The reunion between Song Haoran and Song Ying's group was relatively uneventful, though they did notice that the zombies appeared to be drawn toward sothing.
‘Luo Qiu’ had fainted again, but Song Haoran couldn't afford to pay attention to that now. The priority was getting everyone out of the hospital safely and then sealing it off completely.
While zombies were terrifying, they weren’t impossible to deal with—Song Haoran had already personally killed four of them along the way.
After reuniting with Song Ying and the others, Song Haoran quickly led everyone to regroup with the elder Song and his people.
The cold, gleaming bronze sword near Mr. Blind had long disappeared, and he was now silently observing the actions of the gathering zombies.
“What exactly... is happening here?”
On the third-floor overhang of the hospital building—where the entire Song family had gathered—Song Tianyou, Song Da, and the others were both horrified and bewildered by what they saw below. The zombies were all converging at the parking lot entrance of the hospital, which had sohow sprouted a ‘tree’—a grotesque structure that could only be loosely described as such.
The ‘tree,’ now standing seven or eight ters tall, was entirely black and had branches growing from the top. But it was composed of the bodies of zombies, fused together.
One by one, the slowly moving zombies approached the ‘tree,’ rging their bodies into its trunk. Their flesh, bones, and even faces beca entangled in the tree, seemingly nourishing it and allowing it to grow even taller.
Though the ‘tree’ had no leaves, strange fruit-like objects were now forming at the tips of its branches. These fruits swelled like balloons, appearing ready to burst at any mont.
Mr. Blind's face grew increasingly grim. With a swift motion, he ford a sword gesture with his fingers and slashed forward. A cold gleam shot from his body toward the trunk of the tree. However, upon impact, the gleam deflected as if it had struck solid tal. The light circled a few tis, repeatedly striking the tree trunk and branches, but it couldn't even sever one of the ‘fruits.’
The tree’s toughness was shocking. Eventually, the cold gleam returned to Mr. Blind’s side, transforming into a bronze ancient sword, which he gripped in his hand.
Frowning, Mr. Blind said, “Master Song, I have an ominous feeling. These ‘fruits’ on the tree are likely the source of the disaster.”
As he spoke, the grayish-black fruits stopped swelling and began to change shape, resembling flower buds.
It was then that everyone realized these were not fruits at all, but giant flower balls!
“They’re about to bloom!” Song Haoran exclaid in shock.
Mr. Blind, his eyes now open, revealed his fully clouded, pupil-less gaze—giving anyone who saw it a chill.
Urgently, he explained, “This grotesque tree is the essence of the zombies, and these flowers are absorbing their finest energy to bloom. I have a premonition that once these flowers open, they may spread in so other manner.”
Everyone instinctively focused their attention on Mr. Blind's words, their imaginations running wild... If the infection could spread through the air instead of just through bites, the consequences would be catastrophic.
“This is just my worst fear,” Mr. Blind said, shaking his head but not easing the tension, “but no matter what, we must not allow this monstrous tree to continue growing!”
Without further delay, Mr. Blind leapt forward, landing in front of the tree. Raising his bronze sword, he began cutting down the zombies that approached to feed the tree.
A flurry of sword light filled the air as Mr. Blind swiftly moved around the tree, slaying zombies with each stroke.
“A’er, A’san, let’s go help the blind man!” Song Da shouted.
For skilled martial artists like the Song brothers, the three-story drop posed no challenge. In monts, Song Da and his brothers were moving along the periter, reducing Mr. Blind’s burden.
Those remaining above could only provide limited assistance, firing their guns at stray zombies to form a modest but insufficient defensive line.
Despite their efforts, the flower buds on the tree continued to grow at an alarming pace.
“Fifth Brother, prepare for evacuation. We need to be ready for the worst,” Song Tianyou ordered decisively.
Fifth Uncle nodded and began making urgent arrangents over the phone.
---
Zhong Luoyue's body felt no discomfort, nor did her instincts revolt. Instead, there was a rising, uncontrollable urge, a desire to let things be as they were—or perhaps to go even further.
She had no idea where this overwhelming sensation ca from. All she knew was that at this mont, it felt as though her soul had been scooped from a vast ocean and held in soone’s palm, touching the softest part of her heart and taking full control of her.
It wasn’t love, but sothing stronger, more addictively binding than love.
Suddenly, Luo Qiu’s hand began to rge into her body, causing unprecedented pain. She wanted to scream, but no sound ca out. His hand didn’t just penetrate her physical form; it seed to pierce her mind, as if plucking the sole fruit from the ocean of her thoughts.
Finally, his hand grasped the forbidden fruit in the sea of her consciousness. Zhong Luoyue’s awareness instantly went blank, her thoughts freezing at that mont.
Luo Qiu’s hand remained inside her body, but she had already beco an empty shell.
He closed his eyes, sensing everything more clearly than when they were open. In his mind’s eye, he could ‘see’ the soft glow cupped in his hand. With just a slight motion, he could take that beautiful light from her.
The strong, confident, and beautiful essence that belonged to Zhong Luoyue—the most radiant and captivating part of her.
Finally, Luo Qiu's hand slowly withdrew from Zhong Luoyue's body. Between his fingers, a ball of flickering light trembled, as if afraid, like a young cub that had just lost the protection of its parent, terrified of the unfamiliar surroundings.
At that mont, just as the light was about to leave Zhong Luoyue's body, Luo Qiu's palm suddenly opened, pushing it back into her body.
Zhong Luoyue's eyes beca lively for a mont before she collapsed to the ground... Elizabeth remained motionless. Luo Qiu paid no attention to her, silently observing his hand.
After a mont of silence, he slowly exhaled and softly said, "I finally know what this familiar power is..."
At that instant, wisps of dark gray smoke began to seep from Luo Qiu's body, gathering behind him and gradually forming into a shadow.
As the shadow took shape, Luo Qiu turned around and found himself staring at another version of himself.
The skin was slightly duller, or rather grayish, but other than that, it was identical in every way.
Luo Qiu stared at it for a mont before speaking, "Should I call you... Black?"
The figure moved, its expression more fluid, a contemptuous smile appearing on its face. "To categorize everything bad, opposing, or disliked as black—tsk tsk, such a foolish, habitual way of thinking."
Luo Qiu calmly responded, "If I call you Black Luo Qiu, I might feel a little irritated."
"Black and white. If I'm black, then you're White Luo Qiu, and I quite enjoy that," the figure’s smile beca even more devilish.
After a brief silence, Luo Qiu shifted his gaze elsewhere, peering through walls and obstacles to see people desperately fighting off zombies from a bizarre, enormous plant. Suddenly, he asked, "Airborne transmission?"
"I rely altered a few of their traits," Black Luo Qiu chuckled softly. "Don’t you think transmission through biting alone is too inefficient? Besides, this wasn’t my doing; it was yours... using your own power."
"Explain," Luo Qiu said calmly.
With a wicked grin, it replied, "I'm not a creation of the Club; I’m your creation... but I believe I should replace you. To put it simply, I'm the part of all your emotions that has been suppressed—your discontent, your anger, even your despair. These eventually gave birth to . But I never had a chance to erge."
"This vacation, then?" Luo Qiu muttered.
"Yes, this vacation," Black Luo Qiu sneered. "What a foolish move... but I truly enjoyed it. Especially Yōu Yè—she’s amazing! She extended this vacation. Ah... how should I show her my love? I almost want to dig out her soul."
Luo Qiu rubbed his temples, seeming sowhat distressed, and sighed, "Honestly, this situation is pretty bad... I feel a bit of sha seeing such an edgy version of myself."
"You're too rigid!" Black Luo Qiu spread its arms. "With the Club, you have ultimate power. As long as you offer sacrifices, you can do almost anything! Why not follow your desires? Whatever you want is at your fingertips. Why complicate things? This world should belong to you... no, to ! I could beco the ruler of this world! My will shall be the will of all things... I could bring life or death at my whim! I am supre!"
Luo Qiu gently massaged his forehead, "So, you influenced and secretly altered the zombies?"
"You could say your power was just too useful!" Black Luo Qiu's eyes glead with fanaticism. "Just a thread of it! By stirring just a tiny bit, without you even noticing, I’ve already altered their life structure! See those flowers? When they bloom, countless spores will scatter in the wind, and the world will fall into chaos... countless people will offer up everything just to survive! I will create a new order! Isn’t it beautiful?"
"A new order erges, and then what?" Luo Qiu suddenly asked.
Black Luo Qiu sneered, "I will rule the world! I can have anything I want, and no one will defy !"
"After you beco the ruler... then what?" Luo Qiu continued.
"Isn’t it obvious? With everything under my control, I can indulge in endless joy, play every life as I wish, and never grow bored or lonely! You’re so naive! I can keep the people I love by my side forever! They’ll never defy !"
"And then?" Luo Qiu still asked calmly.
"Do you think you can sway ? Naive! Naive! Naive!!" Black Luo Qiu lunged forward, grabbing Luo Qiu by the collar and lifting him up. "Naive! Foolish!!"
"And then? You still haven't answered ," Luo Qiu said serenely.
Black Luo Qiu snarled, dragging Luo Qiu closer, "I am your truest reflection! Don’t you understand? Naive fool, don’t resist in vain!!"
Luo Qiu shook his head, "You still can’t convince ... In the end, everything you say just seems so dull."
"Whether it's dull or not, you’ll know once you try it... co on! Let take control of you!!"
Black Luo Qiu dissolved into a thick black smoke, surging into Luo Qiu’s body... When all of it had entered, Luo Qiu closed his eyes.
When he reopened them, a wicked smile appeared on his face.
But the smile quickly froze, his body seemingly out of control as his hand slowly rose.
Panicked, he tried to push his hand down with his other hand.
However, no matter how hard he tried, black mist began to pour from his palm, seeping out from all over his body, gathering once more in his palm.
Frenzied, ‘he’ shouted, "I won’t disappear! As long as you still want to cling to your humanity, I won’t vanish... So much talk."
Luo Qiu’s expression returned to calm as the black sphere floated in his palm.
His hand began to close, compressing the black sphere until it was tiny, pulsating wildly in a final act of resistance.
But Luo Qiu suddenly said, "Next ti you appear, it won’t be because you took advantage of , but because I got bored and let you out... just like this ti. If I didn’t subconsciously want this, do you think you could have erged? I'm just on vacation, nothing more..."
The resistance ceased instantly, as if realizing a deeper despair.
Luo Qiu’s hand closed into a fist, crushing the last trace of darkness. He exhaled softly, looking around. Zhong Luoyue remained unconscious, and Elizabeth was still in a daze.
"Dark history," Luo Qiu muttered, shaking his head. "Now that the restlessness and unease have been vented, my emotions should stabilize... I can keep vacationing for a while longer. Not bad..."
But in that mont, a voice echoed in his mind.
Only he could hear it, unsure if it was his imagination or truly real—the voice of the Club’s mysterious altar.
"Congratulations, store owner, on successfully toying with yourself. Store owner permissions upgraded, Critical Gate functionality enhanced, with additional multiverse arrival coordinate options..."
Luo Qiu blinked, stunned.
Successfully toying with myself... what the hell???
(TL: That doesn't sounds right? LOL)
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