Chapter 27

Chapter 27

001.

"What is it?" On the roof, Ji Yanqing asked.

Feng Yimo's gaze lingered on Ji Yanqing for a moment before he looked towards the hospital in front of them.

Ji Yanqing retracted his gaze and refocused his attention on the hospital.

He stepped back, retreating to a sufficient distance before he sprinted forward. As he reached the edge of the roof, he stomped down hard and propelled himself towards the opposite building.

Taking advantage of the height difference, he successfully landed on the adjacent rooftop. Rolling on impact to absorb the force, he then looked over at Feng Yimo.

Feng Yimo stepped back and soon appeared in mid-air.

Seeing that Feng Yimo had landed safely, Ji Yanqing sighed in relief and headed towards the part of the roof closer to the hospital.

Their position was now very close to the hospital, and the smell of disinfectant in the air grew stronger. Amidst it all, Ji Yanqing could faintly detect a hint of blood.

The building they were in was situated to the side of the hospital. From their vantage point on the roof, they could clearly see several patient wards and the small garden between them and the main departments.

Unlike the area outside the hospital's main entrance, the garden was teeming with zombies. They could count at least fifty to sixty just from what they could see.

These were all zombies trapped by the buildings and walls, unable to escape.

Ji Yanqing took a deep breath and focused his gaze on the corridor of the ward building that was now quite near. He could see shadows through the windows of the rooms, but there were no zombies in the corridors.

After roughly estimating the distance, he sprinted and leaped directly towards the corridor of the opposite ward. Upon landing, he silently moved towards the window near the end of the corridor.

This ward was a multi-bed room, with four single iron-framed beds in each. Each bed came with a cabinet and a chair.

The rooms were small, and with so many items inside, they felt cramped.

There were three figures in the ward: two in patient gowns and one in a nurse’s uniform. Not far from the door, there was an overturned trolley with various bottles and jars scattered around.

When the virus broke out, the nurse must have been coming in to change the patients' dressings.

Ji Yanqing glanced back at Feng Yimo, who had followed him into the corridor, and bent down as he passed the window and approached the door.

As they reached the door, snow began to fall from the sky, large flakes covering everything like a blanket. If they weren't in this hospital filled with the scent of blood and disinfectant, the scene would have been quite picturesque.

The heavy snowfall immediately caught the attention of the zombies in the open space. Many of them started looking up and making strange noises.

It was an eerie sight, as if a group of people were performing a ritual dance towards the sky.

Ji Yanqing waited by the door for a moment until all three zombies inside had turned away. Then, he quickly led Feng Yimo through the room.

He repeated the process for the second and third wards until they reached the staircase.

The stairwell was pitch black, and faint footsteps could be heard from below. Descending, they reached the third floor where Ji Yanqing spotted a peculiar figure lurking on the stairs.

Taking advantage of the moment when the figure turned away, Ji Yanqing swiftly jumped down from above and struck the back of its head with an axe before it could react.

With its head damaged, the zombie fell silently.

Upon reaching the ground floor, Ji Yanqing looked out from the stairwell towards the garden. In the small courtyard, dozens of zombies, clad in tattered clothes and covered in rotting wounds, were looking up and making strange noises.

Ji Yanqing seized the opportunity, using the flower beds in the garden as cover to quickly cross while all the zombies’ attention was elsewhere.

Entering the main building ahead, Ji Yanqing barely had time to steady himself or find a place to hide when a strong scent of disinfectant hit him.

Instinctively, he frowned, and his usually agile body stiffened momentarily.

Feng Yimo looked over.

Ji Yanqing soon continued forward, following the passage ahead and searching for a pharmacy or any room that might contain medicine.

The main building in front of the hospital consisted of two rows of adjacent buildings, forming a long, rectangular shape from the outside. From the inside, however, it presented a maze of identical passages, making the entire hospital feel labyrinthine.

Ji Yanqing chose one of the passages to enter.

Upon entering, an even stronger smell of blood assaulted his senses.

Mixed within the scent of blood was a foul odor, reminiscent of decaying rats in a sewer, nauseating and overwhelming.

And for some reason, Ji Yanqing couldn’t shake off the feeling that the blood smelled quite fresh. The stench of old blood tended to dissipate over time, becoming less pungent.

Despite his heightened nerves, Ji Yanqing did not slow down.

Following the passage in the darkness, they soon arrived at its end.

At the end of the passage was a transparent glass door, one of which was already shattered, leaving only the top hanging by some shards.

On the other side of the glass door were rows of seats, and at the end of these seats was a glass-enclosed ordering counter. Behind the glass door lay the hospital cafeteria.

The cafeteria should have been bustling with people, yet for some unknown reason, not a single zombie could be seen in the dark expanse of the cafeteria.

Ji Yanqing’s brows furrowed slightly beneath his goggles, his confusion growing. Just then, a shadow rapidly darted into his line of sight in the darkness.

The figure was no longer human. It crawled on all fours, with a thin tail trailing behind. It was a newly awakened zombie.

Ji Yanqing’s breath hitched, his limbs turning cold as if plunged into an icy cellar.

How could there be an awakened zombie here?

This newly awakened zombie resembled those they had encountered before, but it wasn’t the same one.

Ji Yanqing quickly opened the door of a nearby room, not caring whether there were zombies inside, and immediately hid within. As he entered, he didn’t forget to pull Feng Yimo in with him.

They entered a consultation room, with filing cabinets and a desk marked "Pediatrician." The doctor who owned this office was not inside.

Ji Yanqing's gaze lingered on the words "pediatrician" for a moment before moving away.

He turned around and, with his scalp tingling, peeked through the crack in the door towards the cafeteria.

It would have been better not to look; now, his already-suspended heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped, unable to beat.

As he shifted his position, he could see more clearly into the cafeteria.

On the right side, tables and chairs lay scattered in a corner, while the floor where they should have been was covered in a thick layer of blood. On top of the blood were various limbs that had been gnawed upon.

These limbs belonged to both zombies and humans, and there were so many that they covered the entire floor, piling up like a small hill at the far left of the cafeteria.

On top of this hill, a massive flesh ball, over three meters tall and unable to stand upright even in the room, was sleeping among the corpses.

This was a Corpse King, still retaining a human form but no longer human. Its belly was grotesquely fat and huge, nearly touching the ground. Its skin was covered in blood and rotting fluids, emitting a nauseating stench.

The foul smell enveloping the entire hospital originated from it.

Around the Corpse King, five or six partially awakened zombies were crawling and patrolling on the ground or walls; the awakened zombie Ji Yanqing had seen earlier was just one of them.

Ji Yanqing's Adam's apple moved as he swallowed, the sound deafening and startling him.

Coming back to his senses, he glanced at Feng Yimo behind him.

Feng Yimo's face was hidden in the darkness, making his expression unreadable. However, judging from the visible outline of his jaw, he didn't seem tense or afraid, even with a Corpse King in front of him.

In the darkness, Ji Yanqing took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He looked towards the cafeteria again.

The awakened zombies showed no intention of attacking the corpulent Corpse King; instead, their actions seemed to be focused on guarding and protecting it.

Awakened zombies protecting a Corpse King?

Were these awakened zombies feeding the Corpse King?

Ji Yanqing's blood rushed to his head, and his mind raced. Suddenly, he understood what was happening in this city.

The reason why there were few zombies seen in this city wasn't because they had all been consumed by the forest, but because they had been eaten by the Corpse King.

Zombies had the habit of devouring their own kind, and after awakening, they would consume even more. Only after eating to a certain extent could they evolve further, becoming Corpse Kings.

They had probably been discovered as soon as they entered the city. Their journey towards the hospital wasn't coincidental; they had likely been deliberately lured here, intentionally brought near the hospital.

Just like how humans would drive cattle and sheep to the table before slaughtering them, it was much more convenient than killing them randomly.

Realizing this, beads of cold sweat formed on Ji Yanqing's forehead.

He had never heard of such a thing before.

Ji Yanqing knew that awakened zombies possessed a certain level of intelligence, and among them were Corpse Kings capable of controlling other zombies and developing intelligence. However, he had always assumed they were on par with ordinary beasts, far inferior to humans. But the Corpse King in front of him had intelligence that matched humans.

Moreover, this Corpse King was likely more than just "smart"; it surpassed ordinary Corpse Kings.

Ji Yanqing suddenly recalled Xue Gang's mention of the "King of Corpse Kings," and the Corpse Kings establishing their own system.

"Let's leave—" Ji Yanqing turned to look at Feng Yimo, but before he could finish his sentence, a figure crawled into the corridor through the glass door.

Ji Yanqing immediately fell silent.

The awakened zombie that had entered their side of the corridor hung upside down on the wall, seemingly patrolling.

It crawled from one end of the cafeteria to the other, ensuring there was nothing in the corridor before turning back and re-entering the cafeteria.

A few minutes later, it emerged into the corridor again.

It tirelessly repeated this process, constantly ensuring the safety of the Corpse King.

Ji Yanqing took everything in, his body chilled as he hid behind the door. His blood seemed to freeze; they had no chance of leaving.

He turned to look at Feng Yimo.

Feng Yimo was calmly watching him, showing no despair about their dire situation.

Ji Yanqing was speechless, regaining some composure under the dark gaze of Feng Yimo's eyes.

The zombies hadn't discovered them yet; they weren't at the point of despair.

"Let's wait. We'll definitely find an opportunity to leave," Ji Yanqing said in a barely audible voice.

He didn't plan to force his way out. This was no longer a question of whether they could win; with so many opponents, even if they could kill half of them instantly, the remaining half would be enough to bite them to death. Even worse, they might alert all the zombies in the city.

Ji Yanqing took a deep breath and slowly closed the door in front of him. He then turned to glance at the office behind him.

The office wasn't large. Near the door was a two-seater sofa, followed by patient chairs, and then the desk. Along the wall next to the desk was a long filing cabinet.

There were no windows in the room.

Ji Yanqing's gaze lingered on the filing cabinet for a moment before retracting.

He didn't search the room for medicine but instead sat against the wall near the entrance.

"Don't be afraid."

Ji Yanqing looked towards the other person in the room. Seeing that the other's eyes were fixed on him, he confirmed that the words were indeed directed at him.

Ji Yanqing chuckled. "I'm not afraid."

He was indeed somewhat frightened, but not to the extent that he needed comfort from Feng Yimo.

Feng Yimo remained silent, his gaze resting on Ji Yanqing's trembling hand in the darkness. Ji Yanqing was clearly afraid.

Not of the zombies, but of this room.

Feng Yimo stepped forward and sat next to Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing looked over, and Feng Yimo was so close that he could feel the body beneath his clothes.

The room was pitch-black and silent.

Those zombies, who had awakened outside the cafeteria, never left the Zombie King's side. They would occasionally enter the corridors around the cafeteria to patrol, which prevented Ji Yanqing from finding an opportunity to leave.

Several hours passed in a blink, and as dawn approached, the consultation room gradually became faintly illuminated. It was then that the zombies in the cafeteria finally stirred.

The sleeping Zombie King awoke.

Ji Yanqing didn't risk opening the door to take a look; he held his breath and listened quietly.

The Zombie King, upon waking up, seemed to be very hungry. After emitting a series of incomprehensible gurgling sounds, the awakened zombies surrounding him fell into agitation.

Soon, several figures headed out of the cafeteria, seemingly going to search for food.

After those figures left, only two awakened zombies remained in the cafeteria. The Zombie King was throwing a tantrum, and they too became agitated.

Ji Yanqing held his breath and listened for a moment before opening the door to take a look.

One side of the cafeteria connected to the main entrance, which was now brightly lit as the sky had fully brightened.

In the light, Xia Shenshu, hidden in the residential building, frowned as he checked the time.

"I told you long ago that there's no coming back from a place like that." The man in Xue Gang's five-person team who had previously disagreed with Ji Yanqing going to the hospital spoke up.

Xia Shenshu gave him a cold look.

After dawn, the five of them had taken some time to rest and were now ready to set off.

"We're leaving," the man said.

Xia Shenshu remained silent and showed no intention of getting up to follow.

"Are you crazy? Do you really intend to wait here? If he was coming back, he would have returned last night. The fact that he hasn't means he's dead," the man said, frowning. He wasn't concerned about the safety of Xia Shenshu and the others; he simply thought they were insane for risking their lives for someone who was half-dead.

"No farewell," Xia Shenshu said coldly.

The man was taken aback by the rebuke. With a dark expression, he glanced at Ji'an and Ji Le, who had spent almost the entire night huddled in a corner, looking uneasy. He snorted and led the other four members of his team towards the door.

Xia Shenshu watched them leave and closed the door again after they were gone.

Having done this, he turned to look at Ji'an and Ji Le.

Their faces, already pale from malnutrition, were even more ghastly white after a sleepless night and the failure of Ji Yanqing to return by dawn. Their eyes were red-rimmed.

Xia Shenshu walked over and took out a bag of luggage, from which he retrieved some food and water, tossing part of it over to them.

Upon receiving the food and water, Ji'an and Ji Le did not eat but merely stared silently.

Ji Yanqing hadn't returned yet.

Ji Yanqing should have returned before dawn.

Xia Shenshu felt a headache coming on. He tried to say something to comfort the two boys, but he had never been fond of children or had experience comforting them, both before and after the virus outbreak.

Xia Shenshu said, "If Ji Yanqing comes back and finds out how undisciplined you've been, he won't be happy."

Ji'an and Ji Le's small bodies, hidden under the blankets, visibly trembled. They looked at the food in their hands and then at each other, no longer sitting idly. They quickly grabbed the food and began eating voraciously.

They were very well-behaved; they wouldn't make things difficult for Ji Yanqing.

They knew that Ji Yanqing was already kind enough to bring them along, and he was willing to be their father and carry them. How could they burden such a good person like Ji Yanqing any further?

Ji'an took a large bite of the fruit bread. As the scent of banana and bread filled his nostrils, a nauseating sensation quickly overwhelmed him.

He was about to spit out the food when he remembered Ji Yanqing's face. He forced himself to chew and swallow.

Seeing Ji'an and Ji Le start eating, Xia Shenshu sighed in relief.

He performed another examination on Lan Zi, whose fever persisted and cheeks were flushed, and fed her some water. Then, he sat down nearby and started eating as well.

However, the food tasted bland in his mouth.

If Ji Yanqing and the others could have returned, they should have done so before dawn. Now that they still hadn't returned, it could only mean that something had happened to them.

"Ugh." A sudden sound of vomiting echoed.

Xia Shenshu collected himself.

Ji'an was vomiting in the corner, retching violently as if trying to expel his internal organs. His already pale face turned visibly paler.

Xia Shenshu was taken aback and hurried over. "What's wrong?"

In the hospital.

Ji Yanqing crouched behind the door, holding his breath and listening for a while. After confirming that due to the reduced numbers, no zombies were patrolling their corridor, he seized the opportunity to open the door and quickly ran with Feng Yimo towards the other end of the corridor.

They ran a considerable distance until they reached the other side of the medical building. Only when he was sure they were safe did he find a nearby room to hide in.

After hiding, Ji Yanqing hesitated for a moment before venturing out again to search for the pharmacy. They had to bring back the medicine; otherwise, Lan Zi would surely die.

Fortunately, their luck held this time, and they soon found a pharmacy nearby that had clearly been ransacked several times already.

The pharmacy's glass windows and main entrance were damaged, with all sorts of bottles and containers scattered across the floor.

Those who had searched the place before must have been patients from the hospital, as they had purposefully sought out specific medications, leaving only a few cabinets untouched.

Ji Yanqing entered the pharmacy and emptied his bag of clothes, quickly picking up the drugs on the ground and stuffing them inside.

His backpack was large enough to hold supplies and even Ji Le, so after discarding the clothes, there was ample space left for many more drugs.

He filled his bag with various medications from the entire room, and after grabbing a handful of syringes, Ji Yanqing finally stopped.

With the drugs packed, the two retraced their steps.

After some time, they returned to the rooftop of the building next to the hospital. They descended the building and skirted around the main road, heading swiftly in the direction of Xia Shenshu and the others.

There were few zombies on the way, which had previously struck Ji Yanqing as odd, but now, knowing the reason, he felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing them.

If they were discovered by any zombie, even a random one on the roadside, and the news reached the Zombie King, they would never be able to leave this city.

There were no zombies outside the building where Xia Shenshu and the others were staying, as Xue Gang had lured them all away, making things convenient for Ji Yanqing.

Slipping through the door, Ji Yanqing took some time to close the downstairs metal gate as quietly as possible before hurrying upstairs.

Arriving at the door, Ji Yanqing lightly knocked.

The door did not open immediately; it slowly creaked open after he knocked a second time and waited a bit longer.

Peering through the peephole, Xia Shenshu, who came to open the door, had flushed cheeks. Without waiting for them to close the door, he blurted out impatiently, "Why so slow?"

Ji Yanqing and the others were supposed to return before dawn.

"Something happened," Ji Yanqing said, handing his backpack over to Xia Shenshu.

He knew nothing about medicine, but Xia Shenshu seemed to understand it somewhat.

Xia Shenshu was surprised by the problem Ji Yanqing mentioned, but he did not stand there waiting for an explanation. After taking the backpack, he hurried to one side and began pouring out the contents, examining the names and instructions on each drug.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ji Yanqing looked towards Ji'an and Ji Le. He had returned late, and the two little ones must have been extremely anxious.

As his gaze fell upon them, he froze. Ji Le, eyes red-rimmed, followed him like a little tail, while Ji'an lay motionless on the ground, his face pale.

"Ji'an?" Ji Yanqing rushed forward.

"Brother threw up and then passed out..." Ji Le's voice, soft and milky, carried a clear note of crying.

"Fainted?" Ji Yanqing squatted down beside Ji'an and reached out to touch his head. Ji'an's face was deathly pale, yet his forehead was burning hot.

"After dawn, you didn't come back..." Xia Shenshu, still rapidly scanning the instructions, briefly recounted what had happened that morning.

Ji'an had suddenly started vomiting, startling everyone. Xia Shenshu hurried over to help soothe him.

Ji'an only stopped after emptying everything in his stomach, by which point he was completely drained.

Xia Shenshu initially suspected food poisoning, but there was nothing wrong with the food. When he asked Ji'an where he felt unwell, Ji'an remained silent, so Xia Shenshu gave him some water to drink.

After drinking the water, Xia Shenshu breathed a sigh of relief, but then Ji'an fainted and quickly developed a fever.

The temperature rose rapidly, and within half an hour, his forehead was scorching hot.

Xia Shenshu tried giving Ji'an some water to bring down the fever, but it was futile. Ji'an's body temperature continued to rise, and it had long surpassed 39 degrees Celsius.

Just as Xia Shenshu was at a loss, Ji Yanqing and Feng Yimo returned.

"I suspect it's because he caught a chill last night and was too worried about your absence, which is why he fell ill. Children's constitutions are naturally weak." Xia Shenshu found some anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing drugs and hastily prepared an injection for Lan Zi.

Lan Zi also had a high fever, and if she did not receive timely medication, she would not survive.

Leaving Lan Zi in Xia Shenshu's care, Ji Yanqing focused all his attention on Ji'an.

He lifted Ji'an off the ground and cradled him in his arms. Ji'an was much smaller than a typical three-year-old, and when held, he felt very light—so light that Ji Yanqing could barely feel his weight.

"Dad, is brother going to..." Ji Le tugged anxiously at Ji Yanqing's shoulder, unable to utter the word "die."

He had seen it before: Xue Gang abandoning sick children who could no longer walk.

Ji Yanqing would not abandon Ji'an, but if a sick child did not recover, they would still die.

"Don't worry, I'll give him some fever-reducing medicine later," Ji Yanqing reassured Ji Le, trying to remain calm.

Ji Le glanced between Ji Yanqing and the pile of drugs on the ground, not thinking too much of it, and hurriedly ran over to pick up the drugs, searching for something to give Ji'an.

Taking this opportunity, Ji Yanqing performed a quick examination on Ji'an. By "examination," he could only touch Ji'an's head and helplessly feel the intense heat radiating from beneath his palm.

"Ji'an?" Ji Yanqing softly called out, trying to rouse Ji'an.

If Ji'an had fallen ill due to worry about his return, seeing him back should alleviate his condition significantly.

"Ji'an, open your eyes and see who I am?" Ji Yanqing gently pinched Ji'an's cheeks, which lacked much flesh.

Feeling the movement on his face and hearing the familiar voice, the unconscious Ji'an's long eyelashes fluttered lightly, and he weakly opened his eyes.

For a moment, his vision was blurry, but eventually, it focused.

Seeing Ji Yanqing's face, Ji'an, who was already delirious from the fever, pouted his colorless lips, and large tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.

With one hand gripping Ji Yanqing's shirt, and the other wiping away his tears, he soon sobbed, pleading Ji Yanqing not to kill him, as he was afraid of pain.

"What are you crying for?" Ji Yanqing felt both heartache and sorrow. "Silly boy, didn't I tell you I'd come back?"

"… zombies…" Ji'an said through sobs in his daze.

"What?"

"… what if I turn into a zombie?" Ji'an's childish voice was filled with despair and on the verge of tears.

At the thought of being killed by Ji Yanqing, his heart ached.

Ji Yanqing was at a loss for words, "You won't turn into a zombie."

"Wha… what if you do?" Ji'an's soft voice choked up, barely able to form coherent words.

"It won't happen." Ji Yanqing felt helpless and pained.

Ji'an had always acted maturely. He would follow Ji Yanqing without whining, crying, or complaining about hardships or hunger. He even helped take care of Ji Le, displaying maturity akin to a six- or seven-year-old child. This made Ji Yanqing almost forget that he was only three years old, and he too could be afraid.

The apocalypse, zombies, beatings, abandonment, hunger, pain—all these things were incomprehensible and terrifying to him.

"Don't be afraid." Ji Yanqing gently patted Ji'an's back. He didn't know what Ji'an had dreamed about, but it must have been a terrible nightmare.

"If… if I turn into a zombie, don't kill me or chop off my head, okay? I'll be very obedient…" Ji'an clung tightly to Ji Yanqing's clothes, pleading. Even if he turned into an ugly little zombie, he would still be well-behaved and listen.

003.

"Okay." Ji Yanqing agreed, "Even if you become a zombie, I won't kill you."

As long as he was alive, he wouldn't let Ji'an turn into a zombie. But if saying this could reassure Ji'an, he didn't mind telling him.

"Rea… really…" Ji'an sobbed, his speech broken.

"Really." Ji Yanqing stroked his chest to soothe him, "I promise."

Hearing Ji Yanqing's words and receiving his assurance, Ji'an, who was feverish and not fully awake, cried for a while before finally calming down. He soon fell asleep again.

Asleep, Ji'an clung tightly to the front of Ji Yanqing's shirt, gripping so hard that his knuckles turned white. His body curled towards Ji Yanqing, like a kitten lacking security.

Ji Yanqing couldn't bear to put Ji'an down on the ground. He couldn't provide lasting peace of mind for Ji'an, but he could let him sleep briefly in his arms.

Ji Yanqing wiped away the tears from Ji'an's thin, nearly gaunt cheeks. Looking up, he saw Ji Le standing in front of him, holding a pile of medicine uneasily.

The young boy had found many medicines, but he didn't know how to read and wasn't sure which ones to give Ji'an. So, he brought all the medicines to Ji Yanqing.

He didn't want Ji'an to die.

"I'll take a look." Ji Yanqing took a box from Ji Le and began examining the instructions.

He had never raised children before and didn't know what medicine to give Ji'an. He only remembered that children's medicine was different from adults'.

As Ji Yanqing pondered, Xia Shenshu handed him a box of medicine.

While he didn't like children, this didn't mean he disliked Ji'an and Ji Le.

His words that morning were simply because he was already worried about Lan Zi and Ji Yanqing and didn't have the energy to comfort anyone. He hadn't expected that Ji'an would be so affected by his words that he would fall ill.

Ji Yanqing looked at Lan Zi.

"I've already given her fever-reducing, pain-relieving, and anti-inflammatory injections, and cleaned her wound again. The rest is up to her now," Xia Shenshu said.

Ji Yanqing nodded and took the medicine from Xia Shenshu.

"I'll boil some water; that's a powder mix." Xia Shenshu walked into the kitchen.

Ji Yanqing looked at the medicine in his hand—it was a box of children's fever-reducing cold medicine.

If it were an adult, they would just swallow the medicine, but Ji'an was small and currently delirious from the fever.

"Do you hate zombies?" A cold, clear voice suddenly spoke up.

Ji Yanqing looked over.

Feng Yimo, sitting against the wall, was quietly watching him.

There was no expression on Feng Yimo's face, only a faint confusion in his icy dark eyes. His demeanor and tone suggested he was asking about something ordinary.

Ji Yanqing suddenly recalled the momentary confusion in Feng Yimo's eyes when he had thrown food to him earlier.

In that instant, Ji Yanqing felt a strange sensation.

Feng Yimo didn't seem to know what was edible, nor did he feel fear facing the zombie king. He didn't even seem to understand that zombies were detested. It was as if he didn't belong to this cruel world, completely detached from those struggling to survive.

"There isn't anyone in this world who likes zombies, unless their brains have been crushed by a door." Before Ji Yanqing could answer, Xia Shenshu's voice came from the kitchen.

Xia Shenshu found a small milk pot in the kitchen, filled it with a bit of water, and wiped it clean of dust. Then, he began searching the house for furniture to dismantle.

The houses around here were not very old, and not many people had moved in yet. This family had apparently just moved in recently, as the furniture in the house was all very new.

Xia Shenshu circled the room, moving the few books on the bookshelf that hadn't been opened much to the living room, and then bringing over a few solid wood chairs from the dining area.

The chairs were made of redwood, seemingly quite expensive. They might be worth half the price of a small apartment. Xia Shenshu happily dismantled them and burned them with even greater enthusiasm.

As the water boiled, Xia Shenshu looked at Ji Yanqing, "You haven't told us why you're only returning now?"

After dawn, when Ji Yanqing hadn't returned, Xia Shenshu had to prepare for the worst.

He couldn't take Lan Zi with him, so he could only take Ji An and Ji Le. However, leaving Lan Zi alone in this place was clearly impossible. He had even considered whether to end her suffering quickly.

Reminded, Ji Yanqing suddenly remembered what he had seen and heard at the hospital. He shuddered, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"We encountered the zombie king at the hospital, a zombie king evolving towards intelligence, capable of controlling awakened zombies…" Ji Yanqing quickly recounted what he had witnessed.

The sun rose outside the window, and the indoor temperature had already reached over thirty degrees. Yet, despite this, he still felt a bone-chilling coldness seep through his body when he recalled what he had seen earlier.

"Are you saying that we were discovered as soon as we entered this city, and ever since then, our movements have been intentionally controlled by that Corpse King? Even our arrival at the hospital was part of his plan?" Xia Shenshu was extremely surprised and found it hard to believe.

He had heard that Corpse Kings could be smart, but for one to be this intelligent—it was no longer a zombie; it would be a monster.

"At the time, Xue Gang was leading the way. He should have been choosing directions with fewer zombies," Ji Yanqing speculated.

He had long noticed that there were strangely few zombies around them, but since he wasn't the one leading the way, he hadn't deliberately studied the route. Now, he suspected that Xue Gang had likely been manipulated from the start.

Otherwise, how could they have coincidentally ended up at the hospital in such a large city?

"What do we do now? Should we leave immediately?" Xia Shenshu's face lost all traces of a smile.

He believed that Ji Yanqing wouldn't make such a boring joke. But if what Ji Yanqing said was true, and if the Corpse King was indeed as intelligent as described, and he had several awakened zombies by his side, staying here would mean waiting for death.

Ji Yanqing glanced at Lan Zi. "Xue Gang caused quite a commotion earlier, drawing the zombies' attention. We've also separated from him, so he probably doesn't know where we are now."

He had originally planned to take Lan Zi out of the city as soon as they returned, but Ji'an fell ill.

He could carry Ji'an, but if they encountered zombies, he would need to fight, and he wouldn't be able to look after Ji'an then.

"We'll leave after Lan Zi wakes up," Ji Yanqing said.

Xia Shenshu's lips moved, but he didn't say anything further.

The zombies were likely searching for them everywhere. Moving now would be dangerous. It might be better to take a gamble; perhaps in a couple of days, the zombies would assume they'd captured everyone in the city and relax their guard.

The water boiled quickly. Xia Shenshu found a small bowl in the kitchen, cleaned it, and mixed the medicine with water.

Once the medicine was prepared, Ji Yanqing cooled it down to an appropriate temperature and began feeding it to Ji'an.

Ji'an, who was fast asleep, probably tasted the strange flavor of the medicine and refused to drink any more after just one sip. When Ji Yanqing tried to feed him again, he hid his head under Ji Yanqing's clothes like a little ostrich.

Ji Yanqing had no choice but to ask Xia Shenshu for help and force the medicine into Ji'an's mouth with a spoon.

After feeding Ji'an, Ji Yanqing had Xia Shenshu mix some medicine for Ji Le to drink as well.

Medicine shouldn't be taken randomly, but illness was even more troublesome.

Indeed, the nights were much colder on this side of the mountains. The drastic temperature difference made it easy for both children and adults to fall ill. Drinking some medicine in advance could serve as a preventive measure.

The medicine had a sedative effect, and not long after drinking it, Ji Le started feeling drowsy. Combined with the fact that he hadn't slept at all last night due to worry, his head soon drooped.

Ji Yanqing let him sleep beside him.

Lying down, Ji Le looked enviously at Ji'an, who was being held by Ji Yanqing while sleeping, and secretly took hold of Ji Yanqing's hand resting at his side.

Ji Yanqing noticed and enveloped his thin, small hand within his own.

Feeling the warmth and comfort from the hand holding his, Ji Le scooted closer to Ji Yanqing, like a kitten snuggling against its mother.

Settling in, his tense nerves relaxed, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing this, Xia Shenshu also found a place to lie down and prepare for sleep. He hadn't closed his eyes at all the previous night.

He couldn't trust the five people from Xue Gang's team, Lan Zi was unconscious, and Ji'an and Ji Le were too young to rely on.

After making sure Ji Le was asleep, Ji Yanqing carefully withdrew his hand and touched his cheek, then wiped away the tears on Ji'an's face.

Ji'an didn't know what he was dreaming about, but even in his sleep, he seemed sad. His eyes were always moist, and his appearance was heart-wrenching to behold.

When Ji Yanqing finished, he raised his head and met a pair of familiar, dark eyes.

Feng Yimo was looking at him.

Feng Yimo's pupils were dark, cold, and bottomless, devoid of any emotion, as if they weren't human eyes at all.

Being watched by him sent chills down one's spine, even in broad daylight.

Ji Yanqing didn't dodge the gaze but looked straight back. "What?"

Feng Yimo's thin lips parted slightly. "Do you hate zombies too?"

Ji Yanqing was taken aback, not expecting Feng Yimo to still be fixated on this matter.

"Of course," Ji Yanqing answered firmly.

As Xia Shenshu had said, there was no one in this world who didn't hate zombies, unless they were insane.

Feng Yimo remained silent. His dark eyes lost some of their eerie chill and instead showed a hint of confusion, as if he couldn't comprehend the concept.

Ji Yanqing was speechless, and the feeling that Feng Yimo didn't belong in this world resurfaced. "Most zombies lack reason. Any slight disturbance can drive them mad. Awakened zombies are even worse; they continuously attack humans and even eat them. As for Corpse Kings, you saw the one at the hospital and the wild beast Corpse King before."

Feng Yimo was silent, lowering his gaze to Ji'an, who was carefully held in Ji Yanqing's arms, and Ji Le, who was curled up like a kitten next to Ji Yanqing.

"They bite people," Ji Yanqing said.

Feng Yimo lifted his gaze. "What about zombies that don't bite people?"

Ji Yanqing was taken aback. Zombies that don't bite people?

Ji Yanqing said, "There are no zombies in this world that don't bite people."

"What if there were?"

Looking into those dark eyes staring straight at him, Ji Yanqing suddenly felt as if he was seeing another aggrieved and pitiful Ji'an. The words on the tip of his tongue changed uncontrollably. "…Then they wouldn't be as hated."

A faint ripple appeared in Feng Yimo's dark eyes. "I don't bite people."