Chapter 77

Chapter 77

"Manager Wu is always the best at avoiding responsibilities, even lying about the child having a fever..."

As the lady holding Yan Bubu neared the west cave entrance, her hand brushed his face and jerked back as if scalded.

She then cautiously touched his forehead, her face changing immediately.

"Touch him, feel this. Is the child really having a fever?"

Someone nearby touched Yan Bubu's forehead, confirming, "Yes, he's quite feverish."

The lady became anxious, "Aren't people with fever supposed to be isolated on those platforms and nailed in with wooden bars?"

Another person added, "I just saw Manager Wu taking him to the medical point. The medic examined him; he should be fine."

"Don't worry, the child probably just has a cold and a fever. Otherwise, the medic wouldn't have allowed him to be taken away."

Despite these assurances, the lady still looked uneasy, holding Yan Bubu a bit further away from herself and keeping a wary eye on his face.

It seemed as if any slight movement would cause her to throw the person out of her embrace.

The western cave entrance was the safest, drawing everyone to crowd even more in that direction.

An old man, pale-faced and sweating profusely, struggled in the crowd.

He wiped his sweat with a hand wrapped in thick gauze, stained with blood. Intriguingly, a small patch of the liquid seeping through was ink-black.

Clearly uncomfortable, the old man loosened his collar, constantly clearing his throat with a phlegmy sound that made those around him uneasy.

The people next to him, finding the noise grating, tried to move away, but as soon as they did, the old man, appearing unsteady, leaned heavily against them.

"Hey, hey, stand properly," someone said in disgust, pushing him away. The next second, they screamed, "Let go of my hand, what are you doing biting people?"

The lady holding Yan Bubu at the western entrance turned her attention from him to the commotion nearby.

The crowd had always been noisy, like water about to boil, with small bubbles continuously rising to the surface. But now, it reached a boiling point, with the surface beginning to churn violently.

No longer just jostling in small arcs, they were pushing and shoving each other, running around like headless flies, emitting sharp, fearful cries.

"Zombies, zombies..."

Pushed against the wall, the lady trembled upon hearing 'zombies', immediately glancing at Yan Bubu in her arms.

Yan Bubu was unconscious, his chest heaving rapidly due to the fever, his face flushed.

Panicking, the lady looked around and then thrust Yan Bubu into the arms of a nearby person, "I can't hold him anymore, you take him."

The person caught Yan Bubu instinctively, asking in astonishment, "Why are you giving me the child?"

"Weren't you the one shouting the loudest earlier, saying you'd help look after this kid? Well, now you keep an eye on him," the lady said, not waiting for a response before disappearing into the crowd.

"Hey, what are you doing? Weren't you the one who insisted on taking the child?" The person, seeing the lady's retreating figure, panicked, holding Yan Bubu, unsure of what to do next.

The screams continued nearby, and the person passed Yan Bubu to someone else, "My hands hurt, I'm afraid of dropping the child. Hold him for a moment, will you?"

The person next to him immediately dodged away and disappeared into the crowd.

Looking around, they noticed a small, recessed area in the cave wall.

The area was covered with a plastic sheet, and a round mirror hung on the wall – evidently someone's makeshift bed.

Seeing everyone panicking towards the east cave entrance and unnoticed here, they placed Yan Bubu on the plastic sheet and hurried towards the east without looking back.

Feng Chen was engaged in intense combat, surrounded by unceasing gunfire and the never-ending screams of the people, so he didn't notice the commotion near the west entrance.

Having just moved an ammo box, Wu You turned to see a frenzied crowd rushing towards the east entrance, faintly hearing words like 'zombies'.

He quickly looked towards the west entrance, realizing the crowd was coming from that direction and started to push against the flow in panic.

Stumbling forward, he spotted the lady who had taken Yan Bubu, quickly squeezing through to grab her, urgently asking, "Where's the child? The child I entrusted to you, where is he?"

"Someone else is holding him, he'll be fine," the lady wrenched free from his grip and rushed forward.

A scream echoed from the west, chilling Wu You to the bone. He couldn't pursue the lady any longer, instead forcing his way through the crowd towards the west entrance.

Yan Bubu lay on the ground, his cheek against the cold cave wall, the chill rousing him from his stupor, regaining some consciousness.

The voices around him ebbed and flowed like the tide, large and small. He tried to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry, only aware that everyone was running in one direction.

He attempted to raise his hand to rub his eyes, but his arm was so limp it felt like it wasn't his. He tried to call for his brother, but no sound came from his throat.

He just stared at the moving crowd in front of him until his vision gradually cleared.

But what he saw was a scene of utter chaos and horror.

Not far away, three people huddled together, bent over, tearing at a young woman lying on the ground.

The woman's limbs were strewn about, her body surrounded by a copious amount of blood.

Zombies...

This word surfaced in Yan Bubu's foggy mind.

One of the zombies stood up, but the surrounding crowd had already fled. It looked around slowly and then turned towards Yan Bubu, lying near the cave wall.

Yan Bubu locked eyes with the zombie. He saw its entire eyeball had turned black and noticed a strip of fresh, red flesh hanging from its mouth, being swallowed into its throat.

Blood trickled down its chin, dripping onto its chest, staining its light grey coat a deep red.

The zombie staggered towards him, and in that instant, his heart seemed to stop. His pupils dilated, his hands clawed at the ground, and he gasped for air with his mouth agape.

He tried to stand and flee, but his body was too weak to muster any strength. Struggling to rise a few times without success, he could only crawl towards the cave entrance, inching forward.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the zombie suddenly quicken its pace and rush towards him.

A huge shadow cast from above enveloped Yan Bubu. He could feel the cold wind as the zombie neared, and the thick scent of blood carried in it.

Still crawling forward, his lips silently moved.

"Ahwu beng ga ada wuxia, ahwu beng ga ada wuxia..."

Yan Bubu's ankle was seized by a cold hand, a touch more terrifying than a snake slithering over his body. But he lacked the strength to struggle, trembling uncontrollably.

The next second, he distinctly felt his calf bitten by the zombie.

Overwhelmed by despair and fear, he felt no pain and forgot to continue chanting the spell. His mind echoed repeatedly:

"Brother, save me, brother, please save me..."

"Jingjing!" He faintly heard a roar, distorted yet unmistakably Wu You's voice.

Struggling to turn his head, intending to call out 'Uncle Wu', he saw Wu You pouncing from the left, moving as swift as the wind, grabbing the zombie that had just lunged at his legs and yanking it upwards with force.

The zombie, having just bitten Yan Bubu, briefly loosened its grip, readying for another attack, but was jerked away by Wu You gripping its shoulder.

Caught off guard, it staggered back a few steps, away from Yan Bubu.

The zombie, having just tasted blood and suddenly pulled away, turned in rage, roaring at Wu You with a bestial ferocity.

Wu You, having seen the zombie biting Yan Bubu, rushed over impulsively to pull it away. Now facing the zombie at close range, seeing its gaping mouth and fierce visage, he belatedly felt a surge of fear.

He tried to push the zombie away but was concerned it might turn back to bite Yan Bubu. Hesitating for just a half-second, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder where the zombie had bitten him.

After biting once, the zombie inexplicably released him and turned to lunge at Yan Bubu again.

Wu You wrapped his arms around the zombie's waist from behind, desperately dragging it backwards.

Blood gushed from the wound on his shoulder, quickly staining half of his body red. Though smaller in stature than the zombie, he displayed immense strength, holding the zombie back from advancing.

Yan Bubu lay on the ground, reaching out towards Wu You, letting out a whisper only he could hear: "Uncle Wu... Uncle Wu..."

Wu You, struggling to drag the zombie back, suddenly caught sight of his reflection in a mirror on the opposite cave wall.

His face, one he saw every day in the mirror, now appeared so familiar yet so alien.

His features were ordinary, unremarkable, but his skin was turning an abnormal shade of blue-grey. Spider-web like lines were crawling up his neck, visible above his collar, spreading towards his face. His pupils had turned intensely black, gradually spreading across the entire eyeball.

"Ahwu beng ga ada wuxia, ahwu beng ga ada wuxia..."

Yan Bubu crawled towards Wu You, painfully chanting the spell in a hoarse voice, his eyes blurred with tears and sweat, which then trickled down to the ground.

"Don't come over, don't come over..."

Seeing Yan Bubu getting closer, Wu You, dragging the zombie, retreated towards the cave entrance, shaking his head at Yan Bubu as he moved back.

The zombie, gripped tightly by Wu You, struggled fiercely but couldn't break free from his grasp.

The wound on his shoulder had stopped bleeding, taking on a semi-coagulated state, but it too was turning deep black.

"Don't come over..." Wu You's voice rasped from his throat, a faint glimmer of light in his eyes keeping him barely conscious.

As he dragged the zombie back to the cave entrance, continuing to retreat, Yan Bubu finally realized what he was intending to do. Summoning strength from somewhere, he propped up his upper body and cried out in a voice that seemed to tear through him, "Dad—"

Wu You paused, tears flowing from his nearly entirely black eyes, streaming down a face marred with blue-purple lines.

After crying out 'Dad', Yan Bubu couldn't make another sound. He could only cry silently in agony, shed tears without a sound, and mouth 'Dad' over and over, reaching out his hands towards Wu You.

"Don't cry, be good, this is... this is just a game, Dad is... playing a game like Xiao Shen, don't cry."

Wu You offered him a pained smile, and in the moment his eyes lost their last gleam of light to the darkness, he embraced the struggling zombie and fell backward.

Like a bird taking flight, he silently disappeared into the dark mouth of the cave.

Bang, bang, bang!

Gunshots rang out nearby. The zombies charging at the crowd were shot down, soldiers rushed in shouting loudly, the crowd screamed, and a cacophony of noises converged, piercing Yan Bubu's ears.

But he seemed to hear nothing, just staring blankly at the spot where Wu You had disappeared.

Moments later, his body wobbled and he collapsed to the ground.

Feng Chen and the other soldiers were desperately holding their position at the south cave entrance.

His body bore several wounds from mutants that had occasionally breached the defenses, the deepest one just below his left chest, a little higher and it would have hit his heart.

The other soldiers were also injured, some severely, with medics frantically trying to save them, uncertain of their survival.

After repelling a wave of mutants, Feng Chen suddenly heard gunshots from inside the cave, coming from the direction of the west entrance.

His heart skipped a beat, and turning around, he saw that the once crowded west entrance was now deserted, leaving a clear space with a few bodies lying on the ground.

His gaze swept across a part of the cave wall and suddenly froze.

The earpiece was still transmitting various sounds, and the soldiers nearby were talking, but he couldn't hear them.

"Yu Yuan, what's the situation inside the cave? We've cleared the mutants on the ground and are about to reach the mountain's base to join you."

"Only a few mutants got into the cave, there weren't significant casualties..."

A soldier changing an empty magazine showed relief, "We finally held them off this wave, waiting for General Lin and the others to return. We owe it to Qin Shen this time; otherwise, we really couldn't have held on... Hey, Qin Shen, where are you going? Qin Shen?"

Feng Chen had already dashed out, pushing past people in his path without a glance, rushing straight to Yan Bubu's side and scooping him up.

Yan Bubu's face was no longer flushed from fever but deathly pale. His thick black lashes rested on his lower eyelids, making him look like a delicate doll, devoid of any sign of life.

Feng Chen's trembling fingers touched Yan Bubu's neck, feeling the pulse of his blood flow, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"Yan Bubu, Yan Bubu, wake up, Yan Bubu..."

He reached out to pat Yan Bubu's face, but received no response.

Feng Chen stood up holding Yan Bubu, looking around blankly.

Why was Yan Bubu lying here alone, and why were there several zombie corpses on the ground?

He didn't know where Wu You had gone, and what happened to the group who took Yan Bubu, promising to take good care of him.

What exactly had happened here?

Feng Chen was about to ask someone when he heard a faint voice from above to his left: "Hey, hey..."

Turning his head, Feng Chen saw a platform on the cave wall about fifteen meters to the left, where a young man was lying in a wooden enclosure, trying to get his attention.

"Come here, I saw what happened to that kid..."

Feng Chen walked over, looking up at him.

"Is he your brother?" the young man asked.

"Yes."

The young man was feverish, his face flushed, but his expression was lucid. Lying on his side facing Feng Chen, his voice was weak but clear: "There were zombies here initially, everyone was running, and your brother was just left there."

Feng Chen looked down at Yan Bubu, his expression turning grim.

"General Lin has returned, General Lin and his men are back," cheers echoed from the eastern cave entrance, but Feng Chen, as if not hearing them, said to the young man, "Continue, please."

"Nobody cared for your brother; he just lay there, and then a zombie went to bite him..." Feng Chen's expression changed, but he quickly realized Yan Bubu was still intact, merely unconscious, likely not bitten by the zombie.

Yet, even so, a sense of dread welled up inside him, his mouth dry.

"And then what happened?" he pressed on.

"Your brother was too close to the cave wall for me to see everything clearly, and I'm not sure if he was bitten by the zombie, but he should be okay." The young man glanced at Yan Bubu in his arms and added, "Then your dad rushed over, dragged the zombie away, and saved your brother."

"My dad?" Feng Chen asked in astonishment.

The young man nodded lightly: "Yes, I heard your brother calling him dad."

Feng Chen immediately realized he must be referring to Wu You.

But he hadn't seen Wu You here, and Wu You wouldn't have left Yan Bubu alone unless...

A dreadful suspicion surfaced in Feng Chen's mind, his heart sinking, his mouth growing even drier, almost bitter.

After a moment of silence, the young man said, "Your dad was bitten by the zombie, and then he embraced the zombie and jumped off the cliff."

"All the mutants are cleared! All the mutants are cleared! We've won!"

Suddenly, the cave erupted with enthusiastic cheers, the massive wave of sound almost overturning the cave.

Everyone was jumping and cheering, embracing each other in celebration, a frenzy of joy after surviving the ordeal. The soldiers, weary yet smiling, patted each other on the shoulders and ruffled each other's hair.

Only Feng Chen stood silently, holding Yan Bubu, looking towards the west cave entrance.

The dim yellow light of the gas lamps illuminated his slightly pale face and the flicker of tears in his eyes.

"My condolences," the young man said before lying back down.

Feng Chen murmured thanks and turned around, still holding Yan Bubu.

He wanted to find the group that had abandoned Yan Bubu, indirectly causing Wu You's death, but as he turned, he saw soldiers handling the zombie corpses, carrying them towards the cave entrance.

As they passed by Feng Chen, he looked down at the zombie bodies, their eyes glaring, mouths slightly open, teeth still stained with crimson blood.

The sight of the blood made his spine chill and a sense of unease rose within him.

Although Yan Bubu appeared normal, he couldn't shake off his concern. Suppressing the urge to confront the group immediately, he sat down on a wooden box, holding Yan Bubu.

He undid Yan Bubu's overalls and lifted his T-shirt to check his stomach and back, then inspected his arms and thighs. His skin was intact and unharmed.

The anxiety in his heart eased somewhat. He dressed Yan Bubu back in his overalls and finally lifted the hem to check his calves.

But the sight of the vicious bite mark left Feng Chen's mind blank.

He fell into a state of muteness, deafness, and blindness, unable to hear any external sound or see anything.

The world seemed to have ceased to exist, and he couldn't even feel his own presence.

Lost in this empty void, he didn't know how long it took before he came back to himself, staring dully at the bite mark on the pale little calf.

He thought he must be seeing it wrong and reached out to wipe the mark away.

Instead of erasing it, his fingers only smeared a layer of crimson around the bite and on his skin.

Feng Chen had never found blood so glaring, as if piercing his eyeballs and reaching his heart, scalding his chest with spasmodic pain, feeling like his heart might stop beating under the strain.

"Yan Bubu, did you hurt yourself on a rock? Huh? Wake up, tell me this wound is from a rock, wake up, tell me..."

Feng Chen kept wiping away the red on the bite, but new redness seeped out. He used his sleeve to dry the blood around the bite, as if by not seeing it, it wouldn't exist.

The red gradually faded, the newly seeping blood not as bright, turning a bluish tint...

"Yan Bubu, if you wake up now, I promise I won't be mad, even if you hurt yourself being naughty on a rock, I won't be angry..."

Tears blurred his vision as he stubbornly continued to wipe away the pale blue bloodstain until it gradually solidified, no longer oozing.

"See, I told you it's just a scratch from a rock, just a little skin break, it will heal quickly..."

A cold breeze blew, cooling the skin on Yan Bubu's calf. Feng Chen let down the trouser leg and held him tightly in his arms, gently rocking him.

While everyone in the cave was cheering and laughing, only the two at the west entrance, huddled together in the cold night wind, clung to each other for comfort.