Chapter 235: Survivors? We Can’t Be So Unrestrained Anymore
In any case, they didn’t find anyone alive. The others must have evacuated when they heard the car approaching.
But the house definitely showed traces of human habitation. Even though the previous occupants had tried to clean up, some signs were bound to be left behind.
Faye Yardley pulled a table laden with food right out of her backpack and said, "Alright, stop dwelling on it. We just need to focus on our own mission. The more zombies we kill, the better their chances of survival will be, right?"
Zachary Pierce nodded. "Right. We’ll just have to be more careful from now on. We definitely can’t go around casually setting fire to the mountains anymore. If we accidentally burned the ordinary people hiding inside... that would be a terrible tragedy."
Cole Kensington sat down without a word. Seeing that everyone else had picked up their chopsticks, he immediately began to dig in.
Every time Caleb Colby, who was wrapped up in bandages like a rice dumpling, tried to grab a piece of food, Cole Kensington would snatch it away first. He desperately wanted to shout, ’Leave some for me!’
But he had his pride. He couldn’t bring himself to fight with a younger guy for food.
The aroma of the food wafted through the air, and the people in hiding could faintly smell it.
"It smells so good! So good! How can food even smell this amazing anymore?"
"I want some..."
Faye Yardley’s ears twitched. She then pulled out a thermal container from her backpack, opening it to reveal an even more aromatic dish: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
"Here, a bowl for everyone."
’I don’t want to go looking for them myself,’ she thought. ’But if I can lure them out, a little contact wouldn’t hurt.’
’I’m pretty confident in my team’s combat strength, and my own.’
’So even if these survivors show up and things go south, I’m absolutely certain our side would have the upper hand in a fight.’
Both Zachary Pierce and Cole Kensington gave her an odd look, likely guessing what she was up to.
Zachary Pierce wasn’t opposed to making contact with other survivors. If possible, he wanted to learn what they knew about this Dungeon.
But clearly, those people were extremely cautious. A little temptation like this wasn’t nearly enough to make them risk coming out.
After they finished eating, Faye Yardley rubbed her belly. "I’m going to get some rest."
With that, she pulled out a beanbag chair right there in the living room, snuggled into it, and even remembered to cover herself with a thin blanket.
Faye Yardley never skimped on bringing things that would make her more comfortable while on the road.
After finishing his meal, Cole Kensington wiped his mouth, walked over, pulled up a chair, and sat down near her, leaning back with his eyes closed to rest.
Bella stood motionless under the eaves, clearly resting as well.
"Ash, have you had enough to eat? If not, I’ve got some rice balls saved for you," Finn Ford asked, watching Caleb Colby still struggling with his food.
Caleb Colby looked up and gestured at the table. "I’m fine. I’ll just take my time. You guys go rest if you’re done. No need to waste time. We never know when the next fight will break out."
Finn Ford stood up. "I’ll go take a look around then."
"Be careful. Don’t go too far. If the zombies show up, this house should serve as a decent enough defense," Zachary Pierce said as he also got up and headed upstairs. He wanted to check if anyone was hiding up there. It was unlikely, but you never knew.
After all, the zombies here had superpowers. Who’s to say some of the survivors didn’t have them too?
’To be honest, I’m not even sure if I’d want our scientists studying it if we started developing superpowers too,’ he thought.
’After all, this environment is completely different from how things were back on Aquaria.’
’No one knows how long Aquaria will remain in its current state.’
’If it’s stuck in eternal night, and the system gives us the choice to go back, would we even want to?’
He shook his head gently. ’Those thoughts are for another time. I’m not an impractical person. The most important thing is to get through each day as it comes.’
’Ensuring that most people can survive in this harsh environment—that’s what we should be focusing on right now.’
Faye Yardley, nestled in her beanbag chair, began circulating the Health Care Scripture in place of sleep.
As she circulated the Health Care Scripture, her senses began to sharpen, and the sounds outside the house grew clearer.
The feeling was magical, as if, in addition to her eyes, she had gained something like the Divine Sense from cultivation novels to "see" her surroundings.
The vine totem on her right arm began to grow slightly warm, interrupting that deep, mystical state.
Faye Yardley didn’t open her eyes. Instead, she covered the totem on her right arm with her cool left hand. Ever since it had absorbed that red skull, she’d known it was more than just a pattern that deterred zombies.
’Of course, I have my suspicions,’ she thought. ’But even my All World Communication is useless inside a Dungeon. I’ll just have to wait until I get back to ask Yvonne Lynch.’
’I used to think it was just my own business, so it didn’t matter what I did. But if this totem is actually connected to Yvonne Lynch, I can’t be so reckless anymore.’
’Clearly, Yvonne must have dealt with the red skull this time. Otherwise, my arm wouldn’t have gone back to normal.’
Once the warm sensation faded, Faye Yardley pushed those thoughts aside for now and started thinking about which direction to head in the morning.
’I don’t have any psychological burden about killing more of these zombies. They have no intelligence, only instinct.’
Faye Yardley suddenly understood Bella Dillon and her people. Even though they were The Merfolk, eating non-sapient fish required no psychological burden. They were completely different species.
’I wonder how my brother is doing now that he’s back on the raft,’ she mused. ’I’m sure someone like Gregory Yardley wouldn’t hesitate to use any means necessary to secure more power for himself.’
’I hope he can be a little more firm in his stance, and a little less bound by morals.’
Even as her mind wandered, the circulation of the Health Care Scripture continued uninterrupted. She was now able to run it out of sheer habit.
Neither Zachary Pierce nor Finn Ford found any survivors. They returned to the living room to start their rest shifts.
The night passed uneventfully. Early the next morning, the five of them packed up their things and left.
Before leaving, however, they left some food on the dining table as payment for having occupied someone else’s house for the night.
It was one thing when they didn’t know anyone was around, but now that they suspected there were other people, it was only right to be courteous.
It was a gesture of goodwill. If they did run into them later, at least they’d have a foundation for communication.
"Mr. Pierce, we’re not exactly close to University City anymore, are we?"
"Right. Let’s head straight for People’s Plaza in Downtown."
Faye Yardley was on horseback, which was more convenient than their car.
Whenever they encountered small groups of zombies along the way, she was able to ride ahead and take care of them first.
About an hour after the group had left, someone finally crept over to the house.
The person’s eyes lit up when they saw the food on the table, but as they started to move forward, someone pulled them back. "What if it’s poisoned?"
Shaking their arm free, the first person went straight to the table. "What part of this world isn’t toxic? The air is full of poisonous gas. You’re worried about this?"
"There’s no harm in testing it first. If it isn’t poisoned, we can give it to the children."