The zombie’s foul-smelling claws sliced through the air, already brushing against the sleeve of Lin Qingtang’s tactical jacket.
“Woof!”
A thunderous bark exploded across the battlefield.
Like a bolt of white lightning, Abai shot out from Lin Qingtang’s side.
He leaped nearly a man’s height into the air, sinking his razor-sharp fangs into the zombie’s wrist. Using the force of his momentum, he violently twisted his head.
Crack!
The zombie’s wrist snapped clean off.
Black-red, putrid blood sprayed across the ground as the severed claw, still glinting with a deadly sheen, dropped limply to the earth.
The instant Abai landed, he spun around and arched his back.
Opening his jaws wide, he unleashed a blazing stream of orange-red flames.
The fire poured directly into the zombie’s open mouth, burning straight through its rotten skull from the inside out.
It didn’t even have time to scream before collapsing stiffly onto the ground, reduced to a charred black corpse.
But the danger wasn’t over.
The moment Abai engaged the zombie in front of him, another undead creature silently crept around the shadow of the truck’s rear wheel.
It slipped behind Lin Qingtang unnoticed.
Its slime-covered mouth gaped open as its sharp claws slashed viciously toward her forearm.
“Tangtang! Behind you!”
Lin Shaoan’s eyes widened in horror.
The bolt he had just loaded flew instantly.
It missed its mark, embedding itself in the zombie’s shoulder blade.
But the creature felt no pain.
Its attack never slowed.
Lin Qingtang twisted sharply to dodge.
Even so…
She was just a fraction of a second too late.
Three deep gashes tore across her forearm, cutting all the way to the bone.
Dark, tainted blood burst from the wounds, soaking through the sleeve of her black jacket before dripping onto the dusty ground below.
“Ah…”
A muffled cry escaped her lips.
The crossbow slipped from her hand with a loud clang.
Staggering backward several steps, she slammed heavily against the side of the truck.
The wounded zombie caught the scent of fresh blood.
Driven into an even greater frenzy, it roared and lunged again, aiming directly for her injured arm.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Abai’s eyes instantly turned bloodshot.
He threw himself at the zombie without hesitation, clamping his jaws around its neck.
No matter how violently the zombie clawed and struck him, he refused to let go.
With one savage jerk, he tore the creature’s cervical spine apart.
Then another blast of fire erupted from his mouth, reducing its head to blackened ash.
The moment it fell, Abai raced back to Lin Qingtang’s side.
He planted himself firmly in front of her, shielding her with his own body.
Facing the approaching horde, he barked furiously again and again, breathing fire whenever zombies came too close, forcing them back.
Not even half a step would he leave her side.
His chest rose and fell violently.
Repeatedly breathing fire had drained an enormous amount of his strength.
Even so, his amber eyes remained fiercely determined.
Nothing could shake his resolve to protect his master.
“Qingtang!”
Rong Yuxuan’s anguished roar ripped from deep within his throat.
It was filled with enough fury to destroy the heavens.
Scenes from both lifetimes overlapped before his eyes.
Overwhelming terror.
Overwhelming rage.
Both exploded through every inch of his body.
The lightning ability inside him spiraled completely out of control.
Blue-white arcs of electricity erupted around him with deafening crackles, spreading into a massive web that engulfed everything within ten meters.
The front line of zombies was instantly pierced by high-voltage lightning.
Their charred bodies crashed to the ground without even twitching.
“Li An! Hold the left flank!”
“Protect Uncle Lin! Don’t let anything get around us!”
“Abai! Stay with Qingtang!”
“Get her to the gate! Move!”
His voice had become so hoarse it sounded as though his throat had been torn apart.
Like a cornered beast driven completely mad, Rong Yuxuan stood alone at the very front, blocking the endless tide of zombies.
He stopped holding back.
Bolt after bolt of lightning exploded from his fingertips.
At the same time, he spread every last trace of his psychic power across the battlefield, locking onto more than a dozen zombies at once and forcibly disrupting their instincts.
The charging undead suddenly froze.
Then, as though they had all gone insane, they turned on each other.
The horde instantly descended into chaos.
Zombies tore into zombies.
Roars, snarls, and the sound of ripping flesh echoed everywhere.
“Got it, Brother Xuan!”
Li An bellowed in response.
His steel pipe whistled through the air, smashing one zombie’s skull after another.
Step by step, he retreated toward the truck, using his own body to block every zombie charging from the side and carving out a path for Lin Qingtang and the others to escape.
Lin Shaoan rushed to his daughter’s side and caught her before she collapsed.
The moment he saw the bone-deep wounds on her forearm, it felt as though someone had clenched his heart in a merciless fist.
Even so, his hands never stopped.
He loaded.
He fired.
Another bolt.
Another zombie dropped.
His voice trembled uncontrollably, yet he forced himself to remain calm.
“Tangtang… don’t be afraid.”
“Dad’s here.”
“We’re getting out.”
“You’ll be safe soon.”
Leaning weakly against her father’s shoulder, Lin Qingtang felt waves of searing pain spreading through her arm.
Her vision gradually darkened.
All the strength seemed to drain from her body.
Clenching her teeth, she looked toward the figure standing at the front.
Rong Yuxuan remained firmly planted before the zombie horde.
His back was ramrod straight.
Blue-white lightning exploded endlessly around him.
The veins at his temples bulged violently.
The backlash from overusing his powers threatened to split his skull apart.
Still…
He never took a single step backward.
At her feet, Abai remained faithfully beside her.
Though he was panting heavily from exhaustion, he kept nudging her uninjured hand with his head, whimpering anxiously.
“Rong… Yuxuan…”
“Abai…”
Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
Yet somehow…
Rong Yuxuan heard it.
He spun around immediately.
His eyes were terrifyingly red, filled with bloodshot veins.
Inside them lay nothing but fear…
Panic…
And unbearable guilt.
“Qingtang!”
“Don’t be afraid!”
Turning back, he unleashed another devastating wave of lightning, forcing open a narrow path straight to the factory gate.
“Go!”
“Fall back!”
Li An immediately covered Lin Shaoan’s side.
With one swing of his steel pipe, he sent another zombie flying before shouting for everyone to keep moving.
Supporting his daughter, Lin Shaoan hurried toward the exit.
Abai stayed glued to Lin Qingtang’s side.
Bringing up the rear, he repeatedly turned to breathe streams of fire, driving back the pursuing zombies and protecting everyone’s backs.
At last, they reached the SUV.
Li An yanked open the rear door.
Lin Shaoan carefully helped his unconscious daughter into the back seat.
Abai immediately leaped inside as well.
Curling beside Lin Qingtang’s legs, he gently licked the back of her uninjured hand.
His amber eyes brimmed with worry.
Soft, pitiful whimpers escaped his throat.
“Brother Xuan!”
“Hurry!”
“We’re in!”
Li An shouted while revving the engine.
Hearing him, Rong Yuxuan unleashed several more bolts of lightning, dropping the last few pursuing zombies.
Then he turned and sprinted toward the SUV with everything he had.
He threw open the passenger door and climbed inside.
His voice had become almost unrecognizable.
“Drive!”
“Now!”
“Back to the farmhouse!”
“As fast as you can!”
Li An slammed the accelerator to the floor.
The SUV shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
The tires screamed against the pavement as they left the zombie horde far behind and sped toward the farmhouse.
Silence filled the vehicle.
Only Lin Qingtang’s suppressed groans…
Abai’s anxious whimpers…
And the engine’s deafening roar remained.
Abai lay beside her legs.
Every few moments he looked up at her pale face, gently rubbing his head against her cheek in a desperate attempt to comfort her.
He didn’t dare touch her injured arm.
He was terrified of hurting her even more.
In the passenger seat, Rong Yuxuan trembled uncontrollably.
Again and again, he looked into the rearview mirror.
Watching Lin Qingtang lying unconscious in her father’s arms felt like having his heart carved apart, one slice at a time.
“Qingtang…”
“Qingtang, how are you?”
His voice shook violently.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s all my fault…”
“I failed to protect you…”
“I never should have brought you here…”
Leaning weakly against her father, black blood continued seeping from the wounds on Lin Qingtang’s arm.
Her lips had already begun losing all color.
Seeing the panic reflected in Rong Yuxuan’s eyes through the rearview mirror, she managed a faint shake of her head.
“It… isn’t your fault…”
“I… couldn’t dodge in time…”
“Abai…”
“He already… risked everything… to protect me…”
Before she could finish…
Darkness swallowed her vision.
Her head slumped against Lin Shaoan’s chest.
She lost consciousness completely.
“Tangtang!”
“Tangtang! Wake up!”
Lin Shaoan’s face went deathly pale.
Even the arms holding his daughter began to shake.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Abai circled frantically, rubbing his head against her face while letting out heartbreaking cries.
No matter how desperately he called, she didn’t wake.
“Qingtang!”
Rong Yuxuan’s eyes instantly turned red.
He suddenly shoved open the passenger door.
Had Li An not reacted quickly and grabbed him, he would have jumped from the speeding vehicle.
“Brother Xuan!”
“Pull yourself together!”
“We’re only five minutes from the farmhouse!”
“If you jump now, we’re all finished!”
Li An roared as he kept the accelerator pinned to the floor.
The scenery outside blurred past at terrifying speed.
Rong Yuxuan clenched his fists so tightly his fingernails dug into his palms until blood flowed.
He felt none of it.
Every thought…
Every sense…
Was fixed on the unconscious girl in the back seat.
He was going to lose her again.
Just like in his previous life.
Despair crashed over him like a tidal wave, drowning him completely.
Five minutes later, the SUV screeched to a halt outside the farmhouse.
Before it had even fully stopped, Rong Yuxuan threw open the door and rushed out.
Running to the back seat, he pulled the door open.
Abai immediately jumped down and stood guard beside the vehicle.
Every hair on his body stood erect as he scanned the surroundings, watching for zombies or strangers that might threaten the unconscious girl.
With the utmost care, Rong Yuxuan lifted Lin Qingtang from her father’s arms.
His movements were unbelievably gentle.
As though he were holding the world’s most precious treasure.
As though even the slightest force might shatter her.
Carrying her in his arms, he hurried into the bedroom and carefully laid her on the bed.
Li An rushed in carrying the medical kit.
After placing it beside the bed, he immediately withdrew to guard the courtyard entrance.
Steel pipe gripped tightly in his hands, he remained on full alert, determined not to let anything disturb the people inside.
Standing beside the bed, Lin Shaoan looked at the blackened wound spreading across his daughter’s arm.
Though his fingertips trembled, he forced himself to stay calm.
“Yuxuan.”
“Treat the wound first.”
“Squeeze out as much of the poison as possible.”
“Let’s see if we can stop it from spreading.”
Rong Yuxuan finally snapped back to reality.
He nodded, his trembling hands opening the medical kit.
He took out disinfectant, cotton swabs, and a tourniquet.
Sitting beside the bed, he gently lifted Lin Qingtang’s injured arm.
With painstaking care, he cleaned the tainted blood from the wound.
His movements couldn’t have been gentler.
He was terrified of hurting her.
Yet even so…
The unconscious Lin Qingtang still frowned in pain, soft moans escaping her lips.
His heart twisted sharply.
His hands trembled.
Tears fell uncontrollably onto the bedsheets.
After tying the tourniquet around her upper arm, he repeatedly squeezed the wound, forcing out streams of blackened blood.
But the poison continued spreading visibly through her veins.
In the apocalypse…
Being scratched by a zombie meant infection.
Infection meant death.
He had witnessed countless victims.
Some eventually became mindless zombies.
Others died in unbearable agony.
Rong Yuxuan sat motionless beside the bed, holding Lin Qingtang’s uninjured hand.
He never left her side.
He simply stared at the unconscious girl before him.
His eyes were filled with despair…
And unwavering obsession.
Outside, Li An stood guard at the courtyard entrance.
Every so often, he glanced toward the bedroom.
His chest felt painfully tight.
He had never seen Rong Yuxuan like this before.
It was as if his soul had already left his body.
Lin Shaoan stood by the window with his back to the bed.
Looking into the empty courtyard, his shoulders trembled ever so slightly.
The man who had remained steady as a mountain for most of his life could no longer hide the fear and anguish in his eyes.
Inside the bedroom…
Tear after tear landed on the back of Lin Qingtang’s hand.
“Qingtang…”
“Wake up…”
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s all my fault…”
“I couldn’t protect you…”
“Please…”
“Please wake up…”
“Don’t leave me…”
“The last time…”
“I arrived too late…”
“This time…”
“I can’t lose you again…”
His words became increasingly incoherent.
His entire body shook violently.
Grief and despair pierced through him like countless needles, stabbing relentlessly into every part of his being.
Just then, Li An stepped into the doorway, intending to ask if they needed anything.
Instead…
His eyes widened.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
Pointing at Rong Yuxuan’s head, his voice trembled.
“Brother Xuan…”
“Your hair…”
Lin Shaoan spun around.
His pupils contracted in shock.
Rong Yuxuan didn’t seem to hear them at all.
He continued holding Lin Qingtang’s hand, softly repeating her name while tears streamed endlessly down his face.
But at his temples…
The black strands of his hair were fading.
Before their eyes, they slowly turned pure white.
First the streaks at his temples.
Then the loose strands across his forehead.
One by one.
From root to tip.
Every strand transformed into snow-white silk.
The change spread with astonishing speed.
Within only a few minutes…
The whiteness crept from his temples across the crown of his head…
Then all the way to the ends.
The thick black hair he had possessed moments ago had completely transformed into pure white.
His raven hair had become snow…
In the space of a single thought.
Li An stood frozen.
He had forgotten how to breathe.
Lin Shaoan looked from his unconscious daughter…
To the young man beside her bed, now weeping with a head full of white hair.
His heart filled with indescribable emotions.
He had lived for more than half a lifetime.
Never had he witnessed love this profound.
Only the deepest love…
And the greatest despair…
Could turn a man barely in his twenties completely gray overnight.
With a quiet sigh, he stepped forward and rested a hand on Rong Yuxuan’s shoulder.
His voice was low and hoarse.
“Yuxuan…”
“Don’t lose hope.”
“Tangtang is a tough girl.”
“She’ll make it.”
“We’ll think of another way.”