Chapter 95 Shancheng: The Sickly Young Master

The slick-haired man straightened up, looking back, “Oh, Brother Zhao, how could that be? So, they’re with you.”

Following the direction of the voice, they saw a military truck parked by the roadside. A man stepped down from it, standing tall and straight, wearing a camouflage uniform with a holstered gun at his waist.

In the truck bed stood a dozen soldiers, guns raised, all watching intently in this direction.

“Tsk, such a grand welcome—it seems you’ve got some important guests, Captain Zhao. We’ll be on our way, we’ll be on our way.”

The slick-haired man shot a resentful glance at the people in the car before reluctantly leading his group away.

Captain Zhao stepped forward. He was about 1.8 meters tall, with slightly tanned skin and a square face—an appearance that exuded honesty. 

Standing straight and composed, his entire demeanor radiated a stern, old-fashioned seriousness.

He glanced into the car and called out to Fu Jingmo, “Captain Fu?”

Fu Jingmo nodded, raising his eyebrow as he waited for him to continue.

“My name is Zhao Zhi. I’m the head of the security team at the base. Colonel Shao sent me to escort you and your friends to the base.”

“Alright, lead the way.”

“Yes, sir.”

The truck turned around to lead the way, and He Ze glanced at Fu Jingmo.

“Brother Fu, should we follow?”

“Follow.”

There was no doubt—they were Shao Yingjie’s people, aware they were being hunted and waiting here to escort them into the city.

The car sped along, and as they got closer to Shancheng, the road conditions improved. They passed through a crumbling toll station and continued forward; not far ahead was a checkpoint.

Lin Mu had already stored their fuel and weapons in his spatial space, leaving each person with a few packs of compressed biscuits and some water in their bags.

At the checkpoint, there were guards, split into two groups.

One group, dressed like ordinary civilians, occupied the left side.

They held machetes and axes, lounging lazily on a long bench beside a small white wooden table, which displayed luxuries like bread and fruit.

On the other side stood people in military camouflage uniforms, guns in hand, standing at attention—clearly part of the same faction as Zhao Zhi.

It was clear that Shancheng had several different factions, a rumor not without foundation.

Zhao Zhi exchanged a greeting, and the wooden barrier at the checkpoint was moved aside, allowing their vehicle to drive through.

After passing the checkpoint, the car continued along the road to the right.

Compared to the devastation and millions of zombies in the urban area of Wushi, Shancheng was much more peaceful—at least there weren’t zombies flooding the streets.

Originally an ancient city, Shancheng was surrounded by water on three sides and built along the mountainside. It wasn’t very large, and most of the city’s perimeter was bordered by thick, ancient walls from historical times.

Due to the long-standing military presence here, at the onset of the apocalypse, they used a large supply of weapons and ammunition to lure the zombies from the north to Lucong River for extermination.

Though the process was difficult, they managed to clear everything north of Lucong River. The bridges were blown up, and any remaining zombies were trapped on the southern side of the city, unable to cross the river.

From an aerial view, one would see a stark division in this city. North of the river were living humans, while the southern half was filled with zombies.

The river was deep, making it nearly impossible for zombies to cross.

But as a precaution, along the river, the Jiangbei Team and Wunan Tower each assigned personnel to patrol daily.

People were allocated housing in the northern half of the city, where they could go out to seek livelihoods. As long as they stayed away from the riverbanks, there was generally no danger.

Aside from the lack of resources, life here wasn’t too different from the pre-apocalyptic days.

Across all of Z Country, this was likely the safest place, aside from Fengcheng.

The group remained mostly silent along the way until He Ze couldn’t hold back any longer. “Brother Fu, you must be pretty amazing—everywhere we go, there’s military personnel waiting to meet you.”

Sitting in the back, Lin Mu was also a bit curious. He silently pulled his gaze away from the window and perked up his ears.

The small movement didn’t escape the eyes watching the rearview mirror. Fu Jingmo smirked, “Mm, I’m decent enough. As long as there’s a military safe zone, you won’t go hungry.”

“Wow, that’s impressive, Brother! No wonder Xiao Yu admires you so much. But hey, is it because you’re too strong that some people want to kill you?”

“To be honest, it wouldn’t happen to be one of your own, would it?”

Fu Jingmo shot him a cold glance. “No.”

The groups that had come in the past couple of days were weak, serving no purpose other than to alarm them.

It seemed as though whoever was behind this hadn’t figured out their abilities and powers, coming forward rashly. It felt more like… venting frustration?

And the “young master” those men in black had mentioned today was likely the one behind it all.

—

At this moment, within the territory of Wunan Tower.

A boy with chestnut short hair stood on a balcony covered in green vines, gazing into the distance. He wore a ruffled, elaborate shirt, a vintage brown crocheted vest, and riding pants that hugged his straight legs and tucked into short boots.

Golden sunlight fell on him, highlighting his delicate almond-shaped eyes, fair complexion, and light blue eyes with a hint of mixed heritage—he looked like a young noble who had stepped down from a European fresco.

“Young Master, they’re back. Those people were taken away by the Jiangbei team.”

“Mm, let them take them.”

Since they’d entered Shancheng, they would eventually come to him anyway; there was plenty of time.

“Yes, and Mr. Chen has arrived as well.”

The boy’s icy gaze instantly blossomed into a smile, his rosy lips curving up. “Oh? Chen Yu? Quickly, let him up.”

“Yes.” The butler turned and went downstairs to fetch him.

The boy walked over to the mirror, examining himself from head to toe. Mm, very handsome.

Steady, powerful footsteps echoed down the hallway, and the door was knocked upon. The boy happily ran over to open it.

He immediately threw himself into the arms of the person outside, nuzzling and hugging him. “Chen Yu, why haven’t you come over in two days?”

The man at the door stood about 187 cm tall, with the boy only reaching his chest—a small figure in his embrace. This man had the same upright posture as Fu Jingmo, with cold, sharp features.

His tanned skin made the boy in his arms appear even fairer, yet his expression was cold and stern, with a hint of anger in his eyes.

He gripped the boy’s slender shoulders, pulling him back, and said in a harsh tone, “Ye Xing, what have you been up to these past two days?”

The boy shivered slightly, a hurt expression appearing on his face. “Why are you scolding me as soon as you arrive?”

“You’ve crossed the line. Was it you who posted the false information about a spatial ability in the mission list?”

Chen Yu ignored his expression of grievance, his words cold and precise.

“Hmph, who told you to care so much about that Fu guy? I don’t like it.”

“Nonsense,” Chen Yu raised his voice, gripping the boy’s wrist as he strode into the room, kicking the heavy wooden door shut and tossing him onto the bed.

Looking down at him, he said coldly, “He was merely a former comrade of mine. What madness are you on about?”

Ye Xing lay on the bed, then suddenly began to laugh softly, his delicate shoulder blades trembling slightly. He looked up at Chen Yu with tear-filled eyes, glaring at him.

“I just don’t like it. I don’t like anyone connected to you. Whoever you care about, I’ll kill them!!”

Chen Yu’s heart jolted at the sight of those tears. He leaned down, drawing closer. “Ye Xing, acting like this will only make me dislike you more.”

With that, he gave him a long, intense look before turning to leave.

Panicked, Ye Xing sat up and threw his arms around him from behind, sniffling. “Chen Yu, Uncle Chen, please don’t go.”

…