Chapter 65: Maternity Wear

Chapter 65: Maternity Wear

Ice crystals slowly covered Ji Hou's mangled back, stopping the gushing blood. Meng Qingqing supported him and rushed toward the house, but the horde of zombies blocked their path, trapping them among the undead. A misstep could lead to Lei Gang mistaking them for zombies and blasting them away.

A rope ladder was thrown down from the helicopter, with the wind ability user on board clearing the surrounding zombies. Ming Jing assisted them in climbing up the ladder.

One by one, they climbed the swaying ladder. The student with the thick eyebrows struggled to carry the hearing ability user who was wrapped up, until suddenly his burden lightened as another man in camouflage flew into the cabin with the student.

Meng Qingqing scanned the area and saw the armored vehicle less than twenty meters away. He grabbed the machine gun and ran towards the vehicle, but even that short distance remained out of reach.

Just as they were about to be overwhelmed by the zombies, a wind blade sliced through, creating an opening!

Meng Qingqing seized the opportunity, dragging Ji Hou and rushing over. He opened the door, placed Ji Hou in the driver's seat, closed the door, moved Ji Hou aside, and ignited the engine.

Seeing the last person climb aboard the helicopter, Ming Jing had barely a moment to breathe before a chill ran down his spine. Turning around, he saw a massive horde of zombies charging towards the farm!

Ming Jing pressed the communication button on his earpiece, "Withdraw! The zombie horde is coming!"

The helicopter immediately changed direction, firing rockets at the approaching horde, providing ground personnel with a few seconds to retreat.

As they prepared for a second wave of bombardment, a group of zombies flew towards them, with a mutated third-level zombie at the center!

The helicopter's air-to-air missiles immediately targeted and pursued the zombies, but their speed made it difficult to lock on, relying solely on the wind ability user.

Three minutes later, Guo Mingming couldn't hold back any longer. He shouted, "Captain, when are we going to withdraw? I don't want to die here!"

Guo Mingming flew back without waiting for the woman's response, preemptively saying, "Our mission is to bring the survivors safely back to the safe zone, Captain!"

The students erupted in protest, "Sister, please help Ji Ge!"

"Let them come up too!"

The captain glanced down, sighed lightly, "It's too late."

The helicopter turned sharply, and a steady female voice came over the radio, "HP-017, take care!"

The helicopter sped away. Shenchi, Cao Kun, Du Guofei, and Lei Gang quickly pulled out their grappling hooks and retreated. The armored vehicle drove straight ahead onto the main road. Meng Qingqing turned on the radio and yelled, "Everyone, get in the vehicle!"

But it was already too late. Zombies surged forward like a tide, overwhelming everything in their path. The armored vehicle, like a sheep chased by wolves, raced along the ground. Several people simultaneously launched their grappling hooks, desperate to leave as quickly as possible.

Ming Jing's rope was caught by a zombie, which knocked off his earpiece, causing him to swing wildly in the air.

The swinging made Ming Jing's stomach churn, and he vomited. Someone grabbed him, cut the rope, and flew away with him!

Shenchi's face was grim, his neck and chin covered in the stench of vomit. Ming Jing's vision blurred, unable to stand steadily.

Shenchi, despite his disgust, wiped off the vomit and angrily threw an ice spike, piercing two zombies.

They stopped on the eaves of a pavilion, steadying themselves. Ming Jing finally regained some clarity, looking back at the sea of zombies and the small green car. His face paled, and he anxiously said, "Quick, tell them to come back, head west!"

Cao Kun, standing at another corner, quickly repeated the message into his earpiece. Hearing Cao Kun's words, Meng Qingqing immediately turned the vehicle around and called Du Guofei and Lei Gang over the radio. But within sight, there was no sign of them.

The armored vehicle turned back, only to hear Lei Gang's voice over the earpiece, "Qing Ge, why haven't you caught up? Feifei and I are already on the western road. Hurry up!"

"You scared me to death..." Meng Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief, "We're on our way!"

The armored vehicle crashed through a knee-high barrier, crossing a river and heading towards another road.

At the entrance of the farm, Lei Gang released his hand from his ears, ignoring the zombies clinging to him, and fumbled to pull out a grenade. Du Guofei extended a finger and hooked the pin.

Lei Gang said, "Feifei, you're actually very beautiful."

Du Guofei paused, then smiled.

"Bang—!"

Meng Qingqing, Cao Kun, Shenchi, and Ming Jing turned in disbelief.

"Ahhh!!!" Meng Qingqing roared, stepping on the gas pedal.

The zombie horde surged forward.

Shenchi, Cao Kun, and Ming Jing walked north, two days after the zombie horde had passed. They had gone back to search for Ji Hou and the others but found neither trace nor bodies.

Passing through a bamboo forest, Ming Jing cut some bamboo, first making three water flasks, then weaving fans, hats, and buckets along the way.

The temperature on the mountain was high, and their clothes, unchanged, were now reeking. Ming Jing and Cao Kun took off their shirts and tied them around their waists. Despite his smooth skin, Ming Jing had muscles, while Cao Kun was more muscular, exuding testosterone.

Shenchi didn't remove his shirt; his ability protected him from the heat, though the scorching waves still stung the eyes.

During breaks, they drank icy water, chewed ice pops, and occasionally took cold showers.

After climbing another hilltop, night approached, and the city was still far away. They decided to stop and find a flat spot to rest.

Ming Jing laid out the bamboo strips he had prepared, covering the sun-baked ground. Even at night, the ground was hot enough to cause blisters, but the bamboo boards provided some relief.

Shenchi and Cao Kun searched nearby for food. The hill had been burned, and beneath the ash lay many dead animals, but finding live ones proved impossible.

Fortunately, the harsh climate had destroyed most life forms but also gave rise to new species.

Shenchi squatted down, digging through the soil under the dead branches, uncovering a teardrop-shaped object, about the size of a palm.

"What's this?" Cao Kun picked up the white thing attached to the dead branch, squeezing it. Inside was white flesh.

"It should be edible," Shenchi found another one.

Cao Kun sniffed it; it smelled slightly bitter, so he broke off a piece and tasted it. It was dry and starchy, similar to a potato.

In the end, they dug up five of these. Bringing them back, Ming Jing, like Cao Kun, sniffed and tasted a bit, saying, "It's edible."

Cao Kun: "So sure?"

Ming Jing nodded, "Feels edible."

Cao Kun laughed, "You're so serious about sniffing it based on your feeling?"

Shenchi actually recognized this thing. It was called Withered Leaf White. Its advantage was that it could fill one's stomach, but its downside was that it could cause constipation. In his previous life, he had relied on this for a long time.

He washed the Withered Leaf White and put it in a water pot, added some water, and then handed it to Cao Kun to cook.

Once the flesh was cooked through, they used bamboo sticks to pick it up and eat it. The taste and texture were similar to mashed potatoes.

Afterward, Shenchi got them some water to wash up. He also took off his clothes, rubbed them in the water, and hung them on tree branches to dry.

Cao Kun didn't hang his clothes; he dried them directly. When it was Shenchi's turn to wash, Cao Kun handed him the clothes and heated the water for him.

Shenchi carried the water away but returned the clothes to Cao Kun, "No need. I'll wear my dirty clothes."

Cao Kun disagreed, "That won't do. These clothes are covered in all sorts of bacteria. How about I go with you? You can bathe while I wash your clothes, and you can wear them afterward."

Although all three were wearing camouflage uniforms, it was clear that Cao Kun and Shenchi wore different sizes. If Shenchi came out of the bath wearing Cao Kun's clothes and then changed back later, it would be too suspicious.

But Shenchi really couldn't stand the state of his current clothes anymore.

"Alright," Shenchi agreed.

"Plop! Plop! Plop!" Cao Kun held his chest: Oh, his heart was beating fast.

In the end, Shenchi bathed behind the slope, scrubbing his clothes thoroughly before tossing them to Cao Kun in front to dry.

Cao Kun watched Shenchi's head occasionally appear from behind the slope and sighed sadly.

The road to winning Shenchi's heart was long and arduous.

The night sky was filled with stars, and though they didn't light a fire, they could still make out their surroundings.

Cao Kun, who had absorbed the crystal core, looked at Shenchi beside him, studying him for a moment. He noticed that Shenchi's hair had grown longer. Because Cao Kun was lying down and Shenchi was sitting, he could see Shenchi's belly resting on his legs when he slightly lowered his gaze.

Cao Kun's sharp eyebrows raised slightly as he whispered, "Your belly seems a bit hard to cover now."

Shenchi followed his gaze and looked down. His belly, slightly protruding under the camouflage uniform, indeed wasn't easy to hide.

Perhaps this life was going too well; this time, his belly was much bigger than in his previous life. If it continued like this, he would have to go north first, where it snowed and thicker clothing wouldn't raise suspicion.

The next day, the trio continued their journey down the mountain toward the city. Though the city was dangerous, it was the only place with people and supplies.

They skirted around several wandering zombies along the street. The city was eerily empty, and it was unclear how many people had died.

As they passed by various shops, Cao Kun suddenly knocked on the glass door of one. The others turned to look and saw that this vintage store displayed items from the 1970s or even earlier, such as pipes, black-and-white televisions, radios, kettles, postcards, faded books, stacks of tapes... There were even two old-fashioned bicycles hanging on the walls!

Cao Kun pried open the lock of the vintage store. Fortunately, the two bicycles were well-preserved and usable, with no broken chains.

Cao Kun gave one bicycle to Ming Jing and mounted the other himself. He turned to Shenchi and patted the seat behind him, "Get on. I'll carry you."

Shenchi didn't refuse.

On the deserted road, the two bicycles sped past, with faster zombies lunging at them but freezing mid-air before crashing to the ground in pieces.

Ming Jing led the way, guiding them forward. After riding all day, they finally saw faint lights ahead as night fell.

Relieved, they were about to continue when Ming Jing suddenly approached Shenchi with his ever-present bag and said, "I stole something."

Shenchi: "..."

"Wow, monk!" Cao Kun laughed, "Show us what you stole."

Ming Jing took out the contents of the bag, and Cao Kun curiously rummaged through it. Seeing what was inside, he stuttered, "Dresses... wigs... cosmetics... Monk, I never thought you had these kinds of preferences. Tsk tsk..."

Ming Jing: "Amitabha, these are for Brother Shen."

Cao Kun paused, and Shenchi looked over.

"What did you say?"

"In this vast world, anything is possible." Ming Jing clasped his hands together, "We're almost at the safe zone, and Brother Shen's belly needs to be hidden. Instead of being suspected, we should be upfront."

Cao Kun coldly said, "Monk, you really dare to say anything."

Ming Jing: "We're companions now. What can't we talk about?"

Shenchi didn't mention that he had always felt strange about Ming Jing. Although Ming Jing hadn't stood out during their journey, he had always seemed somewhat mysterious in useful moments.

So when he learned that Ming Jing knew his secret, he wasn't surprised at all.

Shenchi even asked, "Aren't you afraid I might kill you?"

Ming Jing smiled brightly, "If I were afraid, I wouldn't have joined the rescue team."

Cao Kun looked at him, "Why did you join the rescue team?"

"Intuition," Ming Jing replied. "My intuition tells me that following you is the safest choice."

Ming Jing paused and added, "Don't think about leaving me behind. This poor monk values his life and will stick with you no matter what! Besides, I've taken care of children before. Once the baby is born, I can help you with childcare!"

Cao Kun sneered, "Ha."

Shenchi, however, took the items from him and warned, "Remember what you said."

Then Shenchi found a place to change clothes, while Cao Kun and Ming Jing guarded outside.

Shenchi went in and came out shortly after.

Behind them, there was a commotion. Turning around, they saw Shenchi, dressed in a light apricot high-waisted dress and cotton leggings, appearing before them.

Under the light, Shenchi's figure was slender and graceful, his features handsome with soft facial lines. His long hair reached his shoulders, and he had a protruding belly. Apart from his slightly cold gaze, anyone would find it hard to believe that he was a man.

Ming Jing: "Amitabha, wonderful, wonderful!"

Cao Kun raised an eyebrow, staring intently at his future spouse, who was wearing maternity clothes and carrying a child, as they walked towards him step by step.

Author's note:

Looking at his future spouse's wig and dress, Cao Kun rubbed his head, actually, I prepared some too, hehe.