Fifth chapter of the week (July 23). As Udeze said in his note in the previous chapter, starting next week there will be only 3 regular chapters.

If the Reading List on NU reaches 1000, there will be a bonus chapter! Currently: 970/1000.

Chapter 55: Team Divided into Two Groups (Part 3)

Since they were separated from Yun Tu, according to their decided plan, Feng Ling and Qing Yi walked on the road for about two or three kilometers again to the north and found themselves a safe place to spend the night before dark. From their place to the bridge that connected the Northern and Eastern District, it was only two or three kilometers away.

Originally, if everything went well, by dawn they would hit the road again and it would not be a problem for them to reach the Northern District by 10 AM. Feng Ling's strength now, after all, was quite powerful. As long as they didn't encounter any large tide of zombies, she still could protect Qing Yi and retreat.

However, there wasn't and there would never be IFS in the Apocalypse. By the time dawn came, a Green Haired Zombie appeared!

Fortunately, since Yun Tu had exhorted them to take turns during night watch, they could find it quickly. Feeling the approaching danger, the both of them quickly evacuated hastily and didn't even care to look at the direction where they were headed. After which, the both of them were able to break away from the Second Order Green Haired Zombie. But after they looked at the map given by Yun Tu, they found that they were about five or six kilometers away from their destination.

The sky had gone bright by now, and the safety coefficient was much greater. The two women adjusted their direction again all the way down to the north and unexpectedly met with their acquaintances where they had separated in the business hotel a couple days ago— Grandma Yang Suyan, Li Xin, Liu Wei and their group.

After the departure of Qing Yi and Feng Ling who followed Yun Tu, Grandma Yang Suyan didn't swallow the Blood Crystal Yun Tu gave her, and instead gave that precious Blood Crystal to the biggest child with only a slight disability called Xiao Bao, a thirteen-year-old boy.

Although she didn't become an Awakened, but the leaders.h.i.+p of the group didn't change since she was still her leader. Her kindness had touched everyone. And after Xiao Bao had become an Awakened, she led everyone who picked her as a leader and everyone else toward the Northern District.

Their journey all the way to the north was beyond imagination. Coupled with their intention to not abandon any child, although they had six Awakened in their team, but they had no firearms and also got no weapons. So they had to make a detour every time they met any group that consisted of more than three zombies. The group went round and round and finally returned to the original place after spending a whole day with several children being injured, as well as the Pockmarked Face Zhang Feng also being severely injured in a fight to protect Grandma Yang.

Out of sadness, Yang Suyan changed the strategy and decided to lead a group to kill zombies in the Eastern District first to turn everyone into Awakened, after which only then would they go to the Northern District again.

It could be said that it was also a bold, creative and correct decision. But in reality, the execution of the plan, leaving the only adults who could still fight—Liu Wei and Li Xin—to be injured again, quickly crushed her dream.

When they encountered Feng Ling and Qing Yi again, although the team had swelled with more teenagers Awakened amongst the thirty children compared to the previous time they met, but after they had lost the five adult Awakened to injuries, there were only twelve of them left. As their main combat force had all been injured, it caused the entire team to fall into a vicious cycle.

Encountering Qing Yi and Feng Ling once again could be said as pure luck. Certainly, this was the luck that could give them a chance to go on living.

"Children, it's so great that I can meet you again!" Yang Suyan was extremely excited to see Qing Yi and Feng Ling again. She knew that these two girls who had fought with them, would no longer throw them away again.

"Although Yun Tu hasn't said it clearly, but I can see that he is planning to establish a Guild. We'll see if we can meet him again in the Northern District later. We definitely will continue to go on living, along with him!" Qing Yi comforted everyone whilst giving treatment to them.

Being small and weak, and being big and strong, it's all relative. In a one-to-one fight, Qing Yi was the smallest and the weakest of all, but once she was integrated into a team, her Priest's occupation with treatment skills' effect would fully manifest.

In just under an hour of treatment, the team that was originally on the verge of dying, immediately restored their fighting strength. And they also got their spirit back after having some food given by Qing Yi.

They decided to carry on the plan. And within an hour, after all the children in the team now had all become Awakened, Yang Suyan eventually also became an Awakened.

The children who survived were either older or smarter. After they had become Awakened, the changes in their bodies allowed them to become normal or close to normal person, while in some cases a few of them also got some good stats.

The team of re-spirited fourteen Awakened now was full of vigor, with two amongst them also having an occupation. They now had no worries when facing a small group of zombies. But, when they felt confident of being able to go safely to the Northern District, their luck once again teased them, as they by chance encountered a ten-feet Green Zombie that led more than ten other zombies on the road.

The Green Zombie had its own consciousness and wisdom as it also able to summon other zombies. Wanting to directly run away from it by a chance encounter, while there being no other humans around to disperse its attention was almost impossible for such a big team like them. Panicked, they tried to escape, but in less than 300 meters running, another two children were killed.

“All of you run away quickly, I'll take it!"

In such a crucial time, Yang Suyan suddenly turned around to face the Green Zombie. She felt that her mission had been completed after being able to make all the children Awakened. She had long realized that even if they arrived at the Northern District, the peaceful age no longer existed.

Seeing that the old woman who they admired suddenly turned to face death fearlessly, the grief and indignation they felt at the moment instantly ignited and burned.

“Kill it, without losing anything!” Qing Yi stopped and stood firm as she hissed and shouted.

Certainly, she didn't have the ability to charge at the Green Zombie. But she still had an anti-tank grenade with her, and yesterday's successful experience made her courage doubled. Facing the whirlwind-like charging Green Zombie, she didn't hesitate to throw the last grenade she had.

Since the Green Zombie had never seen the powerful anti-tank grenade, upon seeing that Qing Yi was throwing it, the Green Zombie tried to catch it with the palm of its hand.

A loud explosion sounded, and the Green Zombie paid a heavy price for its ignorance. Its right arm instantly exploded into pieces, with half of its face and shoulder also being destroyed. Blood and flesh instantly splashed everywhere and covered its body.

It got hit and was severely injured. But Green Zombie was after all a Green Zombie, and not a Black Zombie. It was very hard to die. And even after being severely wounded, it desperately rushed toward Qing Yi.

In that critical time, a man acted. It was the pockmarked face man who was previously severely injured. The pockmarked face man rushed behind her and Qing Yi quickly retreated whilst moving her Willow Staff, immediately buffing him with a Rejuvenation Technique.

The pockmarked face was a good, skilled soldier when he was in the army. Even as he had yet to have his Main Job as Awakened, he still had remarkable strength. Coupled with the Rejuvenation Technique that buffed him, his strength increased further by a level. Relying on his movements only, he was able to dodge the Green Zombie's consecutive attacks twice, and forcefully slashed his sword to damage the zombie again.

“b.u.t.terfly Sword Combo Strike!”

Although under violent rage, the Green Zombie's arm forcefully pushed him back and made him fell heavily, but the Green Zombie's attention had been attracted by him, and taking this opportunity, Feng Ling quickly moved from the other side, launching her Main Job's skill, and attacked the Green Zombie.

Since Feng Ling's sword was used along with her Job's skill and also hurt the Green Zombie's foot tendon a bit, the effect was even better than the cut made by the Pockmarked face man's sword before.

In this life and death fight, as long as they didn't die, everyone would have rapid progress. Liu Wei, who had been in constant life and death battles in the last few days, also became braver and he also had mastered a certain fighting method in dealing with zombies. Seeing that the Green Zombie was severely wounded and also witnessing Feng Ling's performance, he also ignored the danger and rushed forward, cutting the previous wounds that Feng Ling had inflicted on the zombie.

"Coordinate with long range attacks!"

Whilst throwing a gun to Li Xin, the three people retreated at the same time as Li Xin and Feng Ling shot their guns together, preventing the Green Zombie from charging at them.

In this way, five people took a turn to attack the zombie, and they were unexpectedly able to cooperate smoothly under such a pressure. The other teenagers who had just become Awakened also did not stay idly by, and although they couldn't injure the Green Zombie, they also took some pile of bricks and boldly gathered around the Green Zombie and smashed it crazily, constantly disturbing the Green Zombie's attention.

It was as though a group of ants that killed an elephant. Although they didn't plan it beforehand to use numbers against it, but under such crisis they didn't have any selfishness, even facing the crisis with heartfelt solidarity. After ten minutes of arduous fight, the Green Zombie finally fell down.

Two children had died and Grandma Yang also sacrificed herself. From fourteen people, their numbers had reduced to eleven. It was truly a miserable and hard-won victory against a Green Zombie. But the team's inspirational figure, Grandma Yang Suyan, closed her eyes forever with a smiling expression all over her face.

"I give the last five children to you!"

"Rest a.s.sured, we with our fighting spirit will never give up!"

They gathered together around Grandma Yang in her last moments when she was about to close her eyes, as Qing Yi and Feng Ling firmly spoke their standing. At this time, not only the both of them, but each and every one who was still alive had a rock solid, unyielding will and heart.

After having collected the Green Zombie's Blood Crystal and fangs, they rested and recuperated for a while and then hit the road again. Even though they met some twists and turns all the way down, but overall, their journey was fairly smooth— until they finally reached the riverside at 3PM.

The bridge was broken!

Jiangnan City was a typical city in Southern China with a large river curved across the urban district. The northern part of Changjiang River occupied most of the Northern District with a small part of it in the Western District. As for the southern part of Changjiang River, it curved across the Eastern and Southern Districts with most of it occupying the Western District. There was a total of seven great bridges along this river all over the city. And the bridge the team arrived at, was one of the two most important bridges that connected the Eastern District with the Northern District, which had been blown up by the military a couple days ago in order to prevent the zombie tides from the Eastern District to go north.

After having detoured for about two kilometers to the East Bridge and spending more than an hour, the team finally entered the Northern District.

The pock-faced man had already long known that the situation in the Northern District was bad. Even Yun Tu also had already reminded Grandma Yang Suyan to not have high hopes for the Northern District. Everyone's heart quickly sank after they really set foot in this district.

Trash were everywhere, with withered yellow leaves and disposable plastic trash bags dancing in the air with the wind. Homeless refugees were seen on every corner of the alley, either sitting or lying tired. Along the street, about two kilometers at the distance, there was a chaotic scene in front as dozens of people were killing each other…

…

“We finally arrived here safely!"

After they arrived at the Northern District and didn't see Feng Ling and Qing Yi, Yun Tu didn't anxiously try to find them. The Eastern District was huge, and even if they really encountered any dangers on the way, Yun Tu was very far away to help them.

However, he didn't stay idle in the plaza near the city hall. He chose to stay close at the East Bridge, since the other two bridges that connected to the Eastern District had been destroyed. Then, if Qing Yi and Feng Ling could come back safely, this would be the only path they could take.

And he was correct. When they saw two women walking from the opposite side of the bridge, Yun Tu's heart finally calmed down.

"I'll greet them first!" Gui Jiaosan said with a smile.

“Don't be anxious!” Yun Tu quickly stopped him.

Yun Tu did feel very happy in seeing that Feng Ling and Qing Yi could come back safely. But he also saw that they came back and brought the people they had left in that business hotel.

Feng Ling and Qing Yi were once these people's teammates, and they had their share of contribution. But seeing that the Heaven Care Orphanage group that originally had forty or fifty people now had only ten people left, Yun Tu could tell that there had to be inspiring, solemn and tragic stories in the middle.

No matter how bad the members of the original team were, but after having experienced such a brutal elimination process, the remaining survivors would become elite members of the team. And since Yun Tu planned to establish his own team soon, he knew that at present, those people would only have secondary roles at best.

Adding to those words, being able to kill zombies in the Apocalypse was far from enough, since one must learn to face their own kind in the Apocalypse. From this point, Gui Jiaosan had proved himself. And for that, he had pa.s.sed the test. But these people in front of him had yet to be tested.

Based on this principle, he suddenly wondered— what if Feng Ling and Qing Yi couldn't find him in the agreed gathering place? How would they face this situation?

Therefore, when Qing Yi's group walked with heavy steps toward the street corners in the Northern District and looked for the agreed place to meet with him, with cold faces, Yun Tu and Gui Jiaosan raised up their coat's collar to cover their faces and quietly followed them from behind.