Chapter 89

Qi Xia never imagined that he would walk along the road for an entire day, all the way until the sun sank below the horizon, without seeing the edge of the city.

A normal person can walk at a speed of five kilometers per hour, but Qi Xia calculated that, given his physical condition, his speed was only about three kilometers per hour.

He had already walked for more than seven hours today, covering a distance of about twenty kilometers.

Now, he felt dizzy and his legs were trembling constantly. He could continue walking almost entirely due to the inertia of his legs.

"I just hope I can die a little later..."

After walking for another ten minutes, Qi Xia was indeed too exhausted to continue. He found an old building and went inside. As night approached, if he stayed outside, he might encounter those strange "insects." Although he didn't know the exact danger they posed, he chose to avoid these unnecessary troubles in advance.

Qi Xia used the lighter from Officer Li to light a fire, then took out the map of "Heaven's Gate," flipped it to the back, and used his own blood to roughly record the route he had taken.

The city was much larger than he had imagined.

He had thought that by following the road, he would at least reach a place like the wilderness, but unexpectedly, the buildings around him gradually grew taller, as if he were moving from the outskirts to the city center.

"Few ordinary cities have a diameter exceeding fifty kilometers..." Qi Xia drew the map with his own blood while thinking, "Theoretically, I should reach the edge of the city by tomorrow afternoon, and then everything will be clear."

Thinking of this, he moved closer to the fire, found a relatively comfortable position, and lay down. The blood on his body had already dried, emitting a foul, rusty smell.

Last night, Lin Qin had treated his wounds with a torch. Although the bleeding had stopped, the burned areas were both painful and itchy, making it difficult for him to sleep.

When dawn came, Qi Xia dragged his nearly broken body to get up.

A night's rest had not restored any of his strength. He was completely

exhausted.

Without water, food, or medicine.

Qi Xia even envied Han Yimo, who could die so quickly.

He found a few relatively clean pieces of paper in the room, tore them into pieces, and swallowed them.

If his stomach were empty, he might not see the edge of the city.

Facing the sunrise, Qi Xia set out again.

He was already far from the initial square, where he no longer heard the "bell sounds" or saw the "zodiacs."

But as he continued deeper into the city, the original residents gradually increased.

It seemed like a real city, except that most of the people on the streets were like zombies. They had no expressions, no aggression, and did not communicate with others, just wandering aimlessly.

For a moment, Qi Xia felt like one of the zombies on the street.

Their movements, expressions, and even their walking speed were no different from his.

How ironic was this?

Could these people have also been stabbed and then walked purposefully to the edge of the city?

As the sun rose higher, Qi Xia felt something was wrong with his condition.

He touched his forehead and neck, which seemed to be getting hot.

It appeared that using fire to treat his wounds was too risky. Even if it temporarily stopped the bleeding, it couldn't prevent the wound from becoming infected and causing a fever.

Qi Xia felt his eyelids getting heavier with each step, and he could collapse at any moment. If he fell this time, he might never get up again.

After nearly half an hour, Qi Xia slowly stopped by the roadside.

He couldn't take another step.

At this moment, he leaned on an old taxi, panting heavily.

"What a pity..." Qi Xia looked at the distant road. There was still a long way to go, but unfortunately, he would collapse here. It seemed that in his final moments, he would still not see the ultimate secret of this place.

Qi Xia leaned on the old taxi, feeling frustrated, and was about to sit down when he suddenly noticed someone in the car.

The person didn't look like a corpse but was a woman who was blinking.

"An 'original resident'..." Qi Xia looked at the hard ground and then at the soft seats in the car, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

If he was going to die here, he at least wanted to choose a soft spot.

With this thought, Qi Xia opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.

The car smelled nice, like a woman's car.

Whether it was good news or not, Qi Xia could escape the stench that permeated the entire city at the last moment.

"Before, I never thought car seats could be so comfortable..." Qi Xia muttered, "Now I can die in peace."

"Where to?" the woman asked calmly.

"Where to?" Qi Xia smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Where can I go now?"

He patted his thigh and slowly sang, "Drive to the edge of the city, roll down the windows, and trade speed for a little relief..."

"The edge of the city?" The woman thought for a moment, "I don't know where that is. Can you give me directions?"

With that, the woman pressed the meter and turned the key.

As Qi Xia had expected, the car made an old, creaking sound and didn't start.

The woman didn't give up and turned the key several times. Finally, after five attempts, the car began to vibrate.

Qi Xia was stunned and turned to look at the woman in disbelief. She didn't look like an "original resident." At least her complexion was rosy, and her figure was well-proportioned. Could she be a "good person"?

A "good person" with her own car...

"Please fasten your seatbelt, we're off." The woman shifted into first gear, released the clutch, and accelerated smoothly.

Qi Xia, unsure what to do, fumbled for the seatbelt but found only an elastic strap with a rusted metal buckle.

He didn't have time to think about it and tried to strike up a conversation with the woman: "You... you are... a taxi driver?"

"Sir, you're joking." The woman shook her head and shifted into third gear, "If I'm not a driver, am I a car thief?"

Seeing the woman communicate smoothly and even make a small joke, Qi Xia was even more confused.

A woman with such a clear mind was clearly not an "original resident." She must be a "participant," but why would a "participant" be driving a taxi?

"Haven't you noticed... that this place is very abnormal?" Qi Xia pointed to the scenery outside the window, trying to understand the position of this ordinary-looking woman.

"Is that so?" The woman glanced out the window and said indifferently, "It's a bit abnormal, it's overcast."

Qi Xia sighed helplessly. It seemed the woman was still an "original resident," but she had just recently become one, and her thinking was still relatively clear.

"What's your name?" Qi Xia asked again.

The woman didn't speak but pointed to a spot in front of Qi Xia. There hung her professional qualification certificate, with her photo and name.

She had a beautiful name: Xu Liunian.