A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

Xiao Ji had already gotten into the car; there was no way to back out of going to Yao Town (Yaozhen) now.

He was eager to get home because his parents were still there. The sudden zombie outbreak left his elderly parents alone, and Bei Nuan understood his worry.

Bei Nuan sat silently in the passenger seat, staring at the winding mountain road ahead, lost in thought.

It wouldn't be a big deal.

Just because Bei Nuan in the book got injured didn't mean she would.

It wasn't necessarily going to be that coincidental. They wouldn't necessarily run into the same trouble that injured the original Bei Nuan just by going up the mountain. Even if they did, with careful planning, they could avoid any harm.

Xiao Ji guided Lu Xingchi along the way. The SUV followed the twisting mountain path, driving deeper into the layers of peaks.

The roadside was thick with forests and grass. Occasionally, they passed terraced fields, and only after a long distance would a village appear.

In a place like this, with few people, there were naturally few zombies. The drive was smooth.

Near noon, they finally saw in the distance a steep mountain, taller than the surrounding ones. Among the layers of green trees, numerous houses were faintly visible.

They had arrived at Yao Town.

Yao Town was a thousand-year-old town, built on the mountain.

Back in the day, a feudal lord rebelled here. Defeated, he retreated and finally built this fortress on the mountain, declaring himself king.

So, rather than a king, he was more of a mountain bandit.

Yao Town was strategically located, backed by insurmountable cliffs and facing a river. There was only one road leading up the mountain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack – a natural fortress.

Self-sufficient on the mountain, the feudal lord lived happily in this blessed land until his death without incident.

Yao Town was perfect except for the inconvenient access.

Over the years, many Yao Town residents had moved down the mountain, leaving behind empty old houses in the ancient town. It became almost deserted.

Only in the last two years had people rediscovered Yao Town.

The dilapidated ancient town had a natural charm, attracting tourists who appreciated its authentic, decaying atmosphere.

The town on the mountain was revived, with shops and inns opening, becoming slightly livelier.

At the foot of the mountain, along the highway and its branching roads that spread across the gentle slopes, the people of Yao Town built a large area of neat bungalows.

"Where's your house?" Bei Nuan asked Xiao Ji.

Xiao Ji pointed towards the bungalows by the road.

Bei Nuan breathed a sigh of relief.

The Bei Nuan in the book was injured in the ancient town on the mountain. As long as they didn't go up, they should be safe.

After safely delivering Xiao Ji home and fulfilling Fang Chen's last wish, this matter would be settled. Then they could quickly leave, and nothing would happen.

As the car got closer, Xiao Ji became visibly nervous.

There were scattered "people" moving slowly on the road, their movements stiff and sluggish.

Even in this remote, mountainous area, there were still zombies.

Lu Xingchi parked the car by the side of the road and led Xiao Ji towards the houses on the gentle slope.

His house was beside a small road on the hillside, with white walls, black tiles, and a bright red door, looking neat and tidy. Xiao Ji rushed to the courtyard gate.

The courtyard gate was locked.

Lu Xingchi pulled gently and opened the lock. Too anxious to wonder how he'd opened it so easily, Xiao Ji immediately searched every room but couldn't find his family.

"Dad? Mom?" Xiao Ji was getting anxious.

"The main gate was locked, and the house is tidy. Nothing has been touched. The tables and surfaces are clean, with nothing out of place," Lu Xingchi calmly analyzed.

"See if the food and valuables are still there. If they're gone, they must have gone somewhere, and they didn't leave in a hurry."

Xiao Ji calmed down and looked around.

"The grain store is empty, many things are gone, even the chicken coop is empty. There's nowhere else they could be. They must have gone up the mountain. My family has an old house in the town on the mountain…"

Before he could finish, Lu Xingchi suddenly darted out of the house.

When Xiao Ji followed him into the courtyard, he saw Lu Xingchi, with a cold expression, aiming his crossbow at the gate.

In the courtyard, Jiang Fei also stood in front of Bei Nuan, Du Ruo, and Tang Tang, a dagger subtly hidden in his sleeve.

At the gate stood a group of men, also carrying short knives.

There were four or five of them, all men, equally vigilant.

They spoke first: "Who are you?"

They looked like locals. Xiao Ji quickly stepped forward.

"I'm the son of this family. My father is Ji Feng. We just came back from out of town. These are my friends."

Hearing this, although they didn't seem to recognize his father, they relaxed a little. "Almost everyone here has gone up the mountain. Your parents probably have too."

Hope flickered in Xiao Ji's eyes. "Really? Everyone's gone up the mountain? Then I'll go too."

The man scanned him up and down. "There are people guarding the mountain now. Everyone has to pay an entrance fee to go up."

Xiao Ji, rescued by Lu Xingchi directly from the bank, had nothing on him. He was a little anxious.

"My ancestral home is on the mountain. Do I have to pay too?"

The man didn't budge. "It's special now. Everyone has to pay." He thought for a moment and added, "Forget it, you're a local. We'll give you a discount."

No matter how big the discount, Xiao Ji had no money.

This was a big problem for Xiao Ji, but not for Bei Nuan and the others.

Du Ruo quickly asked, "So he wants to go up the mountain. What's the entrance fee? Is it food? Flour? Rice?"

The man shook his head. "The mountain doesn't lack food. We only want valuables."

It sounded quite incredible.

Even at a time like this, there were people who didn't want food but only valuables.

Bei Nuan, however, knew why.

The book clearly stated that the people of Yao Town, from ancient times to the present, were accustomed to hiding in the ancient town and sealing the gates whenever there was a natural disaster or human calamity.

This was the case during past wars, and it was the same now with the zombie outbreak.

Following ancestral tradition, every household stocked up on food. So, as soon as news of the zombie outbreak spread, many people carried their food and belongings directly up the mountain.

Bei Nuan asked curiously, "Do you take cash?"

The man nodded. "Yes, cash, jewelry, anything valuable."

They were even willing to accept cash.

The man looked Bei Nuan over. "We're very familiar with the gatekeepers. If you give the money directly to us, we can give you a discount."

Bei Nuan quickly said, "We don't need to. It's just him…"

Before she could finish, Lu Xingchi interrupted, "There are six of us going up the mountain. How much in total?"

Bei Nuan turned to look at him in surprise.

What was Boss Lu doing? Passing by Yao Town, finding the scenery pleasant, and deciding to take a day trip to the ancient town on a whim?

In the original book, there was a reason for Lu Xingchi's group to come to Yao Town.

They encountered a mudslide that blocked the road. As they were about to abandon their vehicle and continue on foot, they ran into a horde of zombies from a nearby village.

Lu Xingchi in the book didn't have any special abilities. He and Jiang Fei protected everyone while fighting and retreating, struggling quite a bit.

Although nothing serious happened, the food they carried was left in the car, leaving them with insufficient supplies.

Yao Town was the nearest place with supplies, so they came and went up the mountain into the ancient town to find food.

This time, driving here was different from the book. They took another route, didn't encounter a mudslide, nor a horde of zombies. With Bei Nuan around, there was certainly no shortage of supplies.

Yet, for no apparent reason, Lu Xingchi also wanted to go up the mountain.

Perhaps he wanted to be thoroughly kind and personally escort Xiao Ji to his family.

Bei Nuan checked the task list. Fang Chen's name still showed (2/3).

Even though they had arrived at Xiao Ji's house, the task wasn't complete. It seemed they had to bring Xiao Ji to his worried family to truly fulfill Fang Chen's wish.

There was one hour left on the countdown. It seemed a trip to Yao Town's ancient city was inevitable.

While Bei Nuan was lost in thought, she heard someone call her name.

"Bei Nuan?"

Bei Nuan realized she had been so preoccupied with the task that she hadn't noticed Lu Xingchi and the others had already climbed several steps.

Xie Yuanqing was still standing by the roadside, smiling at her.

His eyes, deep as ink, rested on Bei Nuan's face, patiently waiting for her to come back to her senses without urging her.

Bei Nuan quickly apologized and hurried up the steps to catch up with Lu Xingchi.

As she passed Xie Yuanqing, Bei Nuan suddenly heard him softly say, "Dahua, what do you want to eat tonight?"

Dahua?

Did he just call "Dahua"?

Bei Nuan abruptly turned around and saw him gently stroking the tabby cat in his arms.

He continued, "There's nothing good to buy here. Be a good boy and make do, okay? I'll make you something delicious when we get home."

October 3, 2024

• The previous raw source contained issues. A new source has been identified, and this chapter has been updated accordingly.

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