Chapter 133: The Simpleton

This place held the traces of his four years of peaceful life; it held so many memories. Little Jing’s first cry, the cigarettes Li Qingshui had given him, the wild laughter of He Zhizhi as she brandished her single-armed iron hook...

All of this was about to drift far away from him. Digging a pack of cigarettes—a gift from Li Qingshui long ago—out of the bar counter drawer, Liu Chang lit one and placed it between his lips. Even after four years, he had never truly learned to smoke, yet he had developed a habit.

Whenever he felt down, he would light one, hold it to his lips, and watch the burning smoke drift slowly into his line of sight, interweaving with the red mist to create a hazy, ethereal scene.

Whenever he saw this smoke-filled vision, Liu Chang would be reminded of a popular internet buzzword from the old world: "fleeting clouds."

How he wished that everything before him was nothing more than fleeting clouds; that when the smoke cleared, he would wake from a long dream, return to that old world, and become once again that simple high school student whose greatest daily worries were unfinishable homework and the pretty girlfriend of some local hoodlum.

Whenever he thought of these things, a faint smile would touch Liu Chang’s face. Although his muscles had grown stiff, thinking of those moments made even those recalcitrant muscles feel nimble for a brief instant.

Five minutes of sweet memories—his mother, his friends, and those four years of peace. As the smoke dissipated, the darkness remained before him, and the world outside was still incredibly clamorous.

"Whew!" He exhaled the air from his chest heavily and extinguished the cigarette. "Let’s go. Let’s go; most of the bird flocks have passed!"

"Yes, that’s right." He Zhizhi sniffed the air and called out, "Let’s go, let’s all go."

With that, the two of them led the children, Little Jing, and Mo Sanpang out the door.

Opening the iron gate of the bar, the buzzing noise from outside had subsided significantly, and the world no longer looked completely devoid of light. Looking up, the massive flocks of birds had thinned out, leaving only the bulkier giant avian beasts and the slower-moving insects.

Sunlight was now able to pierce the red mist, granting ordinary people a tolerable field of vision.

"Let’s move." With a large pack on his back and his handgun in hand, Liu Chang took the lead.

There were not many people on the streets; the passage of hundreds of millions of birds and beasts had caused widespread panic, and the innate fear of the darkness kept people from wandering outside.

However, now that the flocks had dispersed, there were ones and twos of people emerging to scout the situation. Some of the more alert individuals had already packed their bags and were heading north, following the path of the migration.

Not long after Liu Chang’s group left the street, they encountered another group of "backpackers," and the other party took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

The speaker was a young woman accompanied by a teenage boy and a two-headed child.

"Hey, brother," they said as they met at a street intersection. After seeing Liu Chang’s group, the woman glanced at the three children following behind him. A thoughtful look crossed her eyes before she hurried over to Liu Chang’s side. "How about we travel together? We can look out for each other."

"No need. We’ll manage on our own." Liu Chang glanced at the woman and continued walking. The other party was too frail, and carrying children meant they were clearly a vulnerable group. Traveling with her would provide no "support" at all; it would only slow him down.

"Don't be so cold. We’re both people with children to look after," the woman persisted when she saw Liu Chang’s indifference.

"I’m not being cold. We’re not suited to travel together." Liu Chang quickened his pace.

"Traveling together will still provide some level of support. Look, we both have children; we’re clearly not bad people. Even if we were, we wouldn't dare act out with children around. So, if you join forces with me, you won't have any worries behind your back," she argued, trying to persuade him.

"But I won’t get any benefit from traveling with you, and you’ll just delay my progress." Liu Chang kept moving. Using his keen eyesight, he spotted two or three other shrewd small groups already heading north in the wake of the bird flocks.

"I won’t slow you down; I’m quite fast." Seeing that Liu Chang still showed no interest in cooperating, she continued, "Besides, I have a great sense of direction. I studied geology and geomorphology. If you tell me where you want to go, I’m quite capable of guiding the way."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Liu Chang slowed his pace slightly.

Seeing that she had piqued his interest, the woman introduced herself. "Look, I genuinely studied geology and landscapes. I’m very familiar with China’s geography, and I’m accurate in identifying terrain, water sources, and navigating through forests. If you let me join you, at the very least, you won’t take any unnecessary detours, right?"

"Hmm." Liu Chang nodded, turning to look at her. "Then, happy to cooperate?"

"Yes, happy to cooperate." As she walked, the woman extended her hand for a handshake, but seeing his lack of interest, she lowered it again.

"My name is Qingyin. Yours?" she asked.

"Oh, I’m Liu Chang." As he spoke, Liu Chang turned to He Zhizhi. "We’ll go to the Huayuan residential area first to pick up Dr. Huang. She’s a friend, and she’s helped us before—we can’t leave her behind."

"Agreed." He Zhizhi nodded; it was Dr. Huang who had helped stop the bleeding when she lost her arm years ago.

After giving these instructions, Liu Chang turned his attention back to the woman named Qingyin. "Why us? There must be other groups along the way. It seems a bit rash to ask to join us the moment you saw us. Also, your surname is quite strange."

"I told you the reason already: we both have children with us," Qingyin smiled at him. "It feels safer that way."

"Is that so?" Liu Chang looked into her eyes. "There’s more you haven't said, isn't there?"

"Heh, what a sensitive man," Qingyin chuckled. "It’s because you guys look strong."

"How did you figure that out?" Liu Chang recalled the moment they met; she had only observed him for a second before approaching him.

"First, your handgun is of exquisite quality, far better than the most expensive ones on the market," Qingyin analyzed. "Second, throughout the escape, your eyes showed no fear, nor the caution one usually has toward other groups. The moment you saw me, you didn't show a hint of nervousness. In this apocalyptic flight, if that reaction doesn't mean you’re remarkably slow-witted, it means you possess formidable strength."

"And the third point is proof of your strength: the four people behind you, adults and children alike, didn't show any panic. That is a testament to you." As she analyzed, she glanced at the two children behind her. "It’s just that these two children are eerily calm. In fact, the tranquility in their eyes far surpasses that of us adults. If I may be so bold, are these two children developmentally disabled?"