Volume One Mutation Chapter Thirty-Five Pursuit

Pockmarked grinned, utterly unconcerned. “Can you imagine how beautiful that woman surnamed Liu must have been? With his sour face, he still managed to father such a lovely daughter. Too bad she died young. Otherwise, you and I could each have one. Heh!”

Old Six glared at him. “Enough nonsense. We’ve got business to deal with. Let’s hurry upstairs. That dog’s death still feels strange to me. We won’t go back tonight—let’s wait until tomorrow and sneak back to check things out.”

After they finished discussing, the two stared at the staircase in dismay—twenty-something floors, how long would that take to climb? As they ascended, they couldn’t help but reminisce about the days when there was electricity; at least then, they could ride the elevator.

By the time they reached Liu Qingqing’s door, both were panting heavily. Old Six leaned forward, hands on his knees, breathing hard. Pockmarked, not caring about the dirt, plopped down on the ground, leaning against the wall, gasping between breaths. “Old, Old Six, let’s rest a bit before we go in! I can’t, can’t go on.”

Old Six ignored him, caught his breath, and pressed his ear against Liu Qingqing’s door, trying to listen for any movement inside. But he heard nothing.

“Nothing. Could she be gone?”

Pockmarked tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, “Liu went out to find food and got caught by Lord Yang. I bet there’s no food left at home.” As he spoke, both suddenly considered a possibility—could the girl have starved to death inside? Would this trip be for nothing?

With that unsettling thought, Old Six stopped hesitating. He pulled a key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock—a key he’d filched from Liu Zheng. With a soft thud, the security door opened. Old Six poked his head inside, scanning the living room. Seeing no one, he beckoned Pockmarked in, locking the door behind them.

They searched each room in turn, rummaged through every possible hiding spot, but found no trace of Liu Qingqing.

“Boss, this is eerie. Where’s the girl?” Pockmarked whispered.

“Shut up! Seems we won’t find her. Let’s hurry back. If the girl’s awake and we’re caught sneaking out, Lord Yang will have our hides.”

With no time for rest, the two retraced their steps. Going downhill was far easier than climbing up; otherwise, their already gaunt bodies would surely shed a few more pounds.

---

Outside the county seat, near a small town, a group of people had settled in the outskirts at a purified water plant. By some twist of fate, rain clouds had passed repeatedly, but never released their downpour here. The nearby town suffered a black rain, but this place was spared. As a result, everything remained intact—they had ample water and a self-sufficient power system.

---

Yang the King’s real name was Yang Meng. Orphaned young, he grew up to be a local thug. When disaster struck the town, he led his gang, armed with a few knives, and seized the water plant, forcing the workers to submit to him. Those who refused were driven outside, left to the mercy of the zombies.

After Yang Meng hardened himself through a few killings, all the workers finally fell in line, and he successfully claimed the purified water plant as his domain. He even gave himself a self-styled grand title—Yang the King. Once most of the zombies had left the town, he and his trusted men stormed the police station, acquiring several guns. With firearms, his cruelty only worsened.

That day, while Yang Meng was fondling the factory’s former belle—ignoring her loathing gaze—a subordinate rushed in. Glancing at the belle, the man reported, “Boss, the boys on surveillance spotted Old Six and Pockmarked sneaking out along the wall.”

Yang Meng paused, squinting his eyes—a habit he’d picked up from television, as he believed it lent him authority. “Did they take anything with them?”

“The watcher said they left empty-handed.”

“Oh? Those two have some guts, going out barehanded. At least they know better—if they’d stolen food, I’d break both their legs. Any idea where they went?”

“Boss, that’s unclear. But the watcher said they walked along the main road, so they’re either headed to town or the county seat.”

“Alright then. When they return, lock them up. I’ll interrogate them myself. Whatever they bring back, confiscate it all.”

“Yes, Boss,” the subordinate replied, bowing as he retreated.

Yang Meng couldn’t immediately guess Pockmarked and Old Six’s purpose, nor did he care. Turning back, he resumed his enjoyment of the factory belle. He could never have imagined that what Pockmarked and Old Six would bring back was not good fortune, but a calamity of epic proportions.

---

Liu Cong flew high above, holding Liu Qingqing, tailing Pockmarked and Old Six. From the ground, only two tiny black dots could be seen in the sky, so the pair remained oblivious to being followed.

Liu Qingqing gazed at the scene below, then turned to Liu Cong. “It looks like they’re headed toward that town.”

Liu Cong first examined the town, then surveyed its surroundings. “Unlikely. They’ll probably hide somewhere less populated. Qingqing, what’s that place over there?”

Liu Qingqing followed his pointing finger, covered her mouth, and said with regret, “How could I forget? Brother Liu, that’s a purified water plant—all the county’s purified water comes from there.”

---

Liu Cong scrutinized the exterior of the plant and was certain. “They’re definitely living there. The plant hasn’t been corroded by the black rain, so all the equipment is still functional. With water, and maybe their own power, they’ve picked a good spot.”

Liu Qingqing looked at the plant, worry clouding her face. “I wonder how my father is doing?”

Liu Cong had no idea how to respond, so he stayed silent, keeping his eyes on the two below. He couldn’t very well tell her, “Your father might be dead.” Liu Cong thought that if Liu Zheng were unharmed, he would never have handed over his house keys so easily.

Seeing his silence, Liu Qingqing’s heart sank, bracing herself for the worst. But until she saw the truth with her own eyes, she refused to dwell on it.

On the narrow road, Pockmarked and Old Six walked one behind the other. Old Six looked back and saw Pockmarked shuffling along. He urged, “Hurry up! We’re sneaking back now—maybe Yang the King hasn’t noticed. If you keep dragging your feet, he’ll spot us sneaking out!”

But Pockmarked hadn’t had a full meal in ages; trying to quicken his pace felt impossible. He staggered after Old Six, gasping, “Help me out—I can’t go any further.”

“Ay!” Old Six slapped his thigh in frustration, reluctantly supporting Pockmarked as they walked, vowing never to go out with this troublemaker again. The girl hadn’t slept, they’d gotten themselves into a mess, but fortunately hadn’t encountered any of those terrifying monsters—otherwise, he’d have been doomed.

After about forty minutes, the two finally made it back outside the water plant. After a brief rest, they scrambled over the wall. But as soon as their feet touched the ground, they were surrounded by a group, and in their fright, both dropped to their knees.

Yang Meng swaggered through the crowd, approached the pair, and slapped their faces hard. “Well, well! Isn’t this Pockmarked and Old Six? What’s this—trying to bring us some fun, eh? Tell me, where did you go?”

Old Six’s face stung, but he dared not complain. With a mournful expression, he replied, “King, we just got hungry and went out to find something to eat.” He glanced at Pockmarked, giving him a subtle signal.

Pockmarked caught on immediately, grabbed Yang Meng’s leg, and wailed, “King, I haven’t had a full meal in ages! Just hungry, so I sneaked out with Old Six!”

Old Six inwardly cursed—this was bad!

Sure enough, Yang Meng kicked Pockmarked over, his voice cold. “Oh? So you mean I, Yang Meng, don’t feed you enough? You blame me, do you?”

Pockmarked realized his blunder. He scrambled up, knelt before Yang Meng, slapped his own face repeatedly, and cried, “King! It’s all my fault—I misspoke. You feed us, you give us drink, we’re grateful beyond words! How could we ever blame you?”