Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-One

The entire village seemed long abandoned, the houses coated in a thick layer of dust, and the zombies outside all emaciated, as if they hadn't fed in a long time.

As they cut down the undead, a heaviness settled over the group.

Despite the shortcomings in Chuxi City and Mechanical City's responses to the apocalypse, as long as there were people, there was hope.

But Mulings City was devoid of life, a ghost town.

The forest often echoed with the sounds of insects chirping, birds calling, and leaves rustling in the wind. Usually, these sounds would bring peace and tranquility to their rest, though at night they might become a nuisance.

But in this village, once filled with laughter, aside from the zombies' growling, the familiar chirps and calls were eerily silent, a quiet too profound to be comforting.

Their expressions taut, the group spoke less, focused solely on dispatching the zombies.

Lin An stood in the rear, where the zombies were swiftly dealt with by the others, unable to break through.

He looked slowly around, his gaze settling on a large tree not far away.

Since the city was built within a forest, it housed many trees. The one he observed was roadside, with a treehouse built upon it, decorated with flowers and various plant leaves, which would have been beautiful if not for the withered blossoms and foliage that now hung dry and colorless, a faded vestige of its former glory.

Lin An ambled over, intending to climb up into the treehouse, but after circling around, he found no means to ascend.

Gazing up at the treehouse above, Lin An decided to rely on his own strength to climb.

Shen Xiuzi, leading the small dog, Lucky, had delegated the main combat to Xu Fang and others, taking on the role of delivering the final blow should any zombies breach their line.

Having just cleared a wave of zombies, he turned to find that Lin An, who had been following behind, had disappeared.

A quick scan revealed Lin An in an awkward stance.

"What are you doing?" Shen Xiuzi walked over, leading Lucky.

Lin An had tried to climb up to take a look, overestimating his abilities and, despite his efforts, was still rooted to the spot.

Shen Xiuzi then noticed the treehouse, handed the lead rope to Lin An, rolled up his sleeves, and agilely scaled the tree.

This treehouse, like others in Mulings City, was a residence, tidy inside with a complete set of wooden furnishings. Shen Xiuzi, tall as he was, had to stoop to enter. Inside, amidst a thick layer of dust, he noted the absence of blankets on the wooden bed and clothes in the cupboard.

Had it always been uninhabited?

Or had the belongings been taken?

Finding nothing else, Shen Xiuzi climbed back down.

Lin An watched Shen Xiuzi's nimble descent, then glanced at the towering tree and blinked silently.

"There's no one up there."

Lin An nodded, aware there was no one above; after all, he would have sensed any human presence.

Moreover, aside from their group, he hadn't detected the scent of any other people in the entirety of Mulings City.

At night, the group sat in a cleaned-out treehouse, while below a horde of zombies encircled the tree, growling upwards, unable to climb.

"There really isn't a single person left in the entire city," Xu Fang said, sitting cross-legged on the floor, his usual carefree expression now somber.

"Have they all turned into zombies?" Ouyang Dong felt uneasy at the thought.

Wu Duo countered, "Impossible. In both Chuxi City and Mechanical City, there were survivors. There must still be people alive here, perhaps they’ve escaped."

"But, on our journey these past few days, we've encountered only zombies, not a single living soul," Xu Fang spoke the stark truth.

The mood grew heavy again.

Wu Shuangxue sat on a chair and asked Shen Xiuzi, "What do you make of the situation at the city walls?"

"I'm not sure," pondered Shen Xiuzi, looking down. "It appears as though something has smashed through, and the gates were closed. It's likely that the zombies we encountered outside had all come from that breach. Could it be some animal, or a new breed of special zombies? But I'd lean towards a zombie beast since the outbreak presumably started within the city."

"What kind of animal could be that large?" Xu Fang asked in surprise. "A five-meter-high wall was broken through—if it really was a zombie beast, it must be enormous."

Wu Shuangxue added, "I agree, but then why are the buildings and trees within the city unscathed? If it were a giant zombie beast, wouldn't it have come in after breaking the wall?"

Shen Xiuzi responded, "That's what puzzles me too. And during my search through the houses, I noticed some clothing and daily items were missing, suggesting perhaps people really did escape."

This possibility lifted everyone's spirits somewhat. Although they did not know the people of Mulings City, the prospect that fellow humans had survived was a small comfort.

Lin An was grooming Lucky. While everyone else climbed the trees themselves, only he struggled and failed to ascend, ultimately lifted up by Shen Xiuzi.

It was a bit embarrassing, especially since even fourteen-year-old Wu Duo managed on her own.

He consoled himself with the fact that Lucky too had been carried up, so he wasn't the only one.

As the discussion continued, Lin An unconsciously slowed his grooming, sharing the hope that the people of Mulings City were safe. Lucky, sensing the shift in attention, turned back to look at his master, only to find Lin An's focus elsewhere.

With a huff, Lucky sprawled out on the ground.

The next destination after Mulings City was Mowus City, nestled deep in the forest. Leaving Mulings City meant deviating from the route to Baize City, a path neither Wu Shuangxue nor Shen Xiuzi had traversed before.

It was bound to be perilous.

They had planned to set off immediately, but Wu Shuangxue suggested they stay in Mulings City for a few days. With an abundance of zombies, it was an opportunity to hone their skills, given the uncertainty of future challenges and the benefit of improving their powers for survival.

Everyone agreed with the proposal, eager to enhance their abilities.

Lin An sat on the ground, knees hugged to his chest as he groomed Lucky. Hearing Granny Wu's words, he looked up at Shen Xiuzi, hesitant, as if he had something to say.

Finally gathering resolve, he clenched his fists to psych himself up and stood.

His head met the ceiling with a thud.

...He had forgotten the low ceilings of the place.

As he bumped his head, everyone quickly stood up to surround him.

"How is it, how is it— is your head alright?"

"That sounded loud, does your head hurt?"

"I have some medicine!"

"Haha, forgot we were in a treehouse, did you?"

Lin An clutched his head, his face flushed red, vigorously shaking his head: "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt."

Only after confirming he was truly alright did the others disperse. The zombies outside the treehouse couldn't climb up, and in their frustration, they shook the tree. But the tree, with its thick branches and trunk, was not easily swayed.

Knowing they wouldn't sleep well that night, they went down to dispatch the zombies.

Shen Xiuzhe didn't leave. It was uncomfortable to stand hunched over, so he eventually sat down on the ground.

Pointing to a spot next to him, Lin An, with his face still flushed, slowly walked over and sat down.

"Did you want to talk to me just now?" Shen Xiuzhe had noticed his expression earlier.

Lin An nodded.

"Is your head okay?"

Lin An didn't move, overwhelmed with embarrassment. He wished to forget this incident immediately.

"Is the city of Mousse dangerous?" asked Lin An. He had only seen documents about the city of Mousse at home and was not familiar with the environment around this ancient site.

"I've never been there, but I've heard from the seniors that there are many unprecedented plants and animals around the city of Mousse. Any phenomenon could be normal. Many people die on the way to the ancient city, and there are many dangerous mechanisms within the city. These are said to have been created by the ancient people of Mousse to prevent outsiders from entering their city."

Lin An was somewhat distracted, after all, just now Granny Wu had said that training their abilities was also for survival in times of danger, and the city of Mousse was precisely such a source of danger.

His long eyelashes trembled, Lin An pursed his lips, hesitating for a long time before stuttering out, "Actually, I could, could go by myself..."

"Where do you want to go?" Shen Xiuzhe raised an eyebrow.

Lin An rubbed the hem of his shirt and fidgeted with his fingers, his voice almost inaudible: "To, the city of Mousse."

As soon as the words were spoken, the air pressure around seemed to markedly decrease.

Xiao Fu, who had been lying on the ground, sensed the change and lifted his head to look around.

Lin An, receiving no reply, sneaked a glance at Shen Xiuzhe. Feeling a bit guilty, he had been speaking towards where Xiao Fu was, but now saw Shen Xiuzhe watching him with an amused smile.

His eyes crinkled up with his laughter, softening his otherwise stern appearance and making him seem quite approachable, yet Lin An couldn't help but shiver involuntarily.

It reminded him of the last time Shen Xiuzhe had that smile; Lin An had ended up with a chipped tooth!

After becoming a zombie, Lin An had forgotten many things, only remembering them when triggered by certain cues. Now, seeing Shen Xiuzhe's smile, Lin An, sitting with his knees hugged to his chest, began to shift away with an intense instinct to survive.

But before he could move far, he was promptly dragged back to his original spot.

"Do you know the direction to the city of Mousse?"

Lin An shook his head.

"Do you know what animals or plants you might encounter on the way?"

Lin An continued to shake his head.

"Do you know about the mechanisms within the city of Mousse?"

Lin An paused, then hesitated before shaking his head again.

"How do you plan to go there by yourself?"

"By walking there."

Shen Xiuzhe couldn't help but laugh at the naivety, "That's a nice thought. Shall I ask what the others think about it?"

The treehouse wasn't large, and Shen Xiuzhe slightly tilted his head towards the outside, saying, "Lin An wants to go to the city of Mousse alone."

The voice wasn't loud, but everyone under the tree heard it.

In less than a minute, a head popped through the small window of the treehouse, "An-ge, what do you mean? You want to leave us behind?"

Ouyang Dong's voice came from below the tree, "No way, if we go, we go together."

Granny Wu entered from outside, "I haven't been to the city of Mousse either. It would be nice to visit before I die. You wouldn't want me to live with that regret, would you?"

After a while, Wu Duo also came up, her presence imposing, "Xiao An-ge, if you go to the city of Mousse alone, what about Xiao Fu? Without you, it will surely be heartbroken, thinking its master has abandoned it. And if you take it, I’m the one holding its dog food, you know."

Lin An was so overwhelmed by everyone's comments that he couldn't even lift his head.

By the time Wu Shuangxue entered, Shen Xiuzhe had resumed his usual expression. After hearing everyone's responses, he looked meaningfully at Lin An, "Still want to go alone?"

Lin An thought he did, but he didn't dare say it out loud.

"Putting aside what the others think, although the city of Mousse is dangerous, I am an explorer at heart. It's our nature to venture into the wilderness, the more arduous and mysterious the destination, the more it beckons. If the apocalypse hadn't happened, I would have gone there sooner or later, so it's no different now. Don't feel as if going to the city of Mousse is a burden to everyone; it's a decision we make together and everyone is willing."

Shen Xiuzhe continued, "We are companions; it's all about troubling each other and seeking help when needed. Otherwise, what's the point of companionship, understand?"

Before Lin An could nod, Xu Fang suddenly spoke up.

"Um, dear companions, I need a bit of help first. Could you help me get my head out? This window is too small! I'm stuck!"

There were windows on three sides of the treehouse, all very small. Xu Fang, confident in his bald head, had easily pushed his head through, but getting it out proved to be much harder, his head was now wedged firmly in place.

He was hanging from the treehouse.