49: Zombie...cocoon?

By the time they reached downstairs, the sun had already vanished.

Su Mianmian listened to the screams coming from not far away, and she shook her head helplessly.

The louder these people screamed, the more zombies would head their way.

She wondered when they would finally understand this principle.

"Mianmian, what are you thinking about?"

"We want to go up the mountain to take a look."

"Do you want to come?"

Su Jinxuan reached out and ruffled Su Mianmian's hair, asking with a smile.

Su Mianmian looked at Shi Xu; it seemed he was still preoccupied with the black fog.

She nodded, but then, thinking that there weren't many people at home, she asked, "Will they be okay by themselves at home?"

Su Mianmian looked at Shi Xu, curious.

He didn't seem like the type to leave Father Shi and the others alone at home.

Shi Xu shook his head and said, "Only the three of us are going. The four of them will practice here for a bit, and then we'll go back to protect them."

Seeing that Shi Xu had already made arrangements, Su Mianmian nodded and agreed.

She took a car out of her space. Shi Xu drove, Su Mianmian sat in the passenger seat, and Su Jinxuan sat in the back.

After the three of them left, Xu Qing and the others split into pairs and went to practice fighting zombies.

Along the way, Su Mianmian kept hearing people inside their houses shouting "Help!" from outside. She shook her head, feeling that they still hadn't faced reality.

"If these people don't learn to save themselves, they'll definitely die at home."

"The zombies are still weak now. If they don't come out at this time, when will they?"

Su Jinxuan grumbled from the back.

Su Mianmian smiled. Home was always a comfort zone, and most people were unwilling to leave it unless absolutely forced.

Only when their homes ran out of food, electricity, and water would they truly panic.

Now, it was just the beginning.

"Don't mind them. We're not saviors; we can't manage so many people."

"They just want to be rescued without any losses."

"Naive."

Su Mianmian said bluntly.

Shi Xu and Su Jinxuan listened to her words and nodded in agreement.

Wasn't that exactly what these people were thinking?

As the car drove further up the mountain, the black fog they had seen last night reappeared in their sight.

Su Mianmian frowned. This black fog was definitely not ordinary fog.

What exactly was it?

She hoped to find an answer once they reached the mountain.

Shi Xu controlled the steering wheel, his confusion growing deeper.

The next second, he slammed on the brakes.

Su Mianmian and Su Jinxuan didn't have time to react, and due to inertia, they were thrown forward.

Fortunately, the seatbelts protected them, or their heads would have suffered.

As soon as Su Mianmian recovered, she looked at Shi Xu, "Shi Xu, what's wrong?"

There were no obstacles on the road ahead, so his stopping now definitely meant something serious.

"We can't drive up any further."

"The car almost lost control just now."

"We might have to go on foot. It's best to wear gas masks."

Shi Xu said with a serious expression.

Upon hearing this, Su Mianmian's expression became solemn.

These fogs actually had such an ability.

She took out three gas masks from her space, gave two to them, and put on the remaining one herself.

The three of them got out of the car, and Su Mianmian put the car back into her space.

The higher Su Mianmian walked, the thinner the oxygen felt.

Even though there were many trees on the mountain, she felt it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

"No, I think we'll need oxygen tanks to go up further."

"What about you two?"

"If you're not feeling well, don't force yourselves."

Su Mianmian stopped them, saying earnestly.

Shi Xu and Su Jinxuan thought about it and decided it was better to be safe than sorry.

After the three of them changed into their gear here, they continued upwards.

After inhaling oxygen, Su Mianmian felt much clearer.

Looking at the flowers and plants by the roadside, she sensed that they seemed to be trembling.

It seemed there was something ahead that made them very afraid.

Su Mianmian was certain her guess was correct; her wood-element ability allowed her to perceive the emotions of these plants.

She told Shi Xu and the others about the situation, and upon hearing it, Shi Xu and Su Jinxuan were both a bit unwilling for her to continue upwards.

"Wouldn't I be in more danger if I were here alone?"

"Besides, if I go and there's danger, I can hide in my space!"

"You don't need to worry about me."

Su Mianmian refused.

She absolutely did not want to be left here alone.

Seeing Su Mianmian's insistence, the two of them thought about it and finally agreed to let her continue upwards.

Just as they were about to reach the summit, Su Mianmian's heart suddenly started beating rapidly.

She felt a bit flustered.

Shi Xu noticed her abnormality; even through the gas mask, he could see her suddenly pale face.

"Mianmian, what's wrong?"

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Shi Xu supported her, his face filled with worry.

Su Jinxuan, beside them, also looked worried.

He looked at Su Mianmian, at a loss, his face full of anxiety.

Su Mianmian took a moment to compose herself, finally suppressing the feeling of panic.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt a bit flustered."

"Shi Xu, Brother, I feel like there's definitely a big problem here."

Su Mianmian looked at Shi Xu, then at Su Jinxuan, saying seriously.

Seeing this, Shi Xu and Su Jinxuan both heightened their vigilance.

Su Mianmian's premonitions were always correct; they couldn't afford to be careless.

As the three of them walked upwards again, each of them was extremely cautious.

Shi Xu released his mental power, sensing many small dots moving outside.

He gave them a hand signal: "There's something ahead, be careful."

The Su Family siblings nodded, walking even more carefully.

Soon, they reached the highest point.

It was flat here, and on the far right was a cave.

Su Mianmian heard roars from inside. Just as she was about to go check, Shi Xu pulled her to hide to the side.

The three of them, concealed by the bushes, looked towards the cave entrance.

Soon, several zombies walked out.

Their walking speed was faster than the zombies Su Mianmian and the others had seen downhill, and their posture was more human-like.

Su Mianmian guessed they were probably close to Level 1.

When she saw their eyes, she knew her guess was correct.

She quietly conveyed this situation to Shi Xu and Su Jinxuan.

Upon hearing it, both of them looked slightly solemn.

Shi Xu could now see everything inside the cave through his mental power, but he didn't understand why there was an oval-shaped object wrapped up inside.

He signaled to Su Mianmian and Su Jinxuan to retreat first.

As soon as the three of them retreated to a safe place, Shi Xu told them what he had seen.

Upon hearing it, Su Mianmian felt completely unsettled.

The thing Shi Xu saw, could it be a zombie... cocoon?

How disgusting!

Su Mianmian thought of the zombie cocoons described in the book, and she felt like throwing up right now.

Shi Xu and Su Jinxuan noticed Su Mianmian's strange expression, and they both became puzzled.

"Mianmian, what's wrong?"

"Why do you seem to have been acting strange ever since we came up the mountain?"

Shi Xu reached out and patted Su Mianmian's shoulder, asking curiously.

Su Jinxuan also looked at Su Mianmian with a puzzled expression, not understanding what was wrong with her.

Ever since he woke up, he seemed to understand her less and less.

Su Jinxuan attributed this to him not protecting her, and her growing up alone under the threat of those people.

This was also the reason she had changed.

Every time Su Jinxuan thought of this, he regretted not dealing with those people.

He hoped they could meet again in the apocalypse; then... he would settle both old and new scores.

Su Jinxuan's eyes were filled with killing intent.

Su Mianmian didn't notice Su Jinxuan's change; she was busy thinking about how to explain what a zombie cocoon was to them.

She remained silent for a long time, finally figuring out how to explain it.