Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The sound of rushing wind filled their ears, and their hearts pounded fiercely in their chests. The heat of their blood surged with their accelerating heartbeats, causing a buzzing sensation in their heads.

Avoiding the approaching zombies, everyone gritted their teeth and ran frantically forward, not daring to relax even for a moment despite the overwhelming pain in their overworked muscles, as any pause would surely mean death.

As the commotion grew louder, more than fifty zombies had been drawn to them. Looking back at the eerie figures chasing them, everyone felt a chill run through their hearts.

"This way!" Xia Shenshu, who was leading the group, suddenly turned a corner, spotting zombies ahead on the road.

Without hesitation, everyone followed his lead and turned.

After turning the corner and seeing the wide-open entrance to the residential complex, the muscles on everyone's faces twitched violently. There were many people living here, so there might be even more zombies inside the compound than out on the streets.

In just this brief moment, the zombies that had been following them had already entered the compound, and the zombies within it had noticed them.

Trapped with no way to retreat or advance, they found themselves in a desperate situation.

"Upstairs!" Ji Yanqing reacted first.

The others snapped back to reality and hurriedly searched for a building with an accessible entrance and door.

"Over there!" Lan Zi, with her sharp eyes, led the way towards the right.

The place Lan Zi had spotted was on their right-hand side, about two hundred meters away. They didn't know the situation upstairs, but the ground floor had an iron gate which was wide open.

Everyone clenched their teeth and rushed towards it at top speed.

Once everyone was inside, the last two quickly pulled the door shut.

"Clang!" The iron gate slammed shut with a piercing sound that echoed throughout the entire compound.

Almost simultaneously, a series of "clangs" sounded from outside the door as the pursuing zombies crashed into it.

They couldn't think, lacked reason, and felt no pain. They scratched and clawed at the iron gate relentlessly, as if trying to tear the whole thing down.

Hearing those sounds and feeling the gate shake, everyone hiding in the stairwell shivered involuntarily.

"Is everyone okay?" Xia Shenshu asked.

No one answered. Everyone was still catching their breath, shaken by the close call, and turned to look at the dark stairwell behind them. Although they had temporarily dealt with the zombies outside, they weren't necessarily safe yet.

"Clang..." A sound of something hitting the railing came from above, echoing through the stairwell and tightening everyone's already taut nerves.

Ji Yanqing stepped forward to the top of the stairwell. After exchanging glances with the others below, he held his breath and began to ascend the stairs cautiously.

The banging outside continued, and even more zombies were drawn to the noise, making it impossible for them to leave from the ground floor. Their only hope for survival now lay in reaching the rooftop.

This was a row of residential buildings, and if they could make it to the top, they might find another way down.

As long as they could avoid the zombies outside, they still had a chance.

Everyone held their breath, focusing their attention on the stairwell above and on Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing tilted his head slightly upward, the line of his jaw beneath his goggles clean and handsome. He leaned forward slightly, like a wolf ready to pounce.

Turning the first corner, the landing on the first floor came into view.

There were two apartments on the first floor; one had its door wide open and the interior was in disarray, while the other's door was tightly closed.

After confirming that there were no zombies in the living room of the apartment with the open door, Ji Yanqing headed towards the landing.

Upon reaching the landing, Ji Yanqing checked the apartment with the open door again before proceeding to the second floor.

"Clang!" A loud noise suddenly echoed from downstairs, louder than any previous door crashes.

Startled, everyone, including Ji Yanqing, instinctively looked down into the darkness.

Almost as he turned his head, something lunged down the stairwell. Before Ji Yanqing could fully see what it was, it was already in front of him, and the stench of decay and rot filled the air.

Reacting faster than his mind could process, Ji Yanqing instinctively raised his axe and held it horizontally in front of him, blocking the zombie's hands as it tried to grab him and its mouth as it tried to bite him.

The zombie's force was immense, and Ji Yanqing was pushed back two steps, slamming hard against the wall.

Hearing the commotion, the others finally reacted.

Turning around, they saw Ji Yanqing pressed against the wall by the zombie, and their hearts skipped a beat.

"Ji Yanqing..."

Trying to help, the others moved forward, but the stairwell was too narrow for them to maneuver effectively. Ji Yanqing's axe was also restricted by the tight space.

"Get out of the way..." Ji Yanqing looked at the few who were attempting to assist him.

Before they could react, he suddenly pushed the zombie away forcefully, discarded his axe, and took a running step, using the wall for leverage to deliver a swift kick to the zombie.

Ji Yanqing's kick was incredibly powerful, sending the zombie flying into the apartment with the open door.

Xia Shenshu and the others barely managed to dodge out of the way. When they looked again, the zombie had flown across the living room and slammed into the wall, sliding down and leaving a trail of greenish liquid on the wall.

Lan Zi reacted quickly and locked the door.

Soon, noises came from inside, as zombies could only be killed by decapitation or severe damage to the head.

"Upstairs." Ji Yanqing led the way up the stairs.

They were relatively lucky, as there were no other zombies in the stairwell.

On the third floor, there was another apartment with its door open. They went inside to check, but there were no zombies, food, or water.

The top floor door was locked, and there were obvious signs of an attempt to break it down. However, the person clearly no longer needed to open it before they could get through.

The door was made of iron, and Ji Yanqing pried it open with the axe in his hand from the gap.

The rooftop was empty, with no sign of anyone.

The sky was beginning to brighten, with a faint heat in the dawn light.

Feeling temporarily safe, everyone fell to the ground to catch their breath.

"Wake up?" Xia Shenshu placed the child in his arms on the ground.

Ji Yanqing looked over.

The child, who Xia Shenshu had been carrying all the way, was looking around with red-rimmed eyes. The moment he found Ji Yanqing, his mouth turned downward, as if he was about to cry.

Ji Yanqing was taken aback, something stirring within him.

He waved, and the child immediately ran toward him with short strides.

However, when he got close, he didn't throw himself into Ji Yanqing's arms but stood uneasily beside him, watching Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing reached out and picked him up.

Being held again, feeling Ji Yanqing's warm body and breath, the child glanced at Ji Yanqing's previously caught ankle and secretly shifted, making sure not to put pressure on that leg.

He thought he was being subtle, but Ji Yanqing saw right through him, which only softened his heart further. "I'm fine."

"He fainted from fright earlier," Xia Shenshu said with amusement. "You ungrateful little thing, I carried you all the way here too. Why didn't you show any concern for me?"

Though he said this, Xia Shenshu didn't take it seriously. Children were more sensitive than adults; they knew who truly cared for them.

The others in their group wouldn't harm them, but that was all. They didn't have the ability to protect others.

"What's your name?" Ji Yanqing asked.

The child looked at Ji Yanqing with eyes like those of a wet young animal, then lowered his head. After a while, a soft voice came, "...An'an."

His voice was soft and sweet, yet tinged with unease.

It had been a long time since anyone had called him that.

Everyone disliked him. They called him brat, beat him, cursed him, and told him to die sooner.

"What's your surname?" Ji Yanqing asked softly.

The child shook his head.

"How old are you?"

The child extended his hand, hesitating between two and three, then held up three short fingers. He couldn't control his hand well, so he used his other hand to help, pressing down on his pinky.

He was born before the virus broke out, and he had once been his parents' cherished treasure. These things should have been taught to him by his parents, but that was a long time ago.

"From now on, you'll be called Ji'an," Ji Yanqing said.

Ji'an's ears turned slightly red. He nodded earnestly, remembering that his name would now be Ji'an.

He liked this name because it shared a character with Ji Yanqing's.

He liked Ji Yanqing.

Xia Shenshu and Lan Zi exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness and bitterness in each other's eyes. What did giving him a name matter? It would only make it more painful when he died.

After resting enough and replenishing some water, everyone got up to figure out how to descend the building.

It was only four in the morning, and the sky was just turning white, but one could already feel a noticeable heat in the air.

By nine in the morning, the outdoor temperature could reach over forty degrees Celsius. Ten and eleven o'clock were the hottest times of the day, with temperatures as low as fifty degrees and as high as sixty or seventy degrees. Going outside under such conditions was suicidal.

They had to find their next shelter before then, and they must find water by noon tomorrow at the latest, or everyone would die.

Ji Yanqing put Ji'an down and had him watch the backpack containing the other child, then went to look for a path.

Given a task, Ji'an immediately focused intently on the backpack. Though still young, he could already be of help.

Finding a safe route out of the residential area from the roof and determining the approximate location of the reservoir outside the city, the group let out a sigh of relief.

They had entered the city to search for food, not venturing too deep due to the zombies. After fleeing overnight, they could now see the outskirts of the city from the rooftops. With luck, they could leave the city in three to four hours.

The only problem was that the residential building had six floors, and it was almost impossible not to use the stairs to go down. They also hadn't brought ropes.

It was almost 4:30 by the time the group spent some time in an open room on the third floor to create a rope from sheets and bed covers.

The zombies in the residential area had all been lured to the front gate, so the back was relatively safe. After Ji Yanqing, holding Ji'an, slid down the rope last, the group quickly headed toward the back of the residential area and climbed over the wall.

Outside the residential wall was a one-way street, littered with trash but devoid of vehicles.

Moving silently through the one-way street, the group quickly headed in the direction of the reservoir.

On the completely opposite side, at the edge of the city.

Yimo Feng looked at the unusually lush grassland and distant mountains ahead, growing more certain.

There was definitely something wrong with this city.