Chapter 436: Isolated Island (Demon Seed Chapter 1)
Da Li, Qingshi Town.
As a trading town that has prospered rapidly due to the production of high-quality stone materials, Qingshi Town is located in a remote area, but its population is surprisingly prosperous, and there are endless merchants coming and going on weekdays.
However, its rise is also rapid, and its fall is also sudden. Things in the world are always interdependent, and gains and losses are difficult to determine.
Perhaps because of the frequent population movement, some extremely dangerous things have quietly come here with the dense flow of people.
Two months ago, a strange disease began to emerge in the town. The whole body of the patient first became stiff and cold, and then even his memory would gradually decline due to the impact, until in less than five days, he would directly lose all his sanity, and finally all the patients would be transformed into stupid beasts that only knew how to swim and eat.
Of course, it may not be accurate to describe these guys as beasts, but at least it is certain that after they become like that, it is difficult to continue to say that they are human beings.
One month before the outbreak, due to the fact that the initial cases were quite scattered, in this era of frequent natural and man-made disasters, this misfortune of a few people did not actually attract the attention of the people in Qingshi Town.
Even the first to know that this kind of disease was not isolated were only those doctors who practiced medicine in the clinic, or the magicians and witches who walked the streets, but neither the prescriptions nor the so-called exorcism talismans could cure any patient.
Then, as time went on, when most of the residents in the town finally discovered the abnormality, the outbreak of the disease had deteriorated to a terrible situation that was difficult to contain.
More and more residents began to turn into zombies who could not communicate at all. The whole process had no signs and could not be stopped, and even the transmission route of the disease was still incomprehensible.
In the face of this extremely terrifying and strange disease, people felt for the first time that life was so equal. Whether it was a high-ranking official in the government office or a wealthy man in the house, as long as they were sick, their fate was no different from those dirty beggars in the streets.
As expected, chaos broke out, and the fragile order was gone in an instant. All the surviving residents began to flee frantically towards the outside of Qingshi Town.
As for the government office responsible for public security? When facing a disaster that treats everyone equally, the biggest difference between officers and soldiers and ordinary people may be that the former are more likely to escape.
Since the disaster can no longer be contained, their only way to survive is to escape from the plague-ridden zombie purgatory behind them as soon as possible.
But unfortunately, fate seems to have completely abandoned this town on the verge of destruction. People are horrified to find that since when, the familiar business roads and mountains outside the town have long disappeared, replaced by an endless thick white fog.
The sea of fog obscures all the ways to survive, and everyone who steps into it will circle back from another direction after a while.
At this point, the once prosperous and bustling Qingshi Town has completely become a desperate island. It was on this day that there were wailing outside the town and flames inside the town.
…………
"Don't come over! Don't come over... Mother!..."
On the outskirts of the town, several panicked screams suddenly came from some dilapidated bungalows, but they stopped in an instant.
Inside the room, the frosty moonlight from the outside poured down from the window, illuminating the two figures, one large and one small, on the bed.
The slender white palm gently pressed down the frightened child who was shouting loudly even in his sleep. Yun Niang tried to suppress Ji An's wanton volume while constantly comforting him softly.
"Don't be afraid, An'er, mother is here, mother is here, everything is fine, don't be afraid..."
The gentle soothing voice slowly seeped into his ears. Perhaps it was the familiar voice that worked, the child on the bed stopped struggling in the next second, his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and after a moment, Ji An, who finally broke free from the nightmare, was able to open his eyes.
"Mom, I dreamed of my uncle again. He... wanted to eat me..."
Hearing the trembling voice of the child in her arms, Yun Niang's already thin arms trembled suddenly, and some unbearable memories came to her mind again. She barely hid the deep pain in her eyes after taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, and continued to comfort her:
"It's okay, An'er, we have left that place. With your parents here, no one can hurt you, and... he is no longer your uncle."
"Your uncle fell ill a long time ago, and now he... is just a monster like the zombies outside. We will definitely take you away from this place..."
The still soft voice hides a deep hatred. Before she finished speaking, Yun Niang's pupils, which were looking at Ji An tenderly, suddenly shrank.
"An'er, your eyes..."
When their eyes met, the child's eyes, which should have been black and white, were strangely rippling. The deep black color slowly spread outward from the center of the pupil, and soon the whole body was completely covered by the extreme black color like the abyss.
The delicate and tender face matched with the strange black eyes looked evil and terrifying, and had a strange charm that seemed to absorb the soul of the person looking at it.
"Mom, what's wrong with my eyes!"
The questioning voice suddenly exploded in her ears, and Yunniang's pupils, which had gradually collapsed, regained their concentration. After she came to her senses, she looked up again, but saw that the eyes of the child in her arms were clean and clear, as if everything she had just seen was just a distorted illusion in her trance.
"It's okay, it must be that mother saw it wrong, is An'er still sleepy?"
"No more!"
The child on the bed nodded obediently, and the gentle woman beside him raised her hand with a smile, and the slightly messy hair became regular again under the slow combing of the slender white palm. Feeling the soft touch from between her fingers, Yunniang's eyebrows drooped slightly, and quietly covered up the lingering thick uneasiness in her eyes.
Although she said it was okay, she was sure that the scene just now was definitely not an illusion.
After a few minutes, Yunniang, whose thoughts gradually calmed down, stopped arranging Ji An's hair, and turned to look at the tall figure who was looking out the window opposite.
"Husband, are we really going to leave now?"
Hearing this, Ji Jun, who was standing by the window, turned around immediately. Unlike the mother and son who were neatly dressed on the bed, his clothes were torn and there were a lot of dried blood stains on them.
Although he looked a little embarrassed, the long sword he held tightly in his hand was cold and evil, which made his temperament proud and upright.
However, all this evil spirit turned into a warm and gentle spring breeze the moment Ji Jun turned around and looked at his wife and children.
"There is no extra food in Qingshi Town. If we don't want to become those monsters, we can only take risks."
"And the moonlight can weaken those strange fogs to a certain extent. It is impossible to escape during the day, so tonight's full moon is our only chance."
Faced with Yun Niang's hesitation, Ji Jun spoke firmly. In the past month, he had been thinking about how to escape from this ghost place where he had lost all hope almost every moment.
Even though everyone told him that it was impossible to break through the strange fog outside the town, he never gave up hope. After all, he was carrying more than just his own life.
"But the zombies at night..."
When it comes to zombies, even someone as determined as Ji Jun can't help but be silent. He glanced at the window frame behind him. Through the bright moonlight, Ji Jun could clearly see that groups of hunched figures were constantly wandering on the dirty streets covered with blood in the distance.
These figures have different shapes and bodies, but they are surprisingly consistent in temperament, with slow and swaying gaits, hunched spines, pale and stiff limbs, and expressionless faces.
That's right, these are the zombies that eventually evolved from the sick. In fact, the original zombies are not difficult to deal with. They are stupid, slow, and have no wisdom. Except that their bodies become more powerful due to stiffness, there are no other characteristics, so they did not attract enough attention in the early stage of the disaster.
But since a month ago, these clumsy zombies that were supposed to be harmless to humans and animals have undergone earth-shaking changes. They began to crave flesh and blood, and have a stronger desire to attack. They even hunted and preyed on surviving humans in groups.
In fact, Qingshi Town has fallen into its current miserable state in just two months, and the zombies scattered throughout the town can be said to have contributed greatly.
Most of the blood stains on Ji Jun's body were also caused by these wandering zombies.
With a cold gaze, he slowly swept across the gray and lifeless pupils of the zombies on the street. Ji Jun silently stroked a small bottle of lamp oil hidden in his sleeves and said in a muffled voice:
"Zombies also have weaknesses. These things are thirsty for blood and afraid of fire. I have a way to get rid of them."
"...Jun Lang"
"We can only fight for our lives! At least... let you and An'er live."
Yun Niang's gentle call was interrupted by Ji Jun as soon as she opened her mouth. When their eyes met, she seemed to understand something. Her worried expression froze at first. After a few seconds of stagnation, the mist accumulated in her eyes quickly dissipated, and finally only the eyes opposite her were full of determination.
Tightening the smaller Ji An in her arms, she whispered gently and firmly:
"An'er, let's go, Dad and Mom will take you away from Qingshi Town!"
………………
Night.
The moonlight is cold and the fog is heavy.
The pale jade plate hangs high in the sky. Even if it is occasionally covered by drifting clouds, it will soon emerge again to overlook the world. It is like this every night, and it has been like this since ancient times.
Under the moonlight, a large-scale white sea of fog is particularly eye-catching among the green fields and mountains, and in the center of the sea of fog is the Qingshi town that was once prosperous.
However, the world is always prosperous and difficult to live in, so the town that was bustling with people a few months ago is now only a desolate and depressed area. Looking down from the sky, the entire Qingshi town is suppressed and silent. Even in the middle of the night, there is no fire.
The sound of the night watchman that used to ring crisply at midnight has long disappeared, but the hoarse roars of the zombies have begun to resound in the streets and alleys.
But this continuous noise did not bring any vitality to the entire town. Instead, it made it seem even more dead, just like an old man on the verge of death, who would always involuntarily groan and sigh before his painful death.
Suddenly, within this area of silence like dead water, unexpectedly, ripples representing vitality appeared on the edge of the town.
"Hurry! We are about to leave the town, Yunniang, follow us!"
On the southwest side of Qingshi Town, the sound of hurried footsteps accompanied by the man's low shout suddenly sounded, and the tranquility of the night was smashed in an extremely rough way.
On the streets full of debris and dirt, Ji Jun was seen leading the way with a torch in one hand and a long sword in the other. Behind him were the mother and son who were only a few steps behind, and behind them were seven or eight hideous zombies chasing them.
At this time, nearly half an hour had passed since they left the base. With the help of various shelters and houses scattered in the town, the first half of their journey was relatively smooth. Although the speed was slow, it was safe.
But when they gradually approached the edge of the town, the risk began to rise sharply. Without the cover of dense houses, it was almost impossible for the three of them to completely avoid the many zombies wandering around on the street.
So as expected, they inevitably encountered an exciting escape with only a few hundred meters left to the finish line.
At this point, hiding had lost all its meaning. The only thing they could do now was to risk their lives and sprint with all their strength. Even if they paused for just a few seconds, it might bring an unbearable disaster. Only by rushing out of the town in one breath could they have a slim chance of survival.
The rapid and intense footsteps spread rapidly in the silent streets. This eye-catching sound wave was like a giant whirlpool in the sea, and soon attracted the zombies around the streets and even farther away.
In an instant, smoke and dust rose up, roaring, and a large number of zombies either climbed over the stone wall or smashed the wooden door to kill. Looking around, all directions were covered by struggling black shadows.
At the front of the team, Ji Jun, who was responsible for clearing the way, had a cold look in his eyes. Even though there were constant horrible roars coming from all around, he still stared at the front without any deviation.
He was very clear about the desperate situation at the moment, and he also knew that he must not look back now, and he could not even hesitate or pause. Whether it was the pursuers behind him or the zombies coming from the left and right sides, they were far from the biggest trouble.
The only thing he needed to consider was the interceptors in front of him who might affect their sprint speed. Now, speed was the best guarantee for their survival.
"Bang!"
With a muffled sound, the thick torch was suddenly swung away by Ji Jun, and the burning flames formed a dazzling winding fire snake in the air, and at the same time, several figures in front of him that were particularly obstructive were forced away.
Perhaps it was because beasts were born to fear fire. In short, these zombies whose intelligence level had degenerated to the same level as beasts seemed to have inherited this characteristic, and they always had an uncontrollable fear of the raging flames.
Of course, it was just fear. The restraint of fire on them was far from the exaggerated degree of fleeing at the touch, so in addition to torches, Ji Jun also needed swords.
"Clang!"
The remaining flames in the air had not yet dissipated, and a gleam of cold light tore it apart directly. With a long clang, the long sword in Ji Jun's hand had pierced straight through the head of the zombie in front of him.
The tip of the sword pierced from the eye socket and came out from the back of the head. It was just the most basic straight stab, which revealed Ji Jun's extraordinary eyesight and stability. To deal with these zombies that were neither alive nor dead, destroying their brains was the only deadly means.
The next moment, the long sword with a few strands of gray-white suspicious liquid was quickly pulled out from the zombie's eye socket, and then another cold moon suddenly swung in the air, so the zombie on the left had just fallen down, and a head with a broken neck on the right was seen soaring into the sky.
"Don't stop, hurry!"
………
At the back of the team, Ji Jun's angry shout hit Yun Niang's ears heavily, and at the same time stimulated her to run faster again.
She didn't know how far she had run. The intense pain in her lungs like a burning fire made it impossible for her to think too much. Whether it was the hoarse roar that was getting closer and closer behind her, or the strong stench that surged from both sides, it didn't attract her attention at all.
Now she only had the broad back in front of her fighting hard, and the familiar soft little hand in her hand. No matter what, they could die in this desperate town, but An'er couldn't, he had to survive! !