Chapter 284: The City of Mold (6)

Chapter 284: The City of Mold (Part Six)

Zhu Ning hugged her neck from behind and said, "Ask."

Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu looked at her with curiosity, their bodies emitting a moldy smell. Lin Xiaofeng steeled herself and asked, "Do you, do you know where Moon Street is?"

Xiao Wu looked up at Aunt Lan and said in an innocent tone, "Mom, she's also looking for Doctor Saint."

Aunt Lan heaved a sigh of relief, glancing at the disabled Zhu Ning on Lin Xiaofeng's back, her face filled with worry. Lin Xiaofeng explained, "I'm taking my sister to see a doctor."

Aunt Lan looked at her sympathetically and pointed ahead, saying, "See that building? The street right after it is Moon Street."

Lin Xiaofeng thanked her. Before Aunt Lan could suggest walking together, she quickly said, "Thank you, Auntie, I need to hurry."

Lin Xiaofeng bowed to Aunt Lan and jogged away, not daring to look back, feeling their gazes like sticky worms, making her skin crawl.

Aunt Lan waved from behind, "Child, walk slowly."

There was a turn ahead, and Lin Xiaofeng walked faster, wanting to quickly enter the alley and get out of Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu's sight.

Just as she stepped into the alley, she froze as if she had seen a ghost, or perhaps it really was one.

The dark alley was covered in mold, a cold and damp air hitting her face. Two figures, one large and one small, were coming from the opposite end, the little boy holding a large flashlight prominently.

Lin Xiaofeng couldn't help but tremble, unsure whether to move forward or backward. Then Xiao Wu shouted, "Mom! There's someone here!"

That innocent tone sent shivers down her spine.

Humans have the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm. Now, every part of Lin Xiaofeng's body was urging her to run, but something strange seemed to paralyze her, preventing her from moving freely.

Lin Xiaofeng gripped the body bag tightly and slowly backed away, step by step, until she stepped out of the alley, standing at its entrance.

Lin Xiaofeng stiffened her neck and looked to the right, her pupils contracting sharply.

The mother and son were still under the bus stop sign, waving at her with the same posture, their eyes fixed on her. Aunt Lan looked like a warm and caring elder, seeing her off at the bus stop.

"Child, walk slowly!"

Aunt Lan's expression was full of concern, as if she was afraid something might happen to Lin Xiaofeng, the young girl. Beside her, Xiao Wu wore a gas mask, raising his hand mechanically to wave goodbye.

Lin Xiaofeng swallowed hard, wondering where her courage came from. She turned her head again to look into the alley, where another pair of mother and son stood.

The Xiao Wu in the alley called out excitedly, "Mom! There's someone here!"

Lin Xiaofeng's heart raced wildly, as if it were about to explode. She... didn't understand.

Now there were two pairs of mother and son, one deep in the alley and one at the bus stop. Normally, these two pairs shouldn't be able to see each other.

But Lin Xiaofeng was standing at the intersection, so she could see both pairs simultaneously.

What should she do?

Lin Xiaofeng took a deep breath, the sound of her breathing filling her helmet. Her injured leg throbbed more painfully, and the mold was growing too fast; soon, her entire leg would be completely moldy.

From her previous experience, if she agreed to travel with them, the mother and son would attack her. But if she refused, she would keep encountering them on her way to Moon Street.

Lin Xiaofeng hesitated for a moment, then, despite her fear, took a step forward. After the first step, it became a bit easier. She walked into the dark alley, feeling the gaze from the bus stop disappear.

Lin Xiaofeng asked again, "Do you know where Moon Street is?"

Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu looked at her as if they were meeting her for the first time, repeating their earlier question. This time, Lin Xiaofeng offered to travel with them.

Aunt Lan readily agreed again. Lin Xiaofeng thought that Pei Shu must have put her here for a reason, and she wanted to find more clues.

After making her decision, Zhu Ning neither stopped her nor spoke, perhaps because this choice was the right one.

This time, Lin Xiaofeng was very proactive, chatting with Aunt Lan. The information she shared was similar to before: a single-parent family, Aunt Lan working as a "spider flyer" to raise her child, usually too busy to take care of Xiao Wu. But when Aunt Lan mentioned Xiao Wu, she sounded proud, "Xiao Wu is very well-behaved, doesn't need me to look after him, very easy to manage."

Aunt Lan patted Xiao Wu's head, and it looked particularly warm and touching.

Lin Xiaofeng couldn't get any more information and tried to find other clues. Honestly, she had been so startled by the mother and son that she knew very little about the city.

They walked for hours, and Aunt Lan said she was tired and wanted to rest. It happened again, just like before.

Lin Xiaofeng suggested, "Let's rest for an hour, drink some water, and continue later."

Aunt Lan agreed, massaging her legs, "I'm getting old, can't walk anymore."

Aunt Lan sat down on the curb, and Xiao Wu, bored, played with the flashlight, turning it on and off. In normal circumstances, during the apocalypse, resources should be conserved.

But Aunt Lan either spoiled Xiao Wu too much or couldn't control him, saying nothing.

Lin Xiaofeng said, "I'll look for water nearby; my sister needs to clean her wound."

Aunt Lan replied, "Alright, I'll wait here, no need to come with you."

Initially, Lin Xiaofeng was hesitant to leave, as Aunt Lan seemed like a regular mother. When she looked back, Aunt Lan was adjusting Xiao Wu's collar.

Could she escape now?

Lin Xiaofeng thought about it and realized she would likely see them again at the next intersection.

The landmark building looked so far away, as if they would never reach it. How strange.

Actually, Lin Xiaofeng followed Aunt Lan's directions, and even if Aunt Lan led her on a detour, she wouldn't notice immediately.

Lin Xiaofeng walked a bit further and whispered, "Zhu Ning?"

She was afraid Zhu Ning had died, but Zhu Ning responded listlessly, "Mm."

That weak "mm" proved she was still alive and conscious, which made Lin Xiaofeng less fearful.

Lin Xiaofeng walked around the street and indeed found water; there was a convenience store on the side of the road, which surely sold bottled water.

But Lin Xiaofeng was a step too late. The store's sign was covered in mold, and the windows were smashed. The cans and drinks inside had been looted.

How could she have been so lucky? Lin Xiaofeng searched the store thoroughly, confirming there was nothing left. Just as she was about to leave, something at the cash register caught her attention.

The shelves in the convenience store held newspapers and magazines. Could these provide some information?

Before reading, Lin Xiaofeng poked her head out to check the street. Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu were still sitting on the curb. Xiao Wu seemed tired, curled up with his head resting on Aunt Lan's lap, fast asleep.

Lin Xiaofeng unfolded a newspaper, but unfortunately, it was already heavily contaminated with mold, leaving very little readable information.

"...Shocking Unsolved Case!"

The front part was blocked, only showing these four words followed by a large exclamation mark.

Unsolved case? What kind of unsolved case? Lin Xiaofeng tried to read more, but the mold couldn't be removed, and the thin paper quickly tore.

She switched to another newspaper. Fortunately, they were all from the same day, though the degree of mold contamination varied. By piecing together the fragments, she managed to gather some information.

"...Mysterious Death?"

What kind of death was this, and why was it an unsolved case? Lin Xiaofeng tried to find more, but the subsequent pages were even more contaminated. She could only make out two characters: child.

Putting it together, did a child die?

Was Xiao Wu the victim? Was he killed, and the case never solved because of lingering resentment, causing him to wander the city? Lin Xiaofeng, who had been trained by Zhu Ning before setting out, naturally began to speculate wildly.

But what did this have to do with the mold? Did the child die and remain undiscovered for so long that he started to mold?

And how to explain repeatedly encountering Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu? Why were they looking for a doctor? Was there any logic to this place?

Lin Xiaofeng opened a magazine. The cover contained related information, as the keyword "child" appeared again.

The magazine was a news commentary, also partially obscured. She could vaguely see a few sentences, mostly platitudes about the importance of children's mental health.

As for the pictures, she could barely make out the outline of a child, but because of the age, the image was blurred, now further obscured by mold, making it impossible to see clearly.

It was hard to understand, but all the information on the newsstand seemed to be related to this incident. Could it have happened on this day?

Lin Xiaofeng, drawn to the information, also remembered to be wary of the eerie mother and son. She peeked out, like cheating during an exam, trying to read the answers while keeping an eye on the invigilator.

This time, Lin Xiaofeng's head remained extended for a long time.

No, they were gone.

The street was empty, and the mother and son had vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.

After the last incident, she didn't dare look again, fearing they might be hiding in the depths of the store, ready to attack her.

Lin Xiaofeng quickly stood up and walked outside, standing on the street where an ambush would be harder. She waited for a long time, but there was no movement.

Standing alone on the empty street, after the mother and son disappeared, Lin Xiaofeng felt a strong sense of loneliness.

"Aunt Lan?" Lin Xiaofeng decided to play along, calling out her name.

Perhaps Aunt Lan had just gone to find supplies and would return soon.

Her voice echoed through the deserted city, as if Lin Xiaofeng were the only survivor.

Where had they gone?

Lin Xiaofeng felt increasingly uneasy, and Zhu Ning's voice came from behind, "Let's keep going."

Hearing Zhu Ning's voice, Lin Xiaofeng didn't move immediately. She found Zhu Ning a bit scary, as she was tied behind her and couldn't see her clearly. With her low voice, Zhu Ning might have died, and Lin Xiaofeng had been carrying half a body, possibly possessed by a ghost, leading her somewhere.

Lin Xiaofeng might not have noticed, but she still believed she was carrying Zhu Ning, not a ghost.

Lin Xiaofeng glanced at the tall tower in the distance and headed towards it. Perhaps she would encounter Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu again next time.

Initially, Lin Xiaofeng had been frightened by seeing the same people repeatedly, but now she felt a sense of anticipation, as the repetition confirmed a pattern.

Lin Xiaofeng walked towards the tower, reaching the end of the street. She passed a small alley, which required no turning, so she continued straight.

Just then, an arm reached out from the alley, grabbing Lin Xiaofeng's neck and pulling her back forcefully.

For some reason, she thought of the news about the murdered child, perhaps being dragged into an alley by a killer on her way home from school, about to be dismembered. Lin Xiaofeng saw two pairs of feet, one large and one small, not belonging to the same person, in the depths of the alley.

The walls were covered in mold, and a putrid smell hit her.

"Don't move!" the person behind her said. Lin Xiaofeng, who had intended to elbow them, froze upon hearing the voice.