Feng Moxi took a five-liter container of water out of her storage space and thoroughly washed the large iron pot sitting on the brick stove several times. Once it was clean, she filled it with fresh water and tossed in four or five packs of instant noodles.
She cracked four or five eggs directly into the pot, unwrapped four ham sausages without even bothering to slice them, then added two packets of pickled vegetables and a jar of chili sauce.
Luo Yunxi could barely stop herself from drooling.
Ever since the apocalypse began, this would be the first proper hot meal they had eaten.
Before long, the noodles were ready.
Feng Moxi took out two sets of bowls and chopsticks. The two of them immediately dug in, taking one mouthful after another and eating with complete abandon.
“Mmm… This is so delicious.”
As she ate, tears suddenly streamed down Luo Yunxi’s face.
From the moment the disaster struck, they had been fleeing for their lives. They had survived endless encounters with mutated monsters by sheer luck.
Only now had they finally managed to eat a hot meal.
She thought about how hard she had fought today.
Her arms had ached from swinging the iron rod over and over again. She had been exhausted, yet she had never once backed down.
She knew perfectly well that if she stopped moving forward, she would be left behind.
In this world, anyone who failed to improve would soon be eliminated.
More importantly…
She didn’t want Feng Moxi to give up on her.
Feng Moxi lowered her eyes and quietly watched her for a moment. After Luo Yunxi had finally cried enough, she spoke gently.
“Stay with me, things will get better. And keep training your water ability. After we’re done eating, wash the dishes.”
“Yes.”
Luo Yunxi answered hoarsely, but there was unmistakable determination in her voice, along with a trace of happiness.
Did that mean…
Feng Moxi truly considered her one of her own now?
Feng Moxi calmly walked out of the room and headed upstairs.
From the window of a small room on the second floor, she could see He Ping’s group gathered in the courtyard, apparently discussing something in low voices.
She then shifted her gaze toward the bridge.
Darkness had swallowed the town.
The monsters wandering through the streets had begun drifting back toward the bridge once more.
The roads they had cleared only hours earlier were already filling with monsters again.
Looking farther into the distance, everything remained bleak and silent.
It was a darkness unlike ordinary night.
It was a darkness completely devoid of hope.
She reached into her pocket and touched the few crystal cores they had collected that day.
Perhaps…
The future would become just a little easier.
With that thought, she sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly began circulating the cultivation technique.
A gentle current of warmth gradually flowed through her body.
The exhaustion from an entire day’s fighting quickly melted away.
She had no idea how much time had passed when the sharp screech of brakes suddenly echoed in the distance.
Immediately afterward came a series of explosions.
The tremendous noise instantly disturbed the restless monsters throughout the town.
The monsters lining the streets surged toward the bridge in waves.
“Damn it.”
Feng Moxi cursed under her breath and immediately jumped to the window.
On the road leading from Binhai, flames shot into the sky.
The area was surrounded by monsters, at least a hundred of them.
After their vehicle had been destroyed, five or six survivors leaped out in a panic.
Standing back to back, they formed a defensive circle while frantically cutting down the monsters surrounding them.
With a quick glance, Feng Moxi noticed that most of them possessed supernatural abilities.
Even those without abilities were skilled fighters.
But they fought without the slightest restraint.
“Damn idiots…”
she muttered again.
If they kept making this much noise, every monster in the town would eventually be drawn here.
By then, they would all be completely surrounded.
Sure enough, huge groups of monsters from inside the town began crashing into the wooden barricades Feng Moxi had placed at the bridge earlier.
The constant growling echoed through the darkness.
He Ping’s group also heard the commotion and quietly went on alert.
With more and more monsters gathering, the newcomers realized there was very little cover available.
After spotting the nearby houses, they fought while steadily retreating toward them.
The sounds of battle drew closer and closer.
Luo Yunxi walked over beside Feng Moxi.
“What a bunch of idiots. They made such a huge commotion. Once all the monsters from town rush over here, we’ll be trapped with them.”
Feng Moxi stared at the ever-growing sea of monsters.
“Get ready. We’re breaking out before we’re surrounded.”
Monsters were already far more active and vicious at night.
If this many poured out at once…
It would be like a monster siege.
“Got it.”
The two women hurried downstairs.
They no longer had any interest in watching the battle.
Outside, the wooden barricades were already swaying under the relentless impacts and looked ready to collapse at any moment.
Meanwhile, the fleeing survivors were sprinting straight toward them.
Closer and closer.
Behind them, the monsters gave relentless chase.
Their speed was noticeably faster than the monsters Feng Moxi had encountered in town during the day.
The moment the two women reached the ground floor and opened the courtyard gate, they saw someone already standing in front of their vehicle.
Two others were pounding on the iron gate protecting He Ping’s temporary shelter.
The remaining two were desperately holding back the pursuing monsters.
“Get in the car!”
Feng Moxi shouted at Luo Yunxi.
Luo Yunxi immediately yanked open the passenger door and jumped inside.
The instant she sat down, she realized that two strangers had already climbed into the back seat.
Outside, the monsters had caught up and were violently smashing against the windows.
Feng Moxi’s eyes narrowed.
There wasn’t time to argue.
She slammed her foot onto the accelerator.
The engine roared to life as the vehicle crashed through more than a dozen monsters blocking the road before speeding out of Baiyang Town.
At the same time, He Ping’s group climbed onto their motorcycles and charged after her.
The four strangers clung to the doors of the two minibuses without the slightest hesitation, escaping together with the convoy.
Although He Ping and the others repeatedly swerved left and right in an attempt to shake them off, the four refused to let go.
Everyone reacted quickly.
Even as more and more monsters closed in from every direction, the convoy forced its way onto the highway in one final desperate push.
They remained close behind Feng Moxi’s vehicle.
In the end, they escaped before the monsters could completely trap them.
Through the rearview mirror, Feng Moxi watched the distant flames and the countless monsters still roaring as they pursued them.
Her heart felt heavy.
Life in the apocalypse was becoming harder with every passing day.
Luo Yunxi turned around and glared fiercely at the two uninvited passengers in the back seat.
Without saying a word, Feng Moxi pressed the accelerator to the floor.
The vehicle raced down the highway before reaching a three-way intersection.
With a sharp drift around the corner, she headed straight toward Baiyang Village.
The two men in the back remained silent throughout the journey.
One of them had neatly cropped crew-cut hair.
A faint smile rested on his lips.
He actually leaned back and started dozing off.
The road to Baiyang Village was rough and full of potholes.
Feng Moxi deliberately drove as fast as possible, steering into every rut and uneven patch she could find.
The violent bumps tossed the passengers around from side to side.
Yet the sleeping man didn’t move an inch.
He lay sprawled comfortably across the seat as though nothing in the world mattered more than getting some sleep.
Feng Moxi drove all the way back to the residence in Baiyang Village before finally slowing to a stop.
Her mood gradually settled.
She wasn’t particularly upset.
If today’s trip had failed, they could simply try again tomorrow.
No matter where they went, survival was the same.
The whole world had become equally dangerous.
Luo Yunxi, however, was still fuming.
She glared viciously at the two men as they climbed out of the vehicle.
One of them had a cold, stern face.
His eyes were deep and piercing, while his sharply shaped lips remained tightly pressed together.
His expression barely changed at all, giving off the unmistakable aura of someone who wanted to be left alone.
The other man, the one with the crew cut, looked completely different.
He appeared lazy and carefree.
A pair of captivating peach blossom eyes gave him a naturally teasing expression.
His handsome face carried an easygoing smile that made him exceptionally attractive.
Yet somehow…
The moment people looked at him, they couldn’t help wanting to punch him.