Chapter 25

Chapter 25

There was still a considerable distance to travel from Pingqu Base to Yu City.

Before the apocalypse, the journey by plane or high-speed train would have taken just a few hours. Now, driving with frequent stops for safety and detours, it would take at least two months.

However, Wen Jiuzhe had traveled this route before and was quite familiar with it. He rarely needed to consult a map anymore, relying on familiar landmarks to adjust their direction.

He also knew which locations along the way had bases where they could restock supplies. He had a map he drew himself, with markings only he could understand.

Because the more prosperous and populous areas had fallen quickly, most of the current bases were established in previously remote regions or small towns with few people.

Between bases, vast abandoned areas that were once bustling cities were now rarely inhabited.

When they passed through such areas, with no one else on the road, Wen Jiuzhe would open the windows to let the outside wind in.

He often looked for places with fewer zombies, where he and Xue Ling could get out and stretch their legs. They would find a spot to camp and cook dinner at night.

But when they neared a base, and other people and vehicles appeared on the road, Wen Jiuzhe would close the windows tightly and drive silently and swiftly, avoiding any unnecessary interaction unless absolutely necessary.

His suspicious and alert demeanor, cautious of everyone, made him seem more like a zombie lurking among humans.

Even Xue Ling, a real zombie, would press against the window to take a closer look at the people.

Not having seen so many people for a long time, she often had the illusion that humanity had gone extinct, leaving her as the sole survivor.

Seeing her peering out the window, Wen Jiuzhe would joke with her, "Hey, found anyone you want to eat? Are they more proportionate than me?"

Xue Ling: “……”

For the most part, Wen Jiuzhe ignored the people by the road, and they didn’t bother him either.

Occasionally, their car would come under attack.

With just a single vehicle, they were not as intimidating as a motorcade, making them an easy target for those who wanted to try and rob them.

The more brazen ones would chase the car directly.

Wen Jiuzhe would open the window and fire a shot, usually killing a lookout on a vehicle roof, which would make them stop the chase.

People knew better than to mess with someone who had a gun. Even now, not everyone could get their hands on a firearm. Most people used makeshift weapons they had modified themselves.

Those who only dared to rob lone travelers usually weren’t doing too well themselves. Even if they had a gun, it was uncertain whether they knew how to use it.

The more cautious ones would set up roadblocks, waiting for someone to get out of the car to clear the path before ambushing them.

However, Wen Jiuzhe’s skills were as sharp as his looks, and he had plenty of experience being ambushed. In such situations, he didn’t even need to use his gun, relying instead on a short blade.

A human neck was softer than a zombie’s.

There were also times when, while Wen Jiuzhe was fighting off a group, someone would sneak up to the car.

Seeing Xue Ling, wrapped up tightly inside, their first reaction was always to drag her out, intending to use her as a hostage to force Wen Jiuzhe to surrender.

Xue Ling typically had only two reactions: she would show her face and take a bite.

"Ahhhh! It's a zombie, I've been bitten!"

Almost everyone reacted the same way, as if they had rehearsed it.

In their eyes, it was unthinkable that anyone in the post-apocalypse would keep a zombie as a pet, let alone dress them up to look like a normal person.

No one was ever prepared for it, and it took them a moment to realize something was wrong after being bitten.

After dealing with the roadblock, Wen Jiuzhe would crouch by the water to clean the blood splattered on his face and body, while Xue Ling rinsed her mouth with a cup.

The person who tried to take her hostage today had particularly long arm hair and looked like they didn’t bathe often, with dirt in the arm creases. Biting into that... ugh.

It made her physically nauseous.

The zombie was unharmed, only suffering a little emotional damage, but the human was another story.

In situations where he had to fight multiple opponents, Wen Jiuzhe would inevitably suffer minor injuries.

His knuckles would be scraped, and the thenar eminence would crack from excessive force, both of which only required disinfection. However, bruises from being hit by a stick had no medicinal remedies available.

Seeing Wen Jiuzhe sitting there with his newly cleaned upper body, eating from a bowl with two red swollen marks on his back, Xue Ling felt that she hadn’t been thorough enough when she last gathered supplies.

Noticing her gaze lingering on his back, Wen Jiuzhe smiled, casually pushing aside his damp bangs that had fallen into his eyes.

"It’ll be fine in a couple of days," he said. "You know me, I heal faster than others."

Yes, Xue Ling knew. He had grown accustomed to getting beaten up since childhood. A stick that would have broken someone else’s bones would only leave two red marks on him.

Xue Ling applied some disinfectant to his back, though it had expired and she wasn’t sure if it was still effective.

That night, Wen Jiuzhe lay with his back exposed to the air as he slept, sweating in the heat, with beads of sweat running down from his back to his waist.

Xue Ling sat next to him, knees drawn up, pulling out a tablet to watch something light-hearted to take her mind off things.

She had lied. In truth, Wen Jiuzhe did look quite appetizing.

After traveling for over half a month, the power in their portable charger ran out, and they didn’t have much gasoline left.

Driving was convenient, and their modified car had held up well despite several attacks, but it consumed a lot of fuel.

Wen Jiuzhe found a relatively large base to refuel, though they almost didn’t make it there. If the car had broken down halfway, it would have been quite troublesome.

Xue Ling, holding the abstract map he had drawn, asked him why they had come to this farther base instead of a closer one.

"That base? It's gone now. It used to be a black site, where ordinary people would go in but never come out." Wen Jiuzhe said.

The leaders of larger bases were mostly former government officials and were generally more orderly.

Smaller bases, with no one to regulate them, were a mixed bag. It was easy for local tyrants to emerge, engaging in bullying and oppression.

Groups of people, with their so-called 'big brothers' and 'little brothers,' would stake out a mountain and declare themselves kings.

"Have you been there?" Xue Ling asked curiously.

"Yes, I have. Otherwise, how would I know it was a black site? The leader of that base even tried to convince me to stay and work as his enforcer." Wen Jiuzhe recounted as if telling a story.

"The boss painted me a picture, saying, 'If you become my brother, I won't mistreat you. Once we take down the two nearby bases, I'll make you the leader of another base!'”

He smirked and commented, "He thought he was playing some Three Kingdoms battle game, trying to recruit soldiers and contend for power."

Xue Ling was amused and wrote, "How did the base disappear? Was it because of you?"

"They kidnapped the wrong person. I took a reward and joined a group to rescue them... and then the base was gone."

He left out a lot of details, didn't he?

Xue Ling listened intently, feeling that Wen Jiuzhe's life over the past three years had been far more exciting than hers.

Unlike him, all she did was walk and walk, constantly getting lost, and finding places to rest.

"Have you been to all these bases?" She wrote eagerly.

"Yes, I have." Wen Jiuzhe cushioned his head with his hands, seeing the words "Tell me what interesting things happened" almost written in Xue Ling's dark red eyes.

Wen Jiuzhe thought back. It certainly wasn't as interesting as Xue Ling might imagine.

He was just there to earn supplies and teamed up with people for that purpose, leaving once he had enough without paying much attention to the bases. He could barely remember the people he worked with.

Thinking about what she might find interesting, Wen Jiuzhe said, "There's a base on this map that operates like a bandit stronghold. It's quite large, and I almost got stuck there, barely escaping with my life."

Xue Ling tensed up, clenching her fists as she waited for the rest of the story.

"The reason... I don't remember why, but a leader there took a disliking to me and chased me with dozens of men. I ran out of the base, but they kept pursuing me."

The long scar on his waist was from that time.

"I led them on a chase through a nearby abandoned city, spending a day and night maneuvering through an empty skyscraper, dealing with all of them and finally stealing their car to escape."

"Yes, this very car. I have to thank them. It's a really good car."

Seeing Xue Ling relax her fists and waving them to express happiness, Wen Jiuzhe smiled lazily.

He didn't mention how dangerous it was. That night, he had to stuff his almost protruding intestines back in, block his abdominal wound, and drive out while the entire seat was soaked in his blood.

He thought he would die there, semi-conscious, gritting his teeth to find some medicine in the car to treat his wounds, and somehow, he made it through.

Maybe he was just too stubborn to die, or maybe dying there felt too unjust.

Xue Ling suspected he was making up stories to entertain her but still clapped her hands politely.

If she filled in the blanks herself, Xue Ling imagined it must have been as tense and thrilling as an action movie.

The final escape scene should be set against the backdrop of dawn, symbolizing survival and the promise of smoother sailing ahead.

"So, when we pass by that base, we'd better take a detour." Wen Jiuzhe marked a cross on that base.

Xue Ling nodded.

Wen Jiuzhe crossed out another base: "This one is also a no-go."

Could it be another black site?

Wen Jiuzhe said, "This is the largest base in the surrounding three provinces. It houses many people and is strictly managed. Guards check the entrance, so we definitely can't get close."

Xue Ling would certainly be found out.

He had spent the most time at that base, where a long street was lined with missing persons notices, including one for Xue Ling.

"And this base, best to avoid as well." He crossed out another base.

What was the story with this one?

"The leader's daughter had her eyes on me and wanted me to be her stay-at-home husband."

Xue Ling wrote, "Is that a lie?"

Wen Jiuzhe smiled without saying a word.

Before going to sleep at night, Xue Ling, lying with her hands on her abdomen, suddenly sat up and threw her writing board at Wen Jiuzhe.

The words "Is that a lie?" were still on it.

"It's a lie, okay? I was just messing with you." Wen Jiuzhe laughed as he was hit.

Xue Ling lay back down.

In reality, it didn't matter much. They had already broken up.

And as a zombie and a human, would they really continue to stay together? Certainly not.

Xue Ling moved her crossed hands from her abdomen to her chest, then suddenly sat up and grabbed the writing board: "Is it really fake?"

"Haha," Wen Jiuzhe rolled over, his shoulders trembling as he laughed.

"It's fake. No one is into me," he said, "Only someone with vision problems would be into me."

Xue Ling: “……”

She had been insulted.

She stretched out her foot and stomped on his foot hard.

Wen Jiuzhe was still laughing.

Xue Ling thought, did I hit your switch or something? Stomp once and you laugh once?

Worried that stomping on just one foot might make him limp tomorrow, Xue Ling considerately stomped on his other foot as well.