As Liu Yun made her way over, Mu Nan was on the verge of complete zombification.
Bound tightly with thick ropes, he constantly let out low growls. Looking at his teammates with his blood-red eyes, Mu Nan tried his best to hold on to his consciousness.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out except low growls.
’I... don’t want... to become... a zombie...’
He kept repeating those words in his mind, but with every passing second, it became harder for him to do so. Filled with despair and fear, he felt his eyes grow hot, but not a single tear fell.
Zombies couldn’t cry or speak.
Realizing this, Mu Nan knew that his only ending was to become the very being he hated the most.
Unwilling to accept that fate, he decided to end everything by force. Since his teammates refused to kill him, he had no choice but to force their hands.
With his mind made up, Mu Nan suddenly roared and struggled violently.
"Roar!"
Startled by his sudden roar, Gu Lingjian and the other soldiers sprang to their feet. With their guns aimed at Mu Nan, they watched him anxiously.
Standing at the front, Gu Lingjian looked into Mu Nan’s red eyes, trying his best to find traces of his brother within them.
Unfortunately, aside from the blood-red eyes and black lines, he saw nothing.
Unable to accept the fact that he was about to lose another comrade, Gu Lingjian shouted, "Mu Nan! Come back! Don’t let the virus control you!"
Hearing this, Mu Nan wanted to cry, but he no longer had the strength to maintain his consciousness.
At this moment, fragments of memories flashed through his fading consciousness. The memories he had with his brothers.
Training together, returning home together after completing a mission, having each other’s backs as they fought the zombies and mutants...
All his precious memories surged into his mind, but they blurred into a thick fog the next moment.
Knowing that he was running out of time, Mu Nan’s determination grew even stronger.
’Captain... kill... me...’
He wanted to say those words, but what came out of his mouth was another roar.
"Roar!"
Facing Mu Nan’s face covered with black lines, Fu Shuo’s expression sank. Suppressing his emotions, he said in a choked voice, "Captain... We have lost him."
The moment those words fell, Gu Lingjian’s eyes reddened. He clenched his gun so tightly that his fingers turned white.
Without looking away from Mu Nan, he stubbornly shouted, "No! Mu Nan is still there!"
Fu Shuo’s fingers tightened around his gun as he pleadingly said, "Captain... Please let him go as a human."
When Gu Lingjian and the others heard this, their eyes reddened as they all fell into heavy silence.
As soldiers, none of them wanted to die as zombies.
Knowing that he had lost another brother, Gu Lingjian closed his eyes in despair.
Seeing this, Mu Nan stopped struggling. He closed his eyes and felt a sense of relief instead of fear.
’Finally... I can... leave with... dignity...’
After a long moment of silence, Gu Lingjian finally opened his eyes and said, "Everyone, step back. I will personally send Mu Nan on his way."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan and the others lowered their guns and took a few steps back.
Staring at Mu Nan, some of them couldn’t help shedding tears. Lowering their heads, they secretly wiped away their tears and tried their best to suppress their sobs.
Facing Mu Nan, the turmoil in Gu Lingjian’s heart suddenly calmed down.
He had sent off countless comrades since the Apocalypse began. This was not the first time, and it would not be the last.
Gu Lingjian’s finger rested on the trigger, yet it refused to move.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, he looked at Mu Nan and said, "Brother... Rest in peace."
When he said those words, Mu Nan slowly opened his eyes.
He was not afraid of death.
He simply wanted to take one last look at the teammates with whom he had shared countless life-and-death battles. Using the last of his remaining sanity, Mu Nan tried his best to smile at his brothers.
The corner of his lips trembled so slightly. Unfortunately, he couldn’t even smile any longer.
Although it couldn’t even be called a smile, his brothers understood it was his last smile.
After a brief moment of silence, Gu Lingjian’s eyes turned cold. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he heard approaching hurried footsteps.
A second later, a woman’s urgent voice came from the outside, suddenly shattering the sorrowful atmosphere.
"Spare his life!"
Not expecting something to be blocking the door, Liu Yun slammed into it head-on.
Bam!
For one second, Liu Yun saw stars floating in front of her.
"Ouch!"
Covering her forehead, she squatted down and groaned in pain. The impact hurt so much that tears subconsciously welled up in the corners of her eyes.
Inside the abandoned jewelry store, Gu Lingjian and the others all turned toward the door at the same time.
Liu Yun’s sudden arrival interrupted them, and the sorrowful atmosphere disappeared instantly.
After a brief moment of shock, Chen Chuan came back to his senses and exclaimed in surprise, "Captain, it’s that suspicious woman!"
The moment his words fell, not only Gu Lingjian but also Fu Shuo and the other soldiers came back to their senses.
Without wasting even a second, Gu Lingjian strode toward the blocked door. Putting away his gun, he quickly dragged the cabinets blocking the entrance aside.
Seeing this, Chen Chuan and the others hurried over to help him.
In less than twenty seconds, they had cleared the blockage and opened the door.
Standing before Liu Yun, Gu Lingjian grabbed her arm and pulled her into the store without saying anything.
Almost losing her footing, Liu Yun quickly grabbed Gu Lingjian’s clothes to steady herself while trying to catch up with his long legs.
"Hey, slow down!"