By the end of May, the weather was gradually warming up, the air was thick with heat, zombies roamed around, and there was a faint stench of decay. However, the fragrance of flowers in Ye Yunyi's house made it less unpleasant.
It was a bright and sunny day. Ye Yunyi sat on a rocking chair on the rooftop, watching the sunset in the distance. The sun slowly withdrew its dazzling light, and everything became softer. The surrounding clouds were bathed in a fiery red glow, commonly known as "fire clouds."
Clouds come in different shapes. Some look like little rabbits, some like fluffy cotton balls, some like wild horses, some like Bodhisattvas, and some like a person holding a baby.
Everything was so beautiful, just like when she was a child, after finishing harvesting the crops, she would lie on the drying mat and look at the sky, a sky that was both tranquil and ever-changing.
Every now and then, a few small birds would glide across the sky and perch on a nearby telephone pole. Once one perched, two would follow, and more and more would gather in groups of three or five, like a musical staff—it must have been a beautiful song.
A gentle breeze wafted by, carrying the sweet scents of flowers and vegetables that filled her nostrils, refreshing and slightly cool. Combined with the lingering warmth of the sun, she felt intoxicated. DouDou nestled beside her, its fluffy body pressed against her feet, an act of pure affection.
So she closed her eyes and quietly savored the beauty. But she was soon interrupted by a low growl from a zombie.
She followed the sound and found that in the wasteland below, zombies seemed to be chasing something, and DouDou was also humming softly.
A moment later, a rabbit ran out of the grass. The zombies pounced on it, but missed. The little rabbit disappeared into the grass.
Rabbits. Ye Yunyi and Dou Dou's eyes lit up. Even with rain and chickens, who would refuse a variety of foods?
She took out her binoculars and quietly observed the back mountain and wasteland for a long time. Because no one was moving around, most of the zombies were in a dormant state. Although the rabbit had startled them, it had escaped and the zombies had gone back to dormancy.
Climbing up the wasteland below wouldn't be easy, especially since zombies can't climb high. The only road leading to the back mountain is the narrow one near their house, which is similar to a country road, making it difficult for two cars to pass each other. If they could block this road, wouldn't it be easier for them to get to the back mountain?
The resources in the back mountain are not limited to rabbits; there are also many fruits, wild vegetables, and perhaps other carnivores.
Just to be on the safe side, they could also survey a safe exit in the back mountain and dig a tunnel to get there. This was originally planned, but it was temporarily shelved due to the busy farming season.
There's not much to do right now. It'll be about two weeks before the corn is fully ripe, which is a good time to dig a tunnel to the back of the mountain. But we'll have to do everything after we've surveyed the area.
During dinner that evening, Ye Yunyi mentioned this idea to her family.
Actually, everyone had been busy and hadn't had a break for more than a few days. Everyone was a bit tired, but they wanted rabbits and wild fruits. They thought that if things went badly, they could still go to the back mountain, so they all agreed. Even DouDou nodded in agreement.
So they decided that the next day, Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang would go and explore the situation on the back mountain.
After five months of training, Wang Zixiang has visibly gained weight and muscle, and his energy and spirit are much better than before. He is the best in the family at close combat. Ye Yunyi is an excellent archer, almost never missing her target. Previously, due to his poor health, Ye Yunyi and her father went to Building 38, but now it's his turn to take over.
The next morning, Ye's mother cooked a hearty breakfast and made corn pancakes with fresh corn. She packed them in a bag to take to them in case they couldn't make it back in time for lunch.
Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang cleared away the zombies under the house and used the rope ladder that Boss Zhong had brought last time to climb down from the second floor of Building 38. Wang Zixiang went down first, followed by Ye Yunyi. It was only about 50 meters away from the steps to the back mountain, very close. And it just so happened to be a blind spot that Aunt Li couldn't see.
They put the software in their bags. This trip was mainly for scouting, so Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang each carried a small bag.
They moved quietly, dealing with the few zombies scattered along the way without causing a large-scale disturbance. Soon they ascended the stairs.
No one had been around for a long time, and clumps of grass had grown on the stone steps. There were two or three zombies on the steps, and Ye Yunyi dealt with them with bamboo shears before they could react. After climbing about 100 steps, they reached a pavilion halfway up the mountain. There were about ten zombies in the pavilion.
Ye Yunyi couldn't help but complain, "It was so cold during the New Year, and they still climbed this high to get here." She drew her bow and shot down four or five zombies in quick succession. However, there were many zombies, and they heard the sound and came running out with low growls, following the scent as they pounced on them.
Wang Zixiang, dagger in hand, stepped forward. This was his first time coming into close contact with a zombie, and because it was a short knife, he was extremely close. He could smell the stench of decay, see its oozing, slimy mouth, grayish-white eyes, sharp fingernails, and bite wounds.
But through the training and Li Biao's attacks these past few days, he had overcome his psychological barrier, and the dagger plunged straight into the zombie's brain.
Too close, Ye Yunyi was also afraid that Wang Zixiang would be scratched by the zombies, so he would take out any that got too close with an arrow, except for one he left for him to practice on.
Fortunately, Wang Zixiang was quite skilled, and the zombie didn't have a chance to scratch him. After taking down the first one, Wang Zixiang seemed to have found his rhythm and immediately took down the second one.
Ye Yunyi was very pleased to see Wang Zixiang grow up.
After retrieving the arrows, they continued up the mountain. The stone street construction stopped here; to go further up, they had to clear their own path.
Wang Zixiang and Ye Yunyi took out the scimitars and sickles they had brought and cut away some of the grass and branches that were in their way as they walked.
This is also the season when snakes are active, so you have to tap the surroundings with a stick as you walk, so that any snakes will be scared away.
She didn't scare away any snakes along the way, but she did scare away two pheasants. Since they'd been spotted, there was no reason to let them escape, so Ye Yunyi shot them both—a male and a female. Normally, Ye Yunyi would have said "I'm so sorry," but now, she was just happy. She couldn't bear to kill her own chickens; now she could have a feast tonight.
Before they knew it, it was already noon. The forest was cooler than down below, mainly because there were more trees. Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang found an open space to eat some flatbread.
The back mountain is alright. Apart from the few zombies in the pavilion, we haven't found a single zombie or any zombified animals on the back mountain, which is the best news.
However, all of this is because the area is sparsely populated.
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