TL: Moonlit

As the sky grew brighter, everyone got on the large trucks and set off to retrieve the armored vehicles.

Shi Chong was left behind to continue building the house, while Xiao Hen, Ji Rong, and He Lin went along to help.

Before leaving, Wen Qingling called the Sisters and the blood corpse over and asked them to keep a close eye on Ling City. He knew that the little mouse hiding in the shadows would surely make a move once he left.

The Sisters and the blood corpse both assured him that they would take good care of the home.

Before leaving, the blood corpse couldn’t resist teasing Xiao Hen, congratulating him on finally becoming one of them and joining the big family of zombies. However, their enmity still remained and wouldn’t be resolved just because Xiao Hen had changed his kind.

Xiao Hen, driving an off-road vehicle, followed behind the large truck and asked, “Are we baiting them out?”

Wen Qingling replied, “No time to play hide-and-seek with them. Let them have a chance to cause trouble, and when I come back, I’ll deal with them all at once.”

Wen Qingling observed for a day and a night but didn’t notice anything unusual. Those things were definitely watching him from the shadows, waiting for him to leave.

Lingcheng was quite far from the location where the armored vehicles were parked. The group arrived at their destination in the afternoon. The armored vehicles were still there, but Xiao Hen’s off-road vehicle, which he had left behind, was gone. The previously closed door of one of the armored vehicles was shut, while the unopened door of another vehicle was now open.

Clearly, someone had been here.

Wen Qingling asked Xiao Hen, “Are all the armored vehicles here?”

Xiao Hen didn’t speak and went straight to the back of the armored vehicle convoy. When they came here yesterday, something happened in the middle section, so they didn’t see the back. Now, when they looked again, there were skid marks from an abrupt stop and tracks of the armored vehicles leaving.

Xiao Hen carefully observed and finally confirmed that three armored vehicles were missing.

Xiao Hen said, “Three are missing.”

Wen Qingling asked, “Were they stolen?”

Xiao Hen shook his head. “Not necessarily. It could also be that there were survivors in the armored vehicle convoy. They realized something was wrong up ahead and turned around to escape. After all, there aren’t many people who can drive armored vehicles unless they’ve received specialized training.”

Wen Qingling pondered for a moment and said, “So you’re saying there’s a possibility that Yin Cheng is still alive?”

Xiao Hen nodded with a serious expression.

If Yin Cheng was indeed alive, where would he go? Did he return to Central Mega City?

Xiao Hen looked at Ji Rong and He Lin, and they understood.

Ji Rong said, “I and Old He will go back and check.”

Wen Qingling said, “He Lin will go back alone, and you will stay.”

Ji Rong hesitated for a moment.

Ji Rong said, “It’s more convenient to have two people coordinating. If one person encounters trouble, there won’t even be someone to deliver the message…”

Wen Qingling interrupted, “He Lin alone is enough. You would be a burden if you go with him.”

Ji Rong fell silent.

Wen Qingling continued, “If I want someone to coordinate, I have a better candidate: Lin Sheng.”

A young bald-headed man swiftly ran over and stood straight, exclaiming, “Present!”

Just by looking at his posture and the loudness of his voice, one could tell he used to be a soldier.

Wen Qingling said, “Lin Sheng, you will go back with He Lin.”

Lin Sheng replied, “Yes!”

Ji Rong looked at their boss, seeking his opinion.Xiao Hen nodded, indicating that they should follow Wen Qingling’s arrangement.

They were no longer human and were not afraid of encountering zombie attacks along the way. Even if they drove through a horde of zombies, there would be no danger. Bringing Ji Rong, a living person, would not serve much purpose other than attracting the zombies.

He Lin and Lin Sheng drove off in the off-road vehicle. They weren’t too far from Central Mega City now and should be able to reach it by tomorrow morning.

Wen Qingling scanned with his psychic power and found that there were still 36 armored vehicles there.

Wen Qingling waved his hand and said, “One person per vehicle, drive them all back!”

The rookie drivers were not expected to drive in a straight line. As long as they could safely bring the armored vehicles back, even if they had to make U-turns or drive into ditches, Wen Qingling would accept it. However, one person didn’t follow the usual route. Instead of going straight or making U-turns, they drove directly into a ditch, causing laughter to erupt.

The rookie driver climbed out of the driver’s seat, with a dirty and embarrassed face. They saw pairs of eyes hidden in the lush vegetation, revealing the survivors who were hiding there. The survivors looked terrified and didn’t dare to make a sound.

The rookie driver glanced at them, ignored them, and tried to flip the armored vehicle with all their strength. With their current strength, they could easily overturn ordinary cars or off-road vehicles, but the armored vehicle was quite heavy. It was a bit too much for the strength of a civilized zombie.

The rookie driver’s face turned red from exertion. “Could a few people come and help? I can’t lift it.”

A civilized zombie walked over, laughing and cursing, “Are you kidding me? I’ve seen you eat more meat than anyone else, but you struggle with flipping a vehicle… damn, it’s really heavy! Get a few more people here!”

Wen Qingling appeared beside them and used his strength to flip the armored vehicle with a loud “thud.”

Xiao Hen: “…”

Everyone: “…”

Ji Rong swallowed his saliva, indicating that he didn’t dare to speak. It was too terrifying!

This armored vehicle must have weighed over ten or twenty tons, yet Wen Qingling easily flipped it over!

Wen Qingling turned around and said, “Ji Rong, come and straighten it.”

Ji Rong jumped in surprise, nearly leaping in place. “O-Okay.”

He was particularly obedient and well-behaved.

Ji Rong adjusted the armored vehicle and patted the shoulder of the rookie driver. He spoke earnestly, “Brother, be more focused. Did I teach you to drive the armored vehicle into a ditch?”

The rookie driver replied, “It was a mistake, a mistake. I accidentally pressed the wrong pedal. I can definitely drive properly this time.”

Ji Rong managed to maintain his instructor’s composure. Finally, the rookie driver could barely get on the road, although they couldn’t drive in a straight line. As long as they didn’t drive into a ditch, it was good enough.

Once the armored vehicles rumbled away, only the large trucks and a few civilized zombies remained.

Wen Qingling’s gaze finally fell on the vegetation on both sides. He already knew there were people hiding in there, and he originally intended to ignore them. However, Wen Qingling sensed that they were all extremely frightened, which puzzled him.

Everyone present, except for Ji Rong, knew that there were people hiding in the grass— the scent of fresh human flesh was incredibly strong, and they couldn’t hide it from the zombies.

Xiao Hen, who had recently turned into a zombie, was still adjusting to his heightened sense of smell, especially with so many people hiding in this area.

Wen Qingling swept his gaze over the grass on both sides and said, “Come out.”

The survivors hiding in the grass remained motionless.

Wen Qingling said, “Ji Rong, set fire to this vegetation.”

Ji Rong was a bit puzzled but followed the order. He conjured a large fireball in his hand.

The grass shook violently, and someone panicked and exclaimed, “Don’t, don’t set it on fire! We’re coming out!”

If that fire went down, they would have no chance of survival.

Ji Rong watched as dozens of people emerged from both sides of the road. He couldn’t help but admire them. These people had been forged by the messed-up apocalypse, with exceptional hiding skills. They didn’t make a single sound, impressive.

Although these survivors showed themselves, no one approached them. They still stood in the ditch, watching them warily.

Xiao Hen also noticed that something was off with these people’s emotions. “Why were you hiding here?”Someone replied, “We wanted to drive the armored vehicles, but no one knew how to operate them. When we heard the sound of vehicles approaching, we hid.”

Xiao Hen asked, “Are you survivors from this area?”

The survivor shook their head. “No, we escaped from somewhere else and passed through here.”

Ji Rong, curious, asked, “Where are you trying to go?”

The survivor shook their head again. “I don’t know.”

Ji Rong found it strange. “Why don’t you find a base to settle down?”

Upon hearing the word “base,” fear appeared on the survivor’s face. “We can’t go to a base. Bases are even more dangerous. It’s safer to wander outside.”

Ji Rong chuckled, “Bases are dangerous, but the outside isn’t? There are zombies everywhere. Aren’t you afraid of being eaten?”

The survivor helplessly shook their head. “Being eaten by zombies or being eaten by people, we would rather be eaten by zombies.”

Xiao Hen’s gaze narrowed slightly. “Eaten by people?”

The survivor spoke fearfully, “Yes, now zombies eat people, mutated plants and animals eat people, and even people start eating people.”

The survivor looked warily at the people around them and Wen Qingling’s group. “You don’t know if the people around you are humans or monsters. Walking down the street, the person who brushes past you could turn around and bite your neck… In our base, there were no zombie attacks, but it was destroyed from within. People went crazy, biting and eating each other. We didn’t trust anyone, always on guard. Even so, some monsters wearing human skin managed to infiltrate. We lost many people along the way. We don’t know who is human and who is a monster wearing human skin…”

The survivor’s eyes turned bloodshot as they stared fearfully and vigilantly at the people around them and Wen Qingling’s group.

Wen Qingling asked Xiao Hen, “Zombies shouldn’t be considered the main villains of the apocalypse anymore, right? A bigger villain has appeared, hasn’t it?”

Xiao Hen remained silent.

Was it the right time to be caught up in this question?

Ji Rong was already confused. “Are they humans or monsters after all?”

The survivor said, “They look like humans on the outside, but they eat people.”

Ji Rong was doubly baffled. “Is there no way to distinguish them? Like their behavior, appearance, or any distinguishing features?”

The survivor shook their head. “No, they look just like humans, or maybe they are humans, but they eat people.”

Ji Rong was also at a loss, looking at the two seniors, hoping they could come up with a solution.

Xiao Hen asked, “How powerful are they?”

The survivor excitedly said, “They’re extremely powerful, just like evolved zombies.”

Xiao Hen had doubts in his mind. “What about their running speed and jumping ability?”

Survivor: “Have you seen evolved zombies? Of course, they can run very fast. They can jump from the ground to the second floor in an instant. We’ve seen it with our own eyes. It’s especially terrifying.”

Xiao Hen looked at Wen Qingling, who already had an idea in mind. Maybe the things that had been attacking civilized zombies were these creatures.

They had quite the courage, even daring to eat Wen Qingling’s people. They must have had their fill of living.

Wen Qingling turned and got into the car. “Let’s go back.”

The few remaining people boarded the large truck, and the driver sped up to the maximum speed. They took a shortcut and rumbled back to the base. It was already completely dark by the time they returned, and the armored vehicle team hadn’t arrived yet.

Wen Qingling called the two sisters and the blood corpse over to ask if they had seen any humans entering Ling City.

Both the sisters and Blood Corpse shook their heads at the same time.

Blood Corpse looked at him strangely. “Do you have no idea about the situation in Ling City now? Who would dare to enter?”

Wen Qingling asked, “Are you sure?”

The sisters exchanged glances, not daring to speak too confidently. “We didn’t find anything in the territory we patrolled.”

Blood Corpse shrugged. “I didn’t find anything either.”

Wen Qingling said, “Are there any humans lingering outside Ling City?”

Both the sisters and Blood Corpse said they hadn’t seen anything.

Wen Qingling let them go back. They didn’t have psychic abilities, so they could only sense a limited area of zombies. It would be too much to ask them to monitor the entire Ling City.