Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Boss, how much longer till we reach Muling City?" They had been walking from the break of dawn until the sun was high in the sky. Xu Fang looked up at the dappled sunlight through the tree shadows, sweat even beading on his forehead, and finally couldn't help but ask.

"Roughly three days or so."

At these words, Xu Fang's shoulders slumped. Although he had been excited when they first entered the forest, everything new and interesting, after more than ten days of continuous trees and grassland, he had grown tired of it. Now, he was impatient to see Muling City.

"There's a stream ahead; we can rest and eat there." Shen Xiuzhe heard the sound of running water and quickened his pace towards it. Compared to the weary faces around him, his spirits were high. As a professional explorer, he had a strong adaptability to any harsh environment; trekking through the forest now was quite relaxing for him.

The lush forest was full of the fresh green of spring, even the stones by the stream were covered with tender green moss.

They found a rock to sit and rest, the babbling stream bringing a touch of coolness, soothing everyone's fatigue and irritability.

Xu Fang watched Lin An, who was sitting quietly on a stone. His posture was proper, unlike theirs—lounging about, almost desperate to lie down flat, hands resting on his knees, with the dense greenery behind him almost serving as a backdrop.

He suddenly noticed something and whispered to Ouyang Dong next to him, "Has An's obsession with cleanliness gone away? Since we got out of the RV and started walking, he seems to adapt well, not bothered by the dirt and hasn't used any water whirlwind."

Although the forest wasn't as dirty as the city, with thick layers of decaying leaves that sometimes felt slippery and sticky when stepped on, along with spider webs, animal droppings, insect corpses, and such, Lin An would have typically avoided these or swept them away with a water whirlwind.

But he had seldom done so recently.

"Haven't you noticed?" Ouyang Dong looked at him in surprise.

"Noticed what?"

"Ah, you have to look closely."

Xu Fang stared intently at Lin An's profile, his eyes wide, scrutinizing.

Lin An, who had been sitting quietly, felt Xu Fang's intense gaze, his eyes wandered, and the hand that was casually resting on his knee curled slightly, then he slowly twisted it around until his back was facing the other.

Xu Fang: "I didn't notice anything, but An sure is handsome."

Ouyang Dong hinted, "Don't just look at the face, look at the whole, the whole."

Xu Fang continued to gaze at his back. Lin An, though bowing his head, kept his spine straight. He was wearing a light blue jacket today, the hazy blue seemingly making his figure a bit ethereal, while the background forest appeared even more distinct.

Why does An seem a bit unreal? No, that's not right. It's like he's bathed in a soft glow.

Xu Fang looked at the others for comparison and indeed, only Lin An was like this.

"See? An has covered himself with a thin layer of water using his ability. That's why he can move so freely in the forest. We noticed this a long time ago, and you're only thinking of it now?"

Xu Fang isn't the most attentive person, so how could he notice such details? However, the fact that he didn't detect the water film is also because Lin An has refined his control over his abilities to a very fine degree.

Lin An is now self-aware and doesn't misuse his water abilities as he used to. Apart from the daily water needs of the group, the only thing he uses his ability for is the water film.

But maintaining such an ultra-thin layer of water without letting it break or become uneven in thickness is a very difficult task.

It's a greater test of the user's concentration and control than those powerful and flashy abilities.

Yet, Lin An manages it with ease.

As fellow ability users, Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong are well aware that this skill puts him several realms above them.

Ouyang Dong sighed, "We must also make an effort to keep up and not always be the ones lagging behind."

Xu Fang nodded, watching Lin An's figure with a fire igniting within him, "I definitely won't lose to An or the boss!"

Lin An: ...Okay, can you stop staring at him now?

Wu Duo's space contained several boxes of pure water, hoarded during the early days of the apocalypse when she and her grandmother went out for supplies.

She had been told by her grandmother that they would pass through a desert where water is the most critical resource. Although they had An's abilities, in case the ability was exhausted or other situations arose, they would need the water from her space.

At the same time, her space held many empty bottles she had always carried with her before meeting Lin An. Having not encountered any water sources on the road, she had never taken these bottles out. Now that they had come across a stream, it was the perfect opportunity to fill them up.

The reason she hadn't asked Lin An to use his water ability to fill these bottles was initially due to unfamiliarity and caution, and later, it felt awkward to ask. Lin An back then was often lost in his own world, cleaning or daydreaming, not understanding what was said.

Now, although he understands, she feels he already has too much to do: taking care of Xiao Fu, refilling everyone's water bottles, adding water for cooking and washing vegetables, identifying plants, wrapping himself with his ability, and so on. It didn't seem right to bother him with additional tasks.

Squatting by the stream, Wu Duo took out an empty bottle and submerged it in the water, bubbles gurgling at the mouth.

Lin An saw this, stood up, and paced behind Wu Duo, fidgeting with his fingers, wanting to say something but too shy to call out, left to wrestle with his thoughts alone.

At that moment, Xu Fang also arrived by the stream, squatting down to scoop up a handful of the cool water to drink.

Just as he brought his hands to his mouth, the water in his hands shifted as if alive, moving to the side.

Xu Fang: ...

Xu Fang, observing the oddly shaped void in the water in his hands, licked his lips and turned to Lin An: "An, what are you doing?"

It was obvious without much thought that Lin An was the one who had manipulated the water into this shape.

Lin An shook his head eagerly at him: "Don't drink."

"Huh? Is the water not safe to drink?" Xu Fang immediately let the water fall from his hands and shook off the remaining droplets.

Wu Duo also looked on curiously.

Lin An pointed upstream, gesturing frantically, but the more anxious he became, the harder it was for him to articulate.

Shen Xiuzhe, who had planned to look for game in the vicinity, saw Lin An’s actions and quickly strode over: "Is there something upstream?"

Though all ability users have heightened senses, Lin An, being a zombie, had a sense of smell and hearing far superior to theirs.

Lin An nodded immediately; he could smell a faint stench in the stream water, and the odor was stronger upstream.

Shen Xiuzhe gazed in the direction of the stream's source: "I'll go take a look. You all stay here."

"Let's all go together. If it's a zombie beast or plant, it's a good chance for us to get some practice," Ouyang Dong, wiping the sweat from his forehead, suggested as he joined the group.

Eventually, the group made their way upstream and after about two hundred meters, they suddenly saw a body floating in the stream.

The babbling stream was filled with smooth rocks, and the body was trapped by one, floating in the water.

Xu Fang saw from a distance and immediately ran to rescue the person.

But he quickly returned: "It's a zombie."

As it was face down, from a distance, one could only see a human figure and hair flowing with the water.

Upon closer inspection, the grayish-black skin was unmistakably apparent.

"An, your nose is really sharp, to smell a zombie from so far away. Do you think I could get infected and turn into a zombie if I drank the water?"

Xu Fang approached for a closer look and noticed the zombie was dressed in clothes made of burlap, now tattered and worn, and the exposed skin of the zombie was bloated from being in the water.

"Let's pull it out; leaving it in the water isn't a solution." The local wildlife still needs to drink from the stream, and it would be bad if they consumed too much and more zombie beasts emerged.

Shen Xiuzhe eyed the seemingly lifeless zombie and picked up a stone from the ground, hurling it at the creature.

The pebble struck the zombie's back, and in the next instant, the creature jerkily lifted its head, snarling viciously at them.

This sudden movement startled everyone present; Lin An shrank back with a shiver, and Xiao Fu, terrified, took a few steps back, barking at the zombie.

Xu Fang, who was closest to the zombie, caught sight of its swollen, grayish-black face and felt his heart skip a beat.

"That scared me to death; it was so sudden."

"Well, the zombie wasn't decapitated, so of course it's still alive."

"Then why was it lying motionless in the water before, playing dead?"

"It might have been lying in wait for prey—didn't we just come along?"

"That's true."

As they conversed, the zombie had already clambered out of the stream, staggering toward them.

Shen Xiuzhe was about to dispatch it, but Ouyang Dong stopped him: "Let me handle this, let everyone witness my finishing move."

He stood his ground, eyes locked on the zombie. Suddenly, the moss under the creature's feet began to grow rapidly, entwining around its feet like cords.

The slow-moving zombie tripped and fell. Ouyang Dong then took out a thorn seed from his pocket and threw it at the zombie. As the seed was thrown, it grew rapidly into a thorny vine that entwined the zombie, the more it struggled, the more blood was drawn by the thorns.

Ouyang Dong, with his plant-based ability, thrived in the forest, collecting various seeds and saplings whenever he had the chance, amassing a significant arsenal.

Wu Shuangxue nodded in approval. Ouyang Dong was now capable of activating his abilities remotely. Although he could control only a few plants, the effect was profound. With a few more aggressive plant species, he could become a formidable force in battle.

The zombie looked up at them resentfully, making tearing and biting gestures. Its bloated face was a ghastly sight, but Shen Xiuzhe's attention was caught by its clothes.

The clothing appeared to be the attire of Muling City's residents. So, was this a citizen of Muling City?

Yet Muling City was still several days' journey away; why would a zombie from there be wandering here?

No other traces were found nearby, so after dealing with the zombie, they continued on their way. However, the frequency of zombie encounters increased as they progressed.

The second zombie emerged while they were having dinner, and the third appeared during the night.

Each encounter involved only a few zombies, and their clothing styles were all strikingly similar, all from Muling City.

The zombies of Wood Spirit City appeared even from such a distance, making everyone feel that the closer they got, the more zombies they would encounter.

Indeed, as they progressed, they encountered an increasing number of zombies.

It began with a single one, then groups of two or three, and eventually, they appeared in hordes.

Each time these zombies emerged, Xu Fang, Ouyang Dong, and Wu Duo would engage in their eradication with zeal, as if returning to the days following their departure from Chuxi City.

Lin An also wanted to destroy zombies, but his ability to use water tornadoes was hindered in the forest, where the dense flora made it difficult to maneuver.

Moreover, he was clueless about how to kill them; at most, his water abilities could only give the zombies a bucket-style bath, and he found himself unable to bring down the knife made by Shen Xiuzhe.

Lin An, with his gentle nature and having turned into a zombie at the onset of the apocalypse, had not experienced the daily life-or-death struggles like Shen Xiuzhe and the others; he would instinctively retreat when faced with particularly filthy zombies.

At such times, Xiao Fu, his pet dog, would stick close and flee with him.

However, the zombies they encountered these past few days were of the ordinary type, which showed no interest in Lin An, a fellow kind, sometimes merely chasing after the dog close to Lin An.

Wu Duo's technique in killing zombies became increasingly proficient; noticing any pursuing Lin An, she would swiftly decapitate them with a single strike.

"Are you alright?" Wu Duo asked.

Seeing the fourteen-year-old Wu Duo so brave, while he himself was fleeing, Lin An felt utterly ashamed; he was both cowardly and useless.

"I'm sorry," Lin An murmured an apology to Wu Duo in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Huh? Why apologize?"

"I am useless... I'm scared to kill... zombies," Lin An confessed, his face the picture of dejection.

"That's nothing. I was also scared to kill zombies at first. It's something that comes with practice. You've only just recovered, Brother An, it's natural to have a psychological barrier to beheading someone," Wu Duo reassured him like someone who has been through it all, "Besides, we can handle these ordinary zombies, you should rest."

U Shuangxue and Shen Xiuzhe did not participate in the combat, merely observing from the side.

Lin An pursed his lips and nodded, then walked over to Shen Xiuzhe's side.

Even comforted, Lin An still felt useless, his shoulders slumped as he stood there, exuding a zombie-like air of despondency.