Chapter 44

"Si Nan," Zhou Rong said, his voice trembling. He immediately caught a glimpse of Abbas dragging himself in pain, trying his best to reach for a gun, and instantly roared, "Run! Run!"

'He was restraining Rommel, and he didn't have a gun. The most urgent thing was to make Si Nan run, even if it meant searching for him for three days and three nights in the crisis-ridden city. He couldn't let Si Nan just stand there and get shot dead!'

But Si Nan just stared straight at Zhou Rong, as if he didn't recognize him, neither running nor moving.

"...It's you," Rommel suddenly said through gritted teeth.

Zhou Rong's brows furrowed. Rommel got up and threw a punch, knocking him down. The two of them rolled and wrestled on the ground, every punch landing solidly, almost every blow aimed at the other's vital points. In an instant, it had become a fight to the death.

"Fuck, how is it you again!" Rommel roared, clamping a hand on Zhou Rong's throat!

Rommel's fighting style was surprisingly the same as Si Nan's—deceptive, fast, and technique-heavy. But as an Alpha, his muscle strength was much greater than Si Nan's, and it was clear he wasn't on the same level as that woman and the large man. It was somewhat beyond Zhou Rong's expectations.

Zhou Rong clamped both his hands on Rommel's hand that was choking his neck, twisted sharply, and at the same time, brought up his knee for a flying kick, sending Rommel flying with a kick to the waist—

Zhou Rong's kick had the force of half a ton. Rommel was sent flying more than ten meters through the air, crashing through a brick wall with a boom and immediately spitting out a mouthful of blood!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of gunfire exploded next to his ear, and in that instant, all the blood in Zhou Rong's body ran cold. Ignoring Rommel, who was bent over on the ground vomiting blood, he rolled over, picked up the gun, his brow twitching uncontrollably.

He saw that Si Nan hadn't run but was grappling with Abbas. Compared to this Alpha who was over two meters tall, Si Nan looked like a slender youth. But in his mental confusion, he had unleashed an unimaginable, extreme strength, grabbing Abbas's gun-wielding hand and pulling the trigger. A hail of bullets poured out, shattering the glass window and making the tree branches shake and dance wildly.

The female Alpha cursed from behind the corner of the wall, struggling to poke out the barrel of her gun and aim at Si Nan.

The part of her that was exposed behind the wall was a target barely larger than a fly, yet it was hit in the wrist by Zhou Rong's impossibly precise and swift shot. In an instant, she cried out in pain!

'Only one bullet left,' Zhou Rong realized clearly.

He aimed at Abbas, but Si Nan's enraged figure kept flashing through his scope. Zhou Rong hesitated, not daring to pull the trigger. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind came from behind his head. He dodged to the side, and at the same time, a bullet grazed his heel, kicking up a trail of dust on the ground behind him.

It was Rommel!

Zhou Rong cursed, "Fuck your ancestors!" and, as he fell, pulled the trigger in mid-air.

The last bullet flew out, beautifully piercing through the barrage of fire from the AK47, penetrating Rommel's abdomen like a venomous fang, leaving a trail of blood!

Rommel clutched his gunshot wound and staggered, then fell.

Zhou Rong roared, "Si Nan!"

The furious gunfire stopped. Si Nan had forced Abbas's submachine gun to empty. The latter kicked him to the ground, and a fist the size of a large bowl struck Si Nan, making him spray out blood foam. Before the second punch could land, Zhou Rong had arrived, grabbed Abbas by the hair, flipped him to the ground, and started punching!

The big man let out a furious roar, covering his head and struggling ceaselessly, but Zhou Rong gave him no chance to breathe. His knuckles hammered down like steel cannonballs. The first blow broke Abbas's nasal bone, the second shattered his teeth, and the third actually caved in his sternum!

Zhou Rong got up and kicked Abbas over. His handsome face was filled with ferocity, and a blood-red, chilling glint like that of a wolf king appeared in his eyes.

He let out a breath, trying his best to adjust his facial expression, and turned around.

Si Nan had already gotten up and taken several steps back. He stood with his back pressed against the courtyard wall, his body seemingly slightly arched—Zhou Rong recognized why at a glance.

It wasn't because he couldn't stand up straight after being severely beaten on top of long-term starvation.

It was the posture of a cornered beast, filled with vigilance and hatred, before it attacked with its last ounce of strength.

Zhou Rong slowly shook his head, opened his hands, and showed him his empty palms. "Si Nan."

Si Nan said nothing, his eyes narrowing warily.

"Come here, Si Nan, I won't hurt you." Zhou Rong took half a step forward, his voice trembling, "Rong-ge didn't abandon you. Look, I'm here to get you."

·

'The Zombie took a step forward,' Si Nan thought.

He tried his best to close his eyes, then opened them again. The intense madness caused by an overdose of Truth Serum was severing his central nervous system, creating a series of bizarre and fantastical images before his eyes.

'It was as if he had returned to his childhood, in a simulated special training scenario where he couldn't get out unless he killed all the Zombies.'

'The one behind the wall is a Zombie, the one on the ground is a Zombie, the one in the distant ruins is a Zombie, and this blurry-faced one opening its arms to him... is also a Zombie.'

'Kill them all,' the voice in his mind urged more insistently, making his head feel like it was about to split open.

'Kill them all, or you'll be electrocuted.'

'Kill them all.'

Suddenly, a low laugh mixed with coughs sounded from behind. "It's... it's useless, look at him..."

"When he loses control, he doesn't recognize anyone. In his eyes, we're all Zombies... understand?" Rommel taunted intermittently from where he lay amidst the brick wall ruins. "It's a conditioned reflex fantasy under severe brain stimulation. It's useless even if his mother came. He'll just strangle everyone... all the Zombies, cough, cough, cough..."

Zhou Rong roared, "What did you do to him?!"

Rommel didn't answer. He shifted his sitting position and painfully exhaled a breath of blood. "Your surname is Zhou, isn't it?"

"...Who are you?" Zhou Rong narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Rommel didn't answer, his gaze shifting to Si Nan as he gave a malicious smile.

"Overestimating yourself." He laughed while coughing and wheezing, "Go on, in his eyes you're the most dangerous Zombie here... He'll strangle you with his own hands. If you don't believe me, go and try."

Si Nan retreated again, panting, but he was already backed into a corner. Further retreat only pressed his back tighter against the wall.

'It hurts so much,' he murmured to himself.

'...I'm really in so much pain.'

Extreme hunger had turned into a pain that tore at his organs, and the agony from the electrocution and beatings was like a thousand needles and thorns, torturing every nerve in his body.

But the cold, emotionless, electronically synthesized voice he had heard countless times since childhood would not let him go. Like a maggot clinging to his bones, terrifying electric sparks sizzled from between every bone, lashing him until he was covered in wounds.

'Kill him.'

'Kill him.'

'Kill them all.'

'Or you'll be punished.'

'Kill them all.'

...

A sharp, hissing sound like a leak escaped from Si Nan's chest. He tried desperately to cover his ears, but it was no use.

The Zombie not far away took another step forward, seeming to shout something, about to come and eat him.

'But I'm really in so much pain,' Si Nan thought vaguely.

'Please... I really can't fight anymore...'

"...Si... Nan..."

"Si Nan..."

Another voice echoed in his subconscious, sometimes seeming right next to his ear, then suddenly far away on the horizon, drifting away with the wind. Without realizing it, Si Nan lowered his hands, his mind completely blank, and stood rooted to the spot.

The Zombie with the blurry face had already walked up to him.

"...Rong-ge is here... to get you... Si Nan..."

Si Nan shook his head, not knowing what that meant.

His consciousness was a muddle. He used his last bit of strength to push the Zombie away. In the struggle, the back of his head and his elbow slammed hard against the concrete wall behind him. The sound of bone cracking was chilling, but he felt no pain at all.

Not a bit of pain, not even a trace of sensation.

'It was as if, at the final moment for this battered body, fate was finally willing to show a little kindness, sparing him a portion of the heart-wrenching agony.'

Si Nan collapsed to his knees, struggling to shuffle backward, fully aware of how pathetic he looked at that moment.

But the lingering Zombie would not let him go because of this. It grabbed his shoulders and lowered its head.

Si Nan vaguely knew he was about to be bitten. He would be torn apart alive by rotting fangs, watching his own skin split open, blood gushing, tendons and blood vessels pulled apart like rotten meat, and he could even see his own blood-red marrow bursting from the broken bones.

Next, he would be electrocuted, or he would die.

He would soar past the collapsed spire of the church, ascending under the gloomy gray sky to a heaven where there would be no more hunger, loneliness, or pain.

Si Nan's whole body convulsed. He curled up as the Zombie leaned close to his ear. However, the expected warmth and cold of blood leaving his body never came. In his confused consciousness, that faint, drifting voice gradually became clear: "Look... look at me..."

"Si Xiaonan, you don't recognize Rong-ge anymore?..."

Rong-ge.

Everything in Si Nan's vision was a double image. Mutated, distorted lines and chaotic black shadows switched back and forth, as if heroin was stimulating his brainstem, turning all scenery into pulsing points of light.

However, in the cacophony of near-death, something gradually became clear, like a stone emerging from the water.

Rong-ge.

Zhou Rong.

"...Rong-ge didn't leave you behind..."

"Look at me..."

In a daze, Si Nan felt a warmth on his hand.

It was like a drop of scalding water hitting his palm, making him flinch in pain.

"...Rong-ge is here to get you, look at me, Si Xiaonan..."

In the quiet deep night of the jungle, a bonfire burned with a faint glow, and someone whispered softly in his ear: "Call out Rong-ge, and I'll come save you no matter how far."

"My name is Zhou Rong, the 'Rong' from warfare."

"Si—Xiao—Nan—! Rong-ge is here to get you!"

"I'm sorry, Rong-ge shouldn't have yelled at you... Here, I brought you chocolate."

Countless scenes and images swirled in his mind, falling like heavy snow, gently smoothing over his frenzied, convulsing mental world.

Si Nan panted wearily, his gaze scattered and blank, watching the "Zombie" kneel before him.

They were so close, close enough to see each other's faces clearly.

"..." Si Nan murmured, "Rong-ge."

He didn't know what he was saying, nor did he recognize the familiar, tear-streaked face before him.

But from the syllables of those two short words, he gained a certain warm, powerful comfort, and the strength to calm down.

"Rong-ge," he repeated in a small voice.

Under everyone's incredulous gaze, Si Nan reached out his hand, completely revealing his soft, unguarded palm, which was gripped tightly by Zhou Rong.

The next moment, Si Nan buried his head, snuggling his scarred body into Zhou Rong's arms like he was hiding in a safe cave in a dream.

·

Rommel's pupils dilated rapidly in disbelief, his face could only be described as ashen—this was impossible!

How could this be possible?!

After entering a conditioned mental illusion, Noah would only treat all moving things around him as Zombies and attack indiscriminately until one of them was dead. This was an instinct cultivated through thousands of electrocutions since he was six years old; he would forget to breathe before he forgot it. Even if his own mother died before his eyes, this instinct of his could not be broken!

So what about now?! Why wasn't he attacking?!

Could it be that in his mental illusion, he was willing to be bitten to death by this "Zombie" surnamed Zhou?!

Rommel shook his head in horror, watching helplessly as Zhou Rong held Si Nan tightly in his arms, continuously kissing his forehead, which was filthy with blood and dust, stroking his bony back, and whispering words of comfort. After a moment, Si Nan's convulsions and tremors gradually stopped. Zhou Rong kissed his ear and picked him up with one arm.

Rommel clutched the gunshot wound in his abdomen, his other hand trembling as it clenched into a tight fist.

But Zhou Rong didn't spare them another glance. He walked out of the small courtyard, kicked away a Zombie that was approaching, drawn by the sound, and placed Si Nan in the passenger seat of the blue-and-white SUV, then turned to get into the driver's seat from the other side.

Si Nan was unwilling to leave Zhou Rong, clutching his sleeve tightly and not letting go. Zhou Rong coaxed him in a low voice for a bit, but when he saw Si Nan shake his head and refuse to listen, he gave up. He lifted him out of the passenger seat and got into the driver's seat while holding him in his arms.

Zombies were slowly gathering in their direction. Looking from afar, ghostly figures stirred at both ends of the alley—it was packed with the living dead. The SUV turned around and drove into the small courtyard. The window rolled down, and Zhou Rong stared down at Rommel, asking, "Who the hell are you people?"

Rommel said grimly, "Your name is Zhou Rong, isn't it?"

"Yo, since when did I get so famous?" Zhou Rong scoffed nonchalantly. "What, you want an autograph?"

The distinctive shuffling footsteps of the Zombies grew clearer, but Rommel showed no fear of his impending death. Covered in blood, he leaned against a pile of bricks. Through the gap in the car window, one could see Si Nan nestled at Zhou Rong's side, his head buried in Zhou Rong's arm.

Like a small beast, its murderous aura not yet faded and its body covered in blood, finally finding its den on its last breath, utterly exhausted.

Rommel's heart felt as if it were soaked in searing, acidic hatred. He gave a slight, cold smile.

"No, Zhou Rong," he said faintly. "It's really a pleasure to see you're still alive. Take good care of that little life of yours... We'll meet again soon."

"Is that so?" Zhou Rong said mockingly. "I don't think so."

More and more Zombies gathered, gradually blocking the alley. Zhou Rong stopped wasting words on a dead man. The SUV reversed, spun around, its tires screeching on the ground. He tossed out a final line: "Thanks for the supplies!" then slammed on the gas and sped away with a roaring engine.

Rommel watched the dust kicked up by the SUV, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He had high brow ridges, deep-set eyes, and a straight nasal bone—the typical appearance of an Aryan Caucasian. Due to years of elite, military-style training, his physique was also lean and tough. Alphas with this appearance were actually very popular in Europe and America.

But at this moment, his expression was so bizarrely unsettling it sent a chill down one's spine.

The Zombies swarmed in, gradually approaching the small courtyard. Rommel coughed up some blood, pulled out a sealed syringe from his chest, tore it open with his teeth, and injected the entire pale red liquid into his arm.

Then he tossed it with a flick of his hand.

The syringe traced an arc and shattered at the feet of the first Zombie to squeeze through the courtyard gate.

·

The car jolted continuously as it moved forward, crushing Zombies under its wheels. It finally burst out of the smoke from the earth-shattering explosion of a grenade and sped off down the endless highway.

Zhou Rong controlled the steering wheel with one hand and held Si Nan's drowsy body with the other, gently patting his shoulder. "Si Xiaonan?"

Si Nan curled up and didn't make a sound.

Zhou Rong hit the brakes, turned around, and rummaged through the back seat. He casually threw the three Alphas' various personal belongings out the window and saw a bottle of maple syrup tucked in a corner.

There should be more medical supplies in the trunk, but there was no time to sort through them now. Zhou Rong unscrewed the maple syrup jar, kneaded Si Nan's pale face with the pad of his thumb, and asked in a low voice, "Have a couple of sips, hmm?"

Si Nan didn't even have the strength to open his eyes. He smelled the maple syrup and managed to turn his head away slightly.

His silent refusal was obvious, but Zhou Rong couldn't indulge his strange picky eating at a time like this, so he kissed his hair and coaxed, "Be good."

Then Zhou Rong took a sip of maple syrup himself and fed it to him mouth-to-mouth, coaxingly licking the corners of his tightly pressed lips.

For some reason, Si Nan was very resistant to the taste of maple syrup, but after a moment, his cold lips and tongue seemed to be gradually warmed by Zhou Rong's breath. His jaw loosened slightly, and a tiny, soft gap opened.

The 48th hour since falling into the city of Zombies.

Zhou Rong's eyes were slightly red. He gazed at Si Nan's calm, sleeping profile and once again pressed a gentle, lingering, honey-flavored kiss upon it.