Chapter 20

Chapter 20

When Ji Yanqing turned back, the person had already vanished into the vast wilderness. It was too late for him to call out and stop them. They could have fired their guns, but the sound would also attract the Corpse King.

"What is it?" Xia Shenshu looked in the direction Ji Yanqing was looking at, but all he saw was an expanse of wilderness.

"There was someone over there just now." Ji Yanqing had a strange feeling. He felt that the person seemed familiar, but he tried to recall, and everyone he had seen alive since the virus outbreak were here with them.

Xia Shenshu looked at Xue Gang and his group. Xue Gang and his companions had heard what Ji Yanqing said, but they showed no intention of stopping.

Xia Shenshu raised an eyebrow and didn't meddle further.

Everyone from their group was present. If there really was someone over there, it could only be one of Xue Gang's people. Since Xue Gang himself didn't care, Xia Shenshu wouldn't bother either.

No one spoke as the group moved forward quickly.

After running for about forty minutes, they saw a highway ahead.

The highway was far enough from the previous village. Following the highway to the right would lead them to the next city.

On the highway, the group, enduring the heat and fatigue, couldn't help but slow down. The asphalt road was easier to walk on, but it was also hotter.

Ji Yanqing looked at Ji'an and Ji Le. After running this whole way, the adults in the group were already struggling, but the two little ones hadn't complained once.

"Tell me if you're tired," Ji Yanqing said.

Remembering Ji Yanqing's words, Ji'an, who was holding Ji Le's hand and acting like a big brother, looked at Ji Yanqing. "I'm not tired."

Ji Le hurriedly shook his head. "Me neither."

They knew that if they were tired, Ji Yanqing would carry them. Ji Yanqing wouldn't get angry or resentful, but they also knew that carrying them would make him more tired.

The two little ones tried to act like nothing was wrong, but their small thoughts were easily seen through. Ji Yanqing's heart stirred, feeling soft and bittersweet, but he didn't point it out.

Learning to rely on themselves as soon as possible would be good for them, even though it might be cruel and painful.

Listening to the conversation between the two little ones and the adult, Lan Zi smiled. She quite liked the two little ones.

Beside her, Xue Gang and his group had cold expressions.

Kids of this age were useless. They were just dead weight; once trouble arose, they'd need to be carried away, making them complete nuisances.

"Roar!" A distant roar echoed.

Everyone turned to look in the direction the sound came from.

Even though they were far apart, the group still couldn't help but feel a chill run up their spines at the roar.

"So, the other Corpse King in that city lost?" Wu Yao asked.

Hearing this, Ji Yanqing and the others snapped back to reality. For a moment, they couldn't resist turning to look back at the city that was no longer visible.

"What Corpse King?" Xue Gang asked.

"We encountered that beast before..." The bald man briefly recounted their encounter with Zhang Guxian and the beast.

"You mean there was another Corpse King in that city we were in before?" Xue Gang exchanged glances with his group, his expression complex and surprised. They had stayed in that city for almost a week.

If what Ji Yanqing and the others said was true, then it was a miracle that they managed to leave alive.

"We didn't see it, but they had a huge fight in the city," the bald man said.

Xue Gang thought for a moment. When he looked up again, his expression was even more serious. "Are you sure the other Corpse King is dead?"

"It should be dead, otherwise why would that beast appear here?" the bald man said.

Corpse Kings were naturally warlike. Once they met, they would inevitably engage in a fierce battle, and only the victor would survive.

Xue Gang looked back. The highway behind them stretched like a gray ribbon to the horizon. From where they stood, they could no longer see the previous city.

"What is it?" the bald man was puzzled.

"If the Corpse King originally in the city was the elusive one, he wouldn't have lost," one of Xue Gang's companions said.

The bald man was taken aback. "Why not?"

"Don't you know?" The man's gaze swept over Ji Yanqing and the others. "That guy was originally further north. The last time we heard news about him, it was said that he had killed all the Corpse Kings in the northern region. Dozens, possibly even hundreds of Corpse Kings, were all killed by him alone."

He paused and added, "Currently, he is recognized by all the Survival Teams as the strongest Corpse King, the most likely candidate to become the King of Corpse Kings."

"King of Corpse Kings?" This was the first time Ji Yanqing had heard of such a thing.

"It seems you really don't know anything."

Ji Yanqing remained silent. Their information was indeed limited. In this kind of environment, unless they encountered Survival Teams or other survivors, they wouldn't be able to obtain any new information.

The man continued, "You should know that there are two main types of Corpse Kings, right?"

Ji Yanqing nodded. He had heard of this before.

Corpse Kings could be roughly divided into two categories: intelligence-based and strength-based.

Intelligence-based Corpse Kings mainly evolved in terms of intelligence. Their individual strength wasn't particularly powerful, but they could control other ordinary zombies.

Imagine thousands of zombies attacking from all sides. Who could withstand that?

Strength-based Corpse Kings primarily strengthened themselves. Their strength, speed, recovery ability, defense, and attack power were all greatly enhanced. The beast Corpse King should fall under this category.

Most of them underwent noticeable changes in size and were almost impervious to blades and bullets, making them virtually invincible.

Brute force types are relatively common, while intelligence types are relatively rare.

No matter which type they were, they would surely die if they encountered one.

"There's a guess outside now, those Corpse Kings' fights may be to establish a system; they're competing and choosing, competing to choose the King of Corpse Kings."

"A system?" Ji Yanqing frowned tightly.

Those Corpse Kings were already terrifying when they were scattered and acting independently; if they really formed their own system, would humans still have a chance to survive?

Hearing this, the faces of Xia Shenshu and the others nearby turned pale.

They all looked in the direction from which the beast roars had been coming nonstop.

At the village entrance.

A giant beast with black fur was squatting on the ground. It yawned, and its large tail swept across the ground in a fan shape, once in a while.

Was Feng Yimo going to come or not?

After yawning again, it began to ponder a very serious question: If it ran away, what were the chances that, given Feng Yimo's terrible sense of direction, he could find it?

It quickly came to a conclusion: Feng Yimo would never find it in his life!

"Ao..." With a howl, its tail excitedly flicking, it tilted its head slightly and looked in the direction of the city behind the mountain.

It was hungry.

When Ji Yanqing and his group entered the urban area, it was completely dark, and the temperature dropped rapidly. The air was filled with misty white gas from their breaths.

The night wasn't suitable for movement. The reduced visibility in the dim environment made it extremely easy for them to overlook zombies lurking in the shadows. Any slight movement by the zombies would immediately attract attention.

The group didn't hide but instead moved quietly and swiftly through building after building.

If there was indeed another Corpse King in the previous city, as Ji Yanqing and the others had said, and if that Corpse King was the rumored one, then they needed to join up with the main group as soon as possible and get far away from here.

Every extra minute they stayed, they risked death at any moment.

"We've been here before. This area has been searched countless times, and nothing is left..."

The highway connected to a town full of self-built houses, which wasn't particularly prosperous. Walking along the town for about twenty minutes to the right, the buildings gradually became more orderly, marking the official entry into the urban area.

Upon entering the urban area, Xue Gang and the others were searching for the location of the main group when the darkness trembled.

The first time, no one reacted. It wasn't until the trembling occurred again that everyone came to their senses. It wasn't the darkness that was trembling, but the ground. Something huge was moving towards them at high speed.

In the darkness, the first thing that appeared in everyone's minds was a massive black figure.

"Run!" Ji Yanqing was the first to react.

Almost as he rushed out, a huge black figure suddenly appeared within their line of sight. The Corpse King hadn't noticed them, but it was heading in their direction.

Seeing that overwhelmingly large body, everyone drew a sharp breath, a chill running from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads.

No one dared to make a sound in the darkness. Everyone gritted their teeth and rushed forward without a word.

Running for quite a distance, when they looked back, the beast was even closer. Everyone felt an urge to curse.

However, they couldn't make a sound because the beast hadn't discovered them yet. Once they made a sound or were discovered...

Ji Yanqing, carrying Ji'an, was turning his head to look for a safe route when a figure suddenly flashed past.

White shirt, black windbreaker, exuding a cold and unyielding aura.

It was too dark for Ji Yanqing to see the person's face clearly, but the pair of icy, pitch-black eyes beneath deep-set brows suddenly imprinted themselves in the depths of his mind.

By the time Ji Yanqing reacted, he had already grabbed the man's wrist. He couldn't let the other continue forward. If they disturbed the beast Corpse King, they would surely die.

Caught off guard, the other party paused, and a pair of icy black eyes looked at Ji Yanqing.

"This way!" Ji Yanqing said before the other could speak.

Ji Yanqing recognized the other party. He should be the person who had been wandering around the residential area in the previous city, unable to find his way out. He was also the one who had seemed familiar in the wilderness earlier.

"Ji Yanqing..." Lan Zi's voice, filled with unease and terror, came from behind.

Ji Yanqing looked back and, seeing the situation behind him, his heart sank to the bottom of his chest, and the blood in his veins turned icy cold, unable to flow.

The beast running in the darkness was looking in their direction; it had discovered them.

"Take Ji'an and run," Ji Yanqing released Ji'an and the man he had just grabbed, drawing the axe on his back. At this distance, they couldn't outrun it—

unless someone stopped it.

The beast was incredibly fast. As soon as Ji Yanqing held the axe, it had already rushed in front of them. Its massive body brought an oppressive feeling that was suffocating.

Facing the overwhelming shadow, everyone's minds went blank, and the despair of death gathered in their hearts.

In the next moment, the beast that had already rushed in front of them slammed on the brakes with a loud "bang," crashing into a tall building beside them, causing it to sway and leaving itself dazed.

Dazed, it glanced in the direction where Ji Yanqing was, tucked its tail between its legs, and turned to run.

It was already running fast, but it seemed to think it wasn't fast enough. It hopped and ran quickly, as if it wished to vanish on the spot.

Ji Yanqing was stunned. Perhaps to others, it seemed like the beast had been looking at him, but he knew clearly that the beast had been looking at the man beside him.

Was the Corpse King scared away by the man beside him?

Ji Yanqing quickly dismissed this guess. He had never heard of Corpse Kings being afraid of people with a poor sense of direction. It couldn't be that they were afraid of catching it.