Chapter 358 - 173: Sandstorm

Chapter 358: Chapter 173: Sandstorm

The morning sun scattered across the sand pit, dyeing the shelters made of canvas and wooden planks a golden yellow.

Xu Mo came out of his shelter and stretched his body. He had slept soundly enough through the night in the sand pit. Although he could hear occasional rustling sounds from outside, the camp itself was quiet, and no one had disturbed him.

The air was filled with the smell of food. Xu Mo saw a few women bustling around a fire, a pot steaming with something boiling inside. Several children were gathered around the pot, waiting with eager eyes.

Shi Lei saw Xu Mo from a distance and waved. Xu Mo nodded back at him.

After washing up, Xu Mo was about to pack his things and leave when Old Zheng walked over.

"Why not stay for breakfast? It’s porridge made with sandworm meat. Tastes pretty good," Old Zheng offered.

"No, thank you." Xu Mo shook his head. "I still have food in my car, so I won’t trouble you."

Hearing Xu Mo’s refusal, Old Zheng nodded and didn’t press the matter.

Xu Mo did indeed have food. His car was stocked with plenty of rations issued by Jiang City, along with various other foods he had collected. It was enough to last him for many days, so there was no need to dip into the sand pit’s supplies.

But that wasn’t the only reason for his refusal. Eating too much meat from Mutant Beasts causes one to mutate. This was an official warning from Jiang City and a fact Xu Mo had witnessed with his own eyes.

Xu Mo didn’t look down on them. In this apocalypse, just staying alive was hard enough. ’What does it matter what your body becomes?’

But Xu Mo didn’t want to become like them. Some of those Mutants were forced into it, others were willing, but without exception, all their bodies had changed.

Xu Mo just wanted to remain as he was. That’s why he didn’t eat the meat of Mutant Beasts. From the time he left Jiang City until now, Xu Mo had only eaten the food he brought with him or normal food scavenged from human settlements. He hadn’t touched a single bite of Mutant Beast meat.

This wasn’t discrimination, just a choice.

Old Zheng naturally understood his reasoning and said no more. He stood beside Xu Mo, gazing at the rolling dunes in the distance. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"You said yesterday that you came from the direction of Jiangzhou?"

"Yes." Xu Mo nodded.

"How is Jiangzhou now?" There was a hint of complex emotion in Old Zheng’s voice.

Xu Mo thought for a moment, then answered truthfully.

"Not good."

Xu Mo then described what he had seen on the outskirts of Jiangzhou: the massive bridge spanning the river, crammed with abandoned vehicles, and the roars of the dead that echoed from the city at night.

"Due to the high temperatures, a lot of zombies have probably died of dehydration," Xu Mo continued. "I saw some on my way here. Some zombies had turned directly into dried-up corpses, lying motionless on the ground. But most of the ones hiding inside buildings are still alive. They come out as soon as night falls."

Old Zheng listened quietly, his expression unchanging, but a flicker of gloom crossed his eyes.

"There must be a large number of Level 1 and Level 2 zombies," Xu Mo went on. "I ran into some on the outskirts of Jiangzhou. I didn’t go into the city proper, but judging from the roars and the commotion, there are definitely a lot of high-level zombies inside. If you’re thinking of going back..."

Xu Mo paused, leaving the sentence unfinished, but his meaning was perfectly clear.

Old Zheng was silent for a long time.

The sound of children’s laughter drifted from the distance. The kids were still chasing each other and playing, completely unaware of what the adults were discussing.

"We’re not going back." Old Zheng finally spoke, his voice calm, as if stating something that had been decided long ago. "We used to hope for it, but now..."

Old Zheng shook his head, not finishing his thought.

Xu Mo looked at him, seeing a complex mix of emotions in his profile—loss, helplessness, and a trace of relief, of finally letting go.

"Actually," Xu Mo said, "although resources are scarce in the desert, for you all, this place is truly a form of protection."

Old Zheng turned to look at him.

"There are no zombies! There’s no water, so the zombies won’t venture into the desert. If they came in here, they’d just be waiting to die. Here, at least you don’t have to worry about being besieged by them."

Old Zheng nodded.

"Back when we lived on the edge of Jiangzhou, we were on edge every day, terrified the zombies would find us. Here, even though life is a bit harder, we really don’t have to worry about those things."

"Then just keep holding out here," Xu Mo said. "It’s tough, but it’s safe. As for Jiangzhou, you can think about that again when the time is right."

Old Zheng nodded again.

"You’re right."

After saying this, Old Zheng looked toward the playful children in the distance, the women bustling by the fire, and the men who were readying their spears, preparing to go out and hunt.

"This is our home now!"

Xu Mo said no more. He had said all that needed to be said; the rest was their own choice.

Xu Mo turned and walked toward his SUV. He had only taken a few steps when Old Zheng suddenly called out to him.

"Wait."

Xu Mo stopped and looked back at Old Zheng, puzzled.

Old Zheng strode over, his expression turning serious.

"There’s something I have to tell you," he said. "About the weather."

"Oh?" Xu Mo’s brow furrowed slightly.

"I’ve lived in this desert for a year now, so I have some understanding of the weather here. A sandstorm might be coming in the next day or two," Old Zheng began to explain.

"A sandstorm?" Xu Mo repeated.

"Yes." Old Zheng nodded. "Look at the sky. It’s been too still the past two days, unnaturally still. And when I got up this morning, the air didn’t smell right. It’s the kind of smell you get before a sandstorm. I can’t quite describe it, but you can feel it when you’ve been here long enough."