TL: Moonlit
Wen Qingling brought a sliced large blood anemone and set off in the car.
The area near Ling City was no longer as safe as before, with many zombies roaming around, and evolved zombies were everywhere. Previously, there were survivors nearby who would come to Ling City to collect supplies. However, since they were “cleared out” by the “General,” there were no living people within a hundred miles.
Now that the “General” had left and Ling City had made such a big commotion, some bold survivors began to get curious and wanted to investigate. However, they were scared away by the roaming zombies nearby, so they kept their distance and looked toward Ling City.
Wen Qingling’s car drove out of Ling City, and the survivors who were lingering nearby saw it. As the car approached, they saw that there was only one person inside, which immediately put their minds at ease. Someone stood in the middle of the road, holding a weapon, trying to stop the car.
While eating the jerky prepared by his dear mother, Wen Qingling drove forward with a pale face, showing no intention of slowing down. Since he wanted to die, he couldn’t hold others back.
The survivors shouted, “Stop the car! If you don’t stop, I’ll throw a log at you!”
Wen Qingling continued calmly eating the jerky. The survivors really threw the log, but unfortunately, their aim was poor. They missed the car, and as it was about to hit them, the survivors standing in the middle of the road couldn’t withstand it and crawled to the side, narrowly saving their lives. All the survivors cursed the passing car owner loudly.
Then they regretted it because all their tires were pierced by sturdy wooden spikes. If they wanted to leave, they had to rely on their legs. If they encountered more wandering zombies, they would have to see who could run faster, them or the zombies.
Survivors: “…”
They all regretted cursing their mothers collectively!
Wen Qingling continued speeding toward Rong City.
The Rong City base was still there, but the small group that used to collect tolls was gone, either changing their occupation or dying.
Wen Qingling was still on the road, and his spiritual power had already spread out, searching for the traces of the three research assistants.
As for Shao Fei, who was pulled over by Yin Chen to act as a human shield, he was seriously injured at the time but didn’t die. Yin Cheng took his men to chase after Wen Qingling and Xiao Hen. No one treated Shao Fei, and he was left behind in the Rong City base. Unfortunately, the base had no healers, and regular medicine had no effect on his injuries. He could only cling to life, waiting for death.
Originally, Wen Qingling had no intention of taking him along. However, when he drove past the Rong City base, he suddenly had an idea.
After Wen Qingling left, the Vine Hell disappeared. Only a devastated ground was left behind. After Yin Cheng and Wen Qingling’s group left, the Rong City base returned to its previous tranquility.
The people inside the base were all terrified. When they saw a strange vehicle approaching, they became frightened. When they saw Wen Qingling get out of the car, they all rushed into the base and quickly closed the gate. They didn’t even bother to greet him, refusing to let him in.
Wen Qingling: “…”
He looked up at the low base walls, estimating that they were not even five meters high. Wen Qingling lightly jumped and stood on top of the wall.
The survivors inside the Rong City base went crazy with fear, screaming and hiding everywhere.
Wen Qingling: “…”
Wen Qingling: “I won’t kill you. Why are you so scared?”
Wen Qingling was very confused.
The leader of the Rong City base hurriedly arrived with his men. He was also afraid, but as the leader, he had to come forward.
The leader politely said, “Your, your display of power last time was too strong. Everyone is scared.”
Wen Qingling: “Oh.”
The leader had a forced smile on his face, looking stiff and unpleasant. “Do, do you have any business coming here this time?”
Wen Qingling: “Looking for someone.”
The leader immediately said, “Researcher Shao Fei, right?”
Wen Qingling nodded, “It’s him.”
The leader said, “Rest assured, he’s still alive. It’s just that our small base has limited conditions and no healers. The medicines we collected in Rong City aren’t very effective, and his wounds got infected.”The leader had considered it before. These people had extraordinary identities. If one of them were left behind, and they remembered and came back to find them, but the person was already dead, the unlucky one would be the Rong City base. That’s why they made every effort to treat him. They couldn’t bear to use scarce anti-inflammatory drugs on a stranger.
The leader quickly had someone carry the barely alive Shao Fei out. However, after a day and night, Shao Fei had become noticeably thinner. His eyes were lifeless as he lay on the stretcher, staring straight at the person standing on the city wall.
When Wen Qingling jumped down, all the survivors were frightened and retreated.
Wen Qingling walked to Shao Fei’s side and looked down at him.
Driven by his instinct to survive, Shao Fei struggled to reach out and grabbed Wen Qingling’s pants. He knew he was on the verge of death, and only this person could save him. This person could even heal the infected. There was no reason he couldn’t save him.
“Save… save me…”
Wen Qingling bent down, grabbed Shao Fei’s clothes, lifted him up, and jumped over the city wall, disappearing from the sight of the survivors.
Someone nervously asked, “Will he… will he die?”
The leader wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. “Whether he lives or dies is no longer our concern. As long as we get rid of him, that’s enough. In this damn world, each person is scarier than the monsters. They’re no longer human.”
Shao Fei was startled by their conversation and passed out from the pain. When he woke up again, he found himself lying on the ground, with three decaying zombies standing in front of him. He screamed in terror and tried to escape but realized he couldn’t move.
His injuries were too severe. If Wen Qingling didn’t save him, he would die.
Thinking of Wen Qingling, Shao Fei hurriedly looked around and saw Wen Qingling sitting on top of the car, coldly watching him.
Wen Qingling: “Are you scared?”
Shao Fei was very scared. “Are you… are you going to let the zombies eat me?”
Shao Fei regretted it deeply. If he had known that Wen Qingling was so powerful, he wouldn’t have rashly tried to steal his backpack. Who could have expected that Yin Cheng was useless and couldn’t keep Wen Qingling alone, leading him to his current situation!
Shao Fei was on the verge of tears. “Please save me. I won’t covet your things anymore. I really won’t dare. When I tried to steal your backpack, it wasn’t for me. It was for the sake of all humanity…”
Wen Qingling: “Are you also a savior?”
Shao Fei was stunned for a moment, then shook his head repeatedly. “I’m not, I’m not. I only want to survive now. The life and death of others have nothing to do with me. I won’t oppose you anymore. Please believe me.”
Wen Qingling nodded. “Take a careful look at the three zombies in front of you. Don’t they look familiar?”
Shao Fei carefully looked at them and was shocked. “They…”
Wen Qingling: “The colonel who was supposed to protect you threw them out to feed the zombies. Compared to that, you’re considered lucky.”
Shao Fei widened his eyes, and then the light in his eyes gradually faded. He knew there was no possibility of survival for him.
Wen Qingling was using his spiritual power to brainwash the three zombies. He only wanted willing zombies and didn’t force anyone.
Wen Qingling said, “You have a chance to live, but it will be in a different way, not as a human. I won’t charge you a fee for the treatment, but you’ll need to work for me. Are you willing?”
The light in Shao Fei’s eyes gathered again. “I’m willing! As long as I can live, I’ll do anything!”
Wen Qingling asked, “Are you willing to become a zombie?”
Shao Fei: “…”
Shao Fei: “Wh-what? Can being a zombie be considered living?”
Wen Qingling didn’t speak but beckoned to the female zombie, Ye Ziqiong, who was the first to respond to him. The female zombie was almost reduced to a skeleton. If it had turned into a zombie a little later, it would have been completely eaten by the zombie horde, losing the chance to become a zombie. Wen Qingling had put in quite an effort to find it among the decaying zombies.
Wen Qingling took out a sealed package, inside was a blood anemone.
Wen Qingling opened the package and handed it to the female zombie, asking, “Do you want to eat?”
The female zombie’s actions showed just how much it wanted to eat.
The female zombie snatched the package and grabbed a piece of blood anemone, stuffing it into its mouth. After finishing the piece, it even drank the liquid in the bag that looked like blood, leaving it completely empty. Then, in front of Shao Fei’s eyes, the female zombie returned to its original appearance.
Shao Fei was almost frightened out of his wits. “What… what… what… what is that?!”It actually turned a skeletal zombie back into a human?!!!!
Ye Ziqiong turned to look at Shao Fei and said, “You’re not dead yet?”
Shao Fei was on the verge of being scared to death. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that a zombie could actually restore itself to human form!
With Ye Ziqiong leading the way, Mu Yi and Xia Yunhan also responded to Wen Qingling. They each received a package and, after consuming it, similarly returned to their original appearances. However, they were no longer human but rather a unique existence distinct from both humans and zombies.
The three of them looked at Shao Fei.
Shao Fei trembled and said, “Are you… are you humans now?”
Mu Yi, in a gentle manner, replied, “Not exactly.”
Shao Fei’s trembling intensified. “Then what are you?”
Wen Qingling softly spoke, “Neither human nor zombie. We can be human, and we can be zombies.”
Shao Fei stared at Wen Qingling and exclaimed, “You… you’re not human, are you?!”
Wen Qingling replied, “I was never human, to begin with. Now it’s your turn to choose. Do you want to live in this form or die directly?”
Shao Fei swallowed hard and said with difficulty, “In this form… are there any side effects? Like, do we have to eat humans?”
Unconscious cannibalism and conscious cannibalism were completely different. He would rather become an unconscious cannibal zombie than a conscious one. The latter was too terrifying.
Wen Qingling shook his finger and said, “We are civilized zombies. Eating humans is strictly forbidden. The first taboo of civilized zombies: no eating humans.”
Wen Qingling continued, “We can eat like humans, we won’t get infected, we possess powers comparable to evolved zombies, we can heal our wounds, and as long as our heads aren’t severed, we won’t die. We have our own base, we live freely, and we no longer have to worry about zombies all over the world because we are of the same kind.”
Shao Fei’s breathing became rapid. He had no other choice now. Besides death, his only option was to become a civilized zombie. But he didn’t want to die, and becoming a civilized zombie was just another form of living. He was more than willing to accept this novel and a thrilling new identity.
Shao Fei said, “I’m willing. I’m willing to become a civilized zombie. I’m willing to work for you. Turn me into a civilized zombie.”
Wen Qingling jumped off the car and walked over to Shao Fei. He circled around him and looked at Ye Ziqiong and the other two. He said, “Which one of you wants to take a bite?”
The three of them: “…”
Shao Fei: “…”
Shao Fei: “Can you infect others like zombies?”
Wen Qingling: “I don’t know. We’re still testing.”
Shao Fei: “…”
So, he’s just an experiment?
Shao Fei asked cautiously, “If I get bitten, will I turn into a monster?”
Not human, not a zombie, not a civilized zombie, but a real monster.
Wen Qingling replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll kill you before you turn into a monster.”
Shao Fei: “…”
How can he possibly be reassured by that?!
Ye Ziqiong said, “This is too careless. We should examine our teeth and saliva first to see if there’s any zombie virus. Once we confirm that, we don’t need to bite anyone to know the result.”
Wen Qingling glanced at her and said, “The research facility is still in ruins. How long do you think it will take to get those results?”
Ye Ziqiong: “…”
Wen Qingling asked, “Who will do it?”
Mu Yi stepped forward and said, “I’ll do it.”
Mu Yi squatted next to Shao Fei, took his arm, rolled up his sleeves, and bit his wrist. Due to her human consciousness, Mu Yi showed restraint and stopped after drawing blood. If it were a zombie, they wouldn’t stop until they had taken a chunk of flesh.
Mu Yi stared at the bite mark she had made, where it initially bled a bright red color but quickly turned dark blue-black. The spread of the zombie virus was extremely fast. Shao Fei suddenly let out a roar, writhing in pain on the ground. When he managed to break free from his wrist, he easily shed a layer of skin.
Shao Fei’s skin and flesh began to rapidly decay. This process must have been extremely painful, but it only lasted for three minutes. After three minutes, Shao Fei stopped struggling and stood up from the ground. He was no longer human but a decaying zombie.