Reincarnation Paradise: The Crucible.

Chapter 436: Lonely Island (Demon Seed Part 1)

Dali, Qingshi Town.

As a trading town that has prospered rapidly due to the production of high-quality stone, Qingshi Town is located in a remote area, but it has a surprisingly large population and is bustling with merchants coming and going on weekdays.

However, its rise was sudden and its fall was sudden. In the world, fortune and misfortune are always interdependent, and gains and losses are difficult to determine.

Perhaps because the population movement is too frequent, some extremely dangerous things have quietly come here with the dense flow of people.

Two months ago, a strange disease began to appear in the town. The patients' bodies first became stiff and cold, and then even their memories began to fade away. In less than five days, they lost all their sanity. Eventually, all the patients would be transformed into stupid beasts without exception, knowing only how to swim and eat.

Of course, maybe it’s not accurate to describe these guys as beasts, but at least it’s certain that after they have become like that, it’s hard to call them human beings anymore.

A month before the outbreak, because the initial cases were quite scattered, in this era when natural disasters and man-made tragedies were common, this misfortune of a few people did not actually attract the attention of the people in Qingshi Town.

Even the first people to realize that this type of disease was not isolated were only the doctors who practiced medicine in the clinic, or the sorcerers who walked the streets. However, neither the medicines they prescribed nor the so-called talismans and water that could exorcise evil spirits could cure even a single patient.

Then, as time went on, when most of the residents in the town finally discovered the abnormality, the outbreak had already deteriorated into a dire situation that was difficult to contain.

More and more residents began to transform into zombies that were unable to communicate. The whole process came without any warning and could not be stopped. Even the transmission route of the disease was still unknown.

Faced with this extremely terrifying and bizarre disease, people felt for the first time that life was so equal. No matter whether they were high-ranking officials in the government office or wealthy people in the mansions, as long as they were sick, their fate would be no different from those dirty beggars in the streets.

As expected, chaos broke out and the fragile order was destroyed in an instant. All the surviving residents began to flee frantically towards the outside of Qingshi Town.

As for the government offices responsible for public security? When faced with a disaster that treats everyone equally, the biggest difference between officers and soldiers and ordinary people may be that the former have a greater chance of escaping.

Since the disaster cannot be stopped, their only way to survive is to escape from the plague-ridden zombie purgatory behind them as soon as possible.

But unfortunately, fate seemed to have completely abandoned this town on the verge of destruction. People were horrified to find that since some time ago, the familiar trade routes and forests outside the town had long disappeared, and were replaced by an endless stretch of thick white fog.

The sea of ​​fog blocked all possible escape routes, and anyone who stepped into it would find their way back from another direction after a moment.

At this point, the once prosperous and bustling Qingshi Town was completely reduced to a desperate island. It was on this day that wailing filled the air outside the town and flames shot up into the sky inside the town.

…………

"Don't come over here! Don't come over here...Mother!..."

On the outskirts of the town, several screams of fear were suddenly heard from some dilapidated bungalows, but they stopped abruptly in an instant.

Inside the room, the frosty moonlight from outside poured in from the window, illuminating the two figures, one large and one small, on the bed particularly clearly.

The slender white palm gently pressed down the frightened child who was shouting loudly even in his sleep. Yun Niang tried hard to suppress Ji An's loud voice that was spreading wildly, while constantly comforting him in a soft voice.

"Don't be afraid, An'er. Mom is here. Mom is here. Everything is fine. Don't be afraid..."

The gentle soothing voice slowly seeped into his ears. Perhaps it was the familiar voice that worked, and the child on the bed stopped struggling in the next second. His tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and after a moment, Ji An, who had finally broken free from the nightmare, was able to open his eyes.

"Mom, I dreamed about my uncle again. He... wanted to eat me..."

Hearing the trembling voice of the child in her arms, Yun Niang's already frail arms trembled, and some unbearable memories once again flooded into her mind. Only after she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled did she barely hide the deep pain in her eyes, and continued to speak to comfort him:

"It's okay, An'er. We have already left that place. With your parents here, no one can hurt you. Besides... he is no longer your uncle."

"Your uncle fell ill a long time ago. Now he is just a monster like the zombies outside. We will definitely take you away from this place..."

Her still gentle voice concealed a deep hatred. Before she finished speaking, Yun Niang's pupils, which were looking at Ji An tenderly, suddenly shrank.

"An'er, your eyes..."

Their eyes met, and they saw that the child's eyes, which should have been clearly black and white, were now strangely rippling. The deep black began to spread slowly outward from the center of the pupil, and soon the entire body was completely covered in the ultimate black like an abyss.

The delicate and tender face matched with the pair of strange dark eyes looks evil and scary, with a strange charm that seems to absorb the soul of the person looking at it.

"Mom, what happened to my eyes?"

The questioning voice suddenly exploded in her ears, and Yunniang's pupils, which had been gradually disintegrating, regained their focus. After she came to her senses, she looked up again, only to see that the eyes of the child in her arms were clean and clear, as if everything she had just seen was just a distorted illusion in her trance.

"It's okay. I think I saw it wrong. Are you still sleepy, An'er?"

"Not sleepy anymore!"

The child on the bed nodded obediently, and the gentle woman beside him raised her hand with a smile. Her slightly messy hair became neat again under the slow combing of her slender white hands. Feeling the soft touch between her fingers, Yun Niang drooped her eyebrows slightly, and quietly concealed the lingering deep uneasiness in her eyes.

Although she said that it was okay, she was sure that the scene just now was definitely not an illusion.

After a few minutes, Yun Niang's thoughts gradually calmed down and she stopped combing Ji An's hair. Instead, she raised her eyes and looked at the tall figure standing by the window and looking into the distance.

"Husband, do we really have to leave now?"

Hearing this, Ji Jun, who was sitting by the window, turned around immediately. Unlike the mother and son on the bed, who were dressed neatly, his tight clothes were torn and covered with many dried bloodstains.

Although he looked rather embarrassed, the long sword he held tightly in his hand with a cold and fierce glow made his whole temperament become proud and upright.

However, all this evil spirit turned into a warm and gentle spring breeze the moment Ji Jun turned around and looked at his wife and children.

"There is no more extra food in Qingshi Town. If we don't want to become those monsters, we can only take risks."

"Also, the moonlight can weaken the weird fog to a certain extent. It's impossible to escape during the day, so the full moon tonight is our only chance."

Facing Yunniang's hesitation, Ji Jun spoke in a firm tone. In the past month, he had been thinking almost every moment about how to escape from this hellish place where all hope had been lost.

Even though everyone told him that it was impossible to break through the strange fog outside the town, he never gave up hope. After all, he was carrying more than just his own life.

"But the zombies at night..."

Talking about zombies, even someone as determined as Ji Jun couldn't help but remain silent. He glanced sideways at the window frame behind him. Through the still bright moonlight, Ji Jun could clearly see groups of hunched figures wandering around in the dirty, blood-stained streets in the distance.

These figures had different shapes and sizes, but they were all surprisingly consistent in temperament, with slow, swaying gaits, hunched spines, pale and stiff limbs, and expressionless faces.

That's right, these are the zombies that eventually evolved from the sick. In fact, the original zombies were not difficult to deal with. They were stupid, dull, and had no wisdom. Except that their bodies became stronger due to stiffness, they had no other characteristics. That's why they didn't attract enough attention in the early stage of the disaster.

But since a month ago, these clumsy zombies that were supposed to be harmless have undergone earth-shaking changes. They began to crave flesh and blood, became more aggressive, and even hunted down surviving humans in groups.

In fact, the fact that Bluestone Town had fallen into its current dire state in just two months could be attributed largely to the zombies scattered throughout the town.

Most of the blood on Ji Jun's body was caused by these wandering zombies.

His cold eyes slowly swept across the gray and lifeless pupils of the zombies on the street. Ji Jun silently touched the small bottle of lamp oil hidden in his sleeve and said in a muffled voice:

"Zombies also have weaknesses. These things thirst for blood and are afraid of fire. I have a way to get rid of them."

"...Jun Lang"

"We can only risk our lives! At least... we have to keep you and An'er alive."

Yunniang's soft call was interrupted by Ji Jun just as she opened her mouth. As their eyes met, she seemed to understand something. Her worried expression froze at first, and after a few seconds of stagnation, the few wisps of mist accumulated in her eyes quickly dissipated, and in the end, only the same determination in the eyes opposite her remained.

She held the smaller Ji An tightly in her arms and said softly yet firmly:

"An'er, let's go. Daddy and mommy will take you away from Qingshi Town!"

………………

night.

The moonlight is cold and the fog is heavy.

A pale jade plate hangs high in the sky. Even though its shape will be obscured by drifting clouds and mist occasionally, it will soon reappear and overlook the world. This happens every night, forever.

Under the moonlight, a huge white sea of ​​fog stands out among the green fields and mountains. In the center of the sea of ​​fog is the bluestone town that was once prosperous in the past.

However, it is always difficult to live in a prosperous world, so the town that was bustling with people a few months ago is now desolate and depressed. Looking down from the sky, the whole Qingshi Town is depressing and silent. Even in the middle of the night, not even a fire can be seen.

The clear sound of night watchmen that used to ring out at midnight has long since disappeared. Instead, the hoarse roars of zombies begin to echo through the streets and alleys.

But this continuous noise did not bring any vitality to the whole town. Instead, it made it seem even more dead silent, just like a dying old man who would involuntarily groan and sigh before his painful death.

Suddenly, in this area as silent as dead water, ripples representing vitality unexpectedly appeared on the edge of the town.

"Hurry! We are about to leave the town, Yunniang, follow us!"

On the southwest side of Qingshi Town, hurried footsteps accompanied by a man's low shout suddenly rang out, shattering the tranquility of the night in an extremely violent way.

On the dirty and cluttered street, Ji Jun was seen leading the way with a torch in one hand and a sword in the other. Behind him was a mother and son who were only a few steps behind him. Further behind them were seven or eight hideous zombies who were chasing him relentlessly.

At this time, nearly half an hour had passed since they left their stronghold. Thanks to the various shelters and houses scattered throughout the town, the first half of their journey was relatively smooth. Although the speed was slow, it was safe.

But as they gradually approached the edge of the town, the risk began to rise sharply. Without the cover of the densely packed houses, it was almost impossible for the three of them to completely avoid the numerous zombies roaming the streets.

So as expected, when they were only a few hundred meters away from the finish line, they inevitably faced a thrilling escape that was almost a life-or-death struggle.

At this point, hiding has lost all its meaning. The only thing they can do now is to risk their lives and sprint with all their strength. Even a pause of just a few seconds may bring about an unbearable disaster. Only by rushing out of the town in one breath can they have a slim chance of survival.

The rapid and intense footsteps spread quickly in the silent street. The eye-catching sound waves were like a giant whirlpool in the ocean, which soon attracted the zombies around the street and even farther away.

In an instant, smoke and dust rose up, and there were roars. A large number of zombies either climbed over the stone walls or smashed the wooden doors to kill people. Looking around, all directions were covered by struggling black shadows.

At the front of the team, Ji Jun, who was responsible for clearing the way, had a cold look in his eyes. Even though there were horrific roars coming from all around him, his gaze was still fixed straight ahead without shifting at all.

He was well aware of his current desperate situation, and he also knew that he must not look back now, nor could he hesitate or pause for even a moment. Whether it was the pursuers behind him or the zombies attacking him from both sides, they were far from being the biggest trouble.

The only things he needed to consider were the interceptors in front of him who might affect their sprinting speed. Now, speed was the best guarantee for their survival.

"Oh!"

With a muffled sound, Ji Jun suddenly swung the thick torch away, and the blazing flames formed a dazzling winding fire snake in the air, while also forcing away several figures in front that were particularly in the way.

Perhaps it is because wild beasts are naturally afraid of fire. In any case, these zombies whose intelligence level has degenerated to the same level as wild beasts seem to have inherited this characteristic, and they always have an irresistible fear of raging flames.

Of course, it was just fear. The restraint of fire on them was far from the exaggerated degree that they would flee as soon as they touched it, so in addition to torches, Ji Jun also needed swords.

"Qiang!"

The remaining flames in the air had not yet dissipated, but a flash of cold light tore them apart. With a long clang, the sword in Ji Jun's hand had pierced straight through the head of the zombie in front of him.

The tip of the sword pierced into the eye socket and came out from the back of the head. It was just a basic straight stab, but it revealed Ji Jun's extraordinary eyesight and stability. To deal with these zombies that were neither alive nor dead, destroying their brains was the only deadly means.

The next moment, the long sword with a few strands of gray-white suspicious liquid was quickly pulled out from the zombie's eye sockets, and then a cold moon was suddenly swung open in the air. As a result, the zombie on the left had just fallen down, and a head with a broken neck on the right side shot up into the sky.

"Don't stop, hurry!"

.........

At the back of the team, Ji Jun's angry roar hit Yun Niang's ears heavily, and at the same time stimulated her to run faster again.

She had no idea how far she had run. The intense pain in her lungs, like a burning fire, made it impossible for her to think about much. Neither the hoarse roar that was getting closer and closer from behind her, nor the strong stench that was surging from both sides, could attract her attention at all.

Now, all she could see was the broad back of the man fighting hard in front of her, and the soft little hand in her hand that she was so familiar with. No matter what, they could die in this desperate town, but An'er couldn't. He had to survive!!
(End of this chapter)