"Your name is Chen Bieli?"
Tang Ye sheathed his blade, and as it left her flesh, a spray of vibrant, beautiful blood erupted from her shoulder. The color of the blood was the same as the plumage of the birds circling above Qinshan Base.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
What a bizarre name; no parents would name their child "farewell." It portends disaster, it couldn’t possibly be a good name.
"I’ll spare your life this time, now scram!"
After uttering those words, Tang Ye gestured to his followers, then picked up Chen Chaoyang who was lying on the ground and stormed out.
As Chen Chaoyang watched him leave, the innate gentleness in his eyes seemed to fade slightly.
"Is that you? Little Mister..."
That silhouette seemed all too familiar. The wristband on his wrist might’ve been slightly charred, but Chen Bieli recognized it as her owns’s—the one she had personally given to him, the one he was still wearing.
She was certain; this person, who had only revealed his last name but never his first name, was a zombie! She was sure of it.
Chen Chaoyang, he didn’t know her, but she knew him. She had no idea why she was with him, but he was probably someone she had met by chance back in Honglin High School...
Furthermore, she found it odd. The unforgettable him was clearly a zombie, so why was he appearing as a human in Hua City’s survivor base? Perhaps he was disguising himself, but the aura of a New Human on him couldn’t be fake. The anti-life substances in the bodies of zombies were lifeless. They had no way of regaining vitality!
After Dr. Huang was placed under house arrest, Ning Yu’er was constantly researching these anti-life substances, seeking ways for zombies to revert back into humans. In nearly two years’ time, apart from some extreme methods, they found no other means for flesh infiltrated by anti-life substances to regain vitality.
She had studied the prion virus and planted it on humans before. However, she later discovered that only some individuals with unique physical constitutions could withstand the torment of the prion virus, and such individuals were few and far between, with herself being among them.
Even so, those who survive the torment of prion virus become something that’s neither human nor ghost, which--- was utterly senseless.
With zombies evolving rapidly, there are just over thirty Level 5 New Humans worldwide. In contrast, the number of Level 5 zombies was eight times that of Level 5 New Humans! Level 5 Zombies have emerged in many regions.
A White-haired Zombie King, suspected to be a Level 6 zombie, was even seen in Lin City...
"Wait a moment... a White-haired Zombie King?"
Upon resetting her gaze on Tang Ye’s retreating figure, Chen Bieli’s eyes twinkled with an undefinable light. It took a long time before it disappeared.
"Believe me... I’ll be there with you soon, Little Mister..."
She turned and walked away, her eyes reflecting a complex mixture of indiscernible emotions.
Tang Ye, in turn, hastened to take the others and bolted out the door. His heart was a whirlwind of turmoil; Chen Bieli’s smile was seared into his mind like a brand, and with each step he took, that smile deepened.
He knew it all too well, so well that he even thought she was Ning Yu’er! But she was not as kind as Ning Yu’er. If Chen Bieli really was Yu’er, Tang Ye was not sure whether he could accept it.
A person’s first impression often becomes their most profound memory. When Tang Ye first met Ning Yu’er, her kindness was embedded in his soul. She was kind to the point of naivety, but Tang Ye found that endearing. Perhaps when someone deeply lacks a certain quality, their yearning for it intensifies.
He could turn into a bloodthirsty demon, but the kindness and beauty in his heart must never change!
Humans are creatures who adapt and change according to their environments, but when a person steps onto the darkest path, no one but their conscience can save them!
Like those addicted to gambling and drugs, their own willpower can’t do them much good, let alone other people. The only thing that can possibly change them is their own hearts!
Only if their hearts desire change, they would strive for it. Then, success would hinge upon how determined they are!
This was also the only line of defense that Tang Ye set for himself.
"I hope it’s not you."
Stepping out of the door, Tang Ye felt the scorching radiation from the sun above. The large skyscraper in the distance displayed a countdown timer. It was counting down to a nuclear strike on Lin City.
Each tick of the counter represented fear in the hearts of some people.
Less than a day left; the nuclear warhead fired from Longyang City would descend upon the city center of Lin City, reducing all zombies there to ashes.
What no one had noticed, however, was that the numbers of zombies in Lin City had been rapidly dwindling, almost as if being controlled by some entity. Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Lin City, such as in Liang City and Tongzhong County, the number of zombies was rapidly increasing.
"Sigh, you guys, come here. Why aren’t there any zombies outside?"
"What, are you kidding me?"
"Everyone, come out and see."
A group of ten survivors tentatively peered out the door and stepped outside. There were no more zombies wandering the stairways. Through the balcony overlooking the stairwell, they saw posters that seemed like advertisements plastered on the walls lining the streets.
"It’s true! There really are no zombies!"
At the same time, survivors from every corner of Lin City began crawling out of their hiding places, walking down the desolate streets as they vented the pent-up frustration from their long confinement.
"Hahahaha! The zombies really are gone! This is great!"
"Hey, you guys, come and see this!"
"What on earth is the United District? Why are they launching a nuclear strike on Lin City?"
"It doesn’t say, but when were these posted? There were loads of zombies this morning."
"Could someone be playing a prank on us?"
"Who knows. But look over there... oh my, those are.... Even pranksters wouldn’t bother posting so many, right?"
"Who cares if it’s real or fake, it says if we want to stay alive, we have to head towards Zhiyang Lake’s Forest, and avoid the repaired roads..."
"We don’t know who posted these, but they’re probably right. No one would go to such lengths for a prank. Look, they’re telling us to head towards Zhiyang Lake’s original forest. The amount of zombies we’ll encounter if we take the high road or other common paths will likely be higher. The zombies are all gone—where could they have gone? I heard that the original forest around Zhiyang Lake is full of evolved beasts. There weren’t many animals there even before the Apocalypse, so it should be the safest route."
"Nonsense, don’t believe it!"
"You know, I’ve had this feeling that something major is about to happen the past few days. Could this be it?"
"Do you think it was that guy who stood on the shoulder of the giant zombie who did all this?"
"It’s possible. But better to believe it than to dismiss it. That person was able to control a high-level zombie, so driving away low-level zombies shouldn’t be a big deal for him."