“Who are you looking at?”
Seeing the state of his wife and child, Cheng Qian no longer cared about the traffic behind him. He braked hard, bringing the car to a complete stop, and then looked out the window.
On the opposite side, through the halfway-lowered window of a jeep, he saw the profile of a middle-aged man.
The man was probably in his fifties, very thin, with ordinary features.
Perhaps because he often frowned, there were three deep wrinkles between his eyebrows, making his face look stern and unapproachable.
He wore gold-rimmed glasses, his expression cold and indifferent.
“Chen Changyu!”
Ke Bei had finally regained her composure. She lifted her son from the back seat, holding him tightly in her arms.
She kissed the top of his head, trying to calm him, while her gaze remained fixed outside, her eyes burning with hatred.
“Chen Changyu, Professor Chen, Director of the Haishi Institute of Supernatural Science, Leader of the Artificial Evolution Enhancement Project Team, overall supervisor, and Ah Lie’s biological uncle!”
Ke Bei recited the man’s long list of official titles and positions, each word dripping with venom, striking straight at the heart!
Cheng Qian felt suffocated.
It was as if a giant hand had gripped his heart and was squeezing it mercilessly—
Squeezing until it hurt, squeezing until he could barely breathe.
This was the murderer who had killed his wife and son in his previous life!
He stared fixedly at Chen Changyu in the jeep, determined to imprint that face deep in his mind.
Never forget, never forgive!
“What do you want to do? Follow him for now?” Cheng Qian gripped the steering wheel tightly and asked in a low voice.
Ke Bei didn’t answer immediately.
She thought for a moment and then countered, “This isn’t the way to Haishi, right?”
“No, this is the road to the capital. Haishi is in the opposite direction.”
“Then why is he taking this road? As far as I remember, he’s been working in Haishi since before the apocalypse.”
After saying this, a troubling thought suddenly popped into Ke Bei’s mind, and her expression immediately changed!
Cheng Qian, sitting beside her, obviously thought the same thing and blurted out, “He’s going to Anshuo!”
Yes, this is the road to the capital.
But it doesn’t lead only to the capital, it also passes through Anshuo.
In other words, Chen Changyu might not necessarily be heading there to set up a research institute with those people; it’s also possible that he received a call from his brother and is taking the vehicle to Anshuo to pick up his nephew, Ah Lie!
“We can’t follow him. We have to get to Anshuo ahead of him. We must find Ah Lie before he does!”
Ke Bei immediately became anxious.
She straightened up in her seat, her expression tense.
To her and Xiao Tian, Ah Lie was not just a benefactor, he was a companion.
He was even family in the sense of sharing hardships and willing to risk his life for them.
Thinking that Ah Lie is only twelve years old now, completely unaware, and entirely unguarded against this uncle his parents had entrusted him to…
Ke Bei felt restless and uneasy.
They absolutely had to reach Ah Lie before this devilish scumbag. Not only reach him, but also gain his trust first so he would be willing to leave with them.
No, if they couldn’t gain his trust immediately, even knocking him out and taking him forcibly was better than letting him fall back into Chen Changyu’s hands.
Thinking this, Ke Bei clenched her fists tightly.
“Don’t panic. It might not actually be what we think,” Cheng Qian said, having calmed down a bit.
He tried to reason with her: “The plant mutations started in the early hours yesterday. I think it’s probably about the same nationwide. If other areas had started earlier, Deputy Chief of Staff Liang would have told me when he called.
If that’s the case, Chen Changyu appearing here definitely isn’t because he got a call from Ah Lie’s parents and rushed over, otherwise, he wouldn’t have had time; the timing doesn’t add up.”
“So he might not even be going to Anshuo, right?” Ke Bei asked.
“Hard to say, it’s possible either way. But no matter what, he definitely wouldn’t have any intention of harming Ah Lie at this point. He wouldn’t specifically try to hurt him.
That means we still have a chance.”
“Let’s stick to our previous plan: at the upcoming fork, we’ll take the side road and try to get ahead of them. If that doesn’t work, we’ll walk a stretch and take shortcuts wherever we can!”
Cheng Qian made the decision for them.
Previously, they had chosen to take the main road because of Xiao Tian’s young age and his condition. Cheng Qian felt everything needed to be handled carefully.
The less walking for the child, the better. In such hot weather, riding in the car was far more comfortable than walking.
But now the situation was different. Even if it meant enduring hardships, their priority was to find Ah Lie first.
Since the plan was agreed on, Ke Bei no longer looked at the convoy that had already overtaken them, it wasn’t worth the stress!
With their current abilities, the couple had no chance of opposing such major forces.
Moreover, Chen Changyu was still just an ordinary biology expert at this point. Those criminal research projects hadn’t even begun. Even if they caught up to him, they couldn’t do anything to him.
The car moved forward about fifty meters before turning onto a side road.
The more remote the mountains and forests, the more severe the plant mutations and the greater the danger, so very few vehicles were willing to take these paths.
Their journey went relatively smoothly.
Aside from a few instances where the road had been destroyed by mutated plants, forcing them to park and walk for a stretch, they didn’t encounter any major obstacles.
By four or five in the afternoon, they arrived at an unknown village. The village blocked the end of the road, meaning they had to cross the entire mountain village to continue.
Nestled among mountains and rivers and right next to a tributary, the terrain suggested that it must have once been a beautiful scenic area.
But now, it had been almost completely overtaken by vegetation.
From a distance, broken walls and collapsed structures were visible everywhere. Most of the buildings were either entirely covered by plants or had roots growing into the walls, leaving them in ruins.
It looked like an abandoned city standing on the mountainside under the sunset.
“Let’s park the car and walk through,” Cheng Qian said, stopping the vehicle by the roadside.
Ke Bei checked Xiao Tian’s clothes again, then together they slung their backpacks on.
Each of the three bags contained only basic supplies, enough so that if any of them got separated or faced an emergency, they could survive independently for three to four days.
After such a long period of rest, Xiao Tian’s energy had recovered somewhat.
Although his lips were still a little pale and his arm couldn’t yet move with full strength, he had regained the appearance of a six-year-old and no longer needed to be carried by an adult.
Once Ke Bei had secured the car, Xiao Tian slung his own backpack on, just like his parents, walking between them.
His small frame carried a backpack almost as big as himself, making him look both pitifully tiny and irresistibly cute.
“Tired? Do you want Dad to carry it? Does your arm hurt?”
Even though he knew his son’s ability gave him strength and a much faster recovery than normal, seeing Xiao Tian like this still made Cheng Qian uneasy. He couldn’t help asking again.
“I’m not tired, it doesn’t hurt. I can carry it, Dad. See? I’ve got strength!”
Xiao Tian said this as he clenched his fist and flexed his uninjured arm, proudly showing Cheng Qian the nonexistent muscle he had.
Seeing his son like that, Cheng Qian’s heart ached even more.
Along with the pain came a deep sense of guilt, toward both his son and his wife.
He couldn’t stop his child from being independent, yet seeing that fragile little body, and the still-awkward arm, and realizing all of this was partly his own fault…
Cheng Qian wanted to beat himself up on the spot.
He wished he could go back in time and take the hit himself, so Xiao Tian wouldn’t have to endure it.
His gaze lingered on Xiao Tian’s sweat-dampened nose, and he wiped it gently, giving him a thumbs-up.
But in the end, he couldn’t resist. He coaxed and persuaded, reaching into Xiao Tian’s backpack and transferring a few items into his own bag.
Ke Bei didn’t join in the father-son interaction; she was focused on surveying their surroundings.
The plants in this village were growing at an unusually fast rate, far faster than anywhere else they had passed through.
The growth rate rivaled even that of the Liangjia Town, likely because of proximity to the water.
It was unclear if the village had previously been attacked by some mutated animals, but now it was completely empty. They hadn’t seen a single person along the way.
Not only were there no people, but not a single domesticated animal either. The air carried a faint trace of blood that hadn’t fully dissipated.
“Cheng Qian, come look at this!” Ke Bei called, walking up to the fence of a house and pointing toward a corner.
There were several clumps of yellow-brown fur scattered on the ground, as if torn off during a struggle between some animal.
Next to them was a patch of dried blood.
“I see it… and over here too.” Cheng Qian’s expression had grown serious.
He held Xiao Tian tightly with one hand while pointing with the other toward a large tree nearby.
Ke Bei then noticed another pool of blood beneath the tree. Looking closer at the surrounding thicket, she saw a few more clumps of yellow fur hanging from the branches, and signs of a struggle around them.
“Monkeys. We’re too close to the mountains. These must be mutated monkeys from up there causing trouble.”
Cheng Qian bent down and scooped up Xiao Tian. “Don’t go any further. I think there’s a clearing over there. Let’s check it out. If not, we’ll camp there tonight.”
Ke Bei also knew it would be too dangerous to travel through here after dark. Even if they needed to keep moving, there was no need to rush, so she nodded in agreement.
The clearing Cheng Qian mentioned was just outside the village, they had seen it when they first entered.
It had probably been prepared for some village construction, cleared and ready, but the apocalypse had come before anything could be built.
The ground had been hardened before. Although plants had spread into it, the surface was still mostly flat with scattered stones, and it hadn’t been completely overtaken. Compared to other areas, it was much better.
When Ke Bei and Cheng Qian returned, they noticed that the once-empty clearing now had a group of people in the center, about a dozen or so, both men and women.
They looked exhausted, as if they had just arrived. Some leaned on each other for support, while others sprawled flat on the ground.
The couple didn’t plan to talk to them. They chose a slightly separate, flatter spot and sat down.
“Give Xiao Tian some water. I’ll set up the tent,” Cheng Qian said, setting down his bag and rolling up his sleeves.
“I’ll help you.”
“No need, I can manage. It’s just a small tent. You rest a bit, you’re hurting your leg again, right?”
“I’m fine.”
Hearing this, Ke Bei stayed put, sitting beside her son and rolling up her pant legs to check her injuries.
As the couple spoke, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from the distance: “Sister! Brother Cheng! Xiao Tian!”
From among the group of people, someone leapt up and dashed toward them.
“Sister! Cheng Qian! I knew it was you! I thought I recognized you from far away, and it really is! What a coincidence, what a coincidence, we meet again!”
Ke Bei had just lifted her head, and before she could get a clear look, Du He had already run up to them, chattering excitedly without pause.
The young man’s face was covered in sweat, his clothes smeared with dust, black and white streaks everywhere, and his chapped lips had a thin layer of white skin peeling.
It was obvious the past couple of days hadn’t been easy for him.
Yet he showed no sign of fatigue; his eyes were shining.
He gestured wildly, hopping with excitement, so overjoyed that he seemed ready to spin in place, reuniting with them was the greatest happiness he could imagine.
Even Ke Bei couldn’t help but be infected by his joy, a smile creeping onto her lips.
She tossed a bottle of water from her backpack: “Drink some water, your mouth looks dry.”
“No, no!” Du He took it, but immediately handed it back to Xiao Tian, muttering, “Don’t waste it, don’t waste it! I have mine, I haven’t finished it yet.”
To prove he meant it, he pulled out a half-drunk bottle of mineral water from his backpack and shook it toward Ke Bei.
After shaking it, he carefully put it back in his bag, not daring to actually drink.
Seeing this, Ke Bei’s eyes twinkled slightly, and she didn’t insist further.
She changed the subject: “How did you end up taking this route? Why not the highway? Where’s your car?”
At the mention of the car, Du He scratched his head sheepishly and explained, “It ran out of fuel not far from here, and I couldn’t find a gas station, so I just left it by the road and took the back paths.”
With no gasoline, there was nothing anyone could do; in those circumstances, nobody could pick a car with more fuel.
Hearing this, Ke Bei could only nod helplessly, acknowledging the situation.
Seeing she didn’t press further, Du He rolled up his sleeves. “Sister, I’ll help Brother Cheng set up the tent!”
“No need, he can do it himself.”
Ke Bei held him back, then glanced toward the few people in the distance. “Are those your companions?”
“Sort of. We met on the road and teamed up. That way, if we run into any mutated beasts, we can handle it together.”
Du He glanced toward Cheng Qian again. “I’ll help him anyway, two people can be faster.”
With that, he ran over, beaming with joy, talking and laughing with Cheng Qian, so animated that even Cheng Qian’s usually serious face couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing them like that, Ke Bei let it be.
She took a damp small towel out of her backpack and first wiped Xiao Tian’s hands and face clean, then handed him a bottle of juice to drink slowly.
Next, she took out two packs of compressed biscuits and set aside four pieces of bread.
The tent itself was a simple model, not very big, and the two of them set it up quickly.
After helping, Du He was about to leave and say goodbye, but Ke Bei called him back.
She handed him the leftover bottle of water and the two packs of biscuits. “Here, take this.”
“No, no!”
Du He quickly waved it off, flustered. “Sister, I was just really happy to see you and came over to say hi. I don’t need it—I still have some left from before.”
“Take it, I insist.” Cheng Qian took the items from his wife, directly pulled open Du He’s backpack, and stuffed them inside.
Then he plopped down beside Ke Bei, pointing to the ground nearby. “Sit here and eat with us. I have something to ask you.”
At first, Du He hesitated when Cheng Qian told him to sit and eat, but when he mentioned he had something to ask, Du He agreed and sat down beside them.
Cheng Qian handed him two pieces of bread.
When Du He tried to refuse, Cheng Qian glared at him, and Du He promptly closed his mouth.
Seeing he no longer resisted, Cheng Qian asked, “In the past two days, have you run into any mutated beasts? Like monkeys, for example?”
“No monkeys, but I saw a flock of birds. They looked like crows, but way more dangerous than crows.”
Du He said this as he took a bite of bread.
He ate very slowly, small bite by small bite, as if savoring a delicacy, cherishing every mouthful.
Cheng Qian and Ke Bei both couldn’t help but recall how much food he had taken from the supermarket that day. Just two days, and he shouldn’t be this hungry, right?
Cheng Qian gestured, and Ke Bei took a pack of sliced ham from her bag, tore it open, and handed it to him.
He split the eight slices in half, placing four directly on Du He’s bread.
“No…”
Du He tried to refuse again, but Cheng Qian shot him a glare. “Stop talking. Eat quickly, and when you’re done, tell me everything that’s happened to you these past two days.”
Du He picked up the pace eating the bread.
In his heart, he knew very well that Brother Cheng was just finding an excuse to make him eat, there really wasn’t any need for him to say anything.
Ke Bei didn’t stay to listen to the two men talk. Whatever Du He had seen with that flock of birds was probably the same as what they had encountered, nothing worth hearing.
She went straight into the tent with Xiao Tian.
With the tent as cover, there was less worry about taking food out.
Ke Bei took out a box of mixed fried rice and shared it with Xiao Tian, then ate a small cucumber herself.
The cucumber had been washed and stored in the refrigerator beforehand.
Although the refrigerator in the space couldn’t be powered, the temperature remained as it had been when the food was placed inside, so the cucumber was still cool and refreshingly crisp to eat.
After finishing the cucumber and resting a bit, Ke Bei gave Xiao Tian his medicine, checked his wounds, and soothed him to sleep before coming back out of the tent.
To her surprise, Du He hadn’t left yet. He and Cheng Qian were crouched on the ground, each holding a stick, apparently drawing something.
Ke Bei walked over.
“This place Du He has been to before; I’ll ask him about the surrounding paths,” Cheng Qian explained when he saw his wife come out.
“This place is called Yuehe Village. It used to be somewhat of a minor social media check-in spot, not too famous, just more known among travelers. I came here once on a bike trip with my classmates,” Du He added.
Hearing this, Ke Bei became interested as well and squatted down beside them to listen.
It was starting to get dark.
Since the two of them needed to draw on the ground, Ke Bei went to gather some relatively dry branches, placed a few pieces of charcoal to start a small fire.
Although it was a bit warm, starting a fire outdoors at night was always necessary.
It provided light, kept insects away, and acted as a deterrent against unknown wild animals, a very practical solution.
Seeing their fire, the people in the distance evidently realized the same thing.
Immediately, some of them started moving, and a few came over asking to borrow branches to start their own fires.
Ke Bei, of course, didn’t refuse.
Soon, several more fires were lit across the square.
A fire in the darkness, besides bringing warmth, often brings a sense of security as well.
Since those few fires were lit, the previously lifeless crowd, so quiet that it barely made a sound, started to show a bit of liveliness.
Even though the weather was hot, everyone instinctively gathered around the fires.
Some began eating the rations they had brought, while others huddled together, speaking softly.
One by one, they seemed much more animated.
Du He and the others had also met along the way, merely companions traveling together, they weren’t really familiar with each other.
Seeing Ke Bei and her family now, he naturally gravitated toward them.
Probably afraid they would shoo him away, Du He kept desperately finding things to talk about.
By the end, even though he was exhausted, he kept chattering nonstop.
Eventually, he was so sleepy his brain must have been muddled; he didn’t even know what he was saying.
Cheng Qian was utterly exasperated.
He pulled a moisture-proof mat from his backpack and laid it beside the tent, then poked the drowsy Du He with his hand. “Go sleep for a while. You’ll take the night watch later.”
Hearing that he would get to do the night watch, Du He realized they weren’t going to kick him out, and his face lit up with joy.
He nodded vigorously, grinned goofily, and ran off to sleep.
“Tomorrow we’ll take him with us,” Ke Bei said as she came out of the tent right after Du He left.
Seeing him like that, her heart softened a little.
Cheng Qian didn’t immediately agree but asked in return, “Take him how far? Even once we’re on the road?”
The situation in this village was still uncertain, there might still be mutated monkeys that hadn’t wandered far.
If they stayed in the village, Cheng Qian didn’t mind bringing Du He along. But once they left, taking him along would bring many complications.
For example, Ke Bei’s spatial ability would be difficult to explain. Would they stop using the car for the rest of the journey just to accommodate him?
Ke Bei clearly understood this as well.
She shook her head. “We’ll talk about after we get on the main road. For now, just take him along on this stretch.”
Cheng Qian had no objections and nodded in agreement.
Ke Bei hesitated for a moment, then continued, “Actually, in a few days more enhanced people will start appearing. I won’t be the only one with a spatial ability, and we can’t hide it for long. Besides, the road ahead is so long, we’ll need help.”
The journey ahead would be full of difficulties; relying solely on individual strength would make it hard to get through.
Especially when facing large mutated beasts, with just her and Cheng Qian, they’d have to fight and protect Xiao Tian at the same time, it would be exhausting.
So, in the long run, forming a team is inevitable.
Even in their previous life, they initially had their own team.
But later, because she was pregnant, she really became a burden for the team, so Cheng Qian, as the leader, voluntarily left the team.
He then settled with her at a small base in Pingyan Lake.
They stayed there for over two years until Cheng Qian ran into trouble.
Pulling her thoughts back, Ke Bei proposed her idea: “Du He seems to have a good personality and looks decent. We could observe him for now.”
Cheng Qian, however, didn’t agree. “Don’t worry about forming a team for now. The dangers we face at the moment, we can handle on our own. There’s no rush to team up, we’ll think about that after we find Ah Lie. Didn’t you say Ah Lie has abilities too? With him helping, the early stages won’t be too difficult.”
Obviously, Cheng Qian didn’t share Ke Bei’s thinking.
One more person means one more risk of information leakage.
He didn’t want anyone to know about Xiao Tian’s situation.
Ah Lie was unavoidable, they had to find him. But apart from Ah Lie, Cheng Qian didn’t trust anyone else right now.
Ke Bei didn’t continue to push.
She wasn’t insisting on pulling Du He into their team. Even though the boy had a good personality and seemed decent, Ke Bei wasn’t particularly impressed with his current abilities. And besides, he needed to go home!
She couldn’t make a detour to Yancheng just for him.
Meeting him, taking him along for a stretch, and keeping him safe as they left, that would already complete this part of his journey.
Seeing that his wife remained silent, Cheng Qian thought she was upset with him for refusing to team up with Du He.
Resigned, he poked at the fire with a stick and compromised: “Fine. Tomorrow we’ll let him come with us. Once we’re out of this village, we can take him along a bit further if needed.
This kid doesn’t look like he’s going to cause trouble. If he notices, he notices! He won’t dare do anything bad, if he does, I’ll deal with him myself!”
Seeing him scowl and mutter those half-hearted tough words, Ke Bei couldn’t help but laugh.
She didn’t mention her own thoughts, just smiled softly and said, “Okay.”
At that moment, a group of people slowly approached from the distance.
“More people are coming,” Cheng Qian said, turning his head to look.
Then he was clearly surprised, squinting and raising his tone slightly with a “Hmm.”
Seeing this, Ke Bei also turned her head.
The moment she recognized the newcomers, a look of surprise appeared on her face as well.