Chapter 13 – The Grief of the Apocalypse

Chapter 13 - The Grief of the Apocalypse

The red fog outside the window grew thicker, and the moon in the sky became impossible to see, as though it were behind a transparent red sheet of glass paper.

Zhou Yun found some electrolyte water and saline solution in the fridge, drinking them down in big gulps to prevent dehydration. He poured another bottle and placed it on his bedside table before lying down with difficulty.

Tonight, countless people would not make it, dying from the virus, while zombies would erupt overnight, leaving no place to hide.

With the door now reinforced by an iron gate, zombies that crawled up out of instinct would encounter obstacles. If there was no fresh meat to attract them, they wouldn’t bother breaking through the barriers.

In his past life, when Zhou Yun woke up and opened the door, Guan Yuanfeng was there, having just killed a zombie with Comet. He looked somewhat surprised to see Zhou Yun but, in the days that followed, protected him and provided food and water.

At that time, Zhou Yun hadn’t realized his own psychic powers had awakened, so almost all the zombies that attacked were killed by Guan Yuanfeng.

Guan Yuanfeng had no psychic powers at the time and could only move with the help of a wheelchair, yet he wielded a battle knife and stood resolutely in front of Zhou Yun with Comet.

Later, Comet was bitten by a zombie, convulsing and dying. Before turning, Guan Yuanfeng resolutely chopped off Comet’s head but was deeply saddened, remaining silent the entire day.

All he could do at that time was pick the vegetables he’d grown on the rooftop and cook them for Guan Yuanfeng.

Zhou Yun vaguely noticed something was wrong with his body but didn’t know how to master the upgrade of his psychic powers, nor did he know that psychics had begun to appear in the world.

The two of them held out on the rooftop for half a month until Guan Yuanfeng’s comrade came to find him and took him to the nearest safe base.

As a doctor, Zhou Yun quickly joined the base’s medical unit and gradually discovered his awakened water and wood dual psychic powers. Over the long apocalyptic years, he participated in medical rescues and pharmaceutical research.

Meanwhile, Guan Yuanfeng went to the Central Base with his comrade, and Zhou Yun never saw him again.

Later, he occasionally met Guan Yuanfeng’s comrade and learned that Guan Yuanfeng had voluntarily participated in experiments, artificially activating fire psychic powers.

Though his legs healed, the side effects persisted. Afterward, he earned many merits, contributing significantly to base defense and refugee rescue, but ultimately couldn’t withstand the backlash of the psychic core and died from complications.

There were too many stories of separation and death in the apocalypse. As a doctor, Zhou Yun had seen too many soldiers he had treated become cold zombie corpses the next day.

He participated in many experiments, thinking he had grown heartless, but when he learned of Guan Yuanfeng’s passing, he genuinely felt sorrow.

He later joined the experimental team, hoping to develop a gentle method to trigger psychic cores, allowing more soldiers to survive and save the world from the apocalypse.

He always thought he was a cold person, but Guan Yuanfeng truly gave him the motivation to save the world.

He believed he was saving the world, working day and night tirelessly, wanting to save more people like Guan Yuanfeng.

Zhou Yun felt his forehead burning hot, tears hard to stop, unsure if it was due to the heat.

The pain he felt now was more intense than what he had experienced in his past life, and he wiped his tears, worried that Guan Yuanfeng would see him in such a disheveled and weak state when he came in tomorrow.

Dazed, he was swept up in the whirlwind of emotions—shock, sorrow, and anger—from his past life.

In the huge transparent container, he saw a long-lost acquaintance again.

The handsome team commander lay motionless, his brow furrowed, yet a faint smile lingered on his lips. His strong, tall figure was covered in scars, but the most noticeable was the deep, centipede-like scar over his Dan Tian.

That was where the psychic’s energy core should have been, but there was a deep, unhealed sutured wound, a simple post-mortem suture.

He wanted to touch the glass, but his hands were firmly trapped in the restraint garment designed to restrain psychics. Someone was speaking to him: “The experiment to extract the psychic core has been successfully conducted. This was the fire psychic experiment subject 001.”

“Don’t worry; our tech has improved a lot since then, and we can ensure the extraction of your water and wood dual psychic cores from your body without endangering your life.”

"Don't worry, you will survive, and there will be no pain. After all, you are a rare fifth-order psychic."

"As long as you cooperate, I guarantee you can continue to practice medicine, your reputation will be restored, and you will be given lifetime benefits. The higher-ups have already agreed to provide you with the best material conditions and research resources."

In his fever, he felt as though he had returned to that day, his voice dripping with cold sarcasm, "Was he a willing participant?"

"Did he know that his fire psychic core was coveted by the powers that be, taken in the name of all humanity?"

In the transparent solution tank, Guan Yuanfeng's face was as if asleep. He had endured endless pain, yearning for peace.

But, but... not like this, it should not have been like this...

It was as if something was burning in his chest, and a power in his core rapidly expanded, quickly spreading through his limbs.

Those around him continued to explain, "From the moment he signed the volunteer form for the psychic experiment, he declared that everything was voluntary."

"He had been paralyzed from the waist down. After his psychic powers were awakened, a healing psychic enabled him to regrow his legs."

"But his body was never compatible with the fire psychic core. At the time, there was no experience. Later, we were finally able to measure psychic affinity attributes. He was actually more attuned to lightning attributes, so his body always rejected the fire psychic core."

"Removing his psychic core was actually a form of relief for him. He was always in pain and voluntarily signed the agreement. His body was also donated and became truly precious experimental material. The results we have achieved in recent years are all thanks to his sacrifice."

No, it shouldn't have been like this. He was such a good person, sacrificing himself for the future of all humanity, not to satisfy the selfish desires of the powerful.

How could he be utterly used, fighting relentlessly in life, unable to rest even in death, his ideals tainted?

When he gave his life, he thought he was dedicating himself to science, saving the Blue Star. How could he have known that after a lifetime of service and sacrifice, he would become nothing more than material for unethical scientific experiments, serving the selfish desires of despicable elites?

No, he would not allow it.

Great anger fueled his psychic core, expanding infinitely. He felt as though he had boundless power, staring intently at the young commander's features, calmly activating the power within his body.

"Bang!"

The collar used to restrain his psychic abilities shattered.

Countless frost-covered, deep green thorny tendrils shot up from the floor, piercing through all the glassware in the lab, entwining the researchers.

Thousands of vines boiled, frost-tipped thorns covering the entire lab like a canopy. The room transformed into a deadly forest, consuming all life within. The thorny tendrils twisted and climbed the glassware, like deep green silk ribbons wrapping layer upon layer, as if embracing the person who had been dead for so long through the glass.

His former friend turned pale with shock, eyes wide as he stared at him. He was tightly bound by the tendrils, its thorns ruthlessly piercing his skin, and scarlet blood spurted out.

He screamed in agony, "What are you doing? Are you insane? Stop this! You're going to destroy yourself!"

He begged desperately, hoping to awaken the gentle heart of the doctor from before.

No one deserved to have their core stolen like that.

Zhou Yun just coldly activated his psychic core, then felt his heavily restrained body suddenly lighten. His soul seemed to rise and expand infinitely in the air.

His psychic powers surged uncontrollably, psychic plants spreading across the room, blocking out all light. He saw his psychic powers, now more powerful than ever, destroying everything in their path.

The glass container shattered, spilling its contents across the floor.

The thorny tendrils retracted all their thorns and, like soft silk ribbons, swiftly embraced the noble person, wrapping him in layers of deep green silk flowers, tenderly and tightly, leaving no gaps, completely covering his body and face.

He would not let them continue to exploit, insult, and defile his honor.

He created graves for the despicable, with countless thorns piercing through, slaughtering the unscrupulous researchers within this secret base.

They were impaled and crushed, buried deep within the thorns and vines, becoming nourishment for the psychic flora.

The entire laboratory would become a massive and silent cemetery, burying all the sins.

He provided a magnificent coffin for the noble, allowing those who had lived a life of high integrity but were exploited to rest in peace, while the sinners bowed their heads in penance for him.

The deep green thorny tendrils exhausted their last bit of energy, bursting into countless snow-white, transparent flowers like epiphyllums, thin and soft, with an enchanting fragrance.

The pure white flowers adorned the deep green coffin, and lotus flowers emerged and bloomed one by one, their fragrance filling the air, as if sending off the great and gentle soul to heaven.

Zhou Yun was trapped in a nightmare, and Guan Yuanfeng, standing beside the bed, frowned as he felt Zhou Yun's burning forehead. He noticed a thermometer on the bedside table, grabbed it, and found Zhou Yun's temperature was 40 degrees Celsius.

He dialed the emergency number again but, unsurprisingly, it was still busy. The police line was the same.

That morning, he had heard faint screams and cries for help coming from downstairs.

Looking down from the balcony, he saw chaos in the community square, with people running in all directions and cars speeding wildly. However, the cars weren't hitting people but rather fast-moving humanoid monsters. The building was too high to see clearly, but Comet, who was growling anxiously beside him, sensed the danger.

Frowning, he called Zhou Yun, but there was no answer, so he took Comet and left the house. As soon as he opened the door, he heard strange roars.

Through the iron gate, he saw a fresh corpse wedged in the elevator, its flesh torn and mangled. The elevator doors were jammed open, and the sounds of a beast chewing came from inside the elevator.

Comet's neck hair stood up, letting out a warning growl.

Immediately, a terrifying zombie lunged out of the elevator, its face green and fang-like, its body rotting with bloody, bulging eyes hanging out.

Probably because of this, its vision wasn't good, and it was too fast, crashing heavily into the iron gate before bouncing back and falling to the floor, with dents clearly visible on its forehead and face from the collision.

The impact clearly broke its neck, leaving its head hanging limply. Yet, despite this, the zombie managed to crawl back up.

Guan Yuanfeng didn't hesitate, pulling Comet back into the room and locking the door. Then, he went to Zhou Yun's room via the rooftop, only to find Zhou Yun unconscious and burning with fever.

What had happened in just one night?

Guan Yuanfeng took out his phone, only to find the communication signal was cut. Overnight, the internet was flooded with frantic warnings: "It's zombies! Stay away from anyone with a fever!"