Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Feng Yimo frowned, and the beast immediately leaped up from the ground.

It didn’t dare to delay, quickly trotting in the opposite direction of Feng Yimo, heading to find someone.

As it ran forward, it kept looking back frequently. Its mood was too complex and surprised, and it accidentally slammed into a tall building ahead, causing the entire building to shake. Its already dizzy head, due to excessive blood loss, became even more disoriented.

In pain, it lay on the ground, holding its head with its two front paws, letting out an "Aowoo."

Seeing this, Feng Yimo looked over with a look of disdain in his eyes.

How stupid.

Clearly a zombie king, yet so stupid.

Stupidity aside, it also talked too much...

Not wanting to be infected, Feng Yimo silently took a step to the side. He looked at the city behind him, a desolate, dilapidated, and eerie place without a hint of moonlight, making one extremely uncomfortable.

Feng Yimo couldn’t understand where those two kids had gone if they weren’t hidden by the big, dumb dog behind him.

Even if they woke up on their own and left, they shouldn’t have gone too far, but he had almost searched the entire city.

Feng Yimo lowered his gaze to the long knife in his hand, his eyes filled with icy killing intent. Whoever did this better pray that he wouldn’t find them.

Feng Yimo left, once again wandering through the concrete jungle.

The beast, running with a dizzy head, suddenly heard a faint cracking sound and jumped high in fright.

After scanning its surroundings and not seeing Feng Yimo, it sighed in relief.

If it encountered Feng Yimo again, even with ten mouths, it wouldn’t be able to explain that it hadn’t been following him.

"Aowoo..." It sounded pitiful.

In the forest, Ji Yanqing didn’t sleep well all night. The zombie king’s roars would occasionally come from the city, constantly reminding them of its presence.

At four o’clock, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, Ji Yanqing woke everyone up.

After a quick cleanup, the group hurried deeper into the forest.

The forest under the morning light was different from during the day. Although the tree trunks were still twisted and grotesque, sending shivers down one’s spine, the air in the forest was cool and refreshing, carrying a faint mist.

Due to prolonged water deprivation, everyone’s lips were dry and chapped. No one spoke along the way, and only the sounds of breathing filled the air.

After about forty minutes, they saw a cement road in the forest.

The road wasn’t properly constructed; it wasn’t like the asphalt roads in the city but rather seemed to have been privately poured by someone. The surface was rough, and there were no guardrails along the edges.

"The reservoir should be nearby, not far now," Zhang Guxian said confidently after seeing the road. "I remember that part of the road near the reservoir was paved with cement. The Water Bureau originally planned to extend it all the way to the city, but the cost was too high, so they abandoned the project halfway."

Hearing this, everyone’s spirits lifted.

Led by Zhang Guxian, the group quickly followed the road.

The trees around the road had grown wildly, with many roots extending onto the road, lifting the cement and exposing the thick roots beneath.

Despite this, walking on the cement road was much easier than in the jungle.

In less than an hour, they had crossed the remaining half of the mountain.

Behind the mountain were more mountains, but from a higher vantage point, they could see some man-made structures.

Seeing these buildings, everyone became excited as if injected with adrenaline, eager to rush over and drink their fill of water. Ji Yanqing felt the same way.

"Many people know about this reservoir. After the virus outbreak, some might have fled here. We should be cautious; there might be zombies," Zhang Guxian warned.

Upon hearing this, everyone became more cautious, but their pace didn’t slow down. Knowing that water was ahead made their already parched throats even drier and more painful.

After another ten minutes, vehicles indeed appeared on the road ahead. The first two private cars had collided, blocking the three or four cars behind them.

A small truck was parked a short distance behind the private cars, with some luggage still in the back.

All the car doors were open, but the people inside hadn’t escaped. More than ten figures aimlessly wandered in the nearby forest.

"Those two trucks must have been left by other survival teams..." Zhang Guxian said in a low voice while hiding in the forest.

Hearing this, Ji Yanqing glanced at the small truck and then at Zhang Guxian. It seemed that Zhang Guxian had known about the cars and zombies here, but he had only mentioned coming here before the virus outbreak.

Xia Shenshu looked at Ji Yanqing, seeking advice.

"Go around them," Ji Yanqing said softly. This made his usually deliberately lowered voice sound soft and sweet, not cold or aloof at all.

Everyone shifted their attention to the zombies, avoiding looking at the irritated Ji Yanqing.

There were many zombies in the forest, but most were concentrated near the vehicles, which made it easy for Ji Yanqing and the others to slip past unnoticed.

After bypassing the area, the group didn’t return to the road. Along the way, they occasionally saw vehicles and zombies, just as Zhang Guxian had said—many people had indeed fled here for refuge.

After about ten minutes, the group reached the end of the forest and saw the dam and the lake behind it.

The reservoir was built by converting a lake, with a dam on only one side. The dam was hundreds of meters away from the lake, and judging by its position and height, the reservoir must have been very large, with depths possibly reaching twenty to thirty meters.

The reservoir had only a small amount of water left at the bottom of the lake. If they had arrived a month later, the lake might have dried up completely.

"Should we go over?" Seeing the water, Lan Zi’s Adam’s apple involuntarily moved.

"Just send one person over to fetch water," Ji Yanqing tried to make his voice sound cold and deep.

After the lake water dried up, there was a very wide open area around it. The field of vision was too vast, making it easy to be discovered by zombies.

The others quickly took out their water bottles, flasks, and pots.

With the entire world undergoing anomalies, no one knew if there might be something wrong with the water in that lake. But they didn't have the luxury of being picky now. They couldn't lug water purification equipment around either, so they could only use the simplest method—boiling—to ensure safety.

After laying down the unconscious bald man, Lan Zi took the backpack and filled everyone's flasks. She then took a deep breath and, under Ji Yanqing's watchful gaze, headed toward the lake.

Xia Shenshu took his gun and followed, staying on guard just in case.

The others went around to gather firewood to start a fire.

Ji'an and Ji Le came out from the backpack and hurried to help.

They were too small to collect large branches, but they could pick up some dry grass and leaves.

Lan Zi rushed to the lakeside as fast as she could. She chose a spot with relatively lower elevation, put down her backpack, and quickly took out the bottles to fill them with water.

As she worked, she nervously turned her head, keeping watch over her surroundings.

The reservoir was huge. Looking outward from the middle emphasized this feeling, and the lack of cover around made everyone uneasy.

After filling all the bottles, Lan Zi picked up her backpack and ran back.

When she returned to the forest, her forehead was drenched in sweat.

The others took the backpack and quickly poured the water into the pot, which had already been heated to a red glow. A sizzling sound echoed, and the world fell silent.

Everyone gathered around the small milk pot, staring intently, waiting for the water to boil.

The pot wasn't big, convenient for carrying, and it boiled things quickly. It wasn't long before the water started boiling.

For the first pot, the group didn't refill their bottles. After letting it cool slightly, they drank it directly.

There were seven adults and two children, so one small pot of water definitely wasn't enough. After sharing the first pot, they quickly boiled a second one.

"Drink more." When it was time for the third pot, Ji Yanqing instructed while feeding Ji Le.

Water was the one thing they weren't lacking now. Although drinking a lot at once wouldn't easily replenish the fluids they had lost, it would at least satisfy their thirst.

They had run out of food.

After making sure Ji Le was well hydrated, Ji Yanqing offered the pot to Ji'an, who had been parched. Without caring about the heat, he gulped down mouthfuls of water.

After drinking half of it in one go, Ji'an stopped. He pushed the pot toward Ji Yanqing. "You drink."

Ji Yanqing suddenly recalled the jujube from last night.

"We can boil another pot later," Ji Yanqing said softly.

Ji'an looked at Xia Shenshu and the others, confirming that they would indeed boil more water. Only then did he continue drinking with both hands holding the pot.

He soon finished the remaining water.

Ji Yanqing boiled a fourth pot of water. After letting it cool, he drank most of it himself.

When he put the pot down, Ji Yanqing's stomach felt bloated and sore.

On the side, the group, whose nerves had been taut for a long time, sat or lay on the ground, their eyes half-closed in comfort, their hearts filled with satisfaction.

In that moment, they forgot about the cruelty of this post-apocalyptic world.

After a brief rest, Ji Yanqing boiled another pot of water and used it to wash Ji'an and Ji Le's faces.

The two little ones were very obedient, doing whatever they were told without fussing.

After washing their faces, Ji Yanqing noticed there was still some water left, so he asked them to take off their clothes and proceeded to wipe their bodies.

It was clear that Ji'an and Ji Le hadn't been taken care of for a long time. Their little faces were so dirty that their eyes and noses were barely visible. When they took off their clothes, their thin, emaciated bodies, with ribs clearly visible, made everyone feel heavy-hearted.

What made their throats tighten even more were the bruises covering their bodies.

Ji'an had so many bruises of various sizes that both hands couldn't count them. Every time Ji Yanqing's towel touched one, Ji'an would shudder.

He didn't make a sound despite the pain, only looking at Ji Yanqing with red-rimmed eyes, trying to read his expressions, afraid of seeing any displeasure.

Ji Yanqing was the only one who had ever been kind to him.

Ji Le also had many bruises. The most frightening was the large purple bruise on the outside of his left thigh, which looked as if someone had kicked it hard enough to break it.

Ji Le was very thin, even thinner than Ji'an. His leg was skinnier than Ji Yanqing's arm.

Seeing such a child, Ji Yanqing couldn't help but be gentle, afraid of hurting him. Who could have been so heartless to beat him like this?

"Does it hurt?" Ji Yanqing paused and gently touched the bruise.

Feeling Ji Yanqing's movements and the coldness of his fingers, Ji Le's small body instinctively shrank back.

He carefully observed Ji Yanqing and, seeing that he wasn't angry, shook his head.

"Really?"

Ji Le shook his head again.

"Why did he hit you?" Ji Yanqing tried to suppress his anger.

Ji Le pretended nothing was wrong, but his eyes welled up uncontrollably. He tried to hold back his tears but failed. Wiping them away, he told Ji Yanqing, "I... I wasn't good."