Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty

Xu Fang looked puzzled. Logically, he and the boss met Lin An on the same day. Was there something he didn't know about that had happened between them?

What happened to the boss's head? Was he injured?

He must not be referring to these past few days; during this time, An-ge had been unconscious, and the boss had no other injuries apart from his palm. If it was a prior injury, with the healing speed of a special ability user, even a head wound would have healed by now.

As Xu Fang pondered this, he heard the boss's deep voice: “It probably left some aftereffects; I often feel a faint pain.”

Xu Fang: "…Huh?"

He looked at the boss in surprise, about to dismiss the idea as impossible, but then a glance from the boss sent a chill down Xu Fang's spine.

Hmm… What the boss says, goes.

Lin An felt a deep guilt. When he found Shen Xiuzhe, he was already injured, and yet Lin An had only added to his wounds.

The more he recalled the details, the clearer they became. The long, vivid trail of blood from the abandoned building to his home – what was he thinking at that time?

That's right, he remembered now. His mind was foggy then, fixated on the endless loop of hunger, and the only other thought was the wastefulness of his prey bleeding out.

He really deserved to die.

Shen Xiuzhe even stoked the fire, pretending to recall with a frown, "Come to think of it, the day you brought me home, you did something... took off my clothes, and then…"

Wu Nainai immediately covered Wu Duo's ears: “Children shouldn't hear this.”

Wu Duo looked up speechlessly at her excited grandmother, and at Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong, who were all ears, pretending to be statues. Human nature indeed gravitates towards gossip.

Shen Xiuzhe paused for a moment, sweeping his gaze over the others. Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong quickly lowered their heads to look at their feet, and Wu Nainai also looked down at Xiao Fu, who was rubbing against Lin An’s feet.

"And then you dressed my wounds. Otherwise, I might not have made it that day."

Shen Xiuzhe's words left all the gossip-hungry listeners disappointed. Is that it?

"You took off your clothes just to show us this?"

Lin An felt ashamed. That day, he had bandaged the wound just to slow the bleeding so he could eat more.

It wasn't to save a life.

He had dragged Shen Xiuzhe home and roughly dumped the injured, unconscious man into the bathtub, then undressed him. Wait, undressed him?

For the first time, Lin An felt that having a good memory wasn't always a blessing. Every detail of what happened replayed in his mind.

He had left the man in the bathtub, stripped of all clothing, not even sparing his underwear.

While dressing the wounds, the two were almost in contact. The foggy-minded little zombie even poked around here and there, admiring the quality of the 'food', thinking it would taste good.

Then dragging Shen Xiuzhe onto the dining table and even laying on top of him…

Lin An crashed mentally, his cheeks flaming red, feeling somewhat dizzy.

His sense of shame was already strong, and he was thin-skinned; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been embarrassed about waking up naked. Now, recalling what he had done, he felt overwhelmingly ashamed and guilty.

“An-ge, what’s wrong with you?”

“Haven’t you fully recovered yet? Where’s the barrel? Quick, get in the barrel.”

“The barrel is still by the river, go get it!”

“Boil some water first!”

“Woof, woof, woof!”

Seeing his eyes glaze over and his unsteady footing, everyone thought Lin An hadn’t fully recovered and hurriedly searched for the water barrel.

The dizzy little zombie was caught by Shen Xiuzhe. Looking up at Shen Xiuzhe’s slightly furrowed brows and worried face, Lin An’s gaze involuntarily drifted down to his chest, and the image of Shen Xiuzhe’s bare torso immediately flashed in his mind.

Stop thinking!

Lin An quickly closed his eyes tightly, preventing his mind from conjuring up corresponding images.

In Lin An’s memory, he was like a bully at that time, doing all sorts of things to the defenseless, injured, and unconscious Shen Xiuzhe, almost inhuman.

He really deserved to die.

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong hurried to the river to bring back the water barrel. The used hot water in the barrel was emptied and replaced with fresh, clean river water.

Both ran side by side in sync, displaying great harmony, though they looked comical, like a fat and a thin crab, carrying the wooden barrel and chanting in unison, “One, two, one, two.”

Shen Xiuzhe warmed the water with his hand, unable to produce hot water directly like Lin An, but heating was effortless for him. Once the water was suitably warm, he skillfully attempted to undress Lin An, who, with closed eyes, clutched at the collar of his clothes.

Observing Lin An, still conscious, Shen Xiuzhe raised an eyebrow: "Bathe with your clothes on?"

Lin An nodded frantically.

Lin An, returned to the bucket, submerged himself at the bottom, reluctant to emerge for a long time.

Though previously an unconscious zombie, Lin An's strong sense of morality forbade using that as an excuse; he knew he had to apologize at some point.

Once Lin An awoke, the others hastened their pace in clearing the remaining tree roots. Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong's abilities complemented each other, speeding up the process.

Three days later, the entire zombie tree was uprooted without a trace, leaving only a huge pit in the center of the barren ground as evidence of its recent presence.

The people from Muleng City hadn't left yet. Knowing they were unwelcome, they stayed at a distance, their attempts to speak with Xu Fang and others ignored.

When they realized Shen Xiuzhe and the others were preparing to leave, they approached once again.

Hundreds stood nearby, hesitant to speak; only Mu Han stepped forward to the group packing their bags and hesitantly asked, “Are you heading to Mou's City?”

Of course, having come this far, Mou's City was the obvious next destination. Xu Fang wanted to retort but restrained himself.

Mu Han: “You really shouldn't go there.”

They knew their mistake and wanted to make amends but didn’t know how; dissuading the others from going to Mou's City was the only thing they felt they could do.

"It's not your private property; we're going anyway," Xu Fang finally retorted.

Lin An, upon their arrival, hid behind Shen Xiuzhe again, but the sight of his bare back flashed through his mind.

Lin An: ...He hadn't expected to be this kind of person.

Shen Xiuzhe looked at the little zombie who had just hidden behind him, now suddenly staggering to hide behind Wu Shuangxue. Grandma Wu, puzzled, glanced at Lin An hiding behind her with his eyes closed, then back at Shen Xiuzhe, her gaze filled with questions.

Wu Shuangxue: “Did you have a quarrel?”

Shen Xiuzhe shook his head, equally puzzled by Lin An's recent behavior – avoiding eye contact and fleeing whenever he saw him, yet sometimes lingering around him, seemingly wanting to speak, only to run away when addressed.

It was indeed quite strange.

Grandma Wudo continued to communicate through her eyes, not knowing what Shen Xiuzhe would do.

It's definitely your fault.

Shen Xiuzhe: ? He hadn't done anything.

Over time, Grandma Wudo had grown fond of Lin An. Initially, she was very wary of him, but now she had let her guard down. Among the four men accompanying them, Lin An was the most well-behaved.

Among them, Ouyang Dong was the oldest, only twenty-eight, young enough to be her grandson.

Shen Xiuzhe was the most handsome, but his overpowering presence and expressionless demeanor often felt arrogantly dismissive of everyone, almost asking to be punched.

Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong, although both had pleasant personalities, next to Shen Xiuzhe looked like a leader with his two underlings, and they were particularly boisterous.

Only Lin An, with his good looks and obedient character, was the kind of grandchild that grandparents found irresistible.

So, Grandma Wudo was sure that Shen Xiuzhe must have done something.

While they were still communicating with their eyes, Mu Han continued to earnestly persuade them, "Mous City belongs to the Snake God. Now that the Snake God has turned into a zombie, its attack power is incredibly strong."

Xu Fang, with his chin up, boasted smugly: "Let's get this straight – we were the ones who took down that zombie tree. Even if there's a zombie snake in Mous City, it'll be a piece of cake for us."

Ouyang Dong: "It's Mous City, not Mos. How can he still not get the name right? But he's thinking the same as me. With Shen Xiuzhe and Lin An in our team, their powers can handle any kind of zombie."

Mu Han knew they were formidable, but Mous City wasn't just about the Snake God: "Do you even know how to get into Mous City? It's full of intricate traps, and ordinary people can't even find the entrance. It's really dangerous. If you're going for treasure, I must say it's all a deception."

"Traps?" Xu Fang's eyes lit up.

"And treasure?" Ouyang Dong exclaimed in surprise.

Both of them immediately became excited and enthusiastic, grinning from ear to ear.

Mu Han: ...Why do they seem even more interested now?

Lin An hid behind Grandma Wudo, only his eyes visible. Listening to Mu Han's persuasion, his gaze lowered, long eyelashes veiling his crimson eyes.

He seemed to be in a bad mood.

Seeing Mu Han about to continue persuading, Shen Xiuzhe didn't have the patience to listen. Although he hadn't been there, every adventurer knew Mous City was dangerous.

Having come this far, they had no intention of turning back.

"Let's go," Shen Xiuzhe said, looking at Wudo.

Wudo nodded, gathering and storing all their prepared items in her space.

They didn't say anything more to the others, leading Xiao Fu away as they turned to leave.

Mu Han took a few steps forward when suddenly a row of earth spikes burst from the ground, blocking his path.

"Wherever you wish to go, don't follow us," Shen Xiuzhe said with deadly eyes and an icy tone. "I've already spared you once. If you continue to be unwise, I won't hesitate to make your people even fewer."

The people from Mulingshi were actually very afraid of Shen Xiuzhe. They didn't know who had killed the zombie tree, but judging by appearance and aura, Shen Xiuzhe seemed the most likely.

Seeing his murderous intent, they immediately dared not say anything more.

Mu Han watched their departing figures with a complex gaze, uncertain why they were so determined to go to Mous City, but hoping they would be safe.

"Mu Han, what should we do now?" a tribesperson approached, asking uneasily.

They were left with only a few hundred people, and aside from the clothes on their backs, everything else had been burned with the zombie tree.

Uncertain of where to go or what to do next.

Mu Han turned back to his people, seeing their faces filled with worry and confusion about the future. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, his eyes were resolute: "We return to Mulingshi, our true home."

Even though it was overrun with zombies, it was where they had grown up. It was the abandonment of their home that led to all the subsequent errors and missteps.

"If I had fought alongside my brother when the Snake God appeared, instead of fleeing the city, even if I had died, I would have no regrets."

But now, they must continue to atone for the lives of countless tribespeople.

Hundreds of people headed towards Mulingshi, ready to fight zombies, but upon entering the city days later, they found far fewer zombies than they had anticipated.

The black and red soil within the city walls and the signs of recent battles were fresh. In the past half-year, they had encountered only one group of outsiders.

Those people had also mentioned their visit to Mulingshi.

That group had eliminated many zombies in Mulingshi and killed the zombie tree, freeing them from its control.

Yet they had only thought to lead them to their deaths.

A crushing sense of guilt overwhelmed them like a tide, leaving them gasping for air. But even in their remorse, it was too late; they had erred and could no longer make amends.

The thoughts of the people in Mulingshi were unknown to Shen Xiuzhe and his companions. Ever since they left the vicinity of the zombie tree, the number of zombified animals and plants they encountered on the road had increased.

Surprisingly, it was Udo who excelled on the journey. She had become increasingly adept at telekinesis, even managing to store zombified plants and animals in a spatial void from a distance. These zombified creatures, once retrieved, remained lively and hungry for human flesh.

All the zombified flora and fauna encountered were stored in this space, to be taken out for practice when it was time to rest.

Since their encounter with the zombie tree, everyone was determined to improve, as the feeling of helplessness was unbearable. The only option was to continue enhancing their abilities.

At night, after dispatching the zombies, everyone fell into a deep sleep.

Shen Xiuzhe sat on a tree, gazing at Lin An in the sleeping bag below. Lin An used to never sleep, but since awakening from the battle with the zombie tree, he had started to sleep regularly.

Just like a normal person.

Watching Lin An's peaceful sleeping face, Shen Xiuzhe frowned with worry. He sat on the tree, looking down for a while, then looked up at the sky. The moon, obscured by tree shadows, was barely visible and not particularly striking.

"Worried about something?" Granny Wu, advanced in age, often woke up at night and couldn't fall back asleep. She deftly climbed a nearby tree and sat not far from Shen Xiuzhe.

Shen Xiuzhe glanced at her. On that day, three of them were injured. His injuries seemed the worst, Ouyang Dong, with the lightest injury, cried out the loudest, and Granny Wu's injury, lighter than his, healed quickly but left the most aftereffects.

For a woman in her seventies, her physical condition couldn't match that of the younger ones. A simple fall or minor injury could have significant negative consequences.

He and Ouyang Dong were unaffected after their injuries healed, but Grandma Wu's mental state was visibly worse than before; her once straight back now seemed bent, her face more haggard.

Shen Xiuzhe felt that when they reached the next city, if it was still in good condition, Granny Wu and her grandchildren would have to stay behind; they couldn't continue traveling.

Granny Wu's body could no longer endure it.

"You're worried about Lin An," Granny Wu guessed, looking at the silent Shen Xiuzhe.

Indeed, Shen Xiuzhe had been concerned about this issue.

"Is it the meteorite that's causing trouble?" Granny Wu asked softly, glancing at the others sleeping below.

Knowing he couldn't hide it, Shen Xiuzhe nodded in response: "I checked the meteorite with my equipment while Lin An was asleep. It has shrunk to half its size from before."

In fact, along the way, Shen Xiuzhe occasionally used his equipment to check on the meteorite in Lin An's stomach. It had always stayed in the same place and hardly changed in size, but after Lin An destroyed the zombie tree, Shen Xiuzhe found it had halved in size a few days ago.

It was originally the size of a pigeon's egg but had now shrunk pitifully. Shen Xiuzhe was uncertain whether the remaining half could last until they reached Baize City.

"What do you plan to do then? Remove the meteorite?" Granny Wu seemed curious, staring intently at Shen Xiuzhe.

If he knew what to do, he wouldn't be so troubled.

If he told Lin An about this, given Lin An's character, he would definitely agree to have the meteorite removed, considering its significance. However, removing it would mean Lin An's wound wouldn't heal.

He was now a zombie, and zombies’ wounds only heal when they consume human energy. Lin An would definitely refuse to eat humans. He even abstained from animal flesh and blood, fearing he couldn't control himself.

But if they didn't remove it, the meteorite might be completely absorbed, rendering all their efforts futile.

He didn't know what to do.

Granny Wu, seeing Shen Xiuzhe's unusually troubled expression, stared at him with a meaningful smile: "You must have an answer in your mind already."

The Shen Xiuzhe she knew was a person who valued rationality over emotion. His current dilemma indicated he had made a decision that contradicted his usual character, hence his inner conflict.

Rubbing his forehead, Shen Xiuzhe said, "The forest has too many obstacles to search effectively, but once we leave it, the open view will make it easier to continue my search. There was a whole night of meteor showers; I refuse to believe that only one meteorite fell on the entire planet."

Previously, he thought the zombie tree's large mutation might have been caused by a meteorite. He spent days searching but found nothing.

This tree, originally of a large-growing species, had absorbed all surrounding life forms in the early days of the apocalypse, and later thousands of humans, growing so immense without any relation to the meteorite.

Grandma Wu looked at Shen Xiuzhe, knowing that even if the meteorite was removed from the belly, Lin An wouldn't die; there would just be an unhealable hole. However, Shen Xiuzhe still opted to search for a new meteorite.

"Hehehe."

Shen Xiuzhe felt exasperated. Why did he have to listen to such bizarre laughter?

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Grandma Wu said with a smirk, teasingly.

Shen Xiuzhe: "I was just..."

"I won't listen, I won't hear your excuses. I'm going to sleep," Grandma Wu said petulantly, waving her hand dismissively and climbing down from the tree before he could finish.

Shen Xiuzhe, left with a face of helplessness, continued to keep watch on the tree.

In the following days, everyone pressed on. Although they were headed in the right direction, no one knew how far away Mouwu City was, so they just aimed to cover more ground each day.

Soon, everyone realized that Grandma Wu seemed to be lagging behind. Her advanced age and recent injuries made the long daily treks too taxing for an elderly person.

Everyone noticed this but found no immediate solution. Xu Fang initially thought of making a simple stretcher or chair from wood for Grandma Wu to sit on, to be carried in turns, but she refused the idea.

She already felt like she was holding the group back. To have everyone carry her on a stretcher would only make her more of a burden.

Grandma Wu, being a very proud person, would never agree to such a thing.

Eventually, Ouyang Dong discovered an unknown plant species that solved this problem.

This plant was entirely green, resembling an octopus with an elliptical head and a mass of vine-like, soft roots below.

Initially, the plant was buried underground, with only its top visible, and hardly noticeable.

Ouyang Dong accidentally stepped on this strange plant while fighting zombie animals, startling it. To his surprise, the plant crawled out of the ground and fled.

Its eight tentacle-like stems were highly flexible, swiftly weaving through the densely obstructed forest, quickly disappearing into the distance.

He thought he had stepped on a small animal, but the presence was distinctly plant-like.

A lightbulb went off in Ouyang Dong's head; he suddenly realized this plant could be used as a mode of transportation. Abandoning the zombie animals, he pursued the plant.

Xu Fang, calling after Ouyang Dong to no avail, cursed under his breath as he fought off the zombie animals for both of them.

Eventually, Ouyang Dong captured the plant and brought it back.

Lin An was extremely curious about the plant, flailing its eight limbs in a frenzied struggle.

He had never seen such a plant in any book.

Ouyang Dong, brimming with pride, announced to everyone: "Look! This is the mount I caught. If I control this strange plant, Grandma Wu can sit on it, making our journey much easier."

Still holding a grudge, Xu Fang retorted skeptically, "What kind of plant is this? It looks bizarre. How could it possibly obey you?"

For Ouyang Dong, who could control large trees, manipulating a small plant of human height was a trivial matter.

He set the plant down, quickly mounted it before it could escape, sitting atop its elliptical head, and then activated his special ability.

The wildly struggling plant gradually calmed down, and under Ouyang Dong's command, it extended a stem and took a step forward, then switched to another.

It seemed indeed feasible as a mode of transportation.

But it was too slow.

Just now, when Ouyang Dong was chasing it, this plant had run extremely fast, outpacing him on foot. If he hadn't used his ability to stop it, the plant would have gotten away.

He controlled his power, urging the plant to quicken its pace. All eight stems moved, gradually increasing speed.

Xu Fang, realizing this plant could be used for Grandma Wu, gave Ouyang Dong a thumbs-up: "You did well, kid, finally doing something worthwhile."

But just after the praise, Ouyang Dong, along with the plant, crashed into a tree.

Xu Fang silently retracted his thumb.

Turning around, Ouyang Dong’s nose and forehead were red, and blood dripped from his nose. Striving to maintain a serious expression, he said to the others, “The brakes need some work. I’ll practice more.”

Everyone else: It indeed looks like it needs more practice.