Chapter 208: Mutation (Part VI)
Less than half a month had passed since the woman’s corpse was recovered from Central Park.
Yet the once prosperous and bustling city had already transformed into a ghost town.
Every day, even every moment, people were being contaminated.
The number of living humans had decreased drastically, while the number of pollutants was rising at a geometric rate.
Very quickly, the entire city became unrecognizable.
During the day, some bold souls would still venture out to scavenge for supplies. But once night fell, aside from a city full of pollutants, it was truly difficult to find a single living person.
And yet, during this time, Xiao Ji began to go out frequently.
Aside from going “window shopping” for free supplies, he would occasionally go fishing by the small lake in the park.
After a week of this leisurely life, Xiao Ji went out one evening, carrying some cans of luncheon meat and yellow peaches. As he was heading home, he encountered a white off-road vehicle.
The vehicle swerved in front of him, blocking the wheelchair’s path.
Xiao Ji stopped and sat quietly before the off-road vehicle.
The doors opened, and three burly men stepped out. The leader, who had a Prajna mask tattooed on his arm, asked Xiao Ji:
“That stuff you’ve got—where did it come from?”
Xiao Ji’s expression was calm. Holding his shopping bag with one hand, he pointed behind him with the other.
“About a hundred meters back. Take a right at the traffic lights; there’s a small supermarket.”
The burly man nodded upon hearing this and reached out a hand toward Xiao Ji.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you to make another trip.”
Xiao Ji shook his head. “Go yourself. My legs are inconvenient.”
Seeing this, the three men looked at each other and burst into laughter.
The leader then looked at Xiao Ji and sneered:
“Kid, do you even know what you’re saying?”
Xiao Ji didn’t say a word. He looked up and saw a massive lizard currently hanging from the neon streetlight by the road.
As it opened its mouth and flicked its tongue, one could see a human head growing inside its cavernous, bloody maw.
The lizard kept its head lowered, staring down at the men below.
Perhaps due to Xiao Ji’s presence, it hadn’t launched an attack yet.
Xiao Ji looked at the man. “What’s that behind you? A gun?”
The man brought the gun from behind his back to his front, aiming the muzzle at Xiao Ji with a malicious grin:
“Want to try it?”
Xiao Ji didn’t say whether he wanted to try it or not. He simply patted the bag in his hand and said:
“If you’re willing, I can trade these with you.”
The man scoffed and pressed the muzzle against Xiao Ji’s forehead.
“Stop wasting time. I don’t have time to screw around with you here.”
As the cold muzzle touched Xiao Ji’s skin, he let out a regretful click of his tongue and gave a soft whistle.
“That’s truly a shame.”
The moment the words left his mouth, before the three men could even process what he meant…
The giant lizard on the streetlight suddenly leaped down. In one bite, it swallowed more than half of the gunman’s body.
Seeing this, the other two scrambled back into the car to escape.
Unfortunately, one was a step too slow. He had just gotten into the car, his leg still hanging outside, when the lizard bit him and dragged him out before he could close the door.
The man driving went mad with fear. He slammed the accelerator, swerving to ram the lizard.
But the lizard moved rapidly, immediately leaping onto the roof of the car. Meanwhile, his companion—whose leg had been bitten and who hadn’t been able to crawl back up yet—was crushed directly under the car’s wheels.
As blood sprayed everywhere, Xiao Ji sat quietly not far away. He opened a black umbrella, shielding himself from the gore.
The white off-road vehicle sped away with the lizard in tow.
Xiao Ji sighed, folded the umbrella, and after a moment’s thought, left it by the roadside. He then reactivated his wheelchair and headed home.
However, just as he reached the vicinity of his apartment, he was intercepted once again.
This time, it was a black military armored vehicle.
Xiao Ji’s wheelchair almost touched the vehicle’s bumper before coming to a stop.
He switched off the automatic driving button and manually reversed a bit.
He looked at the black armored vehicle with a wooden expression.
The door opened, and Bai Yinnian stepped out, looking at Xiao Ji.
“Insurance fraud? I’m not taking the fall for this.”
Bai Yinnian had been watching Xiao Ji; Xiao Ji knew this.
He knew even better that Bai Yinnian would eventually come looking for him, but he hadn’t expected it to be this soon.
He displayed a perfectly calculated look of surprise, his eyes curving slightly as he said to Bai Yinnian:
“Hello.”
Over the past few days, Bai Yinnian had made monitoring Xiao Ji his top priority.
He had mapped out Xiao Ji’s general daily routes and had been following him from a short distance.
Today, when Xiao Ji was blocked, Bai Yinnian would have stepped in if the lizard hadn’t suddenly attacked.
On the first night they met, he had considered recruiting Xiao Ji. However, he had hesitated, thinking that Xiao Ji’s physical disability and lack of combat power would hold the team back.
Later, he gradually discovered that even if someone like Xiao Ji had zero combat power, they were an excellent choice for scouting and searching.
All pollutants seemed unable to see him.
But today, he discovered that the lizard didn’t seem unable to see Xiao Ji.
Its timing was too perfect.
As a low-intelligence creature, it was highly probable that it had received some kind of signal.
Furthermore, during the attack, it had intentionally avoided Xiao Ji.
Who had sent that signal was self-evident.
Although it was just a guess, Bai Yinnian had a premonition that his hunch was likely correct.
If he wasn’t mistaken, Xiao Ji might even be able to control these low-intelligence creatures.
He stood before Xiao Ji, his expression cold and stern.
“Are you free? I’d like to have a chat.”
Xiao Ji looked at the sky. “It’s getting dark. It might not be safe outside. Would you like to come in and have a seat?”
Bai Yinnian also instinctively looked at the darkening sky. Although he didn’t care about the danger, he followed Xiao Ji’s suggestion:
“Then I’ll have to trouble you.”
Lin Xu, who had come out with Bai Yinnian, stuck his head out the window.
“Boss, should I come with you?”
Bai Yinnian waved his hand. “No need. Wait for me here. Kill the engine and turn off the lights.”
With that, he walked behind Xiao Ji and pushed the wheelchair toward the apartment.
The two entered the elevator, and Bai Yinnian pressed the button for the seventeenth floor without being told.
Xiao Ji said nothing.
It wasn’t until Bai Yinnian pushed Xiao Ji to his front door that Xiao Ji spoke:
“Why don’t you just open the door yourself too?”
Bai Yinnian didn’t feel embarrassed. “My apologies. Given the special circumstances of your appearance, it was necessary for me to gain a certain level of understanding.”
Xiao Ji scoffed. “Surveillance and control—there’s no need to make it sound so grand.”
Bai Yinnian pursed his lips. “I hope you understand.”
Xiao Ji fished out his keys and opened the door, letting Bai Yinnian push him inside.
He gestured for Bai Yinnian to sit on the sofa. He steered his wheelchair to the refrigerator, took out a can of beer, and handed it to the man.
Bai Yinnian didn’t decline. He popped the tab and took two sips.
He surveyed the environment of Xiao Ji’s home.
A dilapidated, cramped living room containing only an old-fashioned sofa, a coffee table with a broken corner, and a radio sitting on the edge of the table.
The walls were somewhat yellowed. Although old, the place was very clean.
It felt completely out of step with a society where technology dominated life before the chaos broke out.
Bai Yinnian deliberated for a moment before speaking to Xiao Ji:
“If I’m not mistaken… you’ve already been infected, haven’t you?”
Translator’s Note: Xiao Ji is officially using the “distress signal” to summon mutants! That giant lizard was basically his bodyguard. Also, notice how Xiao Ji points out that his home is “clean but old.” In a world where high-tech failed, this analog lifestyle seems to have saved him or allowed him to adapt differently. Bai Yinnian pressing the 17th floor button without being told shows how much he’s been stalking Xiao Ji. Creepy or romantic? In Danmei, it’s usually both.
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