Chapter 665: The Old Corpse of the Abandoned Village

“Old Yuan, young people don’t believe in this stuff—don’t take it to heart. This skill is rare—show us how it’s done.”

Duan Wuhu shifted position and sat beside Yuan Huotu, ready to watch how he cast the oracle.

Yuan Huotu wore a simple, earnest expression; flattered by the praise, he looked slightly embarrassed and began shaking the coins again. “I was weak and sickly since childhood. Later, a master told me my Five Elements lacked Fire and Earth. After changing my name, I got better. I studied divination with that master afterward—but I’m not truly skilled.”

Shuowan ， Tabishangyan ， Jiasuhuangdong ， Dingding ， Dingding ， Tongqianzhuangjideshengyinmijichenmen ， Suihoupaoxiangyipangdetanzishang 。

The coins landed silently, without a sound.

“Initial Nine, Six Two, Nine Three, Nine Four, Nine Five, Top Nine… Tian Huo Tong Ren hexagram, Tian Huo Tong Ren…”

Yuan Huotu muttered to himself for a moment, then glared at Park Chan-yong: “See? I told you it’s accurate. I asked about luck—this hexagram shows an opportunity rising right now, and help from friends!”

Yuan Huotu clutched the coins tightly, thrilled: “Our friends from Bufen Shanhai are our support—our fortune will surely rise!”

“Good, good, rising, rising…” Park Chan-yong reluctantly played along—it was a favorable omen; opposing it would only anger everyone.

“Haha, this hexagram’s great! We’re honored!”

Duan Wuhu enthusiastically agreed—he’d already planned: if the omen was bad, he’d say it was a joke; if good, he’d give six six six—classic double standard.

“A fine omen. Good. Brother Park, we don’t have to believe, but we should have basic respect—what if it comes true? Don’t you think?”

Zhao Dezhu beamed—he believed in this sort of thing.

“I think Huotu’s divination has real skill. I’m willing to believe,” said Zhou Haiquan, the oldest member of the Dragon Head Camp, his voice dull.

Wu Lue himself was skeptical, but seeing everyone agree, he nodded vigorously—who doesn’t hope for good fortune?

“This trip to the Shanhai Zone: you’re going to check on the Dragon Head Camp’s situation and find other brothers out on missions. We’ll also assess Shanhai’s condition and investigate the zombie hordes. Don’t talk about who helps whom—we’re all contributing, helping each other, advancing together.”

Duan Wuhu summarized, and the others nearby nodded, finding it sensible.

“Huh… snore…”

As they spoke, a snore came from the corner. The group turned—Fan Donglu, the largest of the Dragon Head Camp’s five, lay wrapped in his clothes, fast asleep.

Earlier, Fan Donglu had done the most work clearing the road.

“Sleep. We’ll sleep too. I’ll set a watch alarm—rest easy.”

With Shen Linrui, the Dragon Head Camp’s overseer, absent, Duan Wuhu naturally took charge, arranging every detail.

After setting the alarm and confirming the sentries were in place, he finally drifted into light sleep.

Beneath the pitch-black sky, Shen Linrui on the rooftop chatted with the lightning in his pocket, recounting past dangers with his camp brothers and the peaceful joys of life before the collapse.

“I really wish I could go back. I’d only just covered a third of my journey around the Heaven Dynasty… I wanted to keep going. Too bad… there’s no chance anymore.”

Shen Linrui wasn’t from Qincheng. His story was like Ju Wuying’s—he’d been on a motorcycle tour across the nation.

He’d set out from Yunnan Province, traveling north along the border and coastline, arriving in Qincheng. On the very day he planned to depart for the next stop—Hulu City—the disaster struck…

“Man, Lightning, isn’t it funny? If I’d left Qincheng just one day earlier, I’d probably be among the fifty thousand troops coming from Hulu City.”

Faced with the middle-aged man’s rambling, Lightning couldn’t take it anymore—after dozens of kilometers of travel, he was utterly exhausted. He buried his head in the pocket and fell asleep, silent and still, unnoticed by Shen Linrui.

Meanwhile, Lu Yubo was speaking too, holding his radio, whispering sweet nothings to Mo Qianlan—empty, sugary phrases revolving around three themes: Be safe outside the camp, remember me when you’re outside the camp, eat well, dress warmly, take care of yourself…

Besides the saccharine chatter, Mo Qianlan told Lu Yubo about the execution event on Tianma Island that night—leaving him deeply frustrated, having missed such a big spectacle…

After finishing serious talk, they resumed their sweet talk. A while later, Shen Linrui noticed Lightning was asleep, and Lu Yubo didn’t want to disturb Mo Qianlan’s rest, so the two men began chatting. They’d been sitting in the center of their respective rooms but moved toward the edges to hear each other better.

Separated by over twenty meters, in the silent night, no loud voice was needed.

Through conversation, Lu Yubo learned Shen Linrui’s past: he and his girlfriend had run a bar and guesthouse in Yunnan, saved some money, and hired staff to manage the business.

They earned a steady twenty to thirty thousand a month—life was incredibly comfortable—so they set out on a motorcycle tour across the country…

Lu Yubo wanted to ask about Shen Linrui’s girlfriend, but he held back—he didn’t dare. No matter the details, the ending would surely be tragic.

Shen Linrui wasn’t particularly interested in Lu Yubo—he mainly wanted to learn about Zhang Su—but his questions were measured, avoiding sensitive topics. If Lu Yubo hesitated in answering, Shen Linrui would smoothly skip ahead.

A gap existed between the middle-aged man and the young one, but the elder knew how to navigate it, keeping the conversation smooth until the relief guard climbed onto the roof, ending their talk.

“Shen Team, you two really talked a lot. I woke up at ten and heard you two chattering away—still going now. Don’t you get thirsty?”

Park Chan-yong adjusted his cap, half-asleep and teasing.

“I haven’t talked this freely with anyone in a long time. Good. Little Lu, thanks for keeping me company—I feel much better.”

Shen Linrui didn’t mind Lu Yubo asking about his past—speaking it out made him feel lighter.

“No need to thank me. What’s there to thank for? Haha, just sitting there, nothing else to do.”

Lu Yubo scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.

The relief guard, Zhao Dezhu, grinned: “You two chatterboxes go rest. My turn now, with…”

Crack…

Before he finished, a distant sound of wood snapping echoed. All four on the roof turned toward the source. Those with binoculars raised them; those with flashlights adjusted their beams toward the distance.

“Looks like nothing.”

Lu Yubo licked his dry lips, frowning as he stared toward the sound’s origin—only ruined rural courtyards lay there, shattered by the shockwave.

“Probably the window frame froze brittle and snapped. The shockwave hit this area hard.”

Shen Linrui lowered his binoculars, quietly relieved. Around them lay a deserted village; they’d arrived in total darkness, quietly found a courtyard, glanced around, and seen no zombies.

“You guys go rest.”

Zhao Dezhu patted Lu Yubo’s shoulder, took the binoculars from him, and prepared to take over.

Creak…

As the four relaxed, another sound came—this time from a different direction, about seventy to eighty degrees shifted. The group tensed again.

“Damn it, what’s going on? Lu, didn’t you hear anything for the past few hours?”

“Yeah, some small noises were normal—but nothing this loud. Wait… no… damn it, there are zombies!”

Lu Yubo whispered sharply, voice tense.

“It’s a group of zombies.”

Shen Linrui raised his binoculars; with the flashlight’s limited light, he saw roughly forty to fifty zombies stumbling through the ruins, moving toward them—but this was only part of them. Others remained hidden, unseen! (End of Chapter)