Chapter Ninety-One: Changlong Town

Yang Zhenwu had lived in Changlong Town for more than thirty years. It seemed as if he had never left this land since birth. He had never even been to the nearby largest city, Changzhou...

But now, with zombies everywhere, it was impossible for Yang Zhenwu to go to Changzhou. His family was still here, and they needed his protection. Changlong Town had, in fact, formed a survivor group, and its leader—or rather, its boss—was none other than Yang Zhenwu.

They had piled up many pieces of wood and debris to form the camp's defenses. The survivors in Changlong Town seemed numerous, with different groups arriving daily to guard the camp entrance, all to prevent sudden zombie attacks...

Yang Zhenwu was assigned to this group. Although he was the camp leader, he did not shirk any duties; he did everything he was supposed to, earning the full trust of everyone. At least, there was no tyrannical rule here like Wang Jian and Wang Chao had imposed in Qinghe Town and Qingzhou.

The camp housed roughly a hundred people. Originally, Changlong Town was much larger than Qinghe Town, so having more survivors was not surprising.

As usual, Yang Zhenwu sat at the front, a piece of straw clenched between his lips—a habit he had developed at some unknown time. He always felt that the dry, slightly bitter taste helped him stay alert, allowing him to detect zombies earlier before they arrived.

“Hmm? What’s that?” Though he seemed lost in thought, Yang Zhenwu suddenly spotted several black dots not far away. The makeshift watchtower was crafted from a large tree stump, flattened on top, with a ladder to climb up. It could only hold one person at a time...

“Everyone, be alert! There’s movement!” Yang Zhenwu’s eyes instantly grew serious. He quickly shouted to those guarding the gate below.

“Brother Wu! How many zombies are there?!” One man pulled out a crossbow, which looked military-grade, not homemade. Others also had fine equipment; some carried bamboo baskets filled with arrows, and they wielded exquisite military bows.

“They’re still far away! Listen to my commands and be ready to fight at any moment!” Yang Zhenwu spat out the straw, climbed to the top of the ladder, and peered ahead.

From a distance, the dark shapes appeared as a single mass, but gradually they separated into six small shadows. If he guessed correctly, there were six zombies.

“No need to panic. Only six zombies. Cao Nan, you and your group get ready. Shoot them with arrows—don’t let them get too close to the camp! Follow my orders!” Yang Zhenwu stood firm, commanding his men.

“Archers, ready! Load arrows!” Seeing the black dots grow clearer, Yang Zhenwu ordered swiftly.

“Sky at a forty-five-degree angle! Shoot!” The group executed the command with military precision. Yang Zhenwu acted like a general directing battle, constantly monitoring the field.

In truth, these men were former soldiers. When the disaster struck, a military unit was stationed nearby. Yang Zhenwu was not a soldier himself—just a local—but he had recently figured out this system on his own. Most importantly, these soldiers obeyed his commands, largely because of Yang Zhenwu’s good reputation among the people.

“Wait! Hold fire! Stop!” Yang Zhenwu suddenly called out, sensing something amiss.

But it was too late—someone had already released an arrow! Yang Zhenwu fixed his gaze ahead, unwilling to relax. Everyone below watched him, holding their breath. After a moment, someone asked, “What’s wrong, Brother Wu?”

“Wait!” Yang Zhenwu stared intently at the distance. To his astonishment, those “zombies” were holding something—somehow they were deflecting the arrows fired at them!

Yue Qi was furious. After finally leaving the forest, he saw a camp and thought the people inside would be friendly, maybe even let them rest. Instead, before they could get close, the camp fired arrows at them! Luckily, Bai Lian and he were quick enough to block the attack with their swords; otherwise, who knew what might have happened!

“Don’t shoot! They’re not zombies! They’re survivors!” Yang Zhenwu shouted angrily, jumping down from the ladder and vaulting over the wooden barricades. He ran toward the group of six.

Yang Zhenwu knew the arrows fired earlier were powerful—not invincible but accurate and forceful enough to hit a person. With military bows and arrows, ordinary people could hardly defend themselves!

“Please don’t get hurt!” After crossing the obstacle, Yang Zhenwu quickened his pace. Though he knew the chance of injury was small, he still hoped for the best. Whether these people were ordinary or skilled, if his men had injured them, it would create deep enmity. In this era, survivors banded together tightly; if someone hurt or killed one of your own, revenge was inevitable.

From afar, Yue Qi saw someone running toward them but held back from attacking. At a hundred meters away, he was confident he could kill the newcomer without leaving a trace.

Perhaps due to his training in formations, Yue Qi’s mental power had surged dramatically in a short time. With his current strength, he could lock onto a tiny insect a hundred meters away. He was confident that if he faced mutated zombies, even without formations, he could easily defeat them. Mental power surged so wildly that once locked on, no one could escape the spell’s attack.

“Ah Qi? What do we do?” Bai Lian approached Yue Qi nervously. Though they had not been hurt, they could tell the newcomers had ill intent—after all, shooting before even talking was unreasonable.

Yue Qi had overlooked one thing: his eyesight. As a cultivator, he could see far and clearly, which was why he spotted the camp guarded from a distance. But ordinary people would see only vague black spots, and if those were normal survivors, they would likely mistake them for zombies...

Finally reaching the six survivors, Yang Zhenwu was out of breath but relieved to see no one injured. Yet, he found it odd that these people glared at him fiercely, especially the young man at the front, whose fierce expression sent chills down one’s spine.

“Gentlemen... I sincerely apologize. From a distance, I thought you were zombies and fired the arrows...” Yang Zhenwu quickly apologized before they could speak.

“Oh? Is that so?” Yue Qi was momentarily taken aback. He had thought the arrows were a warning to keep them from approaching the camp. He hadn’t expected it was a mistake.

As the saying goes, “Don’t hit a smiling face.” Seeing Yang Zhenwu apologize, Yue Qi relaxed and said, “It’s okay. We were reckless. We just came out of the woods excitedly upon seeing the camp and didn’t think much.”

“You just came out of the woods?” Yang Zhenwu immediately caught onto Yue Qi’s words. He glanced at the group before him: three men and three women, two of whom caught his eye with their striking beauty.

“Yes. We fled our hometown and are headed toward Shu. We wanted to ask where this place is...” This was Yue Qi’s main concern. Seeing Yang Zhenwu’s expression, he was somewhat surprised. Especially when he noticed the looks on Qin Luo and Bai Lian’s faces—there was only admiration, no lecherous intent. This instantly earned Yue Qi’s goodwill.

“This is Changlong Town. Hmm, you might not have heard of it. Nearby is a city called Changzhou, which you probably know,” Yang Zhenwu said after some thought.

“Changzhou? The Changzhou garrison city?” Xin Zi asked, surprised as he stepped forward.

“Yes, that one!” Yang Zhenwu glanced at Xin Zi, who looked like a delicate scholar. He wondered how such a person had survived. But judging by his appearance, he didn’t seem like a threat—perhaps he was following Yue Qi’s lead.

Seeing Yue Qi’s puzzled look, Xin Zi explained, “It’s quite a distance from Qingzhou. Changzhou is a stronghold, not far from Fengzhou, which is a large city.”

“I see...” Yue Qi finally understood. “Isn’t there supposed to be a stronghold called Wu Village around here?”

“Oh? You know about Wu Village too?” Yang Zhenwu was shocked. This small western town housed a place called Wu Village, notorious for dabbling in poisons and curses. The mere mention inspired dread.

“I only know a little...” Yue Qi said modestly. Actually, he knew well. He had once had residual poison from Wu Village inside him, though it was gone now—he used it all fighting Wang Chao’s puppet.

“Well, how about this: you all rest at the camp a while before deciding what to do? It’s crude, but basic needs can be met...” Yang Zhenwu said, though his eyes betrayed his hesitation.

Yue Qi immediately understood. Few survivors were as untroubled as he was. Taking in others without reason would only strain the already scarce resources.

“Thanks for the offer, brother, but we’d rather not trouble you...” Yue Qi sensed Yang Zhenwu’s predicament and didn’t want to impose. Also, the contents of his mustard seed bracelet might cause trouble if discovered.

Yang Zhenwu had expected them to agree to stay, but to his surprise, they refused. Just as he was about to persuade them again—partly to make amends for nearly shooting them—a commotion erupted behind him.

“Brother Wu! Zombies are coming! Quite a few!” It was Cao Nan, rushing out of the camp urgently to inform Yang Zhenwu.