Chapter 1538: Chapter 878: Ambush?
The morning light barely shone through, a faint red glow spread across the edge of the sky, as the dawn was dyed red.
The mountain forest was silent, with white mist drifting leisurely in the morning breeze.
Like wandering ghosts of the dead, giving one a sense of unease after witnessing them.
...
Gui Province.
Fanjing Mountain.
Not far from Xiang Province.
At the mountain top.
A young boy knelt before a thin middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man’s expression was sorrowful, looking at the boy before him, he said once more to the boy, "Xiaodong, promise me, do it quickly, then leave here with the captain, and head east."
Blood flowed continuously from the man’s mouth; saying these words had almost exhausted all his strength.
The boy’s youthful face was filled with pain and conflict, as the dagger in his hand trembled slightly.
In the time of the apocalypse, surprises and accidents never announce which will come first.
But most are accidents, painful accidents.
The father and son had joined a small group, endured hardships for years, but barely survived the typhoon, reaching this moment.
They were pursued by a group of Southeast Asian swindlers, unexpectedly forced to leave the hard-built home.
Without the protection of walls, accidents are bound to happen.
Especially in the dark of night, just before dawn.
Although someone was on guard, perhaps seeing daybreak approaching, their vigilance relaxed. Without warning, a zombie appeared from somewhere and bit the boy’s father.
The zombie was swiftly dealt with, but the middle-aged man’s life was now on a countdown.
.....
"Do it quickly!" Seeing his son still hesitant, the middle-aged man grew anxious.
He gasped for breath, and his hand slowly reached out, seemingly wanting to touch his son’s face. His veins bulged as he slowly spoke:
"Hoo, hoo — listen to me, live well."
But after saying this, his pupils suddenly unfocused, and his eyes visibly turned white.
The captain stood not far from the boy, observing this scene, moving forward, ready to act if the boy hesitated.
In the apocalypse of two or three years, who hasn’t experienced the departure of close kin?
The locations where stories happen may vary, but the content of the stories rarely differs much.
Personally killing a relative turned zombie is a hurdle, an extremely painful ordeal.
Such matters are generally handled by family; firstly for the right, secondly to avoid unnecessary trouble.
If someone were to replace the one who lost a close relative and killed their kin, who knows if they’d bear a grudge?
Moreover, it’s a challenge everyone must face: can they recover, can they recognize that zombies aren’t human?
"Xiaodong!" The captain watched the boy’s father, completely transformed into a zombie, about to grab the boy, and couldn’t help but remind him.
The boy’s shoulders shook, trembling.
Hearing the captain’s voice, he gritted his teeth, took one last look at his father turned zombie, and plunged the dagger into the zombie’s temple.
Thud!
The zombie collapsed to the ground, and the boy knelt there as if his soul had departed, his dagger falling from his hand.
Others in the group sighed, coming forward to console him. One man felt particularly guilty — he’d been on duty last, had dozed off, truly hadn’t noticed the zombie, leading to tragedy.
"Alas....." The captain shook his head, sighing in his heart: This boy is only 16 years old....
The boy stayed kneeling, ignoring anyone who came to speak to him.
After a long time, he suddenly stood up, chose a spot in the nearby woods, dug a hole, and buried his father turned zombie.
He stood at the grave head, dazed for a while.
Suddenly, as if making a decision.
He shouldered his and his father’s bags, headed westward without saying a word.
Seeing this, several people quickly came over to dissuade him: "Xiaodong, where are you going?"
"I’m going to kill those who drove us away, I’m going to kill zombies and avenge my father!"
Fierce anger exploded in the boy’s eyes.
The captain heard the commotion and rushed over to personally dissuade him, saying to the boy:
"Xiaodong, you’re still a child. Your father told me before he died to take good care of you. Going alone is too dangerous. Besides, those swindlers are numerous and powerful; going is suicide.
Listen to me, revenge can wait, come, follow me."
Saying this, he reached to grab Wang Dong’s arm.
Suddenly, Wang Dong backed away several steps, drew the dagger from his waist, and pointed it at the group.
His gaze was cold.
But he quickly remembered his father’s words and the captain’s previous kindness, his mind cleared, his gaze returning slightly to normal.
He sheathed the dagger.
Spoke to the captain: "Uncle Zhao, thank you for taking care of my father and me these past times. I have no way to repay, except to offer you a few kowtows."
After saying this, he knelt directly on the ground, gave three firm kowtows.
Three genuine, loud kowtows.
Afterward, he said to the captain:
"I am no longer a child; I know what I want to do; I also know what I am doing now. Don’t stop me, let me go."
The boy seemed to have matured in an instant after burying his father’s corpse; his final words were spoken with extraordinary determination.
The captain could see he couldn’t sway him further, but he still wanted to try.
