Chapter 1986: Chapter 1986

He could no longer run. His final steps, despite being a dignified Level 8 zombie, couldn’t even break through a battered wooden box. He ceased to move, his body dissolving into a mass of sludge, slowly squirming and recomposing, reconstructing from a pile of inorganic matter back to human form. Once the facial features emerged, Xu Haishui rasped with a hoarse voice, glancing at the other party with a sinister smile and said, "I don’t know, a kind... of evolution no one has tried, where does it lead, to death or rebirth?"

Yi Huangcheng said nothing, scrutinizing the other party. Initially, he simply thought that some mutations had occurred with Xu Haishui. While mutations could be fatal for humans, they usually brought benefits to zombies. Yet upon closer inspection, he immediately sensed something amiss. Within the pile of inorganic matter formed from Xu Haishui’s body, each tiny particle was pulsating, struggling, with minuscule tentacles invisible to the naked eye writhing, resembling countless ants clustered into a ball!

Even Yi Huangcheng, a Level 8 New Human who had witnessed countless disgusting scenes, was shocked to the point his scalp tingled!

He didn’t have long to observe Xu Haishui’s body; soon, the inorganic matter decomposed from Xu Haishui entirely reassembled, and only then did he avert his gaze.

"Tell me, what do you want with me?"

"I’m partaking in a gamble, staking all my chips on you."

"I despise gambling and dislike being associated with it in any way."

"Aren’t you intrigued by it?" Xu Haishui tilted his head, a bizarre expression on his face.

Yi Huangcheng’s facial expression remained unchanged as he directly spoke, "I’m not sure, but what’s the benefit to me whether you win or lose?"

"The chips I stake on you are your gain."

"And what are your chips?"

"Everything? And how does that benefit me?"

"Materially, it’s no use to you, but what I’ve seen, what I know..."

"You practically toured the Cloud Gorge Base in its entirety; you, of all people, should understand what it is."

This statement seemed to freeze the surrounding air. Yi Huangcheng fell silent, silent for an indeterminate amount of time, not discussing the matter further with the other party. When he spoke again, he shifted the conversation and asked, "What do I need to do?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Haishui pondered for a moment, turning to gaze at the distant sky before his eyes swept back over the black rhomboid pack on the other’s back.

"You have the Divine God Armor... it seems the relationship between Khan and Su Sigui has grown tighter than I anticipated."

Yi Huangcheng didn’t verbally reply, merely nodded.

"Do you know the source, the core of the God Rain Plan?"

"You mean that Level 9 Rester?"

"Rescue her, she can’t die."

"You want to destroy the God Rain Plan?"

"And what benefit does that bring you?"

"No benefits, but no harm either, but doing nothing would only bring harm to you."

"You likely never considered it from my perspective." Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙

"No, you’re wrong, I always consider it from your angle. It’s you who never understood from the beginning."

"Hmm?" Yi Huangcheng looked at Xu Haishui with an inquisitive gaze. Xu Haishui didn’t pose any riddles and explained, "I know what you plan to do, but whether you win or lose, the outcome won’t be good for anyone!"

"Win, Su Sigui won’t spare us; lose, both Su Sigui and we will end up in a hopeless situation. I understand your sense of responsibility, not wanting to see your race heading toward a dead end, but have you considered that as long as Khan remains, and the Royal Court exists, human embers can continue to shine on, no matter how the world changes, our lives won’t be affected?"

"He is also the Zombie King, understand?"

"I agree with your view, but is that all?"

"Not just that." Xu Haishui shook his head and continued, "I want my family to survive, and I too want to go on living. All this only requires the failure of the God Rain Plan. If you were me, do you have the courage to watch your family die in front of you? In doing so, you too become one of the murderers?" These words made Yi Huangcheng’s brows twitch twice violently, perhaps stirred by something; he hastily asked Xu Haishui, "Is she... a New Human?"

Who she is, Yi Huangcheng didn’t say, but whether Xu Haishui was lying was unclear to anyone. Xu Haishui simply didn’t answer, and his silence brought some uneasiness to Yi Huangcheng’s heart.

The God Rain Plan targets zombies and new humans, under the God Rain, only ordinary humans can survive. If the one he’s searching for has already become a New Human, perhaps he should genuinely consider whether to accept Xu Haishui’s request, but he’s unable to make a decision...

According to Xu Haishui, if they choose to stand by and ignore the crisis facing humanity, indeed, there wouldn’t be any downside, allowing zombies to rule the world eventually. Tang Ye, being the Zombie King, should naturally have a place in that future, and the people originally belonging to the Royal Court wouldn’t experience any change in life.

Yet, he couldn’t make up his mind, possibly because... it couldn’t be ensured he’d never leave the Royal Court for a lifetime...

He didn’t wish for future sceneries to only feature the Royal Court, while outside the Court, one faced tides of zombies roaming the world harboring malice for humanity!

He feared, too, that in times to come, people would view the Zombie King’s protection as a variant form of captivity!

"Have you decided?" Not long after, Xu Haishui spoke, his face expressionless. Yi Huangcheng watched him, unsure of what he was thinking until he again felt the weight of the Divine God Armor pack behind him, realizing how to reply, thus providing his response.

That response was a shake of the head.

"Choosing to refuse?"

"You still don’t understand humans well enough. The reason for such a choice is because I want a source, a root, not as some absurd ember, clinging to the ridiculous dream of reviving human civilization. I can’t do it—nor am I capable—more than myself, many others have made similar choices to mine, and I think their thoughts are similar to mine, recognizing now as the final chance."

"Is that reason satisfactory to you?"

Yi Huangcheng’s answer left Xu Haishui a bit stunned. He gazed at Yi Huangcheng somewhat bewildered and only after a while did he utter a few words.

"I don’t understand..."

"Doesn’t matter, just like when I was young, I didn’t understand why some people would abandon their privileged lives abroad to serve their homeland."