November 6 was a sunny day and the date for the meeting between Shen Mian and Wang Xian. Before leaving that morning, Shen Mian told him once again that they would be together after everything ended. Now, Shan Ze was in an office building adjacent to the Hongye Building, waiting to provide backup for Shen Mian. To prevent interference from an Awakened during the rescue, his father had specifically told him to wear the ring said to pierce through illusions.
When Shen Mian appeared before him, Shan Ze instinctively wanted to greet him, but he was stopped by a cold voice. The man standing in the damp, sunless corridor looked distant. His tone was so indifferent that Shan Ze felt as if he were looking at a stranger. He did not understand how the man who had been smiling and promising a future together just that morning could change so drastically in a few hours.
Shan Ze wondered if this was what Shen Mian truly wanted. Perhaps the promise to be together was just another prank designed to tease him. At that thought, a profound sadness appeared on his face. He asked why this was happening and if he had done something wrong, begging for a chance to change.
Shan Ze’s voice was sorrowful, but the man in the shadows only continued to speak his own thoughts. He claimed that the humans of this world were terrible, like leeches that never stopped sucking the blood of the Earth. He argued that even when the planet cried out through natural disasters, greedy humans only thought of moving elsewhere. He stated that the teachings of the Church of Heavenly Foundation were right: only when everyone turned into zombies would the Earth be properly protected.
The man declared he was leaving and said they would likely never meet again. He turned to leave without a second glance. Staring at his retreating back, Shan Ze’s eyes darkened. He would not let Shen Mian go. Since they had promised to be together, that promise had to be kept.
The man’s pace was slow, and Shan Ze easily blocked his path. Looking into the man’s confused eyes, Shan Ze raised his hand without hesitation. He promised himself it would only hurt for a moment and that he would never let Shen Mian be injured again. He intended to hide Shen Mian away where he would see only him forever.
Just as his hand was about to strike, a voice with the same tone as the man before him, but with a completely different energy, rang out from the neighboring building. It shouted his name.
Shan Ze’s clouded eyes suddenly cleared. The figure standing before him was not Shen Mian but a mangled zombie. The zombie, or perhaps the person controlling it, realized Shan Ze was awake. The once submissive creature suddenly turned aggressive. At such a close distance, Shan Ze could not evade, so he struck the zombie’s forehead with his fist.
Instead of the hard sensation of breaking a crystal, it felt like crushing a thin, brittle board. As the board shattered, a sticky substance flowed from the cracks and clung to his knuckles like a parasite, bringing a stinging pain. But Shan Ze did not care about the pain or why the ring had failed to stop the illusion. Shen Mian was calling him and needed him. Realizing this was enough to make him cast aside all hesitation to find him.
Yu Yan was a soft-spoken person. In his memory, he had never shouted at a volume exceeding eighty decibels. The effort made his throat feel as if it were tearing. But none of that mattered because Shan Ze had not come.
An ability user’s physical condition improves significantly as their power grows. Shan Ze was an S-rank user, and his physical capabilities were fearsome. Yu Yan knew that living with Shan Ze meant every move he made could be heard. Shan Ze was in the building less than twenty meters away; he must have heard the call. Yet he did not come.
Yu Yan wondered if Shan Ze was trapped or if an accident had occurred. He quickly dismissed the idea of an accident because Shan Ze was the favorite of this world and could not truly be harmed. Instead of worrying about Shan Ze, Yu Yan had to worry about himself. The zombies that had been staring at Wang Xian seemed to be awakened by his shouting and were now surging toward him like a tide.
Looking at the nearest zombie, Yu Yan’s eyes turned red. Since Shan Ze could not reach him, he would have to act. A sharp sound of breaking glass echoed through the room. Yu Yan looked toward the sound and saw Shan Ze in his black clothes, crouching on a window frame still jagged with glass shards against the blue sky. His eyes were sharp, like a black panther ready to strike.
A sweet smile spread across Yu Yan’s face as he called out Shan Ze’s name. Seeing Yu Yan’s strangely red eyes, Shan Ze’s expression softened. He apologized for being late and moved through the zombies to reach Yu Yan. He picked Yu Yan up carefully, using the same posture he had used at the H City institute. His voice was gentle, making the escape feel like an exciting date. He told Yu Yan to hold on tight because things were about to get bumpy. Yu Yan replied that he was already holding on, for both now and the future.
Shan Ze handled the zombies with practiced skill, and the arcs of electricity jumping between the corpses were beautiful. Instead of feeling the bumps, Yu Yan felt Shan Ze’s hot breath and heard his rapid heartbeat. It felt like an overdose of a stimulant. This was not normal.
Shan Ze seemed unaware of his condition. Annoyed by the endless stream of zombies from below, he jumped from the top of the building, which was over one hundred meters high, while holding Yu Yan. A fall from that height takes four to five seconds for an adult, and even less for two together. In those few seconds, time can feel as if it has stopped.
As they hit weightlessness, Yu Yan felt something wrap around his waist, binding him to Shan Ze. He could not see what it was because his face was covered by Shan Ze’s black jacket. Shan Ze wanted to protect him so much that he even tried to shield him from the discomfort of the fall. In the darkness, Yu Yan’s other senses became sharper. Whatever was holding them was thick and soft, pulling them in a specific direction.
Yu Yan wondered if it was a variant zombie and why Shan Ze was not struggling. When his feet touched the ground and he saw Cen Nan looking relieved, he understood. It was Cen Nan’s vines that had caught them. But Cen Nan was not supposed to be there. Ability users in the Coastal Base were the primary force against the zombie tides. According to Li Rui’s plan, only Shan Ze was supposed to be involved here.
Something must have happened at the base that made Cen Nan believe finding them was more important than defending the walls. Shan Ze realized this too. After putting Yu Yan down, he asked what had happened at the base.
Cen Nan explained that half an hour ago, many thugs armed with daggers dipped in zombie blood had begun attacking people inside the base. They came from various backgrounds, causing internal chaos. At the same time, the western wall used for defense was blown open from the inside by timed explosives.
When Cen Nan mentioned Yang Fan as the culprit, Yu Yan felt his suspicions were confirmed. If Yang Fan was the one controlling the zombies, he would have prepared to abandon his identity in the base. Before leaving, it made sense to cause as much chaos as possible using his position. The creatures had completely given up on the Coastal Base.
Hearing this, Shan Ze’s blood-stained hand clenched. He realized the ring his father gave him had likely been swapped by Yang Fan. Yu Yan noticed the movement and finally asked about the state of his hand. It was covered in blood. At first, Yu Yan thought it was just zombie blood, but fresh red blood continued to seep through the dried black crust. Shan Ze’s body was failing to heal the wound.
Shan Ze tried to hide his hand, claiming it was nothing and that he had simply encountered a strange zombie. His voice was muffled under the bright sky, making Yu Yan feel a sense of gloom. Yu Yan told him it was fine if he did not want to talk about it.
The strange atmosphere made Cen Nan feel like the only one worried about the base. She asked if the captain was injured, but Shan Ze denied it so quickly that it seemed he was hiding something. Because of her blind admiration for him, Cen Nan ignored the unusual response and sighed in relief. She mentioned that Director Li looked terrible after learning of Yang Fan’s betrayal.
Cen Nan asked if their plan had succeeded. She was referring not to Li Rui’s plan, but to the secret plan shared between Shen Mian and the Blade Squad. Yu Yan replied that it had not. He could not reveal Wang Xian’s true identity since that was not information Shen Mian should possess. After a vague explanation, Shan Ze picked him up again.
Yu Yan was confused and suggested he could ride in the car with Cen Nan. Cen Nan looked away awkwardly and claimed she had been in such a hurry that she did not bring a car. As a mature adult who could read the room, she decided the inconspicuous black car parked around the corner simply did not exist.