Chapter 25

Chapter 25

001.

After straightening his clothes, Ji'an no longer looked at the peculiarly frozen Feng Yimo, instead burying his head in Ji Yanqing's embrace, as Lan Zi's crying had stirred something within him too.

Lan Zi cried for a long time, until she had vented all the despair that had been suppressed since the outbreak of the virus, until she fell asleep from her weeping.

After Lan Zi fell asleep, Ji Yanqing laid her on the ground.

Everyone, who had been up all night, fell silent and soon drifted off to sleep.

From their previous experience, Ji Yanqing didn't dare to only have Xue Gang's men keep watch. After a brief discussion with Xia Shenshu, they decided to take turns keeping watch through the night.

After letting Ji'an and Ji Le sleep, Ji Yanqing habitually checked the time. The hour hand eerily pointed to eight o'clock at night.

When they woke up in the woods, it was already nighttime. Afterward, they ran through the forest for nearly eight or nine hours. Logically, it should be close to dawn by now, but it was just turning night again.

Ji Yanqing furrowed his brows. The darkness they thought they experienced in the woods wasn't actually darkness; was it also an illusion?

Ji Yanqing glanced at the others around him, who had closed their eyes, and put the watch back into the backpack.

He returned to his previous spot, between Ji'an, Ji Le, and Feng Yimo.

After the turmoil of the night, the two little ones quickly fell asleep. Feng Yimo leaned against the wall, his eyes closed in quiet slumber.

After stroking Ji Le's cheek, Ji Yanqing instinctively looked toward the nearby window, and he was taken aback by what he saw.

White flakes were drifting outside the window, resembling snow.

Was it snowing?

Ji Yanqing got up and approached the window.

The window was shut from the inside, but the chill still seeped into the room through it.

It was indeed snowing outside, and it was a heavy snowfall that had been going on for some time. Many buildings were already covered in a layer of white.

The dead city suddenly draped in a hazy layer of white sand presented a strangely beautiful scene.

Ever since the weather became abnormal, the temperature every night had been extremely low. However, this was the first time Ji Yanqing had seen snow after so long.

Ji Yanqing removed his goggles and silently made his way through the sleeping crowd towards one of the bedrooms.

This apartment had a layout of three rooms and two living areas, and the owners had lived here for quite some time. The walls were adorned with childish and whimsical paintings by children.

The virus outbreak had been sudden, and the owners hadn't had time to take anything from their home. A phone still sat on the bedside table in the bedroom.

Entering the bedroom, Ji Yanqing silently opened the wardrobe and carried out both quilts inside.

Back in the main room, Ji Yanqing removed the coat covering Ji'an and Ji Le and replaced it with one of the thicker quilts, also covering Lan Zi.

Finally, he threw his own coat, which had been covering the two little ones, to Xia Shenshu, who glanced at it, pulled it over himself, and continued sleeping.

As Ji Yanqing finished, he noticed that Feng Yimo was looking at him. His dark eyes were like the snow outside, cold and devoid of life.

Ji Yanqing hesitated for a moment before offering the down blanket to Feng Yimo. "Do you want this?"

Feng Yimo's gaze shifted from Ji Yanqing's face to the air conditioner blanket in his hand, seeming momentarily puzzled.

Just as Ji Yanqing thought he would refuse, Feng Yimo raised his slender, well-proportioned hand, took the blanket, unfolded it, and casually wrapped it around himself.

Without his goggles, Ji Yanqing appeared several years younger, less steady and more transparent, especially his eyes, like a pair of dark yet clear glass stones, impossible to resist.

Ji Yanqing was taken aback.

Sitting back down beside Feng Yimo, Ji Yanqing looked at the others in the room, who had curled up due to the sudden snowfall's chill, and put his goggles back on.

After putting on his goggles, Ji Yanqing tightened his coat and exhaled deeply, the misty white breath blurring his vision.

After adjusting his clothes, Ji Yanqing rubbed his hands together. The temperature might drop to minus twenty degrees after the snowfall tonight.

As he moved, there was a sound from beside him. Feng Yimo lifted the side of the blanket closer to Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing paused, then realized what Feng Yimo meant.

He looked into Feng Yimo's eyes, which were fixed on him, the deep black pupils reflecting his image even in the darkness.

Ji Yanqing felt slightly uncomfortable but still moved closer to Feng Yimo and slipped under the blanket with him. In the apocalypse, there was no room for fussiness.

Under the blanket, the biting cold was like being shielded by armor, and Ji Yanqing's painfully cold hands gradually warmed up.

As his body warmed, Ji Yanqing began to notice something odd: Feng Yimo seemed to have no body heat, remaining chillingly cold even under the blanket.

Ji Yanqing looked at Feng Yimo. After getting the blanket, Feng Yimo had merely draped it over himself without tucking in the edges. Cold air was invading from the gap on his side, but he showed no reaction, as if he didn't know what cold felt like.

Ji Yanqing leaned his left shoulder against the wall and slightly turned his body. He reached his right hand out from under the blanket toward the left side of Feng Yimo. As soon as he touched the edge of the blanket, he sensed Feng Yimo stiffen under the covers.

Ji Yanqing looked up to find a face mere inches away from his own.

Feng Yimo's features were sharp and cold, his demeanor ethereal and icy. His eyes were particularly striking, dark and deep, sometimes making people doubt whether human emotions ever existed within them.

At this moment, those eyes were staring directly at him from such close proximity.

He was too close.

"The wind is getting in," Ji Yanqing held his breath and whispered in explanation.

With that, Ji Yanqing pulled the blanket to cover the gap on the left side of Feng Yimo's body.

Having done all that, Ji Yanqing sat back down.

"They aren't your children," Feng Yimo's voice was as cold as the winter night.

Ji Yanqing paused for a moment. "Mmm."

Feng Yimo stared straight at Ji Yanqing.

"In this environment, if we left them behind, they definitely wouldn't survive." Ji Yanqing's voice was soft; he didn't want Xue Gang's men to hear these words.

To someone like Xue Gang, orphans like Ji'an were probably just an eyesore.

Feng Yimo's dark eyes quietly watched Ji Yanqing's profile. Ji Yanqing was strange. Neither Xue Gang nor the zombies cared about anyone other than themselves.

Ji Yanqing stayed awake until midnight when Xia Shenshu took over his watch. Only then did he lean against the wall and fall asleep.

In the early hours of the morning, Feng Yimo's body seemed to have been warmed by him. It wasn't hot but was particularly comfortable. Ji Yanqing leaned against him in his sleep, and Feng Yimo didn't push him away.

Ji Yanqing woke up again to a barrage of curses.

He looked over with sleepy eyes. Xue Gang was yelling at his subordinates. After waking up in the morning, Xue Gang had them count their remaining guns and supplies. They had lost more items last night than he had expected.

They originally had twenty-four guns, but they lost nearly ten last night.

"Daddy!" Seeing that Ji Yanqing had woken up, the two kids rushed over. They had already woken up long ago but remained quiet because they saw that Ji Yanqing was still sleeping.

Ji Yanqing patted the heads of the two kids.

Upon waking up, the first thing Ji Yanqing did was look to his side. Feng Yimo wasn't there.

Ji Yanqing immediately turned his head to search, only relaxing when he saw him inside the room.

Feng Yimo always found a way to disappear.

Ji Yanqing looked out the window. The snow hadn't completely melted, but with the temperature rapidly rising, there wasn't much left.

Ji Yanqing got up and stretched to fully wake himself up. Then, he took out some leftover food from his backpack and shared it with Ji'an and Ji Le, eating some himself.

After eating, they would leave this place.

"What's going on with that forest?" Lan Zi asked. After crying and getting some sleep, she now looked much better, except for her slightly swollen eyes.

"An illusion combined with a magnetic field. The illusion mainly made us tired, fall asleep, and think it was already nighttime. I suspect the trees emit hallucinogenic fumes," Xia Shenshu also came closer. During the late-night watch, he had been thinking about this issue.

"What about the magnetic field?" Lan Zi frowned.

The illusion was something they had guessed last night, so she could understand that part.

"Aren't there mountains or seas that you can't escape from? I think it's similar. Those trees evolved and formed a biological magnetic field. Once you enter, your senses are affected, and you keep turning in one direction."

When Lan Zi led them forward in the dark yesterday, from the perspective of those who could see, she kept turning right.

From the results, Lan Zi and the others were correct, so the ones who were wrong could only be them. They thought they were walking straight, but they were actually turning left.

The reason they couldn't return last night was that they kept circling around the mountain, turning left repeatedly. Their circles were very large, possibly encompassing the range of two mountains. Combined with the illusion, they couldn't detect it.

If they hadn't stumbled upon the solution, they might still be circling inside.

Once they were too exhausted to walk any further and fell into a deep sleep, they would be entangled by the tree roots and unknowingly become nutrients.

By the time they finished talking, everyone had eaten the food they had been given.

Ji Yanqing looked at Ji'an and Ji Le. He had planned to let the two kids drink some water before they set off, but when he looked over, he noticed that Ji'an was holding the bread he had given him without eating it.

"What's wrong?" Ji Yanqing asked.

Ji'an looked at Ji Yanqing, then at the bread in his hand, and shook his head.

He was very hungry, so much so that his limbs felt weak, but he didn't want to eat the bread at all. Even the smell of the bread and the thought of eating it made him feel nauseous.

It was as if the bread wasn't edible, and what he should eat wasn't it.

"You—" Before Ji Yanqing could ask if he was feeling unwell, one of Xue Gang's men rushed in.

"Boss, come take a look!"

Xue Gang furrowed his brows and grabbed his gun, heading towards the door.

They went downstairs but didn't leave the building. Instead, they stopped at the corner of the hallway.

They spoke to each other, and the man who called them sounded quite agitated.

Everyone in the room, like startled birds, started to get nervous. Many craned their necks to look, and Ji Yanqing also got up and headed over.

In the hallway, Ji Yanqing looked out the window.

In the distance, where the forest met the city, a tree's branches and trunk were bent to one side, the marks were fresh. It looked like after they came out of the forest last night, something massive followed them.

"Could it be the beast Corpse King from before?" Xia Shenshu also came out.

The trees near the city weren't as big as those in the forest, but they still required several people to encircle them. Their branches were also very high. Whoever hit them must have been quite tall.

"Why didn't it attack us?" Ji Yanqing asked.

Xia Shenshu was at a loss for words.

Indeed, if the beast Corpse King had followed them, why didn't it attack them?

And how did it follow them? If it was attracted by their gunfire, it should have attacked them last night. After firing their guns, they stayed in the forest for several hours.

"Leave it, let's get out of here first." Xue Gang quickly ran upstairs to grab some things.

Upon hearing this, the others in the hallway returned to their rooms.

Everyone inside was already packing up; they had long grown accustomed to this kind of life.

"Which direction should we head?" the bald man asked.

"Our supplies are running low. If we don't resupply in this city, we won't make it to the next one. So we can't leave the city directly. Before we go, we have to visit the mall," said Xue Gang.

"The mall?" The bald man was taken aback. The mall was crowded with both people and zombies, and when he was with Ji Yanqing, they would always choose to avoid it.

"Let's go!" Without further explanation, Xue Gang led the way downstairs after packing his things.

Everyone moved quickly.

Their numbers had been halved overnight, leaving only around 130 people. They all soon descended the stairs.

The snow on the ground caught everyone's attention, but apart from the younger children like Ji'an and Ji Le, no one could muster the energy to look at it more closely.

Arriving downstairs, Xue Gang chose a direction and led the group that way.

Ji Yanqing frowned as he looked back at the tree in the distance, then turned to his own team: Xia Shenshu, Lan Zi, Ji'an, and Ji Le were there, but Feng Yimo was missing.

Ji Yanqing paused, turning his head to search for him.

At the end of the street, Feng Yimo watched emotionlessly as a furry black rear disappeared around the corner.

"Feng Yimo," Ji Yanqing called out.

Hearing his name, the massive beast hiding behind the building shrank into a tiny ball, trying to tuck its tail under its belly.

"Over here."

Feng Yimo resisted the urge to kick it and turned to walk toward Ji Yanqing.

As Feng Yimo approached, Ji Yanqing instructed, "Stay close to me, don't wander off."

"Okay."

Ji Yanqing glanced at the direction Xue Gang and the others were heading, hesitated for a moment, then followed. Their priority now was to leave this place.

After the Survival Team's numbers were halved, their pace quickened, and within ten minutes, they were far from the building where they had spent the night.

As dawn broke and visibility improved, the city gradually came into view.

Intersecting, complex roads lined with diverse shops and towering buildings revealed a bustling and likely large city.

A larger city meant a larger population, which in turn meant more zombies.

Following the path ahead, Ji Yanqing was on high alert, but after nearly half an hour of walking, they had seen few zombies.

When the others relaxed after another fifteen minutes without seeing many zombies, Ji Yanqing furrowed his brow slightly.

"What's wrong?" Lan Zi noticed.

Ji Yanqing thought about it, but ultimately shook his head lightly.

"They might have been driven into the woods," Xia Shenshu had also noticed that Ji Yanqing kept looking at the zombies.

Ji Yanqing remained silent. It was possible. They had seen many zombie corpses in the forest before. But for some reason, he felt a strange unease.

Ji Yanqing looked ahead at the group, where Xue Gang, leading the way, had picked up speed upon noticing the lack of zombies on the street.

Around six in the morning, when the snow on the road had mostly melted, Xue Gang suddenly stopped. He had discovered a commercial street ahead.

The street wasn't particularly busy, with just over twenty shops, most of them old, but they all sold food. This was originally Snack Street.

There weren't many zombies on the street, only a dozen or so scattered figures.

Xue Gang didn't miss this opportunity. He had his people create a commotion to lure all the zombies into one shop, then locked the door from the outside, trapping them inside.

Xue Gang was experienced in dealing with zombies.

After doing this, Xue Gang gave the order, and those without guns quickly scoured the street for food.

They had done this before, and their speed and efficiency were impressive. In less than five minutes, every shop on the street had been searched.

Their haul was substantial. They found flour, noodles, and other dried ingredients, and even a half bag of rice in one store.

Everyone's faces lit up at this bounty.

The bald man, who had somehow secured a position in the team, inventoried everything and ordered a few people to distribute and carry the items.

He was becoming increasingly adept at giving orders.

Ji Yanqing watched from a distance, not participating.

After the group had packed up and crossed the entire street, Ji Yanqing looked back once more.

The street was quiet. If you ignored the trash strewn across the ground and the ransacked shops on either side, it seemed almost idyllic, reminiscent of the time before the virus outbreak.

With the discovery of these supplies, Xue Gang and the others, who had just escaped death, transformed from listless to spirited.

It had been over half a year since the virus outbreak, and most city stores had been looted countless times. There weren't many supplies left to find, and it had been a long time since they had found such a large amount of food in one go, especially under such favorable circumstances.

In light of this, Xue Gang began considering whether they should set up camp in the city for a while. The despair and fear of lacking food were no less than the dread of knowing there was a zombie king in the city.

Drawing from previous experiences and realizing that this city may not have been visited by many people yet, Xue Gang started looking for streets along the way.

Soon, they found a second street up ahead.

This street wasn't really a commercial area; it was just a few old shops selling daily necessities on a road outside some residential complexes.

The goods on the shelves in the stores had long since vanished, and the shelves and floors were filled with trash. However, the signs of searching weren’t severe, so there might still be something overlooked.

There were no zombies outside the stores, and they hadn’t seen many zombies in this city at all.

After Xue Gang had a few people stand guard, the group rushed forward and quickly searched through the stores.

While they were searching the stores, Ji Yanqing took the opportunity to check out the entrances of the nearby residential complexes. There were zombies inside the complexes, but only two or three scattered ones.

"Do you still feel like something’s off?" Lan Zi looked around. This city was indeed quiet, but in her opinion, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Ji Yanqing remained silent, but his brows were furrowed beneath his goggles.

Xue Gang’s group finished quickly. Their haul this time was still good, though not as impressive as before. They found quite a bit of food, which took three people to carry.

Once they had packed everything up again, the group continued on their way.

Ji Yanqing led Xia Shenshu and the others at the back of the group.

About ten minutes later, Xue Gang’s group up front stopped again.

Ji Yanqing looked over, and just as he thought they had found more stores on the street, Xue Gang’s group quickly retreated.

"Hospital," Wu Yao said as he ran past Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing pursed his lips as he watched Wu Yao leave, then quickly headed forward and approached the corner where Xue Gang’s group had been.

From the corner, he could see a hospital with clear signage in the middle of the street.

It was a public municipal hospital with extremely detailed specialties. There were five or six buildings for wards alone, covering a vast area. From a distance, it looked like a massive creature, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.

Places like schools, hospitals, and markets were where the most zombies gathered in the city. At their peak, a school or hospital could have tens of thousands of zombies.

Such a massive number would be impossible to deal with once alerted. Even a heavenly king couldn’t save them.

It should have been like that, but there were only a few scattered zombies aimlessly wandering around the entrance of the hospital.

They couldn’t see if there were any zombies inside the hospital from the outside, but the fact that there were only a few zombies at the entrance was already very abnormal.

"Ji Yanqing…" Lan Zi reminded him.

Ji Yanqing looked back. Xue Gang’s group had already retreated to the other end of the street, away from them. Xue Gang and a few others were frowning as they looked at them, clearly afraid that they would do something foolish and alert the zombies at the hospital.

"Let’s go." Ji Yanqing hesitated for a moment, then led the way toward Xue Gang’s group.

Seeing that Ji Yanqing and the others were leaving the corner, Xue Gang let out a sigh of relief and turned back to continue discussing how to bypass the hospital.

As they crossed the street and approached, Ji Yanqing looked at Xue Gang. "There’s something wrong with this city."

Xue Gang, who was surrounded by others, stopped talking and turned to look at Ji Yanqing. "What’s the problem?"

"The number of zombies in the city is too small. We didn’t see many zombies at the entrance of that hospital just now. That’s not normal," Ji Yanqing said.

Xue Gang frowned as he thought about it for a moment, but then shrugged. "So what?"

Ji Yanqing fell silent.

"This city hasn’t been searched by anyone. There must still be a lot of supplies here. It won’t be easy to find a place like this again if we leave now," Xue Gang said, looking at the others who were watching them. "Even if I’m willing to leave, you should ask them if they agree."

Ji Yanqing looked at the others.

Without exception, the ragged group of people met Ji Yanqing’s eyes, then quickly looked away after a brief pause.

Most of the supplies they had obtained along the way had been used to support Xue Gang’s group. They had been going hungry, and now that they had finally found some food, none of them wanted to give it up.

If they could find more food, they might be able to get a larger share.

Ji Yanqing looked at the bald man and Wu Yao. The bald man and Wu Yao, who had been looking at him, averted their gazes and avoided looking at him.

Ji Yanqing wanted to say something else, but ultimately swallowed his words.

As long as Xue Gang disagreed, even if some people in the group were willing to believe him, they probably wouldn’t dare to speak up.

Seeing that Ji Yanqing didn’t say anything, and seeing that no one was taking Ji Yanqing’s side, Xue Gang smiled happily. "Alright, let’s not waste any more time. It’s almost eight o’clock, and we still need to find a place to camp before ten."

With that, Xue Gang happily led the way down the route he had planned to take to bypass the hospital and continue forward.

Ji Yanqing moved to the side of the road and watched as the others quickly passed him.

Once everyone had left, Ji Yanqing paused for a moment before following at a distance.

Xue Gang led the group along the street for a long distance until they were far away from the hospital, then turned left again.

Away from the hospital, Xue Gang sped up again, and the distance between the two groups widened.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ji Yanqing looked at Feng Yimo beside him. "Do you want to come with us?"

Feng Yimo looked at him.

"We’re leaving the city. Something’s not right here," Ji Yanqing said.

Xia Shenshu and Lan Zi exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised. They didn’t say anything; they had chosen to trust Ji Yanqing’s judgment all along, which was why they were still alive.

Feng Yimo glanced at Ji’an and Ji Le, then silently followed.

Xue Gang quickly proceeded along the detour route they had decided on. Ji Yanqing deliberately slowed down his pace, and as soon as Xue Gang’s group had all turned the corner, he immediately gave Xia Shenshu and the others a meaningful look, then led them in the opposite direction to the right.

Dashing through the corridor, Ji Yanqing led the way, zigzagging through the alley and swiftly distancing themselves from Xue Gang's group.

After running for about five to six minutes, until they were certain they had moved far away from the direction of Xue Gang and the previous hospital, Ji Yanqing slowed down.

When they stopped, they were standing at the entrance of a residential area.

The residential area was not large, without any walls, and five houses stood casually by the roadside, with faded building markers hanging on the walls, numbered one to five.

Ji Yanqing chose the nearest Building Two and quickly entered.

At the bottom of Building Two were storefronts: a small supermarket and a parcel pickup station. Both stores had already been ransacked and looked quite messy.

Ji Yanqing chose the parcel pickup station with its metal door half-closed, bent down, and quickly entered.

Seeing this, Xia Shenshu and the others hurriedly followed.

Entering the store, after confirming there were no zombies inside, they moved shelves to block the door and filled them with various boxes to obstruct the view from outside.

After doing this and ensuring temporary safety, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Ji Yanqing also sighed in relief as he took off his backpack.

Just as he was about to place the backpack on the ground, a chill suddenly shot up his spine, and he reflexively threw it away and gripped the axe in his hand.

He looked towards the door.

From the station, they could only see the stairs of the building in front and a small part of the road, with the line of sight coming from across the street.

Ji Yanqing stared intently across the street, but whether he looked at the road or the rooftops across the street, there was nothing in sight.

"Ji Yanqing?" Xia Shenshu approached the door and peered outside through the gaps in the boxes.

"It seems like something is watching us..." Ji Yanqing was uncertain.

"Something?" Lan Zi also approached the shelf.

Xia Shenshu and Lan Zi looked outside for a long time but saw nothing.

"Could it be that you're too tense? In this godforsaken place, there are only zombies... If it really was a zombie, they would have already rushed over." Xia Shenshu said.

Ji Yanqing reached out to rub his nose, but when his hand touched his glasses, he remembered he was wearing protective goggles.

As Ji Yanqing was distracted, gunshots suddenly broke the silence like thunder.

Everyone in the room turned towards the direction of the gunfire simultaneously, and a chill ran up their spines.

Did something happen to Xue Gang?

Hearing the gunshots, they guessed that Xue Gang must have encountered something. Lan Zi's face turned pale as he couldn't help but glance at Ji Yanqing. Regardless of what Xue Gang had encountered, Ji Yanqing had saved their lives once again.

In the dimly lit station, partially obscured by the shelves, everyone remained silent, no one spoke, and even less suggested going to save anyone.

Although Xue Gang was annoying, he was skilled at dealing with zombies.

With a hospital nearby, he would never shoot unless absolutely necessary. Since he chose to shoot, it meant they must have encountered something that left them with no other choice.

In this situation, going over would be suicide. Besides, Ji Yanqing had already warned them once before.

As for the bald man and Wu Yao, when they gave their team's supplies to Xue Gang without permission, they were no longer on the same path.

003.

The gunshots lasted for about thirty seconds before abruptly stopping, and the world fell silent again.

Inside the station, Ji Yanqing and the others exchanged glances, their hearts still pounding.

Two minutes later, the gunshots resumed, this time coming from the road to their left. Xue Gang and his group were fleeing towards them.

"Tsk!" Xia Shenshu's expression darkened instantly.

He had forgotten that Xue Gang wouldn't head towards the hospital or retreat; they could only come towards them.

"What should we do—" As Xia Shenshu prepared to ask Ji Yanqing whether to run or hide by closing the door, he noticed Ji Yanqing staring intently across the street.

His eyes, hidden behind the goggles, were icy cold, like those of an assassin focused solely on his target, devoid of all thought. His eyes held only cold killing intent.

As Xia Shenshu felt a shiver run down his spine, he looked across the street. Upon seeing the situation, he was instantly engulfed by a chill, his limbs turning ice-cold.

From their vantage point, they could only see the back of the building in front. The area behind the building was flat, with rows of windows.

It should have been like that.

But at that moment, on the second floor from the top, outside the wall, a creature resembling a large lizard with a long tail was crouched, looking up in their direction.

Rags hung from its body, which must have been its clothes when it was human. The clothes were tattered, revealing large areas of grayish-white skin underneath.

Its head rotated 180 degrees, and its mouth, split to the ear roots, contained greenish-black liquid. It was a second-awakened zombie.

"Get ready to run," Ji Yanqing said in a low voice.

He picked up his backpack and slowly put it on. As he moved, the lizard kept staring at him, even turning its head with his movements.

Xia Shenshu swallowed hard, the sound echoing loudly.

Lan Zi, her face pale, loaded the gun in her hand. She had never used it since obtaining it. The click of loading the bullet was louder than she expected, causing her facial muscles to twitch violently.

Ji Yanqing focused intently, holding his breath while watching the lizard opposite. After confirming that everyone was ready, he gritted his teeth and was the first to dodge the shelves and rush out.

Xia Shenshu and the others followed closely behind.

Almost simultaneously with their movement, the lizard on the opposite wall descended at an incredible speed, reaching the third floor before leaping off the wall towards them.

Its speed was so great that by the time Ji Yanqing reacted, it was already in front of him.

Instinctively, Ji Yanqing swung his axe, striking the creature's flank with full force and sending it flying to crash onto a red car on the street.

"Clang!"

The car's roof caved in, and shards of glass scattered everywhere.

Xue Gang and his group, who had already run out into the road, turned back upon hearing the commotion.

Seeing Ji Yanqing, a flash of malice crossed Xue Gang's face. He hadn't initially noticed Ji Yanqing's absence until they were under attack.

Ji Yanqing must have realized the problem early on but deliberately left them behind as decoys to escape.

At second glance, seeing the monster sprawled on the car, Xue Gang's face turned ashen.

One awakened zombie was enough to trouble them, and now there was another one here—what was going on in this city?

After taking a quick look at the lizard that had been sent flying, Xia Shenshu and the others turned without hesitation and fled in the opposite direction.

They moved quickly, their hearts pounding, understanding without needing Ji Yanqing to remind them.

This creature was different from the woman in the woods earlier; she had intentionally toyed with them instead of attacking. This creature, however, showed no intention of wasting time—it truly intended to devour them.

If they had only narrowly won against the woman due to sheer luck, then this time, there was absolutely no chance of victory.

Everyone pushed themselves to go faster, but just as they began running, something massive and heavy suddenly flew towards them.

"Ji Yanqing, dodge—"

Ji Yanqing instinctively looked back, and before he could even see clearly, Lan Zi collided with him, sending them both tumbling to the ground. As they landed, intense pain shot through his arm, head, and back.

At the same moment, a red car with a dented roof soared over their heads, crashing violently into the ground just ahead of them.

The car shattered instantly, and a deafening sound rang out, accompanied by countless fragments of metal and parts scattering everywhere.

"Hmm..." Lan Zi grunted, rolling to the side.

A piece of metal from the car had struck her head.

Ji Yanqing looked over and saw nothing but blood on the ground.

His breath caught in his throat, and his entire body's blood rushed to his brain. His head buzzed, and before he could react, a dark shadow, accompanied by rushing wind, approached him again.

Ji Yanqing only had time to reflexively throw himself over Lan Zi, pinning her beneath him, as the shadow descended upon them.

Everything happened incredibly fast, almost in the blink of an eye.

The car aimed for Ji Yanqing but didn't hit the ground; it was stopped mid-air by something, becoming dented and then flying off to crash into a nearby supermarket, shattering its glass doors.

Amidst the loud crashes and flying glass, Ji'an, who had caught the car, stepped forward with eyes filled with rage and murderous intent. Though small, the intensity of his released killing intent made it impossible for anyone to overlook him.

His mind was blank, consumed by the sight of blood on the ground.

How dare it harm Ji Yanqing? How dare it injure him? How dare it—

Kill it!

Kill it!

He would kill it!

Ji'an's face contorted with the release of his seething killing intent.

"Guh..." The lizard across the street met Ji'an's gaze, its pupils contracting instinctively as it took several steps back, trembling uncontrollably.

Having never felt fear since awakening, it now shuddered in genuine terror. The killing intent and fear seemed tangible, piercing through its body, leaving it shattered and bleeding.

It froze in place, unable to move.

"Ugh..." Xia Shenshu, who had been knocked unconscious by the initial car door, finally regained consciousness. Dizzy and disoriented, he struggled to control his aching limbs and climbed up from the ground.

He looked in the direction of Ji Yanqing and Lan Zi, his head spinning and his vision blurry, seemingly filled with blood. All he could see were vague shadows.

Ji Yanqing and Lan Zi appeared to be lying motionless on the ground...

"Cough..." Xia Shenshu struggled to get up from the ground, intending to go to Ji Yanqing.

His body was unresponsive, and the dizziness continued to intensify.

As he was about to fall back down, someone roughly grabbed his clothes and lifted him up.

Feng Yimo, carrying the unconscious Ji Le, picked up Ji Yanqing and Lan Zi from the ground. He threw Lan Zi to Xia Shenshu and carried Ji Yanqing and Ji Le towards Ji'an.

Approaching, he lifted Ji'an off the ground.

"Let go—" Ji'an, his attention entirely focused on the lizard, struggled with red-rimmed eyes like an enraged little beast, determined to kill the bastard!

"Stop." Feng Yimo commanded.

Ji'an was not fully awakened, and such sudden, frenzied release of his abilities would leave him weak for a long time afterward.

Feng Yimo's words pierced Ji'an's consciousness like a cold sword, causing him to pause momentarily before quickly passing out.

With that done, Feng Yimo carried the two children and ran forward.

Xue Gang and his group had already crossed the road and entered the residential area, while the zombies that had driven them to this state, along with the other awakened zombie, had also entered the area.

Xia Shenshu panicked as he caught Lan Zi; it took him two seconds to finally come to his senses barely. He drew a sharp breath upon seeing Lan Zi's face and neck stained with blood.

There was no time for anything else or to check on Lan Zi; noticing Feng Yimo running ahead with Ji Yanqing, Xia Shenshu hurriedly half-supported, half-dragged Lan Zi to follow.

Leaving the residential area, they entered the alley in front of it, where Feng Yimo turned left.

"Go straight," Xia Shenshu promptly reminded.

Feng Yimo ignored him, darting into the left alley in the blink of an eye, rushing far ahead.

Xia Shenshu's facial muscles twitched fiercely, leaving him no choice but to grit his teeth and catch up.

As they ran forward, Xia Shenshu fervently prayed in his heart that Feng Yimo wouldn't have a sudden change of heart and make another left turn back into the residential area.

It was nothing short of a miracle that Feng Yimo had managed to survive this long in the post-apocalypse alone!

The gunfire from behind was now very close; Xue Gang and the others had caught up. Xia Shenshu could even feel the ground tremble as the bullet casings hit it.

Up ahead was a crossroad, one path turning left, the other going straight.

Feng Yimo chose to go left.

"Don't turn!" Xia Shenshu's facial muscles twitched wildly.

Feng Yimo ignored him again.

"Go straight," came Ji Yanqing's weak voice.

Feng Yimo glanced at Ji Yanqing, not stopping, and plunged straight into the alley ahead, continuing straight.

Seeing this, Xia Shenshu let out a deep sigh of relief, his facial muscles twitching fiercely once more—did Feng Yimo have something against him?