“Chapter Twenty-Eight”

"Chapter Twenty-Eight"

"Though the iron figure moved slowly, its strength was immense; any zombie beast hit by its fist was turned into a mound of flesh."

"Xu Fang, who had the least number of zombie beasts attacking him, stole glances at the three-meter-tall steel giant, his eyes filled with astonishment and envy. When could he ever achieve such a feat?"

"Ouyang Dong had no time to look; he was in a dire situation, feeling like death was imminent. Why were there so many zombie beasts attacking him?"

"Lin An stood there, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the others, yet he remained unflustered. The water spout was still diligently at work, cleaning up the limbs of the dead zombie beasts; at least twenty of them were caught in it, unable to escape, significantly easing the pressure on the others."

"The RV was splattered with black-red blood, and as Wu Shuangxue and Shen Xiuze became more in sync, they decapitated a zombie beast with almost every strike during the later stages of the battle."

"The bloody heads of the beasts fell to the ground, still gnashing their teeth in a biting motion, only ceasing completely after a long moment."

"Ouyang Dong faced the largest number of zombie beasts. Shen Xiuze used his long sword and flames in combat, hindering the zombie beasts' advance and preventing Ouyang Dong from becoming overwhelmed."

"The steel giant sought out enemies everywhere; fleeing ones, those attempting sneak attacks, and hyena-like zombie dogs that couldn't get up after being attacked—all within the range of the iron figure's assaults."

"Each iron fist delivered a heavy blow, the sound of splintering flesh and bones strikingly clear to the ear, but everyone else was too engrossed in dealing with the zombie beasts in front of them to pay attention to the sounds made by the iron figure."

Lin An did hear, though. He turned to look at the steel giant and the mangled corpses beneath its feet. His expression went blank for a moment before he quickly looked away.

Then, a massive water tornado began moving slowly towards the iron giant, with Xu Fang hastily getting out of its path, not willing to endure the might of the tornado again.

The roaring, tumultuous water spout approached the iron behemoth, sweeping away the flesh and debris on the ground.

The nearby RV, affected by the air currents of the swirling tornado, experienced slight shaking, even Wu Duo inside could feel the vehicle's subtle movements.

The once clear waters had now turned a sinister shade of black and red, howling and swirling between heaven and earth with immense force.

After a fierce battle, the fight finally ceased.

The battlefield, just moments ago a scene of intense struggle, now lay much quieter. Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong, disregarding their image, sprawled out on the ground in a spread-eagled position.

Wu Shuangxue and Shen Xiuzhe also leaned against the RV to rest.

"My God, I'm exhausted, but at least it's finally over."

Xu Fang had never been so tired. Previously, battling zombies was easier as they moved slowly; if things got tough, running away was an option. But these zombie beasts were agile, fast, and even retained a sense of teamwork. A moment’s lapse in vigilance could mean getting your head bitten off.

Ouyang Dong, on the verge of tears, lamented, "Why? Why were there so many attacking me? It's not fair."

It was indeed strange. For others, attacks usually came from two or three beasts at a time, with the rest lying in wait for an ambush. But in his case, there were always about a dozen. Had it not been for their leader constantly diverting attention to attack and block the beasts with flames, he would have nearly left this world.

Xu Fang was too tired to complain. All he wanted now was to close his eyes and sleep soundly, utterly exhausted.

However, at that moment, Shen Xiuzhe spoke, shattering his dream of a good sleep: "Don't relax yet, the hyena zombies aren't all dead."

"What?" The two on the ground leaped up instantly, scanning their surroundings warily: "Another group coming?"

Shen Xiuzhe looked towards the water tornado not far away: "There are still about ten to twenty more inside."

Right, they had almost forgotten. Lin An had used his abilities to immobilize the zombie beasts, significantly easing their pressure.

Those zombie beasts were still in the water tornado. Lin An, lacking the intention to kill zombies, meant that the creatures inside were still alive.

"If only An could regain consciousness," Xu Fang sighed. After all, Lin An, with his water abilities, was formidable even in his current state. Once he recovers, having him as a teammate would be incredibly advantageous.

After a while, Lin An's abilities could no longer sustain, and the water tornado collapsed. By then, everyone had rested enough to divide and conquer the dazed zombie beasts emerging from it.

Much of the night had passed, with the foul-smelling blood seeping into the yellow-brown soil and grey-green weeds, turning everything in sight a dark red.

After the water tornado dissipated, the severed limbs of the zombie beasts also fell to the ground.

Once the last group of zombie beasts deposited by the water spout was killed, everyone worked together to clean up the battlefield.

Lin An stood aside, wanting to help, but the severed limbs were too much for him to handle, and in the end, he could only follow Shen Xiuzhe around, appearing to be busy.

Xu Fang used the last of his special ability to dig a large pit and threw all the corpses into it, while Shen Xiuzhe activated his fire ability to burn them to ashes.

Thick smoke billowed up into the firelight, the dense black plumes rising in the dark were even thicker than the night.

Wu Duo had been out since the zombie beasts were exterminated, but she still didn't let the little dog out, considering the zombie blood everywhere – a curious lick could turn it into a monster too.

Xiao Fu, confined in the RV, was getting anxious, howling discontentedly, wondering why everyone was outside while it was locked inside.

"Awoo~"

Let me out!

The dog's legitimate complaints were understood by no one; at that moment, everyone was resting, watching the burning flames.

Wu Duo took out water, towels, and food for everyone to replenish their energy and clean the bloodstains off their bodies.

In fact, if Lin An hadn't depleted his special abilities, he would have swept everyone up into the sky for a thorough wash in a rolling drum washing machine.

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong's abilities were completely exhausted, and Wu Shuangxue and Shen Xiuzhe were nearly there.

During the battle, Wu Shuangxue frequently used her abilities to immobilize the zombie beasts, slowing their assault on the RV, and now even started to suffer from headaches.

Shen Xiuzhe rarely let his abilities drain completely, but tonight was indeed an exception, his metal ability controlling the Iron Man's movements and his fire ability defending against attacks alongside Ouyang Dong, while he himself had to use a knife to slay the surrounding zombie beasts. Multitasking to this extent, he couldn’t afford to relax at any point, making tonight an exceptionally tough battle for him.

Finally, the Iron Man was melted down to re-cover the RV. Once all the zombie beasts were burned to ashes and buried, everyone soon fell asleep after entering the RV.

Wu Duo couldn't sleep; partly because she hadn't exerted much effort, and also because the harrowing night had kept her nerves on edge.

She and her grandmother slept in a small bedroom partitioned inside the RV, which, besides the bed, contained a small desk.

She glanced at her peacefully breathing grandmother, quietly got out of bed, turned on the small desk lamp, and took out a notebook from her space to write something.

Suddenly, a slight noise came from outside the bedroom, Wu Duo tensed up – shouldn't everyone be asleep by now? What was that sound?

Wu Duo quietly took the twin blades that grandma had cleaned and placed by the bed and slipped out the door.

Inside the RV's living area, it was Lin An who was moving about, mopping the floor.

Earlier, everyone was too exhausted to do any further cleaning and went straight to sleep, leaving bloodstains from their shoes imprinted on the floor of the RV. So Lin An, waiting for the others to be away, began to mop.

He seemed to not need sleep, always energetic, so while everyone else slept, Lin An was mostly occupied with cleaning—a habit identical to his at home.

Ouyang Dong and Xu Fang had gone to sleep in the two driver’s seats at the front, which could be laid flat. Covered with blankets, they slept comfortably, one snoring and the other muttering in his sleep, a noisy but undisturbed symphony to those inside the RV.

The diligent little zombie, noticing Wu Duo's stealthy gaze, stiffened. Although he could now share a room with everyone, being stared at still made him uncomfortable.

Mopping and moving to the other side, where a partition blocked Wu Duo's line of sight.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Shen Xiuzhe, lying on a makeshift bed on the floor and resting his head on his arms, looked up and asked.

"I'm having trouble sleeping." Wu Duo was surprised to find Shen Xiuzhe awake. Among the three of them, Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong were easygoing, only Shen Xiuzhe had a stern face, often seeming sarcastic when looking at others, giving off an unapproachable vibe. Although she wanted to converse with Shen Xiuzhe, they had barely spoken these past days.

Lin An continued to mop, sneaking glances this way from time to time.

Wu Duo caught his covert glances several times but couldn't guess what he was up to.

"You're in his way," Shen Xiuzhe said, tilting his head slightly and seeing Lin An peeking from behind the partition. He immediately understood what Lin An intended to do.

Wu Duo quickly stepped back, "Sorry, I didn't realize."

Shen Xiuzhe said, "Go back to sleep, we have to get moving early tomorrow."

Wu Duo nodded quickly, hurried back into the bedroom, turned off the light, and prepared to sleep. Lying in bed, she suddenly wondered if Shen Xiuzhe was keeping watch since a battle had taken place here before, and wild beasts or zombies might come sniffing around. Everyone else was sound asleep and wouldn't react in time if something unexpected happened, so he stayed awake.

Everyone had their own tasks to do, and she felt like she could do nothing.

She resolved to train her special abilities and to become like her grandmother, able to fight at any time, even without using special abilities.

After Wu Duo left, Lin An came out and silently resumed mopping.

Shen Xiuzhe lay on his makeshift bed as Lin An mopped around him, eventually reaching beside him, his path blocked by Shen Xiuzhe's bedding.

Lin An didn't speak, just stood there in the posture of mopping, motionless.

When Shen Xiuzhe looked over, Lin An kept his head down, avoiding eye contact, but continued his actions unchanged.

Shen Xiuzhe had no choice but to get up and move his bedding so Lin An could mop the spot clean.

After finishing mopping, Lin An wiped down the surfaces. Standing outside Grandma Wu's bedroom, he didn't enter, but the mist from his cleaning drifted through the cracks, sweeping out the dirt and dust within.

His movements were so gentle that neither grandchild nor grandmother was disturbed from their sleep.

Afterwards, Lin An stood frozen at the RV's door, which was locked, preventing him from opening it.

Even Xiao Fu, the sleeping dog, emerged from its bed, eager to help its master open the door, but failing to do so, it looked silently towards the one awake human inside the RV.

Shen Xiuzhe knew what Lin An intended to do and was originally not planning to open the door, thinking to wait until tomorrow. Yet, the little zombie, seeming timid but actually quite tenacious, would stand there all night if not allowed out.

In the end, he relented and opened the door to let the diligent little zombie out to clean, starting with the noisy duo in the driver's cabin and the splattered bloodstains on the RV.

After cleaning up, the little zombie sneaked a glance at Shen Xiuzhe.

Shen Xiuzhe: "..."

The little zombie, having tidied up all the trash, returned to the RV contentedly and sat on the couch, staring blankly.

The couch was spacious enough for Lin An to sleep on, but he typically just stood or sat in a daze until everyone else woke up. Even if Shen Xiuzhe laid him down and covered him with a blanket, the little zombie would just lie there with eyes open, rigid, so eventually, he was left to his own devices to pose and space out.

The next morning, everyone woke up to find themselves clean, with no traces of the previous night's battle, as if renewed.

There was no need to ask; it was surely Lin An's doing.

Wu Shuangxue pondered as she looked at Lin An sitting on the couch, head bowed in a daze: "Has anyone ever taught him to speak?"

The three men turned towards Wu Shuangxue with identical looks of confusion on their faces.

Why teach him that?

If Lin An were to recover, surely he would remember how to speak. But if not, remaining a zombie, aren't zombies only capable of growling?

Seeing their expressions, Wu Shuangxue rolled her eyes at them: "Do you think recovering from a state of unclear consciousness is easy? It certainly requires a lot of external stimuli. Haven't you watched TV? Doctors usually suggest that amnesiacs stay in familiar surroundings and see familiar faces to help stimulate recovery."

Familiar surroundings? Lin An had likely never been to the wilderness before.

Familiar faces? They hadn't known Lin An before.

Finally, Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong simultaneously turned their gazes to Xiao Fu. Could this dog be considered a familiar one?

Xiao Fu: "?"

Shen Xiuzhe found Wu Shuangxue's words reasonable; they had always hoped for Lin An's recovery but never considered external aid. Self-recovery might be a long process, but external stimulation could perhaps hasten it.

Given Lin An's unique condition, it was uncertain whether he would remain this way or regain his senses, but there was no harm in trying.

Thus, those not driving stayed inside the RV, beginning with the simplest words to teach.

Surrounded by several people, Lin An, seated on the couch, visibly panicked, eventually prompting Wu Shuangxue to chase the others away with a knife. She wanted to start the teaching herself.

Shen Xiuzhe, Xu Fang, and Wu Duo remained in the bedroom. Xu Fang peeked his bald head out, curious about Grandma Wu's teaching methods, while Shen Xiuzhe sat on a stool, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, recharging.

Wu Duo approached and handed Shen Xiuzhe a notebook.

Shen Xiuzhe had opened his eyes by the time she approached and asked, looking at the notebook, "What's this?"

"It's an inventory list I've compiled—mine and Grandma's, yours, Brother An's, and I also grouped Xiao Fu's items with Brother An's."

Shen Xiuzhe flipped through the notebook, which detailed the inventory in her space, including item categories, quantities, usage, frequency, and which items were depleting quickly or were in short supply, necessitating timely replenishment.

Indeed, she was meticulous.

Shen Xiuzhe had previously thought the young girl was reticent, more reserved and composed than average under Wu Shuangxue's tutelage, but now saw she was incredibly astute.

After Jiang Laixu's incident, it was likely that everyone in Chuxi City would be wary of space ability users, since no one knew what was in another's space. Such matters relied on the individual's integrity; those of good character wouldn't hoard secretly, while those with lesser morals would make moves regardless of scrutiny.

Wu Duo, though young, understood that to earn trust, she must also extend trust, thus openly listing everything in her space. She meticulously recorded all usage details to prevent any suspicion.

Shen Xiuzhe casually browsed the notebook and nodded at Wu Duo: "Well done."

Although mature for her age, the fourteen-year-old girl was delighted to have her method approved.

"Why did Grandma Wu teach 'Xiao Fu' as the first word? Shouldn't our names be taught as well, especially mine? I think it's the easiest to remember. You could even call me 'Baldy'; I wouldn't mind," mused Xu Fang, squatting and talking to himself.

Shen Xiuzhe overheard this and couldn't help but roll his eyes at the bald man's silhouette. Why should his name be taught first? If order of acquaintance was the criteria, Shen Xiuzhe should clearly be first.

Grandma Wu was teaching Lin An the dog's name, but the little zombie, under her gaze, instinctively bowed his head, showing no inclination to learn. Meanwhile, Xiao Fu, whose name was repeatedly called, trotted over, tilting his head in confusion at Grandma Wu.

Are you calling me?

Amused by the dog's innocent and puzzled gaze, Wushuangxue stroked its head, realizing she couldn't continue training Lin An in this manner and needed to find a new approach.

After a while, the RV was filled with people again.

Wuduo waved at Xiaofu, calling its name, and the dog ran over to receive a small treat.

Once the dog finished eating, Xufang began to call out again, and similarly, Xiaofu received another small treat from the bald man.

Shen Xiuzhe frowned, and as he called Xiaofu's name and prepared to give it a treat, the dog looked at him suspiciously for a long time and sniffed around before hesitantly eating the treat.

Shen Xiuzhe thought to himself: What was with that look just now? He couldn't shake off the feeling that the dog was afraid he might poison it.

Grandma Wu also repeated her old trick.

Having eaten its treat, Xiaofu looked towards the only person in the room who hadn't called its name, its large, glossy black eyes expectantly turned towards its master, its tail wagging furiously.

The pressure was on Lin An, who slowly lifted his head to look at Xiaofu.

Xiaofu wagged its tail even faster.

The others held their breath in anticipation.

Lin An blinked, first looking at the palm of his hand, which was empty. Shen Xiuzhe, sitting beside him, immediately placed a treat in his hand.

Lin An skipped calling the name and handed the treat directly to Xiaofu.

Xufang couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, realizing this approach wasn't working, but the next second, Xiaofu didn't go for the treat right away and kept looking at Lin An.

Perhaps Xiaofu was waiting for its master to call its name, a name it used to hear every day when being called to eat, sleep, or get groomed, but which it hadn't heard in a while.

It knew its master had changed, but no matter what, he was still its master.

The dog rested its head on Lin An's knee dependently, its shiny, moist eyes silently looking up at him, waiting.

Lin An opened his mouth, his gaze unsettled as he looked down at the dog on his knee. He seemed to be trying hard, his lips moving faintly until at last, he uttered a hoarse and indistinct word.

"Fu."

Immediately, Xiaofu excitedly tried to burrow into Lin An's arms but was quickly pulled away by Xufang. If it covered him in dog hair, perhaps An would disown it and send it to heaven; it's better to stay calm for a while.

Wu Shuangxue was also thrilled; she had only embraced the idea tentatively, never expecting actual success.

Shen Xiuzhe's lips curved into a slight smile, his narrow phoenix eyes twinkling with amusement; indeed, Lin An's progress had exceeded their expectations.

Thereafter, Lin An could only utter that one syllable, but Xiaofu understood it was being called and would joyfully bounce over to its owner upon hearing it.

The others sneakily tried to teach Lin An their names in private, but whether the method was unsuitable or Lin An was truly only responsive to Xiaofu, he failed to learn any despite days of effort.

On the eighth day after leaving Chuxi City, besides the driver, Shen Xiuzhe had the others take turns keeping watch on the roof of the vehicle.

"Why do we need to keep watch?" the others asked, puzzled.

"We've entered the habitat of the Rocktop Birds; we must stay vigilant at all times," Wu Shuangxue added.

Xufang inquired, "What bird?"

Ouyang Dong explained, "I've seen this bird on TV; they're enormous and extremely curious, always eager to peck at anything that moves."

Wu Shuangxue nodded in agreement; this was why the only means of transportation between Chuxi City and Mechanical City was by car.

With the technological prowess of Mechanical City, small flying devices had been developed long ago, but since their inception, the casualty rate had been very high, not due to the devices themselves, but because Mechanical City was situated too close to the Rocktop Birds' habitat, with most aerial accidents caused by these giant birds, either by being swatted down, collided with, or even attempted carry-aways.

Cars on the road were also within these birds' attack range; their keen eyesight allowed them to perceive any movement on the ground as potential food, swooping down to snatch it away, necessitating constant vigilance on the roads.

Xufang volunteered enthusiastically, having never seen such birds, he climbed onto the roof and scoured the skies.

Shen Xiuzhe slowed down to prevent Xufang from being blown away by the wind.

Two hours passed before there was a loud tap on the roof.

"There it is, I see it! Holy smokes, that's a huge bird; is it sure it's not a zombie?" Xufang yelled excitedly from the roof.

"Stay put, don't move; they're not interested in stationary objects," Shen Xiuzhe cautioned the overly excited bald man outside.

In the clear blue sky, a grey bird circled persistently, its massive size evident even from afar, its grey plumage indeed somewhat reminiscent of a zombie's hue, though that was their natural color.

The Rocktop Bird circled for a while before finally flying away.

Xufang then swapped with Ouyang Dong, and sitting in the passenger seat, he discussed the colossal Rocktop Bird with Shen Xiuzhe, full of excitement.

"We're now close to Mechanical City; at full speed, we could arrive tomorrow, but if there are many Rocktop Birds, we may have to delay further," Shen Xiuzhe remarked.

Xufang was relaxed about their time of arrival, but his newfound interest in Mechanical City also made him wish they could get there sooner.

"Bang, bang, bang!" The roof was struck again.

Shen Xiuzhe brought the car to a stop, waiting for the Rocktop Bird to leave.

"Boss, we have special abilities, why don't we use them to scare those birds away?" Xufang asked.

Shen Xiuzhe glanced at him, "Good suggestion, but Rocktop Birds hold grudges. If we scare or injure them now, they’ll return with reinforcements to settle the score later. That's why nobody wants to mess with these birds."

"So, as long as we stay still, the Rocktop Birds won't notice us, right?" After hearing this, Xufang couldn't help but stick his head out the window and shout, "Dongzi, don’t move on the roof, or you’ll get snatched by a bird!"

Ouyang Dong's voice came from the roof, "It was you moving just now, how could I possibly—huh? Why is the bird coming down here, huh? Ahhh, help!"

A large grey bird with a wingspan of nearly four meters swooped down rapidly, its talons like steel hooks grabbing the back of Ouyang Dong's clothes, and with a fierce upward thrust, it took flight.

By the time Shen Xiuzhe and Xufang got out of the car, they could only see Ouyang Dong being carried away quickly by the Rocktop Bird, like prey caught by a predator.

Xufang's eyes widened in disbelief, "That's not right, he didn't move, why was he taken?"

From the sky came Ouyang Dong's cries, "Help me~ Why am I always the one getting hurt~"

Shen Xiuzhe couldn't fathom why the Rocktop Bird had gone mad, and he quickly fashioned a long arrow from the metal of the car, launching it towards the still-nearby Rocktop Bird.