Chapter 28

Chapter 28

001.

Ji Yanqing was taken aback. He looked at Feng Yimo sitting beside him and, for a moment, he had a ridiculous thought.

But he quickly chased that thought away.

Feng Yimo looked every bit like a human.

When people were infected by the virus, they would turn into zombies within five seconds. Their skin would become ashen, their hearts would stop, and they would die. They would no longer think or have any rationality; they would be mere walking corpses.

Zombies that had initially awakened could relearn how to think, but it was only to the extent of animal instinct. They wouldn't perform complex calculations.

There might be highly intelligent zombies among those who had evolved into Zombie Kings, some of them possibly even smarter than humans. But Ji Yanqing had never heard of any in human form, let alone ones capable of speaking and communicating like humans.

The Zombie King in the hospital and the woman in the woods both looked very much like humans, but they were clearly not.

If there really were humanoid zombies, they must surely have undergone three evolutions to become Zombie Kings. However, so far, Ji Yanqing had never heard of any zombies undergoing a third evolution. Even Zombie Kings were only twice-evolved.

Twice-evolved Zombie Kings had already pushed them to such a sorry state. If there really were thrice-evolved zombies in this world, then these humans would truly have no chance of survival.

Ji Yanqing exhaled softly, curious about what kind of environment could produce someone with Feng Yimo's personality.

"Get some sleep," said Ji Yanqing.

Last night, Feng Yimo had accompanied him to the hospital and hadn't closed his eyes all night.

Feng Yimo closed his eyes and leaned against the wall to sleep.

Feng Yimo seemed to be in a good mood. Although there wasn't a trace of a smile on his face, Ji Yanqing had this feeling.

Ji Yanqing was baffled.

After Feng Yimo also fell asleep, the room fell silent. Ji Yanqing glanced at Ji'an and Ji Le before leaning against the wall and slowly closing his eyes. He planned to take a short nap during the hot noon.

It was relatively safe during the day, and they were now in a sealed room.

Ji Yanqing closed his eyes, and Feng Yimo, who should have been asleep, slowly opened his eyes.

His dark eyes looked at Ji'an, whom Ji Yanqing held tightly in his arms, and then lifted his gaze to quietly watch Ji Yanqing, without a hint of drowsiness.

Ten to eleven in the morning was the hottest part of the day. Even indoors, they couldn't escape the scorching heat. It felt as if their organs were being roasted.

Lan Zi woke up around eleven o'clock.

Xia Shenshu, woken by the heat, gave her some water, took her temperature, and administered another injection.

After the injection, Lan Zi soon fell back asleep.

Xia Shenshu put away the needle, checked the remaining water, and looked at Ji Yanqing. "I'm running out of water."

Their last water replenishment was at the reservoir. Since then, they hadn't had the opportunity to refill. Lan Zi, who had lost too much blood due to her injury and was severely dehydrated, had almost consumed all the water meant for both of them.

"We'll leave early tomorrow morning," said Ji Yanqing. He didn't have much water left either, and that little amount had to supply him, Ji'an, and Ji Le.

Xia Shenshu nodded and went back to sleep for a while before getting up to sort through the medicines Ji Yanqing had brought back from the hospital.

Ji Yanqing had brought back a backpack full of medicines. Not knowing which ones would be useful and which wouldn't, he had packed almost all of them.

They were leaving tomorrow, and it was impossible to bring all the medicines with them, as it would waste valuable space.

Xia Shenshu read through the instructions for each medicine and packed all those related to anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, and hemostatic effects into the backpack. The rest were left in a corner.

In the evening, Ji'an woke up.

Upon waking again, he was still burning up but had regained consciousness.

Upon seeing Ji Yanqing and realizing he had returned safely, his clear black-and-white eyes quickly filled with tears.

He held back his sobs, gripping Ji Yanqing's clothes tightly, as if afraid that letting go would make Ji Yanqing disappear again.

Ji Yanqing allowed him to act spoiled in his arms.

Sickness had left Ji'an very weak, and his small face lacked any color.

Seeing this, Xia Shenshu boiled some water and prepared another bowl of medicine.

"After you drink it, you won't feel so bad," Ji Yanqing said, taking the medicine after it had cooled and bringing the bowl to Ji'an's mouth.

Ji'an finally let go, tilting his head slightly and obediently opening his mouth. The sweet-tasting medicine entered his mouth, but he turned his head away after just one sip.

"Ji'an?"

"Brother, you'll get better if you take the medicine," Ji Le, who had been watching Ji'an enviously, chimed in with a childlike voice.

Ji'an turned his head and looked at the bowl of medicine, his brows lightly furrowed.

He didn't want to drink it; the medicine made him feel nauseous.

"It's not bitter," Ji Le said, gently touching Ji'an's head in imitation of how Ji'an usually comforted him, trying to coax him.

"Just drink it all at once," said Ji Yanqing.

Ji'an looked at Ji Yanqing, then at the half-full bowl of medicine, and, suppressing his nausea, reached out to hold one side of the bowl and drank it in large gulps.

After drinking all the medicine in one breath, his small face scrunched up like a bun.

Ji Yanqing noticed and fetched some water from the side to feed him, continuing until the taste of the medicine faded from his mouth.

After drinking the medicine, Ji Yanqing held him for a while before placing him in the corner. He took his backpack and rummaged for food, intending to have dinner before it got completely dark.

They would avoid lighting fires at night if possible.

Their food supply was still adequate; if they rationed it carefully, the six of them, including Feng Yimo, could survive for three more days.

Ji Yanqing measured out the portions, tossing Xia Shenshu and Feng Yimo their shares before placing Ji'an and Ji Le's portions in front of them.

Having just finished the medicine and still feeling nauseous, Ji'an looked at the food placed before him. His stomach growled, but he had no appetite.

Seeing the food, Ji Le quickly picked it up, tore it open, and started eating. His cheeks puffed out like a little hamster’s, as he had been starving after being up all night.

"What's wrong?" Ji Yanqing noticed that Ji'an hadn't eaten and asked.

"I'm not hungry..." Ji'an looked uneasily at Ji Yanqing, fearing that he might be angry with him.

Food was scarce and precious. It was already generous of Ji Yanqing to share, yet Ji'an was being picky.

If someone else, like Xue Gang, were in Ji Yanqing's place, he would have been beaten by now.

Ji Yanqing's brows furrowed slightly beneath his goggles. "No appetite at all?"

Throughout their journey, they had been maintaining a minimal intake of food, just enough to keep them from starving. Over time, everyone had become extremely hungry, craving food almost obsessively. Not being able to eat was not a good sign.

"Mmm..." Ji'an tugged at his clothes anxiously, looking into Ji Yanqing's eyes before guiltily lowering his head.

Deep down, Ji Yanqing felt only mild concern.

"Then I'll set it aside. Eat when you're hungry later." Ji Yanqing didn't force Ji'an to eat.

Ji'an looked up at Ji Yanqing uneasily, confirming that he wasn't angry. He secretly grabbed the hem of Ji Yanqing's shirt.

Ji Yanqing was the best person in the world.

Such a kind Ji Yanqing, yet he didn't know that Ji'an wanted to eat meat and drink blood. He didn't know that Ji'an might soon turn into an ugly little zombie.

"What's wrong?" After putting away Ji'an's portion, Ji Yanqing turned around to find Ji'an wiping away tears.

"Feeling unwell again?" Ji Yanqing touched Ji'an's forehead, which remained feverishly hot without any signs of cooling down.

Feeling Ji Yanqing's warm palm gently on his forehead, Ji'an shook his head and threw himself at Ji Yanqing, tightly hugging his arm.

Sensing the force on his arm, Ji Yanqing's heart softened. He pulled Ji'an into his embrace, letting him act spoiled in his arms.

Ji Le watched this scene, his round eyes blinking enviously. He wished he could be hugged by Ji Yanqing too.

Although Ji Yanqing would carry him during escapes, he had never hugged him like this before.

Ji Le envied this but also felt sympathetic. He scooted closer to sit next to Ji Yanqing.

He reached out to touch Ji'an's head, hoping he would get better soon.

After patting Ji'an's head, Ji Le finished the small packet of cookies in his hand and put the remaining cake in his pocket. The cake wasn't large, but it was filled with air, making his pocket bulge.

He planned to save the cake for Ji'an to eat once he recovered. If Ji'an ate more, he wouldn't fall sick again.

Before they could finish their food, the sky darkened rapidly, accompanied by a chilling coldness. The nights here in the mountains were colder than before.

Ji Yanqing pulled a blanket from the floor and wrapped Ji'an and Ji Le, the two little ones, in it, turning them into a big bundle.

After wrapping the two kids, he went inside to find another blanket for the night.

As he was busy, a sudden burst of urgent knocking came from the door.

Ji Yanqing paused, reflexively looking towards the entrance.

Xia Shenshu and Feng Yimo inside the room did the same, both simultaneously turning towards the door.

However, the sound didn't come from outside the door of their room.

Xia Shenshu, who was closer to the window, reacted first. Silently, he rose and walked to the window, peeking out from the side of the wall.

The sound came from downstairs.

Seeing the situation downstairs, Xia Shenshu frowned deeply.

"It's those people from earlier," Xia Shenshu said.

Ji Yanqing stood up and approached.

Three figures had appeared outside the iron gate of their building at some point. One of them was knocking on the gate with a soft but audible sound, while the other two kept looking around nervously.

"Why did they come back after leaving..." Xia Shenshu retrieved his gun, displeased.

They had clearly left but returned in such a state, indicating something must have gone wrong. They might even attract zombies.

Ji Yanqing picked up the axe beside him, glanced at Feng Yimo to ensure he would stay and look after Ji'an and the others, then quickly followed Xia Shenshu to the door to open it.

If they let them continue knocking, it would surely attract zombies. Moreover, if they didn't open the door, the people outside might resort to desperate measures, risking everyone's lives.

Some people, pushed to the brink, would do anything.

Ji Yanqing and Xia Shenshu hurried downstairs together and opened the iron gate.

As soon as the gate opened, the three people outside rushed in.

With their entry, a strong scent of blood immediately filled the hallway, reaching Ji Yanqing and Xia Shenshu's nostrils. They exchanged glances before turning to close the door.

Before closing it, Ji Yanqing glanced outside. Everything within his line of sight was quiet, with no sign of zombies.

"Where are the other two?" Xia Shenshu asked in a low voice, his tone unfriendly.

The three of them were clearly at fault, and they explained through Xia Shenshu's displeasure, "After we left, we were planning to head straight out of the city, but we were attacked before it even hit ten. We had no choice but to run, and two of us died along the way."

"They chased you all afternoon?" Ji Yanqing felt a bad premonition.

"Yes." One of the three exhaled deeply, grateful that they had run fast.

"Leave this place!" Ji Yanqing almost immediately rushed upstairs.

Xia Shenshu was taken aback for a moment before quickly reacting and hurriedly grabbed his gun, following Ji Yanqing up the stairs.

The three who had just entered and were taking a deep breath because of their temporary safety were startled by Ji Yanqing and Xia Shenshu, looking utterly confused.

Upstairs, after entering the room, Ji Yanqing immediately opened his backpack. "Ji'an, get into the backpack. Ji Le, walk yourself. We're leaving this place."

The two little ones wrapped warmly in blankets by Ji Yanqing were stunned for a moment before they quickly threw off the blankets and acted.

Ji'an got into the backpack, and Ji Yanqing swiftly zipped it up, leaving only a small vent open, then quickly put it on his back.

At the same time, Xia Shenshu had also put on his backpack and started pulling Lan Zi from the ground.

"What are you doing?" one of the three who followed them upstairs asked, puzzled.

Xia Shenshu's face was grim. "Isn't it because of what you did?"

The three looked embarrassed and even more bewildered.

"There's a Corpse King in this city, and those awakened zombies are sent by him to hunt. The whole city is under their control. If you were attacked, there's no way you could have escaped for an entire afternoon," Ji Yanqing said as he led Ji'an and Ji Le quickly into the dark stairwell.

Hearing this, the three were stunned for a moment, and then their faces turned ashen.

"How do you know there's a Corpse King in this city?"

"Don't joke around. What Corpse King can control awakened zombies?"

"That can't be possible..."

Xia Shenshu ignored them and helped Lan Zi catch up with Ji Yanqing.

When he reached the ground floor, Ji Yanqing, who was ahead, didn't open the door but stopped behind it.

He held an axe in one hand and protected Ji Le, who was following him, with the other. His eyes were fixed on the darkness beyond the iron door like a wild beast ready to attack at any moment.

Xia Shenshu's hair stood on end instantly, and he looked towards the iron door at that moment.

From his higher vantage point on the stairs, he could clearly see the open space beyond the gap above the iron door. On the other side of the open space, atop a building, two awakened zombies were climbing the walls while searching for something within the structure.

Those awakened zombies hadn't killed the previous three not because they couldn't, but because they were using them to find others hiding in the city.

Xia Shenshu's mouth twitched fiercely. He had already heard about the situation in the hospital from Ji Yanqing, but hearing about it and seeing it firsthand were two different things.

Seeing how intelligent those awakened zombies really were, Xia Shenshu was genuinely terrified. Zombies that smart couldn't be considered zombies anymore; they were monsters!

"Damn!" Xia Shenshu cursed silently. They couldn't escape now.

Ji Yanqing, standing behind the door, took a silent step back. He picked up Ji Le in the stairwell and made a gesture to go upstairs.

Xia Shenshu quickly retreated, and when he turned around, he faced the three who were still looking confused.

"What...?" Seeing Xia Shenshu and the others return halfway, the three were puzzled.

Xia Shenshu suppressed the urge to kill and lowered his voice to explain quickly, "They've followed us. We can't leave."

The three were taken aback for a moment before drawing in a sharp breath. They all looked out the window at the corner of the stairwell.

Seeing the two awakened zombies searching between the buildings opposite, they finally believed what Ji Yanqing had said earlier.

"What do we do now?"

"Should we run?"

"Where to?"

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"If worst comes to worst, let's fight them!"

As they spoke, they prepared to load their guns.

Those were awakened zombies. They had no chance of survival. Rather than sitting here waiting to die, they might as well fight to the bitter end, at least dying quickly.

Ji Yanqing ignored the three and rapidly thought about what to do. He wasn't planning to die here, nor did he intend to let Ji'an, Ji Le, and the others die here.

"Xia Shenshu." Ji Yanqing called out to Xia Shenshu, who was about to go up to the third floor and return to their previous room.

Xia Shenshu stopped and turned to look at Ji Yanqing.

"We'll go into the second floor." Ji Yanqing put down Ji Le and quickly approached one of the two doors on the second floor.

He wrapped his coat around the axe in his hand, took a deep breath, and began prying the door open.

Most residential buildings had genuine iron security doors on the ground floor, but the doors inside were composite doors: a layer of metal on the outside and paperboard on the inside. Such doors were sufficient to deter ordinary thieves but couldn't withstand forceful prying or smashing.

Ji Yanqing easily wedged the axe, wrapped in cloth, into the door crack. At the same time, a crisp sound of wood cracking echoed in the darkness.

Upon hearing the clear sound, everyone in the stairwell's hearts trembled violently, and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

Ji Yanqing paused, held his breath, and listened for a moment. When he was sure no zombies were rushing towards them, he gritted his teeth and pried the axe again.

His speed was extremely fast, and this time he pried the entire door open in one go.

The moment the door opened, a strong stench of decay wafted out from inside the room.

Ji Yanqing didn't have time to investigate where the smell came from. He quickly entered the room, on high alert for any zombies while also letting the others in.

Xia Shenshu and his group moved swiftly. By the time Ji Yanqing had scanned the living room, they had already entered and locked the door behind them.

Those three men immediately moved a coffee table from the living room to block the door from the inside.

There were no zombies in the living room.

With the doors and windows closed, the stench of something rotting, like dead rats, became even more intense in the living room, making everyone feel nauseous.

Ji Yanqing quickly headed towards the bedroom on the right side. "This way."

Arriving at the two bedroom doors, he wrapped his axe in clothing again and forcibly pried open one of the locked doors.

The moment the door opened, an even stronger stench of decay wafted out from the room.

Ji Yanqing looked into the room and saw the figures of two adults and a child on the bed. His pupils suddenly constricted, and his body trembled slightly. In the next moment, he regained his composure and hurriedly entered the room.

"Find somewhere to hide," said Ji Yanqing.

After Feng Yimo, Xia Shenshu, and Lan Zi, those three men who followed them into the room saw the three corpses on the bed and quickly covered their mouths and noses. "It's so stinky..."

A family of three lay on the bed, and they hadn't turned into zombies.

Around the bed were various food bags and bottles, and there was a knife placed on the bed.

They must have stayed at home without going out after the virus outbreak, but as their food and water supplies ran out, they were forced to make a decision.

In the end, they decided to die together.

The father killed his child and wife before ending his own life.

With the windows and doors sealed, the bodies had rotted and attracted maggots over the past six months. All the stenches gathered in the room, making it unbearably foul-smelling.

"Scrape... " The sound of something scratching against the hard wall came from outside the wall in front of them. Those two awakened zombies had already climbed up to their building.

Ignoring the corpses on the bed, everyone in the room immediately searched for a place to hide.

The bedroom wasn't large, with a bathroom, a bed, and a wardrobe.

The wardrobe was quite spacious. Ji Yanqing had already led Ji'an, Ji Le, Feng Yimo, and Xia Shenshu inside and was now helping to pull Lan Zi in as well.

Seeing this, those three men immediately headed towards the wardrobe.

The most suitable hiding spot in the entire room was the wardrobe.

"You guys go under the bed," said Xia Shenshu, supporting Lan Zi with one hand and pointing his gun at the three men in front of him.

The faces of those three men, who were denied entry, quickly turned sullen.

"Do you really want us all to die because of your bloody mess?" asked Xia Shenshu.

The three men exchanged glances. Their expressions remained grim, but they all headed towards the bed. They had been chased all afternoon and had sustained some injuries, so their bodies reeked of blood.

The stench of decay could mask the smell of blood.

The three men soon squeezed under the bed and lay down side by side.

Almost as soon as they hid themselves, a series of loud noises came from upstairs. Those two awakened zombies had entered the room upstairs where they had originally rested.

Hearing the commotion, everyone held their breaths and prepared themselves.

Upstairs, in that room, there were some medicines that Ji Yanqing had brought back earlier, the chair that Xia Shenshu had disassembled to boil water, and the used blankets and Lan Zi's bloody clothes and bandages.

While these items might only be the bloody clothes and bandages worth going crazy over in the eyes of ordinary zombies, to those awakened zombies, which were gradually gaining rationality, these items were evidence that there had indeed been other living beings in that room.

In the darkness, everyone held their breaths, not daring to make a sound or even let their hearts beat loudly.

"Clang!" The sound of something being smashed onto the ground came from upstairs. In the wardrobe, Ji'an and Ji Le shuddered in fright.

Ji Yanqing pressed his hand on Ji Le's shoulder beside him and then touched his backpack, comforting the two children.

After entering the wardrobe, Ji Yanqing had placed his backpack inside.

Ji Le and Ji'an's small bodies were tense, but they didn't make a single sound.

"Clang, clang..." More sounds echoed, suggesting that those two awakened zombies were becoming agitated because they couldn't find anyone.

The zombie king in the hospital had the ability to influence the emotions of these awakened zombies. When the zombie king woke up feeling hungry previously, they had become very irritable.

The sounds came intermittently, lasting for more than ten minutes. Afterward, the noise gradually diminished, suggesting that those two awakened zombies had decided to continue searching the buildings further back since they couldn't find anyone in the building.

They waited in the darkness for nearly ten more minutes, ensuring that the sounds had faded away and that they had successfully evaded the danger. Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.

Ji Yanqing slightly turned his head to look at Feng Yimo, who stood behind him, pressed against his chest. As expected, Feng Yimo remained calm, his dark eyes deep and showing no signs of tension or unease about their current situation.

Meeting Feng Yimo's cold, dark gaze, Ji Yanqing instantly calmed down, despite being drenched in sweat.

Ji Yanqing moved to the side. Because the wardrobe was too small, his upper body was almost pressed against Feng Yimo's chest.

Feng Yimo wore only a shirt and a windbreaker, allowing Ji Yanqing to clearly feel the firm contours of his muscles and his body heat beneath the clothing.

Feng Yimo didn't look like someone who had been suffering from long-term malnutrition. His waist was tight and strong, and his chest and arms were similarly robust.

Ji Yanqing opened his mouth to apologize, but before he could say anything, his mouth was covered.

Feng Yimo covered his mouth.

At the same time, Feng Yimo shot Xia Shenshu a cold glare, his gaze icy and piercing, as if he wanted to chop off Xia Shenshu's entire hand.

Xia Shenshu, who was about to push the door open and go out, twitched the corner of his mouth at this sight, further confirming that Feng Yimo definitely had an issue with him, and paused the hand he had extended.

Darkness fell silent once more.

After about two minutes, the three people under the bed outside the wardrobe made some noise; they seemed to want to come out.

Ji Yanqing, who was pressed even closer to Feng Yimo's chest because his mouth was covered, frowned. He couldn't remind them through the door.

Fortunately, those three weren't utterly stupid. They had been about to come out but noticed that Ji Yanqing and the others in the wardrobe were still quiet. After hesitating for a moment, they lay back down.

Darkness returned to its deathly stillness.

Time seemed to stop, and everything fell into a state of stagnation.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes passed. Having remained motionless in silence for so long, they felt like they were being swallowed by a black vortex, gradually losing all sensation in their limbs.

Just as Ji Yanqing's feet started to go numb, the sound of a doorknob turning suddenly echoed through the room.

Hearing that sound, Ji Yanqing's head buzzed, and the blood that had been still began to rush frantically to his brain.

Those awakened zombies came in?

When did they enter?

They can open doors?

Zombies, actually opening doors?

The shock wasn't limited to Ji Yanqing; everyone in the room, including Ji'an and Ji Le, was thrown into extreme shock and unease.

Did those awakened zombies find them?

Ji Yanqing subconsciously tried to tighten his grip on the axe in his hand, only to realize that he had already been holding the handle with all his might. His palm was drenched in cold sweat.

Ji Yanqing's Adam's apple moved as he forced his buzzing mind to function. Once they were discovered, he had to do something; otherwise, they would all die here.

"Whew..." A heavy breath suddenly sounded in front of Ji Yanqing's face. This caused the already agitated Ji Yanqing's entire body to break out in goosebumps.

An awakened zombie was right outside the wardrobe.

Only a thin layer of wood separated him from it.

Ji Yanqing's Adam's apple moved again, and the sound of his swallowing was deafening.

A small hand gripped Ji Yanqing's arm anxiously.

Ji Le was trembling all over. He clenched his teeth tightly, trying not to make any sound. He stared intently at the wooden panel before him, his attention fully focused.

Go away, go away, don't come over...

Feng Yimo slightly turned his head to glance at Ji Le, who was in the corner next to him. A faint golden light appeared in Ji Le's normally dark pupils.

"Whew..." The awakened zombie outside the wardrobe emitted an indistinct sound, as if resisting something.

Then, it quickly headed towards the bedroom door, running through the living room and leaving through a window.

Its speed was extremely fast, causing the door to swing and knock over a chair in the living room, producing a series of clattering sounds in the darkness.

Hearing these sounds, everyone in the darkness involuntarily shuddered.

Feng Yimo slowly released his hand.

Noticing Feng Yimo's movement, Ji Yanqing realized at this moment that he had been leaning against Feng Yimo the whole time. Because of his tension, he had ended up pressing his entire weight onto Feng Yimo.

Feeling somewhat awkward, Ji Yanqing shifted forward slightly.

Despite Feng Yimo's low body temperature, the places where they had been tightly touching had been warmed by him.

"We can go out now," Feng Yimo's deep, hoarse voice sounded right beside Ji Yanqing's ear, his breath blowing into Ji Yanqing's ear canal.

The sudden hoarse voice and the sudden rush of air caused Ji Yanqing's body to tremble uncontrollably, sending a tingling sensation from the soles of his feet straight up to the top of his head.

Ji Yanqing pushed open the wardrobe door and went out.

Seeing Ji Yanqing move, the others in the room also started to stir, all emerging from their hiding spots.

The bedroom door, which they had previously closed, was now ajar, confirming that something had indeed entered the room earlier.

The lock on the bedroom door, which Ji Yanqing had tampered with, could no longer be locked like before. Earlier, Xia Shenshu had simply closed it.

"Dad..." Ji Le's weak and uneasy voice sounded.

Ji Yanqing looked back.

Ji Le grabbed the hem of Ji Yanqing's shirt, looking unwell and somewhat weak.

"What's wrong?" Ji Yanqing was surprised; Ji Le had been fine just moments ago.

Ji Le touched his little belly in confusion. "I'm really hungry."

He had been fine just a moment ago, but suddenly, he became so hungry that his limbs felt weak.

"Ji Yanqing." Xia Shenshu's voice called out.

Ji Yanqing looked over.

Lan Zi, who was being supported by Xia Shenshu and leaning against him, had unknowingly woken up. Xia Shenshu was trying to get her out of the wardrobe.

Ji Yanqing hurriedly went forward to help.

After helping to get Lan Zi out of the wardrobe, Ji Yanqing glanced at the three corpses on the bedroom bed and led the way towards the living room.

Arriving in the living room, Ji Yanqing immediately noticed that one of the windows was pulled open. That awakened zombie must have crawled in through the window from the outside wall.

"How are you?" Ji Yanqing helped Lan Zi sit down on the living room floor.

"Painful as hell..." Lan Zi's voice was hoarse. "But I'm still alive."

Ji Yanqing sighed with relief. Lan Zi seemed to be in good spirits.

"Should we leave now?" Xia Shenshu asked.

"No, let's stay here and leave when it gets light," said Ji Yanqing.

Those zombies had already been here once. They were in a hurry to catch people to feed their Zombie King, so they probably wouldn't come back for a while. This place should be safe, at least safer than other nearby buildings.

Hearing that they weren't leaving, the three members of Xue Gang's team exchanged glances, somewhat disapproving. They didn't want to stay any longer, but they didn't say anything.

To see Ji Yanqing again was already surprising enough for them.

They had assumed Ji Yanqing would surely die when they heard he was going to the hospital, but he came back alive. Perhaps they had to reconsider their opinion of Ji Yanqing.

Hearing that they weren't leaving, Xia Shenshu plopped down beside Lan Zi.

He glanced at the open window but didn't go over to close it. He didn't want to move at all right now.

Ji Yanqing placed his backpack on the ground and let Ji'an, who was peeking out from the backpack, come out.

"Brother..." Ji Le took Ji'an's hand.

"How did that thing suddenly leave?" one of the three men asked.

Xia Shenshu didn't want to bother with the three, but this question had also been lingering in his mind. After looking at the three, he turned to Ji Yanqing. "Could it be that the Zombie King in the hospital was calling them back?"

"The hospital? What happened there?" one of the three men asked.

Ji Yanqing glanced at the three of them and briefly recounted what he had seen and experienced in the hospital. They were all in the same boat now, and he didn't want them to make foolish mistakes at critical moments.

"Five or six awakened zombies?"

"Is that true?"

"Don't you really think those two awakened zombies were controlled by the Zombie King just now?" someone among the three said.

Xia Shenshu, who didn't want to bother with him, looked over. "Then what else could it be?"

The man took a deep breath. "It seems you really know nothing about Zombie Kings."

Without waiting for Xia Shenshu to ask, he continued, "A Zombie King that awakens in the direction of intelligence needs to leave a mental imprint to control other zombies. Once marked, those ordinary zombies become their eyes and ears."

"Leaving an imprint requires energy, and the number of zombies each Zombie King can control is related to their own mental strength. The strongest known one is said to be able to control no more than three hundred ordinary zombies."

"Awakened zombies possess reason; they won't obey and allow themselves to be controlled. To control them requires even more effort. Even if the Zombie King in the hospital is powerful and can control one or two awakened zombies, it's impossible for him to control as many as you said."

As the man spoke, the two others beside him nodded in agreement.

Another person added, "If there really is a Zombie King who can control five or six awakened zombies at once, how strong must he be?"

The third person said, "Five or six awakened zombies are equivalent to five or six hundred ordinary zombies, possibly even more. If this is true, he is definitely the strongest zombie known, including the one who killed all the Zombie Kings to the north."

Ji Yanqing's eyes behind his goggles were cold. "He indeed controlled that many."

There was no way he could have been mistaken, and Feng Yimo had seen it too.

Ji Yanqing instinctively looked at Feng Yimo. As his gaze met Feng Yimo's face, he suddenly remembered leaning against his chest earlier.

He could almost still feel the warmth of Feng Yimo's chest, and his gradually cooling ear quickly became hot again.

"A Zombie King can share their blood with other zombies, allowing them to evolve rapidly. Those evolved zombies become their subordinates," Feng Yimo said.

Everyone in the room was taken aback, and they all looked at Feng Yimo, including Ji Yanqing.

They had never heard of such a thing before.

Ji Yanqing opened his mouth to ask where Feng Yimo had heard this, but then swallowed his words. Feng Yimo's personality was indeed strange, but he couldn't have survived this long just by luck.

"The blood shared by a Zombie King contains their own power, which weakens them. Therefore, the strength of their subordinates can indirectly indicate the strength of the Zombie King," Feng Yimo glanced at Ji'an and Ji Le, who were standing obediently beside Ji Yanqing, holding hands.

The small and skinny Ji'an and Ji Le looked like two soft, cuddly milk balls, calling out "Daddy" in a baby voice and acting spoiled.

Calling someone else "Daddy" and acting spoiled.

"He must be very strong then, directly creating five or six awakened zombies..." Xia Shenshu said.

"Is that considered 'very strong'? If those five or six awakened zombies were really created by him, then he is much stronger than we guessed. There is probably no Zombie King in this world who is stronger than him. Even that Beast Zombie King would die if it faced him," one of the three men said.

The other two remained silent with bitter smiles.

Feng Yimo looked at Ji Le.

Subordinates created by a Zombie King using their own blood and other zombies controlled by borrowing mental power were two different things. The former could not be controlled by other Zombie Kings unless the person controlling the subordinate was far more powerful than the Zombie King who created them, with an overwhelming difference in strength.

Ji Le, standing to the side holding Ji'an's hand and half-listening, touched his little belly with a hint of grievance. He was so hungry.

Ji Le looked at Ji Yanqing, who was busy in thought, and turned to Ji'an with a pitiful expression. "Brother..."

Feeling feverish, Ji'an looked at Ji Le and, seeing his aggrieved and upset expression, quickly mustered his energy to softly ask, "What's wrong?"

"I'm hungry."

He was starving.

In the darkness, no one spoke. The truth of their situation weighed down on them like a tangible force, suffocating them with despair.

After an unknown amount of time, Xia Shenshu, who had been sitting on the ground, finally found the strength to speak. "Now I wish that the beast Corpse King or the other Corpse King really did follow us. If they had, and the three of them fought each other, we might have had a chance to slip away unnoticed."

"If things had turned out that way, it might indeed have been possible, but where in this world do such coincidences happen?" Lan Zi said weakly.

No one spoke. Though they were reluctant to admit it, what Lan Zi said was true.

Even if both Corpse Kings had followed them into the city, they wouldn't specifically fight the hospital Corpse King just for them. In fact, they might even turn around and kill them first.

"Do you hope the hospital Corpse King is dead?" Feng Yimo's cold voice sounded.

Ji Yanqing looked over.

Meeting Feng Yimo's dark, cold eyes, Ji Yanqing, who had grown accustomed to Feng Yimo being detached from the situation, nodded. "Of course."

They had managed to evade danger for now, but who knew if they could successfully leave the city tomorrow?

That Corpse King was already frighteningly intelligent. Ji Yanqing even suspected that he might have set up defenses at the city's edge, as he would surely have guessed that they wanted to escape.

Thinking about what tomorrow would bring, Ji Yanqing rubbed his nose in frustration. Tomorrow would definitely be a tough battle.

Feng Yimo's dark eyes were deep and inscrutable, and he made a mental note.

Then it would be best to eliminate him.