The Journey of Resident Evil - Chapter 31 - Something in the Cornfield

“We All Want to Be Well”-although it’s a love song, singing it now feels just right; slowly, I started to join in.

Suddenly, someone crossed my mind. Where are you?

But this is a secret within my heart, one that no one knows, not even Ye Xiang. The memories in my mind are slowly fading, maybe because I’m really happy now, with no worries. But today, Qimeng threw another worry my way. Why is Qimeng so against us going? It’s not that Qimeng is selfish, but what could be the reason? It wasn’t until Qimeng and Xueqi finished singing the song that I snapped back to reality.

“Tian, did we sing well?”

Even though I hadn’t been really listening to Qimeng and Xueqi’s song, not knowing what they sang, I nodded. “Good! Very nice. If you sing another one, it would be even better!”

I gave Xueqi a kiss on the cheek! And of course, Qimeng too-for equality’s sake. Liu Yonglin and Ye Xiang laughed heartily!

Xueqi’s cheeks flushed red, and Qimeng picked up the eaten corn cob and aimed it at Liu Yonglin!

I quickly grabbed Qimeng’s hand. Even though a hit with a corn cob wouldn’t hurt much, it’s not good for a girl to do that!

Everyone knew that Qimeng hadn’t been in the best state recently, so they understood her, otherwise things wouldn’t have been this way before!

“Fei Fei, why don’t you sing a song too!” Xueqi wasn’t the only one to showcase her talents. Fei Fei is also a great singer; every time I hear her humming those little tunes, I know she loves music too!

Fei Fei… Fei Fei… Fei Fei

Everyone started chanting…

Fei Fei couldn’t bring herself to refuse us.

Fei Fei… what song should she sing?

After thinking for a while, Fei Fei finally thought of a song. Even though I don’t know who sings it, I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before, maybe on campus or perhaps in an internet café that plays such music.

Ye Xiang was reminiscing too, enjoying it with his eyes closed!

“Ye Xiang, what are you thinking about?” I asked, noticing him lost in thought, and tapped his arm.

“Ah, you startled me!” Ye Xiang took a bite of the corn Liu Feng had roasted for him and said, “You know, this song is from our school! It reminds me of past stories!”

“Heh, actually I was thinking too! But probably about something different than you,” I chuckled.

I just didn’t want to share it with Ye Xiang! Hey, everyone has their little secrets! Even Qimeng, my girlfriend, keeps some things to herself, and I do the same-not everything needs to be shared with Ye Xiang!

“Sigh, let’s not dwell on it, thinking about it is useless! What do you think about tomorrow’s events?”

“Maybe we should ask the girls,” I suggested.

I thought for a moment, “Nah, forget it.” Before Ye Xiang could reply, I had already answered my own question.

As one song ended, I noticed Qimeng and Xueqi getting sleepy, and I felt a bit tired too. But tonight, I was supposed to keep watch.

Liu Yonglin suggested taking a rest since we have to go to the mountain tomorrow! But will there be any changes tonight? That’s uncertain. Qimeng, what are you really trying to tell me!

Tonight, Liu Yonglin, me, Ye Xiang, and Qian Jing are on night watch.

We brought watermelon and corn, the corn was already boiled! And we took the corn Liu Qi had just roasted up to the rooftop!

I had to settle these two darlings first, since Ye Xiang and Liu Yonglin had gone, Shen Wei and Ye Ling were naturally on their own.

Liu Yonglin approached Shen Wei, “Shen Wei, tonight you should sleep with Qimeng and Xueqi! For safety’s sake, you all need to be cautious. If anything happens, just call us, and don’t come out on your own, got it?”

“Liu Yonglin was thinking the same as me. Normally, Qimeng and Xueqi sleep with me at night, but now with Shen Wei, those little troublemakers have plenty of secrets to share!

Maybe tonight I should secretly listen in to see what secrets they have, although there are many things we guys shouldn’t hear. But they’re definitely going to talk about tomorrow’s outing, and if I miss it, I won’t find out.

Just thinking about it gives me a headache! Qimeng, this girl, has become more mischievous recently.

After arranging the girls, Ye Xiang, Liu Yonglin, Qian Jing, and I headed to the rooftop for our night watch. Although it’s summer, it’s not too hot right now because we’re in the mountains.

Even though we were a little tired, none of us slept!

I looked around the rooftop and, seeing nothing suspicious, said to Liu Yonglin, “What do you think Qimeng and the others are hiding?”

Liu Yonglin shook his head, “How would I know?”

Ye Xiang, knowing I wanted to eavesdrop, looked at me with a grin, “I know what you’re thinking-you’re planning to listen in, aren’t you?”

“No choice!” I replied helplessly.

“Let’s see how things go! If there’s nothing happening, fine, but maybe we won’t be able to go tomorrow. Tonight, they’re probably deciding just that!” Liu Yonglin thought out loud.

“Look, it seems like Sun Jing went into the room too. All these girls know, and they’re keeping us guys at arm’s length,” I said, watching Sun Jing’s shadow.

“Forget it! Watching won’t do you any good,” Qian Jing said, tapping each of us on the head.

“Qian Jing, just look at those girls, all gathered together.” I stared at the room, but I couldn’t see anything, only shadows-nothing but shadows. I felt agitated, wanting to rush down to check, but my feet wouldn’t move, fearing I might miss something important.

“I wonder why Liu Qi hasn’t gone to check. Surely he’s been persuaded otherwise; otherwise, if they were having a meeting, wouldn’t he have said something?” Ye Xiang said.

“Stop speculating! It doesn’t matter. Keep an eye out-in case zombies show up!” Liu Yonglin reminded us.

“Alright! I’m done watching. Even if I do, I won’t find out anything.”

Curiosity in people is powerful, but what use is it? A woman’s sense of dignity can be even stronger.

“Alright! Let’s see how they handle things tomorrow. We’ll wait to hear what they say and then decide what to do. Their safety is more important. I’m not really in favor of going out to rescue people! But…” Qian Jing didn’t finish his sentence, but I knew he meant it’s because they are our fellow townsfolk.

“There is greater merit in saving one life than in building a seven-tier pagoda. I don’t want to be a saint. They say good deeds are rewarded, but at this point, what reward are we really expecting? We’re all just trying to survive,” Ye Xiang said.

What is the apocalypse, really? No one knows for sure now. Everyone wants to live long, but this is the situation we’re in! There’s no way out; leaving might mean dying faster, and staying could mean survival.

“We aren’t angels who can save the Earth, nor are we Ultraman fighting zombies,” Liu Yonglin remarked.

“If we go, everyone has to come back alive,” I insisted.

“Forget it, I’m done with this conversation,” Liu Yonglin said, putting down his gun.

“Let’s not debate this anymore. How about we try to find a zombie to fight? We’ve got some bombs here, might as well use them,” I said with a grin.

At night, it’s rare for zombies to appear around here-they probably rest too! It’d be great if we could find out where they stay and annihilate them with a bomb, but that’s just wishful thinking.

Trying something like that would just be inviting death!

“Alright,” Liu Yonglin said as he sat down again, then got up, holding his gun and looking around. I couldn’t stay idle either, so I checked the cornfield but didn’t find any movement. It’s unlikely anything will happen tonight.

I was a bit tired and wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t afford to. No one had taken a night watch before now. It’s the first night, so I had to be extra cautious and avoid any problems right from the start.

“There are so many shooting stars tonight!” I said, having spotted several in quick succession.

“What do shooting stars represent?” Ye Xiang asked.

There are many interpretations, but I honestly don’t know what they truly signify. In reality, they’re just rocks in space; there’s no special meaning to them.

“Around here, people say that each shooting star represents a person who has passed away,” Qian Jing explained, pointing at the stars.

“Oh, come on. That’s just nonsense,” Ye Xiang said, tossing me a watermelon. Geez, doesn’t he know I have a stomachache? Tempting me like that! Still, even with a stomachache, I can’t resist watermelon.

Watermelon is great-delicious, but you shouldn’t eat too much!

Liu Yonglin wanted to join in on the watermelon, but Ye Xiang pushed him aside. “Let us eat first. You watch. If zombies show up, let’s see what you do!” Ye Xiang joked with a chuckle.

“Oh, you guys are eating watermelon while leaving us out? You really have no shame,” Liu Yonglin retorted, clearly annoyed.

“Too much watermelon will give you a stomachache,” Qian Jing commented.

“Qian Jing, sounds like you have a stomachache too. Eating watermelon will make it worse,” I said, taking a bite.

“Who’s comparing with you? It naturally causes a stomachache. Even the doctors say so,” Qian Jing insisted.

“The quack doctors around here aren’t worth much. Eating watermelon doesn’t just give you a stomachache. If you have a stomach condition, then watermelon aggravates it. Don’t believe me? Ask Liu Yonglin,” I said while horsing around with Ye Xiang.

“Liu Yonglin, is that true?” Qian Jing asked with a grin.

“Yeah, it is! My grandpa was a doctor, so I know a bit about it,” Liu Yonglin said after thinking it over, but I noticed a strange look in his eyes. He was probably reminded of his grandfather.

I spoke out of turn again. But I can’t help it. I don’t even know where my own parents are. I let out a deep sigh.

After finishing the watermelon, Liu Yonglin and I swapped places.

“Go on, enjoy your watermelon. Why aren’t you eating? You’re up for the night watch later.”

I took the gun from Liu Yonglin. “Don’t worry too much. Maybe everything’s fine! Your grandpa’s so skilled; perhaps he developed something to tackle the zombies.”

As if anyone could be that amazing. Yeah, right, spreading tales to fool people.

Unexpectedly, Liu Yonglin actually believed it. “There’s also a basement at my grandpa’s place. Maybe he went there.”

Oh wow, the basement! I suddenly remembered the clothes and other things down there, like the guns. I really wanted to take a look.

Ye Xiang noticed what I was thinking. “Forget about the basement stuff for now. We’ll get it tomorrow. For now, you need to keep watch here. If zombies show up, let’s see what you’ll do.”

“Alright. Do you have a sniper rifle? I want to practice my shooting,” I asked, considering a bit of target training.

“Yeah, we have one, but it’s nighttime now. Do you want to wake everyone up?” Ye Xiang said, giving my arm a playful punch.

That reminded me of how Qimeng helped me scold Ye Xiang before.

“Keep it up, and I’ll tell Qimeng. See what happens then!”

“Is that all you can do, run to her over such little things?” Ye Xiang protested. “Why don’t you just punch me back instead? Why bother telling her? You nearly scared me to death today.”

“Ha, you’re one to talk,” Qian Jing laughed. “Keep an eye out.”

“And where are you going?” Ye Xiang asked.

“You ate watermelon; shouldn’t we get some too?” Qian Jing said, using his fist to crack open a watermelon.

Suddenly, I shouted, “Oh no! None of you are eating it. Come over here quickly!” I urged, “Hurry, get them to come up here, Ye Xiang, go!”

Qian Jing and Liu Yonglin were skeptical but stood up to look. I pointed to a spot in the cornfield where there was movement.

“Oh man! Coming at this time,” Qian Jing cursed, taking a bite of watermelon before heading down to call them over.

“This isn’t right,” I said, looking at the moonlight in the sky. It was only a half-moon, but it was still bright enough to see people on the ground.

“Just get them up here first. If you notice movement, come up immediately! Ye Xiang, hurry up,” I urged again, noting that Ye Xiang was just standing there. I wasn’t aware that Qian Jing had gone down.

“Qian Jing already went. Do I still need to go?” Ye Xiang said, aiming the gun at the cornfield.

“Damn it, going without telling me.”

I looked and saw corn stalks swaying in the middle of the cornfield, but it was too unclear to see what’s inside. The moonlight was now obscured by clouds, making visibility even worse.

If only we had a spotlight, but it’s useless to think about that now. We just need to figure out what’s in the cornfield. The field was over fifty meters away, filled entirely with corn plants.

At this point, Liu Qi and everyone else had joined us, with Liu Qi carrying a box of bombs.

Liu Feng and the others were all armed, while Qimeng and Xueqi came empty-handed, but we had plenty of weapons here.

“Tian, what’s going on? Is there something out there?” Xueqi asked as she approached.

“Sigh, look over there at the cornfield. There’s definitely something moving, but it’s hard to see what’s inside. Can you make out what it is?” I said as I tidied Xueqi’s windblown hair.

“Where do you mean? I’m nearsighted, you know! I can’t see anything,” Xueqi replied.

I had forgotten Xueqi was nearsighted from studying too much; how could I forget that?

Qimeng also has slight nearsightedness. I glanced around. “Is anyone here not nearsighted? Can someone take a look over there?”

Even though I wasn’t nearsighted, I still couldn’t make out what was moving in the field.

“Check if there’s movement anywhere else! Ye Xiang, go take a look!” I said, turning to Ye Xiang. Then I headed to the other side with Qimeng and Xueqi, just as the moon came out again.

After observing the area for a while, we didn’t notice anything else, except for the ongoing movement in the cornfield.

“How about we toss a bomb over there?” Liu Yonglin joked as he tossed the hand grenade from hand to hand.

“A bomb? Guns would make more sense! But if they’re zombies, we don’t need to worry. What if they’re people?” Liu Qi suggested cautiously.

Liu Qi was worried it might be people. If so, they’d become murderers!

Judging by the movement, it could only be people or animals. But what if we shoot and it turns out to be people? What then?

“Forget it! Let’s just wait and see. Or maybe fire a few shots near it?” Liu Feng proposed.

“That’s a good idea! Keep an eye on it, and don’t let whatever it is escape,” I said. It’s their own fault for not coming out!

“Doo… doo…” A few machine guns burst into action, surrounding the cornfield, cutting down the corn stalks. Suddenly, a “wild boar” charged out of the field.