Sleeping outdoors had become commonplace for Shen Feng. He was accustomed to frequent excursions and understood the importance of rest in the wilderness. Sleeping too lightly meant insufficient recovery, while sleeping too soundly was equally perilous; any danger encountered would result in immediate demise before he could react.
Shen Feng's sleep in the wild was exceptionally light, a skill honed through his experiences in such environments.
At home, in a state of complete relaxation, Shen Feng would sleep deeply. After all, his family was around, and there was no threat of ambush.
As Shen Feng slept in his tent, he suddenly heard rustling sounds outside. It sounded like someone was walking. Shen Feng immediately woke up, thinking, "Who is walking outside my tent?"
Shen Feng found it strange. If the person outside were Yue Hengyi, he wouldn't be acting so stealthily, even softening his footsteps as if afraid of making noise.
With this thought, Shen Feng quietly opened the tent after the footsteps disappeared and stepped out. He walked to the campfire and saw Yue Hengyi asleep, leaning against the car. His mouth was slightly open, with clear liquid trickling from the corner.
"I really trusted you in vain. You're so useless, you didn't even know someone was right beside you. You little rascal!" Shen Feng shook his head helplessly, looking at Yue Hengyi's awkward sleeping posture. He felt a sense of disappointment, wishing he could have done better.
Suddenly, Shen Feng spotted a figure on a distant small hill and quickly hid.
This small hill was composed of zombie corpses. On top of it, the Century Plant had retracted its two core leaves, clinging tightly to the hill. Two more leaves were still growing beneath it, and its roots were absorbing various nutrients from the zombies. Judging by the speed of its recovery, the Century Plant's injuries should be mostly healed by morning, at which point it would once again be the fearless Hu Han San.
Shen Feng observed from the shadows. The moonlight was as clear as water, pouring down from the sky and casting a silken glow on the ground. The figure on the hill gradually revealed itself to be Wang Jiao'e from the base. Taking advantage of the late hour, she had quietly descended the mountain and come outside the city, intending to approach the Century Plant.
"What exactly is this woman trying to do? Why is she doing this while hiding from us? Does she have some ulterior motive?" Shen Feng was surprised by Wang Jiao'e's appearance and couldn't understand her purpose for being there.
Soon, Wang Jiao'e approached the Century Plant at the top of the hill. She gently placed her hand on it. After a short while, the Century Plant opened two core leaves, revealing a fleshy growth within. Shen Feng, far away, couldn't discern what was happening. He could only see that Wang Jiao'e seemed to be communicating with the mutated plant using her powers.
"Damn it, what kind of power does this woman have? Can she actually communicate with plants?" Shen Feng was astonished by this sight.
Wang Jiao'e's communication with the Century Plant lasted for some time. Shen Feng remained hidden, observing quietly. The camp was quite far from the hill, a measure taken for safety. It was still summer, and the temperature was high. Many zombie corpses piled together could easily breed bacteria and viruses. Staying further away and upwind ensured that the wind would blow away the stench of decay.
Shen Feng couldn't hear the content of Wang Jiao'e's conversation with the Century Plant, but he noticed that Wang Jiao'e didn't seem to be speaking. Perhaps her method of communication didn't require words.
Ten minutes later, Wang Jiao'e quickly departed, heading back towards the base on the mountain.
Shen Feng checked the time and returned to his tent to sleep. Since Wang Jiao'e had done nothing suspicious, the danger had passed.
The next morning, Shen Feng woke up early to cook porridge, preparing to resume fighting zombies in the city after breakfast.
Yue Hengyi suddenly noticed that the zombie corpses, previously crushed by gravity on the main road near the city, had vanished. He was puzzled, "Where did all these corpses go?"
"Where else could they go? They were eaten, of course. Zombies don't care if they're the same kind or not. As long as there's food, they can replenish their energy. Dead zombies are just food," Shen Feng replied casually. He was accustomed to such things; the zombie's strategy of eating their own kind was incredibly common.
Yue Hengyi nodded and was about to say something when he spotted a convoy in the distance. He quickly said, "Brother Feng, look, Wang Jiao'e is coming with people."
Shen Feng looked into the distance and indeed, it was her. She was in a convertible sports car, driven by one of her companions, slowly approaching the camp. She waved as she drove, a charming smile on her face.
"Gentlemen, I've brought you provisions. We have bread, fried fish, and fresh vegetables. This is my own brewed wine; though the alcohol content is a bit low, it's very delicious. I'll definitely be able to solve your food problems for this period," Wang Jiao'e said sincerely after getting out of the car.
Shen Feng ignored Wang Jiao'e's explanation and looked at the convoy behind her, asking, "What is the meaning of this? Bringing so many people, are you planning a mutiny?"
Wang Jiao'e's expression changed, and she quickly waved her hands, explaining, "How could that be? Mr. Shen, you jest. Even if I had a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare to act against you. I brought these soldiers to assist you in your operations. We have no ill intentions whatsoever!"
Seeing Wang Jiao'e's flustered appearance, Shen Feng felt it wasn't an act. He waved his hand and said, "I was just speaking casually. However, we don't need the help of ordinary people. Many of the weapons your people carry are homemade firearms, and their combat effectiveness is limited. They can't withstand even one charge from a zombie horde. Have them leave."
In Wang Jiao'e's convoy, besides food, there were over a hundred soldiers. These soldiers were armed with guns and looked imposing, but Shen Feng knew they wouldn't be of any help to him.
Wang Jiao'e quickly explained, "Mr. Shen, please don't misunderstand. My soldiers are here to maintain order. Other bases around Fremantle have heard about your actions. Many of these people have property in the city, so they plan to enter the city with us. These people are already approaching this area, and it will surely be chaotic. I'm here to prevent that in advance."
"Then it's strange. How did people from other bases know about my actions?" Shen Feng continued to question.
At this point, Shen Feng's gaze grew unfriendly. He suspected Wang Jiao'e of secretly making arrangements. Otherwise, why would Wang Jiao'e have secretly approached the camp last night? And how could people arrive today, the very day he began his operation to reclaim the city? This clearly indicated an inside informant.
When Shen Feng stared at her, Wang Jiao'e felt an invisible pressure locking onto her. If he made a move, her life would be forfeit. However, Wang Jiao'e was powerless to change this situation and could only say in a low voice, "I, I don't know."
Yue Hengyi couldn't stand it anymore and said to Shen Feng, "Brother Feng, you're going too far. Miss Wang is here to help us. Being so aggressive, isn't that like a mouse fighting a rifle – bullying your own kind? That's enough!"
Shen Feng smiled and withdrew his killing intent, saying, "Yes, yes, I was too harsh. Perhaps I'm just too suspicious. I always feel like others are trying to use me, which is why I questioned Miss Wang. Please don't be angry!"
Wang Jiao'e nodded, feeling much more relaxed. With the killing intent gone, she could finally speak normally.
"To ensure we get enough food, I'll be taking people out to sea to fish later. Please help yourselves. I'll be leaving now!" Wang Jiao'e left after dropping off the provisions. The remaining soldiers were organized and ready to follow Shen Feng's commands.
Shen Feng took Yue Hengyi aside and said in a low voice, "You'll be in charge of the battle today. Just try to avoid heavy casualties on our side. I don't trust Wang Jiao'e, so I'll follow her. Tell everyone else I've gone hunting. Do you understand?"
Yue Hengyi could only nod helplessly upon hearing this. "Brother Feng, I can command the battle, but have you been too stressed lately? Why are you starting to suspect our own people?"
Shen Feng said sternly to Yue Hengyi, "Don't talk nonsense. I've never considered Wang Jiao'e one of our own. Only you are naive enough to think that just because she helped us, she's one of us. In reality, you have no idea what schemes she's hatching behind our backs. Were you dozing off while on watch last night?"
"You found out about that too? I just took a short nap; it shouldn't affect the overall situation, right?" Yue Hengyi was a bit embarrassed, not expecting his brief nap while on watch to be discovered.
Shen Feng then explained, "Last night, Wang Jiao'e came over and spoke to the Century Plant. Do you think that's something one of our own people would do?"
"Are you saying Wang Jiao'e secretly contacted the Century Plant behind our backs, and there's a potential conspiracy?" Yue Hengyi wasn't stupid. Once Shen Feng explained it, he understood. People who survive in this world are definitely not simple; they are all cunning. Wang Jiao'e, who appeared so honest, now seemed to have her own agenda!
Shen Feng then said in a low voice, "If you understand, then shut up. You and I are our own people. Everyone else is an outsider. Do you understand?"
Back in their home country, Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi weren't exactly fellow townsfolk, but now that they were abroad, they could be considered sworn brothers. Mutual support was the most important thing.
Shen Feng's intention was simple: besides Yue Hengyi, no one else could be trusted. On one hand, Yue Hengyi was less cunning, and on the other hand, Yue Hengyi shared the same goal as him: to return home. For this purpose, they had to fight side by side.
"I understand, Brother Feng. Go with peace of mind. I'll handle things here and protect the Century Plant. As long as I'm here, no matter how many zombies there are, they won't be able to break through my defense!" Yue Hengyi now understood Shen Feng's intentions and quickly said to him.
Shen Feng smiled and nodded, then quickly left the camp. Yue Hengyi also directed the cameraman to start working and ordered the Century Plant to head towards the city.
Having absorbed the nutrients from thousands of zombies, all four of the Century Plant's leaves had recovered and were even larger than before. It was evident that after a night of rest, the Century Plant's strength had been restored, and it could resume eliminating zombies.
The Century Plant advanced towards the city again. This time, it had become smarter, always lingering on the streets around the city. It would seize and eliminate small zombie hordes, but if a large horde appeared, it would immediately retreat. At that point, Yue Hengyi would take over the battlefield, deploying his gravity field, rendering any zombie unable to break through the defense.
While fighting in the city, Yue Hengyi also discovered an anomaly. It seemed that from yesterday until now, he hadn't seen any mutated zombies appear. Logically, since the Zombie King had appeared in the city, there should have been mutated zombies.
"Could the Zombie King have mobilized the mutated zombies as bodyguards? If that's the case, then finding the mutated zombies means finding the Zombie King's location!" Yue Hengyi thought to himself.
Although mutated zombies were powerful, possessing incredible speed and strength, they were no match for Yue Hengyi. He now only wanted to reclaim the city as quickly as possible to transmit the message.
Besides this thought, Yue Hengyi also had a plan. After finding and killing the Zombie King, he could obtain an ability potion. With that, he would have enough money for wedding gifts when he returned to China.