The two of them arrived at the entrance of these few houses, and by this time darkness had already fallen.

Xu Chengcai stuffed the snake he had just caught into his backpack, then took up his short spear and motioned for his son to follow behind him.

The houses in front of them were in ruins, with shattered window glass all over the ground.

The door frame was also decayed, lying on the ground.

Xu Chengcai took out a hand-cranked flashlight and turned on the light.

He walked in from the entrance.

The door lay on the ground, and with the light, he could directly see the situation inside; in the middle of the hall, there was a shrine cabinet with a statue on it.

The statue was covered with dust, and a part of its arm was broken off.

There were only a few short incense sticks left in the incense burner, evidently burned down to wooden stubs.

The hall was a mess, clearly this place had been searched by someone long ago.

Xu Chengcai searched the house briefly before taking his son upstairs to the second floor.

The second floor had been renovated, with some tiled floors, but the floor was covered in mud and dust, with wood chips everywhere.

There was a sofa on the second floor, covered with volcanic ash that had blown in. Xu Chengcai forcefully tore at the sofa, revealing the wooden frame inside.

They would use this to burn later, Xu Chengcai thought.

"Dad, come here quickly!" Somehow, his son had left his side and ran into a room.

Xu Chengcai instantly became tense and rushed towards the direction of his son's voice.

This was evidently the homeowner's bedroom, with a wardrobe and a broken dressing table.

Xiao Yong stared blankly at a corpse on the bed. Xu Chengcai glanced at it and became somewhat angry as he said to his son, "How many times have I told you not to leave me by more than two meters? What if there were zombies?"

Xu Chengcai's tone was a bit stern. Hearing this, Xiao Yong lowered his head.

Seeing him like this, Xu Chengcai said nothing more and walked over to the bed, uncovering the sheet.

When he removed the sheet, the corpse underneath was already decayed, leaving only bones.

He looked at it and then covered it back up with the sheet.

Seeing no fear on his son's face, he sighed slightly. In this doomsday, Xiao Yong had witnessed everything alongside him.

Zombies, mammals infected by zombies, cannibalistic villains, bloody corpses, witnessing some committing atrocities, and rotten corpses...

He didn't look at the skeleton anymore but searched the bedroom's wardrobe, finding a blanket.

The blanket was in good condition, so he took it out and draped it over his son's shoulders.

Even though temperatures had risen recently, it was still quite cold at night, only a few degrees.

After searching the house again and finding no zombies, Xu Chengcai fetched a bucket of water from outside.

Upon returning to the building, he used a piece of wire at the entrance, threading it with several broken bowls found in the rooms as a warning signal.

Although the doors and window glass were broken, the windows on the ground floor had wooden bars, preventing zombies from coming in.

The wire placed here would alert them if zombies came, as they'd hear the noise.

Xu Chengcai and his son went to the second floor, dismantled the sofa, and lit the wood with a firestone.

Xiao Yong watched his father's actions, remembering how his father did it.

With the flame burning, Xu Chengcai processed the corpse of the cauliflower snake on a plank; his mastery with the dagger quickly dismantled the snake.

After a quick rinse with water, he took an iron can and hung it over the fire.

Throwing the snake into the iron can to stew, after some thought, he also added some lichen they had collected during the day.

This lichen was a symbiotic mix of moss and fungus, both of which are edible, and the lichen tasted like ordinary vegetables with a hint of mushroom flavor. Lichen has high nutritional value, rich in various amino acids and minerals, and its calcium content is particularly high for a vegetable.

A faint zombie howl reached his ears. Xu Chengcai judged the distance, estimating it to be at least two kilometers away.

In the silent night, the zombie's howl seemed to be the only sound resonating in the darkness, able to carry a long distance.

Gurgle—

Xu Chengcai saw his son eagerly watching the lichen snake broth simmering in the iron can, and with a smile glowing in the firelight, he said, "It's almost ready. There are many parasitic bacteria on the snake, so it must be boiled before eating."

In the past, he didn't have much time to accompany his son. But after doomsday, only the two of them were left in the family.

Depending on each other for survival, the bond between father and son grew stronger.

Each time, Xu Chengcai seized the moment to impart his knowledge to his son.

Worried that when he's no longer around, his son will still be able to survive in this world.

The water boiled, and after about ten minutes more of cooking.

Xu Chengcai used two wooden sticks to lift the iron can, then divided half for his son, while he took the iron can, using freshly whittled chopsticks to pick up the snake meat.

The snake meat was a little soft from cooking and hard to pick up.

But he patiently picked out the snake bones bit by bit.

"Eat slowly, watch out for snake bones!" he reminded as he saw Xiao Yong sipping the broth eagerly from the bowl.

"Delicious!" Xiao Yong's face was full of contentment in the firelight.

With a smile at the corners of his mouth, Xu Chengcai shook his head and, holding the iron can, wanted to pour some more into his son's bowl.

But Xiao Yong refused.

Seeing the determination on his face, Xu Chengcai felt a slight ache in his nose.

He said nothing.

After finishing the hot lichen snake broth.

Night was dangerous; for safety, they took turns keeping watch.

Xu Chengcai took the first half of the night, while Xiao Yong took the second half.

Watching his son sleep with his head resting on his leg, Xu Chengcai's eyes showed deep fatherly love.

"You are my everything! My reason to keep going," Xu Chengcai murmured to himself.

This doomsday was too difficult; even for adults, survival was challenging, let alone someone having to take care of a child.

It was worth remembering that when doomsday broke out, Xiao Yong was not even seven years old.

Only someone like him, as a top Special Forces unit member with formidable combat skills, could still survive with a child up till now.

Watching the flickering flames, he thought of the past.

Remembering Old Qin, thinking of Big Ant, remembering the captain.

He didn't know where to go next, only that he had to keep moving forward.

Perhaps heading south would be better, at least the weather would be warmer. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

He didn't want to join any factions because some faction members' nature as good or evil couldn't be discerned, and he had hardly met any good people in the long period since the apocalypse.

Sometimes, some survivors not only wanted to take your supplies but also desired the meat on your bones.

.......

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