Chapter 122: A Faint Hope
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Fu Shinan couldn’t help but look at Ji Zan, pondering as she asked, “Why does he keep mentioning Lingqu Mountain? And how did this person travel from An Town to here? It couldn’t possibly be due to the tornado, right? Or has he been here for a while? Does that imply that this place isn’t far from An Town? Otherwise, how did he get here? This man’s mental state is clearly abnormal, and he doesn’t even have a car.”
“I don’t know,” Ji Zan shrugged, but his peculiar attire made him look less dashing and somewhat comical.
Fu Shinan found it strange how a serious question could suddenly turn into something so theatrical. She forcefully bit her lip, then finally asked, “Last time, you mentioned that Lingqu Mountain wasn’t on any maps. If we were to go there, could you find it?” She could sense that Ji Zan knew something about that place.
“Do you want to go there?” Ji Zan looked at her.
Fu Shinan glanced at the ruined surroundings and spoke with a slightly somber tone, “With tornadoes and who knows what other natural disasters lurking, maybe Lingqu Mountain is our last hope. How can we know unless we try? What do you think?”
Ji Zan furrowed his brow, and the eerie vision he had seen earlier reappeared in his mind—presumably, the premonition that Cao Yong had mentioned. In the vision, several people were walking along a windy and sandy path. So, did they truly end up at Lingqu Mountain? But what was it like there?
“What’s wrong?” Fu Shinan tilted her head, sensing Ji Zan’s resistance since the mention of Lingqu Mountain.
Ji Zan contemplated for a moment and replied, “That place… might not be what you’re imagining. It may not offer any hope.”
“Well, what’s it really like then? If it’s a mountain, there should be water, right? At the very least, it can’t be worse than here, can it?” Fu Shinan’s curiosity was piqued.
Ji Zan seemed reluctant to answer, and after a brief silence, he shook his head and said, “If you’re determined to go, I can take you there…” He understood that at the moment, there didn’t seem to be any other place to go, and perhaps there was some hope there.
“In that case, let’s hurry back to An Town! If we run out of supplies, we can head to Lingqu Mountain immediately. Having some hope is better than having none,” Fu Shinan took a few steps and added, “But before that, we should find some clothes to wear. The way we look right now is… quite something…” Taking a look at their messy attire, Ji Zan gritted his teeth and replied, “Yeah.”
Seeing him grit his teeth like that, Fu Shinan couldn’t help but want to laugh again.
As Ji Zan heard her chuckle, he immediately turned to look at her.
Fu Shinan quickly turned her face. “Let’s get going, it’s really hot…”
Ji Zan clenched his teeth again. “Let’s go!”
It was unclear how much time had passed, but the sun didn’t seem as intense, suggesting it might be afternoon. Fortunately, Ji Zan was lucky and found a pair of work pants with a label and a somewhat fitting hoodie. Although they were quite dirty, shaking off the dust made them wearable, which was still better than wrapping themselves in rags.
However, Fu Shinan wasn’t as fortunate; she didn’t find anything to wear. Now, if she wanted clothes, she’d have to go back to An Town. She still had a few sets of clothes in her small car, assuming her car was still there. But the problem was, they had been walking for so long, and they still had no idea where they were or how far they were from An Town. They didn’t even know the right direction. How could they get there? Even if they knew the way, they had no car, and looking around, even the barely intact cars were out of fuel.
“This situation doesn’t look good…” Fu Shinan found a rock to sit on, feeling a bit hopeless.
Ji Zan’s expression was also very solemn as he looked at Fu Shinan’s visibly parched lips. He realized that they hadn’t had any water for a day and a night, and if they continued like this, they would soon become dehydrated. “Rest here for a bit. I’ll check again.”
“No, we need to conserve our energy; there’s not much food left,” Fu Shinan sighed in relief but then added, “We’ve explored half the city, and there’s nothing to be found. It seems like everything’s been destroyed.”
“There’s always a way out; we just have to find it,” Ji Zan looked into the distance, still filled with confidence. At this point, if he became disheartened, they would have no chance of survival.
Fu Shinan, seeing his determination, couldn’t help but admire him. His physical resilience was truly impressive, and his mindset was unwavering. He seemed even more composed than she, a surgeon.
“You stay here…” Ji Zan had just finished speaking when he noticed some movement in the rubble.
It was a zombie!
Then, another pile of garbage also moved….