Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Seeing Feng Yimo running further down the wrong path, the beast rushed forward to try and stop him.

Upon noticing it following, Feng Yimo immediately sped up.

"Aooh..." As Feng Yimo vanished from sight, the beast's eyes filled with despair.

In the mountains, upon hearing the howl, Ji Yanqing and his companions furrowed their brows.

They looked in the direction of the sound for a moment. After the noise faded, they quickened their pace without Ji Yanqing needing to remind them.

They didn't approach the city. After entering the mountain near the city, they rolled up their sleeves, covered their mouths and noses, and walked along the foot of the mountain in a forest far from the farmland.

Between the foot of the mountain and the city were fields of rice, most of which had mutated and grown taller than a person, with white flowers at the top.

When they first saw the rice, they only felt uncomfortable about it. Now that they knew its danger, they wished to stay as far away as possible.

After traveling for more than two hours, around three o'clock in the afternoon, they finally left the forest and entered a wasteland.

The wasteland was uneven and covered with tall grass that reached above their ankles, but there was nothing unusual about it.

From a distance, it appeared vast and empty.

Apart from a few highways and national roads, there was no direct connection between the previous city and the next urban area. This provided temporary relief, as zombies were mostly concentrated in cities, and encounters outside were much less likely.

"Tired?" Ji Yanqing turned to ask the two little ones trailing behind him.

"Not tired," the two children replied in unison, their voices soft and cute.

Their faces were flushed from walking, and their eyes were misty with moisture. Coupled with their oversized yellow T-shirts, they looked very endearing.

The two children were only three years old, yet their stamina and endurance far exceeded Ji Yanqing's expectations. Even the adults in the group were already feeling tired after two hours.

Ji Yanqing sighed in relief, feeling both heartache and knowing this was a good sign.

"If we encounter danger, you must run with everyone else and don't look back," Lan Zi instructed.

The two children glanced at Lan Zi, then at Ji Yanqing. Seeing Ji Yanqing nod, they took her words seriously.

Lan Zi couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. The two children truly regarded Ji Yanqing.

"Really smart," Ji Yanqing's hidden eyes behind his goggles revealed a faint smile, his lips curving upward as he patted Ji'an's head.

Ji'an was still young, and his hair was soft, making it pleasant to touch.

Praised and having his head patted, Ji'an's already flushed face became even redder, his misty eyes filled with joy.

Seeing Ji'an being praised and having his head patted, Ji Le took a small jog to get closer to Ji Yanqing, looking expectantly.

Ji Yanqing looked around, even though the surroundings were vast and empty, it didn't guarantee absolute safety.

Disappointed at not receiving a head pat, Ji Le slumped like a deflated balloon.

Lan Zi noticed and her face broke into a smile.

The tension in the others' expressions also eased slightly, and their nerves relaxed briefly.

Since the outbreak of the virus, in just half a year, they had experienced too much. They couldn't remember the last time they had truly relaxed.

By five o'clock, as the sun began to set and the temperature cooled, signs of human presence gradually appeared in the wasteland.

Cultivated land and faintly visible dirt roads should have been exciting, but now they only brought unease.

Following the dirt road for another ten minutes, buildings emerged in a not-so-dense forest ahead.

The village wasn't large, with roughly three to four hundred households. Nowadays, rural areas were no longer dominated by red-brick houses; many families lived in small three-story villas.

Upon seeing the village, everyone gathered their focus and prepared themselves.

"Should we enter the village directly?" Xia Shenshu asked.

Ji Yanqing checked the time; it was almost six o'clock. Once it hit six, darkness would fall so quickly that one couldn't see their hand in front of their face. They knew nothing about this village, and there might be no difference between inside and outside. Compared to the sparse trees outside, the village might offer better cover.

"Enter the village," Ji Yanqing said. "Find a safe house as soon as possible. We'll spend the night here and search for food tomorrow morning."

With a plan in place, the group quickly headed towards the village.

There was little cover along the way except for a few trees. Everyone remained on high alert, trying to be as cautious as possible. However, they didn't spot anyone until they successfully approached the village.

Upon entering the village, they encountered a small villa first.

The three-and-a-half-story villa had a beautifully maintained yard, with roses blooming vigorously. A faint scent of flowers could be detected.

Due to their experience with the mutated rice, everyone was repelled by the scent, so they continued along the path outside the yard and entered another courtyard two houses away.

The living room door of the house in the courtyard was wide open, and the interior was in disarray, with no signs of people.

Silently, they entered the courtyard. The group split into three teams: two went upstairs while one stayed downstairs to investigate.

Ji Yanqing hid Ji'an and Ji Le in a corner of the yard and went upstairs with one of the team members to check the second floor.

The fully opened doors allowed ample light, revealing gray tiles covering the walls, a dark green sofa, a beige coffee table, and warm-toned bedrooms. The entire second floor exuded warmth and a sense of home.

Everything should have been beautiful, but now the beds and sofas were covered in dust, and open luggage bags on the bedroom floor hinted at whether the owners had left in a hurry or simply abandoned their belongings.

No one was inside.

When Ji Yanqing and his companion descended, the individuals who had checked the third floor were also coming down. No one was found there either. By the time they returned downstairs, the others had already gathered in the living room on the ground floor, which was also empty.

Relieved that they were safe, everyone let out a sigh.

Under the cover of night, without Ji Yanqing needing to say anything, the group swiftly locked both the front and back doors on the first floor before heading upstairs, where they would rest for the night.

After putting down their belongings, the group searched the house, hoping to find something edible.

Ji Yanqing joined in the search. He found a set of clean clothes for himself, as well as one each for Ji'an and Ji Le.

The children of this household were older than Ji'an and Ji Le, probably around seven or eight years old. Their clothes were a bit large on Ji'an and Ji Le, with the sleeves and pant legs having to be rolled up. However, even so, they were much better than the oversized T-shirts they had been wearing.

By the time Ji Yanqing finished his tasks, the others had also completed theirs. Unfortunately, they hadn't found any food in the house, not even half a biscuit.

"This damned place has already been searched," said Qian Guoyun, puzzled. This location was far from any village or town, and he had assumed they would be the first ones here.

Ji Yanqing wasn't surprised, and the others likely felt the same way.

"What's wrong?" Lan Zi asked, noticing that Xia Shenshu had been standing motionless by the window for some time.

"It's a bit strange," Xia Shenshu remarked.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Strange?" Lan Zi moved closer to the window from the side.

It was already dark outside, and the entire village was shrouded in the night.

The villas in the village weren't like the high-rise buildings in the city, spaced no more than five meters apart. The distance between the houses was much greater, allowing them to easily see far into the distance.

Lan Zi carefully examined everything she could see but didn't notice anything unusual that Xia Shenshu mentioned.

Lan Zi looked at Xia Shenshu.

Ji Yanqing had also approached the window.

"Don't you guys find it odd?" Xia Shenshu said, "There are no zombies in this village."

Everyone was taken aback, and in the next moment, all eyes turned toward the window.

The world outside the window gradually grew darker, but they could still make out their surroundings. They hadn't noticed it before, but now, upon closer inspection, they realized that there were indeed no zombies outside, just as Xia Shenshu had said.

"Had you seen any zombies nearby before?" Ji Yanqing asked, turning around.

Everyone shook their heads. Since entering the village, they hadn't encountered a single zombie.

Although the village wasn't large, it still had hundreds of households. It seemed impossible that there wouldn't be a single zombie among so many people. Had everyone managed to escape?

This was clearly unlikely. The outbreak of the virus had been swift, making it almost impossible for an entire village to escape unscathed.

But if these people hadn't escaped, what had happened then?

"Let's rest. We'll leave here as soon as it gets light tomorrow morning," Ji Yanqing said.

Hearing this, the group took another glance outside before returning to the living room.

That night, it was Ji Yanqing's turn to keep watch. After the others found places to lie down, he sat near the window.

Ji'an and Ji Le hurried over, wanting to stay close to Ji Yanqing.

"It's warmer when we're closer together," Ji Yanqing instructed the two little ones to get under the blankets. They were tiny, and even when folded, the blankets were still quite large for them.

Once settled, they closed their eyes and fell asleep quietly, not causing any fuss. At only three years old, they already understood that they didn't have the luxury to act spoiled.

After running around with them all afternoon, Ji'an fell asleep shortly after lying down.

After tucking the two of them in, Ji Yanqing gently pinched their cheeks. They were too thin, with barely any flesh on their cheeks.

Ji Le hadn't fallen asleep yet. Sensing that his face had been pinched, he secretly opened his eyes to glance at Ji Yanqing, his ears slightly flushed, and his long eyelashes fluttering.

"Be good and go to sleep," Ji Yanqing whispered softly.

Ji Le quickly closed his eyes.

After stroking his head, Ji Yanqing leaned back against the wall, focusing on listening for any sounds outside.

As he pondered the mystery of the village, something warm appeared in his palm. Ji Le had taken hold of his hand.

At only three years old, Ji Le's hand was too small to grasp Ji Yanqing's entire palm, so he held onto his index and middle fingers instead.

Wrapped warmly in the blankets, Ji Le's hand was like a soft, warm water bottle.

Ji Yanqing didn't pull away; instead, he clasped the tiny hand in his own.

Ji Le looked at Ji Yanqing and, seeing that he wasn't upset, whispered in a soft voice, "I'll protect you too."

"Huh, you want to protect him? What do you have to protect him with? Those zombies love to catch and eat kids," the bald man lying nearby couldn't help but remark. His eyes still hurt, giving him a pale complexion.

Ji Yanqing was the least in need of protection among the group. In fact, he was the one protecting them.

Ji Le had obviously heard about zombies eating children before. Witnessing such horrors, his body instinctively shrank in fear. Clearly scared, he didn't give up.

Gripping Ji Yanqing's hand tightly, his eyes welled up with tears. He was determined to protect Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing gave them food to eat, water to drink, helped them wash their faces, dressed them, tucked them in, carried them, and patted their heads, praising them for being smart.

Ji Yanqing was the best person in the world, and he didn't want him to die.