The winter night wind was strong, dampened by the characteristic humidity of Xiangcheng, leaving a slightly itchy and painful sensation on the face. Pei Yujang parked the car in a temporary spot and noticed an unusual amount of commotion outside the hospital. Despite the late hour, there were still many people milling around the entrance.
Fearing that Yu Zhiwan might be frightened by another medical incident, similar to the one they had encountered before, Pei Yujang rushed towards the hospital entrance, her long legs striding quickly.
The wail of ambulance sirens blared loudly, adding to the anxiety in the air. After pushing her way through the crowd for a few minutes, Pei Yujang finally spotted Yu Zhiwan sitting calmly at the entrance.
Under the harsh hospital lights, with emergency vehicles flashing their red and blue lights as they came and went, Omega sat in her wheelchair, draped in a deep gray woolen coat, fiddling with her phone.
Relieved to see that Yu Zhiwan seemed perfectly fine and even in good spirits, Pei Yujang called out to her. Yu Zhiwan lifted her head, turning towards the sound, and Pei Yujang quickly jogged over.
"You're already out? The wind is so strong outside..."
"I was worried you'd have trouble parking if you came inside. I've heard the hospital has been very crowded lately, with a seasonal flu going around, so all the parking spots are taken."
Xiangcheng had designated temporary parking areas, but the rules were strict: parking for more than five minutes required moving to a proper parking lot, or the car would be fined or even towed away.
Pei Yujang pushed Yu Zhiwan towards the car at a brisk pace, anxious to avoid any issues. After settling Yu Zhiwan into the passenger seat, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to start the engine.
"Pei Yujang," Yu Zhiwan suddenly called out. Pei Yujang responded with a simple "hmm?" as she turned the key in the ignition. But before she could start the car, Yu Zhiwan's soft voice, warm with breath, tickled her ear. Xiangcheng's January air was still chilly, the cold dampness turning her breath into tiny beads of water.
"I've heard there's someone going around biting people lately," the voice came closer, almost brushing against her neck, where Yu Zhiwan's teeth seemed to tease her vulnerable artery, "just like this."
"Clang!"
Pei Yujang accidentally knocked over a small bell that had been placed on the dashboard—a memento from their Christmas Eve outing. The string had loosened without her noticing, and with her sudden motion, it fell to the floor with a crisp ring.
Startled by Yu Zhiwan's sudden move, Pei Yujang turned her head, only to see Yu Zhiwan sitting perfectly straight in the passenger seat, her gentle eyes smiling.
Pei Yujang's heart was pounding, cold sweat forming on her brow. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"When did that happen?"
"Oh, just tonight. A patient with rabies was brought in. It seems they were bitten by a stray dog and didn't get the vaccine, hoping they'd be fine. But they eventually started showing symptoms—no big deal."
Rabies vaccines had long been available, but not everyone got vaccinated, mainly those with pets at home. After all, the vaccine wasn't free, and stray dog attacks were rare in a well-policed city like Xiangcheng. Yu Zhiwan was probably just trying to make a joke, but Pei Yujang couldn't shake the unsettling feeling and wasn't reassured by the mention of rabies.
Pei Yujang steadied her nerves, recalling that the zombie virus was believed to have first appeared decades earlier, but hadn't caused widespread outbreaks until much later. If her timeline was correct, there should be at least a few decades before it became a significant threat.
But she had already traveled through time, so she was more accepting of such things, especially after the disturbing experience at the water plant with the rotting meat and those workers talking about the "ferocious dogs," which had left her on edge.
Still uneasy, she asked again for confirmation, "Are you sure it's rabies?"
Yu Zhiwan nodded affirmatively, but sensing Pei Yujang's unease, she asked hesitantly, "Fish Sauce, are you afraid of dogs?"
Pei Yujang hesitated before answering, "...No."
Her thoughts were jumbled, and for once, she spoke seriously to Yu Zhiwan, "I just think this isn't something to joke about."
Even if it was rabies, it was still a life at stake. People with rabies often lost their minds before they lost their lives, and even psychiatric hospitals had difficulty treating them.
Having witnessed so much death in her previous life, Pei Yujang still couldn't remain indifferent, even when it came to strangers. And the "ferocious dogs" at the water plant continued to weigh heavily on her mind.
The atmosphere between them grew heavy, and Pei Yujang couldn't muster the mood for jokes. They ended up having a simple, quiet meal at a noodle shop.
It was probably the most subdued meal they had shared since they met.
Later, back home, Pei Yujang didn't invite Yu Zhiwan in for a visit but parted ways silently.
Alone in her living room, Pei Yujang paced back and forth, trying to sort out her thoughts. Frustrated, she headed to the kitchen to get a glass of cold water but thought better of it, remembering her recent cold. Instead, she boiled some water and poured herself a steaming cup.
The woman seemed oblivious to the heat as she carried the cup to the balcony, her hand turning red from the scalding water. This was her way of sharpening her senses when her mind was too chaotic to think clearly. As her disordered thoughts began to settle, she felt her emotions start to calm.
"711."
Pei Yujang called out to the system, unsure if it was even active or willing to respond after the plotline had nearly gone off the rails. 711 had been so frustrated with her deviation from the plot that it had gone offline in a huff.
"711."
She called again, repeatedly, until the system finally responded, albeit reluctantly.
"What is it?"
"This is really the world from two hundred years ago, isn't it?"
She needed to confirm each of her suspicions, one by one.
Despite having already suspected the truth, hearing the system confirm it left Pei Yujang with a sinking feeling. If she had somehow traveled back two hundred years, what would happen to her comrades who were still fighting? Could they handle the wave of zombie beasts without her? Would they be able to protect the civilians?
The battle had been a devastating one. Pei Yujang had sacrificed herself to take down the zombie beast king, a creature with advanced intelligence capable of commanding lesser zombies. But what happened afterward was unclear. She couldn't be sure if those left behind could fend off the beast tide and safeguard the people.
But even if they succeeded, it would come at a great cost. Soldiers' lives were at stake—everyone was fighting to protect their homeland.
If only she could stop it before it started...
Pei Yujang knew this wasn't something she could achieve on her own. But she still wanted to fill in the gaps in her understanding.
"Are we all just characters in a novel?"
711 responded coldly.
"The contemporary world is based on a novel's framework, with characters following the storyline as designed. However, the world's structure has experienced a disruption. The future you experienced is an offshoot of this world, not bound by any plot. Once the novel is complete, the world within it will become a reality. Therefore, the world you come from is real, and the devastation you saw will arise as a result of the events unfolding in the present."
"But your arrival has caused a significant shift in the plot. Originally, the characters would have followed the script, but your presence has led to changes, causing the world's trajectory to deviate."
Pei Yujang's mind raced to process this.
According to 711, this world was originally meant to follow the plot of a novel, where Yu Zhiwan and Liu Huanran would end up together as the main romantic leads, overcoming misunderstandings and hardships, while Pei Yujang, as the malicious supporting character, would face retribution.
But after she took over the role of the original Pei Yujang, the plot changed, diverging from its intended course, which was why the system had been so insistent on her following the script.
Had she stuck to the plot, bullying Yu Zhiwan and ignoring everything else, content to play her part as the villain, the story would have continued as planned.
In fact, the system had even assigned her a "villain value," which Pei Yujang now realized had disappeared, leaving only Yu Zhiwan's "darkening value." If that value reached 100%, the world's destruction might still be on the table.
Pei Yujang began to piece together the situation.
This meant that the world's fate could still be altered.
The zombie virus likely hadn't been mass-produced yet—it was probably still in the research phase, with decades to go before it would be unleashed.
Now was the best time to nip it in the bud.
"Why did you choose to bind with me in the first place?"
"To stabilize the plot while preventing the protagonist from fully darkening."
Because Yu Zhiwan had already become self-aware as a character.
If 711 had a physical form, it would have rolled its eyes. After detecting a temporal disruption that could lead to major plot changes, it had carefully selected Pei Yujang for the task, believing she was the only one who could manage it.
Stabilizing the plot meant ensuring Yu Zhiwan and Liu Huanran ended up together, while preventing the protagonist from completely darkening was self-explanatory.
But after gaining self-awareness, Yu Zhiwan had no desire to end up with someone like Liu Huanran. In the original plot, she would have suffered through countless hardships, living a life far from what she truly wanted.
It was a daunting task, so the system had placed its hopes on Pei Yujang. Little did it expect her to defy the plot so completely.
Still, 711 hadn't given up entirely.
There was one thing it had yet to tell Pei Yujang.
"By the way, if you successfully stabilize the plot and complete your mission, you'll have the chance to be resurrected and return to the future."
Pei Yujang froze.
The damp air clung to her skin, droplets of water forming on her brows and slowly trickling down. The cool moisture seeped into her ears, jolting her back to full awareness.
She repeated the key word, her voice heavy with emotion.
"Resurrect?"