Wu Ma Yan changed into fresh clothes and looked at the sleeping youth on the bed, a complexity in his blood-red eyes that perhaps even he himself had never noticed.
His cold fingers rested on the youth’s lips, feeling the softness beneath his fingertips. Wu Ma Yan’s originally indifferent features unconsciously softened slightly.
“You’re very good. I’ll treat you well.”
He withdrew his hand, and Wu Ma Yan once again returned to his usual cold and icy demeanor before turning and leaving.
After walking out of the room, Wu Ma Yan came to the rooftop and stood with his hands behind his back. He looked indifferently at the densely packed zombies below, his slender fingers casually playing with a crystal-clear crystal core.
Light footsteps came from behind. Qi Yin stopped beside Wu Ma Yan and smiled as he gazed at the fallen city, a chill filling his eyes.
“Looking at all of this so familiar, sometimes I have the illusion that I’m still in the world from a thousand years ago.”
Wu Ma Yan’s red lips curled up, and dangerous light flowed through his narrowed eyes.
“How are the preparations?”
“Everything has been prepared. We only await the commander’s order.”
“Is that so?”
Wu Ma Yan raised his head and looked at the sky shrouded in dark clouds, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh.
“Then, initiate the World Destruction Plan!”
“Yes!”
Base, Blood Fiend Wolf.
Lian Qiguang sat cross-legged on the floor without any expression, fiddling with a pile of gun parts scattered all over the ground. Facing the detailed assembly diagrams beside him, he continuously disassembled and assembled them, assembled and disassembled them.
After installing the final component, Lian Qiguang put the thing in his hand down and raised his head toward Xuan Lang and the others, who were sneaking glances at him from not far away.
When they saw Lian Qiguang looking over, the several people who had originally been peeking at him immediately turned around in a fluster, frantically moving the machinery around them with their hands and feet.
“I’m telling you, can you stop following me?!”
With a furious roar, Yuan Ling walked over angrily.
Seeing Yuan Ling’s aggressive appearance, Lian Qiguang silently pulled a pile of parts blocking the way toward himself.
“Sister-in-law!”
Upon seeing Lian Qiguang, Yuan Ling froze, then quickly straightened up and gave a military salute.
“Hello, Sister-in-law!”
An Yi, who was following closely behind Yuan Ling, greeted him with a grin. One hand reached toward Yuan Ling and hooked around his shoulder.
Yuan Ling immediately shook An Yi off and glared fiercely at him.
As if he had not seen their little movements, Lian Qiguang nodded and waved for Yuan Ling to sit down.
“Has anything happened recently?”
“Something happened?”
Yuan Ling thought for a moment.
“Constant little things, but as for anything major, I haven’t heard of anything.”
Lian Qiguang pointed behind himself toward Xuan Lang and the others not far away and said woodenly, “Don’t you think they’ve been acting strange these past few days?”
Yuan Ling turned around and glanced at Xuan Lang and the others. His expression immediately became somewhat strange, and he awkwardly scratched his head.
“Oh! Them. They should be concerned about what happened in District Seven.”
Lian Qiguang thought carefully.
No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed nothing particularly special had happened. His questioning gaze stabbed toward Yuan Ling.
Yuan Ling pursed his lips awkwardly, not knowing how to explain it.
Seeing Yuan Ling’s troubled appearance, An Yi shook his head. He glanced around, withdrew the unserious smile from his face, and lowered his voice somewhat.
“Yuan Ling told me about that matter. The first commander of humanity’s new civilization, as well as those heroes who created the new world.”
“Did they bully you?”
Lian Qiguang frowned.
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
An Yi coughed dryly and spoke quietly.
“I heard those people address you as…”
“Sir.”
Seeing An Yi stammering for half a day without being able to get the words out, Lian Qiguang calmly supplied the answer.
An Yi nodded.
“According to the records, there seems to be only one person who could make those people respectfully call someone ‘Sir.’”
“You want to ask about my identity.”
After listening for a long while and vaguely figuring out what he meant, Lian Qiguang looked expressionlessly at An Yi across from him.
“That’s exactly what I mean, but if it’s too difficult for you, you don’t have to say.”
An Yi smiled.
“I used to be their direct superior. At that time, my name was Dark Light.”
Lian Qiguang’s pair of black eyes stared straight at An Yi. With that one calm sentence, the forced smile and composure on An Yi’s face were instantly shattered.
“Sis—no, that’s not it!”
Yuan Ling fiercely pinched himself to recover his voice, becoming somewhat incoherent for a moment.
“Then… then are you a human now, or a zombie, or perhaps… a ghost?”
“I’m human.”
Lian Qiguang gathered up the parts scattered across the floor, patted the dust off his clothes, and stood up. He calmly looked at the two people who were still in shock.
“Is there anything else you want to ask?”
“No, no.”
They both shook their heads blankly.
“Then I’ll leave.”
Just as Lian Qiguang was leaving, he bent down and patted An Yi and Yuan Ling on the heads, looking exactly like an elder looking at two disobedient children from his own family.
“When the day comes that you two get married, I’ll officiate your wedding. I’ll prepare a red envelope, so don’t be polite.”
Watching Lian Qiguang’s departing back, Yuan Ling and An Yi looked at each other.
“An Yi, may I ask why my back feels cold and why my entire heart is filled with excitement?”
Yuan Ling stared blankly at An Yi and patted his stiff face.
“By rights, I should be screaming right now and then fainting.”
An Yi looked strangely at Yuan Ling. After remaining silent for a long while, he slowly reached out and pinched Yuan Ling’s cheek.
“Dark Light has already said he’ll officiate our wedding. Why don’t you see when we should get married?”
“……”
Yuan Ling.
“Get lost!!”
After a long while, Yuan Ling slapped An Yi across the face, got up, and left.
“Hey! We’ve been at odds for so many years. I already swallowed my pride and backed down first. What more do you want?”
Seeing Yuan Ling leave, An Yi scrambled up and chased after him.
“If you follow me again, I’ll see you on the training field!!”
A roar.
“What exactly are you being so awkward about?”
“Get lost!!”
Lian Qiguang lay against the glass, staring at the two little fellows inside the nutrition chamber. His eyes were opened wide, unable to conceal his overwhelming curiosity.
Xiahou Shaoxuan walked over from a distance. He handed the documents in his hand to his adjutant and sent him away, undid his buttons, took off his military uniform jacket and placed it to the side, then walked behind Lian Qiguang and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.
“Look, they seem to have grown.”
Lian Qiguang raised his head to look at Xiahou Shaoxuan and pointed excitedly at the two little fellows’ gradually becoming fair and tender faces.
“Mm, they’re becoming prettier and prettier.”
The chill brought about by the pile of work had dissipated quite a bit. Xiahou Shaoxuan curved his lips and reached out to tap the thick glass.
“But when can they be taken out?”
Lian Qiguang frowned, somewhat unhappy.
“I want to pinch them.”
“Very soon.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan helplessly pinched the tip of Lian Qiguang’s nose.
“But you can’t pinch them. A little fellow this big would probably be pinched to death by one of your fingers.”
“I’ll be gentle.”
Looking at Lian Qiguang’s pout, Xiahou Shaoxuan laughed helplessly and changed the subject.
“I heard you went to Blood Fiend Wolf today?”
“Mm! I was learning how to assemble guns. These guns are different from the ones from before. They’re quite interesting.”
Lian Qiguang nodded casually. After thinking for a moment, he continued.
“I ran into Yuan Ling and An Yi. They asked about my identity.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s movements paused slightly. He lowered his head to look at Lian Qiguang, his brows furrowing.
“I told them.”
Lian Qiguang spread his hands indifferently.
“In District Seven, they heard everything they should and shouldn’t have heard, and saw everything they should and shouldn’t have seen. Even if I continued hiding it from them, they wouldn’t believe me.”
“Wife, no one can accurately guess what’s in people’s hearts.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan frowned.
“What you did was indeed a little inconsiderate.”
“You don’t trust them?”
“I naturally trust them, but, Wife, in today’s world, if someone wants to find out certain things, many times they don’t need a mouth.”
He helplessly rubbed Lian Qiguang’s soft hair and sighed.
“When it comes to secrets, sometimes dead people are much more useful than living people.”
“You mean the laboratory?”
Lian Qiguang tilted his head, showing that he did not quite understand.
“Don’t worry.”
Lian Qiguang rose onto his toes and reached out to pat Xiahou Shaoxuan’s shoulder.
“They can’t beat me. Besides, aren’t you here? Wouldn’t you protect me?”
That final sentence successfully healed Xiahou Shaoxuan.
Looking at Lian Qiguang’s completely matter-of-fact little expression, Xiahou Shaoxuan lowered his head and fiercely bit Lian Qiguang on the lips.
“Of course I’ll protect my wife!”
Lian Qiguang tilted his head back to dodge Xiahou Shaoxuan’s sneak attack, smiling with the corners of his eyes curved upward.
As if sensing Lian Qiguang’s happiness, the little fellows inside the nutrition chambers also became restless, kicking their limbs while their tiny mouths opened and closed, blowing bubbles.
Xiahou Shaoxuan pinched Lian Qiguang’s nose, faint tenderness filling his black eyes.
“When these two little fellows grow up, they’ll definitely be as cute as my wife.”
Lian Qiguang looked expressionlessly at Xiahou Shaoxuan and seriously clenched his fists.
“Don’t be jealous. I’ll train them hard and make them as powerful as you.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan froze.
Then he could not help but burst out laughing. He pulled Lian Qiguang firmly into his arms, gently biting his small earlobe as he laughed.
“Training them is so troublesome. Why don’t we just have a few more?”
Lian Qiguang pushed against Xiahou Shaoxuan and stared woodenly into his eyes.
“According to what the book says, your current behavior is considered acting like a hooligan. You’re supposed to be beaten.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s face darkened.
“Wife, what kind of weird book are you reading again?”
“I…”
Lian Qiguang had just wanted to say something when a sharp alarm suddenly resounded throughout the entire base.
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s expression changed. Before Lian Qiguang could ask anything, he grabbed Lian Qiguang’s hand and quickly ran outside.
“Shaoxuan…”
“Level-One Combat Alert! Something has happened. Hurry and go to Grandpa’s place to see what’s going on!”
Seeing Xiahou Shaoxuan’s grim expression, Lian Qiguang no longer asked questions. He simply let Xiahou Shaoxuan lead him through squads of soldiers gathering and running about, rushing toward Xiahou Zhong’s command room.
The two passed through several security checkpoints without obstruction. After their authorization was verified through the information Xiahou Zhong had provided, they entered the command room directly.
At this moment, the command room was already filled with generals dressed in military uniforms, all of them solemnly staring at the surrounding floating virtual screens.
Lian Qiguang looked up.
His pupils suddenly contracted.
This was…
Outside District One, which had already been cleared out and designated as a safe zone, an endless, densely packed sea of zombies had gathered. They let out ferocious roars and launched a fierce attack against District One as if they did not care about their lives.
Countless zombie birds covered the sky like thick dark clouds, blotting out the sun as they surged toward District One, frantically crashing into District One’s protective barrier.
Countless spaceships hovered above District One. Bullets and bombs continuously bombarded and swept across the zombie horde that surged like a sea tide, yet it seemed to have no effect at all.
One batch of zombies fell, only for another batch to swarm forward.
At a glance, the mass was pitch-black, seemingly stretching endlessly into the distance.
“Xiaoguang!”
Seeing Lian Qiguang enter, Xiahou Zhong stood up and waved him over with a grim expression.
Lian Qiguang walked to Xiahou Zhong’s side and gestured toward the video on the floating screen.
“What happened?”
“Two hours ago, a reconnaissance team reported that a large number of zombies were surrounding District One. This kind of thing happens almost every day. I already ordered the troops to go and clear them out, but I didn’t expect that in just two hours, it would already become this kind of situation.”
Xiahou Zhong’s expression was heavy as he looked at the scene on the virtual screen, raising his hand and pointing at several places.
“Looking at the situation now, I’m afraid the zombies from several districts have gathered here.”
“The temperature is moderate now, and no extraordinary treasure has appeared. How could such a huge zombie tide have been attracted here?”
Lian Qiguang frowned in thought.
The people in the command room looked at one another, their expressions varied as they stared at Lian Qiguang.
“Marshal!”
A senior general stepped forward two paces and gestured toward Lian Qiguang.
“This should be the young madam of the Sun family, right?”
“Enough! Stop spouting nonsense!”
Xiahou Zhong waved his hand, interrupting the general before he could finish.
“Do you think this old man doesn’t know all those little schemes in your hearts? There’s an old saying, what was it again? ‘A dog’s eyes look down on people!’ This old man has his own calculations. If you don’t like it, find someone to replace me!”
Xiahou Zhong’s merciless scolding silenced everyone who had been whispering among themselves. Their expressions became somewhat unpleasant.
“Xiaoguang.”
Xiahou Zhong looked toward Lian Qiguang, his expression softening somewhat.
“What exactly is going on? Why did these zombies suddenly launch an attack?”
“There are generally three types of zombie tides. The first is when the temperature becomes extremely bad, causing zombies from various places to gather together and undergo a mass migration. The humans living in bases along their migration route will become their food.”
“But the weather hasn’t changed much now.”
“The second is the appearance of an extraordinary treasure. There is something in District One that they need, something that may even be related to their survival, so they gather here and attack the safe zone.”
As he said this, Lian Qiguang glanced at Xiahou Zhong, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes.
“This possibility can be crossed out immediately. If there really were some kind of treasure, a single Super Intelligent Being would come over and wipe out all of you.”
“……”
Xiahou Zhong.
“Then there’s one final possibility.”
Lian Qiguang’s expression sank.
“There is a Super Intelligent Being controlling this group of zombies.”
The moment these words were spoken, the surroundings erupted into an uproar.
Xiahou Zhong remained silent for a long while before asking, “Is there any way to deal with them?”
“If you’re asking for a way to eliminate them, no.”
“What about making them retreat?”
“There is one way, but the conditions aren’t sufficient.”
Lian Qiguang raised his hand and pointed toward Xiahou Shaoxuan.
“Find the Super Intelligent Being controlling this group of zombies and kill him. Once the zombie horde is leaderless and frightened by the defeat, they will naturally retreat.”
“But there are nearly a hundred Super Intelligent Beings, as well as a Zombie King who has practically reached godhood. To eliminate all of them, unless District One has no fewer than ten super experts like Shaoxuan.”
Ten?
Everyone looked toward Xiahou Shaoxuan, their hearts sinking.
Forget ten. Finding even a second one was already impossible.
“Is there really no way!”
A military officer slammed his fist against the metal wall and cursed in a low voice.
Lian Qiguang looked at the zombie horde on the floating screen, woodenly biting his fingertip as deep thought flashed through his eyes.
Xiahou Shaoxuan shook his head, stepped forward, and rubbed Lian Qiguang’s hair helplessly.
“Stop teasing them. If you have a way, just tell them.”
“I’m not teasing them. I’m not sure either.”
Lian Qiguang expressionlessly endured the large hand on his head and seriously looked at Xiahou Shaoxuan through the hair covering his eyes.
“Zombies are generally divided into three stages: ordinary zombies, Intelligent Beings, and Super Intelligent Beings.
“Ordinary zombies have no vision or sense of pain. They instinctively need to satisfy their desire to feed.
“Intelligent Beings begin to possess human intelligence, and their sense of pain also begins to recover.
“Super Intelligent Beings are practically no different from humans.”
“Apart from the existence of Super Intelligent Beings, zombies have almost no weaknesses other than their fatal heads. Except for one thing…”
“What?”
“The weather!”
Lian Qiguang stared intently at the writhing zombies on the screen and spoke coldly.
“In the apocalypse, the weather isn’t only humanity’s fatal weakness. It is also the natural enemy of zombies!”
“You mean using fire?”
The senior general looked puzzled.
Lian Qiguang frowned.
“Intelligent Beings already possess human intelligence. The moment you set them on fire, they’ll immediately run away.”
“Ordinary zombies have no sense of pain. When tens of thousands of burning zombies surge toward District One, you won’t need those Super Intelligent Beings. You’ll have brought about your own destruction.”
“Shut up! What are you babbling about? Listen to Xiaoguang!”
Xiahou Zhong roared before turning toward Lian Qiguang.
“Xiaoguang, continue.”
“Low temperatures. If there could be an instrument that locks down the area around District One where the zombies are gathered, then extremely low temperatures combined with a humid air current could, even if they couldn’t freeze those zombies solid, at least restrict their movements to some degree.”
Xiahou Zhong thought for a moment before looking up at Lian Qiguang.
“Are you confident?”
“Once I… Three thousand years ago, the Earth where humanity lived had already been seventy to eighty percent corrupted, and the four seasons had become reversed. A heavy snowfall lasted for an entire year without stopping. Temperatures dozens of degrees below zero not only froze countless humans to death, but also buried countless zombies beneath the heavy snow.”
“Those that didn’t die were unable to move because of the low temperatures. Even an ordinary person could kill them.”
“Good!”
Xiahou Zhong nodded, excitement rising on his face.
Since there was a precedent, there was nothing to worry about.
Xiahou Zhong looked toward the adjutant beside him. The adjutant understood, saluted, and left.
“I’ll go to the laboratory immediately.”
Lian Qiguang lowered his eyelids.
Actually, he had not finished telling that story.
After the heavy snow, humanity would face a new hell.
The virus mutated, plants underwent a second zombie mutation, and humanity truly found itself with nowhere left to go.
“I have an idea.”
Looking at the scene on the floating screen, Xiahou Shaoxuan suddenly spoke.
“When the low temperature forms, carry out artificial rainfall at the same time. The effect should be better.”
“At that time, when the zombies’ movements are restricted, I’ll immediately pilot a spaceship out of District One and search for those Super Intelligent Beings.”
“No!”
Before Xiahou Zhong could say anything, Lian Qiguang directly interrupted him.
“Those Super Intelligent Beings may not be able to do anything to you, but don’t forget! The person who wants you dead is probably more dangerous than a thousand Super Intelligent Beings combined.”
“But this matter has to be resolved eventually. We can’t remain trapped inside the safe zone forever.”
“I’ll go!”
Lian Qiguang solemnly looked toward Xiahou Zhong.
“They’re all afraid of me. They absolutely wouldn’t dare attack me. When all is said and done, this is merely a final reckoning between him and me.”
“You dare!”
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s face darkened, his fierce eyes glaring angrily at Lian Qiguang.
Lian Qiguang could not be bothered with him. He slightly raised his chin, his voice cold.
“Xiahou Zhong? You should know better than anyone that this matter can only be handled by me.”
Xiahou Zhong…
The group of military officers in the command room looked at one another. For a moment, their minds were completely muddled, and they could not understand the Xiahou family’s “messy” relationships at all.
Xiahou Zhong coughed dryly, raised his head toward the sky, and shifted his gaze away.
“The cooling equipment will still take some time to develop. I need to think this matter over.”
“Also, you there!”
Xiahou Zhong pointed at a military officer.
“Tell the soldiers on the front line to hold their ground. Seal it tight. Absolutely do not let a single zombie in!”
“And increase the quantity and dosage of the laboratory’s special medicine during this period. All residents within the safe zone must receive injections. We absolutely cannot let an Intelligent Being sneak inside!”
…………
Xiahou Zhong methodically issued one order after another.
Lian Qiguang had just wanted to step forward when Xiahou Shaoxuan grabbed him by the back of his collar, his face dark as he carried him out like a little chick.
“Let go of me!”
Being carried backward by Xiahou Shaoxuan toward the command room’s exit, Lian Qiguang glared with wide eyes, already becoming angry.
Xiahou Zhong glanced over, then hurriedly shifted his eyes back and continued speaking in a serious manner.
“I’m talking to you! What are you looking at? Haven’t you ever seen a married couple argue?”
“Still looking? Keep looking and see if I don’t throw you out to feed the zombies!!”
…………