Chapter 51

Chapter 51

001.

Ji Yanqing hesitated to meet Feng Yimo's unusually intense and serious gaze; the sensation of his heart racing felt strange.

Feng Yimo was a man, just like him.

And yet, he found his heart racing in front of another man.

"Then hurry up and eat," Ji Yanqing muttered, lowering his head to continue eating the contents of his bowl.

Without receiving an answer, Feng Yimo continued eating absentmindedly.

Ji Yanqing quickly finished all the vermicelli in his bowl.

Ji'an and Ji Le still had piles of vermicelli left in their bowls, which they ate listlessly, looking rather miserable.

"Can't finish it?" Ji Yanqing asked.

The two kids immediately nodded slightly.

They knew it was bad to waste food, but they really couldn't eat any more.

Ji Yanqing looked at them and calculated that they had already eaten a decent amount of Chinese cabbage. He decided to transfer the remaining vermicelli from their bowls into his own.

Even though their supplies were relatively abundant at the moment, they couldn't simply discard everything—it would be too wasteful.

Upon realizing that Ji Yanqing was willing to help them finish their meals, Ji'an and Ji Le's faces lit up with smiles.

Feng Yimo looked towards Ji Yanqing.

When Ji Yanqing glanced over, he noticed there was still a lot of vermicelli left in Feng Yimo's bowl.

Ji Yanqing sighed, "Eat it yourself."

Feng Yimo, as an adult, was acting like a child, pouting.

"Okay." Feng Yimo sounded a bit wronged.

Ji Yanqing ignored the ticklish feeling in his chest caused by that single word, focusing all his attention on his bowl.

He had already eaten one bowl of vermicelli earlier. After finishing off what was left in Ji'an and Ji Le's bowls, his stomach became uncomfortably full.

In reality, the total amount of food he had consumed wasn't much—just about the size of a normal adult meal—but it had been far too long since he had eaten so much. For a moment, he even felt as if he had indulged in a feast.

Ji Yanqing rubbed his uncomfortably full belly, savoring this luxurious yet troublesome bliss.

Seeing Ji Yanqing's content expression, Ji'an and Ji Le, sitting on the cardboard boxes, mimicked him by rubbing their own round bellies.

Feng Yimo also rubbed his belly.

Ji Yanqing swatted Feng Yimo's hand away. Why was Feng Yimo trying to rub his belly?

After eating their fill, not only Ji Yanqing and the others, but everyone in the camp wore expressions of comfort and happiness.

Since the apocalypse, it had been far too long since they had experienced the joy of being stuffed full.

After a brief rest, Li Pingsen approached Ji Yanqing, presenting him with the inventory list of the supplies they had moved out from the small town, along with the four guns taken from the hands of the deceased individuals.

At this sight, almost everyone turned their attention to Ji Yanqing.

Many people stared straight-eyed at the four guns placed before Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing had a clear plan in mind. He selected four individuals who had demonstrated remarkable calmness and skill during the previous operation and distributed the guns among them.

After distributing the guns, Ji Yanqing looked at the inventory list in his hand.

Li Pingsen summarized, "We didn't find any water purifiers in the town, but we did recover a generator. The combined food and water supplies found in the town should last us four to five days. Adding this to our remaining supplies, we have enough for eight to nine days."

"There are some Chinese cabbages in the fields facing our side of the town, which should be sufficient for cooking noodles or rice for about four days. However, once harvested, these vegetables will quickly lose moisture and spoil, so it's best to cut them right before we leave."

"The Chinese cabbages are large and take up space, and they can't be compressed for a long time. I suggest we retrieve two more vehicles to carry them. This way, we can also bring additional gasoline in cans, in case we run out of fuel on the road."

"It's best to test the generator after we've traveled a safe distance from the town. Otherwise, the loud noise might attract zombies from the town."

After finishing his summary, Li Pingsen waited quietly for Ji Yanqing's response.

"Sounds good, let's proceed as you suggested," Ji Yanqing said.

Ji Yanqing exhaled softly. Li Pingsen had considered every detail, leaving little need for further instructions from him.

In the past, such trivial matters would have kept him busy for two to three days.

Now, with the growing number of people in their group, many tasks had become simpler and no longer required his direct involvement.

Li Pingsen nodded and made a note.

"Oh, where is Lu Qing?" Ji Yanqing asked, turning his head to look around, but he couldn't spot Lu Qing.

Was Lu Qing still alone in the city?

"In one of the compartments," Li Pingsen pointed to one of the compartments.

Ji Yanqing's seat wasn't directly opposite the compartments, so he couldn't see inside.

"Lu Qing." Lan Zi, who had been watching Ji Yanqing, patted the compartment behind her.

A moment later, an excited Lu Qing appeared from behind the compartment.

Ji Yanqing looked over. "How's the research going?"

Lu Qing, who had been asked and was not sure what he had been busy with, jumped out of the vehicle. He took off his gloves and threw them away before walking towards Ji Yanqing happily.

"Do you guys know what an octopus is?" Lu Qing suddenly asked.

Hearing this, everyone in the camp was confused, but Ji Yanqing instantly understood.

He had previously felt that the awakened zombie looked somewhat familiar, but he could not pinpoint why. Now, he suddenly realized that the awakened zombie was evolving into something similar to an octopus.

Sure enough, Lu Qing said, "That awakened zombie is evolving into something like an octopus."

"An octopus?" Li Pingsen was quite surprised. "Didn't you say that zombies that awaken towards strength slowly turn into beasts? Is an octopus considered a beast?"

Many people shared Li Pingsen's confusion. In their opinion, an octopus should not be considered a beast.

"That's what makes it interesting!" Lu Qing's voice trembled, and his cheeks and ears were flushed. "Have you ever seen an awakened zombie or a Zombie King that resembles an octopus before this?"

Everyone in the camp exchanged glances and shook their heads. The awakened zombies and Zombie Kings they had encountered before were all beasts.

"I've never seen one either. At first, I thought I might have made a mistake, but after dissecting it, I knew I was right. There really is this type of awakened zombie."

"Its upper limbs are degenerating, its leg bones are disappearing, and suction cups are growing on its legs. Its abdomen and lower back are also growing soft tissues similar to an octopus' tentacles without bones."

Lu Qing glanced at Ji Yanqing. "You shot at him for a long time but couldn't kill him. It wasn't because your firepower was insufficient, but because you aimed at the wrong spot. Its brain isn't in its head in the conventional sense. It's moving downward."

"Moving downward?" Ji Yanqing could not imagine the scene.

Lu Qing pointed from his chin to his throat. "Its entire face has turned into a mouth, and its brain, which should be in its head, is slowly moving down. I roughly estimate that it will move to its lungs. The reason it kept hanging on the signal tower sleeping was probably because it was currently evolving its brain."

Hearing Lu Qing's analysis, everyone in the camp had strange expressions on their faces.

Ji Yanqing was the same.

They had tied the awakened zombie's neck with a rope before, and the people shooting were afraid of hitting the rope and ruining everything, so they aimed at its face.

Ji Yanqing did the same.

"The blow that killed it was your last one. Because of the height difference, you thrust the axe handle upward from below, piercing its throat and damaging its brain, which was probably around its throat." Lu Qing looked at Ji Yanqing.

Speaking of the brain, Lu Qing was very happy. "Do you want to see it?"

"See?" Lan Zi looked over.

"I brought it back."

Lan Zi was taken aback before realizing that Lu Qing was referring to the awakened zombie's brain.

For a moment, everyone in the camp wore indescribable expressions.

"No, thank you." Lan Zi declined.

Lu Qing immediately looked at the others.

Everyone he looked at quickly averted their gaze.

No one wanted to see the new treasure toy they had just obtained, and Lu Qing was instantly disappointed.

"That thing is too dangerous. Don't bring it back—" Ji Yanqing was about to tell Lu Qing not to bring such things back to the camp, but when he saw Lu Qing's disappointed expression, he changed his words. "Don't take it out randomly. It's valuable material, and it would be bad if you lost it."

Lu Qing thought about it and felt that it made perfect sense. "We need to find a way to get a refrigerator."

Everyone in the camp had even more colorful expressions. Was Lu Qing planning to find a refrigerator to freeze that thing and keep it with him?

"The conditions are limited now. Let's wait for later." Ji Yanqing looked away.

Lu Qing was disappointed but soon became happy again. "Then I'll continue my research."

Ji Yanqing nodded, not daring to stop him. He was afraid that Lu Qing would suddenly take that thing out to show him. He was already feeling uncomfortable, and he could not guarantee that he could hold back from vomiting.

Lu Qing happily headed towards the vehicle.

After Lu Qing left, everyone in the camp sighed in relief.

After sending Lu Qing away, Ji Yanqing fell into a brief deep thought.

Although Lu Qing's personality was a bit strange, he indeed played a significant role.

If it were them, they would probably break their heads trying to figure out why they could not kill the monster even after destroying its face.

Furthermore, they also realized that zombies that awakened towards strength did not only evolve into beasts in the conventional sense. Although the probability was small, they could also evolve into other creatures.

This information seemed trivial, but once they gained sufficient understanding of awakened zombies and Zombie Kings, they would no longer be terrifying, and hunting them would become possible.

"This hunting operation was quite successful. Although there were casualties, it went much smoother than we expected," Ji Yanqing said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear after regaining his composure.

Hearing Ji Yanqing's summary, everyone wore smiles on their faces.

"Let's rest for another day tomorrow and leave the day after," Ji Yanqing said.

Upon hearing that they could rest for another day, everyone's smiles grew even brighter.

The total amount of rest they had in these few days was already more than they had in the previous six months combined.

This blissful life was so enjoyable that they were almost forgetting their original purpose.

After saying this, Ji Yanqing waved his hand, dismissing the meeting.

After doing this, Ji Yanqing rubbed his stomach again and continued to digest his food.

After enduring the two hottest hours of the day, in the afternoon when Ji Yanqing was dozing off, Xia Shenshu and Li Pingsen led a group back into the city.

When they returned in the evening, they had brought back a considerable amount of gasoline. They had also found two smaller trucks in the city, ready to be driven away upon their departure.

In addition, they had gathered some blankets and placed them in those two vehicles in the city.

With more vehicles came increased storage space. Now that they had the means, they could bring along some blankets themselves, making it easier to survive the nights.

That night, they still ate Chinese cabbage, but this time it was cooked with noodles.

After receiving his share of food, Ji Yanqing gave all the Chinese cabbage from his bowl to Feng Yimo and the others.

As the team leader, he couldn't show favoritism, but he could share his portion with them.

002.

After resting through the night, the next morning, after breakfast, the camp quickly became lively.

Having had time to reflect on the events of the previous afternoon and night, the group that had participated in the hunting mission held a self-reflection meeting. Those who hadn't been involved watched from the sidelines.

Together, they pondered where things had gone wrong and how they could have done better.

Indeed, there were numerous mistakes made. They had faltered multiple times while trying to capture the zombies, and their fear after realizing their failure was problematic. Additionally, their complacency at the end was an issue.

The awakened zombie wasn't strong; Ji Yanqing might have been able to handle it alone. Yet, as a group, they had panicked, and it was only thanks to Ji Yanqing's presence that they didn't suffer a complete disaster. Otherwise, they might have been wiped out.

After summarizing their mistakes, everyone engaged in various thought experiments, imagining how they should have acted to increase their chances of success.

Unlike when Ji Yanqing first proposed hunting the awakened zombie, which had left the entire camp in silence, this time everyone participated actively, eager to share their thoughts. Each person fantasized about how they could kill the awakened zombie.

The experience with the awakened zombie provided valuable lessons and boosted their confidence. Some of the methods suggested by the group members were even daring to the point of being laughable.

Ji Yanqing observed from a distance but did not intervene.

The terror of the zombie king had long been ingrained deep within everyone's soul. Rather than reminding them not to become overconfident, he hoped they would gain confidence.

The reflection meeting continued well into the night, and even as bedtime approached, the group remained enthusiastic.

After a good night's sleep, the next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Ji Yanqing woke up from his slumber.

He woke up around four in the morning, and it was still snowing.

Later, when the group started waking up around five o'clock, the snow continued to fall.

Braving the snow, they went to the vegetable fields and secretly chopped down the Chinese cabbage they had previously selected, carrying it back to the camp to load onto the vehicles. The snow finally stopped around half past five.

Facing a snowfall that lasted nearly an hour longer than usual, the group in the camp showed signs of unease, sensing that as they traveled north, the weather was getting colder.

Since the snow didn't stop until five in the morning and the roads were covered, they delayed their departure for nearly half an hour, setting off only around eight o'clock.

With two previous experiences of stealing vehicles, and considering the small number of zombies in the town, Xia Shenshu successfully led the group to retrieve the two vehicles they had previously identified and filled with gasoline.

Leaving the town, they drove for a couple of hours before finding a relatively secluded spot to park.

They secured the cumbersome blankets on the rooftops of the vehicles, reorganized the supplies, and tested the generator they had found earlier.

The generator worked, albeit with a loud noise.

The electricity from the generator couldn't be used directly; it usually required a transformer and battery, which they had retrieved based on Lu Qing's instructions.

After Lu Qing spent some time tinkering with the equipment, he managed to charge his computer.

Xia Shenshu quickly brought out the walkie-talkies he had been treasuring and asked Lu Qing to help charge them.

Once the computer was functional, Lu Qing eagerly took out his camera to document the events, including information about the previous awakened zombie.

They let the generator run for an hour.

By the time they finished these tasks, the two hottest hours of the day had passed, and they set off again in their four vehicles.

They didn't plan to bypass the upcoming urban area but decided to enter it, as they needed to find a water purifier as soon as possible.

If the weather continued to get colder, it would become increasingly difficult for them to survive and operate.

The water purifier Lu Qing wanted wasn't a household model but a professional one. This type of purifier was typically used more often in food processing plants, although some places using well water might also use it.

The urban areas ahead were lined up in a row, closely spaced, with no vast stretches of wilderness or mountains between them. Instead, villages and towns dotted the landscape, connected by various major and minor roads, national highways, and expressways.

Driving through such areas openly could easily attract thousands of zombies if they weren't careful.

Ji Yanqing chose the smallest of the upcoming urban areas. It was located at a considerable distance from another larger urban area, making it relatively safer.

As they headed towards that location, the group made preparations in advance.

"Our primary objective is to find a water purifier. Unless there aren't many zombies in the city, we will leave immediately after finding the purifier. We can replenish food and other supplies at our next destination," Ji Yanqing said.

Lan Zi and the others nodded, albeit with bitter smiles.

This was an urban area with a population of over a million—how could there be few zombies?

"Then—" Xia Shenshu was about to say something when the walkie-talkie beside him suddenly crackled to life. The driver of the vehicle behind them was calling out.

The person who had just received the walkie-talkie wasn't familiar with its operation, and static filled the air as he spoke. After a while, Ji Yanqing still couldn't make out what he was saying.

Ji Yanqing got up.

"What's going on?" Ji Yanqing asked as he approached the door of the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle behind them leaned out of the window and shouted, "Team Leader Ji, there are people."

"Human?"

Ji Yanqing looked around.

They were currently passing through a flat grassland. The grassland wasn't wide; they could see mountains and forests in the distance.

There were no human figures on the grassland.

"In that forest over there. At first, I thought I was mistaken, but they are indeed humans. They're waving at us." The person pointed to the left side of the convoy.

Ji Yanqing immediately looked in that direction.

The vehicle moved quickly, and the surrounding scenery receded rapidly. Even so, he soon spotted several figures under the distant forest.

Those people were too far away, leaving only small black dots. They were waving at them.

Zombies wouldn't wave.

Seeing that their convoy hadn't stopped, a few of the people chasing after them took off their coats and waved them overhead, afraid that Ji Yanqing and his group wouldn't notice.

"What should we do?" the driver asked.

"Here." Xia Shenshu somehow produced a pair of binoculars and handed them to Ji Yanqing. He also had a pair in his hand and was already looking in that direction.

Ji Yanqing took the binoculars and looked over.

The binoculars they found were toys, with decent specifications, but they still couldn't compare to professional ones.

From a distance, those tiny black dots were magnified several times, but they could still only make out rough shapes.

"There's no one in the forest. It doesn't seem like an ambush. There aren't many of them, about seventy or eighty. Should we go over and take a look?" Xia Shenshu asked.

Lan Zi took the binoculars from Xia Shenshu and looked over.

After a moment of consideration, Ji Yanqing said, "Stop the car first."

The city was ahead, and if these people were nearby, they were likely recent refugees from the city. They might know something about the city ahead.

Moreover, they only had thirty bullets left, which was practically nothing. They were about to enter the city and needed to find a way to get more ammunition.

Xia Shenshu immediately used his precious walkie-talkie to notify everyone on all channels.

The convoy soon came to a stop.

After parking, Ji Yanqing got out of the car.

He looked through the binoculars again. Seeing that they had stopped, the people over there were delighted and were quickly approaching them.

"Should I lead a team to check it out?" Xia Shenshu looked at Ji Yanqing.

As Ji Yanqing nodded, he reminded him, "Bring Black Dragon along."

Black Dragon was an eccentric person, but so far, he had seen the most survival teams among them.

Xia Shenshu understood. While preparing his team, he sent someone to fetch Black Dragon.

A few minutes later, after getting ready, Xia Shenshu hung his precious walkie-talkie on his waist, held his gun, and led his team towards the other side, his fox-like tail swaying back and forth.

Strictly speaking, this wasn't their first contact with other survival teams. However, their previous encounters with Lu Qing and Black Dragon weren't formal, making Ji Yanqing somewhat nervous.

After covering some distance towards them, the main force of the other party stopped and sent a smaller group, roughly the same size as Xia Shenshu's team, forward.

A few minutes later, the two groups met in the middle of the grassland.

They were separated by a distance of five or six meters and remained highly alert.

Being too far away, Ji Yanqing couldn't hear what they were saying, but it seemed that the exchange was going smoothly without any tension.

After two or three minutes, Xia Shenshu's group turned and walked back towards them.

At the same time, the walkie-talkie in Lan Zi's hand rang, and Xia Shenshu's voice came from it. "Boss, boss, this is Unit One, requesting a response."

Ji Yanqing's lips twitched, and he snatched the walkie-talkie from Lan Zi. "Come back and talk."

Xia Shenshu loved his walkie-talkies. Ever since they were charged and usable, he would fiddle with them whenever he had the chance. However, they had been smooth sailing, and he rarely had the opportunity to use them.

Now that he finally had the chance, he immediately showed off.

Reprimanded, Xia Shenshu, who had been happily wagging his tail like a fox, suddenly became dejected.

A few minutes later, Xia Shenshu's group returned to the convoy.

Xia Shenshu gave Ji Yanqing a pitiful glance. "There are more than seventy, almost eighty of them. About fifty have guns. Many of them are injured and look ragged."

"I asked them. They said they encountered a Zombie King fighting in the city. Their team originally had over three hundred people, but some died and others scattered. Now, only they remain. They didn't come from the cities ahead."

Hearing the words "Zombie King fighting," the crowd in front of the car couldn't help but frown.

Zombie Kings were terrifying beings. A large team of over three hundred people had been reduced to this state just because they encountered a Zombie King fighting in the city.

"What do they want?" Ji Yanqing asked.

"They want to trade food and water with us. They lost most of their supplies. They say they know information about the gathering." Xia Shenshu said.

"Gathering?"

Black Dragon immediately interjected eagerly, "It can be understood as a large-scale exchange meeting between survival teams. It's usually organized by larger teams with more members, allowing survival teams to exchange supplies and information."

"Many teams attend. It's said that you can trade for all sorts of strange things at the gathering. There might even be tanks, rocket launchers, and other heavy weapons."

"In addition to supplies, information can also be exchanged, such as edible mutated plants."

"However, these gatherings are usually very dangerous. Teams that attend generally behave themselves during the gathering out of respect for the organizers, but once it's over, anything can happen. After all, there are no laws to restrain anyone anymore."

Listening to Black Dragon's words, everyone wore expressions of surprise on their faces; they had never heard of such things before.

Moreover, in their impression, there weren't many survivors left in this post-apocalyptic world. They hadn't even considered the possibility of such large gatherings existing.

"Why didn't you mention this earlier?" Lan Zi asked.

"Such gatherings are typically passed down verbally among survival teams. I've only heard about them before and never had the chance to attend." Black Dragon looked at Lu Qing with excitement. "He should have heard about them."

Lu Qing nodded gently and elegantly, just as he did when Ji Yanqing and the others first met him.

But those who had seen his fits of madness were no longer fooled by his demeanor. Lu Qing maintained his elegance purely because the matters at hand had nothing to do with zombies; he was simply disinterested.

"It's said that such gatherings have been held several times already, each time organized by teams with a minimum of five hundred members," Black Dragon said.

"More than five hundred people?" Lan Zi frowned.

They currently had only around one hundred and twenty people. She wasn't even sure if she had seen that many living people since the apocalypse began.

"Besides the number of people, the team must also have a certain level of influence. Otherwise, who would dare to go without knowing what they're getting into? Or, to put it another way, only teams capable of organizing such gatherings can be called major teams."

"However, there aren't many of such teams. As far as I know, there are only two or three in our area."

Black Dragon looked excitedly at Ji Yanqing, waiting for him to make a decision.

Xia Shenshu, Lan Zi, and the group also looked at Ji Yanqing, awaiting his decision.

Ji Yanqing didn't immediately respond but fell into deep thought.

003.

At first glance, this gathering sounded promising, as if anything could be traded. However, the question was how much they could offer in exchange.

To survive until now and expand their teams to such numbers, none of the leaders of those teams were amateurs. The information they possessed about zombies and mutated plants likely wasn't any less than what they had.

Moreover, with teams of such size, they undoubtedly had a significant amount of weaponry and resources. Their team of over one hundred people could kill awakened zombies, so those other teams wouldn't be far behind.

Engaging with such teams without conflict was fine, but if a conflict arose, whether they could retreat safely would be a problem.

Ji Yanqing raised his eyes. "Let's not consider the gathering for now. If they want to trade food and water, we want bullets."

After some thought, Ji Yanqing added, "Fifty bullets for one meal's worth of food and water."

Hearing Ji Yanqing's non-negotiable tone, disappointment appeared on the faces of Black Dragon and the group, but no one opposed him.

Their trust in Ji Yanqing meant they knew without a doubt that he would never betray them.

Xia Shenshu nodded and led the group back.

The other group had also returned to their team to discuss and was now walking towards the middle ground between the two teams.

A few minutes later, the two groups met again.

Upon hearing their response, the faces of the representatives from the other side turned sour.

"You're robbing us," said the man leading the other group, his face flushed red and veins bulging on his forehead.

Fifty bullets were usually enough to trade for several days' worth of food and water for a hundred people, enough to fill a large truck.

Xia Shenshu smiled and calmly said, "We're trading food for bullets, and you're trading bullets for your lives. Whether it's supplies or bullets, everyone is doing it to survive. But right now, the ones struggling to survive are you."

Xia Shenshu grinned and reminded them, "We could actually do nothing and just follow you from a distance until we watch you starve to death. Then, we could take your weapons. At that point, not only would we get your bullets, but even your guns would belong to us."

Hearing Xia Shenshu's words, the group across from them tightened their grip on their guns, their already grim expressions darkening further.

Xia Shenshu's gaze swept over the hands holding the guns, but he remained unfazed, still smiling. "If it were up to me, I'd definitely do it. Unfortunately, our leader is stubborn, sigh..."

Hearing Xia Shenshu's sigh, the muscles on Black Dragon's face twitched, making the dragon tattoo on his head resemble a caterpillar even more.

He had long realized that Xia Shenshu was a skilled individual, but seeing him speak coldly with a smile on his face, revealing a side he never showed in front of Ji Yanqing, sent chills down his spine.

Ji Yanqing was a good person, but those around him were complete lunatics, each crazier than the last.

Hearing Xia Shenshu's seemingly regretful words, the muscles on the faces of the group across from them also twitched.

Although their faces were grim, they quickly regained their composure. Although unwilling, they had to admit that Xia Shenshu was right.

It was they who needed help and desperately required food and water, not Ji Yanqing and his team.

The leader took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. "Two hundred bullets, four meals' worth of water and food, payment upon delivery."

Xia Shenshu nodded and eagerly went back to report the situation to Ji Yanqing.

Returning to the vehicles, Xia Shenshu informed Ji Yanqing about the agreed-upon trade.

Ji Yanqing looked at the group beside him. "Find something to give them."

As they moved, the group continued to look at Ji Yanqing.

"The term 'one meal's worth' is quite vague, without specifying an exact amount. Three bites can be considered a meal."

"Give them according to our usual portions," Ji Yanqing said. Their current reserves were plentiful, and he wouldn't have agreed to the trade if they weren't.

Hearing this, the group quickly got to work.

Xia Shenshu looked at Ji Yanqing with a grin, not surprised in the slightest.

They had many people, so they quickly found the corresponding amount of food. Xia Shenshu took his team and moved the supplies over. They were in the middle of the grasslands, and their actions were visible to the other party, who relaxed somewhat when they saw the several large crates being carried over. Upon meeting again, Xia Shenshu received the bullets and confirmed that the crates contained food. Their faces then regained some color. Although Ji Yanqing and his group were a bunch of bastards, they were still a group of decent bastards. After exchanging the goods, the other party began moving the items. Xia Shenshu counted the bullets, ensuring there were enough, before heading back. As soon as he turned around, he saw Ji Yanqing walking towards him from afar. As they approached each other, Ji Yanqing looked at the leader of the other party. The other party was momentarily stunned by Ji Yanqing's face but quickly regained their composure. After scanning the faces of the few people in front of him, Ji Yanqing looked towards the group behind them. They were indeed in a sorry state, with almost everyone bearing injuries. They seemed to have gone without water for a long time, and many were barely standing, their consciousness hazy. A gust of wind could knock them over. "You can exchange information about the gathering for us to take you to the city ahead," said Ji Yanqing. He had seen the map, and it would take at least half a day by vehicle to reach the city from here. If they were to walk, it would take two or three days at minimum. That was under normal circumstances. The other party only had a little food and water left, and most of their team was injured. By the time they arrived, at least one-third of their team would likely be dead. Hearing Ji Yanqing's words, the person was initially stunned, but their eyes immediately lit up. However, this excitement was short-lived, and they quickly suppressed it. "I can't make that decision. I need to go back and ask," the other party replied. Ji Yanqing nodded. With that said, the two parties returned to their respective teams. Back with his team, Xia Shenshu handed the bullets to Ji Yanqing. Ji Yanqing examined them: 200 bullets, fitting into a small box. Though heavy, they were insignificant compared to the crates of supplies. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Ji Yanqing still felt reluctant to part with them. After checking, Ji Yanqing handed the bullets back to Xia Shenshu, who was responsible for weapons. He trusted Xia Shenshu with this task. "Boss." Ji Yanqing looked over; it was Black Dragon. "What is it?" "You're my boss now," Black Dragon said seriously. Ji Yanqing was perplexed, unsure what Black Dragon was doing with this Chihuahua-like loyalty display. Just as Ji Yanqing was wondering what had stimulated Black Dragon, someone from the distant group approached them. Instead of waiting in the middle, they walked directly towards Ji Yanqing's group until they were only five meters away. He came alone, without even bringing a gun, looking quite sincere. "Please wait a moment. We'll eat something and come over," the man said. Ji Yanqing nodded, understanding the man's intentions. Satisfied with the response, the man hurried back to his group. The other party moved quickly, finishing their meal and approaching within ten minutes. Up close, Ji Yanqing could see just how ragged they were, covered in wounds and blood, staggering with pale, bloodless faces. "Huang Rongyue," said the leader of the other party, a woman in her mid-twenties with a crew cut, wearing loose work pants. Though not particularly tall or muscular, she exuded an undeniable presence. The surprise in Ji Yanqing's eyes flickered and vanished. There were many capable women in this post-apocalyptic world, Lan Zi being one of them. Lan Zi's talent in marksmanship had driven even Xia Shenshu to despair. Ji Yanqing nodded and introduced himself, "Ji Yanqing." Then, he discussed the seating arrangements for the ride. Even though Huang Rongyue and her group appeared on the verge of collapse, they couldn't let their guard down. Therefore, except for the vehicle carrying the cabbages, they would be evenly distributed across the three vehicles, allowing Ji Yanqing's group to monitor them separately. They also moved the generator to the cabbage vehicle. They didn't plan on letting Huang Rongyue's group know about the cabbages or the generator. Huang Rongyue wasn't foolish and had already guessed that Ji Yanqing's group would make such arrangements. She agreed readily. Everyone got into the vehicles. Huang Rongyue and Ji Yanqing were in the same vehicle. After the car started moving on the road, Huang Rongyue initiated the conversation about the gathering without waiting for any questions. The gathering would take place in the middle of the month, nearly two months from now, in a place called Wucheng.

Huang Rongyue paused, adding an extra comment. Due to the food incident previously, she had a decent impression of Ji Yanqing. "I don't recommend you go directly there. The ones heading there are typically large groups with over three hundred people. If you just head there as is, you'll definitely catch the attention of some malicious individuals, and it's likely that something will happen. If you must go, consider collaborating with other survival teams."

"Collaborating?"

"Smaller groups usually choose to collaborate with other trustworthy survival teams. They travel together and leave together, only separating once they're far from the larger groups."

Ji Yanqing made a mental note. He hadn't considered these aspects before. However, so far, apart from Huang Rongyue, they didn't know any other survival teams.

"Are you going too?" Ji Yanqing asked.

Huang Rongyue gave a bitter smile. "We were heading this way precisely to attend that gathering, but..."

They used to be a group of over three hundred people, but in just a few days, they were now down to around seventy, all barely clinging to life.

Ji Yanqing didn't offer comfort; this wasn't something a few simple words could soothe. "The place where you encountered the Corpse King is far from here?"

"Not far, just nearby."

"Are you heading for the city ahead?" Without waiting for Ji Yanqing's response, Huang Rongyue continued, "The two Corpse Kings we encountered were both evolving towards strength. They seemed to have a cooperative relationship. If I'm not mistaken, they should already be in one of the nearby cities."

Ji Yanqing's long, slightly curled eyelashes fluttered. Huang Rongyue knew about the cooperation between Corpse Kings?

004.

Upon reflection, Ji Yanqing understood. Huang Rongyue's group was once a massive team of over three hundred people, an impressive number. They must have had their unique experiences.

"Was one of them not a large black dog?" Black Dragon interjected.

Huang Rongyue was taken aback. "You know?"

"We do..." Black Dragon's face twisted as if he'd tasted something disgusting.

Before meeting Ji Yanqing, he hadn't known that Corpse Kings would cooperate. He hadn't linked the black beast Corpse King he'd encountered with the badger-like awakened zombie. He assumed they were just three Corpse Kings fighting each other.

Now, he realized that the badger-like awakened zombie was clearly allied with the black beast Corpse King. It was two against one.

Black Dragon briefly described the two beasts he had seen.

"That sounds right, but when we saw it, the badger-like awakened zombie had already evolved into a Corpse King," said Huang Rongyue.

Hearing that they were already in the city ahead and that one of them had become even more powerful, Black Dragon's face turned ashen.

Black Dragon looked at Ji Yanqing urgently, wanting to persuade him to stay away. But the words died on his lips.

The others beside Black Dragon also looked at Ji Yanqing, wanting to suggest fleeing, but they swallowed their words.

At this point, almost every prosperous city had a Corpse King. Even if they fled now, the next city would be the same.

As long as they were alive, they couldn't escape.

"There are several cities ahead, not necessarily the one we're heading to," Huang Rongyue tried to reassure them.

Everyone glanced at her but remained silent.

The car gradually fell quiet.

In the silence, the massive black beast suddenly leaped high.

"Roar?" The badger-like Corpse King was startled and jumped up as well.

Their huge bodies caused the ground and buildings around them to tremble.

Landing, the black beast Corpse King turned back, its fur standing on end, looking at a zombie charging towards it. Zombies lacked reason; anything that moved was the same to them.

With one swipe of its paw, the black beast sent the zombie flying.

After flinging the zombie, the beast Corpse King looked at its paw.

"Roar?" The startled badger-like Corpse King realized it was a false alarm and gradually regained its composure. It had somewhat gotten used to its companion's jumpy nature.

Still no breakthrough?

"Gur..." The beast Corpse King looked around, emitting a muffled growl.

As it consumed more and more Corpse Kings, its body became increasingly uncomfortable, as if it were about to explode. Yet, there was still no sign of a breakthrough.

It had even tried challenging two Corpse Kings alone, hoping to put itself in danger and feel the threat. It sustained injuries, quite severe ones, but there was still no change.

Confused, it shook its furry head and began pondering another serious issue.

It had a growing feeling that Feng Yimo would suddenly appear from somewhere. This sensation was becoming stronger and clearer, as if he was already behind it, making it shudder occasionally.

Was it developing a phobia of unexpected appearances?

Huang Rongyue and her group hadn't had a proper sleep for a long time. After getting into the car, except for a few taking turns keeping watch, everyone else quickly fell asleep, making the cabin quiet.

The vehicle sped along the road that ran through the entire mountain range and plain, rapidly closing the distance to the city ahead.

By 5:40 in the evening, as the sun set, they arrived smoothly outside the city they planned to visit.

The city lay in a vast plain.

It seemed the city had experienced fierce battles between Corpse Kings, and it had been some time since then. Buildings that had been knocked down and twisted were everywhere, and green vegetation had even grown out of the cracks in some broken structures.

Under the twilight, the city exuded a strong aura of death.

The tall buildings stood like crooked tombstones, giving the impression that the entire city was a mass grave.

They didn't approach recklessly but parked the vehicle in a forest far from the city.

The forest wasn't dense, but it effectively blocked the view.

The vehicle was in good condition. After Huang Rongyue and her group got off, they didn't leave. Instead, after greeting Ji Yanqing, they decided to set up camp nearby and make plans for the next day.

Their bodies were too weak and needed proper rest first.

"Find some sheets for them, and see if there are any extra blankets. Send two over." Ji Yanqing looked at Li Pingsen.

In the car, Li Pingsen looked at Huang Rongyue and her group preparing to rest about a hundred meters away. He turned around and found some sheets and cloth used for setting up tents and shielding from snow. He also gathered about twenty blankets and had someone deliver them.

Apart from their guns, the only resources Huang Rongyue's group had were the food and water they'd traded for with bullets. They lacked materials for setting up tents to shelter from the wind and snow. It would be a tough night for them.

Upon receiving the supplies, Huang Rongyue looked at Ji Yanqing. She didn't refuse but nodded at him from a distance.

Ji Yanqing recalled something from Huang Rongyue's previous remarks about the gathering.

As their team grew larger, they would undoubtedly encounter more Survival Teams in the future.

Maintaining a distance from other Survival Teams was inevitable, but besides that, they could also maintain friendly interactions.

This way, they could not only exchange resources but also share information about Corpse Emperors or other Survival Teams if necessary.

Huang Rongyue was very smart. She understood her team's current situation and had intentions of friendly interaction. That's why she had proactively mentioned the possibility of two Corpse Emperors being in the city ahead and the cooperation among Corpse Emperors.

A smart person like Huang Rongyue wouldn't accidentally reveal such significant information about Corpse Emperors cooperating.

"Should we enter the city now or go tomorrow?" Xia Shenshu squatted on the vehicle and asked Ji Yanqing, who was beside it.

"Tomorrow. There's no rush," Ji Yanqing paused and added, "Arrange for two more people to keep watch tonight."

Xia Shenshu glanced at Huang Rongyue's side and understood.

Friendly interactions were based on sufficient self-strength.

Ji Yanqing had a good temper, but this didn't mean he was naive.

"So, we're eating dry rations tonight?"

"Mm."

If they cooked the baby bok choy right there, the others would immediately guess that it was edible.

Lu Qing had previously said that information about the baby bok choy was valuable among Survival Teams. Ji Yanqing didn't know if it was true, but having diverse assets couldn't hurt.

After parking the vehicles, the group quickly set up tents between them and distributed dinner.

During the meal, Xia Shenshu specifically reminded everyone about the night watch and the baby bok choy. No one in their team was truly foolish, especially those who had survived until now.

However, knowing that they couldn't eat hot baby bok choy and instead had to consume cold dry rations they'd been eating for half a year, everyone felt somewhat disappointed. Having enjoyed several days of warm noodles and rice, their appetites had become more refined.

Others were merely disappointed, but Ji'an and Ji Le, the two little ones, looked utterly dejected, as if struck by frost. Their bright eyes lost their shine.

Seeing this, Ji Yanqing couldn't help but laugh and sigh.

At night, Ji Yanqing watched the two little ones finish their meals, then fed them some water before lifting the blankets and letting them lie down.

Once the two children settled under the blankets, Ji Yanqing touched their foreheads.

Perhaps due to the effectiveness of the antibiotics Lu Qing provided, their foreheads weren't as hot as before over these ten days.

Ji Yanqing had initially worried that prolonged fever might harm them, as children were delicate. However, seeing that they were generally well except for poor appetite and even gained weight, with their cheeks becoming chubby, he put his worries to rest.

"Sleep now," Ji Yanqing whispered softly.

Ji'an and Ji Le never required much concern. They obediently closed their eyes and fell asleep on their own.

After stroking their foreheads again, Ji Yanqing took his blanket, unfolded it, and lay down beside Ji'an and Ji Le.

Just as he settled in, something approached him in the darkness and swiftly slipped into his blankets.

Instinctively, Ji Yanqing reached for the axe he always carried, but his hand met air. He remembered that his axe was broken.

Almost simultaneously, he recognized the cold presence in his blankets—Feng Yimo, whose body temperature was always lower than average.

In the darkness, Ji Yanqing could barely see Feng Yimo's dark, cold gaze.

"What are you doing?" Ji Yanqing asked softly.

They had four vehicles now, and everyone slept inside the warm, wind-sheltered cars at night. Surrounding them were people already lying down.

"…No blankets," Feng Yimo's voice was low and hoarse, the buzzing sound making Ji Yanqing's ears itch.

Ji Yanqing was taken aback, then remembered that he had indeed instructed Li Pingsen to send some blankets to Huang Rongyue's group.

Ji Yanqing turned to face away from Feng Yimo, creating some distance.

Feng Yimo was too close, and Ji Yanqing could feel the texture of the muscles beneath his clothes.

Just as Ji Yanqing settled in, an arm wrapped around his waist.

Feng Yimo reached around him from behind and pulled him back into his embrace.

Feeling the strength of the arm around his waist and the skin-to-skin contact on his back, Ji Yanqing's breath caught, and he immediately grabbed the hand.

Ji Yanqing turned his head to look.

What was Feng Yimo up to?

"Cold." Feng Yimo's dark eyes were deep.

Ji Yanqing choked slightly.

This felt familiar.

And wasn't Feng Yimo the type to show off by wearing only two thin layers, a shirt and a windbreaker, even in heavy snow? Why did he suddenly feel the cold now?

Ji Yanqing ignored him. He lay on his side facing away from Feng Yimo and closed his eyes.

Feng Yimo's proximity gave him a very strange feeling, one that he didn't dislike.

Seeing that Ji Yanqing had stopped moving, Feng Yimo didn't dare to move either. He stared straight at the back of Ji Yanqing's head. Although it was different from the feeling of hunger, he recently had an urge to take a gentle bite out of Ji Yanqing.

As if Ji Yanqing was delicious.