However…
The zombie seemed to treat Xu Zimo as nothing more than a stepping stone. After knocking him down, it used the momentum to leap toward Zhang Qichuan, completely ignoring the members of the Yingyunckk[1]Can be also translated to Jingyun squad or Mysterious Cloud Squad the chinese character of this is complicated my mind is a mess jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2230985_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2230985_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Squad as well.
If it were just one zombie, they might’ve said its sense of smell was poor. But when three or four more zombies came down and did the same, everyone realized—
the zombies didn’t seem to consider them as targets at all.
Xu Zimo quickly scrambled to his feet, scratching his head awkwardly as he watched the bizarre scene. “Am I… not fragrant enough?”
The team gathered around him. Zhou Nuocheng looked at Chen Yi and said, “Your ability? But how were you able to open the door?”
As soon as he said it, everyone understood. If not for an ability, how could they possibly not be attacked? And how could the zombies have suddenly come down from the second floor without a sound?
Chen Yi glanced at Xu Zimo. “Get some rest. I still have things to do.”
With that, he walked toward Zhang Qichuan.
“To have such an ability yet stay in this small supermarket… he definitely has a purpose,” Shi Ran thought back. There had been no such character as Chen Yi in the book.
Had he not survived? Or was he just an insignificant extra?
They followed as well and even tried attacking the zombies. They managed to take down two or three, yet none of the other zombies attacked them. Truly an incredible ability.
Among the remaining survivors, only Zhang Qichuan, Huang Likai, and Chen Da were left. Chen Teng was still asleep—despite all the commotion, he hadn’t woken up. Could Shi Ran have accidentally electrocuted him to death earlier?
Shi Ran felt a bit awkward… but not much.
“Ah!” Chen Da was suddenly tackled by a zombie, and two more swarmed him. “Boss, save me!”
Taking advantage of the moment, Zhang Qichuan released a burst of corrosive liquid. Its power was immense—after coming into contact with a large amount of it, the three zombies, along with Chen Da, gradually dissolved into a slurry of flesh.
“You think you can escape? If you can, I’ll personally send you on your way.”
Chen Yi walked over. In the dim lighting, his features were hard to make out, but his cold words made him seem like a demon.
Seeing Chen Yi standing so close to the zombies without being attacked, Zhang Qichuan’s sense of dread peaked.
The last zombie lunged toward them. Having just used a large amount of corrosive liquid, Zhang Qichuan wasn’t confident he could kill it in one strike.
At the critical moment, he grabbed Huang Likai from behind and shoved him forward as a shield.
Huang Likai never expected to be used as a human shield by an ability user. He hadn’t known that abilities had limits—he had thought he was safe.
Chen Yi had no intention of protecting Zhang Qichuan’s lackey. Watching as Huang Likai’s blood vessels were torn open by the bite, blood spraying high into the air, something seemed to flicker in his eyes—the coldness softened ever so slightly.
Zhang Qichuan seized the chance to release corrosive liquid at the zombie’s head, barely managing to kill it. Then, looking at Huang Likai writhing on the ground clutching his neck in agony, he released the last of his corrosive liquid, melting his head completely.
Everyone who witnessed this couldn’t help but feel how ruthless Zhang Qichuan was. Having seen his true nature, his previously refined demeanor now only seemed hypocritical and sinister.
“Who are you? I don’t think I’ve ever offended you,” Zhang Qichuan said, his ability nearly exhausted, sitting on the ground in a sorry state.
“You’ve done so many unforgivable things, and you’re sure you’ve never offended me?” Chen Yi’s tone was cold, but his clenched fists trembled, barely containing his overwhelming rage.
Hearing that, Zhang Qichuan actually hesitated for a moment, staring at Chen Yi’s face and muttering his name.
Suddenly, he remembered someone—one of his students named Chen Shuang, a remarkably outstanding and stunning girl.
What a pity… she hadn’t lasted. He had even felt a bit regretful at the time.
Now that he looked closely, she bore a five-part resemblance to Chen Yi. Before, he hadn’t paid attention to this boy, allowing him to slip through the cracks.
“You’re Chen Shuang’s younger brother, aren’t you? Your sister and I truly loved each other. Her death pains me deeply,” Zhang Qichuan said, putting on a grief-stricken expression, as if his love had been genuine.
“You’re in pain? Of course you are! She’s dead—she’s free now, so of course you’re in pain! My sister always respected you. Where did this ‘love’ come from?!” Chen Yi’s emotions surged. His eyes were already red, his heart feeling as though it were being torn apart.
That sister of his—who loved him, cared for him, and treated others with kindness and sincerity. That foolish girl who worked part-time while studying just so he could stay in school without worry, the two of them depending on each other. She should have had a bright, vibrant life.
He was about to come of age. He could’ve started sharing her burdens. Why… why hadn’t she waited for him?
“When she was sent to the hospital, there wasn’t a single inch of uninjured skin on her body. She said she was in pain. She said she wanted to die. She said she was sorry to me. Every time I think of that, I want to tear you to pieces!”
Large tears streamed down his face. He was only a 17-year-old boy, biting down hard on his lip to keep himself from breaking apart.
“You… you’ve misunderstood. What happened to your sister was an accident. She was with me meeting clients when she was attacked by a few thugs. We already compensated your family. Didn’t you even use that money for your schooling? We don’t owe you anything,” Zhang Qichuan repeated his old excuse, even trying to paint Chen Yi as someone ungrateful and unreasonable.
“Of course I studied hard—otherwise how could I crush you under my feet and return everything you’ve done?” Chen Yi’s voice trembled.
A vine suddenly shot out from behind, wrapping around Zhang Qichuan and lifting him into the air, nearly suffocating him.
Back in his second year of high school, Chen Yi had taken the evidence he painstakingly gathered of Zhang Qichuan assaulting students to the police. But what did he get?
An alibi fabricated by the entire research institute. Connections bought with money. In the end, Zhang Qichuan was only briefly suspended for negligence.
He never even got to face him. Though he was the victim’s family, he could only watch the perpetrator like a rat in the shadows.
He knew his sister hadn’t told him the truth because she didn’t want him to ruin himself by confronting it head-on. He obeyed. After that, he studied day and night, hoping that one day he would stand at the top of power and watch Zhang Qichuan suffer a fate worse than death.
When he learned Zhang Qichuan had come to Feng County, he had nearly lost control and gone to kill him.
As he struggled with himself, the apocalypse arrived.
When he realized he had gained a special ability, he knew—this was his final chance to take revenge with his own hands.
Without wasting a second, Chen Yi used his protective barrier and ran all the way from his school to the area where he had tracked Zhang Qichuan. Among the swarming zombies, he searched for a long time before seeing him enter the store with a group of people.
On the very first night, he had already gone up to the second floor and discovered there were many zombies there, leaving vines behind to act when the time was right.
These people—sycophantic and selfish, fawning over Zhang Qichuan like dogs…
Then let them all—
go to hell together.
Sister… I know you wanted me to live well. But life without you hurts too much. This rotten world—I can barely endure it anymore.
After I finish this…
I’ll come find you.
Don’t blame me… alright?
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