AFTCKCTCKATD - Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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As he watched the Black Beast disappear into the distance, Ji Yanqing drew a deep, steadying breath.
He was actually quite surprised that the Black Beast had agreed to join Sunward. Most Corpse Kings were creatures of immense pride; possessing physical capabilities far surpassing humanity and the terrifying power to command zombies, they certainly had the capital to look down on humans.
Corpse Kings like the Black Beast and Kang Xiaodong were rare anomalies, few and far between even if one scoured the entire world.
With these thoughts settling in his mind, Ji Yanqing shifted his focus to the vegetable fields outside the county town. To command respect, one needed the capital to back it up.
But first and foremost, they simply had to survive.
The agricultural zone was divided into two main sections: several plots right outside the county gates, and a ring of land surrounding the distant mountain range. The area near the mountains was planted with tree-like flora and another type of plant that possessed mild toxicity.
They hadn’t found many of the tree-like specimens—only about a dozen in total—making them almost negligible in the grand scheme of things.
The toxic plants, however, were growing quite well. The catch was that they caused hallucinations. While consuming a small amount might be acceptable in a desperate pinch, they could never serve as a staple food source.
The most critical produce remained the bok choy and the other four edible crops, but particularly the bok choy and mutated potatoes. These were currently their most abundant crops; the two large fields outside the town gates were almost exclusively dedicated to them.
A night of heavy snowfall had blanketed the entire ground. From a distance, nothing was visible but a vast, white expanse.
Ji Yanqing tried to brush away the snow with his foot, only to reveal a cluster of weeds.
Whether it was a trick of the light or Ji Yanqing’s imagination, the weeds seemed to have grown taller than they were yesterday, despite only a single night passing.
Without exception, these weeds were all mutated plants. Leaving them unchecked was definitely not an option, but judging by the current situation, relying on manual labor to pull them out would be a losing battle. They needed to think of another way.
The first person to pop into Ji Yanqing’s mind was Lu Qing. With his skill in researching pharmaceuticals, he should be capable of concocting some agent to target these pests.
But Lu Qing was currently manufacturing bullets, tending to the wounded, training a new batch of apprentices, and even helping oversee the cultivation of the toxic plants. If Ji Yanqing asked him to take responsibility for weeding as well, he genuinely feared the man might drop dead from overexertion.
Just as Ji Yanqing was pondering a solution, he saw someone approaching from not far away.
It was Uncle Wang. Between his age and the child he had to care for, he wasn’t suitable for any supply runs or scouting missions, so he had remained in the county town to help with farming.
He was no longer the weak, bedraggled figure from the early days. Although still thin, his spirit was high, and his complexion had regained a healthy, ruddy glow.
“Captain Ji, what’s wrong?” Uncle Wang noticed the patch of snow Ji Yanqing had cleared away.
“Have you tried using pesticides on these weeds?” Ji Yanqing asked.
Before the virus outbreak, many people in this county had made a living through agriculture, so there should be a decent stock of pesticides available.
“We tried,” Uncle Wang said, looking instantly headache-prone at the mention of the weeds. “We tried several kinds. The result? They just grew faster.”
Ji Yanqing paused, stunned. That was unexpected.
On second thought, it made a twisted sort of sense. These weeds were no longer the same species as before; perhaps for their current mutated forms, poison had simply become another nutrient.
Seeing Ji Yanqing’s troubled expression, Uncle Wang smiled. “It’s alright. We’ll just have to pull them out more often.”
Ji Yanqing felt helpless, but for now, there was no other choice. “Thank you for your hard work.”
“I’ll figure something out as soon as possible,” Ji Yanqing added.
“No rush. Take your time.”
Since the establishment of the base, everything was still in its infancy. Everyone could see just how busy Ji Yanqing was.
Ji Yanqing stood there for a while longer. After the crowd at the town gate slowly dispersed, he returned inside.
Following breakfast, the county town quickly descended into a bustle of activity.
Huang Rongyue, who was in charge of logistics and inventory, led a large group of people to the two warehouses that had previously collapsed. They had located new storage facilities and needed to excavate everything from the ruins to transfer it over.
When the two buildings above the underground parking lot had collapsed, they had transformed into over ten tons of architectural wreckage. Huang Rongyue and her team had somehow procured two excavators and were working with fiery enthusiasm.
Ji Yanqing had intended to go over and take a look, but before he could even assess the situation, someone came running from the gate to find him.
The squad dispatched to retrieve the mutated flora had returned.
Immediately after the second attack ended, Tong Yue had sent out several of the town’s best-conditioned teams to gather the specific mutated plants needed for bullet production. Later, Ji Yanqing had sent out another batch.
Once they decided to cultivate the plants themselves, Ji Yanqing had specifically instructed the gate guards to notify him the moment the teams returned.
Ji Yanqing jogged alongside the messenger toward the town entrance.
When he arrived, Li Pingsen and Hei Long, who had also heard the news, were standing at the gate chatting. The large truck Li Pingsen had brought back, loaded with lavender, was parked in an open clearing far away from the town proper.
Through recent research, Lu Qing had discovered that tinfoil could effectively inhibit the diffusion of the ‘floral foam’ components. To bring back as much lavender as possible, they had specially modified over a dozen vehicles.
The cargo holds were wrapped in layers of tinfoil. Given the size of the trucks, the effect was minimal, but it was still far better than the previous situation where people would pass out every ten minutes.
Seeing Ji Yanqing arrive, Li Pingsen and Hei Long stopped their idle chatter and looked over.
“Go get Lu Qing,” Ji Yanqing said to Gu Wenmo, who was standing nearby watching the commotion.
Gu Wenmo immediately turned and ran toward the town center. He hadn’t gone more than two steps before Lu Qing appeared, already running toward them with a pile of protective suits in his arms.
“Heading straight there?” Ji Yanqing asked.
Lu Qing tightened his grip on the suits. “Yes.”
As they spoke, Ji Yanqing called for a group of people to grab hoes and assist. After ordering others to load some water onto the trucks, everyone boarded the vehicles. They intended to drive behind the mountain range before opening the cargo doors.
Lavender was different from the other mutated plants; since they couldn’t get close enough to harvest it normally, they had dug up the plants, roots, and soil all together, dumping the whole lot into the truck beds to transport back.
The convoy wound halfway around the mountain range, stopping at a wind-sheltered spot far from the town.
As soon as the trucks stopped, Lu Qing hopped out to check the environment.
Ji Yanqing had selected this location previously. Aside from being sufficiently distant from the residential area, its main special feature was that it was shielded from the wind.
Lu Qing circled the area, made his calculations, and immediately directed the group to start digging.
Ji Yanqing had brought plenty of manpower—over fifty people. With one hoe per person, fifty pits appeared in no time.
Once the holes were dug, the majority of the group retreated quickly to an upwind position. Lu Qing selected a few people to change into protective suits with him and went forward to open the truck beds.
The lavender inside had been stewing in the enclosed space for two days. As the doors of several trucks swung open, Lu Qing and his team quickly backed away to the upwind side. Even wearing protective gear, Lu Qing dared not face the concentrated fumes head-on.
Ten minutes later, once the trucks had aired out somewhat, Lu Qing led the team back in.
They climbed into the truck beds, separating the soil-clumped flowers one by one, then carried them down to plant them individually in the prepared pits.
After covering the roots with soil, they took buckets and watered each one.
The entire process took a considerable amount of time. The team had to take several breaks in between. By the time everything was finished and they removed their hoods, everyone’s faces were flushed red from holding their breath and the stifling heat of the suits.
Because the lavender was so unique, Ji Yanqing didn’t dare plant too much at once. This initial phase was merely a trial planting. After they were done, a large amount of lavender remained, all of which was sent to Lu Qing’s laboratory.
With the planting complete, Ji Yanqing returned to the county town with the convoy. His first order of business was to warn everyone not to wander near that area.
The town’s population instantly split into two camps: those who had witnessed the plant’s potency and were suitably fearful, and those who hadn’t, who were visibly eager to try their luck.
Amidst the noise, some were even egging on the uninitiated to go and test it out.
Hearing this, Ji Yanqing’s first instinct was to stop them—this wasn’t a game. But the words swallowed themselves before leaving his mouth. They no longer needed to maintain the hyper-vigilance of the past; a little occasional indulgence didn’t matter.
For many, laughing freely and letting go felt like a memory from a past life.
With a shift in perspective, Ji Yanqing decided to simply watch the show with the others.
With no objection from Ji Yanqing, the group—already itching for action—immediately surged toward the mountain range.
Ten minutes later, they were carried back—an entire swath of them—horizontal and defeated.
The bearers dumped them all into a single room, arranging their unconscious forms into a variety of bizarre, contorted poses. It was a scene as eerie as it was hilarious.
For a moment, it seemed the entire population of the county town had run over to watch the spectacle.
Ji Yanqing stood at the periphery of the crowd. Listening to the laughter and cheers ringing in his ears, the nerves that the apocalypse had kept pulled taut finally loosened a fraction.
Just as the crowd was at its rowdiest, someone tugged at Ji Yanqing’s clothes.
Ji Yanqing initially assumed it was Ji An or Ji Le, but when he turned around, his gaze landed on Hei Long.
“Boss, Xia Shen Shu sent word back. They found that bastard.” There was no trace of a smile on Hei Long’s face.
Amidst the surrounding mirth, the faint smile on Ji Yanqing’s lips slowly receded, replaced by a mask of expressionless cold. Beside him, the joy vanished instantly from the faces of Li Pingsen, Bai Haoxuan, and Lan Zi, who had just been laughing along with the others.
Ji Yanqing paused for a heartbeat, then quickly followed Hei Long out.
Leaving the room packed with laughing people, they gathered before the flowerbeds outside the small courtyard. They stood still, looking to Hei Long.
At the mere mention of Xia Chen, the expressions of Li Pingsen, Hei Long, and Lan Zi turned incredibly ugly.
“What now?” Hei Long looked like he wanted to say more but held back.
“We go pay a visit,” Li Pingsen said without a second thought.
“Call Mo Xian, too. Let’s go,” Lan Zi agreed.
With that, they headed out of the courtyard. Unlike the people flocking in to see the fun, their faces were frosted over with ice.
Ji Yanqing left the yard and made a quick stop at home to grab his axe. Seeing this, Feng Yimo, Ji An, and Ji Le immediately followed.
When Ji Yanqing arrived at the county town gate, Lan Zi and the others already had vehicles at the ready. Beside them stood quite a few original members of Sunward; they, too, could not stand idly by regarding this matter.
Ji Yanqing exchanged a few brief words with Tong Yue, who had hurried over, then climbed into the car.
Five vehicles sped away from the county town, heading toward the Devil’s City in the distance. On the road, everyone inside the cars sat in heavy silence, faces dark and sullen.
Ji An and Ji Le turned their small heads, looking left and right. Anxious, they tugged at Ji Yanqing. Though young, they were more intuitive than adults; they could feel that Ji Yanqing was unhappy. Ji Yanqing gently patted the two little heads.
Two days later, at dusk, the convoy stopped in a forest near a city.
Accompanying Kang Xiaodong and Xia Shen Shu was a combat squad. Nearly two hundred people were present—some remained in the woods to rest, while others were in the city keeping Xia Chen and his group under surveillance. Seeing Ji Yanqing and the others arrive, the group resting in the forest rose one after another.
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“Where are they?” Lan Zi asked, scanning the surroundings. There was no one in sight.
“Behind the mountain range on the city side. Team Leader Xia said the people over there are crafty — told us not to follow too close.”
Lan Zi nodded. Xia Chen had certainly gone to great lengths to shake them.
“Where’s Xia Shen Shu?” Hei Long asked.
The one who’d answered didn’t reply — just turned and led Ji Yanqing’s group into the city nearby.
The sky was darkening steadily. The temperature had dropped below zero, and as they moved through the maze of buildings, every breath fogged white.
A few minutes later, they were brought to the base of a high-rise at the city’s edge. Ji Yanqing’s group moved quickly up the stairs.
Several floors below the top, in the dark, Xia Shen Shu stood at a window staring out into the distance. Kang Xiaodong turned as the group entered.
Li Pingsen crossed straight to the window without a word and looked out. Xia Shen Shu handed him the binoculars he’d been using and pointed out the general direction. Lan Zi took Kang Xiaodong’s pair and moved up alongside him. Hei Long, Mo Xian, and Bai Haoxuan followed close behind.
Xia Chen wasn’t in the city at all — he was behind a stretch of mountain range beyond the city limits, and he wasn’t alone. Everyone currently under his Midsummer survival team was with him.
Midsummer had grown far beyond its original hundred-odd members. Judging by the nearly two hundred vehicles clustered around their camp, the team now numbered in the thousands. The vehicles were arranged in a ring behind the mountains, canvas strung between them to block out the wind and snow. Bonfires burned in the center of the formation, their flickering tongues casting warm light over a crowd celebrating with food and drink.
The group kept it restrained — no real noise to speak of — but even from this distance, Li Pingsen and the others could feel the elation radiating off them.
“Boss, have a drink — let’s celebrate the big win!” A man whose face had already gone blotchy red after just two cups worked up the nerve to sling his arm around Xia Chen’s neck.
Xia Chen wasn’t much of a talker on a good day, and his decisiveness had a way of putting people on edge — a fair number in his team kept a respectful distance from him. That said, more of them felt something closer to reverence and admiration than actual fear. Almost every person there had been pulled out of some dire situation by Xia Chen himself. The guns in their hands were ones he’d sourced. The food in their mouths was food he’d led them to find.
Beyond supplies and weapons, he’d taken them out to hunt Awakened Zombies — and in doing so, had shown them that surviving wasn’t just possible, it was something to fight for. This time, he’d gone further still: he’d found them weapons capable of taking down Corpse Kings, and they’d even seized Sunward’s supplies.
The haul from this operation alone would keep them fed for over a month. That meant a month of genuine rest ahead of them.
Xia Chen glanced at the man drunkenly hanging off him and let it go.
Seeing he wasn’t angry, the rest of the crowd grew bolder, pressing forward with their cups raised. “Come on, Boss, just one!”
“We’ve got all us brothers here, and now we’ve got weapons that can actually kill Corpse Kings — if any of those things dare show up, we’ll put them down just like that.”
“Exactly.”
“You all go ahead,” Xia Chen said. “I’ll keep watch.”
Seeing he was firm about it, the crowd made noise but didn’t keep pushing him to drink.
Xia Chen had always been like this — when everyone else cut loose, he was usually standing somewhere at the edge watching. Sometimes he’d drift off somewhere in his head, like something was weighing on him. Plenty of people had wondered about it. A few had even worked up the nerve to ask. He’d never answered.
After a while, when it was clear he wasn’t joining in, the crowd drifted back to their own celebrating.
The wind picked up, carrying snow and cold with it.
A young man carrying an axe was making his way through the blizzard and towards the festive group, step by step.
The sentry clocked him instantly and tensed. A Corpse King?
Without hesitating, he turned and sprinted down the slope to warn Xia Chen.
But the man with the axe had appeared too suddenly — the sentry had already been close to the base of the range when he was spotted, and by the time the sentry burst into camp, the axe-carrying figure had already rounded the mountain’s edge.
The camp, still mid-celebration a moment ago, went dead silent. Everyone dropped what they were holding and gathered up front with weapons, eyes trained on the figure emerging through the storm.
Xia Chen looked too.
Through the swirling snow, he saw Ji Yanqing’s face — and his pupils snapped tight.
Ji Yanqing swept a glance over the wall of gun barrels pointed his way, and kept walking through the blizzard until he stood ten meters from the front of the camp.
Between them, the bonfires roared. Orange firelight fell across Ji Yanqing’s face — cold-blanched but still striking — illuminating it clearly.
The moment his face was visible, the camp erupted in muted confusion. People exchanged glances, unease sharpening: a human-form Corpse King?
Ji Yanqing said nothing. He studied Xia Chen in the crowd.
It had been a while. Xia Chen had changed considerably.
When Ji Yanqing had first met him, prolonged hunger, relentless pressure, and a recent brush with death had left him haggard and hollowed out. During his time at Sunward, he’d gradually recovered — the life had come back into him, a brightness returning to his eyes.
Now, looking at him again, his frame had filled out further, grown harder and broader. But the look about him was unmistakably ragged and uncertain, his personality turned visibly more inward, weighted.
“Long time no see,” Ji Yanqing said.
At the sound of his voice, Xia Chen’s breath caught.
The offhand greeting left the rest of the camp thoroughly confused. Heads swiveled in all directions as people tried to work out who Ji Yanqing was even talking to.
Xia Chen said nothing. Standing with the firelight behind him, his face was swallowed by shadow.
Ji Yanqing stood in the light, his features sharp and clear, gaze fixed directly on the silent figure in the crowd.
“Who are you?” someone beside Xia Chen called out.
Ji Yanqing looked over. Under the person’s guarded, puzzled stare, he answered simply: “Ji Yanqing.”
Those three syllables hit like a stone dropped into still water.
The confusion vanished — and the camp surged. Everyone knew that name. More precisely: among everyone still alive, there wasn’t a person who didn’t.
Ji Yanqing. Leader of the Sunward survival team. The human who had signed a contract with Death’s Faction.
Xia Chen’s former captain.
In the chaos, more than a few people looked toward Xia Chen.
Seeing him remain silent throughout, one figure in the crowd raised a gun.
Bang.
Before the trigger was pulled, a bullet from somewhere in the mountains sent the weapon flying.
The shot had come from the range above.
In its wake, the mountains that had been shielding the camp came alive. Within seconds, thousands of ordinary zombies poured out of the treeline and encircled the entire camp.
With them came Xia Shen Shu, Kang Xiaodong, and the rest.
Feng Yimo stepped in behind Ji Yanqing.
Faced with the sudden tide of undead, everyone in Xia Chen’s camp panicked. This many zombies — there was no escape route. No way out.
Every gun came up — but once raised, no one knew where to aim.
“What do you want?” Xia Chen’s voice cut through the chaos.
Ji Yanqing didn’t answer. He just looked at him, steady and quiet.
“Whatever’s between us — keep it between us. Let the others go. They’re not part of this.”
“Boss, don’t waste your breath on them!”
“Who’s scared? If they want a fight, fine — we’ll all go down together!”
“Running around with zombies — tells you everything you need to know about him.”
“Abandoned our boss back then, and now he’s here to finish the job. Ji Yanqing, don’t push it.”
Ji Yanqing’s expression didn’t shift. He looked at Xia Chen. “Is that what you told them? That I was the one who abandoned you?”
Xia Chen said nothing.
Lan Zi’s jaw was clenched so tight it ached. Her hands on the sniper rifle were white-knuckled — she wanted nothing more than to put a bullet between his eyes, but that would be letting him off too easy.
Xia Shen Shu’s face wore a smile that didn’t reach his eyes a single bit.
Li Pingsen’s single-eyed face had gone dark red, the veins at his temple standing out.
“This has nothing to do with them,” Xia Chen said again.
The corner of Ji Yanqing’s mouth curved — a cold, contemptuous edge to it. “Su Luo used to call you gege too. Why didn’t you care about him?”
At the name, a ripple moved through the crowd. Several people turned to look at Xia Chen — Su Luo?
Under the weight of those questioning eyes, Xia Chen’s face darkened. “I’m done talking about that. But the people behind me — they’re human. You don’t need to slaughter all of them over a few bulletsReminder that Xia Chen’s group had snuck into the county town with the goal of stealing the Anti-Corpse King Bullets.”
“The stuff you took is fake,” Ji Yanqing said.
Xia Chen’s breath stopped. He spun around and looked at Gu Shanhai.
Gu Shanhai — who had recognized Ji Yanqing from the moment he arrived — stared back with an expression full of shock. He hadn’t known.
The faces of everyone still buzzing from the celebration froze solid. A beat later, the realization hit, and the anger that turned toward Ji Yanqing was sharp and hot.
As for the bullets — Ji Yanqing had never considered keeping that information to himself. Plenty of combat squads in the county had been involved in gathering the mutant plants; almost everyone knew which species they used. The actual manufacturing process was something Lu Qing had developed through his own research, and Ji Yanqing himself didn’t have the technical details.
He knew that if he asked Lu Qing, he’d be told everything without a moment’s hesitation. But that thought had never crossed his mind.
The entire county had become one large family. Every person was contributing their share — not just the major figures like Tong Yue, but the smaller ones too, people like Uncle Wang. Ji Yanqing understood it might sound too idealistic, but it was precisely that which had carried them this far — and that wasn’t something he could ignore.
If from the very beginning he had held back from Lu Qing, Lu Qing would never have lowered his guard and thrown himself fully into the research. The same was true of Huang Rongyue and Qin Yue. If he’d held anything back from them, the county town wouldn’t have been built to begin with.
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Ji Yanqing looked at the cluster of people beside Xia Chen. “This is between me and him. You can leave.”
They exchanged glances. Not a single person moved.
They’d made it this far because of Xia Chen—because Xia Chen had led them to hunt Awakened Zombies, they’d finally seen a sliver of hope for staying alive.
Ji Yanqing had already exhausted his politeness. He stopped wasting words on them, and he didn’t even spare a glance for the gun muzzles trained on him.
He walked forward.
The moment he moved, everyone in the opposing camp went taut.
Ji Yanqing advanced three or four meters and stopped in the empty space between the two groups. He pulled a pistol from inside his coat and tossed it at Xia Chen’s feet.
He didn’t use guns. The pistol was Su Luo’s—ever since he’d picked it up, he’d kept it on him.
“Ten rounds,” Ji Yanqing said, looking at Xia Chen. “Check it if you want. You can kill me—or if you run the bullets dry and you’re still alive, I’ll let you go. Sunward won’t make things difficult for you again.”
He unwound the cloth wrapped around his axe.
In the crowd, Xia Shen Shu smiled, eyes narrowing. If Xia Chen dared to kill Ji Yanqing, Xia Shen Shu would make sure Xia Chen spent the rest of his life wishing he were dead.
Lan Zi immediately chambered a round.
Li Pingsen, Hei Long, Mo Xian, and Bai Haoxuan all gripped their guns, faces dark.
Feng Yimo’s bottomless black eyes fixed on Xia Chen with a cold steadiness—he wasn’t going to give Xia Chen that chance.
Xia Chen didn’t say a word.
“Aren’t you always so determined to protect them? What—scared now?” Ji Yanqing’s expression chilled. “Pick it up.”
Xia Chen stood motionless. The air locked into a rigid standoff.
The wind and snow roared past like a raging beast.
Snow had already piled over Ji Yanqing’s hair and shoulders, yet he stared straight into Xia Chen’s eyes. “Back then you had the nerve to kill Su Luo. You had the nerve to come for me, come for Feng Yimo. You even had the nerve to trick two three-year-old kids into a mall full of zombies—so what, now you don’t have the nerve to even pick up a gun?”
Ji An and Ji Le had only been three. Luckily, they weren’t human—otherwise they would’ve died long ago.
Hearing Ji Yanqing’s words and seeing Xia Chen’s silence, the people in Xia Chen’s camp fell into whispering. The ones who’d been the most aggressive, the loudest, all turned to look at Xia Chen.
They thought Ji Yanqing was making things up. Xia Chen would never do something like that.
Back then, it had obviously been Ji Yanqing who’d looked down on Xia Chen and thrown him away; Xia Chen had only run when there was no way out.
“Pick it up,” Ji Yanqing said. “Don’t make me look down on you even more.”
The instant Xia Chen heard those three words—look down on—he took one step forward and picked up the pistol, chilled to the bone by the cold. His face was storm-black as he checked the magazine, then racked the slide.
Only then did he look up at Ji Yanqing.
Ji Yanqing stepped back, leaving the open ground between the two sides.
Xia Chen clenched his teeth and walked in.
They stood facing each other with only three meters between them.
Wind and snow whipped at their clothes, as if it meant to tear them both off their feet.
Ji Yanqing raised his axe and began to circle to the side.
Xia Chen tightened his grip on the gun, eyes locked on Ji Yanqing, guarding against every subtle shift.
On both sides of the clearing, everyone held their breath. Every gaze was pinned on the two of them.
Ji Yanqing moved like a ghost in the night—he flashed forward, and in the blink of an eye he was already on Xia Chen. The axe swung, cleaving straight toward Xia Chen’s head.
Xia Chen couldn’t dodge in time. His mind went blank. In that instant, instinct took over: he threw up his left arm to block, while his right hand aimed the pistol at Ji Yanqing’s heart.
“Bang.”
The bullet missed, streaking past Ji Yanqing’s shoulder.
“Ugh—” Xia Chen grunted, and a piercing pain shot through his left arm.
He didn’t need to look to know—his arm bone was definitely shattered clean through. Ji Yanqing’s strength had always been monstrous.
Pain ripped a shudder through him, and an icy dread surged straight to his scalp. Ji Yanqing really meant to kill him. He wasn’t joking.
Even as he stifled the groan, Xia Chen retreated fast and fired again—“Bang.”
The bullet struck Ji Yanqing’s axe and ricocheted off to the side.
Xia Chen fired again—this time the bullet skimmed past Ji Yanqing’s cheek. “Bang.”
It had nearly hit. Xia Chen looked instinctively, but just as his gaze was about to meet Ji Yanqing’s eyes—eyes filled with freezing, murderous intent—he wrenched his gaze away.
He didn’t dare look into Ji Yanqing’s eyes.
Ji Yanqing’s fingers tightened around the axe. Before Xia Chen could react, he attacked again, the axe driving straight down for Xia Chen’s head.
Xia Chen immediately dodged sideways. But Ji Yanqing had already anticipated it—the missed swing was forced into a new line by sheer brute power, and the axe slammed down hard onto Xia Chen’s leg.
“Ugh…” Xia Chen choked out as he clamped a hand around Ji Yanqing’s wrist, using the momentum to ram the gun muzzle straight into Ji Yanqing’s stomach.
Even with a gun in hand, he still had no chance against Ji Yanqing. This single heartbeat was his only opening—he knew Ji Yanqing too well.
Ji Yanqing seized Xia Chen’s wrist and yanked the barrel down toward the ground. At the same moment, three shots burst out- one after another.
Ji Yanqing’s right hand tore free. He lifted the axe high and brought it down with savage force, smashing it straight into the left side of Xia Chen’s head.
Xia Chen’s mind turned to muddied chaos. He couldn’t even feel pain—his vision was nothing but blood-red.
Xue Gang had forced them to go draw the zombies away. None of them wanted to go; their eyes were full of rage, but Xue Gang had a gun.
They hid inside that room for an entire night. Then Ji Yanqing pushed the door open. When they were led out of the city, in that instant, Xia Chen felt like even the air was fresh.
Ji Yanqing chose him from the crowd. When the gun was tossed into his hands, Xia Chen knew—starting from that moment, everything about his life would be different.
And it was. Ji Yanqing’s survival team grew larger and larger. Supplies started to be in surplus. They formed their own squads…
The moment he realized he hadn’t been chosen, he was furious—and shocked. He’d been sure he would be one of them. But Ji Yanqing didn’t choose him; he chose Li Pingsen.
He left without hesitation. He thought his life shouldn’t look like that.
Then his life changed again. He had a survival team of over a thousand people. Everyone revolved around him, calling him Captain.
At first he was happy. But that happiness dispersed almost immediately; something felt wrong—something was different from what he’d imagined.
The moment Ji Yanqing said he looked down on him, a loud buzz exploded inside his head. He finally understood what was different.
What he wanted wasn’t a new survival team.
What he wanted… was to become Ji Yanqing.
Ji Yanqing was easy to get along with. He led them to hunt Awakened Zombies. He treated everyone well. Everyone liked him—called him Captain—and when they looked at him, there was light in their eyes.
Even a Corpse King would drift toward him…
He wanted to become the center of someone’s world, just like Ji Yanqing.
In the final instant before blood swallowed his sight, Xia Chen looked at Ji Yanqing—and at Li Pingsen and the others behind him. Ji Yanqing was expressionless. Li Pingsen and the rest looked at Xia Chen with nothing but disgust and fury.
Xia Chen’s lips parted slightly. Suffocation came down on him in a tidal wave that blotted out the sky, and before he could even struggle, his consciousness shattered completely.
Everything happened too fast. The entire fight lasted less than two minutes—when Xia Chen swayed and collapsed, everyone was still holding their breath.
They watched Ji Yanqing step back. They watched Xia Chen fall. In the snow, every person stood there stunned.
In Xia Chen’s camp, quite a few people lifted their guns, faces gone pale and ashen. But once their muzzles were aimed at Ji Yanqing, not a single person could pull the trigger.
Ji Yanqing walked over, picked up the cloth from the ground, and wrapped his axe again, binding it tight.
When he finished, he turned back toward the group of people in Xia Chen’s camp, eyes rimmed red.
“He killed my people, so I killed him. I’m living in the county town—you know where. If you want revenge, come find me anytime. If you want to come in, just give them my name.”
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No one spoke; silence reigned over the clearing.
Ji Yanqing ignored the rows of gun muzzles, turned directly, and walked toward his group. “We’re going back.”
He cut through the crowd, leading the way toward the vehicles hidden in the woods beside the city, intent on leaving this place.
Back in the woods, everyone boarded the vehicles. They needed to leave the vicinity before the snowfall grew heavy.
The cars drove out of the city’s edge, heading into the darkness.
Inside the car, no one spoke. There was only the hum of the engine.
In the darkness, Ji Yanqing leaned tightly against the car wall with his eyes closed. His hands were held by Ji An and Ji Le, and his shoulder was pressed against Feng Yimo.
Ji Yanqing felt all of this but said nothing. Right now, he just wanted a good sleep.
In this apocalypse, half the danger came from zombies, and half came from humans. The peril of zombies was everywhere, but compared to zombies, the betrayal of humans was far more etched into one’s bones.
Feng Yimo shifted his body slightly, letting Ji Yanqing lean his entire weight against his shoulder, wanting him to sleep.
Feeling Feng Yimo’s presence, Ji Yanqing quickly grew drowsy.
He slept for a long time. When he woke again, it was already evening, and they were near the county town.
Looking out the back of the car at the familiar scenery in the distance, Ji Yanqing felt dazed.
When the car stopped at the town gate, quite a few busy people looked over curiously. They had all heard about the matter with Xia Chen.
Ji Yanqing didn’t explain. After getting out, he stood by the car.
Bai Haoxuan’s team was busy repairing the perimeter fence; Uncle Wang and the others were in the vegetable garden weeding the never-ending infestation; the faint sound of excavators could be heard, along with the hustle and bustle coming from the canteen…
The work of building the county town wasn’t thrilling; it was even a bit tedious. Yet, everyone’s faces were filled with smiles as they enjoyed this rare tranquility.
Sensing that joy, Ji Yanqing’s hollow heart gradually filled up and became warm again.
“You’re back?” Tong Yue hurried over upon hearing the news. “Perfect timing. A team that just returned said they found a new survival team nearby. They’ve just watched from afar and haven’t approached. They might be from the east...”
Listening to Tong Yue, Ji Yanqing’s attention was forcibly pulled back. He had no time to feel lost; there were still many things waiting for him.
“Let them watch,” Ji Yanqing said.
They walked so closely with Corpse Kings; it was normal for some to be afraid.
Corpse Kings were fierce and cruel, some even killing for pleasure. Hadn’t he seen it up close?
“So we ignore them for now?”
“Mn.”
Tong Yue nodded and moved to the next topic. “Yesterday, two more teams returned with mutated plants. The materials are roughly gathered. Lu Qing should be able to rush a batch of bullets, though the quantity won’t be much.”
Ji Yanqing nodded. As long as they had those bullets, they would have confidence.
“By the way, Death’s Corpse Kings were just here. They said their side is ready, and the nearby Corpse Kings are all moving to the Devil’s City.” Tong Yue glanced at Feng Yimo. “They’re looking for you.”
Selecting the capital, officially migrating the city—Feng Yimo, as the King of Corpse Kings, naturally had to be present.
Ji Yanqing had long known this day would come. Knowing Feng Yimo was leaving immediately and might not return for a while, he still felt lost.
“I’ll go find them,” Feng Yimo said.
“Feng Yimo,” Ji Yanqing reminded him, “You’re going the wrong way.”
Feng Yimo was walking toward the mountains.
Tong Yue paused. “We need to add more sentry points in the mountains.”
Currently, no fewer than fifty Corpse Kings lived in the mountains near the town. Their departure was both a good thing and a bad thing.
With Death here, outside Corpse Kings wouldn’t dare approach easily. With Death gone, they had to be constantly on guard against foreign Corpse Kings approaching.
“Try to arrange them in each direction,” Ji Yanqing said.
“I’ll arrange it as soon as possible.”
Discussing the sentry points, the two entered the county town.
At night, when Ji Yanqing returned home, Feng Yimo was already back.
As soon as Ji Yanqing entered, Ji An and Ji Le hugged him. They had heard from Feng Yimo that they also had to go to the Devil’s City, and they were so anxious they were about to cry.
They didn’t want to go; they both wanted to stay by Ji Yanqing’s side.
Ji Yanqing scooped them up, one in each arm, and carried them upstairs. Entering the bedroom, he held the two little guys as they burrowed under the covers and lay on the bed.
Lying down, Ji Yanqing held the two little guys’ warm hands. “It’s just for a while. When things are done, you’ll come back very soon,” Ji Yanqing whispered.
He was reluctant to part with them too, but Ji An and Ji Le were Feng Yimo’s subordinates. Feng Yimo’s identity as Death destined them to be anything but ordinary. Letting them experience some of Death’s affairs wasn’t a bad thing.
Ji An and Ji Le stayed silent and glum.
“Look, with so many Corpse Kings, Feng Yimo definitely can’t manage alone. He needs help,” Ji Yanqing said. “Besides, with how he is, he might get lost at any moment.”
“I won’t get lost,” Ji An said unhappily.
“But...”
“Go take a look first. If after seeing it you don’t want to stay, then you won’t go anymore,” Ji Yanqing said.
Ji Le stopped talking.
“We have a pact with Death.” Ji Yanqing paused and changed to a simpler explanation. “After you get there, you have to help Dad keep an eye on those Corpse Kings. Don’t let them come to the town and bully Dad. Don’t you want to protect Dad?”
“But what if I miss you?” Ji An asked uneasily.
Leaving Ji Yanqing made him uneasy.
Ji Yanqing squeezed his hand under the quilt. “After this busy period, things won’t be so hectic. Then you can live in the town permanently and only go over there when there’s business to take care of.”
Ji Yanqing looked at him. “Once you’re settled, Dad can occasionally come visit you.”
“Really?”
“Mn, Dad promises.”
Ji Yanqing hid under the covers, whispering secrets with the two little guys. They talked for a long time until the two were too sleepy to keep their eyes open.
After they fell asleep, Ji Yanqing lay on the bed watching their sleeping faces, suddenly feeling reluctant.
Ji An and Ji Le were still so small, their voices still milky and childish. If they were bullied, being so far away, he wouldn’t be able to help.
The more he thought, the less he could sleep. When Ji Yanqing got up the next day, there were dark circles under his eyes.
After getting up, he intended to discuss Ji An and Ji Le with Feng Yimo again, but as soon as he went out, he found the room empty.
He didn’t see Feng Yimo again until noon. Feng Yimo had been called to the mountains early in the morning. The old man and the Hound Corpse King had come, and they had already gathered their forces to head toward the Devil’s City.
Ji Yanqing hadn’t expected the migration to come so quickly. When he took Ji An and Ji Le to the town gate, he was still in a daze.
“Dad...” Ji Le’s eyes were red.
Ji An didn’t say a word, just held Ji Yanqing’s hand tightly, refusing to let go.
Ji Yanqing squatted down and rubbed the two little guys’ heads.
“What if I get scared?” Ji Le’s voice was choked with sobs.
Ji Yanqing’s heart ached hearing this. For a moment, he wanted to pack up and go with them.
He hadn’t ruled out going with them, but it wasn’t a good choice. Most Corpse Kings didn’t like humans, just as humans didn’t like Corpse Kings.
Once everything was settled, he was confident he could make the Corpse Kings acknowledge their existence, but inserting himself into the situation at this critical moment would only deepen the conflict.
Ji Yanqing pulled the two little guys into his arms and whispered in their ears, “If anyone dares to bully you, hug Feng Yimo and call him ‘Father’, make him get revenge for you.”
Ji An and Ji Le, whose eyes were red, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Ji Yanqing wiped the tears from their faces, stood up, and looked at Feng Yimo, who was also widening his eyes slightly.
“Take good care of them. Don’t wander off alone, remember to find someone to guide you, never trust yourself...” As the words left his mouth, his anxiety grew. Thinking for a moment, he squatted down and instructed Ji An, the most reliable of the three, “Watch these two.”
Ji An wiped his tears and nodded like a little adult.
After the instructions, Ji Yanqing saw the three off at the edge of the mountains, watching them disappear into the distance with Shang Chan and a group of Corpse Kings.
Even after seeing them leave, Ji Yanqing turned back only after a long while.
Returning to the county town, he took a deep breath, determined to focus all his attention on the pile of work there.
But as time passed, the empty feeling of Feng Yimo, Ji An, and Ji Le not being by his side grew stronger. He was absent-minded the entire day.
At night, lying in bed alone, Ji Yanqing couldn’t sleep. His mind was filled with images of Ji An and Ji Le shivering from the cold at night, looking pitiful. Feng Yimo didn’t know how to take care of children at all.
Half a month later, just as the town’s construction progressed further, Shang Chan rushed into the town in a panic.
Ji Yanqing heard the commotion and went out. Looking up, he saw Shang Chan riding atop a beast-form Corpse King.
Before Ji Yanqing could ask the question on the tip of his tongue, Shang Chan’s urgent voice rang out, “The King is missing.”
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