Chapter 12

Ji Dongzang ignored the two drama queens. She took a few steps forward, her eyes sweeping over the tired faces of Jiang Zhijian, Bai Jing, and An Yu. Her tone softened a little, which was rare:

"Anyway, thank you for your kindness." She paused and changed the subject.

"But I have to make it clear that we just met by chance. There's no need for you to take this risk for me."

An Yu said, his eyes serious: "We can't just stand by and watch someone die!"

"Whatever you want." Ji Dongzang shrugged, as if to say, "As long as you're happy." "You're just wishful thinking, I won't repay you."

Bai Jing bent down and groped in the largest package on the ground, saying, "Boss Ji, you're overthinking it. We're also considering the safety of this place and don't want to lose our shelter."

As she spoke, she pressed a heavy, powerful flashlight into Ji Dongzang's hand. "Come on, lend a hand and see what good stuff we got."

As she finished speaking, several people turned on the flashlights in their hands.

Several beams of light hit the package that was dragged back.

The package was open, revealing the chaotically stacked weapons inside.

Ji Dongzang bent his knees and squatted down neatly.

What caught my eye was a golden three-edged spike with extremely fine workmanship!

The smooth lines reflect a cold and hard metallic luster under the light.

She reached out without hesitation, deftly unfastened the fastener, and took out the heavy, cold-gleaming triangular spike from the package, weighing it in her hand.

"I want this one." She said with her head down.

"If you need anything, you can ask for it and we can exchange."

An Yu also squatted down and began to search in the bulging package.

"These guys are awfully heavy, and one person can't use more than a few."

She said as she was scratching.

"I know how to shoot arrows. I aimed well on the way back."

She quickly pulled out a compound bow and a quiver full of arrows, slinging them across her back with deft movements.

"By the way, there's still a lot of food in the car. I'll go move it in."

After saying that, she turned around and left in a hurry.

As the light flickered, Jiang Zhijian's gaze fell on Ji Dongzang's lowered face.

She leaned forward slightly and moved closer: "Are you hurt?"

The light clearly revealed the scars on Ji Dongzang's face: there was an obvious bruise on his left cheekbone, and his right cheek was slightly swollen, destroying the originally smooth outline.

After being exposed, Ji Dongzang simply raised his head and stopped hiding it.

With the help of the bright flashlight, she met Jiang Zhijian's inquiring gaze from a close distance.

Under the light, Jiang Zhijian's facial features appeared particularly majestic and relaxed, and black hair had already sprouted from the roots of his eye-catching long white hair, making the black and white distinct.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Ji Dongzang's eyes were calm and no emotion could be seen.

Seeing that she had no intention of explaining, Jiang Zhijian understood and swallowed the words of her question.

Silently he straightened up.

"Let's do this," Jiang Zhijian cleared his throat and reorganized his words.

"After all, we went through so much trouble to find the weapons. Since An Yu didn't exchange them with you, all you need to do is agree to one request from Bai Jing and me, and we'll be even."

"Speak." Ji Dongzang didn't even raise his head, his fingers still fiddling in the bulging weapon bag, making a slight sound of metal colliding.

Jiang Zhijian immediately interjected, with a sense of justified expectation: "Needless to say? Just make sure I don't die!"

Ji Dongzang paused.

She raised her head and looked at Jiang Zhijian as if he were a fool, a sarcastic arc appearing at the corner of her mouth. "You're dreaming. You give me the weapon, and you want me to use it to protect you? Besides, if the earth explodes tomorrow, that's also called 'death'. Do I have the ability to stuff you into a rocket and send you into outer space? Even if I take a step back, I'm not a dog-skin plaster. Can I stick to you 24 hours a day?"

She scoffed and simply changed from squatting to sitting, lazily lying on the ground, showing a clear attitude of refusal, "This request is impossible."

Jiang Zhijian was choked and quickly tried to make amends: "Of course I won't be that harsh! I mean, if I'm in danger and you're nearby, please try your best to save me!"

She looked at Ji Dongzang eagerly.

Ji Dongzang poured ice water on him without hesitation: "I told you, I can't stay by your side forever. Instead of relying on others for your life, you should think about how to rely on yourself."

She glanced at Jiang Zhijian, "I don't believe that the physical fitness of the three of you hasn't improved at all. Don't ask for help from others, that's all I have to say. Change your request to one that I can do." She emphasized the three words "can do".

She was too lazy to argue any further and turned directly to Bai Jing who was sitting on the ground: "What about you? What request can you make that I can do?" Her tone was a little helpless and urged to "get it done quickly."

With the help of the bright flashlight, Ji Dongzang looked at Bai Jing carefully for the first time.

She didn't care at all the last time they met.

As the name suggests, this man's skin is so white that it is almost transparent, as if he has never seen the sun all year round, but his skeleton is stronger than expected.

Under the casually rolled-up sleeves, the exposed forearm muscles have smooth lines, and the winding blue veins on them appear clear and powerful under the light.

Ji Dongzang's gaze moved from her arm back to her face, and met Bai Jing's calm gaze.

Bai Jing met her gaze and smiled slightly: "You are right. Instead of seeking help from others, it is better to rely on yourself."

She paused, her tone calm, "Right now, I really don't have any special needs. I'll save this request for now. You owe me one, and I'll talk to you later when I think of it."

"Yes, yes, yes! Me too!" Jiang Zhijian quickly followed suit, "I'm saving it too! We'll talk about it later!"

Ji Dongzang looked at them and decisively drew a line: "Alright. But the time limit is six months. No more than that."

…

In the end, what Ji Dongzang got was a golden three-edged spike with a cold glow.

And a bag of sharpened gold darts.

She thought of the exaggerated crescent-shaped sickle that Bai Jing had brought.

A trace of envy also flashed through my heart.

But I was so busy bargaining that I forgot to ask them where they got these strange weapons.

Darkness completely engulfed the courtyard.

Ji Dongzang was lying on the simply cleaned bed in the house, with two furry, warm creatures nestled beside her - the black cat and the red-tailed fox curled up beside her, snoring softly.

She turned on the screen of her mobile phone, the faint blue light reflected on her face, and she swiped the screen to browse the information posted by netizens who were still active on the Internet.

One indisputable fact is that anyone who still speaks out online is already clearly aware of the changes happening to themselves and the animals around them.

Panic, debate, predictions... fill every corner.

A post with a striking title topped the trending charts, remaining there: [The advent of the beast world? The twilight of human civilization?]

When Dongzang clicked on it, he saw that the argument was still going on. The core issue was the possibility of "the world of animals replacing the world of humans."

[I wish our motherland prosperity and strength: the replacement of the beast world is natural selection and the general trend.]

[Sixteen: Human civilization is eternal, orcs are nothing to be afraid of!]

[Don't be sleepy, Lady Shiji: The trend exists, but the form and outcome are unpredictable.]

[Tangtang11133: Run! Stock up on canned food and go to the bunker! ! ! Live one day at a time! ]

…

The opinions in the posts were diverse and the debate was heated.

Ji Dongzang swiped the screen expressionlessly.

The advent of the beast world, the continuation of civilization... for her, they were all too distant and grand.

As long as she is alive and can watch the changes in the world, that is enough.

Ji Dongzang turned off the screen, threw the phone aside, and turned over.

The darkness and the steady breathing of the animals around him completely blocked out the noise from the outside world.

…

late at night.

Ji Dongzang slept very uneasily.

The two animals beside her were also extremely restless, tossing and turning on the bed, and their heavy bodies rolled over from time to time, pressing down on her firmly.

Half asleep and half awake, she just thought that they were just like Qiu Lian, with bad sleeping postures.

Until I was awakened by the continuous howling and sharp and piercing rattling sounds.

Ji Dongzang sat up suddenly, his heart pounding in his chest.

She hugged the quilt tightly, and in the darkness that swallowed everything, her hearing was infinitely amplified.

Inside the house, the black cat and the fox were howling anxiously and even in pain.

Accompanied by the teeth-grinding sound of claws.

Outside the house, there were faint echoes of the roars of other animals.

The quarrel made Ji Dongzang's head ache.

Ji Dongzang quickly thought of this unusual dark night.

She can't see anything.

Relying on memory and the direction of the sound, he tentatively stretched out his arm and groped towards the place where the claw grinding sound was the loudest.

Brush it!!

A sharp pain that tears the flesh!

In the darkness, a sharp claw slashed across her outstretched arm!

Warm blood immediately gushed out of the wound, soaking the sleeve and sticking sticky to the skin.

It was precisely this arm that was hit on the wrist bone by that madman Qiu Lian's punch, and it was already painful.

At this moment, the injury was even worse. The severe pain made Ji Dongzang fall backwards, dizzy and dazed.

Violent rage instantly swept over her!

Her brows were furrowed, her teeth were clenched, and her chest was heaving violently.

An impulse of destruction was roaring wildly in my heart.

I can't wait to pounce on them and fight them to the death!

The remaining sanity made her shrink into the corner of the room.

Ji Dongzang squatted against the cold wall, pressing his forehead tightly.

She was keenly aware that her current rage and desire for destruction were extremely wrong.

The howling, the grinding of claws, the roar outside the house, the sharp pain of the wound, the dull pain in the wrist bones...

All the sounds and sensations were tearing at her nerves like crazy, and Ji Dongzang was unable to think clearly at all.

…

She followed the rhythm of the animals and kowtowed again and again.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Warm blood flowed down his cheeks.

The external pain seemed to effectively relieve the swelling pain inside the brain.

There was a moment of clarity.

Ji Dongzang almost instinctively grabbed the high-intensity flashlight beside him and pressed the switch!

brush!

Almost instantly, Ji Dongzang felt two cold, sticky, hungry gazes locking onto her!

She shot the beam of light diagonally.

Two pairs of eyes met.

Those were no longer the familiar cat and fox eyes.

What’s even more terrifying are their limbs!

The black cat's claws were strangely elongated and twisted, with disproportionately large joints.

The red fox's hind legs have a counterintuitive bend.

They were clearly in immense pain, their bodies twitching uncontrollably, the hair around their mouths and chests soaked in blood.

Notice something is wrong.

Ji Dongzang endured the pain, rolled up his sleeves, and picked up the triangular thorn beside him.

The injured right arm was completely out of control and was spasming violently and uncontrollably.

Warm blood flowed down his trembling fingertips like beads from a broken string, and landed on the cold ground.

Tick!

Tick!

Tick-tock...