There was still a long road ahead.
Before Jiang Zhaosu had transmigrated, she often used those words to comfort herself.
Though life was hard now, there was still a long road ahead. She would get better someday, wouldn't she?
She had never expected someone to say those same words to her after she came to this world.
Looking into Qi Xing's beautiful fox eyes, which held a smile, Jiang Zhaosu suddenly felt something stuck in her throat. Her eyes grew warm, and her chest felt sour and swollen.
She refused to admit that she had been touched.
That bastard Qi Xing usually never shut up, but every now and then, he was surprisingly good at saying things that warmed the heart.
Though Pei Chixuan and Cen Jiao's car did not contain many useful supplies, at least its tank was full.
After driving for nearly a day, Jiang Zhaosu and Qi Xing arrived in another city.
The city was about the same size as the one where Jiang Zhaosu had first awakened, with many high-rises and shops.
That meant there had to be plenty of supplies inside.
After Cao Yuan died, Qi Xing lost his source of clean water.
For the past two days, he had barely drunk anything. Whenever he was truly thirsty, he would suck a few mouthfuls of juice from the vines.
The first time Jiang Zhaosu saw him do it, she watched curiously for a long while before voicing her question.
Couldn't Qi Xing simply use his ability to grow edible plants and eat them himself? That would perfectly achieve self-sufficiency. Why would a man like him need to work so hard gathering supplies?
Then Elementary School Student Jiang heard Teacher Qi's explanation.
That was no different from eating his own flesh and blood.
Human abilities were powered by mental and physical strength. The energy he expended using his ability was far greater than what he could gain from consuming plants.
It was absolutely a losing deal.
Qi Xing only did this now because he had no other choice. He was forced to do it to keep himself from dehydrating.
Because of the lack of water, Qi Xing could not even swallow dried vegetables and ate only a little each day.
In short, after two days of hunger and deprivation, Qi Xing was like a fish in water upon arriving in a place rich with supplies. He parked beneath an apartment building and began gathering supplies in earnest.
Jiang Zhaosu had another question.
There was clearly a supermarket right outside the residential area. Why did Qi Xing not search there?
Teacher Qi explained again. Places like supermarkets were well-known treasure troves of supplies, so countless groups must have visited them already. There might not even be a pack of gum left. It was better to search door to door.
Though it was more troublesome, in his experience, the success rate was extremely high.
Jiang Zhaosu was not very satisfied with that answer.
She thought Qi Xing simply liked scavenging junk.
But after following Qi Xing into several homes, Jiang Zhaosu realized he had been right.
Though they found little food, most people stocked up on water at home.
It finally solved Qi Xing's major problem of having no clean water to drink.
The last time they were in a big city, one human and one corpse had been too busy running for their lives for Jiang Zhaosu to experience staying at a Five-Star Hotel for free.
This time, as soon as they entered the city, Jiang Zhaosu made the suggestion to Qi Xing.
Qi Xing readily agreed.
That evening, the two arrived at the entrance of a nationally famous five-star hotel chain.
Afraid the car would attract attention, Qi Xing deliberately parked it in the underground garage first, then took the stairs up with Jiang Zhaosu.
After the apocalypse, the Five-Star Hotel had lost electricity. The elevators could not be used, and the emergency stairwell was pitch-black.
Partly because Mutated Species had better night vision, and partly to keep zombies from suddenly lunging at them.
In short, Jiang Zhaosu walked in front while Qi Xing followed behind as they went upstairs.
One human and one corpse sneaked through the darkness.
Jiang Zhaosu felt this was really beneath her.
Times had changed. She was now a noble Mutated Species. Ordinary zombies would keep their distance as soon as they saw her.
She had clearly come to experience the luxurious, high-end facilities of a five-star hotel. Why did she look like a thief, forced to take the emergency stairs and afraid of being discovered by something?
Over the past few days, Jiang Zhaosu had swallowed several more Crystal Cores from Mutated Giant Rats. She felt increasingly energetic, and her vision and sense of smell had become sharper as well.
Before, she could only smell the scent of humans. But now, if there were others of her kind nearby, she could smell them too.
After climbing two floors in a row, Jiang Zhaosu suddenly stopped. She nudged Qi Xing behind her with her elbow and motioned for him to stop as well.
Jiang Zhaosu sniffed the air a few times and lowered her voice. "Mut... ated..."
"There's a Mutated Species ahead?"
Qi Xing lowered his voice as well.
"Hu... man..."
Jiang Zhaosu smelled a scent that was both human and like her own kind. It should be a human who had turned into a Mutated Species.
The first Mutated Species Jiang Zhaosu had eaten was a mutated baby. Afterward, she gained the ability to rapidly heal her body and evolve by devouring flesh and blood.
Other than that, Jiang Zhaosu had never encountered another human Mutated Species.
This was the second time she had encountered one. Jiang Zhaosu was no longer the same as before. She felt a little afraid, but even more excited.
Eat it!
That was the message her brain gave her.
Devour it! You can gain even more strength!
When Jiang Zhaosu caught its scent, it caught hers as well. She could sense the Mutated Species approaching her and Qi Xing.
"Com... ing..."
Jiang Zhaosu warned Qi Xing.
Qi Xing nodded and drew a dagger from his waist.
They were still in the emergency stairwell, where the space was rather narrow and unsuitable for fighting.
One human and one corpse quickened their pace up to the third floor, pushed open the emergency exit door, and entered the hotel corridor.
As expected of a Five-Star Hotel, even its corridors were covered in soft carpeting. Their footsteps made no sound, and it felt especially comfortable beneath their feet.
Jiang Zhaosu, a poor nobody who had never seen something so high-end, could not help jumping on it curiously.
Startled by the noise, Qi Xing thought the Mutated Species had arrived and immediately assumed a defensive stance. Then he heard Jiang Zhaosu stammer, "Carpet... good..."
A carpet that felt this good underfoot had to be expensive!
Qi Xing: "..."
Qi Xing: "Get into a room first."
The room doors on their floor were all closed. Jiang Zhaosu and Qi Xing slipped up to one of them. As Jiang Zhaosu watched Qi Xing expertly pick the lock, she suddenly jolted again and swiftly turned to look toward the end of the corridor.
"Com... ing..."
This time, the Mutated Species had really arrived.
Though the corridor was dimly lit, Jiang Zhaosu still clearly saw what it looked like.
It had been a man before death, around five foot nine, somewhat fat, and bald.
It wore a well-fitted black-and-white tailcoat. The white parts were covered in blood that had dried into dark brown stains. More than half the flesh on its face had rotted away, exposing the white bone of its nose. A pair of broken glasses sat crookedly atop it.
The Mutated Species had clearly seen them too. It let out a zombie-like roar from its throat and dragged its legs toward them.
One of its eyeballs fell out of its socket, dangling from it like a bouncy ball and swaying back and forth as it walked.
The distance between them continued to shrink, but Qi Xing still had not opened the door.
Jiang Zhaosu also let out an intimidating growl from her throat. She reached out with clawed hands, preparing to face the Mutated Species, when she suddenly saw it open its mouth.
Its mouth moved open and shut, and it actually spoke human words.
"Wel... come... guests..."
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