Post-apocalypse 09

But the next moment, he suppressed his emotions and said, "You're suspected of vandalizing public property. Come with me to the station to cool off. There’ll be consequences later."

"How could you treat me like this?" Lin Nuan demanded, incredulous.

Yang Tian hesitated before sighing. "It's the rules. Everyone here has to take responsibility for their actions. Let’s go." Ever since he was rescued, he had wanted to find his girlfriend. But for three nights in a row, he had the same dream—Lin Nuan was reborn, abandoned him for Zhou Yue, and he died at the hands of the infected. Remembering how Lin Nuan had acted before the apocalypse, Yang Tian wasn’t stupid. He knew she had already chosen Zhou Yue, so he didn’t disturb them. Yet today, he ran into Lin Nuan.

Only, she wasn’t the same person anymore.

When Zhou Yue realized Lin Nuan was missing, he rushed out to look for her. Soon, he noticed the strangeness outside. After learning about the world’s transformation, Zhou Yue was ecstatic—he could finally escape that wretched place! And he could rid himself of that self-important woman, Lin Nuan!

But his joy didn’t last long. On the way to the city, he was drugged in the vehicle and woke up in a tent.

"Boss, we’ve brought him," the driver saluted Fang Zhiyi.

Fang Zhiyi turned to look at Zhou Yue, who shifted uneasily. "You? Fang Zhiyi? I know you’re someone big now. Remember? We were classmates. And I’ll tell you—Lin Nuan is out there looking for you—"

Fang Zhiyi waved his hand, and someone immediately gagged Zhou Yue.

"Captain, won’t the higher-ups hold us accountable for this?" the adjutant asked worriedly. He wasn’t concerned about Zhou Yue but feared Fang Zhiyi would be punished.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," Fang Zhiyi said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Pass the order—begin the operation!"

Zhou Yue’s eyes widened, but he couldn’t utter a word. As he was carried past Fang Zhiyi, the latter murmured,

"You sowed the seeds. Now I return the harvest."

Then, a memory was forcibly implanted into Zhou Yue’s mind—one where he led the infected to kill Fang Zhiyi.

Fang Zhiyi watched as Little Hei’s hand reached into Zhou Yue’s brain and frowned in disgust. "You’re so rough."

Little Hei looked innocent. "What else can I do? This is the only way I can operate."

The infected in P-City had been starving for days, but under their leader’s suppression, they dared not act out. After all, the leader had both power and reason. The humans outside had guns—though the infected did too, a direct confrontation was unwinnable.

Some infected had even hacked off their comrades’ arms to satisfy their bloodlust, but the leader had put a stop to that. So, that particular infected became the scapegoat for the others’ frustrations.

But today, it was eerily quiet outside. One infected peeked out and saw humans escorting several hooded figures forward, then—

Lingchi (death by a thousand cuts)??? The observing infected trembled with excitement, forgetting to hide as they craned their necks. "Hahaha! Yes! Just like that!"

Fang Zhiyi watched from a distance. These were all sadistic murderers or those who had preyed on the weak during the survival period—plus Zhou Yue.

"They’re coming out!" the adjutant exclaimed excitedly.

One by one, the infected ignored their leader’s orders, trembling as they advanced. It had been too long since they’d tortured a living person, and the sight before them was intoxicating—so much so that they forgot their fear of the leader.

A horde of infected surged forward, and hidden machine guns opened fire. Though the infected had guns, their attention was entirely fixed on the condemned criminals, leaving them defenseless.

The infected fell in waves.

Fang Zhiyi clapped his hands. "Send in the ground troops. And tell the armored division—unload the live shells. Those are scarce. At least wait until we’ve retaken the munitions factory."

Since this was done publicly, Fang Zhiyi faced immediate public backlash.

But once the crimes of these men and the photos of their victims were released, public opinion swung entirely in Fang Zhiyi’s favor.

"Fang Zhiyi did the right thing! I’ll slap anyone who says otherwise!"

"Bro, who’s even criticizing him? Look around—no one’s against him."

"I think he’s too extreme. Humanity’s numbers are already low. We should unite all who can be united."

"Damn, there’s actually one!"

"Investigate him!"

That afternoon, an announcement reported the arrest of a serial killer in B-City with eight victims—caught while arguing in the comments section.

Lin Nuan, undergoing forced labor, glanced up at a screen displaying Fang Zhiyi’s photo. A realization struck her, and she grabbed a passing worker. "I have crucial information! He—him!" She pointed at Fang Zhiyi. "He’s reborn! He’s valuable!" She was nearly hysterical.

The worker gave her a pitying look before turning to a colleague. "Little Liu, why wasn’t she sent to psych?"

"Psych said she’s fine. They’re too busy handling trauma cases."

Seeing their disbelief, Lin Nuan grew desperate. "It’s true! He’s reborn! And so am I!"

A woman serving labor for breaking a glass door scoffed. "Yeah, right. You? Reborn? Fang Zhiyi admitted it ages ago. Without him, we’d all be dead by now."

Lin Nuan froze. Fang Zhiyi had confessed?

But no one listened to her claims of being reborn. Even those who pitied her earlier kept their distance.

The war lasted fifteen years. To minimize losses, heavy weapons were rarely used. When the last infected was killed, Fang Zhiyi dropped his gun and collapsed, seemingly dead.

Panicked, everyone rushed him to the central hospital. When he slowly woke up, they sighed in relief.

"Dad," he said, looking at his aged father. Old Fang hugged him tightly. "Good son! No more running around. Stay home with your old man!"

Fang Zhiyi nodded, then turned to Wu Mengmeng, who had dark circles under her eyes. "You’ve worked hard."

Wu Mengmeng blinked in surprise before smiling shyly.

Meanwhile, a spectral Fang Zhiyi floated nearby, watching the original host’s actions. He nodded at Little Hei. "That’s enough."

Little Hei withdrew his hand from the host’s brain.

"Let’s get married?" the host suddenly said. Wu Mengmeng stared at him in disbelief before tears finally fell.

The wedding captured the attention of people worldwide and received countless blessings—except from Lin Nuan, who remained in the sanatorium. Clutching the child she shared with Zhou Yue, she stared at the television, her eyes burning with resentment. Yet there was nothing she could do.

A week later, her child was taken away for adoption. She didn’t even resist, as she no longer had the means to raise the child—nor did she want to lay eyes on Zhou Yue’s offspring again.

"Zhou Yue, if only you were dead!"