Chapter Seventy-Four: Situation

“Ah Qi! Are you alright?” Seeing the zombie flee, Yue Yunsheng hurried over to check if Yue Qi was hurt.

“I’m fine… It’s just, Fifth Brother has turned into a zombie… Sigh…” Yue Qi thought of Yue Wu’s twisted face and couldn’t help but sigh.

“It’s over now, Ah Qi. But I noticed that the zombie Fifth Brother became seems different from the others—much stronger, too…” Yue Yunsheng mused aloud.

It was no wonder he thought so. Usually, when they encountered a single zombie, Yue Qi didn’t even bother to use magic; his reflexes alone were more than enough to dispatch it. Even when faced with a horde, Yue Qi’s group spells (second-tier) could swiftly wipe them out. But today was strange. Just contending with this single zombie had left Yue Qi scrambling, and even his Thunder Dance had failed to kill it.

“I wonder if it’s because of the local environment…” Yue Qi shook his head, glancing in the direction Yue Wu had disappeared. He didn’t know what had brought Fifth Brother here, but the others had said that before he mutated, he’d been with them. So even if he turned then, and somehow ended up here, he must have been drawn by something—or perhaps someone.

“It’d be a relief if it’s just the environment. If all zombies started mutating like this, it’d be terrifying. Zombies couldn’t possibly turn on each other, could they?” Yue Yunsheng exhaled, uneasy.

“What? Cannibalism?!” Yue Qi suddenly looked as if he’d stumbled upon a clue.

“Yunsheng, how do zombies survive?” Yue Qi abruptly asked.

“How? Just like us—they eat, don’t they? You think they could live forever without food?” Yue Yunsheng rolled his eyes, answering casually.

“Exactly! They eat—but only living things! What if they’re starving, can’t find any people or wild animals? What then?” Yue Qi grew excited, pressing Yunsheng further.

“No people to eat… Wait, you mean—?” Yunsheng wasn’t slow; he immediately caught on to what Yue Qi was getting at.

“Yes! If there’s nothing else to eat, I suspect they’ll turn on each other!” Yue Qi said firmly.

“Even if they do, so what? Shouldn’t we be glad?” Yue Yunsheng honestly didn’t understand what Yue Qi was driving at.

“Think about it, Yunsheng…” Yue Qi suddenly switched gears. “If Fifth Brother had always stayed at Yue Village, why did he come here? You know zombies are social creatures—they only act alone during mutation. Yet, since we arrived, plus Fifth Brother, we’ve only seen four zombies. Why?”

“How should I know, Ah Qi? Are you sure you’re not just rattled?” Yunsheng grew more annoyed, shooting Yue Qi a puzzled look.

“You’re the one who’s rattled!” Yue Qi grew more agitated. “Since Fifth Brother came here, he wouldn’t have come alone. There must have been a group! But we only saw four zombies. That means the rest killed each other, and Fifth Brother was the last survivor!”

“So what you’re saying is… Fifth Brother grew stronger by fighting and devouring the others?” Yunsheng’s eyes widened as the realization struck.

“Exactly!” Yue Qi confirmed, though the thought of his brother surviving on zombie flesh made his skin crawl.

“And the other three must’ve gone through the same, though they didn’t mutate completely—just gained significant strength,” Yue Qi added after a moment’s thought.

“Then we should hurry back! If Fifth Brother finds Yuqi and Sister Lian, it’ll be a disaster!” The thought jolted Yue Yunsheng, who quickly urged Yue Qi.

Yue Qi snapped back to reality, hoisting Yunsheng up and running at full speed back the way they’d come.

When they returned to their camp, it hadn’t been attacked by Yue Wu. However, with Yue Qi absent, no one had any food. Yet somehow, they’d managed to get a fire going.

Yue Qi recounted everything to Bai Lian and the others—including his theory that after mutual slaughter, zombies could undergo further mutation.

“What you’re suggesting isn’t impossible,” Xin Zi remarked. It was the first time Yue Qi had seen him contemplate something so deeply.

“Zombies must evolve too. If they rely on survival of the fittest, killing off the weak to allow the strong to survive…” Xin Zi looked up at everyone, his expression grave. “Then we’re in danger.”

After thinking a while, Xin Zi continued, “Based on what Brother Yue described, even at his peak he wouldn’t dare guarantee he could kill a mutated zombie. If we run into more than one at once, we’re doomed…”

“That’s impossible. We’ve been in this camp so long and never seen a mutated zombie. Finding one here must be a fluke…” Yue Yunsheng recalled the terrifying zombie and shuddered.

“How long ago was that?” Xin Zi retorted instead of explaining. “Not to mention there weren’t many zombies near us anyway. Even if they did turn on each other, there wouldn’t be enough to spawn mutated ones! More importantly, mutated zombies aren’t born overnight. It takes time—when they’re starving to the brink of death, that’s when it happens!”

“So you’re saying the longer this drags on, the worse it gets for us? The zombies will just keep getting stronger?” Bai Lian suddenly spoke up.

“I hate to admit it, but yes—that’s exactly what’s happening,” Xin Zi said with a wry smile.

“Then we must get to Mount Sanqing at once and warn the people there! The longer we delay, the more danger for everyone in camp!” Yue Qi said urgently.

“Camp?!” Yue Yunsheng suddenly turned pale and said to Yue Qi, “Ah Qi, have you considered—though there aren’t many zombies near our camp, there are plenty in Qingzhou City, both inside and out. If they start cannibalizing…”

“That… There’s nothing we can do about Qingzhou. We’re all survivors, but we’re powerless…” Yue Qi replied after a moment.

“No! That’s not what he means!” Xin Zi interjected. “If everyone in Qingzhou City is killed, the zombies will have to look for food elsewhere. And according to Brother Yue, these zombies have some intelligence. If they see you as a tough target, they’ll back off rather than fight you! That means, if the mutated zombies in Qingzhou can’t hurt each other, they’ll look for other prey. If the people in Qingzhou are wiped out, their targets will shift—to the people nearby. That means Qinghe Town could be next!”

“Oh no! If that’s the case, then the people in camp…” Yue Qi gasped in alarm.

“Yes! And I suspect the mutation will happen in the next few days. The disaster struck everywhere at once; the zombies’ energy reserves must be running low. They’re bound to turn on each other soon!” Xin Zi said gravely.

“But maybe they won’t find Qinghe Town…” Yue Qi still clung to a shred of hope.

“Even if the mutated zombies from Qingzhou don’t come, there’s still Yue Village. There are enough zombies there to spawn mutated ones too. Can you guarantee neither group will discover our camp?” Xin Zi pressed.

“Then there’s only one thing to do: we go back at once! We take everyone and leave together. The road will be dangerous, but we can’t just abandon those people,” Bai Lian declared.

“Then we must hurry! I doubt Qinghe Town can hold out much longer. There are too many zombies in Qingzhou—inside and outside the city walls. The ones inside aren’t much of a worry; I doubt even mutated zombies could scale those walls or open the gates. But there are plenty outside too…” Xin Zi considered.

“Zombies outside the city?!” Yue Qi suddenly saw the full peril: Qinghe Town was surrounded on all sides.

“Quick! We need to get back—travel through the night!” The anxiety in Yue Qi’s voice was palpable. Who could stay calm when their loved ones were in such mortal danger?

“If I may suggest, tonight isn’t good for traveling. We should rest and leave at dawn; we’ll move faster that way. Besides, if we do run into mutated zombies attacking the camp, we won’t be in any state to fight them if we’re exhausted…” Xin Zi quickly presented his reasoning.

“I…” Yue Qi gritted his teeth. “Alright, fine!” Though the situation was urgent, this seemed the best course.

“Don’t worry, Brother Yue. It’s all speculation for now—nothing’s certain yet!” Xin Zi offered a final comfort, and the look on Yue Qi’s face softened a little.

The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting a pale light across the land, but Yue Qi could only gaze blankly at its faint glow.

“Everyone… hang on…” (PS: An early update tonight because I have to catch a train home for Qingming… The life of a student is tough—nine hours on the road…)