F City was mostly intact. It was only the core of the base in ruins. It was a good thing, too; there were still parts of F City that Ji Ling enjoyed, and once this place became fully hers, she could order her people to restore them.

After feeding Lu Hao her healing spring water, Ji Ling dragged him toward the vehicle storage. Everything was all a mess, and Ji Ling felt momentarily furious at Lu Hao for causing such a commotion.

Where did it all go wrong?

She didn’t even have to think.

It was all because of that depressing stalker Lu Hao kept around him.

She really should have just snapped his neck and dumped him out in a ditch. If only Xiehang hadn’t lied to her back then. If he had just let her know he had met Lu Hao and immobilized him, Ji Ling wouldn’t have had to worry about being caught by Lu Hao. She could even have immediately killed that creepy hanger-on when he had somehow wandered into the underground laboratory.

And now everything had spiraled so quickly. Lu Hao had nearly been ruined. Thankfully Ji Ling had made it in time. Though his ability core was fractured and would never recover to what it was, Lu Hao had at least kept his good looks.

The zombie emperor Xiehang had disappeared, taking Kai with him. They needed to heal and lay low, and after Lu Hao’s attack, Kai was already on the cusp of death; luckily Kai had become sturdier after his zombie transformation.

At least now, things were going to go back on track.

As Ji Ling loaded Lu Hao’s unconscious form into the SG truck, she smiled, a triumphant look flashing through her eyes.

 

At the ruins of the SG Base.

No one knew why the zombies had retreated.

Almost everyone had died. Only around a hundred people had survived by the end. The atmosphere was dim and quiet, only occasionally disturbed by muffled sobbing.

Hong Sheng gazed blankly into space. His face was unwashed, covered in grime, a mixture of blood, ash, and dirt. He looked and smelled filthy. But no one else in the base was faring much better.

“Chin up.”

A wet towel landed on his head. Lisa Xi walked over and sat on a crate next to Hong Sheng. She sipped from a water flask as Hong Sheng robotically took the towel and wiped it ‘til the cloth turned brown and black.

“You thinking anything?”

Hong Sheng didn’t spare her a glance. He just tossed the towel aside.

Lisa Xi didn’t mind the lack of response. “Well, what’s going through my head is… She really wants to kill us all. The only reason she hasn’t, the only reason we’re still alive… Is because we’re convenient.”

Lisa Xi had long abandoned the idea that fate moved in mysterious ways. Ever since that talk with Hong Sheng, she was adamant that everything in this world tied back to Ji Ling. Even something like the enormous zombie wave moved according to her whims. It was a ridiculous idea. How could everything in the entire world revolve around one woman?

But Hong Sheng wasn’t the type to argue or dissuade her. He didn’t say anything and just sat there, curled up, like an inactive automaton waiting for its master’s command.

With a sigh, Lisa Xi got up. Her lab had been destroyed. There was no reason for zombies to have gone after her laboratory; no people had been in there, so they should have left it well alone. But the machines had been trashed, the files torn, everything in shambles. The only explanation was that either the zombies, or the human survivors, had purposefully gone to destroy it.

She should have felt on the verge of collapse knowing that her life’s work, a ray of hope for humanity, was now gone. But instead, Lisa Xi felt a strange calm. There was nothing she could have done differently. Now survival was left up to other regions, and other countries of the world.

International communications had basically disappeared in the past few years. At first, some radio broadcasts could still make it through. But as the world populations slimmed, the people who manned the radio towers disappeared. Now only local communication remained. Even this dwindled to only being able to maintain contact within a few days’ worth of distance.

What this meant was that no one in the F City region knew the status of the rest of the country, not to mention the rest of the world. Sometimes in the dark times, people gathered around telling stories of what they thought other places in the world were like in the apocalypse.

Maybe there would actually be a country that was thriving, with everyone living normally, untouched by the zombie apocalypse. Maybe there were countries that still had television and music, where people didn’t have to worry about dying every time thy slept.

Could the zombies survive in cold countries, where the snow perpetually fell? Maybe people still survived in the far north? We should go visit the jolly old man’s workshop, some people joked. We can become his elves.

All of this was a desperate attempt at finding hope.

But the reality that everyone knew deep inside, was that everywhere in the world was in just as bad of a state.

Otherwise, why would no reinforcements have come, no news of rescue anywhere, no sign or message from other survivors?

The F City region had actually been one of the most successful places in terms of survival compared to the other surrounding cities—at least, until now.

Now it was a place of certain death.

“Hey.” Lisa Xi waved at Hong Sheng. “Come on. Let’s find what we can salvage.”

Thankfully, in the days leading up to the attack, Lisa Xi had snagged Hong Sheng’s assistance. The young man had a knack for hiding things in obscure places, and Lisa wanted to see if any of the hiding spots for her backup data were still intact.

Hong Sheng reluctantly followed, looking more like he did so because he had no other priorities than anything else. The two picked through the shambles of Lisa’s laboratory. Whatever had been in here had really gone on a rampage, the remains of the destruction everywhere: charred walls, explosion marks, claw trails…

Picking through the pieces, Hong Sheng unearthed a few of the hiding spots. Some of the hidden data was gone but enough was preserved that Lisa Xi felt some of the life return to her. Who knew what could be done with this, though. If Lu Hao was still alive, then maybe they still had a chance to rebuild. But…

About an hour later, that thought manifested to reality. The two of them heard a ruckus outside, and after returning the data to the hiding spots, they went out to see that Ji Ling had driven back—and a severely wounded Lu Hao, on the brink of death, was with her.

Hong Sheng’s entire body swayed. He looked like a tree about to collapse. Lisa Xi gripped tightly onto his shoulder, half to help him and half to keep herself steady.

What the hell had happened?

Though Ji Ling had some ash and dust on her, she didn’t look injured at all. Meanwhile, Lu Hao was bloody, his body sickly with a deathly pallor. The remaining SG members with medical experience hurried to bring something that could be used as a stretcher to transport him to a medical ward.

Ji Ling had an expression like she was a flower with a sturdy stem, on the verge of tears yet still full of determination to stay strong and support everyone. She asked, aghast, what had happened to the SG base while they were away, and when she learned about the zombie wave, her expression was shocked as if to say, ‘How could such a thing happen?’

What a farce.

Lisa Xi looked stonily at this scene, then glanced at the frozen Hong Sheng who couldn’t take his eyes away from Lu Hao. Lisa Xi tugged Hong Sheng by the arm and dragged him to follow the crowd that trailed after Lu Hao. The remaining SG were like a headless swarm desperately wanting to be near their source of support. But Lu Hao’s state in no way allowed him to be surrounded by so many people.

The medical experts drove everyone away, and even Lisa Xi’s influence could only net them a spot to stand in out the doors. Hong Sheng crouched down by the wall and Lisa Xi stood next to him.

 

Lu Hao was ruined.

When this news got out, the despair surrounding the remains of the SG base thickened like a choking smog, making it hard to breathe.

Hong Sheng’s eyes were bloodshot. He’d barely moved from the corridor outside Lu Hao’s ward. Ji Ling had passed him by multiple times while visiting Lu Hao, but she barely gave him a glance. Hong Sheng was deeply envious of her. She was allowed to go in, sit by Lu Hao’s side, and stay with him while he recovered. But Hong Sheng knew his place, and being this close, being in the room just outside of where Lu Hao stayed, was already a privilege for him.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed since Lu Hao was dragged back from F City. Hong Sheng’s world narrowed down to this dark hallway and the room behind him. His hands trembled as they gripped his knees.

Nothing could happen to Lu Hao.

Lu Hao had to be okay.

What would Hong Sheng do if Lu Hao… if he…

That thought curled up in his brain. Hong Sheng crushed it like a bug.

From what Hong Sheng overheard, Lu Hao was lucky to have survived at all. His power was irreversibly damaged; his power and body had reverted to barely a third-level power user. That alone was incredible. 99% of people who detonated like he did would have been dead. That he survived, and that any bit of his power had been salvaged, was incredible enough.

But that meant the SG base had no way to survive.

The strongest person left alive was a level-7 strength ability user. All of the top elites of the SG had either gone with Lu Hao to F City, or died defending the base.

There was also Ji Ling.

Hong Sheng was not sure what would happen now.

But Ji Ling kept Lu Hao alive.

Even if everyone else died, she wanted Lu Hao to live. And that was… enough.

Hong Sheng had wanted to live with Lu Hao, too. That was why he had fought so hard. But it… wouldn’t happen.

That was why Hong Sheng sat out here, and Ji Ling was in there. With Lu Hao.

Lu Hao had been asleep this entire time. But today, there was a flurry in the ward. Hong Sheng heard a soft groan, the low voice making his heart thump. His dark eyes grew hot as tears gathered.

Lu Hao woke up.

 

There was no time for a soft recovery. Lu Hao still had some semblance of life to him, and with that life, he had to do everything he could to get his people out. That was his responsibility as a leader.

Once he was awake, he called in Lisa Xi. She was the most intelligent person left in the base, and he needed to tell her what he’d discovered in F City. To his surprise, she’d brought Hong Sheng with her.

Hong Sheng looked terrible, skinnier and wearier than Lu Hao had ever seen him. When he saw Hong Sheng like this, Lu Hao couldn’t help trying to get out of bed, only for the pain to surge through him and make him fall back.

Lisa Xi had a cold expression on her face, and her lips twitched; she dragged Hong Sheng by the arm and stuffed him on the chair by Lu Hao’s bedside. How could Hong Sheng let her touch him like that? Lu Hao’s pain-ridden eyes couldn’t help staring at her. Just what had she done? Didn’t Hong Sheng never let anyone but Lu Hao get close to him?

It was as if the entire world felt uncertain and teetering what with Lu Hao’s head injury; he couldn’t help but reach out his hand to hold Hong Sheng’s thin arms, rubbing over the spot Lisa Xi had touched, saying, “Hong Sheng, you’re safe… I’m glad.”

Hong Sheng ducked his head, hiding his face behind his bangs. Lu Hao knew it was because he felt too emotional. Seeing Lu Hao like this… he must be scared. Lu Hao’s grip tightened. Then he let go.

It would be fine. Even like this, Lu Hao would find a way to protect him. Protect everyone.

“No one else is here, right?” Lu Hao asked. His vision was still unclear. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the injury, or because he wasn’t used to the loss of his senses after he downgraded. Once he asked this, Lisa Xi glanced at Hong Sheng, who nodded. She then locked the door.

The revelations and changes brought this past week were earth-shattering. Lu Hao and Lisa Xi shared the information gleaned from both sides. Lu Hao spoke of how F City’s main powers were, in actuality, high-level zombies. Lisa Xi then talked of the zombie wave that had swept the base, and the destruction of her laboratory.

“Why would your lab be destroyed? Did they… know your research?” Lu Hao supposed the zombies might not want any chance of a zombie vaccine coming out, even if Lisa Xi’s research hadn’t made much headway.

But Lisa Xi’s lips thinned, a sense of danger sweeping over her. Every hair on her body stood up, cold sweat forming along her back, and her mouth opened without saying a word as if the fear choked her voice.

The lock of the door sounded with a click.

When the door pulled open, there was Ji Ling, holding a plate of food. She smiled at everyone in the room and walked in. “Lu Hao, I’ve brought you some food.”

All three of them silently watched her come in. Ji Ling set the plate on a small table by the bedside. Then she went over to check the IV fluid attached to Lu Hao, making sure the liquid level was enough.

She asked casually, “Are you all discussing the current situation?”

“Catching up,” Lu Hao confirmed. He took the bowl of stewed dried grains, the closest they could get to normal porridge these days. “Dr Xi was telling me that her lab was destroyed. You two can leave,” he addressed to Hong Sheng and Lisa Xi.

Hong Sheng’s grip tightened, but in the end, he and Lisa Xi left the room.

Ji Ling’s brows were furrowed, and when the door closed, she said, “So they even destroyed the lab. I’m not surprised. The zombies’ intelligence is really beyond anything I could have imagined…”

“Is it?” Lu Hao stirred the porridge, which smelled strangely delectable and fresh, completely unlike normal food in the apocalypse. He didn’t take a bite and set the spoon down. “You’ve been interacting with intelligent zombies for so long. You mean to say you had no idea? I find it hard to believe.”

“Of course I didn’t know. Zombies aren’t supposed to talk and walk around acting like normal people. How in the world would I have guessed that? Even you couldn’t tell.”

Ji Ling’s every word sounded so earnest. But Lu Hao wasn’t convinced. He gave her a hard look, and then he said, “Take off your gloves.”

“What?” Ji Ling’s eyes were wide, and she drew back. “You suspect me of being a zombie?”

“How else can I tell, other than checking? After all, zombies can now walk and talk like normal people. They could be anyone,” Lu Hao spoke gently, but with a deep irony in his voice.

Ji Ling could kill him in a blink of an eye. She was now the most powerful person on the base, so if Lu Hao just obediently listened to her, he might be able to preserve his life. But he couldn’t abide by letting a wolf stay in the SG, letting everyone believe her and follow her the same way the people of F City believed and followed their zombie leader Kai.

As the two looked at each other, the shock and hurt in Ji Ling’s eyes faded. She lifted her hands, and in front of Lu Hao, pulled the gloves off her hands.

The beds of her fingernails were pure, lovely, and pink.

“Open your mouth,” Lu Hao then said.

Without saying a word, Ji Ling did as he asked. She opened her mouth wide to let him see her perfectly well-shaped and human teeth.

Lu Hao lifted his arm. He put his hand in front of her lips. “Bite.”

“What?!” Ji Ling recoiled. “Lu Hao, what are you doing?”

“You’re not a zombie, right?” Lu Hao said. “Nothing will happen if you bite me. But if you were a zombie, then no matter how highly advanced you became, you would still infect me once your body fluids entered my system.”

His eyes were cold and left no room for doubt. It was like he was prepared to die right then and there just to tear off all the masks. Ji Ling trembled, and then, reluctantly, bit down.

Normally it was very difficult for a person to bite someone hard enough to draw blood. Ji Ling’s body was enhanced, so it only took seconds. When she took her mouth away, the bloody teeth marks stood vividly out on Lu Hao’s skin.

Lu Hao waited, watching with half-lidded eyes.

Minutes passed. For a moment, Lu Hao felt a lightheadedness, like he was about to fall asleep. But that moment passed, and even after waiting a while more, Lu Hao had not turned into a zombie.

He was not a zombie.

…So Ji Ling wasn’t, either.

Lu Hao closed his eyes and laid back. Part of him was relieved, but another part of him was confused.

Was Ji Ling really on their side?

“Lu Hao,” Ji Ling said, slightly aggrieved. She took the seat by Lu Hao’s bedside. “If I wanted to act against you, you’d already have been dead.”

This was the truth. The only reason why Lu Hao had been able to return from F City was because of Ji Ling’s rescue.

Did it make sense for her to be here if she intended to betray them?

Eventually, Lu Hao found that he couldn’t really imagine why Ji Ling would still be here if she was allied with the intelligent zombies. After all, with Lu Hao and the SG’s current state, she was the most powerful person here, and she could have killed him at any time.

He opened his eyes again and looked at her. “Did you find any information in F City?”

“Yes. I managed to find some records of other bases. But Lu Hao, even if we went to them now, I’m afraid…”

Lu Hao picked up the spoon for the porridge. He stirred it around, then eventually took a mouthful to eat. There was no point in poisoning his food if she wanted to harm him, so he no longer had any wariness. “We need to find a way to evacuate everyone as our top priority. Ji Ling, your ability can obscure the zombies’ senses. I need you to take people out of here.”

Ji Ling watched him eat, and she smiled. “Yes. You can leave it to me. Only… there is one thing. From what I saw, one of the labs seemed to hold the key research. We’ve lost all of our research equipment, and if leave now, we won’t have a chance to return to discover the truth of what happened in F City. I can give you the location of that lab. It’s up to you if you want to take a team to see what you can find.”

Lu Hao considered this, but shook his head, “It’s too dangerous. If I run into any of those advanced zombies…”

“Yes, I understand. I’m sorry for suggesting…”

“But…” Lu Hao kept thinking. The zombie research held critical information. Some of it could be used and studied by Lisa Xi; it might lead to the first breakthrough for the vaccine in seven years. One of his hands tightened to a fist. He said, “You have the ability to hide the entrance of a place from perception for a time. Use this to keep the SG members safe from detection. In the meanwhile, you can accompany me through the lab, and if there are powerful zombies, we’ll rely on you to run away.”

“Alright. I’ll do as you say. My ability to hide the group will only last an hour, so we would have to be fast.”

“That’s fine. Whatever we can find is what we’ll take. We can’t afford to risk too much for this; getting everyone out alive is the top priority.”

Ji Ling smiled, and after Lu Hao finished eating, she took the tray away.