Chapter Fourteen: The Petty Man

The entire team had dwindled to only sixteen people. Yue Qi still led them forward, running at the front, while his father’s body had finally been laid to rest by Yue Qi in a nearby house. In a world like this, at least it was a small haven against the storm.

“Hurry! We’re almost at the village entrance!” Yue Qi whispered. A few zombies still wandered near the gate, just as they had when he first arrived at Yue Family Village. Those zombies had been aimlessly roaming about, with no living souls coming to provoke them.

“A Qi, do you mean Yunsheng and the others are all at the hunting lodge?” Yue San asked, his face pale. It was clear that fighting the zombies earlier had drained him, and the death of their father had left him so weak that a single gust might topple him.

“Yes, Third Brother, just hold on a bit longer!” Yue Qi answered firmly. Tears had long since dried on his cheeks, leaving only faint, visible tracks.

“I’m fine, just lead everyone on. Once we get there, we’ll be safe!” Yue San forced a smile and quickened his steps, trying to keep up with Yue Qi.

The survivors were all utterly exhausted. The wind-treading spell on Yue Qi’s legs had faded, and even after years of cultivation, he felt fatigue both in body and soul.

Suddenly, a scream of agony echoed from behind.

“What now?!” Yue Qi’s patience snapped. He had hoped that after what they’d just experienced, these people would be less easily startled, but it seemed they were still as fragile as ever.

They were nearly at the village gate. The zombies outside seemed to have heard the commotion and began to shamble over.

“Third Brother, keep an eye on the front! If any zombies appear, call me back immediately! You’re all injured; don’t try to fight them off!” Yue Qi instructed before dashing toward the rear. Though their group was only a dozen or so, differences in speed had stretched the line out quite a bit.

Even before he reached them, Yue Qi sensed something was amiss. It was the man whose hand he had chopped off earlier. Now, the man lay on the ground, convulsing violently, his severed arm bleeding profusely. Looking closer, Yue Qi saw scratch marks across the man’s face.

“What happened?!” Yue Qi demanded of the village chief, knowing this man was his confidant and would know what was going on.

“I don’t know, he just suddenly started convulsing. When Yue Liang tried to help, he punched him so hard he spat blood!” the village chief replied, worried. Not far off, Yue Liang was clutching his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief at what he had witnessed.

“That’s it! I told you all to cover your noses with damp cloths! Why doesn’t he have one?!” Yue Qi quickly spotted the problem and questioned Yue Liang.

“Ah? I must have dropped it while running…” Yue Liang thought for a moment. “So, Brother Qi, what do we do now?” Though Yue Liang was older than Yue Qi and the chief’s third son, he called him “Brother Qi,” recognizing Yue Qi as their pillar.

“There’s nothing to be done; he’s probably mutating right now. You all go ahead and meet up with my second brother. I’ll stay and watch. If there’s a chance, I’ll bring him along. If not…” A steely glint flashed in Yue Qi’s eyes. “Then I’ll have to kill him before he turns.”

A shadow of sorrow flickered in the chief’s eyes. Though not his own son, he had watched the man grow up. But now, there was no choice—he could barely protect himself, let alone others.

“Help me! Save me!!” As the others left, Yue Qi remained, watching coldly. He didn’t have the power to save someone already on the brink of mutation.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you. But if you wish…I can give you a swift end,” Yue Qi sighed.

The man writhed on the ground in agony but seemed to understand Yue Qi’s words. Still, he said nothing, only struggling as though fighting some inner turmoil.

“Qi! There are zombies here!” came Yue Er’s voice from ahead. Clearly, the zombies at the village entrance had noticed them.

Yue Qi glanced ahead, then back at the young man writhing behind him. “Forget it. Nothing more I can do. Let fate take its course…” Yue Qi thought, turning to run toward the others.

But he had barely taken a few steps when a sudden gust of wind rushed from behind!

Bang! He drew his sword and blocked just in time. The force of the blow made him stagger back a few steps, but he managed to absorb the impact. Then, seeing who had attacked, Yue Qi was stunned—it was the one-armed man.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” The man’s eyes were turning blood-red, just like a zombie’s.

“It’s started—he’s mutating. No choice but to kill him!” Yue Qi realized. He raised his sword and charged. In his eyes, a mindless, solitary zombie was no threat.

But in the next instant, he was shocked—the man dodged his attack with ease and swung his lone arm at Yue Qi.

“What’s going on?!” Yue Qi had never encountered zombies with such agility. If all zombies gained intelligence, how could any survivors hope to live?

“My hand! You cut off my hand! Give it back! Give it back!!” the one-armed man growled like a mindless beast.

“Could it be that he hasn’t fully mutated and retains some shred of consciousness?” That thought brought Yue Qi a measure of relief. If zombies truly became sentient, then…

“Qi, hurry! We can’t hold them much longer!” Yue Er’s voice called again, strained and breathless—clearly still fighting off the attacking zombies.

“No choice, I have to finish this quickly!” Yue Qi tried to draw on his inner energy. As he suspected, he had strength for only one more spell; after that, only his sword would stand between them and the undead.

Worried for his family’s safety, Yue Qi wasted no time. He pointed his sword, conjured a water orb, and flung it at the zombie’s leg—a move he used often.

But to his shock, the one-armed man leapt over the water spell with such speed that Yue Qi barely saw a blur.

“So fast!” Yue Qi tensed. With his energy depleted, he would have to face this head-on.

“My hand! Give me back my hand!” the mutant shrieked, charging. His bleeding wound, perhaps aggravated, was gushing again, bathing him in blood—a death god incarnate.

“Can I not even defeat a beast?” Fear made Yue Qi falter, but the thought of his family ahead steeled his resolve, and he charged forward, sword first.

Though mutated, the zombie was still human. In their first clash, Yue Qi’s blade pierced its arm, but zombies feel no pain. It kept coming, undeterred.

“Die!” Yue Qi roared, slashing at the other arm. With both arms severed, the zombie lost balance and crashed to the ground.

A soft, wet sound marked the blade’s withdrawal. Yue Qi wasted no time, sprinting ahead, as the zombie on the ground shuddered twice, then lay still—dead at last.

He hadn’t expected a newly-mutated zombie to be so troublesome. But when he reached the others, chaos had already erupted.

Yue Er was locked in combat with one zombie, while Yue San, Yue Si, and Yue Liu distracted another, keeping it occupied.

Relieved to see his family unharmed—having already lost their father, Yue Qi was determined not to lose anyone else—he jumped in to help his second brother, then quickly dispatched the zombie threatening their third brother. Without pause, he rushed to a new battleground.

It truly was a battlefield. Another group was being chased around in circles by four zombies, unable to fight back, surviving only because the zombies lacked intelligence.

“Help! Help!” Yue Lei stumbled and fell onto a woman ahead of him. The zombies seized the opportunity and lunged. With Yue Lei on top, the zombie went straight for him.

But Yue Qi did nothing to stop it, first taking out the three zombies near the chief. Yet just then, something unexpected happened.

Desperate, Yue Lei’s eyes flashed coldly. He rolled aside and kicked the zombie’s head. The blow wasn’t strong enough, and the zombie immediately lunged at him again.

At that moment, Yue Lei grabbed the woman beside him and shoved her into the zombie’s path. The zombie bit into her face with a savage snap.

A blood-curdling scream tore from the woman’s throat, but the zombie didn’t stop, sinking its teeth into her neck.

“Damn it!” Everyone saw what had happened. Yue Qi’s gaze grew cold as he began walking toward Yue Lei…