“Why do you think they smashed the car? Is it because they didn’t have enough to share? Did they fight?” Xu Song looked at the scattered car in confusion.
“Well, I guess they didn’t have the keys or fuel to drive it. So they took out their frustration by smashing the car,” Luo Wen’an laughed as he walked around the wreckage.
“Yeah, probably didn’t have the keys. They didn’t want to leave it for others,” Su Daji bent down to inspect the front of the car, confirming that the keyhole was completely destroyed.
…What kind of reason is that?
Xu Song was initially speechless, thinking that Luo Wen’an was just making things up. But upon further reflection, it made sense. They had faced hardships throughout the journey and rarely came across a functioning car that they couldn’t drive! The accumulated frustration and exhaustion reached a breaking point, and Xu Song began to think that if he couldn’t drive it, why should he let someone else? What if someone managed to start the engine?
Rather than leaving it for others, they would rather destroy it.
“Almost all the parts are damaged, not even a single intact component,” Xu Song circled the car, shaking his head with regret.
“Even if there were undamaged parts, there’s no need to collect them,” Yue Zheng pulled his arm, urging him to move away from the car. He spoke to the group, “Even if we had a car and fuel, we can’t drive it towards those people right now.”
“Yeah, who knows what would happen if we drove towards them. They might attack us out of frustration. I don’t want to die at the hands of those lunatics, rather than the mutated monsters,” Luo Wen’an sneered, casting a disdainful glance at the dense fog ahead.
As they progressed through the fog, their speed couldn’t be too fast. As they moved forward, the second team that had been traveling with the five of them seemed to have disappeared. Xu Song wanted to ask Yue Zheng about it, but he hesitated, fearing that speaking aloud would be overheard by unknown individuals hidden nearby.
To prevent getting separated, the five of them stayed close together. Liu Shishi held onto Luo Wen’an’s arm, while Luo Wen’an and Su Daji walked side by side, occasionally leaning on each other.
Behind them, Xu Song tugged at Yue Zheng’s sleeve… He even thought about holding hands, but he immediately suppressed the thought, afraid that Yue Zheng would become angry. He didn’t dare make a move.
The little tree on Xu Song’s chest looked droopy, with its leaves and small yellow flowers wilted. Despite being able to feed it with soil during their rest breaks, the lack of sunlight was taking a toll on the plant, making it visibly weak.
The uneven road beneath their feet and the dense fog obstructed their progress. Luo Wen’an felt increasingly agitated and uncomfortable. Why? Why did he have to encounter such a situation? In the city of Y, he might not have been a big shot, but he had earned respect from the prominent figures in the city’s underworld.
When the apocalypse arrived, his parents died on the spot, leaving him with only his girlfriend. They all died in a violent explosion… The sight of their blood and scattered body parts splattering his face and clothes… Perhaps the next one to die would be him? Would it be his turn next?!
Yes, it must be! Those eerie zombies, strange creatures, and malicious people! They all wanted to kill him!
…
A dog-like creature, resembling a large wolf, darted around the room, knocking down fitness equipment and pushing chairs and tables, causing chaos. As soon as Su Daji entered the room, he noticed that even the sofa had been moved out of place by the Husky.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Vfglberis, mjc’a sbe pera mjiw vbkc?” Ve Gjpl kfjxis geyyfv tlr obgftfjv. Ktfs rjlv atja bkclcu j Lerxs kjr ilxf lcnlalcu j vfwbilalbc mgfk obg ogff… Qtja xlcv bo megrf tjv tf ojiifc ecvfg? Qts vlv tf mtbbrf la ja olgra uijcmf?!
“Cigluta, jigluta, sbe’gf ws jcmfrabg, bxjs? Vtjii P ajxf sbe bea obg j kjix, biv wjc?” Vfflcu Ve Gjpl fcafglcu, atf Lerxs kjuufv lar ajli nlubgberis, oeii bo fcfgus, jcv gfifcaifrris mtjgufv abkjgvr tlr ojmf, jujlc jcv jujlc…
Then, the cute silly face suddenly transformed into a gaping, nightmare-like monster, and it lunged at his head with a wide-open, blood-soaked mouth…
“Yue Zheng, your father sacrificed himself for the public, he’s a martyr, a hero… You should be proud of him…”
“Yue Zheng, come back home with Uncle and Auntie. We’ll treat you as our own son…”
“Yue Zheng, if you want to cry, go ahead and cry… You’re still a child…”
Why should I cry?
Yue Zheng looked at the large photograph placed in the funeral hall, feeling confused as he recognized the familiar face… Ah, yes, it was his father, Dad, the person closest to him in the world since his mother passed away.
But it had been a long, long time… He hadn’t seen him during the daytime. He hadn’t attended a single parent-teacher meeting at school… No, it had been since he entered high school… No, even before that! Not even once! Whether it was before his mother’s death or after.
Even when he entered high school, he went alone.
It seemed like the last time they met… It was their final encounter, their last proper conversation, months ago. He vaguely remembered his father saying… that he would take time off to accompany him to college once he got accepted.
How many times had he said those words from childhood to now? He had never fulfilled them… Not even once. Whether it was before his mother’s death or after.
I want to go and see, to see what kind of job it is that keeps him away from his wife and son, depriving them of their usual conversations.
I want to go and see… I want to see with my own eyes.
And then, just like him, adorn the whole world with dullness and dryness.
The photograph became increasingly blurry, the figures between black and white twisting like mist, gradually becoming clear again. The person in the photo, once a determined middle-aged man, transforms into a young man in his early twenties, exuding a youthful aura, with a handsome and delicate face.
His radiant smile is warm, like sunlight, reviving the heart that has long turned stagnant. The sight of his slightly revealed teeth evokes an impulse to press his head against his chest and playfully mess up his hair.
“Xu… Song.” Yes, that’s the name, it’s definitely the name, but… how could he be dead?! How can he die?! How could he die?!!
…
“Song Song, go downstairs and exchange two bottles of beer for your dad.”
“Oh, Mom, where’s the money?”
“It’s in the drawer of the TV cabinet.”
A fragrance wafts from the kitchen as Xu Song, wearing slippers, sways his way into the living room, taking the money, taking two empty bottles from beside the kitchen door, and heading downstairs.
The hallway is quiet, but downstairs is lively. Several elderly neighbors are chatting at the entrance, fanning themselves with large fans. When they saw Xu Song coming down, they smiled and greeted him, “Little Song, you are some beer for your dad?”
“Yeah, has Grandpa Li had dinner yet?”
“Your Aunt Li and Grandma Li are still preparing it.”
After exchanging the beer, Xu Song returned to the residential area. The neighbors who were sitting at the entrance have disappeared, and the entire area is quiet, eerily quiet.
But Xu Song feels like nothing is amiss. Perhaps everyone has gone home to have dinner?
Step by step, he climbed the stairs. The walls, once adorned with various phone numbers written with psoriasis cream and oily markers, are now covered in moss.
Xu Song ascends, step by step, climbing and climbing.
“Clatter, clatter, clatter.” A series of hurried footsteps can be heard as a slightly overweight middle-aged man, carrying a half-filled jug of water on his shoulder, descends.
Ah, it’s Uncle Liu from next door. He must have gone downstairs to replace the water.
Everything seems so strange, yet there’s nothing strange about it, just like any ordinary day, nothing different at all.
Opening the door, “I’ve got the replacement.” Xu Song walks to the kitchen, but there’s no sound of stir-frying. He enters the living room with the beer, but there’s no one there, and there’s no food on the table.
They must be in the bedroom, yes, they probably went to the bedroom to eat with the air conditioning on because it’s too hot.
Step by step, Xu Song stands still when he reaches the main bedroom, and the door slowly, slowly opens…
A floor covered in blood, like enchanting flowers blooming across the room.
Fresh red blood overflows from the door, soaking Xu Song’s shoes and gradually spreading onto his feet.
A humanoid figure, covered in blood, wriggles its way up from the blood.
His father—
Definitely his deceased father—
But why is it him? How does he know that his father is already dead?!
“Slap, slap, slap!”
Something hits his face, and Xu Song suddenly wakes up, feeling completely exhausted, as if he has just recovered from a severe illness. Cold sweat covers his entire body, and his legs tremble uncontrollably.
“What… What’s happening?!”
“Brush, brush, brush.” The small tree on his chest, which had grown bigger at some point, has two elongated branches that just slapped Xu Song.
Yue Zheng’s ferocious face, with cold sweat hanging down his face.
“Yue, brother Yue?!” The sleeve he was holding in his hand is now gone. When Xu Song raised his head, he saw Yue Zheng with a fierce expression, sweat dripping from his face. The dagger was pulled out by him at some point, pointed straight at himself! !
Not far away, Liu Shishi, Luo Wen’an, and Su Daji are in opposing stances, as if they could launch an attack at any moment!
What’s happening? How did this happen?!
The dense fog seems to have dissipated a bit, but no one has noticed that everyone is trapped in some kind of illusion… Yes, an illusion!
Xu Song wants to approach Yue Zheng and wake him up, but he knows how fast his reactions are. Although he doesn’t know the reason behind this illusion, judging from Yue Zheng’s posture, it seems like he sees Xu Song as an unknown enemy.
So, how can they all be awakened…
Little sapling to the rescue! Get it some sun and a reward please~~
Wake up! Wake up! Smack…Good little tree! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🌳
Hm, maybe let little sapling squirt water on them. 🤔
I’m so immature. 😭
Thank you for the chapter