Chapter Sixty-One: The Death of Wind Meier

Qin Yu and her companions returned to their quarters. Seeing Chen Mo and the others’ concern, Qin Yu smiled and said, “Well… it seems that woman ran into some trouble, so… alas, I didn’t manage to get the answers I wanted.” Chen Mo nodded, a frown creasing his brow, but he said nothing. It was Feng Xiao, standing to the side, who looked at Qin Yu and asked, “Trouble?”

“Yes, she hasn’t shown up at all. We said we’d come visit another time and returned,” Qin Yu replied coolly.

Once inside the room, Qin Yu and the others began to discuss plans for the future, unaware of the turmoil raging in Qian Ying’s heart at that very moment. The Falcon Squad was about to suffer a devastating blow, and the power dynamics within the base were on the verge of a major upheaval.

Meanwhile, Qian Ying stood over Feng Mei’er’s corpse, his expression grave. He examined the body but found not a single wound. The most chilling part was that Feng Mei’er lay on her back, her eyes wide open, as if she had seen something that had terrified her beyond measure.

Her clothes were in disarray, and there were tufts of hair beneath her fingernails. Judging by the angles at which her clothes were torn, she seemed to have ripped them herself. But why would she do that?

On a small table in the room lay a piece of paper bearing the words: “Traitors to the Organization must die!” Strangely, the handwriting was Feng Mei’er’s own. Why would she write such a thing? And what exactly was this organization?

Qian Ying rubbed his aching temples as questions swirled through his mind. From the evidence, it appeared to be suicide. But what reason did she have to kill herself? And her strange behavior yesterday—was it connected to that woman? Why had Feng Mei’er worn that expression, a mix of panic and terror? Did she know the woman? In all the time he had known her, he had never seen her so shaken. And why had Qin Yu come looking for her today?

Too many questions pressed in on Qian Ying, leaving his head throbbing with pain.

Yet, the situation left him no time to linger. With Feng Mei’er dead, those she had once controlled might rise up in defiance, threatening his own position and making the Falcon Squad the target of everyone’s ire.

With this in mind, Qian Ying turned urgently to the person who had informed him of Feng Mei’er’s death and asked, “Who else have you told about this?”

The person shook his head repeatedly. “No one, no one! As soon as I found out, I came straight to you!”

Qian Ying nodded. “Good. You may go. Tell no one about this. Otherwise…”

“Yes, yes! I won’t tell anyone!” the man replied hastily, turning to leave.

Suddenly, his body stiffened. He managed to utter, “You…” before collapsing to the floor.

A sinister smile twisted Qian Ying’s face as he gazed at the body. “Sorry, but I only trust the dead to keep secrets.” Without hesitation, he unleashed his ability on Feng Mei’er’s corpse. In moments, nothing but ashes remained.

He did the same to the other body, reducing it to cinders.

When he had finished, Qian Ying tucked the piece of paper into his pocket, scrutinized the room to make sure nothing was amiss, and finally left.

Inside the room, beneath Feng Mei’er’s ashes, a tiny worm wriggled, then leapt out through a crack in the window, its destination unknown.

Elsewhere, after roughly setting out their upcoming plans, Qin Yu enjoyed a rare moment of leisure. Zhao Meng and Xia Cheng, feeling that since they were now together, wanted to treat everyone to a hot, home-cooked meal. As for the ingredients—naturally, they came from Qin Yu.

When Qin Yu heard that little Meng wanted to cook, she immediately produced a mountain of provisions. After all, little Meng’s cooking was truly delicious!

The others were surprised by the abundance of ingredients, but said nothing. After all, everyone has their secrets. The fact that Qin Yu produced these supplies openly in front of them was, in itself, a sign of her trust.

Zhao Meng and Xia Cheng bustled in the kitchen while the rest chatted and laughed in the living room. Qin Yu even brought out some wine and soft drinks, much to everyone’s delight. It was likely the best meal they’d had since the apocalypse began.

The atmosphere among Qin Yu’s group was harmonious and warm, making them a rarity in the base. Sadly, no one else was aware of their camaraderie.

While they savored this rare peace, a fierce battle was raging in City B.

A man with enchanting violet eyes—Bai Rui—flexed his wrists as he faced several fourth-tier zombies, a wicked smile on his lips. “Damn it! That woman is still nowhere to be found. This is boring! Guess I’ll have to use you lot for practice. Life’s a real pain in the ass!”

With that, he lunged at one of the fourth-tier zombies. The zombie, sensing danger, dodged instantly.

Bai Rui, undeterred, pressed his attack relentlessly.

The other zombies, sensing the threat, scattered. Bai Rui’s ferocity soon overwhelmed his target, and before long, he cleanly severed its head.

He pursed his lips and sighed. “How dull. I’d better resume my search for that woman. She’s a master at hiding! Damn, I’d love to go wreak havoc in the human world!”

The other zombies ignored his grumbling, busily scooping out a crystalline nucleus from the fallen zombie’s brain and presenting it to Bai Rui.

He waved them away impatiently. “Who wants this thing? Take it, take it!”

The zombies, sensing his irritation, hesitated with the crystal nucleus, unsure what to do. Finally, Bai Rui, unable to stand it, snatched the nucleus and shoved it into the mouth of the nearest zombie.

The zombie, immediately empowered by the crystal’s energy, let out an excited cry. Rotting flesh sloughed from its body, replaced by fresh, healthy tissue. Its facial features shifted back to their proper places, and it managed to croak, “Th…ank…you…” though the words were barely intelligible.

That single crystal core had elevated the zombie to a whole new tier.

Bai Rui, seeing the immense boost in power, was pleased. He instructed, “You! Quickly lead these lesser zombies and go find that woman! Go, go! Haha—once we find her, we’ll be free to sweep through the human world!”

Bai Rui’s arrogant laughter echoed through City B, blending with the zombies’ harsh, rasping voices in a scene of eerie horror.

Meanwhile, in a small attic in City B, a white-haired woman lifted her head the moment Feng Mei’er’s body turned to ash. Her eyes glinted with an unreadable light as she gazed toward City S. After a long moment, a twisted, terrifying smile crept across her lips before she slowly buried her head between her knees, merging once again with the shadows around her.