Ch 133: TGCIR

Li Weilan’s first question was simple. He asked the very thin boy, “What’s your name?”

The boy remained silent for a moment. It wasn’t because the question was difficult, but rather because it was too simple, too easy to answer. He was all too aware of the value of the food offered to him in this world, which made him hesitate.

Li Weilan and Shen Cheng both heard his response: “Li Yexing.” He said his full name, then added sadly, “It’s been a long time since anyone called me that.”

Li Weilan looked at the zombie, which now stood stiffly with its arms hanging at its sides, and noticed a faint resemblance between its decaying features and the boy’s.

Although Li Weilan hadn’t asked, the boy seemed sensitive to the scrutinizing gaze and coldly said, “You want to ask about our relationship, don’t you?”

“?” Li Weilan thought to himself, ‘So it is as I suspected.’ Before he could say anything, Li Yexing sharply continued, “Yes, it’s my dad, but not my real dad. My real dad died long ago.”

From the few brief statements, Li Weilan quickly grasped the tragic story behind them. In this chaotic post-apocalyptic world, although the boy didn’t seem to be ten years old yet, he had likely experienced more life-and-death separations than most adults had before the apocalypse.

When the boy mentioned his ‘dad,’ his tone was harsh and cold, devoid of any warmth, clearly indicating that their relationship had become strained.

For a child like him, being precocious was normal. If he were still innocent and naive, he wouldn’t have survived this long.

Li Weilan nodded and didn’t take the boy’s sharp tone as an insult. He understood that, for the boy, this zombie likely meant more to him than any living person. In that sense, Li Weilan’s scrutiny was indeed a kind of offense: “For someone who is willing to share their food with you and values it so much, they are indeed worthy of being called ‘dad.’”

Li Yexing’s expression darkened slightly, and he said quietly, “Too bad I never called him that while he was alive. Now, no matter how many times I call him, it’s too late.” His voice carried a hint of tears.

Then, he quickly put on a tough front and glared at Li Weilan, his tone turning hostile again: “Don’t get all chummy with me. What does my relationship with him have to do with you? If you want to ask something, ask, and then leave us alone.”

Li Weilan’s first few questions were meant to establish a baseline for questioning: the first question was the boy’s name, and the second was about his relationship with the zombie. Judging by the boy’s quick responses and facial expressions, it was clear that he rarely interacted with others and didn’t seem like the type to lie.

Only then did Li Weilan ask his main question: “What message were those birds delivering earlier?”

The boy gestured to the zombie and then turned to Li Weilan, saying, “We all have to gather. They say it’s to witness…” He paused before continuing after confirming with the zombie, “the battle of kings.”

“???” The battle of kings?

Recalling that the current zombie king should be Fu Yanzhou, both Shen Cheng and Li Weilan felt their hearts sink: this confirmed that Fu Yanzhou’s situation was dire!

“What does this battle involve?” Li Weilan asked further.

The boy conversed with the zombie in their own way before shaking his head: “It didn’t say. That’s all it knows. But the new king says we won’t go hungry.”

When the boy mentioned the words ‘won’t go hungry,’ he sighed deeply: “Without food, we have to rely on abilities to help us hunt. The zombies care a lot about not being hungry, but it seems like the others are okay with it.”

Since Fu Yanzhou became the king, the human casualty rate had plummeted. For humans, this was a good thing, but for the other zombies, it meant they had nothing to eat. How could they be okay with their deteriorating living conditions?

A ‘ding’ sound came from Shen Cheng’s phone, showing the completion of the task: 【Main Quest 1: Investigate the Reason for the Zombie Horde’s Stability (Completed) – Reward: Zombie Vaccine Research Progress 10%】

Shen Cheng checked the vaccine’s research progress: it had now reached 70%.

Main Quest 2 then popped up:

【Main Quest 2: Investigate the Truth Behind the Nuclear Bomb – Reward: Zombie Vaccine Research Progress 10%】

Once this task was completed, the vaccine’s research progress would reach 80%. Excited, Shen Cheng shared this with Li Weilan, who nodded and looked at the boy and the zombie, his voice warm, “You two should avoid this mess. Leave while you still can.”

The boy, however, scoffed and said, “Leave? Where could we possibly go?”

The zombie let out a low growl from its throat, perhaps agitated by the word ‘leave.’ Li Yexing patted its decayed hand, managing to calm it down with difficulty. He said, “With a group like ours, if others see us, it’s either kill or take what we have. We have nowhere to go.”

Li Weilan and Shen Cheng both fell silent.

Where could this child and zombie go?

When humans see a zombie, they either kill it if they can or find a way to kill it later. If this child insists on protecting the zombie, they will eventually be treated as an enemy. There’s no way they could go to a human settlement and reintegrate into society.

In some ways, even if they returned to a human settlement, this child, who clearly has no abilities, might actually be safer living among zombies.

Since this zombie has a way to mask the child’s scent and they have enough food and water, everything else becomes less of a problem. Zombies generally don’t turn on their own kind; they rarely kill each other.

From this perspective, the child was right—they have nowhere else to go.

Li Yexing looked at Li Weilan’s silence but didn’t say anything mocking this time.

He started gathering up the scattered food. Unsure of how to carry everything, Li Weilan approached him and softly said, “If you trust me, I can store it separately and give you a little each day.”

Li Yexing hesitated for a long time, looking at Li Weilan and then down at the food on the ground, carefully weighing his options. Realizing he couldn’t carry it all by himself, he finally nodded slowly, “Then… I’ll trust you this time.”

Li Weilan waved his hand and stored some of the food in his space, leaving only a packet of milk candy, which he handed to Li Yexing.

Li Yexing unwrapped the candy.

It was sweet.

The sweetness of the milk candy seeped in, as comforting as a childhood dream.

He opened his eyes and smiled sweetly at the zombie with the expressionless, corpse-spotted face that was emitting guttural noises from its throat. “Let’s go,” he said.

Li Weilan and Shen Cheng both felt a heavy weight on their hearts.

If they could still think of the other world as just a game, it might be easier, but knowing it was a real world, and that Li Yexing and the zombie’s situation wasn’t just a side quest in a game, it took Shen Cheng a while to recover her emotions. “When the vaccine is developed, do you think these zombies will regain their sanity?”

“They will,” Li Weilan reassured her.

What he didn’t say was that there were two possible outcomes: one where the virus is completely eradicated, resulting in the extinction of zombies while humans gain immunity; and another where the vaccine works as Shen Cheng hopes, restoring the zombies’ sanity.

But the more likely scenario was the first one.

Even if the zombies regained their sanity, how many of them could cope with the realization that they might have consumed other humans, possibly even their own loved ones? For those whose lives were already shattered, perhaps death would be the best release.

Shen Cheng didn’t dwell on it. Watching Li Weilan follow the pair as they walked ahead, she couldn’t help but ask, “The second phase of the quest is about the ‘nuclear bomb.’ Should we head back?”

“Yes,” Li Weilan nodded, “This mission is clearly part of a series. The first phase involved the unusual behavior of the zombie horde, and the second phase is about the nuclear bomb. If there’s a third phase, it’s likely to involve stopping the launch, destroying the bomb, or altering the impact and effects of the bomb. The first phase led us here, and it’s almost certain that the next major event will be the battle between the zombie kings. I’m sure something significant will happen during that battle.”

Shen Cheng thought carefully and said, “I trust your judgment, Lanlan.”

After analyzing everything, Li Weilan managed to suppress the anxiety in his heart.

His greatest worry was that something drastic might happen in her world, causing things to escalate quickly while they were separated by an immeasurable distance, making it impossible for him to provide help in time.

Even when he heard the boy mention his relationship with the zombie, Li Weilan felt a pang of concern. But this time, no matter how much he hoped, there were no signs of another ‘modern-day visit’ to her world.

He had a deep realization that this time, he might not be able to return to her world until everything here was resolved.

“Cheng Cheng, I really miss you,” he finally murmured softly, lowering his gaze, and when he said this, there was a devout sincerity in his expression, as if he were earnestly praying to all the gods.

In response, he felt a warm touch.

Shen Cheng’s fingers pressed gently against his hand, and then he heard her voice, “Lanlan, it seems like nothing major is happening here right now. Just take it one step at a time, and don’t worry.”

The zombie monkey outbreak had indeed been alarming, but the swift response from the northern country had been effective, with captured ones being quickly executed and incinerated, all under close observation.

Shen Cheng knew that this might not entirely stop the situation from developing further, but for now, it seemed that the immediate spread had been cut off. Based on Li Weilan’s world’s experience, cross-species transmission would only occur if there were bloodborne contact.

She missed her boyfriend terribly too.

But she wanted to see him focused on saving the world, saving her, without being distracted by concerns for her safety while he battled other zombies.

She carefully counted off her preparations: “I’ve stocked up on food, stored plenty of bottled water, installed security doors and windows, bought a generator in case of power outages, built a wall around the house, purchased defense equipment, and I’m running every day to stay fit. So don’t worry, even if things get really bad, I can hold out for a good while!”

“Of course I trust you,” Li Weilan said, genuinely reassured by all the preparations she described, his eyes softening with a faint smile.

**

After the zombie horde trekked for more than six hours, they finally arrived at their destination.

It was a valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides, and now densely packed with zombies. The closer to the center a zombie was, the higher its status and rank seemed to be, with those in the middle appearing more intelligent and lively.

And the moment Li Weilan looked at the center, he saw someone locked in a standoff—Fu Yanzhou.

His skin had that cold tone unique to zombies, his gaze was direct, but his features still faintly resembled his former self.

Shen Cheng remembered seeing his half-zombie state before. At that time, he had already been injected with the zombie virus and had drunk the spiritual spring water, leaving him in a state of muddled agony. Now, his entire being was brimming with energy, and the moment she caught a glimpse of his eyes, her own stamina bar felt depleted.

Even standing on the outskirts, Li Weilan could feel the oppressive aura emanating from Fu Yanzhou.

It was a kind of formidable pressure, unique to high-level ability users, almost tangible in its intensity.

This pressure didn’t just affect Li Weilan; it made the other zombies in the area behave more cautiously, as if moving through a quagmire.

The zombie with the child, however, quietly found a secluded spot and curled up with the child, clearly not intending to draw attention by running away. The moment Li Weilan saw Fu Yanzhou, Fu Yanzhou’s gaze lazily fell on him as well.

Fu Yanzhou’s gaze lingered on Li Weilan’s face for a moment before moving away.

Shen Cheng asked nervously, “Do you think he recognized you?” Although Li Weilan’s face looked the same, his aura…

“Maybe,” Li Weilan replied. But what Fu Yanzhou was thinking now was anyone’s guess.

After all, Fu Yanzhou was the only zombie with a semblance of sanity in the world, and his thoughts were uncharted territory with no precedent to follow.

Shen Cheng checked the time: Li Weilan didn’t have much time left in his disguise.

After all, it was a 24-hour limit, and fatigue was starting to set in. While he had been forcing himself to stay awake, the unpredictability of Fu Yanzhou’s intentions suddenly dispelled any drowsiness he felt.

He had to be alert for whatever might come next.

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