PSW - Chapter 99
Chapter 99
Yu Yinan and the others waited for over two hours. By the time the rain had lessened considerably, Zheng Yi finally returned with the special zombie.
That's right, Zheng Yi had brought the special zombie back, and it was still alive. Although there were marks on its body that looked like incisions, the wounds had already healed completely, leaving only faint scars. At this moment, it looked nothing like an intelligent zombie, more like a walking corpse. And in fact, that was the case. Its head could only emit a dim, ghostly blue light.
"Don't worry, its mental power poses no threat to you now~" Zheng Yi said with a reassuring smile when she saw them staring intently at the jade-skinned, large-headed zombie in her hands. "Let's go, back to Humanity's Light Shelter. Perhaps your research institute will want to dissect it?"
"…Thank you for saving us. And for this zombie horde, thank you… for saving the shelter."
"You're welcome." Zheng Yi's reply was gentle and considerate. Her eyes curved into crescents, and the smile on her face was incredibly sweet. Her appearance briefly overlapped with Chu Yi's memory, but in the next second, Zheng Yi spoke again in that same gentle tone, "Thank yous are the most worthless things. If you truly want to thank me, then believe in me, acknowledge me."
She tilted her head and gave Chu Yi a cute wink. "I am the Saint, after all~"
An inexplicable chill shot up from the soles of Chu Yi's feet and spread throughout her body. She met those dark eyes and, for some reason, a thought surfaced. Just then, Zheng Yi suddenly leaned in close, whispering in her ear like a soft sigh, "Don't use your ability on me, okay~"
"I've met other mental-type ability users who rashly used their powers on me before… Whether they wanted to control me, hypnotize me, or just peek into my mind, they… couldn't handle it, and they died~"
"My dear, you're a smart person. If you were to accidentally die at my hands, Jiejie might get very sad, you know~"
"…" Chu Yi's lips turned deathly pale and began to tremble uncontrollably. She avoided Zheng Yi's gaze and jerked backward, one hand gripping the wrist of the other so tightly it was as if she could only calm herself through force. Her throat was dry, and she swallowed hard. A torrent of thoughts flooded her mind, but in the end, she just lowered her head and whispered, "I… understand."
"Zheng Yi… Saint."
Mental-type ability users were always a bit more… sensitive in this regard.
Zheng Yi seemed to let out a low chuckle, but when Chu Yi looked up at her, her expression was innocent and docile, and she had moved a respectable distance away. At that moment, Yu Yinan reached out and took Zheng Yi's dangling hand. Zheng Yi turned to look at her. "You drive. We can just toss this thing in the back seat of our car."
Just as Zheng Yi was about to get into the modified car with Yu Yinan and the zombie, Zhu Lanyuan, who had been silent all this time, called out to her. "Saint… Lady Saint, thank you for saving us."
"Everyone is so grateful to you, and they all believe in you with sincere devotion. Your… your existence has given so many of them the will to persevere, to take a brave step forward. Now, several of the sisters have become ability users. Their mental power is still weak, but… they are all so grateful to you."
"I know." Zheng Yi stopped and turned back to give Zhu Lanyuan a smile. "Wang Jingzhu, Yang Fangfang, Li Chenxu, Sun Ziying…" Zheng Yi recited a few names, and Zhu Lanyuan's eyes grew brighter and brighter, turning red at the rims as she choked up.
"Yes, yes. Thank you… truly, thank you…"
Lian Langxi watched this development, dumbfounded. She wanted to ask something, but the atmosphere made it impossible. Why? How did Zheng Yi know those women's names? Was her level of strength even normal? That special zombie was so powerful, and the mental shockwave from the combined horde was so immense, yet it had fled in terror upon seeing Zheng Yi? Even more ridiculously, Zheng Yi had actually managed to capture it from within the dense, terrifying horde?
Was this place, right now, even the real world anymore?
Was… was she the only one who was completely isolated?
She was bursting with questions. Her head throbbed, and the rain stung her skin, a dual assault of mental and physical suffering. Normally, with her temper, she would have exploded long ago, but the scene was so bizarre that she managed to hold it in, remaining completely silent.
"Oh, right," Zheng Yi said, turning back as if she had just remembered something before getting in the car. "If you don't want everyone in the shelter to become my believers, then~ certain things should be kept secret, okay~"
Although she knew it was impossible for Zheng Yi to have any special feelings for Chu Yi, a subtle sourness still pricked Yu Yinan's heart the moment Zheng Yi leaned close to her.
It was just an act. It was just Zheng Yi's personality—maliciously and deliberately speaking in such a tone, intentionally displaying such a character…
But for a moment, Yu Yinan's mind kept flashing back to how Zheng Yi used to be with her, that docile, cute, and defenseless little sister… and now, this gentle, considerate, and utterly perfect girlfriend.
Yu Yinan pressed her lips together, banishing the thought. She quickly recalled the image of Zheng Yi walking on ice she had condensed in the heavy rain, of her chasing down that mutated zombie and even capturing it from within the horde… Zheng Yi, she seemed to be getting stronger and stronger.
Yu Yinan turned the steering wheel, following the car driven by Zhu Lanyuan ahead of them, and headed toward Humanity's Light Shelter.
"Jiejie doesn't seem very happy?" Zheng Yi leaned over affectionately, her tone soft and coquettish, as if she were pouting. "Jiejie~"
"…I'm not," Yu Yinan lowered her gaze, then quickly fixed it on the road ahead. The windshield wipers swung back and forth, clearing away sheets of rain. "It's just that I wasn't able to help you with anything again."
"Jiejie is already improving so quickly~ Don't be in such a rush." Zheng Yi said with a smile. "We'll take it one step at a time. I'll be with you."
"Mm." A genuine smile appeared on Yu Yinan's face. She glanced quickly at Zheng Yi, the tips of her ears turning slightly red. "Actually, I… I was a little jealous."
"Just now… you were so close to Chu Yi, whispering to her. I-I know it was nothing, just a normal conversation, but… but I myself… felt a little, um, sour."
"Ah, Jiejie is jealous~ This is truly a dereliction of duty on my part as a girlfriend." Zheng Yi's voice grew even softer and sweeter as she inched closer to Yu Yinan. "So, is Jiejie going to punish me?"
"N-no, that's not it. I know it's not your fault. It's me, I… I just get these feelings sometimes."
"It's okay. It's normal for couples to be possessive, right? Jiejie~ you've done nothing wrong at all~" Zheng Yi was now practically at Yu Yinan's ear, her warm breath fanning across the shell of it, dyeing her face an even deeper shade of pink. "Is it because I haven't given Jiejie enough security? Or is it that…" Zheng Yi's lips brushed against the tip of Yu Yinan's ear. The fleeting touch made Yu Yinan's hands instinctively tremble. She tried hard to stay focused on driving, but that jolt sent a tingle up her scalp, making her whole body feel strange.
"Jiejie, you actually want me to nibble your ear, don't you~"
A soft, warm, and slightly sharp sensation came from the tip of her ear. Zheng Yi had given her a gentle bite. Then, she sat back in the passenger seat, looking perfectly well-behaved. When Yu Yinan slammed on the brakes in shock and turned to look at her, she was met with an innocent gaze.
"You-"
"Jiejie, if you don't start driving again, we're going to lose them~"
Yu Yinan's entire body was burning hot. Her rain-soaked clothes were now completely steamed dry by her body heat. She pursed her lips, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the steering wheel again. She finally restarted the car and continued to follow the vehicle in front.
But even this deliberate "bullying" was enough to make Yu Yinan sink into a state of bliss. She gritted her teeth and took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm her emotions. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. But this wasn't because she was angry or offended, but rather…
She did, in fact, crave more.
Whether it was slightly malicious teasing and bullying, or casual flirtation, any… any kind of contact, she wanted it. As long as it came from Zheng Yi, she desired it. She craved more.
A secret emotion, a strange tide of passion.
What was it that she truly craved, truly desired? How could she… take things a step further…
Yu Yinan swallowed dryly. The hand on the steering wheel discreetly clenched into a fist, trying to divert her attention and focus on the task of driving.
In the rearview mirror, the zombie in the back seat sat as still as a mannequin, showing no signs of movement. It was as if it had completely "died."
Zheng Yi leaned back against the passenger seat, closed her eyes to relax, and savored the discoveries she had made while studying the special zombie.
The substance inside its head, the one that allowed it to emit that ghostly blue light, was likely the special element (existence) from the meteor that fell at the beginning of the apocalypse. Zheng Yi had extracted most of that blood-like, ghostly blue liquid and stored it in her inventory. After most of the substance was removed, the zombie's immense mental power, its instincts, and even its intelligence had all clearly degenerated.
'If only I knew where it came from.' Zheng Yi suspected that the place where it turned into a zombie and grew up might contain a meteor fragment.
Even if it didn't, that place must be rich in that special substance.
[What can we do? There's no way to communicate with it…] Zero One sighed. [Let me be clear, I can't test or analyze the composition of that liquid. I don't have the template for that.]
'There's no need to study it.' She had left a portion of it in the zombie's brain and was giving the zombie to Humanity's Light Shelter. If they could analyze it, Zheng Yi would naturally find out. And if they couldn't…
What did it matter? The substance didn't have much effect on her anyway. As for Zero One? Zheng Yi was long used to Zero One being useless. It would be stranger if Zero One suddenly became omnipotent.
The time it had forcibly unlocked the Stamina Recovery Pills was quite unexpected for Zheng Yi.
[Is it really okay to expose yourself like that in front of Chu Yi and the others?] Zero One quickly grew worried about this. Although for now… whether they were threatened or just awed by Zheng Yi's power, they had all accepted that "Zheng Yi is the Saint," and there hadn't been any character breaks yet. But why was Zero One still so worried?
'I have so many unused exemptions. What's there to worry about?'
Five slots for Saint Exemption seemed more than enough.
[But Chu Yi and the others are bringing back that special zombie, and the horde has retreated. That's not going to be easy to explain, is it? The shelter should have a good idea of their strength, so how…]
'The shelter doesn't know how powerful this zombie originally was.' A mix of truth and lies could fool anyone. After all, when the horde retreated, the shelter was still fending off the first wave. They hadn't even encountered the zombies that had been enhanced multiple times later on. It was normal for them to misjudge the crisis.
[…That's true.] Zero One thought Zheng Yi had a point. It pondered for a moment, then turned its attention to Yu Yinan. [But now that you've exposed yourself like this, it'll probably be hard for Chu Yi to interact with Yu Yinan like before, right?]
'I won't interfere with her friendships.'
'A healthy relationship makes both parties better.'
[My, you're quite the expert, aren't you?] Zero One's tone became unconsciously sarcastic. [But no matter how you pretend to be the perfect girlfriend, it's still just an act. Once Yu Yinan finds out… she might break down again.]
Zero One heard Zheng Yi let out a soft laugh, as if amused by its words.
'I am simply adopting the perspective of an ordinary person, entering into a relationship with her, loving her, and being her perfect girlfriend. This is what she desires, and I am merely fulfilling it.'
'Otherwise, what do you think I should do? Saint Growth Plan, Zero One.'
[…] Zero One was stumped. It had made all sorts of guesses about Zheng Yi's previous identity, but at this moment, one of those guesses felt terrifyingly real. It fell silent, stunned by the almost indifferent tone Zheng Yi used when she uttered the words "Saint Growth Plan, Zero One." And yet, it was a system!
[The fact that you would learn how to be a perfect girlfriend for her, learn how to date her… It's just so gentle, so moving.] Zero One immediately changed its tune. [My dear host, you truly favor her so much. If Yu Yinan ever learns the truth in the future, she will surely be moved to tears!]
Zheng Yi didn't respond, leaving only a soft, emotionless chuckle in Zero One's mind, making it impossible for the system to grasp her attitude or thoughts.
This Zheng Yi, even if her past life identity was truly extraordinary…
Zero One thought secretly, privately: she was definitely no "good person."
But…
Being bound to such an existence, the feeling of being carried to victory was just too damn good! As long as it tossed aside the mindset and values taught in the Saint training manual, the whole system felt young and happy again~
The distance from the tower to Humanity's Light Shelter wasn't far. In the short time she had been talking with Zero One, the several lines of defense hastily constructed by Zhou Xiji and the others came into view.
Dense piles of zombie corpses were stacked to one side, not yet cleared away.
The entire shelter was still on high alert. Although the horde had completely retreated, the boundless, oppressive threat still weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, making it hard to breathe. The sudden zombie horde, its inexplicable retreat… what on earth had happened?
When Chu Yi and the others reached the shelter's defense line, Zhou Xiji was just about to leave the base with several ability user squads to patrol Pujie.
It was then that they received news of Zhao Haiyue and her team's return, and…
They had encountered two other ability users, and together they had captured the commander of this zombie horde… a special mutated zombie.
Did the horde disperse because its leader was captured? When Zhou Xiji heard this news, he felt a bizarre sense of dislocation, a "who am I, where am I, what just happened" feeling. A zombie horde of that scale was really over just like that? How on earth did Chu Yi and the others manage it? That zombie was clearly intelligent. Even if it was weak itself, the defenses around it couldn't have been lax.
Even if they met two ability users on the road for help, but… Zhao Haiyue, Zhu Lanyuan, Lian Langxi, plus Yu Yinan and Zheng Yi—could these five ability users really accomplish something like this? Was that zombie just too arrogant? Zhou Xiji couldn't make sense of it. He even glanced at Yu Yinan and Zheng Yi's initial registration data: one water-type and one fire-type ability user… Water-type might be enhanced in the rain, but not by much. Even water-type ability users would feel the sting of the rain.
He stopped preparing the vehicles for the patrol, exchanged a look with the equally curious ability users beside him, and hurried toward the north gate.
When he rushed over, he saw Yun Lingjian treating Chu Yi. Yun Lingjian's ability not only had healing effects but could also soothe and dispel abnormalities. Although it couldn't restore depleted mental energy, it could alleviate the pain to some extent.
Zhu Lanyuan and Lian Langxi didn't look too good either, but compared to Chu Yi, who looked like she was on the verge of death, they seemed perfectly fine. As for the two sisters, Yu Yinan and Zheng Yi…
Other than being soaked by the rain, their condition was much better than Zhu Lanyuan's and Lian Langxi's. They looked as if they were returning from a vacation.
The special mutated zombie now seemed to have lost all its aggression, looking no different from a puppet, and it didn't seem intelligent either. The first thing Zhou Xiji noticed was the zombie's head, which was twice the size of a normal person's, and its unique, perfectly smooth, white jade-like skin. Standing there so quietly, it really did resemble some kind of peculiar collector's item.
Zhou Xiyue knelt anxiously in front of Zhao Haiyue, watching Yun Lingjian treat her. "Are you okay?"
"Not dead yet," Chu Yi replied. On the way back, she had already figured out how to explain everything. Zheng Yi… of course, she couldn't expose her. After what Zheng Yi had said, Chu Yi couldn't see through her at all and didn't dare risk the shelter.
The incident with Zhu Lanyuan was Zheng Yi's doing, which meant that even back then, Zheng Yi's strength had already reached a terrifying level. But she had merely disguised herself as an ordinary ability user and stayed at the base, with no ill intentions toward the shelter… It was best to keep things this way. After all, Chu Yi couldn't even begin to imagine what terrifying heights Zheng Yi's power had reached now.
…And she didn't want to find out, didn't want to see or experience it firsthand.
"Yun Lingjian, you can… try dissecting it. When it uses its ability, its head glows with a ghostly blue light. It might be related to the substance from the meteor shower that night." Chu Yi had recovered a little and got straight to the point. "Its mental power was originally very strong, but it's been traumatized now and isn't much of a threat."
"We were lucky to capture it. Zheng Yi is a water-type ability user, and she masked our presence in the heavy rain. Lian Langxi built a metal staircase, and Yu Yinan and Zhu Lanyuan protected me, keeping the enhanced zombies away. We found an opportunity and took down the leader in one fell swoop. The moment it fell into our hands, the horde started chasing us. We killed a lot of zombies near the tower, and then this zombie had a mental breakdown, and the horde retreated."
Chu Yi's explanation was simple. Without waiting to see if they believed her, she struggled to her feet, leaning against Yun Lingjian to catch her breath. "The zombie horde… you guys handle the aftermath. The mutated zombie is here, so they probably won't be back for a while. But just in case, we still need to be prepared."
"The others have all exhausted themselves. Let them go back and rest first. If you have any questions, just ask me."
"Take this special zombie down first. As for research and dissection… we can talk about it in a day or two, after Chu Yi has recovered. Her mental ability can suppress this zombie." Zhou Xiyue waved her hand and looked at Zhou Xiji, suggesting, "Let's cremate the zombie corpses first and reinforce the defense lines. The ability users can take turns standing guard. Chu Yi and the others saved the shelter. What they need now is rest, not interrogation."
"I have no more questions." Chu Yi had given her answer. Although Zhou Xiji felt there were too many "coincidences" and "lucky breaks," and combined with the special zombie's current state, there was a strange sense of dissonance, he couldn't imagine a more perfect explanation. "You go back and rest with them. Leave the cleanup to me. By the way, this time… allocate some contribution points to them. Humanity's Light will remember their help and commemorate their courage and determination."
Just fending off the first wave of the horde had exhausted the mental energy of many ability users. The entire Humanity's Light Shelter was in a state of fatigue; everyone needed a good rest.
As for what came next… they could review it seriously after they had rested.
The zombie horde. After saying this, Zhou Xiji led his people out into the downpour to deal with the zombie corpses. He looked at the simple, crude, and mostly destroyed "defense line" outside the gate. After this, the defenses of Humanity's Light… had to be strengthened.
The real zombie horde hadn't even fully arrived. If it weren't for Chu Yi and her team, it was uncertain if the shelter could have survived this crisis. The zombies that were already dead had evolved to this extent. He wondered about the mutated beasts that had disappeared…
What kind of "surprise" would they bring to humanity next?
The situation was truly not optimistic.
Not many people paid attention to Yu Yinan and Zheng Yi. The two of them stood quietly to the side, watching Chu Yi explain things to everyone.
What Chu Yi said wasn't entirely false; she had just omitted some of the real details. Since Zheng Yi was a water-type ability user and Yu Yinan was a fire-type, while the special zombie clearly specialized in mental attacks, she took the credit herself. It didn't arouse much suspicion, because… Chu Yi was indeed the most miserable-looking one among them.
The mental backlash she had suffered was very real.
When they were finally allowed to leave and rest, Yu Yinan and Zheng Yi said nothing, quietly and calmly walking to the housing center to check for available rooms and layouts. Neither Zhou Xiyue nor Zhou Xiji suspected them. Zhu Lanyuan and Lian Langxi had clearly coordinated their stories with Chu Yi, giving the same account when asked.
When they left last time, Zheng Yi had spent all her contribution points. Yu Yinan's ID card still had 1196 points left. But upon their return this time, Yu Yinan found that her card had an additional eight hundred or so points, bringing the total to 2031.
They spent 30 contribution points to rent a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment for a month. After getting the key, they went straight upstairs to check the room.
It still had only basic furniture, and the place was quite empty. Water and electricity were still not connected. Water resources… perhaps they hadn't recovered since the high-temperature period. As for electricity… it was twenty contribution points a day, with a daily limit of five kilowatt-hours, and you had to apply and pay at the housing center to get it turned on.
Zheng Yi and the others had no need for that. After returning to their room, they put away the bed that was originally there, placed down the capsule bed, and set up the shower stall by the door.
Zheng Yi took some clean clothes and went in for a quick shower. When she came out, Yu Yinan was still sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her eagerly.
"What's wrong?"
"How long are we staying here?" Yu Yinan asked curiously.
"A few days." Zheng Yi walked over and lay down on the bed with a hint of laziness. "Let's see what they can find out."
"When you have a moment, tell them about the meteor fragments. We might get some information."
Yu Yinan acknowledged, then got up, took her clean clothes, and went to the shower to wash up. It was still early. The sky was dark because of the heavy rain, but it was far from nightfall. Normally, one wouldn't shower at this time.
But Zheng Yi had, so Yu Yinan felt she should get clean too.
After all, they had been on the road for so long and had been caught in the rain. A nice hot shower before relaxing was a pleasure.
Just as Yu Yinan stepped out of the shower, she called out Zheng Yi's name.
Seeing Zheng Yi lazily look over, she quickly walked to the bed, climbed on, and lay down next to her.
"Are you sleepy?"
"No." Zheng Yi looked at her. "What is it?"
"I thought you would want to do the same thing here at Humanity's Light as you did in Zhongshan," Yu Yinan said softly, nuzzling against her.
In Zhongshan, she had brought rain during the high-temperature period. In Pujie, she had single-handedly repelled a zombie horde.
There was so much room to maneuver in all of this. With Zheng Yi's strength, it wouldn't be impossible to spread the name of the "Saint" in Humanity's Light Shelter. Even if the higher-ups were unwilling, Zheng Yi's power was proof enough of everything.
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