Abnormal survival in the end times

Chapter 278 Du Qiyan's Background
Zeng Xi and his group encountered the zombies when they first entered the town. Due to the impact of several earthquakes after the apocalypse, the surrounding houses and roads had all collapsed, and apart from the road that passed through the town, all other roads to the southwest were no longer passable.

The severity of the environment exceeded Zeng Xi's expectations.

After clearing away the zombies, they had no choice but to stay in the town for the night, as it was getting dark and the mountains and forests lay ahead.

Spending the night in the woods is even more dangerous.

After settling in, Zeng Xi looked at his older brother with a complicated expression when he heard him talk about Bai Xingye. His older brother, as the eldest son of the Zeng family, was capable and shrewd, and excellent in every way, except for one thing: he was a love-obsessed person!
His wife's family was a real mess, and to make matters worse, his wife wasn't a very discerning person. She was extremely indulgent towards her younger brother. After a few whispered words in his ear, she managed to get him a job in the military, ostensibly to mentor him and let him train with the soldiers.

But the key question is whether he's willing to practice?

Zeng Xi used to be too lazy to deal with his family's messy affairs, let alone just sending one or two people into the army. If he wanted to reform his brother-in-law, then so be it. Even though his cousin was his superior, he couldn't refuse to give him that much face.

But who could have imagined that he would cause such a big disaster?

Before coming, he had already imprisoned his elder brother's brother-in-law. The decision on his punishment would be made by the higher authorities, so he didn't need to worry about it.

By the time they get back, they'll probably already be executed.

Zeng Xi knew that Zeng Dong's wife had been making a scene with him the night before he left, demanding that he release her younger brother. Zeng Dong wondered if he regretted his choice back then. He had a childhood sweetheart who was a good match for him, but after meeting his current wife, he insisted on breaking off the engagement.

This is why the Zeng family strongly supported him as the person in charge, rather than his elder brother who was also capable in the military. It is hard to trust someone who cannot even control his own emotions and make the right judgments.

"Big brother, you're not still trying to plead for your brother-in-law? You're not hoping to catch Bai Xingye so you can atone for your sins, are you?"

Zeng Dong was taken aback, then gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Does even you really not believe me anymore? He committed such a serious crime, how could I have the nerve to plead for him? He should be punished as he should be, I won't interfere. Besides, I have no right to interfere."

At least you have some self-awareness.

Zeng Xi was satisfied and patted him on the shoulder, "Work hard when you get to the west. Xiao Bei will go with Lao Jiang. If it doesn't work out, you can leave him here to help you for a year or two."

The mass defection of the western base was a foregone conclusion, so before setting off, Zeng Dong took the initiative to go to the top leader and asked to stay in the west.

So this time, the brothers weren't the only ones leading their respective elite troops to the southwest; they were also followed by three hundred defense troops.

However, those people were not on the same route as them; they were heading southwest, while the main force was heading west.

Taking over an entire western region doesn't mean killing everyone. He believed most people were still unaware, or rather, the soldiers who only followed orders had no idea their leader had betrayed them.

Besides these, there are many ordinary, innocent people.

Therefore, their initial plan was to eliminate Gu Guangxin and Hu Ziyi first, and then deal with the others depending on the situation.

Zeng Dong thought of someone and said to Zeng Xi, "If Du Qiyan is among the people Jiang Minglang brought this time, see if you can talk to him and ask him to stay in the west to help me."

If his elder brother hadn't mentioned it, Zeng Xi would have almost forgotten about Du Qiyan.

The eldest son of the Lü family, the largest family in the southern province, and the current base commander, Lü Chengqian, is his biological father.

Because Du Qiyan changed his surname to his mother's when he was eighteen, and because he had been away from Nan Province and the Lü family for many years, many people did not know his true identity.

His mother died when he was fifteen. Rumors circulated that there were some inside stories. Although outsiders did not know the specifics, many things were self-evident when his stepmother brought his sister, who was only three years younger than him, and his brother, who was five years younger than him, into the family.

Du Qiyan's family background is in no way inferior to Zeng Xi's, and his personal abilities and talents are also quite good. It would be a pity if he were willing to rely on his family.
Zeng Xi shook his head. "It's useless to discuss it with Lao Jiang; he won't stop him anyway. But I don't think it's going to work. Du Qiyan is such a..."

He stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking. Zeng Dong looked at his younger brother curiously and asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Zeng Xi stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Old Du is good at management and city defense. He never accompanied Old Jiang when he went out before. But it's precisely because he's at home that Old Jiang feels more at ease. This time... if he comes to the Southwest this time, do you think he'll go to the Southern Base?"

Counting the days, Lao Jiang's wife should be due in a little over two months. A round trip to the southwest would mean that if there's even a slight delay, he might not be able to make it in time for her to give birth.

Du Qiyan and his group also had an excellent relationship with Bai Li. If he didn't choose to stay in Pengcheng at this time, he would most likely go to the Southern Province to handle his personal matters after resolving the issues in the Southwest.

Du Qiyan raised his hand to push up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, his gaze towards the car window was inscrutable.

"Old Du."

Jiang Minglang handed him a map from the passenger seat, then closed his eyes and pretended to doze off.

Du Qiyan unfolded the map and saw a line drawn in black ink, winding and turning from southwest to due south.

Du Qiyan looked up at the passenger seat, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.

Originally, this was his private matter. He didn't want Jiang Minglang and the others to come along. He only wanted to go to the Southern Province alone after resolving the issues in the Southwest.

But Jiang Minglang disagreed.

He said they were a unit, going together and returning together.

Otherwise, if they get home first, how will he explain to Gigi that his godfather went to the Southern Province alone?

That certainly won't work.

However, this would inevitably waste a lot of time, and he was afraid that Jiang Minglang would miss the birth of Bai Lisheng's second child.

But he was unwilling to leave without going. He was already in the southwest, so why not take the opportunity to go there? Du Qiyan clenched his fist. In this apocalypse, it shouldn't be a problem to settle a personal score, right?

Perhaps those people thought the two boys were doomed to die, so they made no attempt to conceal them when they dragged them out of Luanfeng Valley.

There's no point in hiding something from someone who's about to die.

So even though the earthquake changed the original topography, they arrived at Luanfeng Valley in just half a day the next day, led by the boy.

The grass grows tall and the orioles fly; the willows sway along the dike!
That was Luanfeng Valley, a tourist attraction before the apocalypse. Now, after several earthquakes and heavy rains and snows, coupled with mutated plants and animals, it has been completely transformed, with ruins everywhere. Only a few ancient stone houses in the valley still stand firmly.

"Right there, we were locked up in the second to last house on the far side, and several others were too. Although I don't know exactly how many people they've captured, judging from the sounds, there must be quite a few. The guards watching us are stationed at both ends, and they all have guns. There are also two rather powerful metal-type and fire-type ability users."

One of the darker-skinned boys following Sang Er pointed to a row of stone houses in the valley and said in a low voice, "See those two trees?"

The dark-faced boy was quite cheerful. Even though he had been captured and almost fed to the zombies before, after spending a night and half a day with them, he became as familiar with them as if they were his own people and talked a lot.

He pointed to the small hillside next to the stone house, where two remaining maple trees still had fiery red leaves hanging on them, even in this season.

Sang Er, Jiang Minglang, and the others looked in the direction he pointed. Their first reaction was that it was a mutated tree; their second reaction was that it had offensive abilities.

They didn't speak, waiting for the dark-faced boy to continue introducing the two trees.

"The birds standing up there with feathers the same color as the leaves are sparrows. They're about the same size as sparrows, but prettier and their calls are more melodious. They chirped first and then chirped again, probably because they weren't happy about that, so they didn't chirp. They're the kind of birds that stick to their own path. Even though the environment here has become terrible, as long as there's a tree, they won't leave. Before the apocalypse, I visited Luanfeng Valley and caught two to take home and raise. But they didn't stay at my house for even a day; they ran back here the next morning."

Sang Er:
Jiang Minglang et al.:
Qiao Fei couldn't help but chuckle. He nudged Jiang Minglang with his elbow and whispered, "If this kid knew Qiqi, the two of them would definitely become best buddies."

Xi Yu, however, commented seriously from the side, "He is meticulous, bold, quick-witted, and his reaction ability is also good. He is a good candidate for the military."

The dark-skinned boy realized they were talking about him, and his eyes lit up. He looked at Jiang Minglang, knowing that this uncle was the leader of the group, and asked with hope and caution, "Uncle, can I...can I go with you?"

They've lost all their loved ones, and the base they're in doesn't take them, these teenagers without any special abilities, seriously. Otherwise, they wouldn't always be the ones sent out to find supplies. And no matter what they find, they never get anything. If it weren't for his cleverness and ability to hide things, he would probably have starved to death by now.

He had originally thought that after guiding these people, he might be able to go with Sang Er and join their small base. But unexpectedly, a windfall came his way, and this soldier uncle took a liking to him.

"Okay, as long as you can endure hardship and want to come with us, we'll take you with us."

The dark-skinned boy grinned, revealing a set of small white teeth, but then his smile faded. He reached out and tugged at his honest-looking companion, pleading in a low voice, "Take him with you, okay? He's not as clever as me, but he's tough. I mean..."

The dark-skinned guy tried hard to list some of his friends' good points, but he felt that things like being honest and simple didn't count. Maybe they didn't want him because they thought he was too honest and didn't know how to talk.

But then he didn't know what to say.

His friend tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Let's take care of business first."

After saying that, he gripped the wooden stick tightly, intending to go straight for his target and hit the person he wanted to hit once the group of uncles gave the order.

He'd figure out where to go next later, but for now, he needed to get his revenge.

The little black-faced man only realized what was happening after being reminded by him, so he also gripped the stick in his hand tightly and waited for Uncle Jiang next to him to give the order.

"Chirp chirp~ Chirp chirp chirp~ Chirp chirp"

"Damn it, why are those damn birds chirping again?"

The little black-faced boy sneaked around to the bottom of the maple tree, half-covered his mouth and started chirping. Whether it sounded like him or not, nobody knew, but he successfully lured someone out of the stone house on the far side.

The man walked out of the house, heading towards the maple tree, bending down to pick up two small pebbles as he muttered, "You son of a bitch, always yelling, aren't you annoyed? If I don't beat you down today, I'll give you my surname."

After saying that, the man raised his hand to throw the stone, but as a gust of wind came, before he could react, he heard a crack, and he was looking backward instead of forward.

Who is this?

The moment those words crossed the man's mind, he felt his consciousness leave his head, and his body fell straight to the ground.

Old Sheng supported his shoulders, then lowered him down, letting him sit against the broken rock beside him.

Footsteps sounded, and two more people emerged from the stone house.

Old Sheng turned his head and gazed at the past with a deep look in his eyes.

"I said, 'Hmm? Who are you?'"

When the other party first saw Lao Sheng, they thought he was one of their companions. But when they saw him clearly, they immediately reached for their lower back. Unfortunately, just as they touched the pistol, they were punched in the head and then everything went black as they passed out.

Qiao Fei pulled the gun from his waist and stabbed it into his own. Hearing footsteps coming from inside the stone house, he was about to turn around when he felt a scorching heat rushing towards his back. Without turning his head, he dodged to the side.

The fireball grazed past his body and landed on the man he had just knocked unconscious. With a soft pop, the man's body quickly burst into flames, leaving behind a blackened charcoal body in no time.

Qiao Fei glanced at it and gave a disdainful snort. What kind of fire element is this? It can't even burn the flesh, let alone the bones.

Unlike his little darling, who can breathe fire at less than six months old. Although the flames are only the size of a finger, they are incredibly powerful. With just that little flame, he can burn anything to ashes.

It's really... incredibly powerful.

Now, whenever he goes home, Qiao Fei carries him everywhere, turning a perfectly good dog into a cat.

This infuriated Song Huanyan and her niece Song Xiaoxiao.

A group of unprofessional thugs were all beaten to the ground in less than ten minutes.

With these people gone, the boy with the dark-faced boy grabbed his stick and ran toward the stone house in the center.

Sang Er ran alongside him, hoping to find his older brother among these people.

The dark-faced man said that this room is full of people with superpowers.

Bang!
The boy smashed open the iron lock on the stone door with a stick, then yanked the door open and strode inside.

Because they had been drugged, all the superhumans in the stone house were slumped against the wall, completely powerless. Even so, their hands and feet were all bound.

As the boy rushed into the house, one of the young men with a small braid saw him and his eyes lit up. He then exclaimed excitedly, "Huang Liu, quick, help me!"

Before the man with the braid could finish speaking, he was met with a barrage of blows from a stick.

Ugh, I've been dragged into the little dark room again, and I've been getting things fixed up and down until now.