Chapter 482: The Hunt
The mutated ape, having fallen, was pierced through the lower body by one of the stone spikes. It had smashed into a small area and now thrashed about, howling in rage. Its overly long arms, several times the length of its body, reached up, trying to grab onto the edge of the fissure to climb back up. But each leap only worsened its injuries — in no time, a pool of blood had formed on the ground below.
“Sa…”
Liu Rui was gasping for breath, his joy obvious despite his exhaustion. He was clearly using the last of his strength, relying solely on willpower to hold on.
Xu Sa saw his pale, bloodless face. His camo uniform was soaked in filth, streaked with mud and unknown fluids, making him look utterly miserable.
And yet Liu Rui grinned foolishly, completely unconcerned about having just been on the brink of death.
“Idiot,” Xu Sa cursed hoarsely, then summoned another bolt of lightning at the still-struggling mutated ape. Securing his safety rope, he swung toward Liu Rui, pulled him tightly into his arms, and dragged him away from the fissure. After landing, he rolled a couple of times to absorb the impact.
“We need to move farther away. There’s a cavern underneath — that mutated ape is too strong. It could collapse the whole area.” Xu Sa got up to pull Liu Rui, but quickly realized his entire body was ice-cold, and his eyes were beginning to lose focus.
Xu Sa’s heart dropped. “Where are you hurt?”
Liu Rui didn’t respond, visibly weakening by the second.
Not far behind, the mutated ape continued its furious struggle. The ground shook with its blows, and the surrounding air began to recondense into water.
Xu Sa knew this was bad. He didn’t have time to check Liu Rui’s injuries. Instead, he flicked his hand, channeling electricity through the water droplets in the air, weaving a giant lightning net, and hurled it underground. Then he hoisted Liu Rui onto his back and ran.
Only after they had escaped the ape’s range of attack did Xu Sa stop. He found a relatively safe area and laid Liu Rui down. The man had lost consciousness on the way and no longer responded. He looked like he was already dead.
Even though Xu Sa could still faintly feel his heartbeat, he panicked. With trembling hands, he touched Liu Rui’s shallow breath, then let out a sigh of relief. He quickly began unfastening Liu Rui’s clothes to check his injuries.
Among the many wounds, the most shocking sight was the swarm of leeches crawling all over his lower body.
Each one, the size of a toddler’s fist, was bloated with blood and on the verge of bursting. Several had already exploded during the journey, staining his legs with blood.
Xu Sa sucked in a sharp breath. Seeing Liu Rui’s loosely hanging pant legs, his face twisted in fury.
Anyone with basic knowledge knows that in places like this, the most important thing is to guard against insect bites. That means tucking in your pants and sleeves tightly.
Liu Rui’s clothing had been torn, and he must not have noticed. Without sealing the openings, the bloodsucking leeches had overtaken half his body. The anesthetic secretions they released while feeding made it impossible to feel the bites — at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Liu Rui was completely drained.
Each squad’s standard backpack was equipped with emergency supplies for all environments — albeit in small quantities. Fortunately, Xu Sa had brought additional supplies in his jade-space. He poured alcohol over Liu Rui’s body, and in no time, a pile of squirming leeches fell to the ground.
The “well-fed” leeches were immediately stomped to death by Xu Sa. Every splatter of blood was Liu Rui’s. Xu Sa clenched his jaw with an audible crack but could do nothing more.
The bloody scent began to draw other creatures closer, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Xu Sa’s powers were heavily depleted. He needed crystal nuclei to recover, but Liu Rui — clearly suffering massive blood loss — urgently needed nourishment.
Finding something nutritious in a short time was unlikely. Xu Sa scanned the surroundings and locked eyes on a three-meter-tall mutated musk deer nearby. It wandered the forest, seemingly docile. When it noticed Xu Sa, it paused and curiously stared at him.
In mere minutes, Xu Sa used his ability to shock the deer into spasms, then swiftly struck it down with a single blow.
He collected the blood from the wound and used it to feed Liu Rui, who was so unconscious that he didn’t even swallow on his own. Xu Sa had to force it down his throat, mouthful by mouthful. The strong metallic taste made him gag repeatedly, but he suppressed it, his eyes turning red from the strain.
After forcing about half of it down, Xu Sa solidified the remaining blood into clots using salt, then stored the deer’s liver in his space.
Estimating his remaining crystal nuclei, Xu Sa realized it would be impossible to keep his powers fully charged — especially with Liu Rui in no condition to handle any more shocks. He climbed a tree, marked the area, then carried Liu Rui on his back and headed toward the forest’s edge — the closest path out.
*
6:00 a.m., the next morning.
The Gu brothers returned with two children and a man and woman. They were Xu Sa’s half-siblings from his mother’s side, along with Xing Lu, who had previously sought their protection, and the long-troublesome He Mei.
Qin Le’an clutched a filthy ragdoll, warily eyeing the courtyard full of people. Her brother, Qin Leyang, had a bundle casually tied around him and looked tense, like a startled bird, ready to strike at any moment.
Xing Lu stood in the corner, trying to minimize his presence. Meanwhile, He Mei, the moment she entered the yard and took a look around, immediately walked toward Li Zhuang.
“Hello, we’ve met before. I’m Dong Hongyuan’s wife,” she said. Today she was neat and tidy — her hair combed cleanly, and although her clothes were tattered, they at least looked freshly washed.
Compared to when she had first left—full of stubborn charm—now her words were subtle, her gaze coy, with an air of hesitation and allure. There was no trace of the manic behavior from just two days ago.
Li Zhuang hadn’t said a word yet when Xu Yi scoffed beside him, crossing his arms and glancing at her with a superior air. Then he looked toward Li Zhuang and, mimicking a delicate tone, said, “Hello, we’ve met before, I’m Dong Hongyuan’s wif—ow!”
Before he could finish, a large hand grabbed his butt hard. Xu Yi immediately jumped aside and glared furiously at Li Zhuang.
Li Zhuang merely curled one corner of his mouth, pretending nothing had happened.
“You dog!” Xu Yi cursed, then turned and shouted toward Lin Mo, “Lin Mo, you’re going to protect me these next few days!”
It was a strict rule set by Lu Weiyi before departure: every healing-type ability user must be accompanied by an ability user protector.
“No can do, Doctor Xu. My return assignment is to stick to the base leader like glue,” Lin Mo replied. He was one of the only two A-rank ability users among this group and felt honored to be in demand. He quickly added, “Next time for sure—I’ll protect you personally!”
“Oh.” Xu Yi turned his gaze to the Gu brothers.
The two of them instantly caught on to the romantic banter. Gu Qingyue quickly said to Zhuang Mingxu, “Brother Mingxu, the kids haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Should I take them to get something?”
“Go ahead,” Zhuang Mingxu replied, then turned to Xing Lu, “You come with me.”
Gu Qingyue and his brother took the two kids into the villa. Zhuang Mingxu and Xing Lu headed to the office, leaving He Mei awkwardly standing alone. Seeing that Li Zhuang had no intention of acknowledging her, she quietly retreated back into the corner.
After settling everyone in, it wasn’t long before Lu Xiao and Wen Jing personally escorted Daoist Master Tianning over. Zhuang Mingxu politely led him to the innermost private room on the truck.
This room had previously been where Lu Weiyi and the two children rested. It had bunk beds and a small door that separated it from the outside.
“From now on, we’ll be entrusting Master to your care,” Wen Jing said his farewell to Daoist Tianning, then solemnly shook Zhuang Mingxu’s hand.
“You’re too polite, brother. It’s us who are fortunate to have Master Tianning’s support,” Zhuang Mingxu gestured for the others to board the truck first. “Are you heading back soon?”
“Yes, tomorrow,” Wen Jing replied.
“Safe travels then. You’re always welcome at Half Moon Bay.”
“Once the underground tunnel is complete, I’ll be sure to trouble you again.”
After the exchange of pleasantries, the two little kids came running over, wrapping their arms around Zhuang Mingxu’s neck and cuddling him as they said goodbye.
“Be good with Great-Uncle. When Little Daddy comes back, he’ll take you home.”
“Aiyi will be good. Big Daddy, miss Aiyi, okay?” Zhuang Aiyi nuzzled Zhuang Mingxu’s cheek affectionately.
Taotao wasn’t about to be outdone and rubbed against the other cheek with enthusiasm.
“Old Zhuang, you really are the winner in life,” Wen Jing said, full of envy.
“You better hurry too—it might not be too late,” Zhuang Mingxu laughed heartily, continuing to babble on with the two clingy kids.
It was the first time they were parting ways since the apocalypse. In these chaotic times, there were no truly safe places. Though they hadn’t yet separated, Zhuang Mingxu already felt deeply reluctant.
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring them back in one piece,” Lu Xiao joked as he took the children into his arms.
“Then I’ll leave them in your care, Uncle,” Zhuang Mingxu waved goodbye and boarded the truck.
As the vehicle started moving and disappeared into the distance, Zhuang Aiyi kept waving until they were out of sight. Then, as if the delayed sadness suddenly hit him, tears began to fall silently.
Seeing Zhuang Aiyi cry, Taotao also burst into tears with a loud wail.
“Hey, little one, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Lu Xiao was flustered—it was the first time he’d seen the two kids like this. He hurriedly wiped away their tears and tried his best to soothe them.
Though the little ones didn’t cry loudly, their silent tears were even more heartbreaking. One of them clung to Lu Xiao’s shoulder, soaking his collar in no time, while the other reached out in the direction the truck had gone, crying out “Daddy” at the top of their lungs.
A few grown men nearby formed a protective circle around them, attracting many curious glances from others.
Luckily, Cong Qing had come prepared and handed over small cakes and snacks, barely managing to calm the children down.
*
Meanwhile…
The underground tunnel in Jingdu was located outside the base city and guarded by the base’s military personnel. After leaving the base, the truck drove for just over ten minutes before arriving.
Once their identities and passes were verified, Zhuang Mingxu and his team, along with the long-waiting group from Pingjin Base, entered the underground tunnel.
Half Moon Bay’s pre-assigned team members quickly got into position. Zhuang Mingxu swept his gaze over the group brought by Tang Bai, silently counted heads to make sure there were no discrepancies, then spoke, “Tang Bai, split your team into front and rear sections, so that there’s always backup if anything happens.”
