Dozens of blade vehicles gleamed in the morning light.
Fully fueled.
Jiang Cheng was in the lead vehicle. She said: “Let’s go.”
Engines roared. The convoy charged into battle draped in the morning glow.
Zhao Yi thought—wasn’t this just the final decisive battle common in anime stories?
Zhao Yi wanted to laugh.
Though it wasn’t appropriate for the occasion, Zhao Yi still wanted to laugh.
Because Zhao Yi had completely figured it out.
Zhang Lesi asked him: “What are you laughing at?”
Zhao Yi gripped her hand tightly: “Lesi, if we go to another world, the two of us will definitely be able to find each other, right?”
He had to confirm it with her.
Zhang Lesi was utterly confident: “Whether or not you can find me, I’ll definitely be able to find you.”
Zhao Yi was overjoyed: “Good, it’s settled then.”
What do you mean settled, you lunatic.
Zhang Lesi laughed too.
Fine, settled then.
—
Tens of thousands of zombies roared in unison.
Very synchronized—you could tell they were indeed being controlled.
The one hiding in the palace carried on the shoulders of the giant zombies should be the Zombie Emperor controlling the zombie army.
The zombies began to charge.
The blade vehicles charged fearlessly.
Both sides kicked up rolling dust.
Collision!
Heads flew. Tentacles were severed. Pincers pierced vehicle cabins, stabbing into people’s bodies.
The vehicle windows had all been removed, replaced with horizontal blade edges, convenient for superpower users to use their abilities through the gaps.
Fireballs and electric currents shot out.
Insect-like zombies crawled under the vehicles, arching up. The vehicles tilted, and zombies swarmed up, flipping them over.
Metal-type superpower users immediately opened the cabins—the metal cabins bloomed open like flowers, flinging the zombies clinging to them into the sky.
People took the chance to scatter out of the cabins.
Armor and crescent-blade shovels gleamed in the sunlight.
This time, no one left.
Since they knew there was no place to survive in the world, after despair, they were no longer afraid.
Since death was unavoidable, better to take down a few zombies before dying—at least life wouldn’t have been wasted.
Some eastern refugees began to regret—yesterday they really should have stayed and died with Su Yu, Gao Yuxuan, and Sister Pan.
But it was fine. Dying now with Jiang Cheng was also fine.
Zhao Yi really did see familiar faces among the zombies.
He saw Nie Kuizhang.
Zhang Lesi saw her hospital teaching mentor.
The mentor had died in the first zombie outbreak. Nie Kuizhang had died on August 29th.
Zhang Lesi was shocked and uncertain. She turned to Zhao Yi: “What’s going on? Are my eyes playing tricks?”
Zhao Yi’s expression was extremely calm. He didn’t answer Zhang Lesi’s question, only once again instructed her: “You must find me.”
Their vehicle was tangled by an octopus-form mutant zombie.
The metal-type opened the cabin, using the vehicle body as a blade to sever the octopus’s tentacles.
Stone spikes jutted up on all sides, zombies flying.
Zhang Lesi gripped her crescent-blade shovel and loudly told Zhao Yi: “Don’t worry, you can’t escape my palm~!”
She charged into the zombie horde.
All the blade vehicles were abandoned.
The metal-types’ finest work.
Countless times they’d played a tremendous role on the roads, slaying countless zombies.
Their time had come too.
Everyone charged out of the cabins.
Even metal-types like President Xu didn’t put on “pen holder” protective shells. Like everyone else, he wore only ordinary armor.
This battle was fought with the intent of mutual destruction from the start.
Li Jiangbing fought like a Vajra Arhat in a Buddhist temple—madly.
Song Jingshuo, strictly speaking, was participating in battle with his superpower for the first time.
Thick vines burst from the ground on all sides, coiling up zombies and flinging them far away, smashing their brains. Or wrapping around necks and strangling.
Li Feng and his comrades’ individual combat abilities were terrifyingly strong.
But all these people, once sunk into the zombie tide, were submerged.
“Go—Jiang Cheng! Go—” Li Feng roared, his whole body burning with flames.
Everyone was clearing a path for Jiang Cheng.
Letting Jiang Cheng go ask that bastard Zombie Emperor what exactly he wanted in this world.
Moli transformed into a giant cat, carrying Jiang Cheng, racing toward the distant palace.
Anyone who dared block the way—bitten to death, trampled, smashed!
Jiang Cheng looked back, saw her comrades sunk in the zombie tide.
Jiang Cheng turned her head back, stopped looking.
The giant zombies set the palace on the ground, kicking up a sky-full of dust.
The giant zombies charged toward Moli, the earth shaking.
[Jiang Cheng, get down!] Moli said. [Jiang Cheng, charge!]
Having set Jiang Cheng down, Moli’s body swelled again!
The giant beast charged forward to grapple with the giant zombies.
Jiang Cheng ran toward the palace. Behind her, Moli’s roars rose.
Jiang Cheng looked back.
Too many giant zombies, tearing at Moli’s flesh and blood body.
Jiang Cheng turned her head back. The palace was right before her eyes.
Jiang Cheng’s steps didn’t pause for even a moment.
Zombies surged up to intercept her. Massive concrete blocks appeared in the air one after another, falling, smashing down swaths at a time.
Jiang Cheng ran with all the strength of her life.
She didn’t look at her comrades behind her. Her only thought at this moment was to charge into that palace, see the Zombie Emperor’s true face, and cut off his dog head.
Large mutant zombies appeared ahead. Jiang Cheng released an enormous block of concrete.
These were all building debris collected during the earthquake—building materials for earth-types during construction, ready-made weapons of mass destruction during battle.
Though Jiang Cheng could release and retrieve simultaneously, due to the limitation of control distance, on this rushing path she kept losing usable materials.
Until everything was exhausted.
The space was empty.
Her strength was spent too.
Jiang Cheng fell to the ground.
Jiang Cheng felt rage again.
Throwing her into such a world, yet not giving her combat power.
Using objects from her space as weapons—that was just trickery! She’d actually never obtained true combat power.
Like fire, like electricity, like metal, like earth, or even like wood!
She only had a space, and various safety protocols!
To hell with safety protocols!
Jiang Cheng was too enraged. This rage made her brain explode once more.
[Safety protocols lifted.]
A black-hole-like interface opened before her eyes, like a pure black mirror.
Jiang Cheng used her last strength to drive the crescent-blade shovel into the face of the nearest zombie.
Jiang Cheng let go of the weapon, leaped into the air, and jumped into the black hole.
The black hole vanished instantly. The ground was empty.
Only the zombies, bewildered.
In the same instant, the black hole opened, and Jiang Cheng—this leap having crossed through space—jumped out and fell to the ground.
Jiang Cheng rolled, scrambling to prop herself up, and raised her head.
Thus, she finally saw the Zombie Emperor.
Jiang Cheng had broken the safety protocols, crossed through space, and entered the Zombie Emperor’s palace.
The outside looked intimidating, but inside it was actually very simple—nothing at all.
A very spacious palace, with only giant volumes two people could embrace, and marble floors.
Directly ahead, where a throne would usually be, was a platform raised above the floor.
This “platform” was roughly equivalent to a throne.
Because the Zombie Emperor had no butt to “sit” with.
The Zombie Emperor said: “You’ve come.”
The voice was the mysterious man’s.
The Zombie Emperor looked very old—an elderly man, his face even somewhat kindly.
The upper half was human. From the waist down, the lower half was a spider body, with a scorpion tail.
Jiang Cheng looked at the “Zombie Emperor” before her and found it very laughable.
The laughable part was that he looked like such a shoddy patchwork—like a low-budget horror movie villain with failed aesthetics.
Completely unworthy of everyone outside fighting to the death.
If Zhao Yi and Gao Yuxuan saw this, they’d definitely be very disappointed too. The Zombie Emperor they’d imagined themselves was much cooler than this one.
“So it’s you?” Jiang Cheng said.
She wanted to walk closer, but one of her ankles was injured—agonizing pain, nearly sending her stumbling.
Jiang Cheng dragged her injured foot forward, step by step.
“Was it you who threw me into this world?”
“Are you the one who wants to exterminate humanity?”
“Toying with us in the palm of your hand—fun, is it?”
Her rage peaked upon seeing the Zombie Emperor’s shoddy, laughable, imagination-lacking appearance.
“Tell me, what is your purpose?”
“Is it this world, or is it me?”
“Tell me—are the people outside suffering these torments because of me?”
The Zombie Emperor actually smiled: “Do you want it to be, or not?”
The old bastard even pushed further: “Are these people important to you?”
Her lips split, her teeth bleeding.
Jiang Cheng spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged phlegm.
“I didn’t come here to listen to your jokes. I want to know the truth!”
The Zombie Emperor: “The truth…”
The massive scorpion tail extended, shooting out a beam of light that expanded into a gate of light.
“Walk through this gate, and you’ll see the truth.”
“But you can never turn back.”
“Jiang Cheng.” The old man asked, “Is the truth really that important?”
Jiang Cheng spat out more blood, wiping the bloodstain from the corner of her lips with her dirty hand.
“Either way it’s death. I need to die understanding.”
She didn’t hesitate—stepped into the light.
…
…
…Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng.
Someone was calling her.
Who is it.
Face after face flashed before her eyes.
First Peng Ze, then Master Luo, Wu Jiancheng, He Tian, Guo Jun, Sister Pan, Zeng Qiang, Yang Xinyan, Xiao Fang, Manager Wang, the aunties.
Xiao Huang, Xiao Dan, Uncle Eighty, Auntie Xue, Auntie Qian, President Xu, Director Yu, Brother Dong—even Zhou Wang, Nie Kuizhang.
Jiangbing, Jingshuo, Su Yu, Lesi, Zhao Yi, Yuxuan, Haiyang.
So many, so many people.
Each one ordinary and imperfect. Each one with their own flaws, even riddled with faults.
But each one alive, vividly alive.
Jiang Cheng even felt as if she’d never in her life come into contact with so many living people.
Each one had left a mark on her soul, layering one upon another, affecting her.
[Mental power source link safely disengaged.]
[Memory block lifted.]
[Mental power indicators normal.]
[Life signs normal.]
“Jiang Cheng.”
“Miss.”
“Executor.”
All the memories came back. Jiang Cheng knew these were all names for her.
These voices were all ethereal, as if separated by something.
The probes piercing into her head detached one by one automatically, retracting, causing a slight headache.
She opened her eyes.
The world was distorted and deformed by liquid.
The nutrient fluid had extremely high oxygen content. Nutrients permeated through the skin. The liquid entered the lungs and directly exchanged oxygen atoms.
Pair after pair of hands reached into the liquid, carefully lifting her head, neck, shoulders, and back, raising her up from the liquid chamber.
Jiang Cheng sat up, coughing the liquid out of her mouth and nose.
The nutrient fluid settled and was recycled. The chamber body expanded and contracted, becoming a platform.
The people beside her supported her as she lowered her legs.
They were afraid she’d lain in the liquid chamber too long and her body would be numb, so they massaged her body. From her neck to her calves.
They were all handsome, powerfully built young men—each one could be called a specimen of male beauty.
Familiar with her body and habits, knowing how to make her feel comfortable.
Pair after pair of hands, utterly gentle.
“Executor.” An old man’s voice rose.
Very familiar—it was the mysterious man, just older, but still recognizable.
It was the Zombie Emperor.
The young men stepped aside, revealing the old man.
Wearing a very retro uniform, with a bow tie.
Every inch of him written with the stereotype of “butler.”
He was indeed Jiang Cheng’s old butler.
That kind, wrinkle-covered face—it was the Zombie Emperor.
He was Uncle Jiang—that is, Jiang Shu.
He asked: “Executor, did you have fun?”
Jiang Cheng found it absolutely hilarious.
She couldn’t help but hold her forehead and laugh.
Jiang Cheng had been filled with bone-deep hatred and murderous intent, treading all the way over her companions’ sacrifices to seek the truth.
Now the memory block was lifted. She remembered everything.
That utterly hateful, infuriating being who manipulated the world, toyed with human lives, treated everyone as ants—the one behind the scenes.
So…
Jiang Cheng raised her eyes. So—it was herself all along.
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