Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The summer heat was intense.

The high temperature baked the earth, and the air was filled with scorching steam. The ground, nearly fifty to sixty degrees Celsius, made one feel the searing pain just by stepping on it.

A group of six or seven people, dressed in heavy expedition jackets that were completely unsuitable for the sweltering summer, wrapped their heads and mouths with cloth, leaving only their eyes exposed, moved quietly through a row of unfinished buildings.

At a corner, Xia Shenshu, who was nearly two meters tall, poked his head out to look around. After confirming that there were no signs of life other than abandoned vehicles outside, he sighed in relief.

Just as he turned back to report safety, a figure suddenly darted out from behind a truck beside him and lunged at him.

Xia Shenshu reacted swiftly, attempting to dodge, but it was too late. The figure had already pounced onto him.

Slammed harshly against the wall, Xia Shenshu felt a sharp pain in his back. His heart raced, and the fear of death suffocated him.

"Squat down." A calm yet gentle voice sounded, followed closely by a rushing wind.

Xia Shenshu barely managed to slide down the wall when an axe shattered the spot where his neck had been.

The wall trembled, concrete fragments flew, and a muffled sound echoed.

In his terror, Xia Shenshu looked up to see Ji Yanqing calmly pulling the axe out of the wall. As he did so, a severed head rolled into Xia Shenshu's lap.

Instinctively, Xia Shenshu glanced at the face covered in greenish liquid and severely decomposed. He shuddered in fright and hastily pushed the head away.

The head rolled along the scorching ground until it reached the opposite corner, spilling liquid everywhere. The extremely hot ground sizzled, and the air filled with a foul stench of heat-baked flesh.

"Let's go," said Ji Yanqing, casting a cold glance around.

He had just created a commotion, and the area would soon be surrounded by zombies.

"Sorry..." Ignoring the foul-smelling liquid on his clothes, Xia Shenshu quickly got up and followed.

They rapidly crossed the alleyway and entered a nearby building that had not yet been completed, its ground floor piled with sand and construction materials. Inside, the other five or six people were on full alert.

As they entered, everyone turned to look.

Seeing the foul-smelling liquid on Xia Shenshu, everyone furrowed their brows, and Sun Haifeng, who was injured, took two steps back to distance himself.

Xia Shenshu glanced at him but ignored the reaction, still shaken. He quickly removed his outer jacket and threw it far away.

"What happened?" someone asked.

"Almost fell for it..." While finding a new jacket from his backpack, Xia Shenshu looked at Ji Yanqing with a complex expression. Once again, Ji Yanqing had saved him.

Feeling temporarily safe, Ji Yanqing leaned his ever-present axe against the wall and removed the black goggles he always wore, wiping them clean.

Two days ago, they had been attacked, and his goggles had been damaged then.

Xia Shenshu followed the line of sight to Ji Yanqing's goggles and, upon seeing the face usually hidden beneath cloth and goggles, his breath caught.

Soft, slightly curly brownish-gray short hair, fair skin even under the blazing sun, long and slightly curled eyelashes fluttering, clear black-and-white eyes—Ji Yanqing's face was incredibly beautiful.

Despite having such a face, Ji Yanqing's personality was far from gentle and weak. He possessed immense strength, capable of taking down a group of zombies with a single swing of his axe.

Combined with his clean-cut black off-road combat boots, outdoor tactical expedition jacket, and travel bag, the team members, despite being older, all respected him as their leader.

Ji Yanqing seemed aware that his face undermined his authority within the team, so he mostly wore goggles and tried to maintain a stern demeanor.

After putting on his goggles, Ji Yanqing wrapped his entire head with cloth. Direct exposure to the extreme heat could dehydrate the body within hours.

"What do we do next?" someone asked.

"Right, come take a look." Someone in the crowd remembered something and beckoned everyone to follow.

They were currently in the ground floor of an unfinished building, covered with green netting above and filled with construction materials below. There was a surrounding wall, providing relative safety, which was why they chose this location to rest.

Ji Yanqing glanced around and led the way, axe in hand.

The person guided the group deeper, and soon they arrived at the rear of the building's ground floor.

Here, there were no construction materials piled up, and the space was quite empty. In the center of the open area lay the ashes of a burnt-out campfire, surrounded by various food wrappers.

Everyone's spirits lifted.

"They rested here before."

"I checked, and the traces are fresh, no more than five days old. That means if we move fast, we can catch up to them within three days."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Sun Haifeng, despite his injury, was incredibly excited.

Ji Yanqing glanced at him but remained silent.

With Ji Yanqing silent, the others stayed still as well.

Sun Haifeng grew anxious, staring intently at Ji Yanqing, trying to speak several times.

Ji Yanqing ignored him and circled around, inspecting their surroundings with his axe.

Just as Sun Haifeng was about to lose patience, an abrupt rustling sound pierced the extreme silence. At that instant, everyone's nerves tensed.

Their pupils constricted sharply, hearts pounding, goosebumps rising on their arms, and weapons gripped tightly.

Everyone held their breath and listened.

The sound came from a pile of debris in the right corner. As they looked over, another noise emerged.

Exchanging glances, their faces turned deathly pale.

Ji Yanqing stepped forward, approaching silently. He tilted his head slightly to look under the clutter, and when he saw what was beneath it, his brows furrowed.

"Team Leader Ji?" Holding the knife, Xia Shenshu lowered his voice to an almost inaudible whisper.

Ji Yanqing didn't say anything, instead pushing away the clutter against the wall with his axe to reveal what lay beneath.

They were two toddlers, around three years old each, with short limbs. They lacked the soft plumpness typical of their age, instead looking emaciated and filthy, like two starving kittens on the brink of death.

The two children curled up into tiny balls; it was unclear whether they were sleeping or had fainted from hunger.

Seeing this scene, everyone felt a mix of emotions.

With the outbreak of the virus and countless people turning into zombies, they had seen similar situations countless times as they all scrambled to escape in disarray.

"How utterly heartless," Sun Haifeng said angrily. "To abandon one's own children just for the sake of survival..."

"Mmm..." Hearing the sound, one of the older children let out a low moan like a kitten. In his sleep, he seemed even more frightened, trying to curl himself into a tiny ball.

Ji Yanqing felt a momentary daze, as if he saw a familiar little face. His heart felt tightly gripped, the intense pain making it hard to breathe.

Ji Yanqing put down his axe and reached into the pile of clutter to pick up the two children.

"Team Leader Ji?"

"Take them with us." Ji Yanqing said.

Everyone was taken aback.

"Take them with us? Are you crazy?" Sun Haifeng's voice rose sharply, his face incredulous.

In this environment, they struggled to survive themselves. Not only were there zombies roaming about, but their limited food supplies barely sufficed for their own needs. Bringing along these two burdens would be a death sentence.

Ji Yanqing carefully lifted the two children from the corner and placed them on the ground.

Once out, the children looked even smaller. Their tiny arms were so thin that they seemed to be nothing but skin and bones, as if they could break with the slightest pressure.

"You should at least think about us," Sun Haifeng urged.

"We should indeed think about ourselves," Xia Shenshu quickly regained his composure, saying coolly, "Don't save just anyone."

Sun Haifeng had been rescued by Ji Yanqing two days ago.

More accurately, every member of their team had been saved by Ji Yanqing along the way.

"You—" Sun Haifeng realized Xia Shenshu was implying something about him, his face turning sullen. "What I mean is, why bother? His constant soft-heartedness will eventually lead to trouble."

Seeing that Ji Yanqing was determined, the others rubbed their temples in frustration but didn't say anything.

If Ji Yanqing could ignore such situations, they would all be dead by now. At least in this matter, they had no right to lecture him.

"Set up camp here." Ji Yanqing said.

The group exchanged glances before dispersing to secure the perimeter.

Ji Yanqing set down his backpack and was about to find some food when one of the children he had carried out slowly opened his eyes.

Initially, there was confusion in his dark eyes, which soon turned to fear and alarm. Upon seeing a stranger in front of him, the child recoiled, afraid of being hit.

Ji Yanqing hadn't noticed earlier, but as the child sat up, he saw the numerous scars on his neck and arms.

Ji Yanqing lowered his gaze and took out a pack of biscuits from his backpack, offering it to the child.

The little one looked at Ji Yanqing, then at the offered biscuits. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, but he didn't take them.

He looked away in fear, hugging himself tightly and curling into a ball. Clearly, someone had used this method before as an excuse to beat him severely, teaching him a lesson.

Ji Yanqing withdrew the food. "Where are your parents?"

Upon being asked, the child immediately looked around, realizing that only strangers remained in the open space. Tears welled up in his eyes.

He seemed to understand that he had been abandoned.

Filled with fear, his tiny body trembled uncontrollably. Tears streamed down his face, but he cried silently. Even though he was only three years old, he already knew better.