Tian Le didn’t understand what had caused the little one’s sudden change in demeanor.
He lay beside him, gently pulling Ji Tianyi half into his embrace.
“Baby, what’s wrong with you?”
“Daddy… I…”
Ji Tianyi had just wanted to complain a little, but when he saw Ji Heng’s half-smile, half-smirk expression, his words got stuck in his throat.
“Nothing. I just… grew up a little, a bit tired.”
Tian Le felt that he couldn’t quite grasp the way kids’ minds worked.
Growing up really did happen suddenly. But praising him couldn’t be wrong, right?
“Mm, Baby, you’re amazing. Let’s sleep now. After a good night’s rest, you won’t feel so tired tomorrow.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
Ji Tianyi continued lying flat with an expression that said, I’m upset, but I won’t say it. Tomorrow would only be worse.
However, the child’s physical energy was limited, and he soon fell asleep.
Tian Le didn’t stay awake much longer either. With Ji Heng there, he felt completely at ease and fell asleep holding Baby in his arms.
Ji Heng watched the big and small figure sleeping soundly beside him, a gentle expression on his face, showing a protective fondness he hadn’t even realized he felt.
While practicing his lightning-type ability with his hands, he also checked the map, thinking about the upcoming plans and itinerary.
Due to various malfunctions in their communication devices, he still couldn’t contact his elder brother or grandfather in B City today. He hoped that everything was fine on their end.
Because he had been continuously practicing, the power of his lightning-type ability had been changing over the past two days.
He also pondered how to make his supernatural ability more solid while increasing its damage against zombies.
Outside, the zombies’ shrieks grew louder. Ji Heng’s brows furrowed slightly. In just two days, the number of zombies outside had increased.
He stood by the window and looked down. Under the hazy moonlight, he could see zombies wandering aimlessly below.
Their limbs had started to become slightly more flexible, no longer as stiff as before.
It seemed that as ability users’ supernatural powers improved, the outside zombies were also evolving.
By the time they became even more agile, the journey ahead would only get harder.
Ji Heng didn’t lie down to rest until the second half of the night.
The next day, after Tian Le fed Baby a whole pot of milk, he went to the living room and saw Lu Jingze and the others already sitting together, discussing the use of their supernatural abilities.
He brought out food from their storage for everyone.
“Let’s have breakfast first. Once we finish eating, we’ll get ready to set off,” Ji Heng told everyone.
He then briefly explained today’s itinerary and plans.
Tian Le glanced around but didn’t see the few provocateurs from yesterday.
Instead, he saw several non-ability users from Western Zhou. They looked like they wanted to approach but didn’t dare.
One couple even had a little girl with them, probably five or six years old.
Her once-decent dress was now dirty, and her hair was messy. She looked at the food in their hands with a hungry expression.
“Daddy, sister seems to want some bread too.”
“But we only have this one piece of bread for breakfast. If we give it to her, you’ll go hungry.”
“Then let’s just split it in half.” Ji Tianyi thought that since there would be more food at noon, skipping a meal wouldn’t matter.
“You’re sure you want to give it? Daddy won’t care if you go hungry.”
“Then just a little bit will do.”
“Alright, you go over there yourself.”
Ji Tianyi glanced at Dad and the other Uncles and Aunties, bit his lip, and eagerly walked over.
“Sister, I’ll give you some bread to eat.” After saying that, he tore off a portion and handed it to her.
The little girl, hungry, swallowed and reached out: “Thank you, little brother.”
She then handed the bread to the woman beside her.
“Mom, eat this.”
“You’re so good, baby. You eat it yourself. Dad and Mom already had breakfast this morning.”
“Okay.”
The little girl didn’t hesitate and began eating in big bites.
“Thank you, little brother,” the woman said gratefully.
Having done a good deed, Ji Tianyi felt happy. But when he glanced at the adults nearby, their eyes lingered on the remaining bread as if ready to snatch it, so he quickly turned to go back.
Actually, Ji Tianyi’s caution wasn’t wrong. These people had been enduring hunger for the past two days.
Zhao Ximeng and his group had extorted everything, seizing all resources, so they hadn’t eaten their fill.
If it weren’t for the fact that Ji Tianyi was accompanied by a group of tall, imposing people—clearly not ordinary non-ability users—they would have already tried to snatch it.
“Let’s go, time to set off.” Ji Heng called out once everyone had mostly finished eating.
They drove three vehicles this time because they were bringing along three non-ability users.
Ji Heng divided the three among the vehicles: “You three, one per car. Stay close.”
Xu Xiaoyan felt her sense of security drop sharply when she realized she would be separated from Chen Jing.
“I… I…”
“Xiaoyan, this is the safest way for us.”
Chen Jing explained. He could see that everyone in this team was capable.
Separation was the best choice. It gave them the best chance to survive in this apocalypse.
It was just bad luck that they hadn’t awakened any special supernatural abilities.
Luckily, they still had some strength and were willing to fight zombies. Otherwise, they’d be constantly worried for themselves and each other.
As non-ability users, survival without a team would be almost impossible.
Now that they had a reliable team, they naturally had to cherish it.
The group used iron rods and other tools to fend off zombies drawn by the noise.
Ji Heng casually sent out lightning, forming a faintly visible thunder whip that struck the zombies, leaving charred marks.
The zombies stopped in their tracks, and Chen Jing struck one on the head with a club.
Working together, they were all inside the vehicles within minutes, ready to begin today’s journey.
Ji Heng instructed over the walkie-talkie: “When we pass the farmhouse restaurants ahead, we’ll rest there for lunch.”
After a bumpy morning, they finally spotted several scattered signboards indicating the location of a few farmhouse restaurants nearby.
Business seemed to have been good, judging from the wandering zombies near the entrances.
There were also many dead zombies on the ground. It looked like there were still survivors nearby, hiding.
“Boss, should we get out to clear the zombies?”
“Not yet. Drive closer and check if there’s a warehouse at the back.”
“Understood.”
The thumping sounds of zombies and the vehicle’s engine outside kept up relentlessly.
Ji Tianyi stood inside the car, with Tian Le holding him to prevent him from rushing forward.
The little one puffed out fireballs through the window.
Whenever Ji Tianyi’s fireballs touched a zombie, it was as if they could burn away all evil spirits. Wherever the fireball hit, a hole appeared instantly.
Ji Tianyi was precise, targeting their necks. One by one, zombie heads toppled, creating a gruesome scene.