"He is gone..." Chen Bieli said blandly, stepping into a small room.
Tang Ye didn’t speak, finding a hint of desolation in Chen Bieli’s tone.
After a moment, Chen Bieli emerged from the room, struggling with a bag marked with a brand of rice.
Seeing her struggle, Tang Ye hesitated for a moment before moving to help her.
"Let me. I can’t believe you actually have this."
Tang Ye lifted the heavy bag of rice with ease and took it to the kitchen. When he came out, he glanced at the small room.
Good lord, it was full of food...
"Thank you," said Chen Bieli.
"No need...wait, are you going to cook?"
"No need to go through the trouble, I’m leaving."
"Have a seat, it’ll be ready in a moment."
Chen Bieli seated Tang Ye at the dining table before disappearing back into the kitchen. Tang Ye attempted to voice his thoughts but ended up sitting there in silent anxiety, watching her.
"Do you like onions?"
"I’ll eat anything, but I prefer it spicy."
Chen Bieli’s small house was stocked with food. Tang Ye watched her tirelessly moving in and out of the kitchen. He wanted to help, but he had no idea how to initiate the offer.
Soon, the sizzling sound of cooking filled the room, and the delicious smell made Tang Ye’s stomach churn. It was hard to tell if it was the zombie’s craving for flesh and blood or the appetite for a home-cooked meal.
After about half an hour, Chen Bieli had filled the dining table with an abundance of spicy food.
"Did it have to be this much?"
"You are a Level 6 New Human. You must eat a lot, so I’ll leave these to you."
Chen Bieli smiled and gave Tang Ye a bowl of rice as she picked up a few dishes and placed them in his bowl.
As soon as she began eating, Tang Ye followed. The table was filled mainly with vegetarian dishes, with just a small portion of green pepper fried with cured meat.
After a few bites, Tang Ye found the food to be pretty good. It was down to earth, not overly salty or bland. The added chilli certainly intrigued Tang Ye’s taste buds.
"Hey, you didn’t say what the Peace Party does."
"Just fooling around."
"Seriously?" Chen Bieli asked doubtfully.
"What’s so strange about that?"
"I guess not. But your evolution speed is pretty fast. There are very few Level 5 New Humans now, and you’ve already reached Level 6. I’m quite envious," said Chen Bieli with an admiring expression that caught Tang Ye off guard.
"I appreciate your optimism, but is the Peace Party really just fooling around?"
"No, why do you keep sticking to this point?"
"There’s no point in being curious...uh..."
Tang Ye wanted to brush her off, but seeing her expectant big eyes, he scratched his head.
"Actually, it means nothing else. I founded the Peace Party because I believe humans can coexist peacefully with zombies..."
Chen Bieli couldn’t help but burst into laughter, touching Tang Ye’s forehead, "Hey, are you okay?"
"What the hell are you laughing at!" Tang Ye’s face fell.
"Okay, okay, don’t get angry. But how can humans coexist peacefully with zombies?"
"It’s simple. Do you know why I came to Qinshan Base?"
"No." Chen Bieli shook her head.
"Zombies are a group, but also individuals. Their thought processes remain consistent with their boss, so they’re easy to control. But humans aren’t. Humans have rich emotions, and see things from different perspectives. To control them requires force."
"So you came to the Qinshan Base to gain control here...don’t worry, I won’t tell Jin Wenyi. To me, he’s just a key to unlocking the truth."
Tang Ye looked confused. "Key? What truth are you after?"
"It’s hard to say, I don’t even know if I can get to the truth." Chen Bieli said gravely, her face showing a touch of grief. But it quickly passed, and she gave Tang Ye a gentle smile.
"Maybe you will succeed. However, zombies... their minds are indeed limited. But the one in control... is it the Zombie King?"
Surprisingly, Chen Bieli did not obsess over the issue of the Zombie King. Tang Ye had expected her to ask him questions like "Do you know the Zombie King?" or "Have you met the Zombie King?".
"But why are you doing this? You could live a good life with your strength." Chen Bieli said softly.
Tang Ye poured some soup into his bowl, took a spoonful of rice and shoved it into his mouth with a sigh. His eyes flickered with traces of memories.
"There is no special meaning. A big fool just promised to fulfill a little fool’s wish."
Chen Bieli paused for a moment then changed the subject: "Do you want more?" She glanced at Tang Ye’s empty bowl.
"No, this is already my fifth bowl."
"Okay, would you like something to drink? I have some."
"Sure, I’ll take some."
Chen Chaoyang passed Tang Ye the drink, and he chugged it down, washing away the lingering taste of food in his mouth.
"That little fool must be very important to you."
"I guess. The fool is quite naive. Anyway, I have to go now."
"Should I see you out?"
Chen Bieli watched Tang Ye leave from her window. He left her compound and disappeared into the gloom of a narrow alley.
After the meal, Tang Ye stepped back into the grey world outside. At the other end of the alley, a ray of sunshine always shone as if it led to another realm.
That world was abuzz with floral fragrances and bird songs, contrasting with the violence, evil, and bloodshed around him. In the time it took to finish meal, a dead body had appeared on the street in front of him.
Blood mixed with dirt, clogging the gutters and spreading a foul stench. A survivor with dull eyes eagerly stuffed a dug-up earthworm from the flower bed into his mouth.
He was about to return to the Peace Party’s place when a red-feathered bird landed on his shoulder, chirping at him.
A survivor in the distance spotted this sight. His first reaction was one of surprise, which quickly turned to greed.
"Brother, catch it! Don’t let it get away!"
Even as he said this, he began to stride towards Tang Ye. But as soon as Tang Ye slammed his foot on the ground, creating a crack, he halted.
"Why?" Tang Ye asked the bird.
As if understanding him, the bird flew up and circled around him a few times before flying off. It seemed as if it wanted to lead Tang Ye somewhere.