This day, Shen Feng led a group of people through the mountain forest, following the tracks left by the Crocodile King. Along the way, they encountered many zombies. It could be said that human footprints had spread across the globe. Wherever plants could grow, there were traces of humans. Even in the far northern wilderness, there were Eskimos. Therefore, Shen Feng could see zombies in the mountains, but he hadn't seen any living people.
"City Lord, shall we rest for a while? I managed to kill a wild boar, let everyone eat something before we continue!" Cai He asked with a smile.
Beside Cai He, a group of people were carrying a large wild boar, weighing at least eight hundred catties. The boar's tusks were very long, and its body was riddled with bullet holes, clearly indicating that this mutated wild boar had fallen to an assault rifle. Such a massive wild boar would be inconvenient to carry if not eaten.
Shen Feng thought for a moment. Since there was no rush to kill the mutated crocodile, he decided to linger in the wilderness for a while longer and nodded in agreement. He said seriously, "Then let's have a barbecue. It's a shame we don't have ginger, garlic, or scallions, so we'll have to eat it plain."
Tigers were rarely seen in the south, except in zoos, which gave wild boars ample space to breed. With no natural predators and generally prohibited from being hunted by humans, wild boars began to proliferate in the forests. They would often descend the mountains to steal food. With a substantial population, it was only natural for wild boars to mutate.
The greater the number, the higher the probability of mutation. The smaller the number, the harder it was to produce mutations; this was a matter of base numbers.
Cai He seemed to be prepared. He took out chili powder from his backpack and said with a smile, "City Lord, you haven't seen my barbecue skills yet, have you? Let me show you! I used to work at a barbecue restaurant!"
Shen Feng shrugged and said, "Then show us what you've got. Everyone else can sit down and rest. Hunting the mutated crocodile isn't urgent."
The group quickly sat down to rest. It was noon, and a giant wild boar was just enough for everyone to have a hearty meal. Despite its eight hundred catties weight, the fifty people present were all evolved individuals, and it wouldn't be difficult for each person to eat ten catties of meat. Thus, everyone sharpened their knives, ready to start the barbecue.
Chu Chaoyan, as usual, took out her phone to take pictures and wrote down a record in her portable notebook: "Today, we entered the mountains to search for the Crocodile King. The forest is very dense, and we saw many zombies, but no living people. It's likely that the living people in the mountains have either turned into zombies or have been eaten by them."
As Chu Chaoyan was patiently recording what she saw and heard, someone carrying lumber passed by and said, "Miss Chu, please move aside, don't get scraped."
Chu Chaoyan quickly stepped back two paces, stepping into a patch of grass, to make way for the person passing by. But at that moment, a snake with white and black stripes suddenly emerged from the grass and bit Chu Chaoyan's calf. Chu Chaoyan cried out in pain, pulled out the dagger from her body, and chopped off the snake's head with one strike.
"Shen Feng, hurry and help me, I've been bitten by a snake!" Chu Chaoyan called out to Shen Feng after killing the snake.
Shen Feng quickly came to Chu Chaoyan's side, then saw the snake's body writhing on the ground and a snake's head that had also fallen to the ground. Looking at Chu Chaoyan, she was leaning against a nearby tree, rolling up her pant leg. On her fair calf, there were two rows of teeth marks, which were still bleeding.
Seeing this, Shen Feng looked at the snake's body in the grass and said, "You must have stepped on the snake, which is why it bit you. This is truly the cycle of heaven and the retribution of karma."
"What are you saying? Hurry and save me!" Chu Chaoyan said excitedly. She had been bitten by a snake at this critical moment, and Shen Feng wasn't helping, but instead, he was talking about retribution? Did he have no sympathy?
Shen Feng shrugged and said, "But right now, I can't do anything. How about this, I'll teach you a trick. Do as I say: lean against the tree, take deep breaths, relax all your muscles, and show a sweet smile so that everyone knows how beautiful you are. Then, I'll hand over your remains to your grandfather."
"Go to hell! You're still joking at a time like this, and you're not even helping me suck out the venom!" Chu Chaoyan was about to go crazy. She couldn't believe that Shen Feng had the leisure to make sarcastic remarks at such a crucial moment. He was simply inhuman, with no empathy at all.
Shen Feng said seriously, "Sucking out snake venom is completely unrealistic; it's all lies from TV shows. Snake venom cannot be sucked out. In fact, the best way to deal with a snakebite is to go to the hospital. That's the most official channel!"
"Then hurry and carry me to the hospital! I don't want to die, I'm only twenty-one, I don't have a boyfriend yet, I haven't enjoyed life, my life hasn't even begun!" Chu Chaoyan panicked and urged Shen Feng to act.
However, at this moment, Shen Feng bent down, grabbed Chu Chaoyan's shoulder, and said seriously, "Listen to me, hospitals are in chaos right now, and there's a high probability that you won't find antivenom. So, be good and write your will. You've been with me for over a month. I'm sentimental, and I'll definitely bring your intact body back to Jiangyang for burial."
Chu Chaoyan's expression became agitated. She said seriously, "We can't give up any hope. Take me back to Jiangyang, take me to the hospital to find the antivenom! Didn't you carry me back to Yuzhou last night? It only took less than two hours, so you must be able to do it. Hurry and take me back to Jiangyang, I want to live!"
Shen Feng's expression was solemn. He said seriously, "Honestly, give up treatment, it's meaningless."
"I think I can still be saved!" Chu Chaoyan's face showed anticipation.
Shen Feng slowly turned and sat beside Chu Chaoyan, saying in a low, helpless voice, "To be honest, it makes me feel bad to see everyone disappear before my eyes, but this is fate. When fate arrives, there is no choice but to accept it. So, let me spend your last few hours with you!"
As he spoke, Shen Feng placed his hand on Chu Chaoyan's shoulder, his face filled with infinite melancholy, as if lost in memories. This emotion also affected Chu Chaoyan, who stared blankly at the long, mottled snake on the ground, completely heartbroken.
At this moment, some team members who were barbecuing wild boar meat nearby noticed something was wrong and came over to take a look. But when they saw the long snake on the ground, they shook their heads and returned to their spots to continue tending the fire and roasting the meat, seemingly unconcerned about Shen Feng's situation.
Finally, Chu Chaoyan resigned herself to her fate. She took out her notebook, crying as she wrote: "Grandpa, don't worry when you receive this letter. Shen Feng, that scoundrel, didn't save me. I still had hope of survival, yet he remained indifferent. I can only say that you misjudged him. This guy is a heartless and unrighteous bastard, not the savior hero you described. I originally thought I could take care of you in your old age, but now it seems you will have to bury your child. Take care of yourself from now on! I'm leaving before you!"
Shen Feng sat beside Chu Chaoyan, secretly looking at the will, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He thought, "This little girl is really scared. Heh, let me take a picture of your embarrassing moment."
While Chu Chaoyan was crying profusely, Shen Feng quietly took out his phone and took a picture of her, planning to tease her with it later. As for the snake on the ground, it was a completely harmless snake. Shen Feng understood it the moment he saw it; it was nothing more than a Black-browed Rat Snake, and it hadn't mutated. How could it be poisonous? The reason for his solemn expression earlier was simply to scare Chu Chaoyan.
At this moment, Chu Chaoyan continued to write her will in the notebook: "Grandpa, ever since the doomsday descended, it's been just the two of us relying on each other. Little did I know that the world is unpredictable. I will be going to a place with abundant water and grass to serve God. We will never see each other again. Thinking about it truly is a great pain in life, but fate has arrived, and I must comply. I hope you will take care..."
After all, Chu Chaoyan studied literature. Even her will was eloquent and flowing, with thousands of characters bidding farewell to her grandfather. She only hoped that when the will reached her grandfather, he wouldn't be too sad, otherwise, perhaps he wouldn't be able to accept such a reality.
Twenty minutes later, Chu Chaoyan's will was completed. At this time, she discovered something was wrong. Why were the wounds on her leg gradually healing? And she felt no abnormal sensations? Wasn't it said that when venom from a poisonous snake entered the body, it would cause many changes? Why didn't she feel any of these?
Chu Chaoyan felt no pain and no discomfort elsewhere; it was as if everything was the same as before.
Chu Chaoyan turned to look at Shen Feng and unexpectedly saw a brilliant smile on his face. He was biting his lip, trying hard not to laugh out loud, which looked very annoying!
At this moment, Chu Chaoyan realized what was happening. She grabbed Shen Feng's collar and asked fiercely, "What are you smiling at?"
Shen Feng replied with a smile, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at myself! I'm laughing at myself for not taking you seriously. This is my fault!"
Chu Chaoyan was furious. She picked up the snake's head from the ground, pressed it against Shen Feng's shoulder, leaving a bite mark, and said, "I'll make you laugh! I'll make you trick me! You knew this snake wasn't poisonous, didn't you?"
Shen Feng chuckled and said, "You didn't ask me, so I naturally didn't tell you. Besides, you've been very cold these past few days. Aren't I trying to make you happier?"
"You're making fun of me!" Chu Chaoyan fell into a rage. She punched Shen Feng in the face, then tore the written will from the notebook and stuffed it into Shen Feng's mouth. She then pushed Shen Feng away and walked off alone.
Shen Feng got up from the ground, took the pages out of his mouth, and then burst into laughter: "Hahaha..."
It wasn't that Shen Feng was disloyal, but seeing Chu Chaoyan make a fool of herself, he couldn't help but laugh.
Chu Chaoyan listened to the piercing laughter and felt her teeth itch with hatred. She hadn't expected to be teased by Shen Feng like this. She thought to herself, "I must find a way to get revenge; I can't just let it go like this!"
The wild boar meat tasted quite good. For those who had been eating corn for two weeks, finding prey in the wild was equivalent to having meat. Regardless of whether the prey tasted good or not, just the change of flavor was enough.
Chu Chaoyan ate the roasted meat while contemplating how to teach Shen Feng a lesson, so that he would remember it and never dare to joke with her again.
After much thought, Chu Chaoyan realized she had no such opportunity. It was too difficult to plot against Shen Feng. Shen Feng had already mastered "As the Wind Follows," so in terms of speed, very few people could get close to him. If it hadn't been for the sneak attack by the mutated plant, Shen Feng wouldn't have been stabbed. Not to mention that Shen Feng knew a move called "Wind King's Barrier," which could even block bullets, let alone other methods.
However, at this moment, Chu Chaoyan saw two ants fighting on the ground, seemingly fighting over food. Suddenly, Chu Chaoyan had a novel idea. "I'm no match for Shen Feng, but there are always people who can deal with Shen Feng! Why don't I find a way to make Shen Feng fight with someone else?"
In order to find a way to get revenge on Shen Feng, Chu Chaoyan began to ponder. This scene fell into Shen Feng's eyes. He thought Chu Chaoyan might have something on her mind, so he didn't offer much comfort. He only hoped that Yuzhou could be recaptured quickly. As long as the main city was occupied by his side, then Yuzhou would be his from then on.
The plan to recapture Yuzhou was proceeding in an orderly fashion, but the shadow of the plague always loomed over him. For him, if the plague couldn't be controlled, then everything would be over for them. The only hope was that Cao Fuli and Guo Pinming could successfully bring back the medicine, which would alleviate the impact of the plague.
By noon, the group set off again to track the Crocodile King. The Crocodile King's forty-meter length left enormous tracks in the mountain forest. They only needed to follow the footprints to know the Crocodile King's direction of travel. Unless the Crocodile King entered the Yangtze River again, it would be impossible for them to lose its trace!