The moonlight is bright,

Shadows cast across the shallow water.

Li Yu sat at the top of the tallest building in the Oil City stronghold, watching the flames flaring beyond the walls, and lit a cigarette in the gentle evening breeze.

Looking down from the rooftop to the main gate, he could see four heads hanging there, one of which had been crushed by Li Yu during the day, so badly mangled it couldn't be hung up again.

No guilt, nor any compassion.

Since a long time ago, whether it was killing people or Zombies, it didn't feel like a big deal, seemingly as ordinary as eating or drinking water.

Beside him, Third Uncle, Jackals, Ant, Li Tie, Dapao, and others were sitting and resting.

Whenever Li Yu had free time, he would take Li Tie and the others to learn combat skills from Third Uncle and Ant.

After all, they were all battle-hardened veterans, with none lacking in their Kung Fu skills.

A small martial arts session had just entered its intermission.

"Xiao Yu, I heard from Jackals that you encountered a Taoist on your way over the past two days?"

Third Uncle's voice drifted over from behind.

Li Yu turned his head towards Third Uncle and said, "Yes, we happened to see him. That Taoist is quite skilled, managing to hold out in the Zombie Tide alone for so long. I thought it was a waste for him to be bitten to death by Zombies, so I saved him on impulse."

Beside him, Jackals, who was playing with his knife, spoke up, "I only remembered later that before I arrived at the Big Camphor Tree Base, I passed by Sanqing Mountain when there was a flood, and that place saved me."

"Oh? Tell us, Jackals, you haven't mentioned this story," said Ant with some interest.

In Jackals's eyes, a look of reminiscence appeared as he recalled the rain and flood.

"A few months ago, in the rain and flood, Xiao Yong and I ran towards Sanqing Mountain to avoid the flood. At the time, all we had was half a squirrel, no other food, literally at the end of our rope."

The rain was pouring heavily, the water on the mountain rushed down like a stream, and the water level below kept rising, the flood was rampant.

We reached halfway up the mountain, and you'll never guess what we found?"

Dapao immediately said, "Found a house? Then you guys hid inside, eventually discovering a lot of food?"

Jackals looked at Dapao in surprise and blurted out, "How did you know?"

Dapao scratched his head and said, "Isn't that the dream survivors usually have?"

Jackals laughed and said, "Yes, but it actually came true for us. The small house we found was very small, probably a small grocery store built before the Doomsday. When we got inside, we found instant noodles, alcohol... even cigarettes in the hidden wall.

At that moment, I kept thinking it was heaven's blessing, a miracle. With that food, we got through the rain and flood."

Everyone listened quietly, even Li Tie, who was controlling the drone in a hover nearby, pricked up his ears to listen.

Jackals continued, "We then continued up the mountain and saw the Three Pure Ones Mountain Taoist Temple, but unfortunately, there was nothing inside, no people, no food."

"However, we found a sentence written in large black brushstrokes in the main hall."

"What was it?" Li Tie, too curious, turned his head to ask.

"During chaotic times, go down the mountain to save people." Jackals's eyes lit up, he vaguely recalled how he felt upon seeing those words.

In those chaotic years, they went against the current to save people, to save the world.

In any case, these people are to be admired.

Whether it was Li Tie or Dapao, they were moved by the meaning of those eight characters.

Li Yu suddenly spoke, "Speaking of which, it reminds me that when Zhong Chuchu came over, I once asked her how she knew about the Big Camphor Tree Base. She told me a Taoist showed them the way, saying she could head south to Gan City."

"Zhong Chuchu said this Taoist seemed to be looking for his senior brother. Could it be the same Taoist we saw two days ago?"

Dapao spoke up, "That's unlikely, can't be such a coincidence."

Third Uncle, however, shook his head and said, "I think it's possible. There are very few people wearing Taoist robes in the Doomsday, besides, the place Zhong Chuchu mentioned meeting him was near the junction of Gansheng and Hubei Province, quite close to Sanqing Mountain."

Li Yu nodded and said, "That does make some sense, but my main curiosity is why the Taoist knew to direct Zhong Chuchu to Gan City. If he said that, he must have some understanding of us.

How did he know about us?"

Everyone fell silent, when Jackals suddenly asked, "Have you guys been near Sanqing Mountain?"

Li Gang said, "Never been to Sanqing Mountain, but I've been to Chang City quite a bit."

"We encountered those prison maniacs, Ma Jun's group, and the Corpse Speakers while gathering supplies there," Li Tie frowned and picked up the conversation from Li Gang.

"Yes, and that guy Dongfeng who joined, old Wan and those people also came from that area," Dapao nodded and said.

After hearing them, Jackals nodded and said, "Then that must be it, maybe when you were over there, he saw you, or possibly for some other reason."

None could figure out a definitive reason for a while.

It was Dapao who broke the silence, he spoke up, "Do you guys think he will be able to find his senior brother?"

"Hard to say, with transportation and communication being difficult now, finding someone like that is like fishing for a needle in the ocean, not to mention it's the Doomsday with Zombies everywhere," Li Yu shook his head and said.

After talking, Li Yu patted his back and said to Jackals, "Uncle Jackal, I heard from Third Uncle that you're a master with the Flying Knife, can you teach me?"

Jackals replied a bit embarrassedly, "The captain is praising me overly, it's just a small trick of mine, not worth much. Let's exchange, exchange. I missed seeing you handle those people today, but I know about Director Li's skill. Very strong."

Li Yu waved his hand and then followed Jackals to learn the Flying Knife techniques.

Beside them, Dapao got involved with Old Qin, seeking advice on shooting techniques.

Li Tie also landed the drone and found Ant...

.....

The night was alluring, atop the central building in the Oil City stronghold.

A group of young people in their twenties asking questions of a group of King of Soldiers in their forties.

Legacy continues through the generations, where there are people, there is heritage, there is a world.

......

Less than two hundred kilometers from the Oil City stronghold.

Feng Mountain in Xinghua Township, An County.

A young man in tattered Taoist robes stood atop this steep peak.

Though Feng Mountain's altitude isn't high, it's incredibly steep, some places reaching a ninety-degree angle, the entire mountain is like this, extremely hard to climb.

Most intriguingly, this mountain seems like a stone from the heavens, suddenly descending in this place, with no other peaks within three kilometers, just flatlands. These flatlands were once farmland before the Doomsday, now overrun with weeds from neglect.

Jagged rocks, at the center there's a slightly flat and smooth stone.

The Taoist sat on a rock, the wind on the mountain was strong, and with no shelter around, the wind blew chaotically, ruffling his hair.

In front of him, there was a small fire.

On the fire, something seemed to be roasting.

Sizzling—

The Taoist quickly turned the roasted chicken around, switching to roast the other side.

A long stick skewered the roasted chicken, and after flipping it, he placed it back into a crevice among the jagged rocks.

The young Taoist looked beyond the fields; in the distance, some hazy peaks appeared draped in a thin veil under the moonlight.

"If not seen on the summit of the Jasper Mountain, we may meet under the moon of the Jade Terrace."

Strangely enough, a line of poetry by Li Bai popped into his mind. This Li Bai was also reportedly a Taoist back then, who spent years looking for immortals.

"Senior brother, where are you?" The Taoist looked at the vast world, his wide and tattered sleeves billowing in the wind.

Rustling.

Suddenly, the Taoist sniffed, a trace of joy flashed in his eyes.

He quickly lifted the skewer with the roasted chicken, removing it from the flames.

This wild chicken was caught by him this evening on this mountain, one male and one female, along with a nest of wild chicken eggs.

But he only caught one wild chicken, leaving the other to care for the eggs.

Everything in the world follows the principle of moderation; one should not fish by draining the pond.

Watching as the chicken's golden, crispy, and juicy skin was perfectly roasted, he remembered how his senior brother often praised his roast chicken, lamentably now the senior brother was nowhere to be found.

Alas...

He sighed, unable to resist the aroma of the fragrant roast chicken any longer.

Hmm?

Just remembering something, he quickly took out a mini gourd from his arms.

"Almost forgot you." Carefully avoiding the wind, the young Taoist sprinkled a bit of salt onto the roast chicken from the mini gourd.

Then he covered it before taking a big bite.

"Hmm.... delicious." He closed his eyes, contentedly.

So satisfying.

Full of flavor, crispy on the outside and tender inside, mixed with rich meat aromas, the salt was like the finishing touch, making it extremely tasty.

The wings and chicken feet were roasted a bit crispy; although there wasn't much meat, the taste was the best.

He polished it off quickly, feeling a bit dry-mouthed.

He fumbled around, finding the gourd hanging by his waist, opened it, and tilted it to drink.

"Gone?" Only a few drops of water came out of the gourd, and he licked the droplets on his lips, murmuring somewhat unsatisfied.

Looking around, the foot of the mountain was filled with zombies. Although the zombies couldn't climb up, he couldn't go down now since it was night.

"Should have fetched some water during the day...so thirsty..."

He said helplessly.

Hmm?

Suddenly, he noticed a wild banana plant growing ten meters away at a vertical height.

His eyes lit up with joy.

He stood up with his sword, nimbly jumping between jagged rocks, his wide sleeves fluttering, exuding an ethereal and otherworldly aura.

Crack!

With a swift stroke, he cut down the wild banana, then quickly stripped its bark with swift flicks of his sword.

Leaving only a core less than three centimeters in diameter.

The banana core contains more than seventy percent water, essentially solid moisture.

Additionally, the banana core has a high sugar content, with effects that can alleviate heat, prevent gum swelling, and promote digestion and bowel movement.

Just right for counteracting the heat from eating roast chicken, consuming some banana core helps hydrate and cool down.

Crunch—

Taking a bite, it was sweet, juicy, and stringy...

Feeling satiated and hydrated, he lay down on the smooth slab of stone.

With the sky as a blanket, and the earth as a bed.

He looked at the bright white moon, as the gentle breeze caressed the mountains, placing his sword on his chest, he quietly rested.

.....

Oil City Bastion.

Ever since that day when Li Yu executed those people and hung their heads at the main gate, the pace of the wall repairs had inexplicably sped up significantly.

Li Yu naturally knew the reason.

But he wouldn't mistreat them either, increasing the food supply for these Cooperative Personnel by thirty percent.

Three days later, the wall repair work was completed.

Originally, the plan was to build to a height of six meters, but in reality, it was built a whole meter higher.

Reaching seven meters.

Li Yu initially had concerns about whether the foundation below could bear the weight, but seeing the bases under the wall that had been poured reassured him.

The upper and lower parts were joined together; as long as the base was heavy enough, there would be no major issues.

After finishing the wall repairs, they continued to excavate the outer trenches.

This involved the security of Oil City Bastion and could not be taken lightly.

Those living outside, the collaborators, had their work done after repairing the wall, but now there was a new task, which was to dig around the outside of the wall, centering around Oil City Bastion.