Chapter 43: Sleeping Powder
The detective swept them away and scribbled a few notes. "We’ll investigate, but don’t expect miracles. Thousands disappear every day."
"Even a single clue is enough."
After leaving the detective agency, Ji Henghua headed toward the residential district.
The scenery gradually deteriorated.
The paved roads disappeared, replaced by muddy paths littered with broken glass, rotten vegetables and dried bloodstains.
Makeshift shanties built from rusted metal sheets, torn tarpaulins and broken wooden planks stretched endlessly into the distance, while the foul smell of sewage lingered heavily in the air.
People lay exhausted beside the roads, some too weak to move and others already dead, yet nobody bothered to move the corpses because tomorrow there would simply be more.
Children rummaged through piles of garbage in search of food, while several men silently exchanged themselves for a bowl of coarse porridge without even trying to hide their shame anymore.
Ji Henghua lowered his eyes. This was the true apocalypse.
Eventually, he found a landlord smoking beside a row of dilapidated wooden shacks. "I need a place to stay."
The old man looked him up and down before replying indifferently, "Five zombie crystals a night for a shared shack. Twenty for a private one."
Ji Henghua naturally chose the cheaper option. After collecting the payment, the landlord casually tossed him a rusty key.
"Room Thirty-Two. The roof leaks, the door barely closes, and if your belongings are stolen, don’t come crying to me."
Ji Henghua merely nodded. The room was exactly as described.
The ceiling was riddled with cracks, the walls were patched together with uneven wooden boards, and the so-called bed consisted of several loose planks covered by a thin layer of straw.
Cold wind continuously seeped through the countless gaps, making even the tiny room feel freezing after sunset.
Just as he finished placing down his bag, three burly men pushed the crooked door open without even knocking.
The leader grinned maliciously. "Newcomer?"
Ji Henghua calmly adjusted his cracked glasses. "Yes."
The man’s gaze swept over his thin figure before stopping on the cloth bag. "Protection fee."
Ji Henghua remained silent.
The second thug stepped forward and snatched the bag directly from his hand before pouring out its contents.
Several dozen zombie crystals rolled across the floor.
The three men burst into laughter. "So poor."
The leader casually scooped up nearly all of the crystals before patting Ji Henghua’s shoulder. "Remember. Anyone living here pays us."
Without waiting for an answer, they swaggered away.
Ji Henghua quietly picked up the few remaining crystals left on the ground and closed the broken door.
His expression never changed. He simply sat down on the straw mat and calmly waited.
................
Night gradually fell.
The entire shanty district became even more chaotic.
Arguments, screams, and drunken laughter echoed continuously through the darkness.
Ji Henghua silently left his room. He wasn’t following the three thugs.
Instead, he walked toward a small food stall nearby.
The rich aroma of roasted meat drifted through the air, causing countless hungry survivors to gather around with eager expressions.
"Boss! Another skewer!"
"This meat is amazing!"
"I haven’t eaten something this good in months!"
The stall owner happily accepted one zombie crystal after another while repeatedly cutting fresh slices from a large slab of meat hanging behind him.
Ji Henghua only took one glance before his face turned pale.
The muscle texture, the finger joints that hadn’t been completely removed.
His stomach churned violently. He hurried into a nearby alley and threw up everything he had eaten that day.
After calming his breathing, he wiped the corner of his lips with his sleeve and looked toward the stall once more.
His expression gradually turned cold. He had dissected countless human bodies throughout his life.
There was no way he could mistake that meat. It was human flesh. He quietly watched from the shadows.
Nearly an hour later, the customers gradually dispersed.
The stall owner packed away the remaining meat, extinguished the fire, yet instead of leaving, he quietly hid behind a nearby abandoned building while carefully observing the deserted streets.
Clearly, he wasn’t waiting to close shop. He was waiting for another victim.
Ji Henghua’s eyes became even colder.
During his stay outside the base with Nan Liuying’s group, he had accidentally discovered several wild herbs, among which were sleeping vine pollen and dreamleaf flowers.
As a doctor, he had instinctively gathered and refined them into sleeping powder, originally intending to use them against mutated beasts if necessary.
He quietly took out a tiny paper packet.
As no one was paying attention, he casually brushed past the stall, allowing an almost invisible layer of fine powder to fall onto the large metal ladle resting beside the cooking utensils.
The entire process took less than two seconds. Without looking back, Ji Henghua disappeared into another alley.
...................
At midnight, the stall owner opened the stall again, since it was the most bustling time.
Near midnight, the three thugs finally returned.
Laughing loudly, they sat beside the meat stall and ordered several bowls of broth.
The owner enthusiastically served them.
None of them noticed that the ladle used to stir the soup had already been coated with an almost colourless powder.
Within twenty minutes, the laughter gradually stopped. One after another, all four men slumped over the table.
Heavy snores soon filled the quiet street. Only then did Ji Henghua slowly emerge from the darkness.
His footsteps were silent. He calmly searched the three thugs first.
Not only did he recover every zombie crystal they had stolen from him, but he also took the money they had extorted from countless other victims.
Afterward, he walked toward the unconscious stall owner.
Taking out a powder from his pocket, he sprinkled it on all the four people and left.
.............
Early the next morning, Ji Henghua knocked on the landlord’s door.
The old man looked at him suspiciously. "What is it?"
Ji Henghua placed ten zombie crystals onto the table. "I’d like to trouble you with something."
The landlord raised an eyebrow.