Xue Zhen had initially promised to take care of Shu Wenze, his deceased brother. Later, he fulfilled his commitment and protected Shu Wenze as if he were his own family.
No matter how willful and delicate Shu Wenze’s personality may be, Xue Zhen treated him as if he were still an immature youth, in the prime of his mischievous and rebellious age at seventeen or eighteen.
When his brother Ahui was around, he pampered Shu Wenze in every possible way, fostering a spoiled temperament. However, with time, he believed that Shu Wenze would mature.
Even though Shu Wenze knew that coming to Long Island Base to rescue someone could be a one-way trip, he still rushed to save people. His other brothers followed suit without hesitation because Shu Wenze was the only family they had left, their true kin.
But not in Shu Wenze’s heart.
Despite his previous indulgence, Shu Wenze’s actions after being rescued repeatedly disappointed Xue Zhen. Earlier, driven by personal grudges, he instigated killing Bian Yujie, disregarding the potential retaliation from Bian Zhaokun. During the recent confrontation with the enemy, even the youths understood the principle of mutual support, but Shu Wenze withdrew, seemingly prepared to escape at any moment.
Now, with their brothers injured, Shu Wenze remained indifferent.
Observing during the time spent lurking near Su Jingxuan, Xue Zhen was well aware of the kind of person the youth was and had witnessed the miraculous effect of Shu Wenze’s blood. He had absolute reason to believe that Su Jingxuan wasn’t lying, and there was no need for deception.
The way Shu Wenze evaded spoke volumes about whether he could cure the zombie poison.
“Shu Wenze, I’ll ask you one more time, can you cure the zombie poison?”
Xue Zhen approached Shu Wenze with a stern expression.
This was the last chance; they had done everything for Shu Wenze, and he wasn’t worth the lives of their remaining brothers.
“Big Brother Xue.”
Xue Zhen’s oppressive aura made Shu Wenze take a step back, unable to speak. He had never seen Xue Zhen so frightening. This was not the Xue Zhen he knew; his big brother, who had promised to protect him well, wouldn’t be so harsh.
The more Shu Wenze remained silent, the darker Xue Zhen’s expression became.
Su Jingxuan watched, revealing a malicious smile and adding fuel to the fire.
“Why bother with him? Just throw him into the zombie pile. If he’s infected, let him see if he can cure himself.”
Even the most powerful golden finger had its bugs. Shu Wenze’s blood, modified by the Lingquan, had a miraculous effect in delaying the zombie poison, but it couldn’t help him if he got infected. Infection required the Lingquan to be cured.
With these words, Xue Zhen looked at Shu Wenze, a suppressed smile emerging. This little rascal.
Others looked at him, slightly alarmed. Indeed, the father and son from the Bian family were ruthless and direct in their methods.
“Big Brother Xue, don’t listen to him. He wants to harm me. If I’m infected with the zombie poison, I will die. Big Brother Xue, you promised my brother to take care of me. You promised.”
Shu Wenze’s face turned pale as he quickly approached Xue Zhen to intervene, harboring extreme resentment towards Su Jingxuan’s schemes.
Su Jingxuan, after hearing Shu Wenze’s plea, coldly walked out, wearing a disdainful expression.
“What do you think you are, Shu Wenze? You’re not worth my effort to harm. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago. My father kept you in the laboratory, providing you with good food and drink. If you don’t cure my dad, we won’t let you go. What’s wrong with standing on our own ground? In the apocalypse, the strong are respected. If you’re not capable, don’t blame others for being too powerful.”
“Alright, since you’re talking like this, I’ll make it clear. If you truly get infected and die from the zombie poison today, I’ll give my life to you. Bian Yujie keeps his word, hmph.”
With these final words, Su Jingxuan puffed up his cheeks, vehemently asserting his position.
As everyone observed his demeanor, although he didn’t explicitly demand Shu Wenze to save people, the scales in their hearts had slowly tipped. Their lives had nothing to do with the young man, and there was no need to joke about risking their own lives.
Xue Zhen patted him, saying, “Don’t cause trouble,” and took out a dagger, thrusting it into a nearby zombie’s corpse. Then, he grabbed Shu Wenze, pressing the blade against his neck, showing no more mercy.
“Don’t test my patience.”
The blade, tainted with zombie blood, could infect with just a small cut.
Shu Wenze’s face grew paler, and he stared unbelievably at the threatening Xue Zhen. Tears of grievance welled up in his reddened eyes.
“Big Brother Xue, how could you believe what Bian Yujie said? They’re not good people. You promised my brother to take care of me, personally vowing to protect me for a lifetime. Why are you treating me like this? Have you forgotten all the promises you made to my brother?”
He never expected Xue Zhen to threaten him like this. Big Brother Xue had promised to protect him, so why was he now harming him? Why believe Bian Yujie’s words? Were the promises he made to his brother all forgotten?
Wiping away tears from the corners of his eyes, Shu Wenze stubbornly turned his head away, neither acknowledging nor daring to admit.
Just now, if he admitted, how would everyone view him? If they harbored resentment, they might abandon him by the roadside, leaving him unable to reach a safe place alone.
Seeing his firm stance, Xue Zhen felt disappointed once again. He directly thrust the dagger, tainted with zombie poison, harshly into his own shoulder.
“I haven’t forgotten. I owe your brother’s life, and I’ll give it to you. Now, immediately treat Anan. Don’t force me.”
“Boss!”
The others exclaimed in shock.
Su Jingxuan’s face also changed.
“Xue Zhen, you fool. What are you talking about loyalty at this time? His brother is not your brother. You’ve saved him three or four times; you’ve already repaid the debt. Idiot.”
He rushed over, looking at the blackening wound on Xue Zhen’s shoulder, unable to help but curse angrily. This fool, even after several lifetimes, he couldn’t change his nature of being loyal and sentimental, making people both love and hate him.
“You idiot. I’ll settle the score with you later. Since you can’t do it, I’ll be the bad guy. I’ll help you.”
Having cursed in a mix of urgency and anger, Su Jingxuan could no longer remain calm. He swiftly snatched the dagger from Xue Zhen’s hand and pushed him away.
Then, he grabbed Shu Wenze, using his mental power to lock him down, preventing him from escaping into the space. Without mercy, he made a cut on Shu Wenze’s hand and issued a harsh threat.
“Shu Wenze, save the person for me immediately, or you won’t live either.”
In the instant he was caught, Shu Wenze instinctively tried to escape into the space, but he quickly realized that although his mind could connect, his body couldn’t enter it.
He widened his eyes. Bian Yujie’s ability was still active; he hadn’t been restrained by Big Brother Xue. He had intentionally allowed himself to be captured and infiltrated their team.
“Don’t waste time. Your body is just that of an ordinary person; at most, you can hold on for twenty minutes. Whether you want to live or not is your choice. But I warn you, my patience is not as good as Xue Zhen’s, and I am more ruthless. I will count to three. If you don’t save the person, I’ll throw you into the zombie pile, tear you apart alive, and not even give you a chance to turn into a zombie.”
Su Jingxuan threatened, baring his teeth. He wasn’t a villain, but he considered himself someone who didn’t associate with good people either. As long as he could achieve his goal, he didn’t mind using a more ruthless approach.
Xue Zhen was deeply sentimental and felt guilty for Shu Wenze’s brother’s life-saving grace, so he hesitated to act harshly towards Shu Wenze. If one had to be the bad guy, he would do it, regardless of his reputation.
“You, you…”
Shu Wenze touched the black blood on his neck, panicking. The poison, the zombie poison, Bian Yujie, this madman, had actually infected him with the zombie poison.
“Now, I’ll start counting. You only have three chances. One.”
Su Jingxuan coldly looked at him, beginning the countdown. Zhai Changlin had long-term zombie infection that couldn’t be easily cured, but Xue Zhen and Anan hadn’t mutated yet. A cup of Lingquan water would be enough.
Shu Wenze didn’t speak, trembling with a pale face.
The sudden turn of events shocked everyone. Xue Zhen stared at Su Jingxuan, who was coldly threatening Shu Wenze, with a burning fire in his heart.
“Two.”
Su Jingxuan tightened the hand holding Shu Wenze’s shoulder, his voice crisp and icy. “Save him.”
Shu Wenze felt a pang of pain and met his cold gaze with fear. Facing Bian Yujie was even more terrifying than facing Xue Zhen, because Bian Yujie wouldn’t show mercy.
What to do, what to do? Bian Yujie was a madman. He was just an ordinary person; he could only hold on for twenty minutes. After that time, he would turn into a zombie, a walking corpse without any consciousness.
“Release the mental lock, and I’ll save him.”
In a mental struggle, Shu Wenze’s voice trembled, finally nodding. He didn’t want to die; he had just been reborn not long ago, and he wanted to live.
After he spoke, the faces of Mangzi and the others changed again. Not with surprise, but with complexity and anger. Shu Wenze, unexpectedly, truly had the ability to cure zombie infection.
Then why did he hide it? If it weren’t for the boss and Bian Shao’s coercion, would he have kept it a secret? Their brothers risked their lives to rescue him at Long Island Base, only to end up with this result.
The crowd was in shock. Shu Wenze didn’t dare to look. He couldn’t hide his fear and weakness any longer. “Bian Yujie, release me first before I can use my ability to save him.”
“Just save him directly.”
Su Jingxuan spoke coldly, not moving, pressing Shu Wenze onto the broken bridge.
Shu Wenze knew what he was thinking. His spatial ability was elusive; if he were released now, the other party could quickly hide in the space, and he wouldn’t be able to endure it.
“Save directly, and it will attract a large group of zombies from both ends of the bridge.”
Shu Wenze shouted in panic.
At this moment, under the bridge, there were zombies that hadn’t stopped walking when the bridge broke. There weren’t thousands, but there were hundreds, densely packed and howling. It was terrifying to watch. If he fell down, there would be no bones left.
But if he directly took out the Lingquan, its attraction would be stronger than his flesh and blood. Right now, unable to enter the space, if he attracted a large group of zombies, and they were besieged on both ends of the bridge, what should he do?
Su Jingxuan pondered, surveying the surrounding environment.
Finally, Su Jingxuan picked up the whistle hanging around his neck, took a deep breath, and blew three long blasts. Only then did he push Shu Wenze halfway off the broken bridge.
“I’ve called for rescue. Even if zombies come, we can run. Now, immediately, save the person. If you talk too much, I’ll push you down.”
As his voice echoed, the sound of three long whistles answered, as if calling for a response.
Xue Zhen seemed to have figured something out, and his eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
Shu Wenze also vaguely understood the meaning behind the three long whistles. Trembling, he looked at Su Jingxuan for a moment and had no choice but to lower his head.
With a sweep of his hand, three bowls of Lingquan water, carrying a faint fragrance, appeared on the ground. He quickly picked up one and drank it himself.
Within the time it took to breathe, the black blood on his arm turned red.
“Alright, Anan, you’re saved!”
Mangzi shouted joyfully. Without waiting for Su Jingxuan to speak, he quickly ran over, picked up a bowl, and gave it to Anan, whose face was already turning black.
Su Jingxuan also quickly threw Shu Wenze aside, picked up the last bowl, and handed it to Xue Zhen. Holding the man’s head, he poured the Lingquan water down forcefully.
Then, he hugged Xue Zhen’s head, brought his lips close, and bit him twice, fiercely emphasizing, “The game ends here. I’ve saved your life. Your life belongs to me now. Don’t make me push you down.”
“This is the third time.”
Xue Zhen’s cold face couldn’t help but reveal a smile. Then, he reached out, grabbed Su Jingxuan’s head, and kissed those cherished lips, the affection intense, the action passionate. He had been fooled three times by the little rascal.
“That’s because you’re too foolish.”
Su Jingxuan’s fierce expression froze for a moment, then disappeared, turning into a vague and blurry expression. He snorted, hummed a tune, and wrapped his hands around Xue Zhen’s shoulders.
He didn’t care about the current situation. The people around were staring with wide eyes, closing their eyes, clicking their tongues with sound, responding passionately to his kisses.
When the kiss ended, the zombies on the opposite side of the broken bridge roared ferociously. In the distance, there were faint roars as well. The scent of Lingquan had stirred up a riot among the surrounding zombies.
At the same time, several helicopters flew over from the sky. Two of them hovered in the air, attacking and intercepting the approaching zombies. The rest quickly descended, opening their doors.
“What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and leave!”
Su Jingxuan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately signaled everyone to board the helicopter and leave.
“Thanks, Mr. Bian.”
Hearing the approaching zombie horde, everyone couldn’t afford to linger. They quickly expressed their gratitude and hurriedly boarded the helicopter. With zombies closing in from both sides, there was no room for hesitation; it was a matter of life and death.
Once everyone was on the helicopter, Su Jingxuan turned around and used a rope to tie up Shu Wenze, who was hesitating in the same spot, wanting to leave with the group but also fearing to do so. This guy would still be useful.
