Ch 118: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

Ahead was a group of three people, who appeared much more weathered and downcast compared to Anjia’s four-person team that had been following the mysterious figure and enjoying relative safety and ease. When the three saw Anjia’s group, a hint of joy flashed across their faces—encountering other people in these times was always a relief, especially when the other group looked as healthy and well-off as Anjia’s did.

In this post-apocalyptic world, how well you were doing was directly related to your strength.

As the two groups met, the three on the other side were eager to greet and make conversation. Just as Anjia was about to respond, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

She was startled: The big guy?

The big guy usually kept a low profile while they traveled, only appearing when they were resting. Why did he suddenly show up now?

While Anjia was puzzled, the three on the other side were terrified. They stared in shock at Jiang Lin, who had appeared out of nowhere and whose demeanor clearly didn’t match the desolate surroundings. They were so taken aback that they didn’t dare to speak.

Jiang Lin’s gaze was fixed on the young man at the back of the three-person group. The man still had handsome features, but his face was sallow, his expression listless, and his appearance unkempt, showing signs of neglect.

His former… appearance?

Jiang Lin thought, confused: What was he like before? Have I seen him before?

He blocked the three men, his gaze calm but with an overwhelming pressure that made them too afraid to speak.

The first two men were puzzled, but the third man, the one being stared at by Jiang Lin, showed sudden terror in his eyes as soon as he saw him.

Xue Nan silently opened his mouth wide: This person…

How could he look so much like him?

Like the man he had seen in his nightmares every night for the past two years.

Their features were somewhat different—this man was more handsome, and his attire was strange. But the aura of natural aloofness was hauntingly familiar.

But it couldn’t be.

Jiang Lin had died long ago; he had personally pushed him into the horde of zombies and watched him die.

There was no way he could have survived.

His terrified expression only piqued Jiang Lin’s interest further.

That look, that expression…

Fragments of memories in Jiang Lin’s mind began to rapidly piece together, and some of the blurry details started to become clear.

He opened his mouth: “You…”

His voice was rough and broken, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time. But after uttering the first word, the unfamiliarity vanished, and the rest of the words flowed out smoothly.

The man opposite him turned completely pale.

“…Xue Nan?”

These two words seemed to be the key that unlocked a mysterious switch. All the chaotic, blurry, and unclear memories surged up like a tidal wave in an instant. Countless shadows and bizarre scenes flickered in Jiang Lin’s once-confused eyes, eventually settling into calmness.

His eyes regained their tranquility, and as he looked at the pale-faced man again, the words that came out of his mouth were no longer hesitant, and his confusion had turned into certainty:

“Xue Nan.”

The four members of Anjia’s team were stunned by the strange atmosphere, and Jiang Lin’s sudden speech startled them even more.

“So, the big guy can actually talk,” one of the survivors whispered.

Xue Nan stared at Jiang Lin in shock. When Jiang Lin spoke, Xue Nan was certain that this person was indeed Jiang Lin. But how could it be?

He had seen Jiang Lin being devoured by zombies with his own eyes. How could anyone survive that?

It was impossible.

But as he faced this man, what welled up inside him was a deep, genuine fear.

He was terrified.

Why had Jiang Lin returned?

Was he here for revenge?

“Xue Nan?” One of his teammates, puzzled by the scene, noticed something amiss and asked, “Do you know this… person?”

They didn’t know how to address Jiang Lin, but his mysterious and imposing appearance was enough to prove his power. Not to mention…

As they observed Jiang Lin, they noticed everything from his waist-length hair, which was smooth and well-groomed, to his spotless, immaculately clean robe…

Everything about this man exuded strength.

What kind of person could maintain such impeccable appearance even in the apocalypse?

Xue Nan was trembling.

Even though Jiang Lin had not spoken harshly, nor shown any hostility or intent to kill, being looked at by those calm eyes filled Xue Nan with an unprecedented fear.

And the despair he felt deep down was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Under those eyes, the words he was so skilled at—smooth lies and excuses—were now impossible to utter.

He took a step back, suddenly shaking his head. “I don’t know him! How could I know him?”

He was breathing heavily, staring directly at Jiang Lin. “How could I possibly know a dead man?”

“You’re not Jiang Lin; you’re someone else, pretending to look like this to scare me, aren’t you?”

Jiang Lin looked at him calmly.

Once, he had poured his heart out to this friend, only to be pushed into a horde of zombies. He had once hated him to the core, with his greatest desire being to exact revenge personally. But now, as he looked at this person, his heart was eerily calm. It was as if those deep-seated hatreds had passed through countless worlds and had become distant, weightless black-and-white images, unable to stir any emotion in him anymore.

And indeed… it had been countless worlds ago.

“I am Jiang Lin.”

“Xue Nan, I didn’t die. Now, it’s your turn to die.”

He spoke to him without any trace of emotion, even when uttering such words.

His reaction seemed to provoke Xue Nan even more, causing him to become more agitated than when he learned Jiang Lin was still alive.

“Ha! Have you become a saint? I fucking killed you, pushed you into a zombie horde!” Xue Nan suddenly became frantic, staring intently at Jiang Lin. “And you don’t hate me? You’re seeking revenge with such indifference?”

“Am I, Xue Nan, not even worthy of provoking any emotion from you?”

Jiang Lin frowned slightly, sensing the intensity of Xue Nan’s emotions. “What are you getting so worked up about? Upset with my reaction? Disappointed that I’m so indifferent to you?”

He looked at Xue Nan, his gaze piercing through the man, revealing things Jiang Lin hadn’t understood before.

But none of it mattered to him anymore.

Suddenly, countless thorny vines sprouted from the ground, like menacing instruments of torture, binding Xue Nan tightly with no room for resistance and dragging him violently into the earth.

—He didn’t even have time to scream.

The ground returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened.

Except that one person was now gone.

Everyone else took a collective step back, looking at Jiang Lin in terror.

Such a terrifying, mysterious display…

But Jiang Lin paid them no attention.

In a flash, he returned to the lake where he had awakened.