Jiang Yin: “I told you before, you should have killed me.”
“What a pity.” Jiang Yin said, “I was actually quite interested in you.”
A few of the zombies besieging the search team above quickly broke off, leaped down from the railing, and surrounded Jiang Yin.
Jiang Yin was in a good mood. “Did you know? The lower the rank of a Believer, the sturdier their body and the stronger their recovery ability. For the lowest level like these, unless you destroy their heads, they just won’t die.”
This was true for the two zombies that had landed. Their heads weren’t destroyed, and just as they were about to get up, Lou Jiu shot them both in the back of the head.
She vaulted over the railing, grabbed a zombie’s ankle through a gap, and leaped down. The zombie was pulled down, its head getting stuck in the railing. Lou Jiu swung its body like a rope, using the momentum to leap onto the zombies below, then stood up straight, shielding Wen Qianshu.
The fighting continued unabated upstairs, but Jiang Yin paid it no mind. Surrounded by her “Believers,” she sat down again and looked at Lou Jiu. “Doctor Lou, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
She smiled. “I’ve always held your father in high esteem.”
“His impartiality, his courage, his creativity—” Jiang Yin smiled sweetly. “I truly wish both he and you would join us.”
Lou Jiu gripped her gun. “He’s just a drunkard.”
“No.” Jiang Yin said, “How could you say that?”
“His talent should be displayed on a grander stage. And you, you have the highest anti-zombie cure rate in the entire base. Truly remarkable—don’t move.” Jiang Yin’s voice stopped abruptly, her gaze locking precisely on Wen Qianshu’s hand as she saw her take something from Lou Jiu’s pocket and quickly hide it behind her back. “Little kitty, don’t show your claws, or they’ll be pulled out.”
Wen Qianshu scoffed, a laugh that made even 2333’s heart tremble with fear, terrified she would lose her life in the next second.
But Jiang Yin didn’t mind. Instead, she let out a pleasant laugh, interlaced her fingers, and turned back. “Doctor Lou, since we both have plenty of time, we can have a good chat—”
“As a doctor, don’t you find the ‘Divine Light’ marvelous? With just one injection, all congenital deficiencies can be remedied. I had muscular weakness in both my lower limbs. I spent a great deal of time on treatments with no effect, and later I couldn’t even walk. But with the right ‘Divine Light’ ratio and suitable rigor mortis, a disabled person like me can possess physical strength that even search team members can’t match.”
“The old—the weak—the sick—the disabled—” Jiang Yin said, word by word, with a smile, “all gone.”
“Have you tried injecting Gao Bai with the medicine?” Jiang Yin added. “You should try it. He’ll turn back into a human.”
“A reversible ‘Divine Light’ that can transform the human body, achieving health and eternal life.” Jiang Yin said, “Isn’t it wonderful?”
Wen Qianshu suddenly smiled, as if she had figured something out. “So this is your plan?”
Jiang Yin was taken aback, but then she heard Wen Qianshu say, “You went to all this trouble to get in here, lure me to you, and give me two so-called choices—after all that effort, you couldn’t possibly leave the decision in my hands.”
“So no matter which one I choose, your goal will be achieved.”
“You’re just telling the base that the ‘Divine Light’ is reversible, implying that you can create a zombie army for them, and that they can be restored to human form afterward.”
Jiang Yin smiled. “By offering the base such a generous gift, what benefits would I get?”
“The benefits are huge.” Wen Qianshu said, “You deliberately exposed your internal conflicts, feigned surrender, and arranged a deal with people from the base, didn’t you?”
That’s why, even though Shang Ci had already given the warning to be on guard, most of the search teams couldn’t arrive in time. They must have been dispatched elsewhere, waiting to “ambush Jiang Yin.”
Who would have thought it was a case of hiding in plain sight? Jiang Yin had deceived them. She didn’t hide at all. Instead, she took over the entire research institute at top speed and launched her attack—
Jiang Yin did it on purpose.
She was luring the tiger away from the mountain.
Wen Qianshu: “Your goal—is to destroy the base’s scientific research.”
Jiang Yin’s smile froze on her face. Her gaze remained fixed, staring at Wen Qianshu.
The research institute, the training camp—what Jiang Yin wanted to destroy was the base’s brains and brawn, its next generation. She wanted the base to be unable to develop medicine, for its young and able-bodied population to plummet, for it to have no one to use, no one usable, except for her “Believers,” forcing it to depend on her.
She started with the researchers. The next target would be the doctors, right?
Or perhaps, she had already made her move against the doctors.
“You want to be a god, the one and only god. You want to control everyone.”
And Jiang Yao knew. That’s why she rushed to the research institute at top speed after learning about the incident at the training camp.
That’s why Jiang Yao respected Zhou Qiming and tried to find him at the first opportunity—not because she suspected him, but because she wanted to protect him, to protect this former researcher who was detached from the institute.
But, why didn’t Jiang Yao say anything—
At the breakfast shop, why did she tell those two lies—
If she already knew—
Some things, once you figure out one point, the lines connect. Wen Qianshu understood now, but she felt like she was going crazy. She couldn’t help but say to 2333, “She actually deluded herself into thinking she could save Jiang Yin’s life?”
Jiang Yao knew all along that Jiang Yin could stand up after becoming a zombie. That’s why her first lie, trying to claim Jiang Yin was coerced, was so clumsy—she had forgotten that detail. Only after Shang Ci pointed out the problem with Jiang Yin’s legs did she quickly fabricate another lie.
So that’s why she refused to mention Jiang Yin’s legs?
Something about letting the base deal with her after she returned.
Jiang Yao was probably being deliberately suspicious, intending to sacrifice herself so that Jiang Yin could take her identity, return to the base, and be punished, right? That way, Jiang Yin’s life would be spared, but she would be locked up.
No wonder the original book never revealed the final boss from beginning to end. It’s because the female protagonist was hiding it too!
Wen Qianshu’s expression was complicated for a moment—of course, she knew that Jiang Yao wanted Jiang Yin dead now, otherwise they wouldn’t have taken each other down in the original book. But, but—she looked at Jiang Yin, wondering if these two really shared the same blood.
Wen Qianshu’s mind was in turmoil, but Jiang Yin couldn’t read her thoughts. She just laughed loudly, smacked her lips, and said, “I’m starting to get interested in you again. Little kitty, what have you guessed now?”
“I’ve also guessed—” Wen Qianshu caught a glimpse of the phone out of the corner of her eye, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down. “You’re pretending to persuade Lou Jiu to join you, but you’re actually just stalling us to cover for the other ‘Believers’ who are downstairs destroying experiments, smashing equipment, and tearing up data.”
Jiang Yin froze and stood up.
Wen Qianshu smiled. “Did you think you’re the only one who knows how to lure the tiger away from the mountain?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a loud bang echoed—the sound of a door being kicked open.
On the phone Wen Qianshu was holding, the red dot that had been wandering around the area for a long time finally stopped at their location.
Unlike Wen Qianshu and the others, Jiang Yao came up from downstairs. Her tall boots were stained with blood and bits of flesh, and she was carrying a half-dead “Believer,” which she threw to the ground before shooting it through the forehead.
Jiang Yao raised her eyes. “Jiang Yin.”
Jiang Yin smiled too. Her eyes were fixed on Jiang Yao, but she spoke to Wen Qianshu. “Did you think my dear Yao Yao could possibly be of any use?”
The four of them moved at the same time.
Jiang Yao, Wen Qianshu, and Lou Jiu charged toward Jiang Yin, while Jiang Yin retreated rapidly, countless zombies blocking her path and pouncing on the three of them. The zombies upstairs also grew more frantic, no longer tangling with the other search team members, but swarming toward Shang Ci instead.
Caught off guard, Shang Ci was thrown to the ground by Li Shan, who then shook him off. Li Shan didn’t linger in the fight either, quickly running out of the zombie horde and sliding down the staircase railing.
Shang Ci’s anti-bite strap was nearly chewed through. He drew his gun; he didn’t even need to aim to hit a zombie’s head. Fortunately, he was tall. When a zombie opened its mouth to bite him, it bit down on the restraint device on his chin and broke its teeth. It was also a good thing his team members had freed themselves up to help.
Shang Ci was pushed against the railing. He struggled to look up and saw Wen Qianshu and Lou Jiu also trapped in the zombie horde. Jiang Yao, truly worthy of being a search team captain, was much faster than the other two. Just as she was about to catch up to Jiang Yin, her path was blocked by Li Shan.
Shang Ci was so angry he cursed, “Li Shan, that bastard!”
Li Shan smiled. “Captain Jiang, good afternoon.”
Despite the greeting, his hands didn’t stop. He punched Jiang Yao in the abdomen. But Jiang Yao didn’t even block it, letting him land the blow. She staggered back a step and continued her pursuit of Jiang Yin.
Li Shan: “Captain Jiang, don’t be in such a hurry.”
Without even glancing at Lou Jiu and Wen Qianshu in the distance, he reached out to grab Jiang Yao’s neck. “I haven’t had a chance to spar with Captain Jiang yet—”
Before he could finish, Jiang Yao suddenly turned her head, grabbed his wrist with one hand, and unfastened the strap of her restraint device with the other.
Li Shan had an anti-bite strap on his arm, but he had given his facial restraint device to Jiang Yin. He couldn’t pull back in time and saw Jiang Yao’s magnified face, her cold eyes, and her open mouth.
Jiang Yao was different from Jiang Yin. She had been famous since she was young, always planning meticulously, thinking carefully, and accumulating numerous merits. She was also the most disciplined, attending every training session on time, never resting, and never fooling around. The record for the most training sessions she set upon graduating from the training camp remains unbroken to this day. She filled out every detail in her reports and even wore a portable restraint device within the base.
She always, always wore a portable restraint device.
She was a bit old-fashioned, a person who stuck rigidly to her principles.
So this was the first time Li Shan realized that Jiang Yao and Jiang Yin were twins.
In their bones, they were both just as insane.
Teeth sank into his cheek, sending a sharp pain through him.
Li Shan’s pupils dilated, his lips trembled, and his handsome face quickly turned pale. He stared straight ahead, feeling his blood turn cold, his body grow frigid. All his memories and consciousness flowed out of the wound like a river.
Jiang Yao released him. Blood dripped from the corner of her lips, staining her chin red. She looked up and saw Wen Qianshu’s wide eyes, Lou Jiu’s slight pause, and Shang Ci’s shocked gaze.
Jiang Yao raised her arm and wiped her chin with her sleeve. “Li Shan—”
Her voice was as if frozen, each word carrying a chill.
“Kill the zombies here.”
Li Shan’s body trembled violently, but it soon subsided. The usual smile on his face vanished, leaving only a blank expression.
He suddenly turned, grabbed a zombie’s gaping mouth with one hand, and smashed it against another zombie’s head, crushing both of them together!
Wen Qianshu: “…”
What kind of strength is that?
She called out, “Captain Jiang, wait—”
However, seeing Jiang Yin leave the hall, Jiang Yao quickly gave chase.
With Li Shan’s help, the pressure eased considerably. Wen Qianshu and Lou Jiu finally managed to break free, their clothes stained with various bits of flesh and slime, and they took off after Jiang Yao and Jiang Yin.
Jiang Yin left the hall, directing a few zombies to run downstairs while she headed upstairs. But she had just climbed one floor when she saw Jiang Yao vault through a window with a push of her hands.
Jiang Yin saw the bloodstain on her collar at a glance, and connecting it to her quick escape, she asked, “You?”
Jiang Yin stared at her, gritting her teeth as she asked, “Who gave you the ‘Embrace’?”
“A gift from you yourself,” Jiang Yao said. “Don’t you remember?”
“Gao Bai?” Jiang Yin was furious. “We’re sisters—I asked you to be my ‘Believer,’ and you refused even on pain of death, yet you’re willing to be his?”
“Yes, we are sisters—” Jiang Yao walked toward her, drawing a gun from the holster on her leg. “So I had him give me an order, an order to eliminate you.”
“I won’t be soft on you anymore, Jiang Yin. This is the end.”
Jiang Yin took a step back and turned to run toward the roof. Several zombies were still with her, and she directed them to block Jiang Yao’s bullets.
However, Jiang Yao didn’t waste any bullets on them. When she encountered them, she simply pushed them with her hand, sending them tumbling down the stairs to the bottom.
“Sister—” Jiang Yao released the safety. “Let’s go to hell together.”
Author’s Notes:
1. Wen Qianshu figured out Jiang Yin’s plan because she took Lou Jiu’s phone and saw that Jiang Yao had already arrived and was moving around downstairs. She realized Jiang Yin was just stalling for time by talking nonsense. So, Wen Qianshu covered for Jiang Yao’s movements and started stalling as well.
2. Hardly anything Jiang Yin says is true. When she told Li Shan about the perfect ratio, she was just tricking him into coming to the lab.
3. I am not a medical student, and a lot of this is based on research, so there will definitely be discrepancies with reality. Please do not apply this to real life. If you have any medical conditions, please seek timely medical attention. The cure rate for muscular weakness in reality is actually quite high.
