The zombie youth turned his head toward Jiang Fu. In truth, however, his pupils were unfocused—his eyesight clearly hadn’t recovered yet.
That was normal. After all, this involved the reconstruction of the internal structure of the eyeballs—optic nerves, cranial nerves, all regrowing from scratch.
And yet, he still “looked” toward Jiang Fu’s direction at the very first moment.
Jiang Fu lifted a hand and waved it in front of his eyes. His eyeballs trembled slightly in response.
She snapped her fingers beside his ear. “Can you hear?”
His head tilted faintly toward the source of the sound.
Jiang Fu reached behind his head and felt around. The dent there was healing; soon it would be a perfectly rounded, intact skull again.
Then she grasped the boy’s shoulder and ran her hand down along his arm. The fracture was indeed mending. The once-twisted limb was being forcibly straightened under the influence of some powerful force.
Finally, she picked up his hand to examine it. The bluish-gray hue on the back was fading, and the ominous black of his fingernails was receding, revealing pale nail beds beneath.
Just as Jiang Fu was about to withdraw her hand, his fingers reflexively closed around hers.
Jiang Fu: “…”
Quite strong. The joints were flexible again. The skin had regained elasticity.
She was satisfied and said to Wen Zangyu, “Your brother will recover very soon.”
Wen Zangyu turned to look at her, opened her mouth as if to say thank you, but couldn’t produce the sound.
Jiang Fu patted her shoulder. “You should work hard too. Accelerate your evolution.”
She stood and stepped outside, leaving the space to the siblings.
Standing at the door, she watched them. Her gaze lingered on the boy—but inevitably, her thoughts drifted back to her mother.
If she were to use this wish-like curse on her mother as well… if she paid some price in exchange for survival—
At some point, the black cat had begun pacing along the top of the wall, its plump body swaying as it walked. It meowed and said, “Impossible. The target of a curse must be a living being. Even a zombie counts—it’s active, capable of material metabolism, a different kind of ‘living thing.’ But your mother’s situation is entirely different.”
“And even taking a step back—suppose you could curse a corpse. With your mother’s weight and significance, you wouldn’t be able to move her with a curse anyway.”
Jiang Fu turned to look at it. “Tell me—do you have some kind of mind-reading ability? How do you always know what I’m thinking?”
The black cat turned its head toward her. In its amber eyes, her reflection filled them completely. “Does that require mind-reading? Every time you wear that nostalgic, heavy expression—with a trace of bitterness and struggle—you’re absolutely thinking about something related to your mother.”
Jiang Fu: “…”
She rubbed the cat’s head. “Well said. Don’t say it again.”
Suppressing all her thoughts, she walked toward the base of the wall, where the person she had tied into a bundle lay.
Wen Zicheng—the so-called Second Brother—was kicked awake. A dull pain, almost numb, surged from his limbs into his brain. As he recalled what had happened before he fainted, fear struck again. Before losing consciousness, he seemed to have seen his limbs all—
“What’s your name? Where are you from? What grudge do you have with Wen Zangyu?”
A cold voice crashed down from above him.
He looked up and saw the woman in the long trench coat. He still couldn’t see her face clearly, but her mere silhouette carried immense pressure.
He shrank back in terror—only to realize he couldn’t move. Looking down, he saw that his limbs had indeed turned into mangled pulp.
He screamed in horror. “My hands! My legs! Aaaahhh!” Then he fainted again.
Jiang Fu: “…”
She could only wake him once more and repeated the same questions. With a vicious smile, she said, “Don’t even think about hiding anything. Otherwise, your head will end up like your limbs.”
Trembling uncontrollably, Wen Zicheng began to talk.
The Wen clan had formed a tight-knit group in Hongri Base, living and acting together. Wen Zicheng was technically Wen Zangyu’s clan uncle—not particularly close, but not distant either. Most of the ability users in their family usually operated as a team, either taking assignments from the base or heading out together to hunt valuable mutant beasts and plants.
As for the grudge between Wen Zicheng and the siblings—it could be summed up simply. He coveted his niece’s beauty and ability. He drugged her, intending to completely subdue her. Unexpectedly, her younger brother noticed something amiss, the scheme was exposed, and in a fit of rage and humiliation, Wen Zicheng attempted to silence them permanently.
In the end, he turned the siblings into zombies.
Yet even after becoming a zombie, Wen Zangyu retained fragments of her memory. Whenever Wen Zicheng left the base, she seemed to track him like a radar, seeking revenge. And within just a few days, she had grown remarkably strong.
Fearing that she would become even more powerful and wanting to eliminate this threat, Wen Zicheng had orchestrated this ambush.
Snot and tears running down his face, he begged for mercy. “I was just joking with Zangyu! I’m her second uncle, after all—how could I really do anything to her? The siblings misunderstood!”
Jiang Fu looked at him with disgust. A joke? Who makes a joke like that?
Expressionless, she said, “Why are there so many pieces of trash in this world?”
Hearing the killing intent in her tone, Wen Zicheng trembled violently and pleaded even more frantically.
Suddenly, he shuddered and looked toward a certain direction.
Wen Zangyu had come out of the courtyard at some point. She stood there like a vengeful ghost, staring at him coldly and darkly, an angry growl rumbling from her throat.
A flash of viciousness crossed Wen Zicheng’s eyes. He had almost managed to eliminate her…
But with that demon standing nearby, he could only swallow his resentment and continue weeping and begging. “Z-Zangyu… Second Uncle truly didn’t mean it. Aren’t you fine now? We’re family, flesh and blood—spare your Second Uncle…”
Jiang Fu almost laughed at the audacity of those words.
Wen Zangyu glared at him fiercely. Her mind was chaotic and muddled, but fragments of blurred memories remained—along with an overwhelming, searing hatred.
She wanted to kill him.
Kill him.
She lunged at Wen Zicheng, but stumbled and fell to the ground. Crack—crack. Jiang Fu clearly heard the sound of bones breaking.
The bones that had only just begun to heal snapped apart again.
Jiang Fu paid her no attention and continued questioning Wen Zicheng. “Who helped you set up that trap?”
“It was Zhou Liangji. He’s the youngest sixth-tier powerhouse in the base—maybe already seventh-tier.” He brought up the name of this strong figure, hoping to make Jiang Fu wary.
Wary? Hardly. Jiang Fu only wanted to sneer. So it was that Zhou again.
“Did he volunteer to help you?”
“He likes helping people. He likes standing up for the weak. At Hongri Base, he’s famous for being kind and righteous. We—we were afraid we wouldn’t stand a chance against Zangyu, so we went to him and poured out our grievances. He agreed to help.”
Jiang Fu let out a cold laugh. “Did he know the whole story?”
Wen Zicheng stammered. Jiang Fu understood immediately. “Right. How would you dare expose your own ugly secrets?”
But if he didn’t know the truth, didn’t ask about the cause and effect, and still helped Wen Zicheng harm someone who was already the victim—wasn’t that even more ridiculous?
Zhou Liangji. Just as ruthless as ever.
She even suspected that even if Zhou Liangji knew the truth, he would still stand on Wen Zicheng’s side. Because he believed above all else that the living were always the most important.
Just like back then, when he and the protagonist group stormed Fu’an Base. It was said that he thought Jiang Fu’s policies were too harsh on the living, and that as the only tenth-tier ability user, unchecked by anyone, she would one day become a threat to the entire world and all who lived in it.
After she died and was treated that way, this so-called righteous and kind man did speak a few words in objection—but he was quickly persuaded by the argument that “only this way can the base stabilize as quickly as possible and fewer people will die.” And so he chose to look the other way.
What a kind and benevolent man indeed.
The more Jiang Fu recalled, the more she wanted to laugh.
Everyone who had participated in killing her was her enemy—but this Zhou Liangji disgusted her the most.
So how should she deal with him?
At this very moment, he was likely still suffering the agony of ten thousand arrows piercing his heart. But mere physical pain could never break him.
Nor could it ease the hatred burning in Jiang Fu’s chest.
She glanced at Wen Zicheng and said to Wen Zangyu, “Can we not kill him for now? I promise you’ll have your chance for revenge. Everyone who hurt you and your brother, everyone who took part in hunting you down, will not be spared.”
She intended to use Wen Zicheng to retaliate against Zhou Liangji.
Wen Zangyu seemed to understand faintly. Though unwilling, she didn’t insist on killing Wen Zicheng. After all, this was the person who had just saved her brother.
She silently climbed to her feet, lowered her head, and said nothing. Surrounded by a gloomy aura, she shuffled back. Even her explosive, frizzy hair drooped limply.
Jiang Fu rubbed her nose. Why did it feel like she had bullied a little girl?
Wen Zangyu was only in her early twenties—already younger than Jiang Fu. And the current Jiang Fu had lived to thirty-two. Even without counting the fifty years that followed, she was nearly a full generation older than Wen Zangyu.
Bullying someone younger…
She sighed. “Forget it. You can keep him and play with him.”
There were plenty of ways to deal with Zhou Liangji. This man wasn’t the only option.
“Beat him however you like to vent your anger. If you’re capable, you can even cripple his ability and devour it.”
The zombie paused mid-step and turned to look at her. Its small pupils widened slightly.
Jiang Fu added, “On the condition that you heal your bones first.”
Otherwise, would she break her own bones while beating him?
Who exactly would be hitting whom?
Wen Zangyu stared at her for a moment, then left. This time, her steps were noticeably lighter.
Jiang Fu smiled faintly, knocked Wen Zicheng unconscious, and invaded his brain with resentful energy to ensure he wouldn’t wake anytime soon.
The black cat padded over, puzzled. “You hate the people who killed you. So why don’t you hate Wen Zangyu at all? You could say she directly led you to your death.”
Jiang Fu replied, “How is that the same?”
Wen Zangyu had openly challenged her. She had faced her openly. Perhaps there had been some helplessness, but when she stood before her opponent, she had already prepared herself to accept any outcome.
If you gamble, you accept the loss. She had that magnanimity. Even if she died at her opponent’s hands, she would have no complaints.
But what had the protagonist group done?
They had raised the banner of justice while taking advantage of her weakness. While everyone’s attention was focused on that life-and-death battle, they poisoned most of her trusted aides. And what they did afterward was even more disgusting.
What she hated wasn’t that they killed her—it was the vile and ruthless methods they used before and after.
To compare Wen Zangyu with the protagonist group was an insult.
“Now, in this world, I’m only tolerant toward two kinds of people. Do you know which two?”
The black cat asked, “Which two?”
Jiang Fu said, “Those who died for me, and those who died before me.”
The former, like Han Xiaofei and Jiang Shiyue. The latter were many. Wen Zangyu and her brother happened to fall into that category. She didn’t mind granting them a little more patience.
She stood and walked outside. “Stay here and keep watch over them.”
The black cat hurriedly meowed, “Where are you going?”
“To find them some clothes.”
Those ragged, filthy clothes had to be replaced. Their hair needed trimming. A bath had to be arranged as well.
Jiang Fu wandered through the small town in search of supplies.
But perhaps because there was a base nearby, the people from the base had surely scavenged the surrounding area over the years. The town had been stripped clean.
Jiang Fu couldn’t find a single wearable piece of clothing.
Let alone the various items needed for personal hygiene.
A few zombies shuffled past, but the clothes on their bodies were in even worse shape—hardly worth stripping.
Fortunately, Jiang Fu discovered two vehicles, likely driven here by Wen Zicheng and the others. Inside were some weapons, food, clothing, and a bit of drinking water.
But the water was certainly not enough for bathing.
Just as she was about to search for a water source, the sky suddenly darkened. Black clouds rolled in from the horizon, lightning flickering within them.
It was going to rain.
She remembered that during the great evolution of zombies, mutant beasts, and plants, rain had fallen frequently across different regions. After each rainfall, the zombies grew stronger.
It seemed the local wave of evolution was about to begin.