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After the Frozen Earth, there lay a vast Valley. In this expansive Valley, green plants were a rare sight, except for a resilient grass that clung to the cliffs, known as Cliff Grass. Xiao Qiang did not recognize this plant, but Jianjian knew it was used by her adoptive father to make hemp ropes.
Cliff Grass lacked the serrated edges of silk grass and had flat leaves that were quite tough. Xiao Qiang and Jianjian grasped the Cliff Grass to climb up the Valley, eventually reaching a slightly more open area.
"If we keep going like this, who knows when we'll finally cross this Valley?" Xiao Qiang muttered to himself as he stood at a height, shielding his eyes with his hand to gaze into the distance.
Amidst the towering mountains and deep ravines, there seemed to be no way out. This Gui Ye was quite treacherous, Xiao Qiang sighed inwardly but feigned ease as he said to Jianjian, "It's not a big deal; if there's no path, we have legs."
Jianjian wore a pained expression and remained silent, allowing Xiao Qiang to lead her as they climbed higher. They found a sheltered Gorge and hurriedly filled their stomachs before leaning against the rocks for a brief rest.
Half an hour later, Xiao Qiang stood up again and led Jianjian through the Gorge area. There were many deep caves within the Gorge that could provide a passage to the other side, making it easier to avoid climbing over the ridges.
In the tranquil Stone Wall Gorge, a cold breeze swept through, revealing dark and deep crevices with towering stone walls rising steeply. The Gorge felt empty yet refreshing; stepping inside felt like entering a secluded world, stirring an uneasy feeling in their hearts.
As Xiao Qiang guided Jianjian into a wider crevice, he unexpectedly discovered that it resembled a spacious living room inside. Overjoyed, she bounced in with childlike excitement.
However, just seconds later, her face turned pale as she rushed back out in panic, throwing herself beside him.
"What happened?"
"There are many dead people inside."
"Dead people?"
Xiao Qiang thought Jianjian must have seen wrong and quickly stepped inside to take a look. To his shock, there lay dozens of corpses curled up in the center of the open space.
Could this be a burial cave? Confused, Xiao Qiang scanned the surroundings but found no offerings or burial items—there wasn't even a trace of paper ash. Staring at the dead bodies surrounded by an eerie coldness sent chills down his spine.
Xiao Qiang dared not linger any longer. He grabbed Jianjian and hurried past the corpses, making his way to the other side of the valley. Just as they were about to exit the valley floor, he noticed a tattered figure standing not far ahead, head bowed. The sight was unsettling.
He pulled Jianjian behind him and stepped forward to approach the figure. If they encountered a living person here, that would be great; but if it turned out to be something sinister, then the pile of corpses they had just seen would raise serious concerns.
"Hello, are you okay?" Xiao Qiang tried to sound calm. Although he wasn't afraid of something like a Living Dead, he was wary of sudden attacks. He called out as he cautiously approached the figure.
The person remained in the same position, head down… looking as if they were asleep. As Xiao Qiang got closer, he couldn't see the person's face beneath the matted hair, but he caught a familiar scent—Blood Stench!
He felt speechless and quickly pushed Jianjian back while retreating himself.
Suddenly, the person lifted their head, revealing a face that was half mangled and covered in blood, with exposed gums dripping with viscous liquid. Upon seeing Xiao Qiang and Jianjian, the figure's blood-red eyes lit up as if spotting a new land in the desert, and it lunged at them with bared teeth.
"Damn it!" Xiao Qiang shielded Jianjian behind him and drew his dagger, aiming steadily at the forehead of the Living Dead.
The dagger quivered as it plunged into the Living Dead's forehead. The creature flailed wildly, its bulging eyes fixed on Xiao Qiang while it emitted a garbled hiss. Then it collapsed backward, hitting its head against a rock and spilling a pool of crimson liquid.
Seeing that the Living Dead was dead, Xiao Qiang stepped forward to pull out his dagger and wiped off the blood on its body—damn! This Living Dead hadn't completely died; just as he was cleaning off the blood, it suddenly sat up with a jolt and grabbed his arm. The move was genuinely terrifying. He frantically stabbed with his dagger and stumbled back a few steps, cold sweat pouring down him like needles prickling his skin.
After dealing with this Living Dead, Xiao Qiang and Jianjian couldn't help but recall those corpses they had seen in the open space at the valley bottom. Were they also Living Dead? Why hadn’t they attacked?
There was no time to ponder that now; they needed to escape from the valley as quickly as possible and reach whatever clinic Gui Ye had mentioned.
Jianjian, being a girl who liked cleanliness, was thrilled to find a mountain spring trickling through the cracks in the rocks. She eagerly splashed water on her face and tidied her hair.
At times like this, Xiao Qiang acted as her dedicated bodyguard, standing not far from her while scanning their surroundings. He feared that some malevolent entity might appear unexpectedly.
This time, Jianjian wanted to wash herself thoroughly. Xiao Qiang moved a bit farther away, settling on a protruding boulder about twenty meters from her while cleaning his dagger.
Jianjian was a little girl, the young Lin Yu, who was going through her growth phase and felt very shy. The innate modesty of a girl was evident in her, a feeling that Xiao Qiang was all too familiar with.
Calculating the time, it should be about right. Xiao Qiang slightly tilted his head and saw a figure in a black cloak snatch something from behind Jianjian and hurriedly flee.
"Hey! Who are you?" Xiao Qiang shouted angrily, leaping off the large rock to chase after the person. From a distance, the cloaked figure appeared slender and did not seem like a man. After a brief pursuit, the black-clad person vanished from sight.
Upon hearing Xiao Qiang's shout, Jianjian hurriedly put on her clothes and searched for his voice.
"That person took your things," Xiao Qiang reminded her.
Only then did she turn to look at where her belongings had been placed, now completely empty. "Who was it? How could they do this?"
"I don't know; I lost sight of them after chasing them this far," Xiao Qiang replied, raising a finger to signal Jianjian to be quiet. Based on the area he had just chased through, the person must be hiding nearby.
"Could it be the Living Dead?" Jianjian asked, her eyes wide with fear at the mention of the Living Dead.
"It shouldn't be; how could the Living Dead steal anything? They wouldn't let go of..." As he spoke, he noticed Jianjian's face turning bright red. He quickly stopped, averting his gaze from her face to carefully scan the surroundings. Finally, he fixed his attention on a triangular crevice. He gestured to Jianjian, and they moved in from both sides to encircle their target.
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