PSW - Chapter 162
Chapter 162
Yu Yinan had always been a perceptive person, but she often resorted to self-deception, as if doing so would prevent things from changing too much and allow her to remain in her comfort zone.
She had clearly noticed a change in Zheng Yi. But at this moment, she had a faint feeling that something had already shifted, and a heavy sense of unease filled her heart. As she faced Zheng Yi and met those dark eyes, Yu Yinan fought the impulse to ask questions, to seek something, but in the end, she just fell silent.
"What's wrong, Jiejie? You look like you're about to cry." Zheng Yi sighed softly, her fingertips hooking Yu Yinan's chin, her gaze sinking deep into Yu Yinan's uncontrollably reddening eyes.
"It's nothing," Yu Yinan said in a low voice. "I'm just so moved." The Zheng Yi before her was no different from usual; perhaps she was just overthinking things.
Even if there was something wrong with Zheng Yi, no one could likely change her mind.
"Should we let the people in Changping know, and then leave when you're ready?" Yu Yinan reined in her emotions, unwilling to dwell on it any longer, and changed the subject. "If we wait until tomorrow, I'll go back and write a letter later. If we leave now, should I write a letter in the car to inform Chu Yi about the situation at the Changping base?"
"Let's go tomorrow, then. Jiejie can take her time writing. There's no rush."
"…Alright."
Zhongshan base.
They couldn't find any opportunity to be alone. No matter where they went, as long as they were outside, Xia Sheng would follow the two siblings. Even when Xia Cheng used the excuse of needing the restroom, Xia Sheng would just stare at her with that dangerously anime-esque smile and suggest they go home now and use the toilet there. The Zhongshan base wasn't that big, after all. As ability users, they could get back quickly if they were in a hurry.
They tried every method they could think of, shooting meaningful glances at the people in the base when Xia Sheng wasn't looking, hoping someone would notice something was wrong and that they needed help. But either their signals were too subtle or these people didn't want to get into trouble, because no one took the initiative to ask them anything!
Xia Cheng and Xia Sheng even tried their best to carve disjointed words like "mutated zombie," "danger," and "Xia Sheng" in inconspicuous corners of their room, making them as small and unnoticeable as possible. But even so, Xia Sheng silently covered up the writing in most places.
After that little talk (or rather, outburst), Xia Sheng no longer overtly stopped them from trying to save themselves. Instead, he always wore a smile… like an older brother in an anime, gently and mercifully forgiving them for their antics, and cleaned up all traces of their little schemes.
Xia Cheng would never forget the time she wrote information about Xia Sheng in tiny script on a very small piece of paper, crumpled it into a tiny ball, and filled a whole pocket with dozens of them. She planned to drop them along the road when they went out. Surely someone would notice something was amiss, right? Even if it just piqued their curiosity, as long as someone tried to open one of those trash-like paper balls… they would have hope!
But as a tiny paper ball slipped unnoticed from between her fingers, before it even hit the ground, a flicker of flame flashed by. The minuscule ball was incinerated completely without so much as a spark.
"Good children shouldn't litter," Xia Sheng said with a grin. "And a Poli Guli Robot certainly shouldn't. You're breaking character… and that makes your big brother very sad."
"But, as your brother, I'll keep playing with you~ Hmm, cherish the time. Tomorrow is the last day."
This didn't mean they would completely turn into zombies the next day, but rather that Xia Sheng was preparing to leave Zhongshan. There was no telling when they would encounter another human base. And by then, it was even more uncertain whether Xia Sheng would still be interested in "playing" with them.
"Why? Were we not obvious enough? Did-did they not sense how dangerous Xia Sheng is?! Why didn't anyone come to investigate? I could feel people secretly watching us, but why did it stop at just observing and watching?" Xia Cheng was on the verge of a breakdown. She lowered her voice to complain to Xia Sheng, her heart sinking when she looked up and saw her brother's abnormally pale complexion. They were truly, gradually, slowly turning into zombies…
The only good news was that this transformation didn't seem to affect their memories or cognitive abilities. Well, probably not.
Every night in Zhongshan, Xia Cheng and Xia Sheng tossed and turned, instinctively listening to their own heartbeats, feeling their own body temperatures… Day by day, the frequency of their heartbeats really did seem to be slowing, their body temperatures began to drop, and their faces started to turn an unnatural, deathly pale. For now, however, they hadn't developed any obvious desire to eat or attack their own kind.
"…Maybe they sensed the danger," Xia Sheng sighed. "And realized it was a massive, bomb-like threat, so they chose not to act rashly, seeking only stability." They observed them, but didn't make a move. If Xia Sheng truly showed no ill will toward the base, then perhaps the base wouldn't take the initiative against him either, even if they noticed something was wrong… as long as Xia Sheng left after resupplying.
"…" Xia Cheng fell silent. Her anger and frustration faded, replaced by a look of disappointment and fear. She rubbed her hands together, trying to raise her body temperature, before touching Xia Sheng's hand. "…Maybe we only have a few days left before we completely become his kind."
"There are many ordinary people in Zhongshan who can't protect themselves. Although there are ability users, it seems there's no one as powerful as Si Haotian. Perhaps they really are helpless." Xia Sheng lamented in a low voice. He silently counted his own heartbeat, then looked at his sister, who seemed on the verge of tears. He forced a smile and said optimistically, "Maybe this is a good thing. If they had interfered, who knows how that monster Xia Sheng would have reacted. Once we become his kind, we won't be human anymore, so we won't need as much regular food, and he won't take us to human bases. After we become like him, maybe we can try to get on his good side, have him take us north to live where there are no people… We can perform all sorts of shows for him, far away from humanity."
"Fine. At least we're still alive," Xia Cheng mumbled, rubbing her eyes, her voice growing hoarse. She could only hope that turning into a special zombie still counted as being "alive."
On the last day Xia Sheng had given them, Xia Cheng and Xia Sheng made no further attempts. They went out early in the morning and sat by the street, quietly watching the passersby—the ordinary people and ability users rushing to grab missions, seeing their hurried yet blessedly mundane lives. Xia Sheng stayed with them the whole time, neither stopping them from zoning out nor suggesting they go anywhere. He just sat with them, observing the people on the street.
When dusk fell, Xia Sheng resupplied one last time, then took Xia Sheng and Xia Cheng back to their room to rest. The next morning, they left the Zhongshan base.
"Those three have left." Feng Shuxian received the news almost the instant Xia Sheng and the others departed.
It wasn't that she hadn't sensed Xia Sheng's dangerous nature, nor that she was unaware of Xia Cheng and Xia Sheng's precarious situation. But as the base leader, she naturally had to prioritize the safety of the entire base. During their stay, besides observing them, Feng Shuxian had also brought a mental-type ability user out of the dungeon and forced him to use his ability to probe Xia Sheng for any issues. The result was obvious: the mental-type ability user was hit by a backlash and fainted instantly. Fortunately, he didn't die, so he could continue to be locked in the dungeon, ready for any future needs during the high-temperature period.
Yes, Zhongshan had built another dungeon. After the high-temperature period, the base began to develop steadily and took in some ability users who had wandered in from other regions. Perhaps because life was gradually stabilizing, or because the number and strength of ability users were increasing, some people's ambitions and desires were rekindled: robbery, bullying, rape… They even placed themselves above ordinary people, no longer seeing them as compatriots, and committed atrocities like torturing and killing several ordinary people within the base.
Fortunately, someone in the base's upper management had awakened an ability that could seal other powers. So, instead of letting those guilty ability users die easily, they were imprisoned to serve as mobile blood bags for the next high-temperature period or other emergencies. Of course, occasionally some of them could be made to serve their remaining purpose; no one cared if they died anyway.
The fact that the probe resulted in an immediate blackout reflected, to some extent, the danger posed by the one called Xia Sheng. This was why Feng Shuxian and her people had only monitored them without acting rashly. The moment they left, Feng Shuxian led a team to the room where they had stayed, hoping to find some information.
"There are clear signs of things being erased in many places, but we can't find any information that was left behind," one ability user said dejectedly after a careful inspection.
"Here! The information here wasn't erased! Heavens, they were so persistent. It's a good thing they left so many traces." An ability user under the bed exclaimed in pleasant surprise. Holding a light source, he, covered in dust, struggled to decipher the tiny writing. "Is this… 'mutated zombie'? What does that mean?"
"Mutated zombie?" Feng Shuxian's expression hardened.
A mutated zombie that had evolved to be indistinguishable from a human, capable of speech, and possessing unfathomable strength? Xia Cheng and Xia Sheng were both ability users themselves—transformation-types, according to Wan Yinyue…
Too dangerous.
Feng Shuxian was relieved that she hadn't acted rashly. A zombie of this caliber could easily summon a zombie horde. If a conflict had broken out… who knew what would have become of Zhongshan. But this information was too important. They couldn't let their guard down just because the mutated zombie had done nothing and had already left. Wait, he had spoken with Wan Yinyue and her group. Did that mean he knew about Pujie, about Humanity's Light? Would that zombie want to go take a look at Humanity's Light as well? Was this an investigation, reconnaissance, or was he simply traveling in the apocalypse… No, if it were just for travel, there would be no need to hold two human ability users hostage.
Feng Shuxian took a deep breath. "Relay this information to Wan Yinyue. Have her hurry back to Humanity's Light. This zombie has left Zhongshan… who knows where it will go. It's too dangerous. We must be fully prepared. If possible, it would be best to cooperate with Humanity's Light and dispatch a large number of ability users to encircle and eliminate it."
She busily and anxiously sent the message, worried that it would be too late even if Wan Yinyue and her team rushed back now. Feng Shuxian paced around the room for a moment, then suddenly glanced at the pattern on the back of her hand. She pressed her lips together slightly and, without much hesitation, connected her mental energy to the pattern, using this "mark" for the first time.
As she recalled, Zheng Yi seemed to be from Humanity's Light, right? She hoped they were at Humanity's Light right now.
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