Chapter Fifty-Nine: A Mistaken Decision

Where am I?
Could it be that I’ve died?
Surrounded by boundless darkness, I felt as if I were trapped in a colossal black hole.
There was no sign of breath, no living soul anywhere.
In this entire world, I was the only one present, enveloped by an unbearable loneliness and desolation.
I thought, perhaps this place was hell.
Instinctively, I raised my hand to touch my ear—no trace of blood remained.
I distinctly remembered that after I was knocked unconscious, blood had gushed from my ears, and I could hear nothing at all.
“Hello! Hey!”
I tried calling out a few times. Thankfully, here at least, I could still hear my own voice.
My ears seemed intact.
Perhaps it was because I was now just a soul.
But where exactly was this?
Hell? Or merely a dream?
With a resounding slap, I struck my own face.
It hurt so much, I thought my face might be ruined.
Thankfully, I hadn’t used too much force, or I wouldn’t doubt that I might have knocked out my own teeth.
“Is anyone there?!”
As I wandered through the endless darkness, I shouted with all my might.
No one answered.
I had no idea how much time had passed.
Perhaps a year, ten years, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand years.
I was so lonely, so unbearably lonely. This place was far too cold.
My consciousness was on the verge of freezing; I was losing my ability to think.
A wave of despair washed over me, growing stronger with each moment.
For an instant, I became almost malevolent. If this was hell, why not let all the living descend here to accompany me in death?
Why leave me, one lone soul, to guard this place for a myriad of years?
Where exactly was this?
Who was I?
Ah...!!!
I threw back my head and howled, venting the deepest darkness within my soul. If I could, I would have shattered the very sky with my scream.
Why was it so dark here?
Why must I suffer this endless imprisonment?
What crime had I committed?
No...
No...
I am Cao Fusheng. I was gravely injured in a chemical plant.
I passed out, but why have I lingered here for so long?
I want to go back...

I want to go back!
Drip... drip...
Startled and uncertain, I lifted my head toward the sky. Still, nothing but darkness—so dense I couldn’t see my hand before my face.
Yet raindrops began to fall.
They struck my head, one after another, soaking me through in no time.
Where was this rain coming from? In all these years, it had never rained before!
“Ugh...! It hurts…!”
Agonizing pain wracked my whole body, forcing me to my knees, my head buried against my chest.
I watched in horror as I began to decompose, my body rotting away.
Hair, nails, skin, flesh—all started to peel off, bit by bit.
As if animated, they danced around me in celebration after falling away.
Was I seeing things?
What was happening?
“Big Brother Cao! You can’t die… sob…”
“Big Brother Cao, wake up! Fourth Master and I can’t hold on much longer…”
“Big Brother Cao!”
“Big Brother Cao…”
Someone was calling me again! It was Huo Bing!
It was Huo Bing!
Fighting through the pain, I forced myself to stand and desperately dashed forward.
For countless ages, there had been neither exit nor light in this place.
But now, I saw it—a glimmer of light.
That was the way out!
Closer!
Closer and closer!
I, Cao Fusheng, am returning to the world!
“Mmm...”
Bathed in radiance, I finally opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was Huo Bing’s anxious, tear-streaked face, her tears falling upon me one by one.
I closed my eyes again to steady my blood pressure after regaining consciousness, then opened them once more and struggled to sit up.
I took Huo Bing’s hand, smiling and patting it gently.
I knew that if I was still alive, it was entirely thanks to Huo Bing’s desperate efforts to save me.
Though I didn’t know the full story, it must have been a harrowing ordeal.
She had to carry weapons and equipment, drag me along, and search for shelter in the darkness.
The hardships and terror she endured were beyond my imagination.
“Big Brother Cao…”
I could roughly guess what she was saying by reading her lips.
So, in the end, I had gone deaf. That deafening explosion must have shattered my eardrums.
My hearing was completely gone.

The reason I’d heard her voice just now—was it because it came from the soul?
Huo Bing seemed to realize my condition as well. She sobbed even harder, collapsing into my arms, her body trembling.
As I stroked her hair, I took in our surroundings.
This must be the residential quarters. How did she manage to carry me across the one-kilometer quarantine zone crawling with undead?
Unnoticed, my perception of Huo Bing was changing.
This room should be an employee dormitory. By the moonlight, I could see the interior—
It was extremely old and clearly abandoned for years, with thick dust everywhere.
Fourth Master was crouched by the door, apparently standing guard.
“Is there anything outside?”
I couldn’t hear my own voice, but I kept it soft enough for Huo Bing to make it out.
She rose from my arms, and only then did I notice the bloodstains on her face and clothes.
She glanced outside, then nodded to me, making a few hand signs I could understand.
There were creatures outside, but not right nearby.
When we first came in, the residential zone was empty. For the undead to be wandering now, she must have been spotted while rescuing me, and they followed us in.
But right now, I couldn’t worry about the zombies outside.
The most important thing was Huo Bing—the blood on her filled me with dread.
I pointed to her chest. “Are you hurt?”
Her expression changed. She looked like she wanted to say something, but as if suddenly remembering I couldn’t hear, she only shook her head.
But such subtle changes couldn’t escape my eyes as I watched her closely.
I yanked away the arm she tried to hide with and tore open her shirt.
A black, savage claw mark stretched across her chest.
She’d been mauled by a zombie!
I quickly rummaged through my pack for iodine, alcohol, and bandages—we had to treat the wound immediately.
I’d once been scratched by a nightmare creature and managed to hold out for two days before mutating.
But that was only because my physical strength and immunity were exceptional.
The shortest known mutation time was three minutes!
Huo Bing watched me, silent tears streaming down her face, and in her eyes I saw the despair and unwillingness she tried to hide.
Damn it! Shit! This is all my fault!
Never before had I felt such urgency or such bitter self-reproach.
Why?
Perhaps because she had just saved my life.
That wound—she must have been clawed by a zombie because of me.
The gash had almost torn away a whole chunk of flesh, and her chest was already beginning to fester.
I could only imagine how much it must hurt.