28: If the foundation is not solid, the earth will shake

Standing on the second floor, Xu Jingzhe glanced downstairs.

Unbeknownst to him, the siege had stopped at some point, and the ground floor was densely covered with corpses of various shapes.

Following the system's instructions, he went to the first floor and left smoothly.

Having obtained what he wanted, it didn't matter to him if Musileke City was turned upside down.

He wasn't interested in any damned experiments.

An hour later, Xu Jingzhe had distanced himself from Musileke City, found a secluded spot, and collapsed into sleep.

He was too tired, he was truly too tired.

In his deep sleep, Xu Jingzhe dreamed again.

Just like last time, he was being hunted.

Different scenes, different ways to die, and each time, it was always himself witnessing his own death.

He wanted to wake up, but his body felt heavy, like he was experiencing sleep paralysis, and he couldn't wake up no matter what.

"Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu, wake up."

Xu Jingzhe suddenly opened his eyes, and a familiar face came into view.

It was his Big Brother, Wang Ning.

"He's awake, he's awake."

"Xiao Liu is awake."

A group of people gathered around, and Cold Qing helped Xu Jingzhe sit up, resting him in her arms, her eyes full of doting affection and concern.

Xu Jingzhe smiled, wanting to get up, only to realize his body was incredibly weak, he couldn't even move his fingers.

It was as if he had been ill for a long time and hadn't recovered.

"Wh-what's wrong, Third Sister, why are you crying?" Xu Jingzhe asked.

"N-nothing, Third Sister just got some sand in her eye," Cold Qing quickly explained.

"How, how is Fourth Brother?" Xu Jingzhe asked again.

"His life was saved, he'll be fine after a few days of rest."

Xu Jingzhe blinked, indicating he was relieved.

"Are you hungry? Little Loli found a lot of acorns for you, here." Cold Qing placed a shelled acorn into Xu Jingzhe's mouth.

Xu Jingzhe chewed slowly, but before he could finish, he fell asleep again.

Inside his body, earth-shattering changes were occurring; half of his 60 trillion cells were growing and rupturing irregularly, and the ruptured cells were reorganizing and continuing to grow. The other half were continuously shrinking, shrinking to a singularity, exploding, and producing new matter.

It was like the evolution of the birth of the universe!

Countless lights intertwined, entangled, and rotated, splendid and brilliant.

Unfortunately, no one could witness this cosmic-level miracle.

...

"Third Sister, how is Xiao Liu's body?" Wang Ning asked in a deep voice.

Cold Qing lowered her head, shook it, and spoke with difficulty: "N-not good, I can't feel anything, it's like a void."

Cold Qing had been in the Pollution Zone for many years; besides having the ability to fly and escape, her blood could heal injuries.

Especially in detoxifying, it had miraculous effects.

The toxins in Bo Qing's body were neutralized by Cold Qing's blood, and his rotted intestines were able to actively stick back together piece by piece because of her blood. Although her blood couldn't completely heal the injuries, with Bo Qing's own physique, as long as they were connected, he could heal with slow recuperation.

Wang Ning sighed deeply, stood up, and looked at the distant mountains.

If Xu Jingzhe never woke up again, it would be more painful than killing him.

Little Loli knelt beside him, burying her head in her chest, whimpering.

Big Beard leaned to the side, his eyes vacant.

They had only known Xiao Liu for a few short days, but their feelings for him were deep.

Joining Dark Night Hunter was like being family.

Caring for each other, loving each other, and growing together.

"I'll go find some acorns for Xiao Liu to eat, he loves acorns the most." Cold Qing's face was pale, and she swayed as she got up.

To treat Xu Jingzhe, she had given a lot of her blood to him.

But it had no effect at all, a situation she had never encountered before.

Her blood... had failed.

"Third Sister, I'll go too, I have nowhere to vent my frustration." Little Loli lifted her head from her chest, her eyes teary.

Half a day later, the two returned, bringing many acorns.

One day passed.

Two days passed.

Three days passed.

Cold Qing didn't give up, bleeding herself daily to feed Xu Jingzhe.

Little Loli, on the other hand, transported acorns trip after trip, making two large baskets out of vines and always returning with them full.

Wang Ning had disappeared, no one knew where he had gone.

Big Beard sat cross-legged outside the tent, silent.

On the fourth day, Bo Qing slowly woke up, his injuries mostly healed.

After learning about Xu Jingzhe's condition, he also wanted to leave to find a Contaminant, but Cold Qing stopped him.

He hated it!

He hadn't protected Little Old Six!!

The sun rose in the east, the moon set in the west, and Wang Ning, who had been missing for half a month, returned.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted on the ground.

"Big Brother, Big Brother!!"

"Big Brother!"

"Third Sister, Big Brother is hurt, come quickly!" Little Loli exclaimed.

Cold Qing, who was taking care of Xu Jingzhe, rushed out of the tent, her face even paler.

She fed him her blood.

At night, the four sat silently around the campfire.

"I'll go, Third Sister," Bo Qing said.

"Shut up!" Cold Qing suddenly roared, her eyes bloodshot. Due to excessive blood loss, she was close to losing control.

Humans who survived in the Pollution Zone, although their bodies had undergone various mutations to adapt to the environment of the Pollution Zone.

However, a significant portion of them would lose their sanity at some point.

Only the word 'slaughter' would remain in their minds.

To eliminate this hidden danger, one must become a Contaminant, and their body must undergo a second mutation.

"Third Sister." Little Loli looked at Cold Qing worriedly.

"I, I'm fine, I, I just..." Cold Qing couldn't finish her sentence and got up to leave.

The three exchanged glances, knowing that Cold Qing might be about to lose her sanity.

"I'll go." Little Loli followed.

An hour later, Cold Qing was carried back by Little Loli and placed beside Wang Ning.

"Sigh..." She sighed softly, wondering what would happen to this family without her.

The next day, Wang Ning woke up, looking dejected.

"Second Brother, have a cigar."

Big Beard entered the tent, took out a cigar, handed it to Wang Ning, and lit it for him.

Wang Ning smoked silently, not saying what he had been doing for the past half month.

The morning sun rose, casting red rays that illuminated Wang Ning's chiseled profile. Because of the light and shadow, his features appeared more defined and profound, with a melancholic handsomeness.

Cold Qing also woke up at noon, her eyes red and swollen, her long hair messy, giving her a lazy beauty. She was like a young wife waking up after a honeymoon, alluring and captivating.

The twentieth day.

They seemed to have grown accustomed to Xu Jingzhe's unconscious state.

When the weather was good, they would move him out of the tent to bask in the sun, and at night, they would let him lean on Cold Qing's shoulder, while Wang Ning told them about their experiences in the Pollution Zone.

Little Loli still went to find acorns, carrying back basket after basket, until the acorns piled up into a small mountain.

A few times, acorn woodpeckers came to steal acorns, but they were all shot down and roasted for food.

Little Loli gnawed on a bone, gritting her teeth and saying, "These are for Xiao Liu, no one can touch them, hmph!"

On the twenty-first day, Xu Jingzhe regained consciousness, waking from the chaos.

System: "Ding, you're finally awake, I thought you wouldn't make it."

"Huh?" Xu Jingzhe was still a bit dazed, saying, "Did I sleep for a long time?"

System: "Ding, you've slept for twenty-one days."

"Then what's wrong with me?"

System: "Ding, it's because of the β-1 bacteria, which changed your cells, but it was only a preliminary change."

"I don't understand."

System: "Ding, have you heard the saying? A weak foundation, and the ground shakes."

"With my enhancement, your cells can hold ten times the energy they used to!"

"Assuming your body was previously a reservoir that could only hold one pound of water, now, you can hold ten pounds of water!"