Chapter 738 - 576: Leaves Fall Back to Their Roots, What Makes a Home?

August 18th.

Noon, twelve o’clock.

The temperature dropped again, reaching around 33 degrees Celsius outdoors.

It has been a full 72 hours since the volcanic eruption.

Three days.

For three continuous days, the world has been shrouded in darkness.

Not the kind of gloomy overcast skies, but as time goes on, the sky grows darker and darker.

So dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face, darker than the night itself.

At least at night, there used to be some moonlight, but now, not even the moonlight exists, just darkness!

A darkness so pure it instills fear.

Now, for all twenty-four hours of the day, there is no distinction between day and night because it’s all the same - just darkness outside.

Night gave humans black eyes, yet with them, they seek the light.

Never have humans longed so desperately for light.

Before the apocalypse, there was a punishment called the "dark cell."

It’s a closed space without sound or light, and ordinary people find it difficult to stay in for long.

But now, while it’s a bit better, not being in an enclosed space,

the occasional howl of zombies and the omnipresent danger lurking in the darkness are enough to break the spirit.

...

Xin City, some small town.

Second floor of a basement.

The door is tightly shut.

Already a dark world, it becomes even darker and quieter in this sealed basement.

So quiet that one can only hear the sound of breathing.

"Second Brother, where are you?" a man asks.

His voice seems filled with pain and some suppressed emotion.

Rustling sounds.

The man seems to struggle to stand up.

Clang—

Maybe he carelessly bumped into something, causing it to smash onto the floor.

The loud sound is especially pronounced in this confined space.

The echo carries out....

"Xiao Ning, don’t move around. When I went out just now, I saw zombies outside. Didn’t you see them too? Don’t move recklessly, a loud noise could lure the zombies in, and then we’re all doomed,"

Shan Feng says, lowering his voice.

"Hu—ah—" A pained moan is heard.

It seems like the man is injured, issuing a low, pain-filled groan.

Hearing this, Shan Feng hurriedly takes out a box of matches from his pocket.

The matchbox is crumpled.

He carefully gropes for a match and takes out one.

Strikes it.

Sizzle—

The flame ignites instantly, momentarily illuminating the entire room.

Shan Feng sees Xiao Ning fallen to the ground, curled up like a worm, occasionally trembling.

The match is already half burnt, and Shan Feng quickly reaches for something next to him.

He gropes for a bunch of pine needles, places them on the ground, then tosses the match onto the pile.

The pine needles ignite instantly.

Whoosh—

The flame grows rapidly.

Shan Feng stands up, moves to a corner of the basement, brings over a pile of wood, and throws two pieces onto the pine needles.

The fire crackles and lights up the entire room.

There are four people in the room in total. At the sight of the flame, three of them gather around.

But before they can draw near, one woman sees Xiao Ning on the ground.

"Xiao Ning, what happened to you?" she asks worriedly as she walks over.

The others, hearing her, shift their attention to the scene.

Shan Feng goes straight to him and kneels to gently lift the man up.

Suddenly feeling something wet on his hands, he lifts them to the firelight and sees they’re covered in blood.

"Bring him over to the fire. Xiao Feng, go open the door slightly and stand guard there, keeping an eye on the zombies. It’s too enclosed in here to burn wood; we could all end up poisoned,"

Shan Feng says, his expression somber.

"Okay." The woman called Xiao Feng looks at the fire, then, still worried, glances at the unconscious Xiao Ning, takes a weapon, and heads to the door.

Click-click—

She unlocks the door and gently opens a small gap, and fresh air rushes in from outside.

Although smelling slightly of sulfur, the outdoor scent is far more bearable than what’s inside.

The indoor atmosphere reeks of a sour sweat odor, accompanied by a moldy smell that stings the eyes.

Hu-hu—

Xiao Feng greedily breathes in the sulfurous air from outside.

On the other side.

Shan Feng drags Xiao Ning closer to the fire.

The flickering of the flames, like a beating heart.

Also reflects on Xiao Ning’s unconscious face.

Shan Feng inspects closely and sees that Xiao Ning’s face is covered in blood.

Hiss—

What happened, why is there unexplained bleeding!

Shan Feng takes a cloth to wipe his face.

After wiping his face, he sees blood flowing from Xiao Ning’s nostrils.

It flows rapidly.

"Quick, tear off two pieces of cloth." Seeing this, although Shan Feng doesn’t understand what happened, he knows he needs to stop Xiao Ning’s nosebleed right away.

Rip—

The sound of cloth being torn.

Shan Feng snatches the torn cloth and stuffs it into Xiao Ning’s nostrils.

His eyes fill with urgency; Xiao Ning is his younger brother.

After their older brother was gone, all he had left was this younger brother.

The blood soaks the cloth, soon drenched.

Shan Feng slowly drags him to the wall, propping him up with a couple of objects.

With a nosebleed, one can’t lie flat; otherwise, the blood might choke the bronchial tubes.