CH 47

The father and son exchanged a glance, walked out of the living room, and saw a muscular mutant cow being tied up, struggling on the ground. Xiao Hen and Ji Rong were sweating profusely, as they had carried it all the way back.

Xiao Hen said, “Greetings.”

Wen Qingling: “…”

Wen Zheng: “…”

Jiang Lan, with excellent hearing, heard their conversation from the kitchen, but she misheard it as a “gift for meeting.” Holding a spatula, she rushed out and exclaimed, “This ‘gift for meeting’ is too stingy! Let me tell you, there’s no way you can take my son away with a mutant cow!”

Wen Qingling: “…”

Wen Zheng: “…”

Did the mother-in-law reveal something?

Wen Zheng quickly pulled his wife aside and whispered, “What nonsense are you talking about? What kind of random thoughts are you always having? We have a son, not a daughter!”

Jiang Lan gave her husband a look that said, “You’re really clueless.” She had discovered her son’s little secret back in his junior high school days, but since he hadn’t openly discussed it with the family, Jiang Lan pretended not to know. However, after their son finally fulfilled their wish and got admitted to the medical university, the world ended before he could finish his first year.

Xiao Hen: “…”

Ji Rong: “…”

Ji Rong quickly spoke, “Auntie, you heard it wrong. This is a visitation gift. Our boss has visited multiple times, causing you inconvenience.”

Faced with such an awkward situation, Jiang Lan, a comrade who couldn’t be easily embarrassed, tucked her falling black hair behind her ears and slumped her face, saying, “Fortunately, I misheard it. Otherwise, if someone wanted to take my son away with a mutant cow, I… I definitely wouldn’t agree.”

Jiang Lan almost revealed her true nature. If it weren’t for the presence of a potential future daughter-in-law, she would have shown her true colors.

Ji Rong gave an awkward yet polite smile and said, “Yes, yes, Dr. Wen is so outstanding that the person worthy of him hasn’t been born yet. Auntie, please don’t worry about this.”

As soon as Ji Rong finished speaking, he immediately received two pairs of eyes, one from Xiao Hen and one from Jiang Lan.

If it weren’t for maintaining a gentle and good mother-in-law image in front of the future daughter-in-law, Jiang Lan would have rolled up her sleeves by now.

Is this even human language? So, my son is doomed to be single?!

Ji Rong: “…”

The smile gradually faded, and he could no longer maintain it.

Wen Qingling said, “Mom, the food is burning.”

Jiang Lan exclaimed, “Ah!” and quickly turned around to rush back to the kitchen to continue working on her grand meal.

Xiao Hen’s gaze fell on Wen Qingling.

Wen Qingling still had a slumped face, showing no emotion. He turned and walked towards the living room. “Come over, let Kui Mu take a look at you.”

Xiao Hen and Ji Rong followed Wen Qingling upstairs to the room where Kui Mu was kept. The dark blue icy pattern on the side of Xiao Hen’s neck was already quite noticeable. The zombie virus had reappeared and started to corrode Xiao Hen’s body.

The largest blood anemone they had seen before was only the size of a person when Kui Bao transformed. But now, two giant blood anemones, taller than humans, appeared before them, leaving both of them in shock.

The two pregnant Kui Mu looked a bit intimidating, but the green ribbons tied around them made them somewhat cute.

Wen Qingling touched the bulging bellies of the Kui Mu and introduced them, “These two are the blood that grew from my heart. Their detoxification ability should be even stronger.”

Xiao Hen asked, “Blood from your heart?”

Wen Qingling gestured to his chest, “Yes, Xu Shengfei set a trap for me. She used wooden thorns to pierce my heart and threw me into the zombie horde.”

There was no need to explain in detail; Xiao Hen already understood. It must have been at that abandoned factory where Wen Qingling was waiting to die. Blood flowed out, giving birth to the blood anemones. He, on the other hand, didn’t die like he was supposed to but came back to life, just like last night.

The zombie bodies outside the abandoned factory were good evidence.

Until now, only Xiao Hen knew about Wen Qingling being a zombie. Ji Rong had been suspicious all along, but no one gave him a definite answer. Such a miraculous thing, he dared not assert it himself.

Wen Qingling said, “Give it a try.”

Ji Rong quickly stopped him, “Wait, Dr. Wen, please look at the thick tentacles of Kui Mu and then look at our boss’ delicate neck. Do you really think it can accommodate so many tentacles without breaking his neck?”

Wen Qingling looked at Xiao Hen and asked, “Afraid of pain?”

Xiao Hen replied, “I can bear it.”

Wen Qingling touched the bulging belly of Kui Mu and had one tentacle gently probe Xiao Hen’s neck. Even though it was already quite thick, when it penetrated Xiao Hen’s neck, it was quickly withdrawn with just a gentle suction. Nevertheless, Xiao Hen’s face quickly turned pale.

He had lost too much blood.

Wen Qingling healed his wound and stared at his neck for a long time, but the dark blue icy pattern did not appear.

Xiao Hen breathed a sigh of relief.

Ji Rong became excited, “It really works. Has it been completely eradicated?”

Wen Qingling shook his head, “I’m not sure. Let’s wait and see. If it doesn’t reappear, then it’s been cleared. If it reappears, it means that even Kui Mu can’t completely resolve it, and we’ll have to wait until I become stronger.”

The three of them went downstairs, and the rich aroma of the food had already filled the entire house. Wen Zheng was helping Jiang Lan set the table. This time, there were five people, so the long table had been changed to a round one, which made it easier to pass dishes around.

Looking at the table full of dishes, Ji Rong’s eyes almost fell out of their sockets. He looked at his boss with resentment. So this was the kind of life his boss was living in Wen Qingling’s base? It was more abundant than what they had before the apocalypse. No wonder his boss was so eager to convert Wen Qingling. Was it all for this kind of lavish lifestyle?

Jiang Lan seemed to have forgotten the awkwardness at the door and warmly invited them to sit down.

As soon as they sat down, Jiang Lan personally served a bowl of soup to Xiao Hen. “This is spinach and pork liver soup. It can replenish your blood. Drink a little more. Next time, Auntie will make you stewed angelica and black-bone chicken soup. We have the angelica, but we need to go out and find the mutated black-bone chicken. For these few days, you can drink pork liver soup, bone broth, and red date rock sugar porridge. We have all the ingredients, so don’t worry. Once your uncle finds the mutated black-bone chicken, Auntie will make you the stewed angelica and black-bone chicken soup. I guarantee it will help improve your health.”

Ji Rong almost spewed out the food he had just tasted. What kind of century’s best mother was this? Was this how they lived in the apocalypse? Was this some kind of divine life?!

Xiao Hen felt grateful yet embarrassed. He kept looking at Wen Qingling, who had a slumped face and showed no reaction. Xiao Hen could only say, “Auntie, you don’t need to bother. I’m in good health, no need for such care.”

Wen Qingling calmly ate his meal and said, “I’m sorry about your mother. If you don’t mind, my mother can be your mother.”

Ji Rong couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

Xiao Hen’s hand trembled, almost spilling the soup.

Wen Zheng, who was still oblivious to the situation, joined in, “So, I’ll be all yours?”

Wen Qingling added, “And my father, I’ll give him to you. You can treat him as your own father.”

Wen Zheng was so angry he wanted to beat his son on the spot but was teased by Jiang Lan.

Xiao Hen felt a sour and bitter feeling in his heart as he watched the three of them banter and compete with each other. His envy was beyond words.

Xiao Hen pretended not to notice that they were using separate chopsticks and tongs to pick up the food. Ji Rong was too absorbed in eating to notice this detail either. He thought it was just a personal habit. They ate until their mouths were greasy, and only stopped when they couldn’t eat anymore.

In the afternoon, Xiao Hen and Ji Rong had to go out. They had arranged to meet He Lin and Shi Chong at a designated location. If they returned, they would definitely go there. They wanted to see if He Lin and Shi Chong had returned.

Their mission this time was simply to escort Old Meng back and report the danger in Ling City and the appearance of the level eight evolved being “General.” It wasn’t wise to establish a research institute in Ling City, so they could only ensure Old Meng’s safe return. As for Wen Qingling’s matter, there was no need to mention it. Xiao Hen had specifically instructed that.

The two of them left the city and saw many evolved zombies wandering around. The city center of Ling City had been bombed flat, and all the evolved zombies gathered there had dispersed. They were not only spread throughout Ling City but had also left the city, which was another disaster for the surrounding survivor bases.

With Wen Qingling’s protection, the two of them safely left the city.

As soon as they left the city, Ji Rong couldn’t wait to ask, “Boss, you definitely have something going on. You kept such a joyous event a secret from us. That’s not fair!”

Xiao Hen looked at the wandering zombies on the roadside and said, “Just focus on driving. Don’t ask too much.”

Ji Rong scratched his head, feeling restless. “How can I not ask when it’s such a big deal?”

Xiao Hen asked, “What do you want to know?”

Ji Rong excitedly said, “What’s the relationship between you and Dr. Wen?”

Xiao Hen replied, “I said there’s no relationship. Do you believe me?”

Ji Rong immediately shook his head, “I don’t believe it.”

Xiao Hen felt like punching him, “You don’t believe me when I tell the truth, but you want to hear a lie, right?”

Ji Rong grinned, “The way you two interact doesn’t look like there’s no relationship. If there’s no situation, how come you can live in a civilized base while I have to sleep in a car outside the city? If there’s no situation, would Dr. Wen not charge you for medical fees and worry about your zombie virus? If there’s no relationship, would Dr. Wen’s mother care for you so much? It really seems like she treats you as her own son! No matter how you look at it, there’s definitely something going on!”

Xiao Hen pondered for a moment. He also wanted to analyze the current situation with Ji Rong. “Do you think Wen Qingling seems like a person with emotions?”

Even if he said he would share half of his mother with him, Xiao Hen felt it was just a literal meaning. Wen Qingling’s demeanor was too indifferent, not giving him any opportunity to think further.

Ji Rong thought carefully for a moment, then slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Damn! Boss, this is your first love, isn’t it? Wen Qingling doesn’t seem like a person with emotions. His eyes are only filled with crystal nuclei. If you want him to notice you, you’ll probably need to frame your crystal nuclei.”

Xiao Hen sighed. He knew the real reason was not that, but he couldn’t say it. He could only continue suppressing the budding thoughts.

They were not possible, Xiao Hen and Wen Qingling. They were truly people from two different worlds.

Not far from leaving Ling City, they noticed a vehicle parked by the roadside. Several survivors stood outside the vehicle, looking towards Ling City. They were probably attracted by the commotion from last night.

They saw an off-road vehicle approaching from the direction of Ling City, which surprised them. They considered whether they should stop the vehicle and ask about the situation. While hesitating, the off-road vehicle stopped on its own.

Xiao Hen and Ji Rong also had questions they wanted to ask them.

Ji Rong rolled down the car window and called out to them, “Where are you survivors from? What are you doing here?”

A young man stepped forward and replied, “We are survivors from Xiang County. We heard continuous explosions from the direction of Ling City last night, so our leader sent us to gather information. Initially, we were supposed to stop a hundred miles away to scout, but we ventured closer and didn’t encounter any danger, so we ended up here. Since you are coming from the direction of Ling City, do you know what happened?”

Ji Rong looked at Xiao Hen, but Xiao Hen didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “Who is your leader?”

Since they mentioned the “hundred miles” as the death distance, they should be from the survivor base in Ling City.

The young man replied, “Are you asking about our current leader or the previous one?”

Xiao Hen already understood.

Ji Rong said, “We definitely don’t know the previous one, but the current one might be familiar.”

The young man said, “Not long ago, a group of survivors arrived at our Xiang County survivor base. They were powerful enough to defeat our previous leader and became the new leaders. The leader’s name is Chang Boheng, and his girlfriend, Wen Chu, is the deputy leader.”

Indeed, they were acquaintances.

Ling City had a total of five main districts, four suburbs, and three counties, overseeing five county-level cities, and Rong City was one of them.

After the apocalypse, transportation was severely disrupted, and zombies were everywhere. Venturing far was equivalent to seeking death. No one knew whether the vast distance ahead held death or a new beginning. Many people chose to gather with survivors from the same area and form a base, relying on each other for survival. Of course, if they had enough strength, they would leave and search for a more suitable place to survive.

There were quite a few bases near Ling City, big and small, but they had all been slaughtered by the “General.” Now Rong City and Xiang County were also in the same situation. Xiao Hen’s suspicion was reasonable, and there were likely survivor bases near the other districts, counties, and county-level cities. In the current chaos where Ling City’s city center was a disaster zone, these small survivor bases were undoubtedly very dangerous.

Xiao Hen asked, “Are there any other survivor bases near Xiang County?”

The young man replied, “Yes, we have several survivor bases near Xiang County, but our base is the largest. The others can’t even be considered bases; at most, they’re communities or shelters. Some like-minded survivors gather together, and these people often resort to extreme measures and frequently rob other survivor groups. In short, it’s chaotic.”

It was easy to imagine that in the lawless apocalypse, human desires would escalate to extreme levels.

Regardless of whether they were good or evil, as long as they didn’t fall into Xiao Hen’s hands, he had no concern.

Xiao Hen reminded them, “You can go back now. The area near Ling City is full of zombies, and many evolved zombies are migrating. Your base needs to strengthen its defenses. Also, spread the message that the Level 8 evolved zombie ‘General’ has left Ling City. Stay safe when survivors go out.”

It was just a reminder. If they were unlucky enough to encounter the “General,” it was unlikely that any survivors could escape. Even Wen Qingling had used several lives to force the “General” away, let alone others who didn’t stand a chance.