Apocalyptic Disaster: Stockpile Supplies for Free and Make a Comeback

Chapter 35 After Dawn
The burning corpse emitted plumes of black smoke, and the insects writhed wildly in the flames, sometimes contracting and sometimes stretching. The moist skin gradually charred and stiffened, and the unique smell of gasoline mixed with the stench of rotting corpses, making it feel suffocating even with a mask on.

Back indoors, Song Jinhe carefully checked her clothes to make sure she hadn't brought any insects in. She then took out mugwort leaves and burned them in the room, especially in the damp corners and edges.

The scent of mugwort filled the room, making her feel much more at ease, while the insects burrowing into the zombie corpses to feed on the putrid liquid gave her a great thrill.

The next day, Song Jinhe went out to inspect the area and discovered that the same insects had reappeared on the charred corpses from the previous day. They were smaller and wriggling as they crawled toward the damp ground.

The current temperature and humidity are indeed suitable for the growth of these things.

Song Jinhe decisively took out gasoline and set it on fire again.

No more larvae appeared after the second burning, but it was only a temporary solution, and the insects that had bred in other parts of the villa area would still crawl over.

Today they made mixed noodles, adding a spoonful of the leftover cracklings from rendering lard last time; it smelled amazing.

Although they had been trapped in the fog for so many days, completely isolated from the world, and even encountered a zombie horde, they were still able to sit together with their companions and have a decent meal, which was already very good.

"Do we have enough food?" Zhang Yi was a little worried, after all, they hadn't gone out to look for supplies for so many days.

“No problem,” Song Jinhe replied. “Before meeting up with you, I searched quite a few places.”

More than half of the prey they had collected last time was still left, and some of the supplies they had stockpiled before the foggy weather were still available. The items in their storage space hadn't been used up much, including dozens of kilograms of potatoes and sweet potatoes, steamed buns and rice, and they didn't have to worry about water.

Even if the fog lasts for another month, they won't starve.

After 24 days of dense fog, visibility improved somewhat, and Song Jinhe could see the outline of the crabapple tree 50 meters away from the window.

The fog lasted for twenty-five days, and then it became thinner.

Song Jinhe held a telescope and observed the surroundings. A skeleton suddenly appeared in her line of sight. Apart from that, it was so quiet that even her own breathing was crystal clear.

I don't know if there are any survivors in the other houses, but Villa No. 2 is definitely safe. I saw the black smoke from their burning of corpses a few days ago.

The fog was finally about to dissipate. Song Jinhe wondered how many people were still alive. She closed the window and waited for dawn.

Day 26, early morning.

Looking out, Song Jinhe saw the clear world she hadn't seen for many days, which made her feel as if she had been in another world.

The villa area before us is now nothing but devastation and rotting corpses.

Wooden stakes lay scattered among the corpses, the soot stains deeply imprinted on the walls, and the blackened bodies in the pit were piled one on top of another, with shiny rats scurrying about on the bones.

They need to eliminate potential threats—those zombies hiding in the shadows.

Zhang Yi and Cheng Yan stayed at home and first cleared the body outside the door, while Song Jinhe and Jiang Shi'an went out to check.

To prevent insects, Song Jinhe took out her raincoat and carefully protected key areas such as her neck and cuffs before going out.

I hadn't walked more than a few steps when I tripped over a zombie leg and almost had a close encounter with a leech that was wriggling and stretching out under the corpse, about half the size of my palm.

This huge leech gave her the creeps. Song Jinhe jumped up as if the ground was burning hot, grabbed Jiang Shi'an's outstretched hand to help her, and tiptoed to the side, not caring how her unsteady body collided with his chest and looked like she had taken the initiative to hug him.

Song Jinhe didn't see the glint in Jiang Shi'an's eyes and the slight change in his expression. She was only focused on pulling him outside, using all her talent to dodge the insects.

"Go quickly, go quickly."

Stepping on that thing would probably make her feel it wriggle and burst with juice under her shoe; just thinking about it made her stomach churn. She'd only have the courage to step on it if she wore iron boots and armor. She could fight zombies, but this soft-bodied, legless creature that sucked the blood and flesh of zombies—Song Jinhe really couldn't handle it.

After walking out of the area where the corpses were piled up and confirming that the insects hadn't followed, Song Jinhe still had goosebumps on her arms.

"It's only been two days, and the bugs outside have grown so big," she said, frowning.

Jiang Shi'an: "With a suitable environment and plenty of food, the Wucheng area is a natural petri dish."

During the previous rainstorm, some cities also encountered super typhoons and tsunamis. Wucheng was not as badly affected, but now, various mutated insects are growing rapidly in mountainous areas.

Song Jinhe looked at the corpse on the ground, which had been eaten down to almost nothing but its head, its eyes still staring at the gray sky. She drew her knife and poked it. A dark red nematode emerged from under the soft, rotting skin.

Goodness, it feels like there's nowhere to put your feet here.

Just then, Song Jinhe saw people coming from the road ahead. Judging from their figures, they were from Villa No. 2, two men and one woman.

They walked over, and one of the men volunteered, "Count us in for cleaning up the mess."

"Okay." Song Jinhe looked away.

It would take at least several days for two people to investigate the villa area, so having someone to work with is definitely a good thing.

The crossbowmen over there had pretty good aim; one arrow pierced the zombie's eye socket.

This weapon is good; it's quiet and the arrows can be retrieved. However, reloading is too slow. When there are many zombies, the zombies are already in front of you before you can even reload the second arrow.

"You should all know our situation," Zhao Huiyun said, her eyes cryptic. "You also have talented individuals on your side, right?"

Judging from Song Jinhe's weak and cowardly manner of carefully avoiding the insects on the ground for fear of stepping on them, you can tell that she is not very powerful and does not seem like a gifted person.

"Yes, there is," Song Jinhe said softly, her eyes showing no sign of wariness, but the corners of her lips under the mask twitched slightly.

The remaining zombies were cleared from the inside out. It was too inefficient for all five of them to work together, so after walking for a while, they split up to do their tasks.

Song Jinhe and Jiang Shian entered a house with its main gate open.

There were still living zombies in the front yard. Seeing the familiar faces turn sallow and rotten, she sighed, picked up a crowbar, and swiftly dealt with them.

The overturned furniture and the floor were covered in foul-smelling blood. The scene in the bedroom was even more horrifying: the French glass door was smashed, and a skeleton lay amidst the shattered flesh and glass, staring straight at the person who entered.

The stench of corpses in the air was much stronger than outside. They planned to clear out the zombies first, and then find something to transport the bodies out for centralized incineration.

Song Jinhe's situation went smoothly; she didn't need to waste time searching for where the zombies were hiding and could directly open the door precisely.

"Were you deliberately trying to make others think you have no talent?" Jiang Shi'an said calmly.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Song Jinhe smiled.

Her talents are naturally suited to surviving, finding supplies, and backstabbing.

The other party doesn't know how many talented individuals they have, so the weaker they think she is, the better.

(End of this chapter)