Pei Yujang slowly dragged the unconscious Liu Xijing back into the room, placing her on the bed. She noticed that the sound she heard earlier was coming from the small electronic device, which had been beeping persistently.
Liu Xijing wasn't too heavy, so Pei Yujang had no trouble moving her. After settling her on the bed, she picked up the small electronic device.
It turned out to be a communication device, similar to a smartwatch, though Pei Yujang hadn't recognized it at first due to its modified appearance.
As soon as she touched it, a message appeared on the screen.
"What are you doing? Y"
The letter "Y" was the first initial of Yu Zhiwan's surname. Pei Yujang immediately realized that Yu Zhiwan had set this up for easier communication. As for why she didn't use a phone—phones were too easily monitored.
Excited, Pei Yujang quickly typed a response:
"Just finished eating the meal you left for me. I rested a bit and feel much better. How about you? Where are you..."
But she was cut off by a character limit warning, preventing her from sending the message. After fumbling with the device, she accidentally turned it off, frustrated that she didn't know how to delete or send the message.
She wasn't familiar with this type of communication device, which was likely something only those here would know how to use. Glancing at the unconscious Liu Xijing, Pei Yujang regretted acting impulsively.
Damn it! She should have asked before knocking her out!
But since Liu Xijing was already unconscious, waking her now would only lead to further resistance—and possibly even a warning to Yu Zhiwan. Pei Yujang wasn't going to make that mistake. After fiddling with the device a bit more, she managed to turn it back on.
Another message from Yu Zhiwan had already come through:
"Press the red button, then hit Enter to send the message."
"The chat box has a character limit. I'm the host, so I have to send before you can. Idiot."
Pei Yujang pouted slightly at the "idiot" comment.
Not wanting to waste any more time, she quickly typed: "What are you doing now?"
In the desolate plains outside of Yicheng, the night was as dark as ink, and the cold wind howled as the two sides faced each other in a tense standoff. Armored vehicles were at the front, and everyone was on high alert.
The air was thick with tension, the slightest movement making nerves even tauter. While some of the A Organization's activities had been intercepted and contained, the overall situation remained perilous.
Most of the A Organization's members were still underground, making them difficult to root out. Only the ones exposed by Pei Yujang, Mayor Xiang, and their team had been forced into the open. The rest remained elusive.
The situation was dire, and although Yu Zhiwan wasn't on the front lines, she was still on edge. She rubbed some cooling balm on her temples to stay awake.
"It's break time now," Yu Zhiwan replied. "I can only message you during breaks."
Realizing she had to keep her messages brief, Pei Yujang responded concisely: "How's the weather?"
Though the cold wasn't too harsh, the sky was overcast. Since regaining her sight, Yu Zhiwan had seen many different night skies, but tonight, the clouds hung heavy, weighing down on her spirits.
Yu Zhiwan struggled to describe the weather. The occasional streak of gray across the sky looked like a ghostly claw stirring the clouds. The heavens seemed to mock humanity's centuries of civilization, now teetering on the brink of destruction.
According to Pei Yujang, the world she came from was 200 years into the future. If the zombie outbreak was the catalyst for the apocalypse, then human activities—industrial pollution, deforestation, air contamination—were the true causes of nature's wrath.
Even without the A Organization's influence, the apocalypse might have come eventually.
As the world decayed, people would tear each other apart to survive, stripping away the veneer of civility to reveal their most primal, ugly instincts. Thousands of years ago, humanity's ancestors had banded together to fend off wild beasts. Thousands of years later, those enjoying the comforts of modern life would betray each other for survival.
In her prophetic dream, Yu Zhiwan had initially been single-minded in her desire to save the world. But she had walked alone, pushed again and again in the darkness.
That time, it hadn't been as smooth as now. She hadn't found an ally like Mayor Xiang to connect her to the higher-ups, nor had she had someone like Pei Yujang to help her. Even with evidence in hand, she had been forced to hide, and progress had been slow and fraught with difficulty.
When the signs of the apocalypse finally appeared, the A Organization had released its creations in every corner where they had influence, with Xiangcheng, a prosperous and densely populated area, bearing the brunt of the attack.
Yu Zhiwan had hurried through the alleys of Yicheng, narrowly avoiding a stray dog's bite. She was carrying the formula for the antidote, hoping to reach the local hospital for help. The social order hadn't collapsed yet, and the A Organization no longer saw her as a significant threat, so they hadn't expended resources to hunt her down.
She wanted to deliver the formula to the hospital as quickly as possible, believing that with more people, they might be able to save someone on the brink of death.
Yu Zhiwan moved quickly, accustomed to the dark. Her legs had been treated by a friend, but her vision remained blurry from missing the optimal window for recovery.
With a thud, she collided with someone. The person seemed prepared, and Yu Zhiwan stumbled backward, only to hear a voice boast, "See? I told you this woman had something valuable on her!"
The man grabbed her arm, and Yu Zhiwan couldn't break free. He yanked her a few times, searching her pockets, his hands wandering inappropriately. Seeing her expression darken, the leader of the group whistled, feigning mercy:
"Alright, alright, don't make the lady angry. Let her go."
Yu Zhiwan's face turned cold as she demanded, "Give it back."
The man who had searched her pocket took a step closer, leering at her. Though he hadn't managed to take advantage earlier, he could tell that the woman had a great figure. Despite her mask and hat, it was clear she had a vision problem, but her beauty was undeniable. He licked his lips and grinned:
"What, you want to stay and serve us?"
The first man to lunge at her was met with a syringe to his artery. Without hesitation, Yu Zhiwan injected the poison. Seeing that she was a formidable opponent, the other men attacked with increased ferocity. Though Yu Zhiwan couldn't fight and was only an Omega, she fought back with a desperate intensity. If it hadn't been for someone nearby shouting at them for the noise, the men wouldn't have let her go so easily.
They fled, taking Yu Zhiwan's belongings with them. Had she not resisted with all her might, showing her fierce determination, she might not have survived.
Such robberies weren't uncommon, and later Yu Zhiwan encountered an even more vicious gang. The hospital wasn't far, but it took everything she had to reach it. After she explained everything to the doctors, she was dismissed as a rumor-monger.
In that dream, Yu Zhiwan had still been with Liu Huanran. But by that time, she had grown weary of her life, feeling trapped in a path that wasn't hers, as if an invisible hand was pushing her and Liu Huanran into a forced romance.
So, Yu Zhiwan had given up entirely.
She had a choice and chose to watch the world crumble with cold indifference.
A chill wind brushed her face, numbing her cheeks, and Yu Zhiwan realized she had dozed off for a moment. She hadn't even replied to Pei Yujang's message.
After quickly typing out a reply, Yu Zhiwan turned off the device. She had work to do and couldn't stay in the back lines chatting with her girlfriend.
No, not girlfriend—fiancée. She wanted to give herself a reason to survive and return for their engagement. Thinking of this warmed her heart considerably.
Someone called her name.
Yu Zhiwan stood up, stretched, and looked up at the ominous sky with concern. "It's here!"
Meanwhile, Pei Yujang had woken Liu Xijing.
Groggy, Liu Xijing opened her eyes, the memory of Pei Yujang knocking her out still fresh. Angry, she was about to demand an explanation when Pei Yujang covered her mouth.
Pei Yujang looked down at her, her deep blue eyes now filled with a stern intensity. Liu Xijing, feeling the weight of that gaze, even wondered if Pei Yujang was planning to kill her.
"Do me a favor," Pei Yujang said, her voice cold and commanding, "Take me to Yu Zhiwan."
As Yu Zhiwan's trusted aide, Liu Xijing likely knew where she was. Pei Yujang could guess that it was in Yicheng, and if Liu Xijing refused, she'd go on her own. But that would waste too much time.
She needed the quickest way.
Liu Xijing had been given strict orders not to reveal anything. Despite being worried about Yu Zhiwan, she knew that Pei Yujang would try to persuade her, using every argument to sway her. But she held firm, refusing to speak.
"You think there's no risk because the military is there? That if something goes wrong, the soldiers will handle it first?"
Pei Yujang's gaze bore into her, as if seeing into the depths of her soul.
"But what if there's a traitor in the military? What if there's a traitor by her side? Have you considered that? Who's your superior—her or me? Whose safety is more important—hers or mine?"
Pei Yujang's striking features took on a fierce edge, her commanding presence overwhelming. Her deep blue eyes were laser-focused, her expression unyielding, with a dangerous intensity that was impossible to ignore:
"And look at this weather. Doesn't it feel off to you?"
"The real judgment is coming, and you're leaving my wife in danger. Do you think I'll keep you around if something happens to her?"