Although everyone had agreed beforehand to distribute the supplies based on effort, the efficiency of gathering materials had increased significantly due to the zombies’ strange behavior. As a result, the supplies were evenly divided, and neither Yu Beiyan nor Wei Xicheng had any objections. However, Da Lei seemed a little upset.
These changes also caused their original plan to stay for a few days to shift. Thanks to Yu Beiyan’s abilities, the group avoided the dangers described in the original storyline and arrived early at Z City.
From afar, they could see tall isolation fences surrounding a section of the city, shielding its residents from zombie harassment.
Lin Lei frowned. While such isolation measures seemed decent, he already had a good understanding of how quickly zombies evolved during their journey. It wouldn’t be long before higher-tier zombies could break through these fences. When that happened, the residents would face catastrophic danger. Reinforcing the isolation fences before then was an urgent issue.
Lin Lei’s concerns were, in fact, the same as those of the base’s upper management.
The convoy stopped at the entrance. Upon learning that their group included two ability users, the guards at the gate became much more respectful. During a zombie attack, ability users served as the vanguard and core defense force.
Moreover, the rest of the group didn’t seem particularly weak either.
The Z City base was where, according to the original storyline, the original body, Mu Shuyang, met his demise.
Wei Xicheng narrowed his eyes, pulling Yu Beiyan along as they passed through the inspection and entered the isolation zone.
“Please wait a moment!”
Their vehicle was parked not far from the entrance, and before they could search for accommodations, someone called out to them from behind.
A guard jogged up to Wei Xicheng and Yu Beiyan, saluting respectfully.
“Hello, the base has arranged more comfortable accommodations for ability users. Please follow me.”
Wei Xicheng and Yu Beiyan exchanged a glance before preparing to follow the guard.
Unexpectedly, Lin Jianbai spoke up, “Shuyang, Yu-ge, you’re just leaving like that?”
Wei Xicheng smiled and turned back to look at him. “What else?”
Yu Beiyan also turned back, his gaze cold. Lin Jianbai took a step back but pressed on with determination, “What about the rest of us, your friends?”
“We’re not friends, just collaborators,” Wei Xicheng interrupted him coldly. He had no interest in playing mind games with him. In a world where strength ruled, he could ignore certain despicable people.
After saying this, he glanced at the Lin siblings. Lin Huan’s face was red, while Lin Lei said nothing, merely looking into the distance as if indifferent to their departure.
“Shuyang…” Da Lei started to say something but was pulled back by Mei Zi.
“What are you butting in for? They’re ability users. Don’t even think about getting close to them,” she said.
Da Lei’s expression dimmed, and he silently stepped back.
“Wait,” Wei Xicheng said to the guard. “This one is our friend. Can he stay near us? Don’t worry about the others.”
“Sure,” the guard replied with a nod.
The three left. The resentment in Yu Sheng and Mei Zi’s eyes was nearly uncontrollable, but Lin Jianbai remained silent.
“Let’s part ways here,” Lin Lei said, taking out a portion of the supplies. “These are for me and Xiao Huan. The car and the rest are yours to divide among yourselves.”
“Lin-ge?”
Lin Lei shook his head, signaling Lin Jianbai not to speak further. He understood clearly—this group was only a temporary team formed for the journey. After going through some events, he had seen everyone’s true character. Their paths were too different to stay together.
These people were foolish enough to challenge ability users. Lin Jianbai was relatively clear-headed, but the growing fanaticism and scheming in his eyes these past few days worried Lin Lei. His intuition told him trouble was coming.
He led Lin Huan off in a random direction, severing ties in advance to protect himself and his sister.
In just a short time, the once-complete team was scattered. The guards at the entrance remained unmoved, having grown accustomed to such developments.
Wei Xicheng and Yu Beiyan arrived at their assigned accommodations, discovering it was an apartment complex. The best locations were reserved for ability users, while the outer areas were for their friends and family.
Since the two traveled light, they had little with them. After Yu Beiyan set down his bag of supplies, the guard who had been following them saluted again and hesitantly asked, “If you’re free later, could you join me at the base’s meeting room? Our highest decision-maker is waiting for you there.”
With the chaotic systems of the apocalypse, it had only been about a month since the world ended. The original mayor of Z City had long perished. The current leader was one of the base’s founders, who might soon be referred to as the city lord.
This person was Zhong Lei, the father of the story’s protagonist, Zhong Wen. At this time, he had not yet been injured.
“Alright,” Wei Xicheng agreed with a smile, eager to meet the protagonist, the city lord, and the old professor from the laboratory.
The guard nodded and retreated to wait outside the door. Ability users often had high self-regard, so encountering someone so easygoing was lucky for him.
Once the room was empty, Wei Xicheng tugged on Yu Beiyan’s hand and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Since arriving at Z City, Yu Beiyan seemed to have been in a bad mood, which worried Wei Xicheng. He had never seen Yu Beiyan so visibly unsettled without explanation.
“Nothing. There’s a scent here I don’t like,” Yu Beiyan said, his lips pressed in a tight line, looking genuinely unhappy.
Wei Xicheng was stunned by the sensitivity of Yu Beiyan’s sense of smell. He didn’t doubt him—if Yu Beiyan said there was something, there must be. He attributed this to Yu Beiyan’s powerful abilities enhancing his physical senses.
“Then should we…” Wei Xicheng hesitated, considering abandoning their plans in the base. In each world, his lover had no memories of the previous ones. Wei Xicheng only wanted him to live comfortably and happily.
“It’s fine. Let’s go,” Yu Beiyan said, stepping out of the room. He, too, wanted to see if that person was really here.
Following the guard, the two navigated through a maze of houses and tents before arriving at the meeting room. It was essentially just the living room of a slightly larger apartment, repurposed for meetings.
Most of the base’s space was allocated for housing. Even then, there wasn’t enough room, forcing less valuable residents to live in temporary tents.
“Please, have a seat,” Zhong Lei said warmly. A few strands of white hair dotted his temples, but his voice was strong and robust, and he appeared to be in good health. With a sincere smile, he continued in a formal tone, “Every new ability user in our base is a source of strength and security. Young and capable talents like you are especially needed here.”
Wei Xicheng maintained a faint smile throughout, neither overly enthusiastic nor distant, responding to Zhong Lei’s words in kind.
In just a short conversation, Wei Xicheng had already discerned that while Zhong Lei had founded the base, he was utterly unfit for leadership. He lacked any finesse in his speech, and everything he said was hollow and formulaic.
Not a single point that could truly persuade people to stay was effectively addressed. It was no wonder that under his leadership, the base remained small. Only when his son took over did it begin to genuinely grow.
However, this visit wasn’t entirely unfruitful. It allowed Wei Xicheng to clearly understand that while Zhong Lei enjoyed using empty rhetoric, he wasn’t malicious. Though not particularly capable, he was genuinely committed to creating a “sanctuary for humanity.”
“By the way, we have a genius scientist in our base. I’ll introduce him to you later. His insights into abilities far surpass anyone else’s. Perhaps you’ll gain something from it.”
Zhong Lei’s constant use of “our base” amused Wei Xicheng. Was he so afraid they wouldn’t stay?
When Zhong Lei mentioned the “scientist,” Yu Beiyan’s expression finally changed. He asked without any emotion, “Where is he?”
Zhong Lei, accustomed to Yu Beiyan’s icy demeanor by now, didn’t notice anything amiss. But Wei Xicheng caught a rare trace of “urgency” and “unease” in Yu Beiyan’s tone.
Wei Xicheng placed his hand on the man’s, feeling his lover’s perpetually cooler temperature. Yu Beiyan glanced at him, enveloped Wei Xicheng’s hand in his own, and the two followed Zhong Lei down into the base’s underground area.
“This is the place.” Zhong Lei stopped at the basement entrance and dialed a communication phone mounted on the door.
“Professor, l’ve brought two young talents to see you. They’re quite capable.”
“Come in,” an elderly voice responded. At the same time, a click sounded from the basement door.
Zhong Lei tentatively pushed the door, and it opened.
The moment the door opened, Yu Beiyan released Wei Xicheng’s hand, leaving only a shadow as he instantly appeared at the far end of the basement. With one hand, he clamped the old man’s neck and lifted him off the ground.
The elderly man, dressed in a white lab coat, turned red in the face, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at the figure before him.
The suffocating sensation made his mind spin. Trembling, he pointed at the person before him and stammered, “Y-You’re… No.1?”
“It’s me.”
“What are you doing!” Zhong Lei’s shout and Wei Xicheng’s sharp voice rang out simultaneously.
Just as Zhong Lei was about to step forward to stop Yu Beiyan, he was intercepted by the young man beside him. Though the boy looked young, he was incredibly skilled, striking with a ferocity that forced Zhong Lei to focus entirely on the fight, leaving him unable to assist the professor.
The professor stared at the man before him, then suddenly began to laugh in a hoarse, grating manner due to his constricted throat.
Yu Beiyan loosened his grip, letting the oid man fall to the ground, and stomped on his chest. At the same time, Zhong Lei suddenly froze mid-action, standing still with a blank expression.
Wei Xicheng walked over to Yu Beiyan, puzzled by the scene.
Though he was unconditionally supportive of his lover, he couldn’t understand what was going on. In the plot he had received, there was no mention of Yu Beiyan or these convoluted secrets.
“Dad!”
Footsteps sounded at the basement entrance, and two figures appeared.
The leading man bore an uncanny resemblance to Zhong Lei, and Wei Xicheng immediately deduced that this must be the protagonist, Zhong Wen. Surprisingly, the person behind him was Lin Jianbai. Wei Xicheng hadn’t expected Lin Jianbai to be so resourceful, managing to latch onto the city leader’s son in such a short time.
“What’s wrong, Dad?” Zhong Wen walked up to Zhong Lei and noticed his unusual state. Turning to the others in the room, he demanded loudly, “What did you do to my father?!”
Silence.
“Cough.. Xiaowen, kill them.” The old man on the ground coughed and choked out his words. Though he knew it was an impossible task, he still said it, hoping he could escape in the ensuing chaos.
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Author’s Note:
This arc should be wrapping up soon. The next one is tentatively set in an online gaming world.
The ending seems to be a bit rushed for this arc? I feel like Lin Jianbai is a dislikable character, he’s got too much unnecessary curiosity
thanks for the update..