RTIWTLITEOTW Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Reason

Jiang Xianchuan was immersed in a sweet dream when he suddenly felt someone gently shaking his shoulder, followed by a soft voice: “Brother, it’s time to leave.” He groggily opened his eyes and saw Qi An’s face close by. Jiang Xianchuan subconsciously rubbed his eyes to clear his head, then nodded and replied, “Okay, let’s go.”

He slowly pushed open the door, and the morning sunlight streamed in, bringing a touch of warmth. Jiang Xianchuan took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air, and turned to Qi An, asking, “Which way do we go?” Qi An closed his eyes slightly, as if sensing something. After a moment, he opened his eyes and replied, “According to my senses, Li Lingyu, Qi Xiaoyao, and Shi Yi are together, and they are heading north.” Jiang Xianchuan said without hesitation, “Alright, let’s go.”

Thus, the group set out on their journey. Qi An led the way, occasionally turning back to chat with Jiang Xianchuan, sharing some of the sights along the way or reminding him to watch his step. At the rear of the group, Lin Pianyue held onto Ji Tiantian’s hand, the two girls chatting and laughing as they followed the others.

As they walked, the doubts in Jiang Xianchuan’s mind grew stronger. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask Qi An, “Qi An, I still don’t understand why you chose to cooperate with me.” Qi An stopped, turned to face the puzzled Jiang Xianchuan, and smiled slightly, asking in return, “Does brother really want to know?” Seeing Jiang Xianchuan nod firmly, Qi An sighed softly and lowered his voice, saying, “Brother, actually… I am also a Rebirth.”

These few words exploded in Jiang Xianchuan’s ears like a thunderclap. He widened his eyes, staring at Qi An in disbelief, as countless questions and guesses flooded his mind.

“Brother, let’s talk as we walk.” Qi An’s lips curved into a faint smile, and he once again gracefully started walking forward. Seeing this, Jiang Xianchuan quickly quickened his pace to walk beside him.

“Brother may not remember, but you did help me once,” Qi An said, glancing at Jiang Xianchuan with gratitude in his eyes as he walked.

“I helped you? When did that happen?” Jiang Xianchuan asked, looking puzzled.

“Yes, it was on April 17th. At that time, because our family’s food supply was exhausted, I had to risk going out to find food. Unexpectedly, I was besieged by a group of terrifying zombies. Just when I felt hopeless and helpless, you saved me.”

“I’m sorry, I have absolutely no recollection of that incident,” Jiang Xianchuan said apologetically, looking at Qi An with guilt.

Qi An gently shook his head, indicating that he didn’t mind. “It’s okay, brother.”

“But… how did you become a zombie in this life?” Jiang Xianchuan frowned, full of curiosity.

“It’s strange. One morning, when I woke up from my sleep, I found some bite marks on my body. Fortunately, I didn’t immediately transform completely into a zombie and still retained some human consciousness and mobility. From then on, I searched everywhere for your whereabouts, hoping to see you again,” Qi An slowly recounted his experience.

After listening, Jiang Xianchuan nodded thoughtfully, saying, “I see. In that case, even without cooperating with me, you would be strong enough to deal with all kinds of dangerous situations with your strength. I know very well that you are already very powerful on your own.”

Hearing this, Qi An simply smiled and did not answer. The two continued to walk in silence, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, and the road beneath their feet seemed to become longer.

At noon, under the blazing sun, Qi An finally stopped. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from Jiang Xianchuan’s forehead and said, “Let’s eat something and rest for a while.” The others nodded in agreement, and they began to look for a shady place to rest. Soon, they found a dense grove of trees by the roadside, and they quickly walked over and sat down on the ground.

At this moment, Jiang Xianchuan waved his right hand, and immediately several loaves of bread and several boxes of milk appeared. He immediately handed them to everyone, and the group took the food and began to devour it hungrily.

After eating and drinking their fill, Qi An closed his eyes slightly, concentrating to sense the surrounding situation again. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said to Jiang Xianchuan, “Brother, according to my senses, we are not far from them. If we speed up, we should be able to catch up today.”

Jiang Xianchuan nodded after hearing this, then asked, “Where are Bai Su and Yi Yuzhi now?” Qi An shook his head, his brow furrowed, “I don’t know why, but I can’t sense their presence at all. And since entering this area, I feel that my control over those zombies has become more and more difficult. Especially as we go further north, this situation becomes even more obvious.”

As the two were talking, Ji Tiantian suddenly said, “Brother and sister, I want to go to the bathroom.” Lin Pianyue smiled gently and softly asked, “Do you want sister to go with you?” Ji Tiantian quickly waved her hand and refused, “No need, sister, you just rest well. I won’t go far.” Seeing her so sensible and well-behaved, Lin Pianyue nodded and said, “Alright then, go and come back quickly.”

Having received permission, Ji Tiantian got up and walked towards the bushes not far away. However, what was strange was that as time passed, Ji Tiantian, who had said she would be back soon, was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did Tiantian run off to? No, I have to go find her.” Lin Pianyue muttered to herself as she quickly stood up from her seat. Just then, a heart-wrenching cry suddenly entered her ears: “Sister Pianyue! Brother Jiang! Brother Qi An! Come and save me!”

“That’s Tiantian’s voice!” Lin Pianyue reacted instantly, shouting anxiously to her companions. Before her voice could fade, the group immediately sprang into action, searching for the direction of the cry.

Before long, they finally found the source of the sound. However, the scene before them made everyone gasp – a mysterious person wearing a bizarre mask was holding a sharp dagger tightly against Ji Tiantian’s throat.

“Tiantian!” Lin Pianyue shouted anxiously. At this moment, Ji Tiantian’s eyes were filled with tears. When she saw her companions coming to her rescue, she cried out with excitement, as if she had grasped a life-saving straw in the dark: “Sister! Please save me!”

Jiang Xianchuan, who had been standing to the side all along, stared intently at the masked person, his eyes revealing an uncontrollable murderous intent. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Speak, what do you want to let Tiantian go?”

The masked person’s lips curled into a sinister sneer, and then he calmly replied, “It’s very simple, as long as you hand over your ability to me, I will naturally let this little girl go.”