Chapter 59: Intersecting Death Anniversaries and Birthdays (4)
Ten days later.
During this time, we had been preparing for what was to come. After all, the zombie crisis was about to erupt, and while Juncheng and I had escaped the pursuit of fate, we were still just ordinary people in terms of our physical abilities. Surviving the upcoming zombie crisis would not be an easy task. However, mere survival wasn’t enough; we also had to continuously track Li Nai, which was an even greater challenge. Fortunately, Zi Hua’s phone had a tracking system installed, allowing us to know Li Nai’s location at any time, preventing any desperate situations where we might not be by her side.
But regarding the rest of the text messages, Juncheng had never told me about them, and it seemed he wouldn’t tell me in the future. As night approached, I went to the windowsill and watched the hazy sky. A slightly chilling breeze blew across my face. After that, we moved into another apartment near Li Nai’s. To be precise, we were now living in the apartment right next door to the one Li Nai occupied. Both were on the second floor of a supermarket, simply divided into two 1DK apartments.
Although it was cramped, it surprisingly felt cozy to live in. And since there was only one bed, Juncheng and I slept on the same bed… Ah, of course, we didn’t do anything embarrassing or unspeakable. The ten days I spent living here with Juncheng, preparing his meals and going to the bathhouse with him, were peaceful and happy times. I was unconsciously immersed in it, even feeling a sense of longing for this life. Ah, is this what Ji Lianbing’s other personality felt like? Just being by his side made me so happy; wanting to keep him by my side is a natural thought for anyone.
“Are you ready, Zi Ai?”
“Yes, food, supplies, and various survival gear are all prepared.”
“Alright, then it’s time to set off.”
“Are we leaving now?”
“Yes, Li Nai has started to act, so we need to follow her.”
Juncheng had made up his mind and wouldn’t go back on it. Besides, it was too late to stop him now. If I had to say why… I shifted my gaze back to the scene below: raging flames, the cries of suffering rising and falling, and the hollow roars of those walking dead… it was like hell on earth. The zombie crisis had already broken out.
But Li Nai had still locked herself in her room, ignoring everything happening outside. This was all because of a text message she received after returning home. It seemed to be from Li Nai’s father, telling her to evacuate immediately. From the content, it appeared the sender’s situation was already dire. At this moment, I suddenly remembered the man in a suit I spoke with on the hospital rooftop that day. Could he be…?
But even if we knew, it would be too late to change anything. Moreover, if he had truly survived, Li Nai’s subsequent actions would have been different. If Li Nai hadn’t encountered the Juncheng of this era, she wouldn’t have fought the zombie virus for Juncheng. Everything was bound by causality… Then, just now, Li Nai seemed to finally be taking action, waking from her deep despair and preparing to escape. We, too, had packed our bags, put on our backpacks, and donned the necessary clothing. Before leaving, I took one last look at the small apartment we had lived in for these ten days, knowing we would never have a chance to return, and imprinted everything firmly in my heart.
We had faintly heard screams before, and indeed, the supermarket downstairs had become a zombie concentration camp. On the ground, there were still a few zombies with broken bones, trampled by the horde, struggling to crawl towards us, their mouths groaning as they crawled in our direction. Juncheng went downstairs and plunged a dagger into the heads of each of the zombies.
“These zombies have no chance of turning back into humans. Even if they partially awaken later, they can only survive in dark underground corpse cities. It’s better for me to grant them release.”
“Mm, you don’t need to explain to me. I wouldn’t think you were wrong even if you killed ordinary zombies.”
“That’s right. I’m looking for an excuse for my actions… If I were still in elementary school, I would naively think, ‘If there’s an antibody, maybe these zombies can’t turn back into humans,’ and try to avoid harming them. Heh… In such a dire situation where self-preservation is a concern, thinking about the safety of zombies… Children are indeed simple beings full of dreams and hope.”
“Juncheng, have you remembered anything?”
SF Light Novel
“…I’ve remembered a little. Li Nai will encounter a child version of… well, Li Nai still needs some time to prepare. Let’s clear out the nearby zombies first.”
There weren’t many zombies on the nearby streets; most had been drawn by the sound of explosions towards the main street. The main street led to another district, but it was now blocked by vehicles lying in disarray. The end of the street led out of the city, but walking out would take at least ten hours, and that’s assuming a direct walk without any obstacles. There might be obstacles ahead, and there would definitely be more zombies on the road. Fighting our way through would be impossible. So, avoiding these zombies while heading towards the outskirts, who knows how long it would take. At least Li Nai never managed to leave this city in the end…
Juncheng and I began to clear out the nearby zombies. Killing these slow-moving ordinary zombies was relatively simple. The weapons we prepared were sufficient for us to deal with them from a safe distance. Then, we briefly surveyed the vicinity. At the intersection ahead, a large number of zombies were gathered to the left. The car horns had attracted them, likely because someone had died in a car and accidentally stepped on the horn, acting as a natural zombie attraction.
“Just looking at it makes me sick… Back then, I rushed into a sea of corpses like a lunatic. Although, that was a pile of zombies…”
“Juncheng, are you talking about the time you went to save Ji Lianbing?”
“Mm, but looking back now, I was being self-important then too. Those zombies were only approaching Lianbing instinctively because she was a Calamity of Death, they didn’t want to hurt her at all. I mistakenly thought Lianbing was in danger and recklessly charged into that zombie horde… I don’t know who gave me the courage; I was truly idiotic.”
“Why did you choose to save her back then?”
“Well, who knows… Maybe because I’m a superficial person.”
A superficial person… However, the girls around Juncheng were all naturally beautiful, as were the girls in his class, but Juncheng had never paid them any attention. Was it because Ji Lianbing was…
“Li Nai is coming down. Let’s hide! Zi Ai!”
Suddenly, something smashed through the second-floor window of a nearby apartment and leaped down. Accompanied by shards of glass flying through the air, a tall zombie landed on me, its massive right hand swinging towards my face. I quickly ducked, and Juncheng rushed over, knocking the zombie with its thick arm away. The airflow from its claws grazed my cheek. Juncheng and the zombie rolled to the side. I quickly got up from the ground, intending to help Juncheng, but as I looked at the ‘zombie,’ I froze.
This hunched, smooth-skinned, short, and agile monster, resembling a jackal, that wasn’t wearing clothes was…
“Ghoul!”
“Why is a ghoul appearing in this place?”
Moreover, this suddenly appearing ghoul was clearly different from other ghouls. Only its right hand was disproportionately thick, and its claws were exceptionally sharp. Why did it become like this?
“You brain-damaged ghoul, did you eat a zombie an_d get infected yourself?”
“GAAAWUUUUAAAAA!”
“Juncheng!”
“Don’t come over! I can handle it! Hoo… [Release your mouth]!”
Juncheng used his spiritual power to suppress the ghoul and slowly lifted it up, but at this moment, the mutated ghoul suddenly attacked, opening its mouth and biting Juncheng’s arm.
No!
I had already rushed over, wanting to save Juncheng. But at that moment, with a piercing sound, the ghoul was impaled by a slender spear. Someone had come to save us? But it wasn’t Li Nai; it was an unfamiliar middle-aged man with a goatee. Was he a survivor? He was quite ferocious!
“…Thank you…”
Juncheng let out a relieved sigh and threw the ghoul that had fallen on him aside. Just as he was about to look up and thank the man, the man attacked Juncheng without hesitation. Fortunately, my reaction was quick, and I rushed forward to push the man away, preventing the spear from hitting Juncheng.
“What are you doing!”
“My apologies, you have no hope left… Let us send you on your way.”
Although Juncheng was bitten, that wasn’t a zombie just now! Besides, even if Juncheng were bitten by a zombie, he wouldn’t necessarily turn into one, because he was already a zombie before he died! But there was no time to explain. The man with the goatee had already begun to attack Juncheng. Juncheng quickly dodged, clutching his injured shoulder. The situation was not looking good.
“Don’t worry, I won’t torture you. As a former soldier, I know that the most terrifying thing is not… No matter how you imagine it, death is just an abstract concept, because one can only die once in a lifetime… What is more terrifying than death on the battlefield is ‘pain’.”
This man has gone mad!
“I am ‘redeeming’ you. Rather than becoming a walking dead, let me help you find release here….”
The man re-drew his spear, raised it expressionlessly, and aimed to throw it at Juncheng. His hair slowly turned white.
“Don’t worry, I’ll let you die without pain.”
“Oniification?! A murderous ghoul?!”
White hair is a characteristic of Oniification! What is going on? Ghouls are one thing, but why a murderous ghoul?
… This exclamation of surprise cut through the tense atmosphere at an inopportune moment. It was Li Nai! Of all times to appear!
… it!
