Yao Zuizui’s lips curled into a fierce smirk.
She sure ran fast.
Meanwhile, He Si sat leisurely in the car, showing no intention of getting out at all.
Feng Ran, hiding inside a residential building, shouted anxiously, “He Si, get down here! If you don’t run now, it’ll be too late!”
Yao Zuizui’s lips twisted into a mocking arc. “Feng Ran, didn’t you like Lu Jiang? If he stays here, he’ll eventually collapse from exhaustion and get bitten to death by zombies. Don’t you care at all?”
“Tch, you can barely save yourself right now. Save your breath,” Feng Ran snapped, no longer bothering to pretend they were close. She shot Yao Zuizui an impatient glare.
There had never been any sisterly bond between them—only self-preservation when disaster struck.
He Si let out a soft chuckle, light as a feather drifting onto pristine waters—beautiful and untouchable.
But reality was far from beautiful.
Yao Zuizui could clearly feel the ice spikes beneath her feet digging deeper, piercing further into her flesh.
The pain intensified.
She turned her gaze toward Feng Ran, who was watching her with a deranged expression, as if taunting, “How does that feel? Comfortable?”
Yao Zuizui finally understood.
Feng Ran knew how to manipulate the ice spikes—retracting and extending them at will.
She was doing this on purpose.
She wanted to cripple her.
Maybe even kill her.
As for when Feng Ran had awakened her abilities, Yao Zuizui had no idea.
If she were to speculate with the worst intentions, perhaps Feng Ran had known since the moment He Si appeared and taught them how to sense their powers.
Back then, Yao Zuizui had overlooked the slight shift in Feng Ran’s expression.
Maybe Feng Ran had kept it hidden out of fear of being forced to fight zombies, secretly practicing instead.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so precise today—striking with deadly accuracy, controlling the spikes effortlessly, driving them deep into Yao Zuizui’s flesh.
The pain grew unbearable as Feng Ran twisted the ice spikes inside her.
Nothing could compare to this agony.
The spinning spikes tore through her nerves, and soon, Yao Zuizui could no longer feel her feet.
It was as if an endless void of blood was swallowing her whole.
Her consciousness blurred.
The last thing she saw before blacking out was Feng Ran’s unrestrained, manic grin, Lu Jiang’s desperate cries for her, and—
He Si’s faint, enigmatic smile.
That refined, inscrutable monster…
—
Light.
Blinding light.
Yao Zuizui tried to raise her hand to shield her eyes but found she lacked the strength.
Had she failed and returned to the celestial realm?
No—she could still hear the zombies’ roars outside, the same relentless cacophony that had haunted them since the apocalypse began.
With great effort, she turned her gaze and saw He Si sitting by the bed, peeling an apple with a sharp dagger.
His fingers—long and elegant—handled the fruit with meticulous care, as if it were a priceless artifact.
The apple’s skin spiraled down unbroken, reaching the floor and still growing.
Yao Zuizui blinked slowly, waiting in silence.
When He Si finished, the apple was flawless—a masterpiece.
He held it out to her casually. “Eat.”
Too weak to take it, Yao Zuizui could only open her mouth.
He Si’s eyes flickered, but he fed her without comment.
Neither spoke as she ate, bite by slow bite.
He seemed to savor the process, his smile deeper than usual.
Though Yao Zuizui stayed quiet, her mind raced.
Why couldn’t she feel her feet?
She wiggled them subtly—still there. Thank the heavens.
Why was He Si feeding her?
Was the apple poisoned? Did it mean something?
And why was it so big? She was parched—could she get some water?
Finally, she finished.
Clearing her throat, she asked hoarsely, “Where are the others?”
“Dead.” He Si wiped the dagger with a cloth, his tone indifferent, as if discussing crushed ants.
Yao Zuizui shivered.
He unnerved her more by the second.
“Are you afraid of me?” His gaze snapped up, piercing.
“No.” She lifted her chin defiantly.
Who was afraid of whom?
“Good girl.” His smile widened, revealing perfect teeth—but his eyes turned colder.
Yao Zuizui couldn’t help asking, “How did we escape? How did my feet heal?”
“Who else would save you but me?” His hand brushed her cheek, his expression softening strangely.
The touch sent shivers down her spine.
Was this man even sane?
His difficulty level just skyrocketed!
Desperate to change the subject, she blurted, “We should—”
Her strength returning, she abruptly sat up, dodging his lingering fingers.
“I’m fine now! Let’s go!”
He Si’s hand hovered midair, his brow furrowing briefly before smoothing back into his usual detached smile.
Graceful. Untouchable.
As if the world were beneath him.
Yao Zuizui hated that look.
But she couldn’t walk away—not when she’d come to this world for him.
As she dawdled, packing her things, He Si suddenly spoke, his voice uncharacteristically urgent:
“I have something to attend to. Wait here.”
Without another word, he left—his stride unlike his usual composed self.
This was her chance.
She tailed him stealthily.
Luckily, he wasn’t driving, making it easier to follow.
An hour later, they reached a forest outside the city.
The rustling leaves betrayed her steps, but the distant zombie growls masked the sound.
Then—
She saw them.
A group of humans, surrounding two others.
Her stomach dropped.
Those two were Lu Jiang and Feng Ran—the ones He Si had claimed were “dead.”
But something was wrong.
Their skin was deathly pale, their eyes vacant.
They moved mechanically, attacking without thought—only the instinct to kill.
The human fighters, though outnumbered, were strong.
One man, his hair singed, cursed, “What kind of zombies are these? They’re immune to everything!”
A blonde woman raised her sword. “I’m using the forbidden technique.”
“You’ll lose ten years of your life!”
“If I don’t, we all die here!”
Her blade became a blur.
Feng Ran’s limbs were severed, yet she still summoned ice spikes.
Lu Jiang coughed blood, his body failing.
Yao Zuizui glanced at He Si.
He wouldn’t just watch.
Sure enough, he stepped forward—
And moved faster than sight.
Black streaks flashed.
One by one, the humans fell.
But the battle wasn’t over yet.
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