Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Speaking of which, the cabbages planted in the system space have already matured. The cabbages around Little Two have changed just like before, turning into red cabbage.

But the ones around Little Iron… why did they turn black? The same color as Little Iron.

Cheng Zhiyu picked one and found, wow, the black cabbage had a metallic texture. He tapped it with his hand and felt how hard it was.

Had he actually grown a metal cabbage? Would it even be edible?

Cheng Zhiyu thought for a moment and decided to split it open to see.

However, using a regular kitchen knife, he couldn’t even leave a mark on the black cabbage.

In the end, he had to switch to the Little Iron Cleaver—Little Iron now had two forms to switch between: cleaver and crossbow.

The Little Iron Cleaver easily cut through the black cabbage’s shell—yes, it was a shell.

Unexpectedly, the outside of the black cabbage was just a thin layer of metal. After splitting it open, the inside was the same as an ordinary cabbage. Cheng Zhiyu tasted it and found it was just like an ordinary cabbage too, unlike the red cabbage, which made you feel warm when eaten.

However, the black cabbage also had the effect of quickly restoring stamina.

Since the black cabbage was edible, that was for the best. As for the shell of the black cabbage, Cheng Zhiyu thought it was so hard that it might be useful in the future. So he simply kept it instead of throwing it away.

Little Two and Little Iron have both reached level two maturity. Aside from growing a bit larger, their appearances haven’t changed much from before.

As for Little Yellow, its vital signs have stabilized and it is now in the maturing process.

Cheng Zhiyu discovered that Little Yellow had actually started flowering. Despite only reaching calf-height, Little Yellow had produced ten flowers.

Clearly, Little Yellow was completely different from Little Two and Little Iron. Since it could flower, it should also bear fruit—he just didn’t know what kind of fruit it would produce.

He had a feeling that once Little Yellow’s fruits matured, it should reach level one maturity.

—

Since they were preparing to leave the rented apartment, they naturally had to make ample preparations. Cheng Zhiyu used all the remaining flour at home to make steamed buns, so they’d have something to eat during travel when they couldn’t cook.

There wasn’t much vegetables left, so he took them all along.

These perishable items were all stored in the storage space. As for his clothes, he only brought a few changes of clothes. After all, he could wash them and have Little Two dry them, so he didn’t have to worry about running out of clothes.

He didn’t need to bring warm clothing either—he had red cabbage. If he felt cold, he could just eat some and wouldn’t feel cold anymore.

These clothes were packed into his backpack. Besides that, the backpack also contained Little Black’s small bowl, food container, and Little Black’s small blanket, which took up most of the space.

Without realizing it, Cheng Zhiyu had completely turned into a dog slave.

—

Cheng Zhiyu’s current plan was to first go to the neighboring district to find his childhood friend.

He and his childhood friend Tian Qiao were neighbors. They were about the same age, born just ten days apart. You could say Cheng Zhiyu had known Tian Qiao since he first knew his own parents.

Later, they went to kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and high school together—and coincidentally, they were always in the same class.

They didn’t go to the same university later, but both of their schools were in Province A, so they would often meet up on weekends to hang out.

After graduating, they both stayed in Province A but in different districts. The two districts were adjacent, so the distance wasn’t far. They didn’t see each other much due to busy work schedules, but they would always go home together during holidays and complain about their crappy bosses.

One week before the apocalypse arrived, they had made plans to have a meal together. But before they could eat, the apocalypse came.

After the apocalypse arrived, aside from worrying about his family, Cheng Zhiyu was most worried about Tian Qiao. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to call Tian Qiao back then.

He didn’t know how Tian Qiao was doing now and could only hope he was okay. So the first thing he wanted to do was go to the neighboring district to find Tian Qiao.

Before heading out, Cheng Zhiyu thought about finding a car to make the trip faster.

But after leaving the residential complex, he realized he was still thinking with pre-apocalypse habits.

Before the apocalypse, the roads were clear, and everything was orderly. But now, everything was in chaos. The streets outside were filled with wandering zombies, scattered debris, and cars blocking the road. Some cars had their windows smashed—the people inside had either died from injuries or turned into zombies.

These people probably sensed the danger and tried to drive away, only to end up dead on the road.

Cheng Zhiyu sighed, his eyes—the only part exposed—filled with pity.

It was probably a sense of shared plight.

Some of the bodies were already decomposing. Given how hot the weather was, that was normal. Letting them pile up on the road wasn’t a solution—it would surely lead to other diseases.

Cheng Zhiyu apologized and had Little Two burn them. As for the zombies, after dealing with them, he burned them too.

For now, most of the zombies on the road were ordinary ones, which relieved Cheng Zhiyu. It seemed that evolving zombies were rare cases. After being outside all day, he didn’t run into a single Power Zombie. Back in the residential complex, he encountered one that was almost evolving and one that had already evolved—a Metal Power Zombie. He didn’t know if that was good or bad luck.

It was already summer, and the days were still scorching hot. But at night, the temperature dropped drastically, probably around negative ten degrees Celsius, just like winter temperatures.

This weather was really strange.

Cheng Zhiyu and Little Black had red cabbage stew with meat for dinner—the meat was cured, and they also added vermicelli. They ate it with steamed buns and were completely stuffed.

After eating and drinking their fill, they hugged Little Black and went to sleep.

They found a place similar to a clinic, with beds for patients to lie on during examinations. Little Black used his Water Power to clean the bed, laid a blanket on it, and they slept outside.

Little Black slept on his chest.

In the middle of the night, there was a faint, almost imperceptible noise outside. Cheng Zhiyu felt a gust of wind blow in.

He abruptly opened his eyes and found Little Black already awake, sitting by the window, watching alertly.

Cheng Zhiyu quickly summoned Little Iron and Little Two. Holding the crossbow in one hand, he walked to the window.

Seeing the scene outside, he immediately got goosebumps. The wind was howling outside, and a group of zombies was slowly moving toward them. Logically, so many zombies should have made a lot of noise, and Cheng Zhiyu shouldn’t have failed to notice.

But these zombies—the wind was too loud, completely masking the sound of their movement. If they hadn’t been alert enough, they might have died in their sleep.

Cheng Zhiyu frowned and, working with Little Black, took down several zombies. As those zombies fell, others immediately took their place.

Cheng Zhiyu immediately confirmed: "There’s a Power Zombie."

Looking at the unusually strong wind outside, Cheng Zhiyu said, "Is it wind-based?"

Little Black nodded. Actually, these zombies did make noise when walking, but the wind-type Power Zombie was clever—it knew how to use the sound of the wind to cover the noise.

Cheng Zhiyu had thought it was just a windy night and hadn’t sensed anything unusual.

He frowned, feeling that this wind-type Power Zombie was stronger than the Metal one he encountered before—it could continuously simulate strong wind.

Cheng Zhiyu, Little Black, and Little Two dealt with the ordinary zombies while carefully searching through the horde for that Power Zombie.

Level One Power Zombies must be at close range to control the zombies, and there is a limit to the number they can control. They already had experience dealing with Level One Power Zombies, so finding this wind-type zombie is key.

However, just then, sand and stones suddenly flew through the air, greatly obstructing their vision. Clearly, the wind-type zombie was hiding itself.

Apart from Xiao Er, both he and Little Black were somewhat affected.

They could handle the ordinary zombies, but if they couldn’t find the wind-type zombie soon, it wouldn’t work—their stamina would eventually run out.

Little Black suddenly stretched out his paw and shut the clinic’s window, blocking everything outside.

Cheng Zhiyu spat a couple times, his mouth full of dirt.

They hid inside, and soon there was a series of frantic banging against the door. The noise grew more urgent, but fortunately, the clinic’s iron door was of good quality and held firm.

Cheng Zhiyu frowned. "That zombie won’t last long. A Level One Zombie can’t keep using its power nonstop."

As soon as he finished speaking, Little Black suddenly opened his mouth and bit his fingertip. Cheng Zhiyu felt a sharp pain. "Little Black?"

Little Black licked his finger. Cheng Zhiyu looked at the spot where he had been bitten and almost thought it was an illusion—his finger was perfectly fine, without a mark.

Cheng Zhiyu: "?"

Then, he heard a voice: "Now you can hear me."

Cheng Zhiyu: "! Little Black, is that you talking?"

He looked at Little Black and saw him nod, then continue, "The clinic door won’t hold much longer."

Cheng Zhiyu frowned and nodded. Hiding inside wasn’t a solution either. The wind-type zombie guessed their intention and attacked the clinic door even more fiercely.

The wind force was strong, and the clinic door was almost about to give way.

"The problem now is, there’s no way to pinpoint that wind-type's location," Cheng Zhiyu frowned. "It’s too cunning, knowing how to obscure our view."

The Winged Tribe doesn’t always need to use their eyes. Little Black said, "What if I can locate the wind-type? Without seeing it, what are the odds you can hit it?"

Cheng Zhiyu had good aim, and after practicing his mind cultivation, his senses had become sharper. But he had never tried hitting a target without looking, so he wasn’t sure.

Little Black patted him with his paw. "Give it a try. At worst, we’ll run."

The puppy was weirdly calm at this moment. Cheng Zhiyu smiled, nodded, and ripped off a piece of cloth.

Little Black jumped onto his shoulder. The next moment, the clinic door was ripped open. A head-sized fireball smashed into the zombies rushing in, while a waterball nearby crushed the skulls of another group. Cheng Zhiyu cut down a bunch of zombies with his cleaver.

During this brief respite, he and Little Black leaped onto the roof. Quickly, he used the cloth strip to tie the blindfold. Darkness fell before his eyes, but his other senses grew sharper.

The cleaver in his hand transformed into a crossbow. He heard Little Black’s voice in his ear: "Five o’clock direction, slightly to the left, downward. Yes, right there. Fire."

Without hesitation, Cheng Zhiyu pulled the trigger, and the sound of an arrow cutting through the air echoed in his ears.