pecked Feng Yimo on the lips, waking him up.
Hearing Feng Yimo’s breathing grow ragged, Ji Yanqing turned over with satisfaction, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
Feng Yimo’s breath hitched slightly. His teeth gently grazed the nape of Ji Yanqing’s neck. “Ji Yanqing...”
Ji Yanqing was determined to feign sleep.
Feng Yimo was helpless; sometimes Ji Yanqing was the one who acted like a child.
He turned Ji Yanqing onto his back, his lips pressing against Ji Yanqing’s, rubbing and kissing softly until the breathing of the person beneath him grew heavy and his heart began to race.
Ji Yanqing wanted to keep pretending, but the feather-light kisses and the hot breath ghosting over his skin tickled him straight to his heart. “Don’t...”
***
After a good night’s sleep, Tong Yue came looking for him early the next morning.
Ji Yanqing was the true Captain of Sunward. Previously, when he was away, he had left the management of the county town to Tong Yue, but now that he was back, many decisions naturally required his final say.
“Three things,” Tong Yue said as he looked around Ji Yanqing’s new home. “Replenishing the combat squads, the issues with Lu Qing, and the supplies.”
“Most of the combat squads have returned to the county town. I’ve made a rough estimate, and almost every team has suffered personnel losses. We definitely need to fill those gaps,” Tong Yue said.
Ji Yanqing agreed. “Let everyone interested in joining a combat squad sign up. Make a list, then assign them. For those who haven’t handled a gun before, have the veterans in the squads get them up to speed as quickly as possible.”
“Alright.” That was Tong Yue’s plan as well.
Replenishing personnel was the easy problem to solve. The remaining two issues, however, gave both Ji Yanqing and Tong Yue a headache.
Tong Yue briefly summarized the situation with Lu Qing.
There were two main problems on that front, which could be summed up as one: a severe shortage of manpower.
Lu Qing was simultaneously responsible for researching and manufacturing special ammunition and running the hospital’s treatments. Neither of these roles could be filled by just anyone; even with willing trainees, it would take a significant amount of time to build up the necessary skills.
Tong Yue said, “Lu Qing mentioned earlier that he could squeeze in time to train a group of people to care for the wounded. I’ve already announced this, and more than half of the people staying in the county town have signed up.”
No one would refuse the chance to learn a skill vital for survival.
Ji Yanqing thought for a moment. “Have him prioritize the care of the wounded.”
“Then our ammunition...” Tong Yue hesitated.
The wounded were important, of course, but those bullets were the foundation of their survival. The difficulty of the choice was exactly why this was troublesome.
“Put the special bullets on hold for now. There shouldn’t be any Corpse King attacks in the short term, and besides, we don’t have enough materials,” Ji Yanqing decided.
Tong Yue nodded. For now, that was the only way.
With Lu Qing’s matters decided, both men focused their attention on the final issue: supplies and planting.
“We didn’t have many mutated plants to begin with, and a batch was destroyed during the recent battles. If we don’t replenish them soon, even what we harvest three months from now won’t be enough to feed everyone,” Tong Yue explained. “Our existing supplies won’t last three months either.”
“How are our special helpers doing?” Ji Yanqing suddenly asked.
“They helped a lot. Between the two of them, they took down as many as twenty Corpse Kings. They saved quite a few of our people.” Speaking of this, Tong Yue’s emotions were complicated. Never mind the distant past, even just a month ago, he couldn’t have imagined Corpse Kings helping them resist foreign enemies and fighting for their sake.
“Kang Xiaodong, too,” Tong Yue added.
Kang Xiaodong was another oddity.
If they hadn’t seen with their own eyes the way he hopped around energetically, despite the stump of his bitten off arm dripping green blood, they would never have guessed from his personality that he was a Corpse King.
---
Ji Yanqing exhaled slowly, the tension in his expression easing.
After a moment’s thought, he glanced toward the stretch of farmland beyond the county town’s edge. “I’ll handle supplies and planting. You go take care of the combat squads and Lu Qing’s side first.”
He did know of a few places where supplies could still be found — there’d likely be mutant plants like baby bok choy out that way too — but the east had been Heavenly Flame’s territory, and there were bound to be Corpse King squads still prowling around. On top of that, both locations were too far. A round trip would take over a month, and if something went wrong, any rescue effort would arrive a month too late.
“I’ll get on it.” Tong Yue rose and left.
Ji Yanqing watched him go, then slipped out the door before Ji An and Ji Le — who had stirred at some point and were no doubt confused to find the bed empty — could register what was happening. He wanted to check on the fields.
The sky was still pale, but by the time Ji Yanqing reached the county gates, the open ground outside was already thick with movement. Bai Haoxuan was leading a crew in reinforcing the perimeter fencing, large sections of which had been badly damaged by the Corpse Kings and needed to be rebuilt from scratch.
This time around, Bai Haoxuan had scrapped the old design — the simple wire-and-mesh fencing that barely cleared a man’s head — in favor of a steel-rebar wall standing three meters high. It was a massive undertaking. Even with all the materials sourced from outside and enough hands within the town, the whole project would likely take the better part of a year. Ji Yanqing didn’t object. If it could be finished, it would be nothing but an asset.
He watched for a moment, then walked toward the fields.
The damage was immense. Corpse Kings had left deep imprints across the soil — pawprints, drag marks, the evidence of heavy bodies rolling and crashing through the rows. Their sheer weight had compacted the earth and crushed the plants beneath them. People were scattered throughout the field now, working to loosen the soil and salvage what mutant growth remained.
Ji Yanqing picked his way through the rows, chest tightening at the sight of tender shoots that had barely broken the surface before being snapped flat.
There was another problem, too, beyond the trampling. The fields had been tilled and planted nearly a month ago, and in that time the mutant weeds had exploded. Their vitality bordered on vicious — in some patches, the weeds had grown so thick that the crops they’d planted were completely buried. People were pulling weeds in the middle section while, behind them, the ground they’d already cleared bristled with fresh finger-high sprouts once more.
Ji Yanqing did a full circuit of the field and pitched in for a while, then spotted Gu Wenmo and a few of the younger residents hauling water hoses across the ground. They’d rigged a small generator and run two lines from the lake specifically for irrigation — holes punched along each hose at intervals so water sprayed out in a fine mist the moment pressure hit. Practical enough.
He stood watching the hoses for a moment, gaze drifting to the middle distance.
Beyond the edible crops, he’d been thinking about cultivating the mutant plants used to make special-grade ammunition. Right now every specimen they worked with had been retrieved by dedicated squads sent to scavenge from other locations. Some were relatively close — a two or three day round trip — but others required at least half a month just to reach. The wasted time was one thing. The real cost was the risk: every squad that went out carried the chance of running into Corpse Kings on the road.
He’d had the idea before of bringing those plants back and cultivating them locally so they’d have a steady supply on hand, but unlike the food crops, every single one of those plants was lethally toxic.
The flower field in particular — the one whose pollen could strip a Corpse King of bodily control — was enough to make him uneasy just thinking about it. Every time he tried to plan around it, his mind immediately conjured an image of the entire county town wiped out from the inside. The stuff was odorless, colorless, completely uncontainable. If a Corpse King ever came for them and found the townspeople had already done the job themselves, that would be a grim joke indeed.
He turned his gaze to the surrounding mountain range.
Most of it wasn’t particularly tall, but the mutant forest on its slopes had grown so wildly dense that the whole range stood around the county like a wall of iron, an unlikely guardian. Ji Yanqing set off toward it, deciding to scout the outer face.
If they were going to grow those plants at all, planting them inside the mountain range was out of the question. The only viable option was the far side.
The closest point of the range was still a good ten-plus minutes on foot. By the time Ji Yanqing reached the base of the slopes, he’d worked up a sweat.
The mountains were home to no small number of Corpse Kings. As he entered, more than a few turned to watch him with flat, unreadable attention. Contract or no contract, a lone human walking into territory like this — was he really not even a little afraid?
Ji Yanqing paid them no mind and kept climbing.
“What are you here for?” A familiar voice.
He looked up. Recognition registered, and with it, a flicker of surprise.
“You’re alive?” He looked Shang Chan over.
There were no obvious wounds on him, but the weakness was plain — his voice had lost the commanding resonance Ji Yanqing remembered. Even speaking seemed to cost him something.
Shang Chan’s expression darkened at the question.
He’d known the Heavenly Flame Corpse Kings were underhanded. Before marching on the Devil’s City, he’d even warned the others to stay alert — and still, the moment he arrived, he walked straight into a trap built specifically for him. Heavenly Flame had known who he was. One of the three elders.
They’d cut him off from the rest, then ran him down with over twenty Corpse Kings, relentlessly hunting and boxing him in. As an intelligence-type Corpse King, raw strength had never been his advantage, and against those numbers he’d taken serious injuries fast. In the end he’d found a city and gone to ground inside a building like a rat until he outlasted them.
It was a humiliation. He’d never spoken of it to any Corpse King — and hearing Ji Yanqing bring it up now dredged it all back.
“Good that you made it.” When Shang Chan said nothing, Ji Yanqing didn’t push. He kept walking.
Shang Chan stood there a moment longer, stewing in the recalled unpleasantness of it all.
He’d never brought it up partly because no one had ever asked. They were on the same side, yes, but not the kind of side that checked in on each other. Even Hunting Hound, fellow elder that he was, had only said upon seeing him: If you were alive, why did it take you this long to come back?
Ji Yanqing needed half an hour to reach the top.
He didn’t descend. Instead he scanned from the high ground, looking out over the outer face of the range. No cities in sight — just open wasteland, uneven terrain, and scattered patches of unnamed shrubland.
From what he knew, the toxic mutant plants weren’t particularly picky about soil. Explosive growth was practically their defining trait. The one real problem remained those flowers. Even with the mountains as a barrier, he couldn’t be certain the wind wouldn’t carry it over.
Lu Qing had recently worked out a method for neutralizing the pollen’s potency, but it required large amounts of tin foil as containment — and building an entire tin foil greenhouse at that scale simply wasn’t feasible.
Ji Yanqing followed the ridgeline for a stretch, roughly marking out a few suitable spots in his head, then came back down.
As he neared the county gates, he spotted Feng Yimo descending from the other side of the range in the distance. Shang Chan was standing at the mountain’s edge.
After news of the Heavenly Flame leader’s decisive defeat had spread, the Elder had returned north to drive out all remaining Heavenly Flame Corpse Kings in that region and rebuild Death’s Faction from the ground up. The Heavenly Flame forces that had occupied the Devil’s City had scattered and fled, and Hunting Hound had taken the main force there to mop up. For now, only Shang Chan remained in the mountains.
Ji Yanqing waited at the county gates until Feng Yimo reached his side.
“They want me to choose a location,” Feng Yimo said.
“A location?”
“For the capital.”
Ji Yanqing was struck speechless.
Feng Yimo was Death’s king in every sense now. Once that became public knowledge, he would have to step into the role properly.
“Have you chosen?”
“Yes.” Feng Yimo glanced back toward the mountains behind the county town. “The Devil’s City.”
The Devil’s City was close enough to reach in a day — not too near, not too far. Feng Yimo could go when needed and return just as easily.
Ji Yanqing nodded. “That works.”
“Ji An and Ji Le will come with me after this.”
Ji Yanqing stilled.
The response came instinctively — But—
There was so much he wanted to say. They’re still so young. They don’t understand any of this. But every word dissolved before it could leave his throat.
Ji An and Ji Le were Corpse Kings. That was simply what they were. They would have a growth cycle entirely unlike a human’s, and he couldn’t let his own reluctance keep them tethered to his side forever.
It took him a long moment to find his voice again.
“What do you want them to do?”
“Support. Relay messages.”
The image surfaced unbidden — Ji An and Ji Le, faces pulled into grave, solemn little expressions, babbling orders in their small voices as junior adjutants. Ji Yanqing almost smiled despite himself. Was Feng Yimo really certain that any Corpse King would actually be intimidated by them?
“Don’t let them get hurt,” Ji Yanqing said.
“Yes.”
“You either.”
“Yes.”
He’d already taken a few steps when he stopped and turned back, studying Feng Yimo’s face with complete seriousness. “If you’re going — take someone with you. Don’t go alone.”
If he didn’t say that, he genuinely feared that Feng Yimo, freshly-crowned King of the Corpse Kings, wouldn’t last a week before every Corpse King in the world was out searching for their lost leader.
Back inside the county town, Ji Yanqing went straight to find Lu Qing.
Tong Yue was already there when he arrived, mid-discussion with Lu Qing about the matter of training others. Both looked up when he walked in.
“How’s it looking?” Ji Yanqing asked.
“I suppose I can put the research on hold for a while.” Lu Qing’s expression was pained even as he caved.
“I’ll talk to Nurse Wang and the others,” Tong Yue said, “and get them to help as well. We’ll prioritize getting a first batch of trainees up to speed on handling basic injuries — after that, you’ll have more time to put toward research.”
Lu Qing agreed, with some reluctance. “Fine.”
Ji Yanqing found it quietly amusing. The moment anything intruded on his Corpse King obsession or his research, Lu Qing turned into a sulking child.
“I have some good news.” He looked to Lu Qing. “I’m planning to cultivate a batch of the mutant plants used for ammunition on the far side of the mountain range. If it works out, we’ll be able to source materials locally. That means more specimens for your research.”
Lu Qing’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Ji Yanqing adopted a weighty, reluctant tone. “But you know as well as I do — we don’t understand these plants very well. If we’re actually going to grow them, we’d probably need you to keep an eye on the process and guide us along.”
“That’s no problem at all!” Lu Qing didn’t even hesitate.
“But you’d be juggling research, teaching, and cultivation — can you really manage? Maybe we should hold off until you’ve gotten through the teaching first.”
“No need — I can handle it. There’s not much research material right now anyway. I can focus on the planting first.” Lu Qing waved him off.
Ji Yanqing considered briefly, then relented. “Alright then. I’ll arrange things as soon as I can.”
Tong Yue, standing to the side, watched the whole exchange with the corner of his mouth twitching.
Ji Yanqing had obviously wanted Lu Qing’s help the entire time but had been afraid of coming across as demanding — and somehow the whole thing had flipped until it looked like Ji Yanqing was doing Lu Qing a favor. Lu Qing, for his part, had been completely played and didn’t even know it.
Tong Yue understood it perfectly and said nothing. If the planting succeeded, it would save considerable trouble down the line.
With Lu Qing’s plan settled, Ji Yanqing went directly to find a few of the combat squads that had come out of the recent battle with lighter casualties, laying out what he needed them to retrieve. They’d sent teams out for those plants before, but this time it was for cultivation — meaning slightly different requirements.
He gave instructions, added a reminder to be careful, then headed back to the county gates. It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for: a large Black Beast stretched out beneath the eaves of one of the buildings near the entrance, watching the people at work in the fields with half-lidded eyes. The badger-like Pangolin Corpse King lay beside it.
Ji Yanqing crossed over and settled under the eaves alongside them.
At the sound of his approach, both opened their eyes and turned to look at him — unhurried, unsurprised. They’d heard long ago that he was back.
---
“Thank you,” Ji Yanqing said softly.
The Black Beast closed its eyes, ready to doze off.
Ji Yanqing withdrew his gaze from the busy figures in the distance. Though no obvious wounds marked the Black Beast’s body, he could sense its weakness. He didn’t know the specifics of what had happened back then, but he had seen Heavenly Flame’s Corpse Kings firsthand. Even if the Black Beast was powerful, it had likely endured no small amount of suffering.
Corpse kings possessed formidable regenerative abilities, but that didn’t mean wounds didn’t hurt.
Ji Yanqing reached out and touched the Black Beast’s head.
The Black Beast immediately bared its fangs, its eyes blazing with killing intent. If Ji Yanqing truly wanted to part with that hand, it would gladly help him lose it.
Ji Yanqing showed no fear. He withdrew his hand and continued watching the distant crowd at work.
He actually enjoyed watching this kind of scene. Though the task was nothing but the repetitive motion of pulling weeds, that very tranquility gave him a sense of fulfillment.
The Black Beast shook its head, irritated at its ruffled fur, shifted position, and continued lying on the ground, dozing.
“Would you be willing to join us? Join Sunward?” Ji Yanqing asked.
The Black Beast’s eyes snapped open.
Ji Yanqing looked down, meeting its gaze directly. “I don’t mean you joining Death. Join Sunward. Become one of us.”
The Black Beast’s pupils constricted. It stared straight at Ji Yanqing, momentarily unable to comprehend what he was thinking.
It was a Corpse King. Ji Yanqing was inviting it to join Sunward, a group composed entirely of humans. Had Ji Yanqing lost his mind, or were its ears malfunctioning?
Ji Yanqing couldn’t read the Black Beast’s thoughts, but he could guess well enough. He smiled. “What difference does it make?”
The Black Beast remained motionless, its gaze fixed on Ji Yanqing’s eyes, trying to determine if he was joking.
The badger-like Corpse King, ears pricked up and eavesdropping, hadn’t expected such an invitation either. Its expression flickered with momentary complexity.
Coming to its senses, the Pangolin Corpse King glanced at its companion beside it.
Ji Yanqing followed its gaze. “So? Have you thought it over?”
The Black Beast lay back down, ignoring him.
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take your silence as agreement,” Ji Yanqing said.
“Grr!” The Black Beast made a sound of refusal.
It had no desire to join any Sunward. It wasn’t human. Feng Yimo had captured it and brought it here.
“Think it over some more,” Ji Yanqing said.
The Black Beast choked for a moment. Even if it thought it over, the answer was still no. “Wuuf.”
Ji Yanqing changed tactics. “Tong Yue said you helped a great deal. If not for you, we would have definitely lost that battle. Everyone really wants to thank you. If you’re willing to join, they’ll be thrilled.”
The Black Beast didn’t move.
“It’s already so difficult for humans to survive this long. What might seem easy to you is harder than climbing to heaven for us.” Ji Yanqing’s voice was very soft. “Please, help us a little longer.”
The Black Beast remained still.
“Won’t you reconsider?”
This time, the Black Beast made no sound of refusal.
Ji Yanqing reached out and rubbed its head, immediately earning a rather hostile glare. He laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes?”
The Black Beast shook its head, closed its eyes, and ignored him.
What difference did joining make? They couldn’t even communicate.
Ji Yanqing looked at the badger-like Corpse King.
The Pangolin Corpse King, with its wet, glistening eyes, looked at Ji Yanqing, then at the Black Beast, and mimicked its companion by lying down.
It and the Black Beast were a team.
Ji Yanqing reached out and petted it too.
The Pangolin Corpse King was very well-behavedDude, is this not the same creature who chased you through a forest before your son bit off its tail? Well-behaved my ass… evolving must have given it a new soul. and didn’t bite.
Ji Yanqing stood up. “Perfect timing. I have a crucial mission to entrust to you. Can you lead a team to the east? Our county’s supplies aren’t enough. There are more in the city over there, but it’s far, and Heavenly Flame’s Corpse King squad might still be active in that area.”
A vein bulged on the Black Beast’s forehead. Had it been tricked?
“Then I’ll be troubling you,” Ji Yanqing said as he turned and headed toward the county to organize the teams.
Ji Yanqing immediately found Tong Yue and requested the list of all combat teams still in the county. The Devil’s City’s supplies had mostly been retrieved. Apart from those sent to deal with the toxic mutated plants, most combat teams were in the county.
When Ji Yanqing arrived, Tong Yue had already prepared reserve lists sorted by headcount. Ji Yanqing quickly briefed him on the eastern situation.
Tong Yue was astonished that the Black Beast and Pangolin Corpse King were willing to lead a supply run east. Upon learning they’d agreed to join Sunward, a vein bulged on his forehead.
Only Ji Yanqing would think of inviting Corpse Kings to join Sunward. But this way, the problem was indeed solved.
Without hesitation, Tong Yue immediately worked with Ji Yanqing to select the twenty best teams from the roster, dividing them into two large groups, and even appointing two team leaders to join them.
The distance was too great; back and forth travel wouldn’t be economical, especially considering the gasoline consumption. So this time, they had to bring back enough supplies in one trip.
After organizing the teams, they gathered all the team leaders and explained the eastern environment, Heavenly Flame’s remnant forces, and the possibility of encountering other survivor groups there.
Upon learning that two Corpse Kings would be leading them, everyone’s faces instantly darkened.
Qin Yue and the gruff-voiced man, chosen as deputy captains of the excursion, wore the most interesting expressions.
“Such a pity we don’t have more Corpse Kings in the county right now, otherwise we could send another team.” Ji Yanqing’s eyes glinted as he looked toward the mountains. Death’s faction had plenty of Corpse Kings.
“I think it’s better to shelve that idea for now,” Tong Yue said, suppressing the urge to twitch his mouth.
“Two teams are enough,” Qin Yue quickly agreed.
“We wouldn’t feel safe with Corpse Kings we don’t recognize,” the gruff-voiced man chimed in.
Hearing the gruff-voiced man’s words, Tong Yue and Qin Yue both looked at him, surprised he was supporting the idea. He usually opposed Ji Yanqing on everything.
Gruff-voiced man’s face was dark as coal. He wanted nothing more than to punch Ji Yanqing and knock some sense into him, but one, he couldn’t win in a fight, and two, Ji Yanqing might actually try to poach from Death’s faction if antagonized. What could he do?
Death’s Corpse Kings coexisted peacefully with them now, but that was mostly because of Feng Yimo. Without his restraint, they might have attacked the paradise long ago.
They would never join a human paradise, and certainly never lead teams to find supplies for humans.
The Black Beast and the Pangolin Corpse King were the exceptions.
Ji Yanqing thought for a moment and nodded. The gruff-voiced man had a point this time. “You’re right. Unfamiliar ones wouldn’t be trustworthy.”
As he spoke, the image of the Devil’s City’s giant white rat surfaced in his mind. It had fled before and hadn’t been seen since. He wondered if they might encounter it again.
Later that evening, when Qin Yue, Gruff-voiced man, and the team leaders left, their expressions were so dazed that many passersby curiously stared.
That night, all teams prepared in advance: weapons, vehicles, and gasoline.
Their county’s special ammunition was basically depleted. This time, they could only bring ordinary bullets, which left everyone uneasy.
The next day, at dawn, a crowd gathered outside the county.
Twenty teams meant a full four thousand people—such a massive number that it drew every roused county resident to watch the spectacle.
When the snow had melted enough for vehicles to pass, Ji Yanqing looked toward the Black Beast and Pangolin Corpse King crouching far away under the eaves.
The Black Beast, face dark, rapidly enlarged its body and strode toward the convoy through the panicked crowd.
The Pangolin Corpse King followed closely behind.
“These two are your deputy leaders. You can communicate with them about anything on the road,” Ji Yanqing said, pointing to Qin Yue and Gruff.
At Ji Yanqing’s words, the watching crowd stirred restlessly.
Qin Yue and Gruff were deputy leaders?
Then the Corpse Kings were the actual team leaders for this expedition?
Ji Yanqing was putting two Corpse Kings in charge of Sunward’s combat teams?
Qin Yue looked at the Corpse King before him. Up close, dwarfed by its colossal form, he took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Thank you for your trouble.”
The Black Beast looked down at the tiny figure of Qin Yue by its feet. It didn’t want to respond, but Ji Yanqing’s earlier words echoed in its mind: humans really did die so easily…
It flicked its tail and grudgingly acknowledged him.
Qin Yue smiled back.
Gruff tried to smile at the Pangolin Corpse King. Looking up into that blood-red maw, his eyes twitched violently, and his face contorted into a near-grimace.
The Pangolin Corpse King tilted its head slightly, watching Gruff’s strange smile, and blinked.
Seeing the interaction concluded, Ji Yanqing turned back to Qin Yue and Gruff. “There are still many survivor groups out there. Leave some information about Sunward along the way.”
Their county now had over ten thousand people. It seemed like a lot, but it was far from enough.
As time passed, many supplies would become increasingly difficult to find—things like gasoline, which hadn’t seemed so critical before.
Their current supply runs and electricity generation relied on gasoline. Once it ran out, they’d be unable to travel far distances, and many research devices would become unusable.
If they could find alternatives, fine. If not, they’d have to rely purely on manpower.
But some things couldn’t be compensated by manpower at all, like Lu Qing’s equipment.
When that happened, they’d face another kind of desperate situation.
Before all that arrived, they had to make thorough preparations.
“If you encounter Corpse Kings, you can mention Death’s name,” Ji Yanqing said. After all, he’d helped Death’s faction with the Heavenly Flame situation.
Qin Yue and Gruff nodded, each turning to call their team members into the vehicles.
When everyone was ready, the convoy departed into the distance. Four thousand people in nearly a hundred vehicles stretched out in an imposing line.
The Black Beast looked at the Pangolin Corpse King, then chose one convoy to follow.
The Pangolin Corpse King followed the other.
The crowd around the county had already erupted into heated discussion. Corpse kings leading the way—some thought Ji Yanqing had lost his mind, others found it bizarre and exciting.
If Sunward could really have two Corpse King team leaders, many things would change.
The Black Beast ran for a while, then looked back at Ji Yanqing standing at the county gate, watching them leave. Seeing the smile on Ji Yanqing’s face, it became increasingly convinced: it had absolutely been tricked.
What ‘everyone will be happy if you join Sunward’? Complete nonsense! Ji Yanqing had clearly just deceived it into working for free!
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