Chapter Ninety-Five: Changzhou City

Three days later, everyone gathered at the entrance of the camp.

Just yesterday, Yang Zhenwu had finally persuaded everyone, and only then did they agree to head together to Changzhou City. Of course, all this depended on Yue Qi; after all, the zombies they had encountered along the way were enough to overwhelm the group...

“Are you ready? If so, let’s set off!” Without hesitation, Yue Qi took Bailian’s hand and stepped to the front. Over the past two days, everyone had come to know that this ethereal beauty, like a fairy descended from the heavens, was Yue Qi’s wife. Naturally, their impression of Bailian was not very favorable—they assumed she had married Yue Qi out of necessity, a reluctant submission. After all, in their eyes, a woman so beautiful could only be worthy of an emperor in the secular world...

“Keep up, don’t fall behind!” Only after Yue Qi spoke did Yang Zhenwu dare to address the people behind him. They didn’t need to carry much, and with scarce resources, just two horse-drawn carts were enough to transport their supplies. Yang Zhenwu had assigned people to guard these resources because they were their lifeline.

What puzzled Yang Zhenwu, though, was that Yue Qi’s group of six seemed never to worry about food consumption. When they had emerged from the forest looking so spirited, he had thought they survived by hunting wild animals, yet he never found any stored provisions with them...

“Brother Yue, if you lead the team, that’s fine. I’ll take a few brothers to guard the rear, just in case any stragglers rise up and cause trouble. What do you think?” Yang Zhenwu now fully acknowledged Yue Qi as their leader and consulted him on every matter.

“All right, leave the front to me, don’t worry...” Yue Qi said. “We’ll also post guards in the middle of the formation. Tell them if they see zombies, don’t panic. Drag it out as long as possible, don’t let the formation break. Once I’m free, I’ll come to your aid...”

“Good!” Yang Zhenwu nodded, feeling even more reassured by Yue Qi’s words. He had worried that Yue Qi might think him cowardly for wanting to stay at the rear for safety, but apparently that was not the case.

Yue Qi and Bailian walked at the very front. To be honest, he still felt uneasy. What if, upon reaching the city gates, no one opened the door? He certainly couldn’t bring everyone back...

Lost in thought, Yue Qi glanced back at Xin Zi not far behind. Xin Zi appeared calm, chatting idly with Qin Luo, occasionally flashing a sly smile—which Yue Qi reckoned was indeed rather lecherous.

“What’s on your mind?” Bailian squeezed Yue Qi’s hand, smiling softly at her beloved.

“Nothing... just thinking about how these people will survive in the future.” Yue Qi sighed. Life in the post-apocalyptic world was nerve-wracking for ordinary people. Those who survived now generally possessed some skills. Handling typical zombies was manageable, but mutated zombies had developed a certain intelligence—some could even command ordinary zombies, like establishing a base camp similar to Yang Zhenwu’s, which could be invaded at any time with no guarantee of safety.

“Don’t worry. Once we clear out all the zombies in Changzhou City, it should be a good stronghold...” Bailian said after some thought. The once zealous cultivator from the Qinghe Sword Sect now seemed far from the ‘keep out’ aura he once had—more like a little wife, someone who could be trusted both in the parlor and the kitchen.

“It’s not just about these people,” Yue Qi shook his head. “I’m not sure how to say this, but ordinary zombies might evolve into mutated ones—and what if those mutated zombies evolve into an even higher level? Can the tall city walls still keep them out? Bailian, think about those cultivators who’ve turned into zombies! They’re not widespread yet, but if they ever leave their sects, that would be terrifying...”

“Enough with your needless worries, Brother Qi!” Bailian shot him a sharp look. “Let’s not talk about higher-level zombies beyond the mutated kind. If they exist, mutated zombies would surely decrease in number, which is half good news. As for those zombies made from cultivators, they have no independent thought. Without leaders, even if some become mutated, they wouldn’t know how to descend the mountain. Many sects have illusionary formations precisely to prevent disciples from sneaking out!”

“You might be right. Lately, my mind has been full of such troubles...” Yue Qi rubbed his head. The pressure weighed heavily on him these days; he longed to reach Mount Sanqing to gather information.

“Come on, we’ll rest well once we reach Changzhou...” Bailian looked at him with concern. Since the appearance of mutated zombies, the usefulness of the other four in their six-person group had diminished. Apart from Qin Luo occasionally contributing, the rest were basically along for the ride, unable to help.

“That’s true...” Yue Qi wrapped his arm around Bailian’s waist, and they walked forward slowly. The caravan behind them moved slowly too; despite the horses pulling carts, they couldn’t speed up much...

The journey was mostly uneventful, except for a few encounters with zombie hordes. Yue Qi swept them away with a wave of his hand. Once, a sudden ambush from zombies hidden by the roadside disrupted the formation, but luckily no one was hurt. Yang Zhenwu led a team to kill the few ordinary zombies involved...

By the second day, everyone was visibly fatigued after a full day of travel. Night watches were necessary, and though uncomfortable, everyone accepted it for the sake of staying in safer places. Notably, no casualties so far had greatly boosted the group’s confidence, increasing their admiration for Yue Qi.

“Are we close?” Yue Qi moved back to Yang Zhenwu’s side, asking. Yang’s excited expression suggested it might be the anticipation of arriving at a safer place.

“Almost, in less than two hours, we’ll be there!” Yang’s face flushed with excitement, and others around him showed similar enthusiasm.

“Good. But don’t let your guard down. If we hold strong for these two hours, we’ll make it! No slacking at the crucial moment!” Yue Qi encouraged everyone once more before proceeding.

Atop the walls of Changzhou City, several armored men stood idly chatting. It was clear they were soldiers, wearing uniforms similar to those from Changlong Town’s military camp.

“Boss, it’s been nearly a week, and no zombie attacks. Usually, they come every week or two, right?” A slender man holding a spear looked down from the wall. A few lone zombies clawed at the wall, trying to climb in, but the walls were too high.

“Better if they don’t come. Our duty is just to alert everyone when zombies approach and defend together. We must not let the higher-level zombies get over the wall...” The man called the boss was Chen Yuanshan, originally their team captain in peacetime. He sighed, eyes shadowed with unease, as if recalling a past incident with advanced zombies breaching the wall.

“Don’t worry, boss. We’ve all learned from that lesson. We won’t make the same mistake...” The slender man smiled and picked up a fist-sized stone from the wall, tossing it down.

“Pfft!” The stone struck a zombie’s forehead precisely, spinning it around before it collapsed, causing laughter among the guards.

“Alright, just some fun. Keep these stones for emergencies...” They had wisely repurposed the stones, which could easily crush an ordinary zombie’s skull when dropped from such height.

“Hey, wait! Look over there!” A burly man suddenly pointed, surprised.

“What is that? So many black dots? Zombies? Are they coming?” Everyone’s vision was sharp. “Call for reinforcements! And bring Eagle Eye!” Chen Yuanshan quickly ordered. Someone handed over a device resembling a telescope—quite advanced.

“Well, boss? Is it really a zombie siege?” A man beside Chen asked anxiously. If so, it would be a fierce battle.

“Wait! Don’t call anyone yet!” Chen stepped closer, fixating on the horizon where the black dots had appeared.

“Those aren’t zombies—they’re survivors! A large group of survivors!” Chen suddenly declared. “Call all team leaders over. These survivors may want to come to Changzhou. Let them decide whether to let them in!”

“Yes, sir!” Someone replied quickly, running down the wall.

After a while, about a dozen people gathered on the wall, all of similar rank to Chen Yuanshan. They were engaged in a heated debate over whether to admit the survivors into their camp.

“Enough arguing...” Chen’s head ached as the outlines of the group below became clearer. “Here’s what we’ll do: when the survivors reach the city gate, tell them that if they can clear the zombies at the gate, we’ll let them in. We need reinforcements too...” Chen’s authority in Changzhou was evident; his suggestion was met with nods, though some remained unconvinced.

At that moment, Yue Qi and his group were fast approaching the city gate!