Feng Moxi and Luo Yunxi remained expressionless.
Inside, however, Feng Moxi’s mind was racing.
To her, it didn’t really matter where they stayed, as long as she had food. But when she thought about the mutations that would soon spread among animals and plants, her mood grew considerably heavier.
Luo Yunxi’s emotions were equally complicated.
She wasn’t an only child.
Quite the opposite.
There were three children in her family, with an older brother above her and a younger brother below her. As the middle child, she had always been the one her parents overlooked the most.
From an early age, she had been sent to a boarding school in Binhai.
Now, thinking back, even when the apocalypse had struck and everyone was fleeing for their lives, her parents had probably never even considered looking for her.
So, in truth, it didn’t matter much where she went.
Meanwhile, Feng Moxi lowered her head and glanced at the oversized clothes hanging awkwardly on her body.
No matter what happened next, she decided she first needed to gather more supplies from the town.
By the time the group retreated to the three-way intersection, the monsters had gradually disappeared from sight, allowing everyone to stop and catch their breath.
“What? Thinking about charging back in?”
At that moment, He Ping’s vehicle slowly came to a halt as well.
Wan Yong stood staring blankly at the road ahead before suddenly clutching his head with both hands. He collapsed beside the roadside, crying uncontrollably.
He Ping’s already lifeless eyes looked even duller, and his pale face was filled with sorrow.
They had lost two brothers today.
Both had been capable fighters and valuable manpower.
The loss cut deeply.
To make matters worse, the two middle-aged women and the young boy had never left the vehicle during the battle, reducing their fighting strength even further.
Meanwhile, the people responsible for this disaster had escaped unharmed.
Not only that, they had dragged everyone else into the mess before fleeing.
No one could swallow that resentment.
A heavy silence settled over the group.
The remaining survivors wore expressions filled with grief and despair.
Even Chaoyang, for once, refrained from making sarcastic remarks.
“I’m going back.”
Feng Moxi’s clear voice broke the silence.
She drove the vehicle to a concealed location and hid it before turning back.
From the intersection to the houses beside the small bridge, it normally took around twenty minutes by car.
Now, however, countless monsters had already been lured onto the wide road.
Besides that, there were scattered houses and shops lining both sides of the road.
Although most had collapsed, a handful were still intact enough to serve as temporary shelter.
“I’m coming too.”
He Ping’s face had grown even paler, but his eyes burned with hatred.
Without hesitation, he led several of his companions forward.
The middle-aged woman and the young boy also abandoned their vehicle and followed at a distance.
This time, Feng Moxi held nothing back.
Gripping her iron rod, she hurried after them.
The monsters had become noticeably more vicious.
The farther they advanced, the faster the monsters moved.
Some were already walking almost as quickly as ordinary people.
Even Chaoyang frowned slightly.
“Monsters that feed on flesh evolve.”
Instead of worrying, Chaoyang burst into laughter.
“Now that’s getting interesting! Hahaha!”
Feng Moxi shot him a sidelong glance.
She truly couldn’t understand what this madman found so exciting.
The group’s clearing speed remained impressive.
By evening, they had fought their way back to the small bridge.
Covered in dirt and grime, Luo Yunxi asked uncertainly,
“Should we head back to Baiyang Village?”
“No.”
Feng Moxi shook her head.
Instead, everyone returned to the small building He Ping had occupied earlier and entered through its battered front entrance.
They no longer had a vehicle.
Even if they did, constantly traveling back and forth would only waste precious time.
Chaoyang followed them inside as well.
In just one or two days, the building had become even more dilapidated.
The doors and windows had all been smashed beyond recognition.
The floor was covered in debris, leaving almost nowhere to step.
Even the supplies Wan Yong had abandoned earlier had disappeared.
Clearly, this place had continued to witness bloodshed.
Besides Feng Moxi, Chaoyang and his companions were equally fearless.
He lazily sniffed the foul odor of decay hanging in the air without showing the slightest disgust.
“Let’s piece together whatever we can and block the front door. It’ll have to do for one night.”
Several of the men immediately got to work.
They lifted overturned tabletops, gathered broken bed boards, and barely managed to barricade the entrance.
They also dragged over a few cabinet doors to seal one bedroom window.
The room quickly became dark.
Oddly enough, the darkness brought everyone a small sense of security.
Just like that, their temporary shelter was finished.
Everyone knew it was merely symbolic.
If monsters really attacked, these makeshift barricades wouldn’t stop them for even a moment.
Finally, they dismantled more furniture from the bedrooms and spread the wooden boards across the floor as makeshift bedding.
Everyone sat down.
Chaoyang grinned.
“Looks like tonight’s going to be rough. No one’s getting to lie down comfortably.”
Feng Moxi pointed toward the hallway.
“There’s more space over there. You could probably lie flat.”
“You little brat, you’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”
Seeing that she ignored him completely, he simply shouted,
“Xiao Lizi! Time to eat!”
There was one thing Feng Moxi genuinely admired about him.
No matter where he was or what situation they were in, he always found a way to amuse himself.
He never cared what anyone else thought.
In fact, the angrier other people became, the happier he seemed.
She seriously wondered what was wrong with him.
Meanwhile, the cold-faced Sima Yue and the others appeared completely accustomed to Chaoyang’s behavior.
Not one of them objected.
At first, Feng Moxi had assumed the stoic Sima Yue was the leader of the group.
But after traveling together, she realized that wasn’t the case.
Chaoyang had been the one giving orders the entire time.
Feng Moxi secretly clicked her tongue.
“Tsk… Maybe Sima Yue is just the muscle. At most, some kind of military adviser.”
A vague thought flashed through her mind.
Unfortunately, she failed to grasp it before it disappeared.
Xiao Lizi dragged over a chair with one broken leg and carefully balanced it upright.
He placed a towel over the seat before taking several plastic bags out of the backpack behind him.
Each bag contained different food.
One held freshly steamed white flour buns.
Another contained ham, canned food, and preserved mustard vegetables.
The last bag held chopsticks, tissues, and bottled water.
From everything Feng Moxi had observed so far, both Sima Yue and Chaoyang possessed storage spaces.
The others did not.
“You even prepared steamed buns?”
Luo Yunxi couldn’t help asking.
“Did you make them last night?”
Feng Moxi was curious as well.
She had secretly gone to the back kitchen in the middle of the night, only to discover every bit of food had vanished.
She had waited half the night for the perfect opportunity, only to come away empty-handed.
“That’s right.”
Chaoyang nodded with a smile.
“There were rats stealing food in the middle of the night, so we prepared everything ahead of time. Tonight’s meal is on me. Don’t be shy, everyone gets one bun.”
Feng Moxi kept a perfectly calm expression, but her heart skipped a beat.
Did this guy stay awake all night?
Had he actually seen her?
The thought made her unconsciously clench her fingers.
Strength…
She needed to become stronger.
Luo Yunxi smiled.
“Wash your hands first. I have water.”
After this period of cultivation, the thin stream of water she could summon had already grown into a steady flow.
It still wasn’t strong enough to attack with.
But washing everyone’s hands was no problem at all.
After dinner, Xiao Lizi stood up and turned toward He Ping.
“Brother He, how about this? Your group sends two people for night watch, and we’ll send two as well.”
“I’ll help too,” Luo Yunxi volunteered.
“No need.”
Xiao Lizi smiled kindly.
“There are plenty of us here. You two young ladies don’t have to stand watch. Get a good night’s rest. We’ve still got fighting to do tomorrow.”
In the end, four people were assigned to the night watch.
One member from He Ping’s group and one of the bodyguards took the first shift.
Another pair took the second.
Meanwhile, Feng Moxi had already projected her divine sense into her mysterious space.
Xiaoying fluttered its transparent wings as it happily soared through the air.
“Well?”
Feng Moxi asked.
“Did you manage to collect anything?”