Chapter 18: The Path Ahead

Had the danger vanished?

Tang Ling, whose body was contracted, felt like his last bit of strength was sucked away from him, and he fell down on his face uncontrollably.

San San’s petite body managed to sustain his weight. She held on and allowed him to lie down gently, using her lap as a pillow for his head.

The night was unusually chilly, but his little sister’s body warmth kept emanating and warming Tang Ling’s brain which could not think anymore.

Meanwhile, Grandma’s rough hands held his limp hand.

“Foo-” In the blank state of his mind, this was all he could make out. He had no idea what he wanted to express. It was just an intuitive act.

The existence in his chest commanded Tang Ling to express his instinct.

Grandma opened the wrapped baggage on his back. In seconds, clean and sweet water poured into Tang Ling’s dry throat and into his stomach.

It was level 4 drinking water.

Back home, Tang Ling and Grandma would only keep it for San San. However, all that was left in Tang Ling was a blurry instinct. He gulped the precious water that he never had the heart to drink before thirstily.

Grandma tore off a piece of meat and inserted it into Tang Ling’s mouth. In his dizziness, Tang Ling unconsciously saw Quark stopped his grandmother from doing so.

“Try this.” Quark took an item wrapped in precious-looking paper from his pack. He opened it layer by layer to reveal the black item inside. It was rough and looked like a small piece of brick.

Quark easily crushed it and stuffed it into Tang Ling’s mouth. Tang Ling instinctively wanted to chew it, but he realized the black item melted quickly in his mouth. It dissolved into a liquid with a slight bitterness and a dash of unusual sweetness as it flowed into his stomach.

A sense of heat rose from his stomach and his numb brain felt a sense of tranquility.

“This is a high-end product from Safety Sector No. 17. A life-saving food that only Purple Moon Warriors have access to.” Quark started to chatter endlessly, but he was not stingy this time. Piece after piece, the black morsel was stuffed into Tang Ling’s mouth.

Tang Ling did not even have to chew, and his energy was being replenished endlessly. He soon felt slightly better, and his mind also regained some consciousness.

“Actually, the old civilization produced it better, but unfortunately, due to some mistakes, only a tiny bit was preserved. I dreamt of having a piece. Do you know that? It’s called chocolate.” A small brick was not much. Soon, there was only a small piece left in Quark’s hand.

Tang Ling, who had replenished some of his strength, grabbed Quark’s hand with great effort and seized that piece of chocolate.

“Cold. Eat. It’s sweet.” He raised his hand, wanting to pass it to San San.

Grandma held Tang Ling’s hand tighter as another icy-cold droplet fell on Tang Ling’s face. San San accepted it and ate in silence. She shrunk and covered her brother’s head.

“Feed him the meat again. Based on what I know, after using his powers, replenishment is necessary.” Quark was obviously wealthy in knowledge.

It seemed like Tang Ling’s quick recovery made Grandma trust Quark.

She delivered the meat into Tang Ling’s mouth. Quark took a small knife and sliced the meat into bite-size to make it easier for Tang Ling to eat.

Tang Ling took a big bite and chomped on the meat. Uncontaminated high-end products were fantastic at replenishing energy. Although it was not as great as Quark’s chocolate, it won in terms of quantity.

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With a large chunk of meat in his stomach, Tang Ling started to recover rapidly. It made him chew faster and faster to the point that it slightly shocked his grandmother.

Quark, on the other hand, had a cigarette in his mouth as if he did not care. He said by the side, “The consumption is bigger than I thought.”

His words clearly entered Tang Ling’s ears, and it was from that moment onwards when his hearing and vision started to recover.

The messy bushes, the hazy Purple Moon, the breeze formed by cold air, the frantic footsteps, the voices of the people, and the roars of the zombies further away…

Zombies!

Tang Ling suddenly widened his eyes as he sat up from the ground.

Even though his brain was still a little swollen while his face was dirty because of the dried blood scabs on it, and the greedy hunger from his chest had yet to calm down, the fact that they were still in danger made him unable to lie down quietly. He could not allow himself to be intoxicated in his desire to eat.

“It’s only a few minutes. You don’t need to be so nervous.” Quark tapped Tang Ling’s shoulders. He then gazed at the direction of Safety Sector No. 17. “Moreover, it’s safe here.”

Safe?

Tang Ling sized up his surroundings doubtfully.

There were still many zombies wandering in the area with the closest one being less than 30 to 40 meters from the. How could it be safe?

Cold sweat rolled down Tang Ling’s forehead, but he soon realized that the nearest zombie was bent over on the spot with saliva dripping from its mouth as it roared frenziedly, yet it did not choose to dash over.

Did something happen?

Tang Ling could not help but shoot to his feet at the unbelievable scene.

He saw that there were still many who were escaping the safety zone. They were either pouring out from all the different exits or running away in the night in utter chaos and panic. Danger loomed all over the place.

However, there was also a large crowd in the area and they were squeezing themselves towards the Safety Sector, yet it did not seem like they were running for their lives.

It baffled Tang Ling, who had just slightly recovered.

Quark straightforwardly said, “Didn’t you notice? From here to there, this area is safe. The zombies daren’t come over.”

Quark signed with his arm and clearly pointed out at a semi-circle safety zone.

It was next to Safety Sector No. 17 and was not very big at roughly less than 62.5 square kilometers.

Not many managed to reach there. Even though the crowd was dense, it was not exactly crowded.

Tang Ling could not help but raise a huge doubt in his heart at the sight of this. An indescribable sense of anxiety started to spread within him again, plus an unusual feeling made him feel a little cold.

“Let’s go. We should go try our luck. You have to trust me.” Quark shrugged his shoulders. It seemed like he had already lowered his guard completely.

Tang Ling nodded. He had finished consuming all the resources he brought out with him. At first, he felt a little lost about what to do after coming out from the settlement, so all he could do now was to follow Quark.

He carried his sister, held his grandmother, and followed Quark to join the crowd that was heading towards Safety Sector No. 17.

He could not see what was happening in front because the dense crowd blocked his view.

“My decision to come out with you is the greatest decision that I’ve ever made in my entire life.” Quark put his hand over Tang Ling’s shoulder. It was obvious that Tang Ling’s performance had won the man’s true respect and attention.

“So, you’re going to start a happy life. Believe me. I’ll bring you into Safety Sector No. 17. You know I can do it. I could have lived inside a long time ago if I wanted to.” Due to his excitement, Quark walked swiftly. Carrying his sister and holding his grandmother, Tang Ling had to hasten to catch up with his steps.

After going through a situation of life and death plus the old friendly relations, Tang Ling and Quark had somehow built a little trust between each other.

He never overly suspected Quark’s promise, but was it not a little too dreamy living in Safety Sector No. 17? Would it be this easy?