TL: Moonlit

Xiao Hen deliberately drove the car to the outskirts of South City. Wen Qingling let his spiritual power extend toward South City and inquired about the situation in Ling City.

Jiang Lan and Wen Zheng informed Wen Qingling about the attacks on Ling City.

Wen Qingling lazily leaned back in his chair. “They want to steal the blood anemone? How interesting.”

Xiao Hen looked at Wen Qingling with vigilance. Without Xiao Hen having to say anything, Wen Qingling already knew what he wanted to know.

Wen Qingling said, “During the time I was away, Ling City was attacked four times. In the first wave, the Undead mixed in with the infected. It’s also possible that the infected were cooperating with them. The infected wanted me to treat them and generously offered crystal nuclei. But their ultimate goal was to steal the blood anemone. Their plan failed, and afterward, they no longer disguised their intentions and attempted to forcefully invade. However, it’s clearly impossible. The leader probably hasn’t evolved his brain well enough to think that Ling City would be at their mercy just because I’m not there. Who gave them such a misconception?”

Xiao Hen lightly tapped the steering wheel. He knew that Wen Qingling had the ability to see the past of others, but he could only see the past of living individuals; it didn’t work on the deceased. Xiao Hen was certain that Wen Qingling had investigated Feng Hui and Teacher Gao’s pasts. That’s how he knew about Teacher Gao’s son’s height.

Xiao Hen asked, “Did you make a discovery?”

Wen Qingling didn’t hide it from him. “The leader of the Undead might be someone we know.”

Although the person was wrapped in a black robe, making it impossible to see even their fingernails, Wen Qingling could still discern a lot from the height difference between the black-robed figure and Gao Hong. Not by looking at the hood, but by looking at the shoulders. The hood had a three-dimensional shape and a pointed tip, making it difficult to estimate the actual height. But the robe naturally hung from the shoulders, revealing the approximate height when combined with the head and neck. Wen Qingling could roughly determine that the black-robed person’s height was between 168 and 170 centimeters, which was not the height expected for a man.

Xiao Hen didn’t possess Wen Qingling’s abilities, nor did he see the black-robed person in Teacher Gao’s memory. Otherwise, he would have noticed even more things, not less, than Wen Qingling did. After all, he had received professional training.

Xiao Hen furrowed his brow. “Fang Zhen?”

Fang Zhen taking away a blood anemone had been bothering Xiao Hen all along.

Wen Qingling corrected him, “Wrong gender.”

Xiao Hen looked at him sharply. “Are you saying… Xu Shengfei?!”

Wen Qingling’s mouth curved into a smile. “Things are getting more and more interesting, aren’t they?”

Xiao Hen said, “I don’t find it amusing.”

Wen Qingling sighed lightly. “Have you ever noticed how lucky my cousin is?”

Xiao Hen nodded. “Indeed, she’s quite fortunate.”

From Xu Shengfei being a plant-based ability user struggling for survival with her parents for two years in the apocalypse, it’s easy to see that she’s a resourceful and cunning woman. She can endure, she’s ruthless, and she always manages to find a path that benefits her. And her luck is truly remarkable.

After being hunted and chased by Meng Hua, escaping from Ling City, and encountering her cousin Wen Qingling, Xu Shengfei managed to capture Lu Tianjin, a soft-hearted and indecisive man. However, Lu Tianjin eventually drove her out of the South City Base, and the base was overrun by zombies that same night.

After going through various twists and turns, Xu Shengfei ended up back in Wen Qingling’s hands. If Wen Qingling had insisted on throwing her to the zombies, perhaps none of these events would have unfolded. But then came He Yi, who took Xu Shengfei away in exchange for a reward. Xu Shengfei thought she was done for this time, considering she had been infected and Wen Qingling refused to treat her. She would have become a zombie if not for some complication on Meng Hua’s side, which prevented them from killing her and allowed her to escape.

If Xu Shengfei didn’t die, the only possibility that Xiao Hen could think of was that she encountered Fang Zhen. Fang Zhen possessed a blood anemone that could save her. It seemed that Xu Shengfei’s luck was truly astonishing.

Wen Qingling’s imagination couldn’t be contained any longer. “Could she have obtained the script of the apocalypse? Is she the female protagonist in the script? Otherwise, how can she have such a prominent halo?”

Xiao Hen responded with a frown. “…”.Xiao Hen said, “Rein in your imagination. If we talk about script protagonists, you are the true protagonist.”

Wen Qingling nodded in agreement. “That’s what I think too. So don’t oppose me, or you’ll end up as cannon fodder.”

Xiao Hen remained silent.

The convoy following them was curious when they saw Wen Qingling’s car stop outside the South City outskirts without moving. They had heard that there was a base in Ling City and wanted to follow inside to take a look. But unexpectedly, Wen Qingling stopped outside the city, so they had no choice but to stop and wait as well.

Wen Qingling had already used his psychic power to instruct Xiong Shu and the others to come to the outskirts of South City, where his parents would give them a car to drive out. However, they could only choose a minivan to accommodate Xiong Shu and his gang.

Mo Jing and the others who were waiting in the car watched as a minivan drove out from the zombie-infested South City. What shocked them was that all the zombies made way for this van, and not a single one attacked them. It was as if they were following Wen Qingling’s car, arriving safely without any trouble. Although there were many zombies in the vicinity, none of them attacked.

Yang Mengyu couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on? Are the zombies in Ling City no longer interested in humans?”

Mo Jing signaled her to look outside the window. It was true that the zombies didn’t attack them, but they followed closely, eyes fixed on them, eager to pounce and tear them apart. Was this how zombies behaved when they weren’t interested in humans?

The people in the first car, all of them are Mo Jing’s trusted subordinates, realized one thing—Wen Qingling had a way to intimidate the zombies!

Until now, they couldn’t fathom that someone could control zombies, let alone that person being Wen Qingling.

Xuan Lan started the car and turned towards Xiang County. Xiong Shu’s minivan followed behind, and Mo Jing’s convoy trailed at the rear.

Xiang County was one of the three major counties beneath Ling City, closer to the South City. It would take about forty minutes by car to reach Xiang County from the South City.

When they were nearing Xiang County, Wen Qingling suddenly said, “Speed up, let’s join in the excitement.”

Xiao Hen sighed. “What kind of excitement is this?!”

Xiao Hen stepped on the accelerator, pushing the speed to the maximum, heading towards Xiang County.

Wen Qingling said, “Give me a gun and a box of ammunition.”

The gun and ammunition that Wen Qingling had retrieved were now stored in Xiao Hen’s space.

Xiao Hen glanced at him when he had a chance. “You want to fight while carrying a box of ammunition? Are you going to throw the box at them?”

Wen Qingling replied, “What else?”

Xiao Hen retorted, “Carry spare magazines. Each detachable magazine holds 30 rounds. If that’s not enough for your calamity, then carry drum magazines. Each detachable drum magazine holds 75 rounds. Who charges into battle with a box of ammunition? Even if you carry it, will you have time to reload it? Besides taking advantage of enemies, what else can you do when facing a strong opponent?”

Just like this time, they lost people and four guns, along with four boxes of ammunition!

Xiao Hen had long wanted to address the issue of civilized zombies carrying a box of ammunition each. Previously, he was an outsider and had no control over the affairs of the civilized base. Now, even if Wen Qingling still didn’t trust him entirely, he was still half a civilized zombie and had to correct their bad habits.

Xiao Hen said, “I know the civilized base is wealthy, but bullets are consumables. If we can save them, we should. If all of us use them recklessly, once they run out, where do you plan to get more bullets?”

Wen Qingling looked at him strangely, “Don’t other places have armories?”

Xiao Hen replied, “There are, but they have mostly been cleared out by the Central Mega City. The armory in Lan City is too far away and close to Ling City, so it’s been neglected.”

Even people in Central Mega City knew about the danger level of Ling City. Unless necessary, no one was willing to go there.Wen Qingling widened his eyes, “Is the Central Mega City really that greedy? Did they take all the weapons and ammunition and leave nothing for others?”

Xiao Hen said, “The Central Mega City centralized the weapons to protect humans. It should be the largest refuge for survivors in our country. It has a large population, and safety is a top priority.”

Wen Qingling asked, “How large is the population?”

Xiao Hen paused, “The current population exceeds 100 million.”

After the outbreak of the apocalypse, 80% of the global population turned into zombies, leaving only 20% struggling to survive in the crisis-ridden world. After two years of depletion, the number of surviving humans would only decrease further. The population in Central Mega City was indeed significant.

Wen Qingling’s eyes widened in surprise. “There are still so many people?”

Since the apocalypse, the largest number of people Wen Qingling had encountered was in the Ling City base, which had nearly 30,000 people. This was a vast difference compared to 100 million.

Wen Qingling did a quick calculation in his mind, and his own civilized base, despite their efforts, had barely reached ten thousand. The disparity was quite significant.

Fortunately, he had an army of zombies.

Xiao Hen added, “The Central Mega City accommodates elite individuals from all walks of life. Many talents were rescued from the zombie hordes by us after the apocalypse, and we also brought back many survivors. My team consists of elite soldiers. Starting with 30 people, we have been through two years of hardships, traversing various places, and saving thousands of survivors. We have undertaken many highly difficult missions. Now, only four of us are left.”

Xiao Hen glanced at Wen Qingling and said, “To be honest, when the four of us took on the mission in Ling City, we never planned to come back alive. The reputation of Ling City as the ‘City of Zombies’ is known even in Central Mega City. If we can really obtain blood samples with antibodies and develop a vaccine, we would have no regrets even if we die.”

Xiao Hen continued, “Before we set off, none of us expected the situation to develop to this point. If we hadn’t met you, the four of us would have likely died in the siege of the zombies long ago.”

Xiao Hen suddenly had a strong desire to confide in someone, speaking with genuine emotions. Even Luo Zhi, sitting in the back seat, listened with teary eyes.

As for Wen Qingling…

Dr. Wen was a bit preoccupied at the moment, thinking about something else. “Why does the gun need bullets? Why can’t it be like the Level 7 Evolved ‘Turret’ that doesn’t require ammunition and can continuously fire shells?”

Xiao Hen nearly slipped on the accelerator. So, after saying so much, Wen Qingling wasn’t even listening?!

Xiao Hen helplessly said, “I haven’t seen a ‘Turret,’ but if it can fire shells, it must consume energy. It’s not possible to conjure shells out of thin air.”

Xiao Hen forcefully turned the steering wheel, avoiding a group of people rushing towards them. The off-road vehicle drifted and finally came to a stop.

Xiao Hen threw an automatic rifle and two magazines at Wen Qingling, while he took out a long knife. The two of them opened the door and got out of the car, leaving Luo Zhi inside, instructing him not to get out.

The van also came to a halt. Xiong Shu and his companions quickly locked all the doors and windows, intending to hunker down in the vehicle.

Who could have imagined that there would be a battle happening here too?! Ahhh!!

Mo Jing and the others were also in despair. They had just narrowly escaped, but now they found themselves in another hellish scene. Looking at the monsters devouring everything in sight, what was there to be confused about? Clearly, this place had also been invaded by the Undead!

Wen Qingling aimed the gun and jumped onto the roof of the off-road vehicle, scanning the area for the rampaging monsters.

By the time Wen Qingling aimed, an Undead had already pounced right in front of him. Wen Qingling fired the gun, but missed the head and only grazed the neck, not completely off target.

Xiao Hen wiped his face and thought, ‘Let him do as he pleases. As long as he’s happy.’

Xiao Hen wielded his long knife and rushed forward, decapitating the Undeads with every swing.

Wen Qingling had some difficulty using the gun. He fired three shots but failed to kill the Undead. When the Undead pounced again, Wen Qingling became furious, using the gun as a baseball bat and smashing the Undead’s head to pieces.

Wen Qingling jumped off the car and delivered a final kick to the crushed head. He cleaned his shoes and squatted down to inspect the Undead, wanting to see if there was a crystal nucleus inside its head. He used a small stick to poke around but eventually confirmed that the Undead’s head did not contain a crystal nucleus.

Indeed, it wasn’t a pure zombie, as it didn’t even have a crystal nucleus. Useless.