The Chef Rules the Last Days
Chapter 373 - 372: Black Soil

Chapter 373: Chapter 372: Black Soil

Su Mo felt a hint of horror as she glanced at the hulking man and then at Zhao Changsheng. Clearly, they didn’t match at all, like using an Apple charger with an Android phone.

Turning to look at Li Qian, a handsome man with a beautiful woman seemed much easier on the eyes, and it was obvious that there was some trickery between the two.

As Su Mo looked at Jianxiong, an involuntary sense of pity appeared in her eyes. Suddenly, she had an idea. She opened her System Bag and took out a gorilla leather coat that she had saved for a long time and threw it to him, "This is for you. I almost forgot about it because it’s been so long."

They were all wearing the same fur coats on the outside. Jianxiong was unexpectedly touched. "Did you prepare this for me early on, sister?"

Smiling, Su Mo nodded, "Yes, I knew you would come back."

This moved Jianxiong to the brink of tears. He didn’t speak further and carefully put on the coat. Having such teammates who were like family, he, a crude man, didn’t know how to express his joy.

"It’s time to go," Lu Chen said as he got up, dusting off his pants, and pulled Su Mo up from the ground.

Wrapped in two coats, Su Mo was about to take one off to give back to him when her hand was caught mid-motion, and the man’s cold, undeniable voice came through, "Keep it on."

"It’s cold at night. You should wear it. There shouldn’t be any trouble since we’re at a distance," Su Mo struggled a bit, but found she couldn’t break free at all. When she looked up into his deep blue eyes, she gave up.

After all, he was of the Ice Element and tougher against the cold. Without the extreme chill of the weather, she let him be.

"Then I’ll keep it on," she said, and only then did he let go of her hand. She adjusted the two heavy coats on her, feeling particularly cumbersome.

After preparing themselves, Jianxiong walked over, picked up Ling Ye with one hand, and said to Li Qian, "I’ll take care of the kid from now on. Your slender arms and legs must be tired."

To describe him with slender arms and legs? Li Qian raised an eyebrow and watched him carry the child to the front, silently laughing to himself.

Lu Chen helped Jiang Yulian, who was still sitting under the tree, "Are you okay?"

Jiang Yulian stood up with his help, "I’m fine, I still can run. No worries."

"Let me carry the child," Su Mo offered her hand. Her superpower had nearly fully recovered by now, and she could run faster when using it.

Jiang Yulian was aware of this, so she didn’t refuse, only said with an apologetic tone, "I’m dragging you all down."

"Not at all, let’s hurry up," Su Mo shook Jiang Zhuoyang, who was still soundly asleep and hadn’t woken up. She then started to run out.

Behind them, a long tail that had been following them was continuously weaving through the woods.

For the whole night, Su Mo and the others hadn’t managed to leave the forest. As morning arrived, fog came with it. The thick fog made it hard to see clearly even when they were only a short distance apart.

"Have we gone far enough?" Su Mo breathed heavily, the coat damp with fog now felt heavier upon her. The child beneath the coat woke up and, confronted by a pitch-black field of vision, suddenly burst into tears.

Li Qian extended his spiritual power into the distance and said, "Almost there. Just over one more mountain, and we should be able to get out of Hua City’s territory."

"Let’s stop, rest for a bit," Su Mo halted her steps. Jiang Yulian came from behind to take the child, "He’s hungry, he needs to feed."

Lu Chen surveyed the surroundings. They were at the peak of a mountaintop; one side was a sheer cliff sloping downward with the clear sound of water striking stones below, and on the other side was their current location, a relatively open grassy area with a good view.

He stepped on the somewhat loose underbrush and said, "Let’s rest up here."

Jianxiong also stopped, and as he lifted his leg, he glanced at his shoe caked with black soil and muttered softly, "This soil is really damp."

Su Mo took out the tea set and said, "I’ll boil some hot water, let’s start with milk."

It wasn’t until Jiang Zhuoyang had drunk his milk and had his diaper changed that his mood began to stabilize.

The fog on the mountain was dense, and it was nearly impossible to see anything beyond ten meters, which made everyone feel quite uncomfortable with the moisture.

Su Mo yawned, took out the pot, and cooked a pot of Beef Soup. Although the ingredients were not complete and the effect was not great, the warm sensation that rose from the lower belly and spread to the limbs made everyone feel refreshed.

After breakfast, Li Qian’s superpower scanned the surroundings again, and after confirming there were no abnormalities, he said, "Everyone rest for a while, there’s nothing unusual for now."

After tidying up, Lu Chen took out several sleeping bags and distributed them. Su Mo crawled into her sleeping bag, exhausted from running all night, and fell asleep shrouded within it without saying much to Lu Chen.

"I’ll keep watch, you all sleep," Li Qian said, sitting up on his sleeping bag.

Lu Chen gave him a look and lay down in his sleeping bag, "I’ll take over from you in an hour."

The other person nodded in agreement without any objection.

Jianxiong’s large frame couldn’t fit in the sleeping bag anymore, so he had no choice but to lie on his back on top of it, sleeping at the edge.

In the early morning mountains, not a single bird chirp could be heard. The group, already lost, was still wandering in the forest.

That morning, the sky was rather dreary. When Lu Chen got up to switch shifts with Li Qian, he looked up at the sky but didn’t see a hint of sunlight.

The weather seemed off. He glanced at his companions, still sleeping in their bags, and after some thought, decided to wait a little longer.

Half an hour passed, and Lu Chen leaned against a eucalyptus tree not far away, fixating on the series of large footprints leading to Jianxiong. The successive impressions made him feel that something was amiss.

Lu Chen, wearing only a black jacket provided by the Cult, didn’t feel too cold. He stretched his long legs and walked leisurely into the woods.

He hadn’t gone far, just observing the surrounding terrain. He used his heel to nudge the soil covered with moss on the sole. He hadn’t looked carefully while running, but now he noticed something was wrong.

The soil here seemed to be consistently damp and black. With a firm step, he could sink half a shoe deep.

Realizing this, Lu Chen’s eyes turned cold, and he turned and walked toward the clearing by the cliff.

The sky had grown even more overcast by then, accompanied by gusts of strong wind that whipped up the uprooted underbrush, carrying with them the scent of soil.

The howling wind kept invading Su Mo’s sleeping bag. Without needing Lu Chen to shout, she automatically woke up, threw on the coat that was covering her, crawled out, and handed Lu Chen his own clothes, "Why has the wind suddenly gotten so strong?"

"It’s going to rain," Lu Chen said, looking up. His delicate Adam’s apple protruded, moving up and down.

Su Mo’s gaze lingered for a few seconds on his fair neck, then she followed his gaze upward. The sky was enveloped by dark clouds, layer upon layer, as the wind intensified, sounding like ghostly wails atop the mountain.