Chapter Thirty: Midnight Conversation

That night, all was silent. Only the faint, intermittent sounds of breathing disturbed the quiet world. In the distance, a few low-level zombies wandered aimlessly, but none approached Qin Yu’s location, as if something here made them wary.

Qin Yu leaned against the car, idly spinning a dagger in her hand, lost in thought.

“What are you thinking about, Qin Yu?” Xia Cheng’s voice suddenly broke the stillness, abrupt and startling in the tranquil night.

Qin Yu glanced at Zhao Meng, who had turned her head but remained fast asleep. She replied softly, “I’m wondering when this apocalypse will end. Days like these… it’s truly unbearable.”

Xia Cheng smiled, the moonlight casting a spectral glow on his face. “End? I fear it won’t be so simple to end.”

Qin Yu stared at Xia Cheng, whose smile seemed almost sinister, and instinctively tensed, holding the dagger defensively before her chest. “What… are you planning?”

“Oh? No need to be so nervous~ What could I possibly do?” Xia Cheng teased, his eyes fixed mischievously on Qin Yu.

“Who… exactly are you?” Qin Yu felt that Xia Cheng was different tonight, unsettlingly dangerous.

“Who am I? Heh… I’d like to know myself…” Xia Cheng suddenly bowed his head.

Qin Yu was at a loss; how could he not know who he was? Yet she didn’t act rashly, waiting for Xia Cheng’s next move.

After a long pause, he looked up, his face pale as he spoke, “Hey~ Would you like to hear a story?”

Qin Yu thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and leaned back against the car once more, though this time she was far from relaxed.

“My father was born into an old family, courteous and learned, admired by many young ladies. The family planned for him to marry someone of equal standing, but during a car accident, he fell in love at first sight with my mother. She was an exceptional surgeon, though her family was quite ordinary. Despite endless opposition from my father’s family, nothing could deter their resolve to be together.

They ignored their families’ protests and had me. When the family learned I was a boy, they demanded I be raised by them in exchange for allowing my parents their freedom. From the age of three, I was handed over to the family—an unforgiving place that devours its own. How could they be so heartless?

I’ve wanted to ask why so many times, but those irresponsible parents never explained, never even appeared before me!

To see them again, I studied desperately, striving to reach the highest position, all just to meet them. But when I finally managed the family’s affairs, news arrived—they had disappeared! Vanished without a trace, along with a group of researchers, all said to be prominent figures in scientific fields.

Not long after, the apocalypse began…

I actually saw you before, while searching for my parents. At their friends’ house, I spotted your picture among their family photos. You were quite young then, but I recognized you instantly. They said you were my parents’ most valued student over the years, but unfortunately… you gave up research for reasons unknown.

That’s why, when I found you unconscious, I took over your treatment. Otherwise, do you think you’d have received my care? After all, I am a nationally renowned physician~ Haha.

I’ve always suspected the apocalypse is connected to my parents’ disappearance. I’ve been investigating in secret, but so far, nothing concrete…” Xia Cheng clenched his fists in frustration, lamenting his own helplessness.

Qin Yu relaxed slightly upon hearing his story. She asked, “Is your mother’s name Qian Xiao?”

Xia Cheng looked at Qin Yu in surprise and nodded.

Qin Yu remembered that woman whose smile was always warm, and her face softened with nostalgia.

“Your mother… cared for me a lot during university. She was a truly warm person,” Qin Yu said gently.

“Is that so? Perhaps… Heh.” Xia Cheng was dejected. Warm? How could someone so warm abandon him without hesitation? How could she never ask after him, not even once in all these years? Warmth—maybe for others, not for him.

Qin Yu sighed as she watched Xia Cheng’s bitter expression.

She was puzzled, too. From what she knew of Qian Xiao, abandoning a child didn’t seem like her. What hidden story lay behind it all? Moreover, Qin Yu had known Qian Xiao for nearly four years and never saw any man by her side. Whenever she visited, there was one room no one was allowed to enter… Qin Yu suddenly shivered. Could it be that Qian Xiao’s husband lived in that room?

Qin Yu shook her head, dismissing the thought. How could that be? Qian Xiao was such a warm, sunny person. As for Xia Cheng’s father, perhaps something happened to him…

Though Qin Yu tried to comfort herself, the seed of suspicion had already been planted, waiting to take root and grow.

Xia Cheng, seeing Qin Yu lost in her own thoughts, fell silent. He gazed at the red moon, sometimes hidden behind clouds, as if pondering something unknown.

Neither noticed that Zhao Meng, who had seemed asleep, now stared wide-eyed in terror, her body trembling.

Zhao Meng felt something new stirring in her mind, something she’d never experienced before.

It was as if someone whispered in her ear, unclear and indistinct.

But for reasons unknown, she was seized by a deep fear—a dread that seemed to rise from her very soul, making her want to flee though she could not escape.

Meanwhile, in a distant laboratory in City B, the place was in chaos. Instruments lay broken and incomplete, and in some corners, human bodies remained, clearly abandoned in haste.

At the center of the lab, a specimen thought failed and dead suddenly opened its eyes. Those eyes gleamed with an enchanting violet, hinting at irresistible allure.

The specimen seemed puzzled by its own state, slowly sat up, looked around, and, seeing the scattered bodies, brought them to its lips and began to eat.

Fortunately, no one witnessed this horror; otherwise, they would have died of fright. Those bodies had been there for who knows how long, saturated with chemicals, their forms grotesquely swollen.

The man ate for a while, then, apparently satisfied, stepped down from the platform and headed toward the door. All the zombies in City B seemed to sense something and began to howl in excitement.

In that instant, the entire city was swept up in a frenzied celebration of the undead…