Chapter 134: Eating and Defecating

"No, they aren't mentally challenged," Liu Chang said, turning back to look at the three children. "They look at us as if we’re the ones who are slow."

"Really?" Qing Yin looked at the three children. "Then my children must look at us as if we’re the deformed ones."

"Yes, to a monster, normal people look abnormal." Liu Chang glanced at Qing Yin’s two-headed child. The head on the left was a girl, and the head on the right was a boy. Seeing Liu Chang watching them, the girl pursed her lips and whispered something to the boy on the right.

"They're fine; they aren't lonely," Liu Chang said after observing them, smiling.

"True, though they argue constantly," Qing Yin sighed. "The girl on the left is more dominant. She eats a lot at mealtime, but always makes the boy handle the bathroom duties..."

"Damn, that’s not fair!" Liu Chang rolled his eyes. He couldn't imagine a life where one person did all the eating and the other did all the, well, output. "If I were the boy, I’d protest. Just keep the waste inside—if you don't go, everyone suffers. Just hold out!"

"That’s why you lack gentlemanly grace," Qing Yin smiled. "I could tell from the way you refused to help a lady earlier that you aren't as good as my son."

"So be it," Liu Chang sighed. "What use is gentlemanly grace? I’ll be satisfied if I can just look after the people behind me."

"Me too!" Qing Yin looked at the "two and a half" children behind her, then leaned down to scoop the two-headed child into her arms. "Are you two tired?"

"A little," the boy’s head said.

"Tired, my foot!" the girl’s head scolded him. "Mom is carrying the luggage and holding us, and you have the nerve to complain about being tired? Have some sense!"

"Oh," the boy lowered his head.

"The little girl is quite sensible," Liu Chang noted, smiling as he continued forward.

The two merged groups made their way through the city of Zhengzhou. They first located Huang Yin, who had been wandering in a state of confusion within a residential complex. After Liu Chang explained the cause of the animal migration to her, she joined them as they departed the city.

Once Huang Yin joined the group, they trekked to the north of Zhengzhou, eventually leaving the city behind and stepping into the wilderness.

"Ahead is the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway. We should follow this route heading north. What is your destination?" Standing before a stretch of highway so derelict it was barely recognizable, Qing Yin checked the map in her hand. "If we follow this expressway, the next city is Xinxiang, but the distance is not short. We won't make it in a day or two; we’ll definitely have to camp in the wilderness."

"Our destination isn't fixed yet," Liu Chang said, looking back toward the southern part of Zhengzhou and then at the flocks of birds in the sky. "I’m just heading north. Like I told you, a massive creature is migrating in that direction. My goal is to avoid it. As for where exactly I'm going, I haven't decided."

"Me too. I decided to leave the moment I saw the migratory birds. Such a large-scale movement is against the laws of nature." Qing Yin stroked the cheek of the two-headed child in her arms. "I thought it was a natural disaster, but hearing you say that a single massive creature caused this exodus... just how big must that monster be? We’re talking about the flight of hundreds of millions, maybe billions, of creatures."

"A truly colossal being. I haven't seen it myself, but it must be far, far larger than the city of Zhengzhou." Liu Chang also looked at the map in his hand. "So, discussing how big or powerful it is serves no purpose for me. I only know that if it comes, I die. That is reason enough to run."

"Understood. In that case, we’ll just have to play it by ear. How about we set Xinxiang as our next stop?"

"Sounds good. Let's move." Rolling up the map, Liu Chang stepped into the long, uncertain journey ahead.

The small group traveled through the jungle, pushing steadily northward. The afternoon passed quickly, and they covered several dozen kilometers without encountering any danger by nightfall.

As the light faded completely, the two groups stopped in a corner of the forest.

"Let’s stop here for today." Qing Yin set down her pack, breathing heavily. "Carrying this load is exhausting. Your stamina is truly impressive."

Liu Chang had been carrying a large backpack and taking turns helping He Zhizhi with her things, yet he wasn't even winded, which deeply impressed Qing Yin.

"Moving through the forest isn't the hard part; it’s the danger," Liu Chang said, looking at the sky. "Luckily, the mass exodus of animals from the south has riled up the local wildlife. Most of them seem to have instinctively followed the birds. That’s why we were able to make such good time. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten this far."

They built a fire and set up an iron pot. Liu Chang added compressed biscuits from his pack and poured in clean water to let it simmer.

Animals fear fire. Regardless of how advanced they might be, unless they possess human-level intelligence, they instinctively shy away from flames—it is nature. Liu Chang kept the fire bright to warn off any creatures lurking in the shadows.

As the pot boiled, He Zhizhi took out a small wooden stick, wiped it clean, and began stirring the biscuit porridge like a seasoned housewife.

Nearby, Qing Yin brought out food for her children—a teenager and the two-headed child.

"Is that boy your brother?" Liu Chang asked, pointing to the teenager of thirteen or fourteen.

"No, he's my cousin," Qing Yin said. "Most of my relatives are gone, and he’s been following me since he was small. He’s as close to me as a brother."

"I see." Liu Chang nodded and looked at the two-headed child. "Do they share a body and organs?"

"Yes, except for their minds, everything is shared," Qing Yin sighed. "They are good children, very sensible."

"Mhm." Liu Chang watched the child playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would eat. "Is that how you usually eat? Whoever wins gets to eat?"

"Hmph!" The girl’s head ignored Liu Chang, while the boy’s head replied, "No, usually she eats everything. Today, Mom told her not to bully me, so we’re using rock-paper-scissors to decide. On most days, I’m full before I even get a single bite."

"Haha, that’s a strange feeling indeed!" Liu Chang laughed. Seeing the porridge was ready, he took out some utensils and filled a bowl for the two children. "Here, have some porridge. Drink something hot, or you kids won't handle the forest dampness well."

"And you three," Liu Chang said, handing iron bowls to the three Li Qingshui clones. "Have some, too."

"Thanks," the three children said, walking over to accept the bowls and serving themselves.

During dinner, Liu Chang kept talking with Qing Yin—in the apocalypse, one must maintain a degree of vigilance with new acquaintances.

Although she didn't seem like a bad person, neither of them was ready to fully trust someone they’d only known for a day. They spent the meal making polite, superficial conversation to bridge the gap.

"I never asked—how do you know this biological tide is caused by a massive creature?" Qing Yin set down her bowl and asked, puzzled. "Communication is effectively non-existent now. If that creature is as terrifying as you say, and you had seen it, you would have died long ago. Or are you from the military’s upper echelons? I heard only they have that kind of special communication equipment."

"I’m not military brass, but I know someone who is. They told me," Liu Chang replied. "That’s how I know this isn't a disaster we can withstand. Even if we didn't run today, the military would have notified the city in a day or two. If we waited until then to leave, it would be much more troublesome."

"True, a mass exodus of millions isn't easy. It would definitely descend into chaos," Qing Yin sighed. "I’m lucky we left a day early."

"Heh, yes. But we won't have it easy for long. Once the beast tide catches up, things will get rough." Liu Chang gave a stiff smile, walked to the other side of the fire, and pulled sleeping bags from his pack to distribute. "Everyone get some rest. I’ll take the first watch."

With that, Liu Chang spread out his sleeping bag, draped it over himself, but instead of lying down, he leaned against a thick tree trunk, closed his eyes, and drifted into a light doze.

The others, exhausted from the day's travel, quietly settled in—except for the three Li Qingshui clones, who walked over and lay down silently beside Liu Chang, leaning against the base of the same massive tree.

Deep in the night.

The bird calls had ceased, but the insects were at the peak of their chorus. The nights in the jungle were always a symphony of high-pitched noise. Lying in his sleeping bag, protected by the cacophony, Liu Chang whispered a question: "You three, you aren't asleep yet, are you?"

"No," the three children replied in low voices.

"I’d like to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?"

"Go ahead," one of the children replied. "We lay down next to you today specifically so you could ask us questions."