TL: Moonlit
Xiao Hen followed them outside and stood by the car, watching Ji Rong refueling. However, his attention was focused on Wen Qingling and Yang Mengyu, not far away. Xiao Hen could roughly guess what Yang Mengyu wanted to say, but he couldn’t anticipate Wen Qingling’s attitude.
Yang Mengyu said, “Which base are you in now?”
Wen Qingling replied, “Civilization Base.”
Yang Mengyu nodded and asked, “I haven’t heard of this base. Where is it?”
Wen Qingling responded, “Ling City.”
Yang Mengyu was surprised and said, “Didn’t they say that an eighth-level evolved ‘General’ appeared in Ling City, and there are no survivors within a hundred miles? Why is your base still in Ling City?”
Wen Qingling casually said, “The ‘General’ has already left. Ling City is safe for us.”
Yang Mengyu hesitated and spoke again, “Considering that we were classmates, can you introduce us to your base? We have nowhere to go now. If we can’t find a place to settle down, we’ll end up becoming food for the zombies.”
Wen Qingling replied, “No.”
Yang Mengyu said, “…”
Yang Mengyu fell silent. She wanted to try again and said, “Among us, there are people with abilities. We won’t cause you any trouble. Can you please help us?”
Wen Qingling still refused and said, “My base is not suitable for you.”
Yang Mengyu was extremely surprised and asked, “Is the Civilization Base the base you established?”
Wen Qingling confirmed, “Yes.”
Yang Mengyu felt embarrassed and helpless, saying, “Then why can’t you accept us? Are you still angry about what happened earlier? It was our fault. I can have Feng Yi and Feng Hui apologize to you. Can we?”
Wen Qingling shook his head and said, “No need.”
Yang Mengyu bit her lip, not knowing what else to say.
Compared to their high school days, Wen Qingling was much colder now. He seemed like an emotionless block of ice, and even his tone of speech hardly changed. The apocalypse truly changed people’s characters, and the gentle and kind youth from back then had completely vanished.
Yang Mengyu pleaded, “Wen Qingling, please help us.”
Wen Qingling remained silent.
Not receiving a response, Yang Mengyu sighed and asked, “Where are you heading now?”
Wen Qingling answered, “A small town in the countryside.”
Yang Mengyu looked at the large truck and said, “Can you take us with you? If we come across a survivor base along the way, you can drop us off there. Would that be possible?”
They were indeed in a desperate situation, not even having a gun in their hands. The best weapon they had was a knife, and although they had a few individuals with abilities, those powers were not endless and would eventually run out. They lost many people during their escape, and if they continued like this, they would all die.
Wen Qingling thought for a moment and said, “10 common zombie crystal nuclei per person, and the cost of the ride.”
Yang Mengyu hesitated and replied, “…”
Yang Mengyu said, “… Okay.”
Yang Mengyu went back to discuss with the others.
Feng Hui was the first to explode, saying, “He has his own base but refuses to take us in. And now he wants 10 common crystal nuclei per person to ride in his car? Is his car made of gold?!”
Feng Yi scolded her, “Shut up. No one considers you dumb if you stay quiet.”
Feng Yi had already sensed Yang Mengyu’s intention. Yang Mengyu only mentioned that they would be dropped off at survivor bases they encountered but didn’t mention what would happen if they didn’t encounter any. If they didn’t, they would have to perform well on this journey. Maybe they could really go to Wen Qingling’s base.
Feng Yi agreed with Yang Mengyu’s approach, and the others also agreed. If giving up 10 common crystal nuclei could secure their safety, they were willing to do so. They had suffered too many casualties on the way, and they didn’t want to die. Sometimes, they had to spend money to avoid disasters.
Yang Mengyu quickly collected the crystal nuclei and presented them to Wen Qingling, saying, “Please count them.”
Wen Qingling scanned them with his psychic power. Counting was unnecessary, so he took them and tossed them into his backpack. He said, “Get in the car.”
Wen Qingling went to the convenience store to see if his mother had gathered everything they needed.
Xiao Hen held a long knife in his arms, leaning against the off-road vehicle with his arms crossed.
Feng Hui walked over, feeling a bit shy, and asked, “Excuse me, can I ride in your car if there’s space?”
Xiao Hen glanced at her and asked, “What did Wen Qingling say?”
“He agreed to take us for a ride, but he wants 10 common crystal nuclei from each of us. He’ll drop us off if we encounter survivor bases along the way,” Feng Hui said angrily, “Why is this person so heartless? Isn’t he our classmate? He treats strangers better than us. Does he only care about crystal nuclei?”
Ji Rong chuckled and said, “If he’s willing to give you a ride, you should be happy about it. Don’t complain. If you annoy him, he might just leave you here. You can try it if you don’t believe me, especially you and your family.”Ji Rong had already noticed that Feng Hui was afraid of her mother. As long as she spoke, Feng Hui would definitely listen.
Feng Hui became silent and didn’t dare to test Ji Rong’s words. If their family was truly left behind, there would be no other option but to become food for the zombies.
Feng Hui tentatively asked, “Are you also survivors from his base?”
Ji Rong shrugged, “No, Dr. Wen’s base is difficult to enter. Don’t feel wronged.”
Feng Hui sneered, “He didn’t even finish his freshman year. What kind of doctor is he? Don’t say it out loud and become a laughingstock.”
Ji Rong tapped the car and said, “Young lady, your thinking is very dangerous. Let me say it again, if you continue to speak without filters, you’ll only bring trouble to your family. I’m not trying to scare you.”
Feng Hui pursed her lips, “Then can I ride in your car?”
Xiao Hen coldly said, “No.”
Feng Hui: “…”
Feng Hui: “Aren’t there only two of you? The backseat should be empty, right?”
Xiao Hen: “I sleep lying down there.”
Feng Hui: “Then the co-pilot seat…”
Xiao Hen: “The co-pilot seat holds my knife.”
Feng Hui: “…”
Ji Rong: “…”
Ji Rong: “Hahahaha…”
Xiao Hen walked towards Wen Qingling and helped him bring out the bags, stuffing them into the trunk of the off-road vehicle.
Wen Qingling said, “Put them in the big truck.”
Xiao Hen replied, “You want to put these food items with the smelly mutated poultry together?”
Wen Qingling thought for a moment and agreed, so he and his mother piled up all the bags in the off-road vehicle. The trunk was full, so they placed the rest on the backseat until it was completely packed.
Wen Qingling felt extremely exhausted. His mother had really emptied the entire convenience store.
Jiang Lan brought a bag of snacks to the big truck and gave them to the two children.
Wen Qingling didn’t say anything when he saw these people. The big truck had such a spacious cabin, so he didn’t mind bringing them along. They all sat in the front driver’s cabin, and no matter how many people were there, it wouldn’t affect them.
Feng Hui failed in her attempt to hitch a ride and could only return to the cabin with resentment.
The two vehicles continued on their journey. Several barrels of diesel were placed in the big truck’s cabin, and the scent of diesel filled the air, making the people inside feel nauseous. Those prone to motion sickness ended up vomiting directly.
Feng Hui was extremely irritated, but Yang Mengyu and Feng Yi remained calm. Sang Qin had been suppressing her anger, feeling that she had stepped into a quagmire during this reunion.
Whether it was mutated black chickens or ordinary chickens, not a single one was in sight. They had traveled a long distance, only to find not even a single feather.
Old Zhou was worried that Wen Qingling would blame him, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to do.
Just because others couldn’t see didn’t mean Wen Qingling couldn’t either. His psychic power had already covered this entire area.
Wen Qingling said to Yang Mengyu, “Follow this road straight ahead. Within a distance of less than five kilometers, there is a survivor base where you will find familiar faces.” Yang Mengyu, who thought she could stay, hesitated and said, “…”
Feng Yi said, “I was wrong about what happened before. Now that it’s the apocalypse, can we reconcile and shake hands? It’s not worth it to cause such a fuss over one person.”
Wen Qingling replied calmly, “Once you see him, you won’t say that.”
Feng Yi’s heart trembled, “Mo Jing is still alive?”
Wen Qingling responded, “He is in the base ahead.”
Feng Yi was skeptical, “How do you know?”
Wen Qingling turned around and lightly jumped onto the car’s roof, startling Feng Yi and the others. What was this? Did he awaken a monkey-like jumping ability? He effortlessly leaped several meters high.
Wen Qingling threw down metal cages one by one from the car roof and said, “Hurry and leave, don’t stay here.”
Feng Hui, who couldn’t bear it anymore, said, “Are you doing this on purpose? You said there’s a survivor base within five kilometers, is it true? You took our crystals and promised to take us to a survivor base. Don’t try to abandon us in this desolate place!”
Wen Qingling said coldly, “Leave quickly.”
Feng Hui angrily said, “You can ask us to leave, but give us back our crystals!”
Xiao Hen said, “He said there’s a survivor base within five kilometers, so there must be. You better leave quickly before he gets angry.”
Feng Hui wanted to say more but was stopped by Feng Yi. After looking around and seeing that there were no zombies nearby, it shouldn’t be dangerous to walk there. If Mo Jing was really in the survivor base within five kilometers, he had to go.Feng Yi said, “Let’s go and take a look.”
Feng Hui said angrily, “Brother, are you an idiot? Why do you believe everything he says?”
Feng Yi ignored her and took the lead, while the others followed. Feng Hui had no choice but to begrudgingly follow along.
Wen Qingling threw down all the cages and stood on the car roof, looking a bit worried. “This car doesn’t seem big enough.”
Jiang Lan looked up at him and said, “My child, did you find traces of poultry and livestock?”
Wen Qingling nodded, “They have scattered, but they’re nearby. They’re easy to find. Let’s go catch them.”
Several civilized zombies were eager and ready to show off their skills.
Wen Qingling looked at Xiao Hen and Ji Rong and said, “What about you…”
Ji Rong eagerly responded, “We’ll help you catch them.”
Wen Qingling shook his head, “No need. You’re too slow. If possible, stay here and look after the car, and take care of the children.”
Ji Rong, who was deemed slow: “…”
Xiao Hen, who had to take care of the children: “…”
Xiao Hen said, “I can keep up with your speed. Are you sure I’m slow?”
Wen Qingling thought for a moment and said, “Then you can help. Ji Rong, Ning Ning, and Tong Tong can stay behind and watch the car. We will bring back the captured poultry and livestock. Make sure they don’t escape.”
Ning Ning nodded solemnly, “Don’t worry, we will take good care of it.”
Feng Tingting nodded her little head in agreement, “We can handle it.”
Ji Rong weakly made a gesture to show his obedience.
“Let’s go!” With Wen Qingling’s order, several people had already disappeared in an instant. Xiao Hen followed suit.
Ji Rong: “…”
He was scared out of his wits.
Damn, with that speed, he really couldn’t keep up!
Were these people all monsters? Even Wen Qingling’s own mother, a middle-aged woman, could move at such terrifying speeds. How the hell was he supposed to survive?! It was embarrassing to live!
Ji Rong fell into deep self-doubt.
Wen Qingling led Jiang Lan, Old Zhou, Feng Bin, Wen Bo, and Xiao Hen, They rushed toward a valley filled with mutated plants. Each of them had ropes wrapped around their bodies, prepared to tie up the poultry and livestock they planned to catch and bring back alive.
Inside the valley, there was a gathering of well-fed and strong mutated cows, sheep, and pigs. There were also quite a few mutated poultry. The six individuals spread out, surrounding the poultry and livestock, driving them toward the center. Once they were all gathered together, thin and long vines emerged from the ground, rapidly weaving in the air to form a large vine net, trapping all the animals inside.
Jiang Lan exclaimed happily, “We found so many in this place alone. One large truck might be a bit insufficient.”
Wen Qingling replied, “If necessary, we can make multiple trips.”
Wen Qingling asked, “Who will go in and catch them?”
Old Zhou volunteered, “I have experience. I’ll go in.”
Wen Qingling opened a gap in the vine net, and Old Zhou crawled inside. He started with the mutated cows. These mutated poultry and livestock were all fierce; they ate both grass and meat. When they saw Old Zhou not hiding but actively attacking, they retaliated.
Old Zhou knocked down a mutated cow with a punch, and pounced on it, pressing its neck with his knee. He quickly tied the rope around the mutated cow’s horns and neck, securing it with a tight knot. Then he dragged the mutated cow out through the gap. Wen Bo outside grabbed the rope, preventing the mutated cow from escaping.
Jiang Lan and Feng Bin blocked the gap, and all the escaping mutated poultry fell into their hands.
There were quite a few mutated black chickens on this side. They were as large as turkeys and had strong fighting capabilities. They flew and jumped, pecking at people. Jiang Lan held a stick in her hand. If any of them dared to peck at her, she first knocked them out with a stick, then quickly tied their legs and threw them aside.
Wen Qingling and Xiao Hen were responsible for transporting the tied-up mutated chickens, ducks, and geese back.
Seeing the flurry of poultry on the ground, Wen Qingling realized that they needed to bring cages.
Wen Qingling disappeared from the spot and went back to fetch the cages. Soon, he returned holding four large cages. Xiao Hen put the mutated chickens, ducks, and geese into separate cages, while Wen Qingling was responsible for bringing all the large cages over.
Wen Bo tied the mutated cows, sheep, and pigs to a large tree, waiting to be led back later.
The group worked together and quickly packed and tied up the poultry and livestock on this side. They transported them back one trip at a time, placing the caged poultry neatly onto the truck. The remaining space was filled with mutated cows, sheep, and pigs. The large truck was already packed full.
They had initially thought the truck was spacious and could hold a lot, but the mutated cows and pigs took up too much space, and they couldn’t fit many.
Wen Qingling’s mental power swept over, “There’s a semi-trailer with storage compartments in the small town. I’m not sure if it can be driven. Old Zhou, come with me to take a look.”
Old Zhou agreed and followed Wen Qingling. They quickly returned, each carrying a bucket of diesel. Before long, a red semi-trailer with storage compartments arrived.
The high metal fence would be sufficient to hold back the strong and robust mutated cows.
The group drove the livestock down from the large truck and herded them into the compartments of the semi-trailer, which could still accommodate a lot.
The group took action once again to catch the poultry and livestock.
Just as they had left for a while, two vehicles came towards them. The vehicles parked in a crisscross manner, blocking their retreat.