As usual, after waking up, I lay there like a corpse for a while.
Only when my thoughts slowly returned to my head did I finally react.
When I got up, I realized that besides a few who had slept late, most people were already awake.
Rongrong, Tingyun, and Xiao Hu were standing a bit farther away, pointing at the pile of walker corpses while whispering to each other, acting as if they were experts.
The campfire hadn't been put out, so I boiled some milk for the kids as breakfast, then fed them some biscuits before grabbing something to eat myself.
I deliberately boiled extra milk and gave some to Lili.
In Wang Jun's backpack were the cans of baby formula that Suo Tian had brought back earlier.
Now he was borrowing a metal bowl to make formula for the baby.
Lili was probably malnourished, so her milk supply wasn't enough at all.
Honestly, it made sense—just being able to eat enough to stay alive on a journey like this was already hard, let alone keeping two people nourished.
While Wang Jun was making the formula, even though I didn't really want to talk to him, I still walked over and gently said, "Make a bit more for Lili too. She just gave birth and has been through all this—she needs to recover."
Hearing that, Wang Jun glanced at Lili, who was still lying on her side, and waved his hand.
"Adults don't need to drink this stuff."
I frowned and continued, "There's a lot of nutrition in there. She needs it. And if she gets enough nutrients, she can produce breast milk. Breast milk is still better for the baby than formula, don't you think?"
Wang Jun hesitated at that.
I pointed at the backpack and added, "You have plenty of formula. Enough for your son to drink for a very long time. And in a few more days we'll be out of here. Once we reach a town, we can find a supermarket. There'll be enough formula for your kid to drink for years."
After listening to that, Wang Jun's expression twisted a bit.
After hesitating for a while, he finally added two more scoops of formula into the bowl and poured in some water.
Seeing that, I quietly let out a sigh of relief and went back to help Xu Shu and the others pack.
After Wang Jun fed a little formula to his son, the rest was given to Lili.
Only then did we continue on our way.
Unknowingly, the two groups of us had completely merged together in this deep mountain forest.
Suo Tian and his people were still leading the way, heading in the same direction the walkers had moved last night.
A lot of bushes ahead had been knocked down from last night's fighting, which saved us quite a bit of effort clearing a path.
The morning dew was heavy.
After walking for only a short while, my hair felt like it could be wrung dry, and my clothes clung to my skin uncomfortably.
Deep in the forest, it was extremely quiet.
Other than our footsteps through the undergrowth and the occasional cough, there were only birds calling every now and then.
The dense canopy overhead blocked most of the sky.
Looking up through the gaps, it didn't seem as gloomy today as yesterday.
Sometimes, a faint, weak ray of sunlight managed to slip through, giving the forest a strangely peaceful and serene atmosphere.
I took several deep breaths, filling my lungs with the fragrance of fresh grass, and it felt like something inside me had been washed clean, leaving me refreshed and light-hearted.
Just like that, my mood lifted so easily that I started humming a little tune—only to have it drowned out before long by Rongrong loudly singing a nursery rhyme.
Everyone played along, and after the song ended, they clapped and praised her for a long time—so much that Rongrong ended up burying herself into Suo Tian's arms.
Yes, that's right.
You didn't see wrong—Rongrong ran into Suo Tian's arms again.
We walked continuously for several more hours.
Around noon, when we reached an area where the undergrowth was relatively sparse, Suo Tian surveyed the surroundings and then ordered a twenty-minute break.
I have to say, Suo Tian's pace of travel is not something an ordinary person can handle.
Aside from meals and sleep, we're basically walking nonstop all day.
By the time we got here, Lili was being supported by Zhang Qicong and Lao Si.
Shen Feng and Yangyang also helped for a while, or else the two of them alone wouldn't have managed to keep her going.
While sitting down to eat, I glanced at Lili resting against a tree across from us, eyes closed.
Ever since we descended the cliff yesterday, she had barely spoken.
At first she still looked at her child occasionally, but later on, unless Wang Jun handed the baby to her to breastfeed, she wouldn't even take a glance.
Wang Jun always kept some distance from her while holding the baby.
The three of them hardly stayed together like a family.
Wang Jun obviously didn't want Lili to slow him and the child down, so he naturally pushed her off onto the rest of us who still had the heart to care.
As for Lili… one could easily guess why she became like this.
She was weak, yes, but not stupid.
She saw everything.
The attitude behind Wang Jun's actions was obvious.
Even we outsiders felt chilled watching it—so just imagine how frozen her heart must be.
Maybe my words from this morning had some effect—when Wang Jun made formula this time, he made extra and gave some to Lili.
But after she drank it, he immediately handed the baby over to her.
The moment Lili took the baby, her expression froze with a brief look of sorrow.
But when her eyes brushed against Wang Jun, she quickly restored her usual emptiness.
She fed the child mechanically for a while, then handed him back, without even a glance more.
Wang Jun seemed confused by her attitude.
But since the baby had already eaten, he said nothing and moved back to where he was sitting.
Meanwhile, Rongrong finally released Suo Tian and went with Tingyun and Xiao Hu to listen to fairy tales from Yangyang.
Seeing the chance, I glanced at Suo Tian, who was leaning against a tree alone, absentmindedly nibbling on his biscuit like always.
I wanted to walk over and ask what he and Song Meijing were talking about last night.
But after thinking about it, I felt that would be meddling too much.
While I was hesitating, Xu Shu suddenly walked over and tugged my sleeve lightly.
Her expression was serious.
I turned to look at her, confused, and saw her signaling with her eyes toward a direction not far away.
I froze for a second, then followed her gaze— And the moment I saw it, my whole body went rigid.
Originally silent and curled beside Lili, Zhao Qiuting was now sitting with her head drooping low—so low it looked like she wanted to bury her entire face into her chest.
My heart tightened instantly.
That posture—again.
Being bitten by Zhao Qiuting is one of the most unforgettable nightmares of my life.
I've dreamed of that scene more times than I can count.
And just before she lost control that time— she looked exactly like this.
If I really think back carefully, before her outbreak at school, Zhao Qiuting had also gone through a period where her mental state seemed off—not completely deranged, but definitely not normal either.
Thinking of that now… my fist clenched tightly.
It was very possible that her recent "normalcy" had only been the precursor to another attack!
The moment that thought formed in my mind, Zhao Qiuting—who had been drooping her head low—suddenly twitched.
Then, she abruptly raised her head, her face tilted upward, eyes wide open and completely empty…
Her sudden movement didn't even alert Lili, who was sitting beside her with her eyes closed, resting.
Xu Shu didn't understand the situation yet—she looked confused and asked me, "What's wrong with her?"
I didn't have time to answer.
I shouted toward Lili:
"LILI! MOVE—NOW!!"
And I sprinted toward them.
But in that same instant, Zhao Qiuting's entire expression twisted violently—
She sprang up from the ground like a wild animal and lunged straight toward Lili, who was just opening her eyes, staring at me in confusion.
"MOVE!! NOW!!!"
I screamed so loudly the sound cracked—my whole body felt like ice.
But it was too late.
Just like me back then, Lili instinctively raised her arm to block— And the exact same scene repeated itself.
Zhao Qiuting bared her teeth, her face ferocious, and clamped her jaws down onto Lili's arm.
In the midst of Lili's scream, Zhao Qiuting tore off a chunk of flesh with her mouth.
I reached her at that moment.
The others—Song Meijing and the people sitting next to them—finally reacted and scrambled back in panic.
I wrapped my arms around Lili and tried to pull her away, while Zhao Qiuting crouched, panting hoarsely with that bloody piece of meat hanging from her mouth.
But Lili was already far too weak, and the pain had overwhelmed her—her body collapsed limp against the ground, her screams faint and trembling.
Seeing Zhao Qiuting's savage eyes lock onto us again, I shouted desperately behind me:
"Help us! Get over here—NOW!!"
The group of people who had frozen in shock finally rushed forward.
And just then—my yell seemed to provoke Zhao Qiuting.
Her blood-filled eyes snapped toward me.
She spat out the piece of flesh onto the ground— and lunged straight at me.
I was pulling Lili backward with all my strength.
She leapt— I stumbled and fell hard onto the ground.
She came rushing at me like an animal, panting violently, and I squeezed my eyes shut—
This is it.
It's over.
But at that instant— A sharp gust of wind whistled past my ear.
Then—a heavy thud.
Lili's body trembled beneath me, as if something heavy had fallen on her.
For a moment, the world felt frozen.
When I opened my eyes— Zhao Qiuting was lying directly in front of me, eyes wide, staring blankly.
Right in the center of her pale forehead— was a small silver throwing knife, lodged straight in.
— The end of the Chapter–