Chapter 162
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19-24 minutes 11.06.2023
This would be a moment written into history, carved right into the heart of every human.
That day was stormy, with thousands and thousands of zombies coming in all directions trying to surround the last group of humans and their land. Invading the last clean land where the research team’s newly invented grains were just budding and where new research on the human body and research against the zombie virus was just starting to gain ground under Professor Bai’s lead. Each one of these hopes were suddenly broken by reality.
The base leader was wearing his full military outfit, his expression somber and solemn as he stood on the stage set up in the Central District. The flag pole behind him was cold, but the flag was still flying in the icy cold wind as a symbol.
All ability holders were gathered at this plaza and yet no one made a single sound; only the base leader’s old but persevering voice was echoing through the plaza.
“1976, there was a 7.8 earthquake in A City. The death count reached 24.2 thousand people, and the number of injured reached about 16.4 thousand.”
“1998, there was a catastrophic flood in the Yangtze River with 2.23 billion people suffering from the outcome and 4,150 dead.”
“2008, there was a 8.0 earthquake in Z Province, with 69,227 people dead.”
“A nation thrives on adversity. With each obstacle we face, there will be those who step forward with their belief and faith, willing to greet death, but none of those obstacles will cause our land, our mountains, or our rivers to collapse. We have suffered uncountable disasters, sacrificed numerous comrades. This catastrophe, perhaps there will be even more dead, but I still believe that we will not be defeated and broken down.”
“Pandemics couldn’t kill off humans. Starvation couldn’t. This catastrophe will not be able to either —-“
The base leader’s hair was pure white and his back was already slightly hunched from the numerous experiences and pressures put on him, but he still tried his best to keep his back straight as his gaze swept through the silent crowd below. The colors of the military awards on his uniform were slowly fading, but they were still bright and shining to the eye.
“I want to tell all of you, that perhaps this will be quite a hard obstacle to get through, because each wall of this base has already been surrounded by the zombies. We cannot retreat nor can we hide. We will not even have time to rest, but we must still go forth. Even if we cannot lose, we will not lose!”
“In this battle, we will not have people not participating, no one to hide away. Military soldiers to the front, ability holders supporting in the back. This is an order and not a request. I am old, I have no use, but I will still hold up my gun. I will stand on the base walls with you all and chase out all the zombies!”
There was still a bit of distance from the walls, but as time passed, the low growls of zombies were soon coming closer like the signal of death. The size of the horde was frightening but the leader only quietly turned around, facing up to the flag, and silently saluted. Soldiers in the plaza all followed suit with a salute, their actions synchronized, solemn, and serious.
Before the apocalypse, they would always be the ones rushing out front.
In the apocalypse, they were still the same, heading to the front lines and using their weak and feeble bodies of flesh for the people behind them.
It didn’t matter if most of them were normal, average humans, the weight on their shoulders was still as heavy. Same as the military outfit they wore on their bodies, it urged them to look forward with courage and to stand tall without cowardice.
Teams of ability holders were in the center as they were the pillars of this base. There were men, women, seniors and youths. Before the apocalypse, perhaps they were students walking on the roads, white collared workers in offices, or perhaps they were just gangsters roaming on the streets.
They were all people of Huaxia.1
Low and quiet but heavy sobs started within the crowd. They all know that the ending to this battle was perhaps not going to be a good one, with the worst outcome being that not a single person survived. But right now, at this moment, no one was going to back down, even if they were to look death in its face.
Standing before the calamity, humans were so small, as weak as ants, but they were capable of banding together to create an explosive and loud moment for death.
Military trucks filled with soldiers were starting to drive off, heading right into the battlefield.
Tao Xi Ran silently clenched her teeth, looking each member of Team 7 in the eye before they all climbed up into a half filled truck. They were all dressed in casual clothes, and the mix of colors made for a piercing sight.
Tao Xi Ran might have cried a while ago as her eyes were slightly red. With a hoarse voice, she said,
“We are ability holders. We have abilities. We should be in the front.”
The heavens had given them abilities, not only to protect themselves, but to protect many many more people.
The captain of Team 1 who saw this suddenly climbed onto the same truck. His members were surprised for a moment before they all followed along. Tao Xi Ran looked at the tall and muscular man beside her and she couldn’t help but sniff her nose and said,
“What are you following me for.”
The man was quiet for a while before saying,
“I’m a retired veteran.”
Trucks were slowly driving away, one by one, and the number of people in the plaza was slowly diminishing. Pei Ran was also in the group, but his position was quite far back, so it was not easy to find him. His always flippantly confident eyebrows had suddenly become solemn as he lifted his head to look into the distance —–
Sounds of gunfire and grenades were already ringing in their ears. With a sniff, one could even smell gunpowder and blood.
The fresh smell of blood.
An endless horizon of zombies, all gathered and clustered, closing off the last possible roads for humans and sealing up the base. They had even started to climb the walls and a soldier had not been careful, getting caught and dragged down. His body hit the floor hard, and the rest of the zombie horde had swallowed him up.
His captain’s eyes reddened and he used his gun with as much force as he could to shoot the zombies below him. He cried out the soldier’s name hoarsely, getting someone to drop down a rope to try and save him, which finally opened up a tiny moment of breathing room.
“Captain —-!”
That soldier stood up, wobbling, with his green uniform completely soaked in blood. He had already been wounded by zombies. He was young, his face even younger still, but he did not grab onto that rope. He even took a look up at his comrades still furiously fighting in the end to save him before turning around and storming right into the zombie horde, pulling out the pin of a hand grenade—-
With a bang and a sudden cloud of dust, flesh and blood, everything disappeared.
This seemed to be a punishment set out by the heavens. They had not even figured out a cure, and whatever second of respite they could get, numerous lives would be ended, numerous grenades would be set off.
This was a group of unnamed people, with a life that could have been lived out, yet they were called to the frontline by a sense of order and responsibility.
Their fresh blood will flow down below our feet and reach every inch of this earth. Their blood and flesh will make up the soil and come spring, there will be a field of flowers.
Pei Ran’s feet felt as heavy as lead, crushing his thoughts of escape into a million pieces. He could only rush forward to the front lines to get that moment of respite, to be free from that shame from that despicable, unspeakable selfishness of his.
In the end, he hugged Qu Yan, his fingers bringing the slight chill from the mid autumn weather as he said,
“Wait for me to come back.”
Qu Yan immediately understood what he was thinking and his gaze darkened. He grabbed onto Pei Ran’s wrist, as if making a promise with his words,
“Don’t go. I will protect you.”
“I will not let you die.”
Pei Ran quietly shook his head, his sight starting to blur. He knew that what Qu Yan experienced in his childhood had made him lose all normal human emotions, so he did not know how to tell Qu Yan that in this moment, he was running forward because he was afraid of death.
Pei Ran kissed his cheek,
“We shouldn’t have met in such a world……”
The sky should have been as blue as it can be clear. There should be fresh flowers budding by their feet, with an asphalt road leading all the way to the sky, and a bright sun hanging above their heads. Then there would be a sunset followed by the rise of the moon. Stars would be littered throughout the entire night sky, and the world around them would be as buzzing and noisy as fireworks.
They should have met even earlier.
As early as when Qu Yan had first been burned by a cigarette, as early as when Qu Yan had first been whipped, as early as when Qu Yan had first been injured….. Pei Ran thought, he should have appeared then.
Just like he had said before.
Going to the same school as Qu Yan, sitting in the same classroom, writing the same exam, looking up at the same sky.
Qu Yan faintly sensed that he was about to lose something and, even using all his strength, he would be unable to hold onto it. He gripped Pei Ran’s hands in a death grip, unwilling to let go,
“If I said that there was a zombie king in the zombie horde that even I would not be able to exterminate, would you still go?”
Pei Ran was still saying those words,
“Wait for me.”
He slowly but firmly pulled away from Qu Yan’s hands and then pressed down on the other’s cap. He turned around to grab a seat on a truck full of ability holders and quickly disappeared in the midst of the crowd.
This time, he was unable to hold on to him.
Qu Yan did not like this world.
Pei Ran did not like this kind of world.
Just one word made all the difference in the world.
At this moment, even Qu Yan was thinking, if they could have met earlier, how great would that have been. Then this heart of his wouldn’t be so rotten to the point of being beyond saving.
Was he just going to watch Pei Ran die…..
Or was he going to use his life to make a gamble, to save this world that had never been kind to him……
The front line was much worse than could be imagined. Blood was flowing like the river, flowing far and wide for thousands of miles. Corpses were littered at their feet, and in their broken hands, they were still holding onto that rough, black gun. A storm was raging on, whipping up numerous particles of sand and dust. Normal humans were starting to climb up to the top of the walls, using the metal tubes they were holding in their hands to smash down on the zombies that were trying to climb up.
All sorts of weapons were flying out from the walls from the ability holders. Pei Ran and a few other electric type ability holders had started to create a net sparking with electricity to cover the base. Under this dark and gloomy sky, the net exploded a large amount of zombies to ashes, but still, there was no end to the zombies that filled up their brethren’s empty spaces.
They did not know fatigue, but humans were not the same. They wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer and they were exhausting their abilities.
Pei Ran fell onto the ground, his face a pale white and his fingers were trembling. A person who was afraid of death had actually prepared to die. As he faced against the zombies about to jump over, he used a dagger to dig out orbs, not even caring that he had not wiped off the blood stains and brain fluids. Tightly grabbing on to and using the orbs, he tried his best to recover his ability.
Huaxia, Huaxia.
This nation has not fallen for a thousand years. If everyone acted selfishly, if everyone only plundered and stole from each other, then this nation would not have lasted until now. 5000 years of history, through life and death, through time, this nation came to be through the numerous hearts of humans.
Sometime ago, small droplets of rain had started to fall from the sky. They were cold as they fell on their faces, like tears sliding over their cheeks. It was at this time when someone let out a gasp, and everyone looked down at the city walls. Falling into a shock as they all found that a third of the zombies had suddenly turned around to start attacking each other. Rain began to fall down harder and harder, harshly pelting their bodies and clearly reminding them all that this was not a dream.
Did zombies suddenly attain a human consciousness?
Or were the heavens finally unable to bear to look any further?
The group of humans who had used up their energy finally regained some back. Taking this chance, they started a new round of attack. They thanked the heavens above, but Pei Ran was calling out to Qu Yan’s name.
He stood at the walls of the base, where he was unable to look further, but he knew, Qu Yan must be right beside him, or even within the crowd of people below, or perhaps in that empty central district plaza. As the wind and rain howled, the other must be standing somewhere, silently looking at him.
In the midst of the zombie horde, there was the same high level of psychic ability going at each other in the air. Like dragons fighting non stop, they caused numerous waves and tsunamis, affecting all of their surroundings, causing headaches and ringing in the ears. Zombies did not know who to listen to and they were all running around frantically like ants. Some were even unable to endure the overly strong physic ability and fried up on the spot.
Pei Ran’s head was in such piercing pain that even standing was difficult. He tried to find Qu Yan through the crowd of people with great difficulty, but because of the battlefield going haywire, he couldn’t find anything. Following the ticking of seconds passing by, the zombie king seemed to have gained the upper hand and continued to control the zombies to move forward. But each time, they were confronted by a shapeless power and forced back.
An icy cold, robotic voice suddenly rang in Pei Ran’s head.
[ Ding! Scans detected a dangerous unknown entity. Automatically starting protective procedures ]
[ Ding! The Galactic Judges have sent a message: you have passed their examinations. System 008 is now given permission to be released from their host. Prepare to leave to the space station at any moment ]
A ball of blue light finally flew out slowly from Pei Ran’s body, and under his gaze, flew up to his eye level.
[ Ding! Starting exit procedures.
My dear host, please make your preparations.
Starting self examination,
Self examination complete.
Starting Release,
20%
50%
100%
Release Successful.
This mission has completed to its accepted conclusion. My dear beloved host, congratulations on passing the standards set out by the Galactic Judges and for successfully walking onto the path of being self-sufficient and self-reliant ]
With amber pupils and a face covered in blood stains, Pei Ran stared at this tiny tiny blue ball of light.
He lightly nodded his head, helplessly smiling, and said,
“Not too shabby.”
He then said,
“Farewell……”
[ Farewell ]
The system silently flew farther and farther away, higher than the walls of the base. As it did so, it looked upon the corpses littered everywhere. Beneath its feet, stretching out this land for a billion miles, through the mountains and rivers, this beautiful landscape… it should not be like this.
It felt a little sad.
The system had never seen such a tragic scene, with corpses piled up like mountains, with blood flowing like rivers. Each time it left, it was always happy. Only this time, it felt heavy.
Endless despair stretched up through the corners of the earth, surrounding this world, but those humans trapped in the cracks and struggling to survive were still trying to spill their blood up towards the skies with great hopes to clear out the cloudy haze of darkness.
That ball of light stopped in the air and didn’t move for a long time. After a while, a pair of tiny translucent wings appeared at its back and started to flutter furiously. Faint blue light slowly fell down, shaping into a translucent display and trapped those zombies outside.
[ Warning! Warning! Energy is dispelling from the inside! System 008, please stop the release of energy. Listen to the call of the Galactic Officer and come back to the space station at notice ]
The barrier was slowly pushing forward, driving the zombies away.
[ Warning! Warning! Not enough energy! Not enough energy! ]
[ The transportation service has been forcibly turned off ]
[ Message from the Galactic Officer: System 008’s points have been cleared to zero. Please return to the space station immediately ]
The blue ball of light didn’t listen to a single word and continued to flap its wings, flying through every corner of this world. Its faint light was being sprinkled down, sprouting numerous leaves of green grass in the muddy soil, and they were quickly growing and opening up their petals, becoming a faint blue flower. And it kept flying everywhere to start this new birth.
As if the zombies had met their match, following the crazed spread of the flowers, they kept backing up. The humans on the walls were frozen in shock at this miraculous display. After a long time, they all quietly said with reddened eyes,
“We won……”
“We won…..”
There was no happiness; there was no enthusiasm; only cries with quiet, muffled but heavy tears.
The blue light from the system’s body was slowly dimming and as if it couldn’t fly, its wings flapped weakly a few times before falling onto the grassy area and the wings silently dissipated into the air with each drip of light.
With reddened eyes, Pei Ran turned around to find a familiar shadow below the walls and his sight finally couldn’t control its blurriness.
They should have met earlier.
When tiny and skinny Qu Yan was curled up in a dark and damp cold corner wishing to be able to go to school, when Pei Ran’s young shoulders wore the straps of a backpack and he was just stepping through the school gates. Under this bright, clear blue sky, they should have met……
Just a few short steps but it was as if they crossed over numerous lives and deaths. Pei Ran drew Qu Yan into a tight embrace, with burning hot tears interlaced with the ice cold rain falling uncontrollably onto the other’s shoulders.
Qu Yan seemed to be really tired. His face was overly white to the point of being frightening. When Pei Ran hugged him, his body seemed to weakly fall down, his breath as weak as to be non-existent.
The dark clouds above were starting to dissipate, and the sky was starting to return to its clear blue state. Fresh flowers were blooming beneath his feet and its flowery scent was spreading everywhere. Pei Ran closed his eyes, and as he had numerous nights before, he used his long, pale white fingers to lightly caress Qu Yan’s back as he quietly said,
“When I was standing up there, I suddenly found that I had not been able to do a lot of things…..”
“I have not said ‘I love you’, I have not been able to treat you better, a bit better…..”
Qu Yan was so tired he could not open his eyes. He tried as hard as he could to lift his fingers, but he was only able to lightly tap Pei Ran’s back as a response.
I also love you……
In the history books, they addressed this period as the apocalypse.
Humans had once again persevered through this calamity, and with nearly a hundred years of recuperation, they were able to successfully extract a cure from this nameless blue flower and successfully eradicated the zombie virus.
Huaxia, Huaxia.
This nation had once again survived through its turmoils and challenges, and following the passage of time, the original base had crumbled. But as the world picked itself back up, only a large stone plate for the martyrs stood, enduring, on this earth.
There were no engravings of names on it, but everyone’s name was engraved into it.
They would cherish this world even more.
They would become even more unified.
They will remember all those who had given their lives.
They will protect the peace that they have now.
They will remember those who have lost their lives, those whose blood was shed, and this bountiful earth.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
19-24 minutes 11.06.2023
This would be a moment written into history, carved right into the heart of every human.
That day was stormy, with thousands and thousands of zombies coming in all directions trying to surround the last group of humans and their land. Invading the last clean land where the research team’s newly invented grains were just budding and where new research on the human body and research against the zombie virus was just starting to gain ground under Professor Bai’s lead. Each one of these hopes were suddenly broken by reality.
The base leader was wearing his full military outfit, his expression somber and solemn as he stood on the stage set up in the Central District. The flag pole behind him was cold, but the flag was still flying in the icy cold wind as a symbol.
All ability holders were gathered at this plaza and yet no one made a single sound; only the base leader’s old but persevering voice was echoing through the plaza.
“1976, there was a 7.8 earthquake in A City. The death count reached 24.2 thousand people, and the number of injured reached about 16.4 thousand.”
“1998, there was a catastrophic flood in the Yangtze River with 2.23 billion people suffering from the outcome and 4,150 dead.”
“2008, there was a 8.0 earthquake in Z Province, with 69,227 people dead.”
“A nation thrives on adversity. With each obstacle we face, there will be those who step forward with their belief and faith, willing to greet death, but none of those obstacles will cause our land, our mountains, or our rivers to collapse. We have suffered uncountable disasters, sacrificed numerous comrades. This catastrophe, perhaps there will be even more dead, but I still believe that we will not be defeated and broken down.”
“Pandemics couldn’t kill off humans. Starvation couldn’t. This catastrophe will not be able to either —-“
The base leader’s hair was pure white and his back was already slightly hunched from the numerous experiences and pressures put on him, but he still tried his best to keep his back straight as his gaze swept through the silent crowd below. The colors of the military awards on his uniform were slowly fading, but they were still bright and shining to the eye.
“I want to tell all of you, that perhaps this will be quite a hard obstacle to get through, because each wall of this base has already been surrounded by the zombies. We cannot retreat nor can we hide. We will not even have time to rest, but we must still go forth. Even if we cannot lose, we will not lose!”
“In this battle, we will not have people not participating, no one to hide away. Military soldiers to the front, ability holders supporting in the back. This is an order and not a request. I am old, I have no use, but I will still hold up my gun. I will stand on the base walls with you all and chase out all the zombies!”
There was still a bit of distance from the walls, but as time passed, the low growls of zombies were soon coming closer like the signal of death. The size of the horde was frightening but the leader only quietly turned around, facing up to the flag, and silently saluted. Soldiers in the plaza all followed suit with a salute, their actions synchronized, solemn, and serious.
Before the apocalypse, they would always be the ones rushing out front.
In the apocalypse, they were still the same, heading to the front lines and using their weak and feeble bodies of flesh for the people behind them.
It didn’t matter if most of them were normal, average humans, the weight on their shoulders was still as heavy. Same as the military outfit they wore on their bodies, it urged them to look forward with courage and to stand tall without cowardice.
Teams of ability holders were in the center as they were the pillars of this base. There were men, women, seniors and youths. Before the apocalypse, perhaps they were students walking on the roads, white collared workers in offices, or perhaps they were just gangsters roaming on the streets.
They were all people of Huaxia.1
Low and quiet but heavy sobs started within the crowd. They all know that the ending to this battle was perhaps not going to be a good one, with the worst outcome being that not a single person survived. But right now, at this moment, no one was going to back down, even if they were to look death in its face.
Standing before the calamity, humans were so small, as weak as ants, but they were capable of banding together to create an explosive and loud moment for death.
Military trucks filled with soldiers were starting to drive off, heading right into the battlefield.
Tao Xi Ran silently clenched her teeth, looking each member of Team 7 in the eye before they all climbed up into a half filled truck. They were all dressed in casual clothes, and the mix of colors made for a piercing sight.
Tao Xi Ran might have cried a while ago as her eyes were slightly red. With a hoarse voice, she said,
“We are ability holders. We have abilities. We should be in the front.”
The heavens had given them abilities, not only to protect themselves, but to protect many many more people.
The captain of Team 1 who saw this suddenly climbed onto the same truck. His members were surprised for a moment before they all followed along. Tao Xi Ran looked at the tall and muscular man beside her and she couldn’t help but sniff her nose and said,
“What are you following me for.”
The man was quiet for a while before saying,
“I’m a retired veteran.”
Trucks were slowly driving away, one by one, and the number of people in the plaza was slowly diminishing. Pei Ran was also in the group, but his position was quite far back, so it was not easy to find him. His always flippantly confident eyebrows had suddenly become solemn as he lifted his head to look into the distance —–
Sounds of gunfire and grenades were already ringing in their ears. With a sniff, one could even smell gunpowder and blood.
The fresh smell of blood.
An endless horizon of zombies, all gathered and clustered, closing off the last possible roads for humans and sealing up the base. They had even started to climb the walls and a soldier had not been careful, getting caught and dragged down. His body hit the floor hard, and the rest of the zombie horde had swallowed him up.
His captain’s eyes reddened and he used his gun with as much force as he could to shoot the zombies below him. He cried out the soldier’s name hoarsely, getting someone to drop down a rope to try and save him, which finally opened up a tiny moment of breathing room.
“Captain —-!”
That soldier stood up, wobbling, with his green uniform completely soaked in blood. He had already been wounded by zombies. He was young, his face even younger still, but he did not grab onto that rope. He even took a look up at his comrades still furiously fighting in the end to save him before turning around and storming right into the zombie horde, pulling out the pin of a hand grenade—-
With a bang and a sudden cloud of dust, flesh and blood, everything disappeared.
This seemed to be a punishment set out by the heavens. They had not even figured out a cure, and whatever second of respite they could get, numerous lives would be ended, numerous grenades would be set off.
This was a group of unnamed people, with a life that could have been lived out, yet they were called to the frontline by a sense of order and responsibility.
Their fresh blood will flow down below our feet and reach every inch of this earth. Their blood and flesh will make up the soil and come spring, there will be a field of flowers.
Pei Ran’s feet felt as heavy as lead, crushing his thoughts of escape into a million pieces. He could only rush forward to the front lines to get that moment of respite, to be free from that shame from that despicable, unspeakable selfishness of his.
In the end, he hugged Qu Yan, his fingers bringing the slight chill from the mid autumn weather as he said,
“Wait for me to come back.”
Qu Yan immediately understood what he was thinking and his gaze darkened. He grabbed onto Pei Ran’s wrist, as if making a promise with his words,
“Don’t go. I will protect you.”
“I will not let you die.”
Pei Ran quietly shook his head, his sight starting to blur. He knew that what Qu Yan experienced in his childhood had made him lose all normal human emotions, so he did not know how to tell Qu Yan that in this moment, he was running forward because he was afraid of death.
Pei Ran kissed his cheek,
“We shouldn’t have met in such a world……”
The sky should have been as blue as it can be clear. There should be fresh flowers budding by their feet, with an asphalt road leading all the way to the sky, and a bright sun hanging above their heads. Then there would be a sunset followed by the rise of the moon. Stars would be littered throughout the entire night sky, and the world around them would be as buzzing and noisy as fireworks.
They should have met even earlier.
As early as when Qu Yan had first been burned by a cigarette, as early as when Qu Yan had first been whipped, as early as when Qu Yan had first been injured….. Pei Ran thought, he should have appeared then.
Just like he had said before.
Going to the same school as Qu Yan, sitting in the same classroom, writing the same exam, looking up at the same sky.
Qu Yan faintly sensed that he was about to lose something and, even using all his strength, he would be unable to hold onto it. He gripped Pei Ran’s hands in a death grip, unwilling to let go,
“If I said that there was a zombie king in the zombie horde that even I would not be able to exterminate, would you still go?”
Pei Ran was still saying those words,
“Wait for me.”
He slowly but firmly pulled away from Qu Yan’s hands and then pressed down on the other’s cap. He turned around to grab a seat on a truck full of ability holders and quickly disappeared in the midst of the crowd.
This time, he was unable to hold on to him.
Qu Yan did not like this world.
Pei Ran did not like this kind of world.
Just one word made all the difference in the world.
At this moment, even Qu Yan was thinking, if they could have met earlier, how great would that have been. Then this heart of his wouldn’t be so rotten to the point of being beyond saving.
Was he just going to watch Pei Ran die…..
Or was he going to use his life to make a gamble, to save this world that had never been kind to him……
The front line was much worse than could be imagined. Blood was flowing like the river, flowing far and wide for thousands of miles. Corpses were littered at their feet, and in their broken hands, they were still holding onto that rough, black gun. A storm was raging on, whipping up numerous particles of sand and dust. Normal humans were starting to climb up to the top of the walls, using the metal tubes they were holding in their hands to smash down on the zombies that were trying to climb up.
All sorts of weapons were flying out from the walls from the ability holders. Pei Ran and a few other electric type ability holders had started to create a net sparking with electricity to cover the base. Under this dark and gloomy sky, the net exploded a large amount of zombies to ashes, but still, there was no end to the zombies that filled up their brethren’s empty spaces.
They did not know fatigue, but humans were not the same. They wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer and they were exhausting their abilities.
Pei Ran fell onto the ground, his face a pale white and his fingers were trembling. A person who was afraid of death had actually prepared to die. As he faced against the zombies about to jump over, he used a dagger to dig out orbs, not even caring that he had not wiped off the blood stains and brain fluids. Tightly grabbing on to and using the orbs, he tried his best to recover his ability.
Huaxia, Huaxia.
This nation has not fallen for a thousand years. If everyone acted selfishly, if everyone only plundered and stole from each other, then this nation would not have lasted until now. 5000 years of history, through life and death, through time, this nation came to be through the numerous hearts of humans.
Sometime ago, small droplets of rain had started to fall from the sky. They were cold as they fell on their faces, like tears sliding over their cheeks. It was at this time when someone let out a gasp, and everyone looked down at the city walls. Falling into a shock as they all found that a third of the zombies had suddenly turned around to start attacking each other. Rain began to fall down harder and harder, harshly pelting their bodies and clearly reminding them all that this was not a dream.
Did zombies suddenly attain a human consciousness?
Or were the heavens finally unable to bear to look any further?
The group of humans who had used up their energy finally regained some back. Taking this chance, they started a new round of attack. They thanked the heavens above, but Pei Ran was calling out to Qu Yan’s name.
He stood at the walls of the base, where he was unable to look further, but he knew, Qu Yan must be right beside him, or even within the crowd of people below, or perhaps in that empty central district plaza. As the wind and rain howled, the other must be standing somewhere, silently looking at him.
In the midst of the zombie horde, there was the same high level of psychic ability going at each other in the air. Like dragons fighting non stop, they caused numerous waves and tsunamis, affecting all of their surroundings, causing headaches and ringing in the ears. Zombies did not know who to listen to and they were all running around frantically like ants. Some were even unable to endure the overly strong physic ability and fried up on the spot.
Pei Ran’s head was in such piercing pain that even standing was difficult. He tried to find Qu Yan through the crowd of people with great difficulty, but because of the battlefield going haywire, he couldn’t find anything. Following the ticking of seconds passing by, the zombie king seemed to have gained the upper hand and continued to control the zombies to move forward. But each time, they were confronted by a shapeless power and forced back.
An icy cold, robotic voice suddenly rang in Pei Ran’s head.
[ Ding! Scans detected a dangerous unknown entity. Automatically starting protective procedures ]
[ Ding! The Galactic Judges have sent a message: you have passed their examinations. System 008 is now given permission to be released from their host. Prepare to leave to the space station at any moment ]
A ball of blue light finally flew out slowly from Pei Ran’s body, and under his gaze, flew up to his eye level.
[ Ding! Starting exit procedures.
My dear host, please make your preparations.
Starting self examination,
Self examination complete.
Starting Release,
20%
50%
100%
Release Successful.
This mission has completed to its accepted conclusion. My dear beloved host, congratulations on passing the standards set out by the Galactic Judges and for successfully walking onto the path of being self-sufficient and self-reliant ]
With amber pupils and a face covered in blood stains, Pei Ran stared at this tiny tiny blue ball of light.
He lightly nodded his head, helplessly smiling, and said,
“Not too shabby.”
He then said,
“Farewell……”
[ Farewell ]
The system silently flew farther and farther away, higher than the walls of the base. As it did so, it looked upon the corpses littered everywhere. Beneath its feet, stretching out this land for a billion miles, through the mountains and rivers, this beautiful landscape… it should not be like this.
It felt a little sad.
The system had never seen such a tragic scene, with corpses piled up like mountains, with blood flowing like rivers. Each time it left, it was always happy. Only this time, it felt heavy.
Endless despair stretched up through the corners of the earth, surrounding this world, but those humans trapped in the cracks and struggling to survive were still trying to spill their blood up towards the skies with great hopes to clear out the cloudy haze of darkness.
That ball of light stopped in the air and didn’t move for a long time. After a while, a pair of tiny translucent wings appeared at its back and started to flutter furiously. Faint blue light slowly fell down, shaping into a translucent display and trapped those zombies outside.
[ Warning! Warning! Energy is dispelling from the inside! System 008, please stop the release of energy. Listen to the call of the Galactic Officer and come back to the space station at notice ]
The barrier was slowly pushing forward, driving the zombies away.
[ Warning! Warning! Not enough energy! Not enough energy! ]
[ The transportation service has been forcibly turned off ]
[ Message from the Galactic Officer: System 008’s points have been cleared to zero. Please return to the space station immediately ]
The blue ball of light didn’t listen to a single word and continued to flap its wings, flying through every corner of this world. Its faint light was being sprinkled down, sprouting numerous leaves of green grass in the muddy soil, and they were quickly growing and opening up their petals, becoming a faint blue flower. And it kept flying everywhere to start this new birth.
As if the zombies had met their match, following the crazed spread of the flowers, they kept backing up. The humans on the walls were frozen in shock at this miraculous display. After a long time, they all quietly said with reddened eyes,
“We won……”
“We won…..”
There was no happiness; there was no enthusiasm; only cries with quiet, muffled but heavy tears.
The blue light from the system’s body was slowly dimming and as if it couldn’t fly, its wings flapped weakly a few times before falling onto the grassy area and the wings silently dissipated into the air with each drip of light.
With reddened eyes, Pei Ran turned around to find a familiar shadow below the walls and his sight finally couldn’t control its blurriness.
They should have met earlier.
When tiny and skinny Qu Yan was curled up in a dark and damp cold corner wishing to be able to go to school, when Pei Ran’s young shoulders wore the straps of a backpack and he was just stepping through the school gates. Under this bright, clear blue sky, they should have met……
Just a few short steps but it was as if they crossed over numerous lives and deaths. Pei Ran drew Qu Yan into a tight embrace, with burning hot tears interlaced with the ice cold rain falling uncontrollably onto the other’s shoulders.
Qu Yan seemed to be really tired. His face was overly white to the point of being frightening. When Pei Ran hugged him, his body seemed to weakly fall down, his breath as weak as to be non-existent.
The dark clouds above were starting to dissipate, and the sky was starting to return to its clear blue state. Fresh flowers were blooming beneath his feet and its flowery scent was spreading everywhere. Pei Ran closed his eyes, and as he had numerous nights before, he used his long, pale white fingers to lightly caress Qu Yan’s back as he quietly said,
“When I was standing up there, I suddenly found that I had not been able to do a lot of things…..”
“I have not said ‘I love you’, I have not been able to treat you better, a bit better…..”
Qu Yan was so tired he could not open his eyes. He tried as hard as he could to lift his fingers, but he was only able to lightly tap Pei Ran’s back as a response.
I also love you……
In the history books, they addressed this period as the apocalypse.
Humans had once again persevered through this calamity, and with nearly a hundred years of recuperation, they were able to successfully extract a cure from this nameless blue flower and successfully eradicated the zombie virus.
Huaxia, Huaxia.
This nation had once again survived through its turmoils and challenges, and following the passage of time, the original base had crumbled. But as the world picked itself back up, only a large stone plate for the martyrs stood, enduring, on this earth.
There were no engravings of names on it, but everyone’s name was engraved into it.
They would cherish this world even more.
They would become even more unified.
They will remember all those who had given their lives.
They will protect the peace that they have now.
They will remember those who have lost their lives, those whose blood was shed, and this bountiful earth.
19-24 minutes11.06.2023This would be a moment written into history, carved right into the heart of every human.That day was stormy, with thousands and thousands of zombies coming in all directions trying to surround the last group of humans and their land. Invading the last clean land where the research team's newly invented grains were just budding and where new research on the human body and research against the zombie virus was just starting to gain ground under Professor Bai's lead. Each one of these hopes were suddenly broken by reality.The base leader was wearing his full military outfit, his expression somber and solemn as he stood on the stage set up in the Central District. The flag pole behind him was cold, but the flag was still flying in the icy cold wind as a symbol.All ability holders were gathered at this plaza and yet no one made a single sound; only the base leader's old but persevering voice was echoing through the plaza.1976, there was a 7.8 earthquake in A City. The death count reached 24.2 thousand people, and the number of injured reached about 16.4 thousand.1998, there was a catastrophic flood in the Yangtze River with 2.23 billion people suffering from the outcome and 4,150 dead.2008, there was a 8.0 earthquake in Z Province, with 69,227 people dead.A nation thrives on adversity. With each obstacle we face, there will be those who step forward with their belief and faith, willing to greet death, but none of those obstacles will cause our land, our mountains, or our rivers to collapse. We have suffered uncountable disasters, sacrificed numerous comrades. This catastrophe, perhaps there will be even more dead, but I still believe that we will not be defeated and broken down.Pandemics couldn't kill off humans. Starvation couldn't. This catastrophe will not be able to either -The base leader's hair was pure white and his back was already slightly hunched from the numerous experiences and pressures put on him, but he still tried his best to keep his back straight as his gaze swept through the silent crowd below. The colors of the military awards on his uniform were slowly fading, but they were still bright and shining to the eye.I want to tell all of you, that perhaps this will be quite a hard obstacle to get through, because each wall of this base has already been surrounded by the zombies. We cannot retreat nor can we hide. We will not even have time to rest, but we must still go forth. Even if we cannot lose, we will not lose!In this battle, we will not have people not participating, no one to hide away. Military soldiers to the front, ability holders supporting in the back. This is an order and not a request. I am old, I have no use, but I will still hold up my gun. I will stand on the base walls with you all and chase out all the zombies!There was still a bit of distance from the walls, but as time passed, the low growls of zombies were soon coming closer like the signal of death. The size of the horde was frightening but the leader only quietly turned around, facing up to the flag, and silently saluted. Soldiers in the plaza all followed suit with a salute, their actions synchronized, solemn, and serious.Before the apocalypse, they would always be the ones rushing out front.In the apocalypse, they were still the same, heading to the front lines and using their weak and feeble bodies of flesh for the people behind them.It didn't matter if most of them were normal, average humans, the weight on their shoulders was still as heavy. Same as the military outfit they wore on their bodies, it urged them to look forward with courage and to stand tall without cowardice.Teams of ability holders were in the center as they were the pillars of this base. There were men, women, seniors and youths. Before the apocalypse, perhaps they were students walking on the roads, white collared workers in offices, or perhaps they were just gangsters roaming on the streets.They were all people of Huaxia.1Low and quiet but heavy sobs started within the crowd. They all know that the ending to this battle was perhaps not going to be a good one, with the worst outcome being that not a single person survived. But right now, at this moment, no one was going to back down, even if they were to look death in its face.Standing before the calamity, humans were so small, as weak as ants, but they were capable of banding together to create an explosive and loud moment for death.Military trucks filled with soldiers were starting to drive off, heading right into the battlefield.Tao Xi Ran silently clenched her teeth, looking each member of Team 7 in the eye before they all climbed up into a half filled truck. They were all dressed in casual clothes, and the mix of colors made for a piercing sight.Tao Xi Ran might have cried a while ago as her eyes were slightly red. With a hoarse voice, she said,We are ability holders. We have abilities. We should be in the front.The heavens had given them abilities, not only to protect themselves, but to protect many many more people.The captain of Team 1 who saw this suddenly climbed onto the same truck. His members were surprised for a moment before they all followed along. Tao Xi Ran looked at the tall and muscular man beside her and she couldn't help but sniff her nose and said,What are you following me for.The man was quiet for a while before saying,I'm a retired veteran.Trucks were slowly driving away, one by one, and the number of people in the plaza was slowly diminishing. Pei Ran was also in the group, but his position was quite far back, so it was not easy to find him. His always flippantly confident eyebrows had suddenly become solemn as he lifted his head to look into the distance Sounds of gunfire and grenades were already ringing in their ears. With a sniff, one could even smell gunpowder and blood.The fresh smell of blood.An endless horizon of zombies, all gathered and clustered, closing off the last possible roads for humans and sealing up the base. They had even started to climb the walls and a soldier had not been careful, getting caught and dragged down. His body hit the floor hard, and the rest of the zombie horde had swallowed him up.His captain's eyes reddened and he used his gun with as much force as he could to shoot the zombies below him. He cried out the soldier's name hoarsely, getting someone to drop down a rope to try and save him, which finally opened up a tiny moment of breathing room.Captain -!That soldier stood up, wobbling, with his green uniform completely soaked in blood. He had already been wounded by zombies. He was young, his face even younger still, but he did not grab onto that rope. He even took a look up at his comrades still furiously fighting in the end to save him before turning around and storming right into the zombie horde, pulling out the pin of a hand grenade-With a bang and a sudden cloud of dust, flesh and blood, everything disappeared.This seemed to be a punishment set out by the heavens. They had not even figured out a cure, and whatever second of respite they could get, numerous lives would be ended, numerous grenades would be set off.This was a group of unnamed people, with a life that could have been lived out, yet they were called to the frontline by a sense of order and responsibility.Their fresh blood will flow down below our feet and reach every inch of this earth. Their blood and flesh will make up the soil and come spring, there will be a field of flowers.Pei Ran's feet felt as heavy as lead, crushing his thoughts of escape into a million pieces. He could only rush forward to the front lines to get that moment of respite, to be free from that shame from that despicable, unspeakable selfishness of his.In the end, he hugged Qu Yan, his fingers bringing the slight chill from the mid autumn weather as he said,Wait for me to come back.Qu Yan immediately understood what he was thinking and his gaze darkened. He grabbed onto Pei Ran's wrist, as if making a promise with his words,Don't go. I will protect you.I will not let you die.Pei Ran quietly shook his head, his sight starting to blur. He knew that what Qu Yan experienced in his childhood had made him lose all normal human emotions, so he did not know how to tell Qu Yan that in this moment, he was running forward because he was afraid of death.Pei Ran kissed his cheek,We shouldn't have met in such a worldThe sky should have been as blue as it can be clear. There should be fresh flowers budding by their feet, with an asphalt road leading all the way to the sky, and a bright sun hanging above their heads. Then there would be a sunset followed by the rise of the moon. Stars would be littered throughout the entire night sky, and the world around them would be as buzzing and noisy as fireworks.They should have met even earlier.As early as when Qu Yan had first been burned by a cigarette, as early as when Qu Yan had first been whipped, as early as when Qu Yan had first been injured.. Pei Ran thought, he should have appeared then.Just like he had said before.Going to the same school as Qu Yan, sitting in the same classroom, writing the same exam, looking up at the same sky.Qu Yan faintly sensed that he was about to lose something and, even using all his strength, he would be unable to hold onto it. He gripped Pei Ran's hands in a death grip, unwilling to let go,If I said that there was a zombie king in the zombie horde that even I would not be able to exterminate, would you still go?Pei Ran was still saying those words,Wait for me.He slowly but firmly pulled away from Qu Yan's hands and then pressed down on the other's cap. He turned around to grab a seat on a truck full of ability holders and quickly disappeared in the midst of the crowd.This time, he was unable to hold on to him.Qu Yan did not like this world.Pei Ran did not like this kind of world.Just one word made all the difference in the world.At this moment, even Qu Yan was thinking, if they could have met earlier, how great would that have been. Then this heart of his wouldn't be so rotten to the point of being beyond saving.Was he just going to watch Pei Ran die..Or was he going to use his life to make a gamble, to save this world that had never been kind to himThe front line was much worse than could be imagined. Blood was flowing like the river, flowing far and wide for thousands of miles. Corpses were littered at their feet, and in their broken hands, they were still holding onto that rough, black gun. A storm was raging on, whipping up numerous particles of sand and dust. Normal humans were starting to climb up to the top of the walls, using the metal tubes they were holding in their hands to smash down on the zombies that were trying to climb up.All sorts of weapons were flying out from the walls from the ability holders. Pei Ran and a few other electric type ability holders had started to create a net sparking with electricity to cover the base. Under this dark and gloomy sky, the net exploded a large amount of zombies to ashes, but still, there was no end to the zombies that filled up their brethren's empty spaces.They did not know fatigue, but humans were not the same. They wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer and they were exhausting their abilities.Pei Ran fell onto the ground, his face a pale white and his fingers were trembling. A person who was afraid of death had actually prepared to die. As he faced against the zombies about to jump over, he used a dagger to dig out orbs, not even caring that he had not wiped off the blood stains and brain fluids. Tightly grabbing on to and using the orbs, he tried his best to recover his ability.Huaxia, Huaxia.This nation has not fallen for a thousand years. If everyone acted selfishly, if everyone only plundered and stole from each other, then this nation would not have lasted until now. 5000 years of history, through life and death, through time, this nation came to be through the numerous hearts of humans.Sometime ago, small droplets of rain had started to fall from the sky. They were cold as they fell on their faces, like tears sliding over their cheeks. It was at this time when someone let out a gasp, and everyone looked down at the city walls. Falling into a shock as they all found that a third of the zombies had suddenly turned around to start attacking each other. Rain began to fall down harder and harder, harshly pelting their bodies and clearly reminding them all that this was not a dream.Did zombies suddenly attain a human consciousness?Or were the heavens finally unable to bear to look any further?The group of humans who had used up their energy finally regained some back. Taking this chance, they started a new round of attack. They thanked the heavens above, but Pei Ran was calling out to Qu Yan's name.He stood at the walls of the base, where he was unable to look further, but he knew, Qu Yan must be right beside him, or even within the crowd of people below, or perhaps in that empty central district plaza. As the wind and rain howled, the other must be standing somewhere, silently looking at him.In the midst of the zombie horde, there was the same high level of psychic ability going at each other in the air. Like dragons fighting non stop, they caused numerous waves and tsunamis, affecting all of their surroundings, causing headaches and ringing in the ears. Zombies did not know who to listen to and they were all running around frantically like ants. Some were even unable to endure the overly strong physic ability and fried up on the spot.Pei Ran's head was in such piercing pain that even standing was difficult. He tried to find Qu Yan through the crowd of people with great difficulty, but because of the battlefield going haywire, he couldn't find anything. Following the ticking of seconds passing by, the zombie king seemed to have gained the upper hand and continued to control the zombies to move forward. But each time, they were confronted by a shapeless power and forced back.An icy cold, robotic voice suddenly rang in Pei Ran's head. Ding! Scans detected a dangerous unknown entity. Automatically starting protective procedures Ding! The Galactic Judges have sent a message: you have passed their examinations. System 008 is now given permission to be released from their host. Prepare to leave to the space station at any moment A ball of blue light finally flew out slowly from Pei Ran's body, and under his gaze, flew up to his eye level. Ding! Starting exit procedures.My dear host, please make your preparations.Starting self examination,Self examination complete.Starting Release,20%50%100%Release Successful.This mission has completed to its accepted conclusion. My dear beloved host, congratulations on passing the standards set out by the Galactic Judges and for successfully walking onto the path of being self-sufficient and self-reliant With amber pupils and a face covered in blood stains, Pei Ran stared at this tiny tiny blue ball of light.He lightly nodded his head, helplessly smiling, and said,Not too shabby.He then said,Farewell Farewell The system silently flew farther and farther away, higher than the walls of the base. As it did so, it looked upon the corpses littered everywhere. Beneath its feet, stretching out this land for a billion miles, through the mountains and rivers, this beautiful landscape it should not be like this.It felt a little sad.The system had never seen such a tragic scene, with corpses piled up like mountains, with blood flowing like rivers. Each time it left, it was always happy. Only this time, it felt heavy.Endless despair stretched up through the corners of the earth, surrounding this world, but those humans trapped in the cracks and struggling to survive were still trying to spill their blood up towards the skies with great hopes to clear out the cloudy haze of darkness.That ball of light stopped in the air and didn't move for a long time. After a while, a pair of tiny translucent wings appeared at its back and started to flutter furiously. Faint blue light slowly fell down, shaping into a translucent display and trapped those zombies outside. Warning! Warning! Energy is dispelling from the inside! System 008, please stop the release of energy. Listen to the call of the Galactic Officer and come back to the space station at notice The barrier was slowly pushing forward, driving the zombies away. Warning! Warning! Not enough energy! Not enough energy! The transportation service has been forcibly turned off Message from the Galactic Officer: System 008's points have been cleared to zero. Please return to the space station immediately The blue ball of light didn't listen to a single word and continued to flap its wings, flying through every corner of this world. Its faint light was being sprinkled down, sprouting numerous leaves of green grass in the muddy soil, and they were quickly growing and opening up their petals, becoming a faint blue flower. And it kept flying everywhere to start this new birth.As if the zombies had met their match, following the crazed spread of the flowers, they kept backing up. The humans on the walls were frozen in shock at this miraculous display. After a long time, they all quietly said with reddened eyes,We wonWe won..There was no happiness; there was no enthusiasm; only cries with quiet, muffled but heavy tears.The blue light from the system's body was slowly dimming and as if it couldn't fly, its wings flapped weakly a few times before falling onto the grassy area and the wings silently dissipated into the air with each drip of light.With reddened eyes, Pei Ran turned around to find a familiar shadow below the walls and his sight finally couldn't control its blurriness.They should have met earlier.When tiny and skinny Qu Yan was curled up in a dark and damp cold corner wishing to be able to go to school, when Pei Ran's young shoulders wore the straps of a backpack and he was just stepping through the school gates. Under this bright, clear blue sky, they should have metJust a few short steps but it was as if they crossed over numerous lives and deaths. Pei Ran drew Qu Yan into a tight embrace, with burning hot tears interlaced with the ice cold rain falling uncontrollably onto the other's shoulders.Qu Yan seemed to be really tired. His face was overly white to the point of being frightening. When Pei Ran hugged him, his body seemed to weakly fall down, his breath as weak as to be non-existent.The dark clouds above were starting to dissipate, and the sky was starting to return to its clear blue state. Fresh flowers were blooming beneath his feet and its flowery scent was spreading everywhere. Pei Ran closed his eyes, and as he had numerous nights before, he used his long, pale white fingers to lightly caress Qu Yan's back as he quietly said,When I was standing up there, I suddenly found that I had not been able to do a lot of things..I have not said I love you', I have not been able to treat you better, a bit better..Qu Yan was so tired he could not open his eyes. He tried as hard as he could to lift his fingers, but he was only able to lightly tap Pei Ran's back as a response.I also love youIn the history books, they addressed this period as the apocalypse.Humans had once again persevered through this calamity, and with nearly a hundred years of recuperation, they were able to successfully extract a cure from this nameless blue flower and successfully eradicated the zombie virus.Huaxia, Huaxia.This nation had once again survived through its turmoils and challenges, and following the passage of time, the original base had crumbled. But as the world picked itself back up, only a large stone plate for the martyrs stood, enduring, on this earth.There were no engravings of names on it, but everyone's name was engraved into it.They would cherish this world even more.They would become even more unified.They will remember all those who had given their lives.They will protect the peace that they have now.They will remember those who have lost their lives, those whose blood was shed, and this bountiful earth.
