Chapter 67

The last thing Xue Ling remembered before losing consciousness was Wen Jiuze’s outstretched hand.

She had been tidying up her room, though there wasn’t much to pack. She just wanted to keep herself occupied.

When that familiar sensation of losing control came over her, she knew she was about to shut down again.

Like a statue, she fell forward stiffly.

Recently, these episodes had become more frequent, and Wen Jiuze had developed a reflexive response, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, always ready to catch her.

Xue Ling watched as his hand swiftly reached out, stopping just before her eyes.

If she could speak, she would have teased him, saying his speed surpassed 99% of all zombies.

But then, darkness consumed her vision.

Wen Jiuze’s hand was the last image imprinted on her retina.

When she regained consciousness, Xue Ling felt as though she had overslept during a nap, leaving her head pounding, her sense of time disoriented, and her body too weak to move.

 She stared blankly at the ceiling, her wide-open eyes filled with confusion. The setting sun poured through the glass window, bathing the room in a warm, dusky glow. On the ceiling, light reflections danced like glass fragments.

A face suddenly entered Xue Ling’s line of sight—it was Wen Jiuze. But something was different. He looked gaunt, his jawline now sharp as if chiseled by a blade. His cheekbones had become more pronounced, giving his face a harsher, almost unrecognizable appearance.

Xue Ling stared at his now “ugly” face in shock, unable to grasp what was happening. Her first reaction was to reach out and touch him.

Her movements were uncoordinated, her strength uncontrolled. Her hand clumsily extended toward Wen Jiuze’s face, and the sharp tips of her nails inadvertently poked the skin beneath his eye, leaving a small indentation.

Xue Ling: “…”

Wait, why is my hand so rigid? Why are my nails so long and sharp at the tips? 

Have I… evolved into some super zombie?”

She glanced at her hand, then back at Wen Jiuze’s face, letting out a horrified shriek.
“Ahhh!”

Zombies at a certain stage of mutation no longer bleed. The poke from her nail left only a small red dot, like a pinprick. At a glance, it even resembled a new mole.

Xue Ling found that Wen Jiuze was just looking at her without communicating with her. She looked around curiously. They were in a strange place.

Where was this place? Weren’t they supposed to be in the Gobi Desert, in the 8027 laboratory?

Seeing Wen Jiuze beside her, albeit looking slightly different, Xue Ling didn’t feel scared despite the unfamiliar surroundings. Her mind, however, was full of questions.

Realizing he was still staring at her without saying a word, Xue Ling clenched her fist to hide her sharp nails and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

What’s going on? What happened?

Her punch seemed to snap him out of his daze. He picked up a tablet nearby and typed:
“Do you know who I am? Do you still recognize me?”

“Wen Jiuze, I’m not an idiot.”

She showed him the tablet, her expression filled with exasperation.

Wen Jiuze read her response carefully, word by word, as though he had forgotten how to read. After a moment, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

His grip was strong, and Xue Ling couldn’t break free.

Why are you so emotional? 

Don’t tell me I’ve been unconscious for ten days or something.

She speculated wildly.

Did you bring me here to find treatment? Have you been worrying about me so much that you’ve become like this?

As Wen Jiuze hugged her tightly, nearly folding her in half, someone knocked on the door. A dark-skinned soldier poked his head in and said, “Brother Wen, the task at Captain Tan’s end is done. Should we head back immediately?”

The soldier’s eyes met Xue Ling’s, and he froze before blurting out, “Ah, Xue Ling is so quiet this time. She didn’t even try to attack anyone. Does the new medication work?”

Xue Ling: “?”

Wen Jiuze skillfully tucked Xue Ling under his arm, walked over, and kicked the door shut with his foot, leaving the soldier outside. He then returned to his tablet and began typing.

Xue Ling pried his arm open and peered at the screen. It read: “You finally woke up. You have been stupid for more than a year.”

Xue Ling was shocked. It must be a lie. How could time pass so quickly? She felt like it was just a nap.

She grabbed the tablet and typed back furiously.

Then, her eyes landed on the tablet’s timestamp: the year 3037.

They had been in the Gobi Desert in 3036.

There was no way Wen Jiuze would deliberately change the date to trick her, right?

Suspected of lying, Wen Jiuze did not explain further. He just stared at her, which made Xue Ling feel uneasy.

She stood up, walked to the glass window with difficulty, pushed open the frosted glass and looked out.

There was a blue ocean in the distance.

The seaside and the Gobi Desert are so far apart. Even if Wen Jiuze lied to her, at least two months must have passed.

Xue Ling saw that Wen Jiuze was wearing something that looked like a mechanical watch, which displayed the time.

October 3037.

Despite her skepticism, the other evidence slowly sank in. She noticed the dismantled syringe on the table, the packaging stamped with a production date of October 3037.

Reluctantly, she began to believe it.

Clutching the familiar tablet tightly, she hesitated before typing, “Have I been unconscious all this time, or was I… like the other zombies?”

Wen Jiuze typed: “You chase and bite people every day, like a Pomeranian.”

Xue Ling: “…”

How could one sentence extinguish her anxiety and replace it with sheer indignation?

Wen Jiuze: “It’s this expression now, very fierce.”

Xue Ling touched her face and finally directed her attention to her own body.

Why were the veins on her arms red and green, crisscrossing like circuit boards?

And what was this hanging from her chest?

Two medals of honor, accompanied by a string of various badges and awards!

No wonder walking felt so cumbersome earlier. The weight of the medals clinking together made every step a challenge.

“Are these… mine?” Xue Ling asked in disbelief.

Wen Jiuze sat before her, legs apart, encircling her in his space. His gaze was unwavering as he tilted his head slightly in confirmation.

Who else could they belong to?

Xue Ling: “…Have you been completing missions behind my back?”

Wen Jiuze leaned closer, typing on her tablet: “I did them with you—literally carrying you.”

The word “carrying” held two meanings.

Xue Ling processed his response slowly, realizing the truth behind it.

As she raised her hand to scratch her head in frustration, Wen Jiuze stopped her.

“Your nails are too sharp now. Be careful not to scrape your scalp off.”

Hearing that, Xue Ling’s gaze shifted to the small red dot beneath his eye—the mark she had left earlier.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed several scars on his pale skin. Could those have been caused by her as well? She compared her sharp nails to the marks on his skin.

Wen Jiuze pulled her hand away again.

“Most of these were from missions.”

Her attention then moved to his other wrist, where a silver handcuff dangled loosely, the other side unattached. It swayed with his movements.

Was it the one usually used to restrain her?

Yes, it was! Xue Ling noticed the marks on her wrist.

She sat in front of Wen Jiuze, her hands resting on his thighs, feeling a little uneasy and unsure of what to say.

She hadn’t fully processed all this information yet. Besides, Wen Jiuze was uncharacteristically silent.

Apart from a few brief explanations, he merely stared at her without speaking. His usual idle chatter was noticeably absent.

After a moment of hesitation, Xue Ling decided to say something.

But Wen Jiuze spoke first, typing: “Are you racking your brain on how to comfort me? Spare your mind. Don’t overthink it.”

“Today, I’m already very happy.”

More than a year ago, Wen Yi had told him that Xue Ling had become a complete zombie. He refused to believe it and rushed her to the Beizheng Base.

Professor Rong Lanjia and Wen Yi’s junior sister Xu Zhihua assisted in extracting the Tai Sui serum from Zeng Yitong’s body.

However, whether it was due to the limited amount of Tai Sui left in Zeng Yitong’s body or some other reason, Xue Ling didn’t recover.

Her condition fluctuated. At her worst, she was a mindless zombie, relentlessly chasing humans. At her best, she would sit quietly and even accept the tablet Wen Jiuze handed her.

This glimmer of lucidity had once made Wen Jiuze ecstatic, believing she had regained her senses. Yet, she never typed anything on the tablet, nor could she communicate with him.

As her condition remained stagnant, Wen Jiuze overheard whispers suggesting she should be dealt with or moved out of the research base.

Although General Hao reassured him that such opinions were in the minority, Wen Jiuze still felt uneasy.

He insisted on keeping Xue Ling by his side at all times, even during missions, especially when others were around. He never let her leave his side.

Many missions became significantly more challenging with an irrational zombie in tow. People at the base repeatedly tried to persuade him to leave her there, promising she would be protected and unharmed.

Wen Jiuze, however, refused. His stance was firm: if Xue Ling couldn’t stay by his side, he wouldn’t participate in any missions.

The medals hanging on Xue Ling’s body—honors Wen Jiuze once dismissed as meaningless—were now meticulously placed on her.

He hoped that if one day they got separated, anyone intending to harm her would hesitate upon seeing her adorned with such distinctions.

Over the past year, not just the Beizheng Base but people from other bases also sought Wen Jiuze’s assistance. He accepted every mission he could, earning widespread reverence for his incredible efficiency and near-invincible capabilities.

But only Wen Yi knew—he was on the verge of breaking.

Months ago, when Wen Yi returned to Beizheng Base from the Gobi laboratory, Wen Jiuze asked her, “Is there any chance Xue Ling can regain her senses?”

“The chances are slim,” Wen Yi replied.

“What if Tai Sui serum is extracted from me?”

“You’d certainly die, and sooner than Xue Ling would.”

“…I miss her so much,” Wen Jiuze murmured, holding Xue Ling’s hand. “I just want her to talk to me, even just one sentence.”

Wen Yi studied his condition and conducted some experiments.

Eventually, she performed a partial extraction from Wen Jiuze’s body, combining it with the latest research on the Re virus to create a new serum.

“There are ten doses. Administer one every week. If luck is on your side, she might regain some clarity. But if there’s no change after all ten doses, it means her brain is completely dead, and she can’t be revived.”

“However, this highly stimulating drug comes with severe side effects. Even if she does regain her senses, it won’t last long.”

“And after that, the Tai Sui in her body will be depleted, likely leading to her actual death.”

The first injection showed no change.

After the second injection, Xue Ling howled wildly at a passing researcher, scaring him out of his wits.

The third injection led her to scratch Wen Jiuze multiple times in a fit of rage.

The fourth injection saw her dismantling a car seat and punching out a window.

The fifth…

By the eighth injection, she accidentally poked a hole in his face while reaching for him, startling herself into a yelp.

“Who am I?”

“Wen Jiuze,” she answered.

She always managed to come back suddenly just before his desperate death line.