Chapter 206

Chapter 206

Those three words acted like a switch, triggering Yang Kai's explosive rage.

After chain-smoking, his eyes red and still unable to calm down, Yang Kai let out a curse and lunged at Second Brother Qi, punching and kicking until the man coughed up blood before finally stopping.

Nobody stepped in—hell, some thought he was going too easy.

Watching Yang Kai, Jiang Nian saw flashes of Brother Jing from his past life.

*Squelch!*

Yang Kai yanked out a blade and stabbed it into Second Brother Qi’s shoulder. Only when warm blood splattered onto his face did he gasp for air, barely holding himself together. Gnashing his teeth, he spat out,

*"They retired his badge for good. If you want to apologize, go say it to him yourself!"*

After delivering several more non-lethal stabs, he ground the cigarette butt into the wound and asked in a chilling tone,

"So, what secret did you want to share?"

This dagger had been given to him by Gao Xuyang for self-defense.

Not long after he started university, a student at his school got tangled up in some illegal shit involving contraband and telecom fraud, prompting an undercover investigation by the authorities.

Gao Xuyang had appeared as a young, accomplished, and refined psychology professor who had returned from overseas.

Due to his family background, after extensive coordination, he was entrusted with using his student identity to run interference—his first encounter with that man.

That incident also became the catalyst for his joining the organization. His family hadn’t objected much.

From then on, all his public records were handled by Gao Xuyang based on mission requirements. By the time he graduated, he had "disappeared" from the eyes of those around him with "unremarkable" grades in every aspect.

Over time, he sometimes forgot his real name and age, unable to distinguish whether the words that slipped out during conversations were truth or lies.

Two years before the apocalypse, their joint undercover operation with other members of the organization was nearing its conclusion.

Like those shitty drama plot twists, an insider’s betrayal led to disaster during a split operation.

When he received the devastating news, he was holding a wine glass, navigating a snake pit of suits playing human, unable to show even a hint of grief.

It was that man’s sacrifice that allowed the mission to conclude early, successfully intercepting the crime ring's top dogs from fleeing and capturing Second Brother Qi and others.

At the same time, it protected him from exposure.

They had agreed to take a quiet vacation together once the mission was over, but in the end, there wasn’t even a chance to say goodbye.

He wasn’t even allowed to pay his respects, and all the words left unsaid were forever lost.

His way of coping with the pain was to drown himself in ops. His best disguise was pretending he had moved on from losing the love of his damn life.

Faking fine while rotting inside.

Until he met Cheng and the others, he had considered rebounding to cope—but ultimately failed.

Only after the apocalypse did his pent-up shit finally explode.

"..."

*Cough, cough, cough...*

"Guh..."

Second Brother Qi knelt on the ground, his face twisted in pain, soaked in cold sweat as blood spilled onto the ground. His chest heaved violently, and it took him a long time to recover.

"So it’s him... Name and face match, so there's no mistake..."

Yang Kai pressed the bloodstained blade against the exposed skin of his neck:

"What do you mean?"

"..."

Second Brother Qi gasped for breath, struggling to speak:

"Our informant was sloppy. Back then, we only got intel that he was a cop... We didn’t know his real name... Yours included. I only learned your real name after I was arrested, didn’t I?"

"If you keep stalling, I’ll slice your flesh piece by piece, lay it out on the ground, grill it, and shove it down your throat!"

Yang Kai snarled, but his mind was already clearing. It was true—even if they died, they’d get nameless graves. For the safety of others, their real identities would still be concealed.

After Gao Xuyang’s death, Second Brother Qi was captured. If his real name wasn’t exposed back then, how did he find out later in a heavily guarded prison?

With the blade pressed to his throat, Second Brother Qi knew Yang Kai meant every word. He swallowed hard and hurriedly said:

"Gao Xuyang... didn’t stay dead. He’s the Illusionist—the creator of the Guan Shan Prison illusion. He’s in the basement now... except he’s turned into a zombie with a mind, what the outside world calls the Zombie King."

"..."

Second Brother Qi’s words hit like a thunderclap. Not only was Yang Kai stunned, but everyone else was equally shocked.

A permanently retired badge number meant Gao Xuyang had died in the line of duty—there was no way the authorities could have made such a mistake.

"..."

Yang Kai’s pupils trembled violently. His breathing stopped for a moment before turning ragged, his whole body trembling, hands shaking. Sweat poured down his face and temples.

"Guh..."

Second Brother Qi, afraid the trembling blade might slit his throat, grimaced and shifted slightly to the side before adding:

"I’m telling the truth. Unless there’s a damn doppelgänger out there."

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, bringing this up would’ve been asking for death.

Seeing Yang Kai’s emotions still unsteady, Cheng Jing stepped forward and snapped at Second Brother Qi:

"Start from the beginning and explain everything clearly!"

This was huge. Forget the authorities—Gao Xuyang had died at the hands of Second Brother Qi and his men. If this was somehow wrong, the implications were enormous.

"Alright... I’ll talk..."

Second Brother Qi nodded, taking a moment to steady himself before continuing:

"You know Guan Shan Prison only holds high-risk or special criminals. Say what you want—security’s airtight... When I first got here, the cell beside me was vacant. Then, about two weeks before the world went to hell, Gao Xuyang was brought in in the dead of night..."

"At first, I didn’t know it was him. He never came out for rec time or chow. We didn’t cross paths till after the collapse... I thought I was hallucinating, especially since he didn’t recognize me. His memory was scrambled... So I made my move."

"..."

Yang Kai looked over, his face drenched in sweat. Chu Yi tried to support him but was refused:

"I'm fine. Let him speak!"

He wanted to listen. At that moment, he felt both thrilled and scared, as if seeing a beam of light that shouldn't be there in the despairing darkness—worried it might be just his imagination.

Cheng Jing kicked Second Brother Qi:

"Continue!"

Second Brother Qi shuddered, licked his dry lips, and had the nerve to ask:

"Give me some water."

Zhao Lei took out a bottle of water, came over, and let him take a few swallows.

After drinking, Second Brother Qi went on:

"Later, after looking into it, I learned that Gao Xuyang had caused a serious accident at his previous location—he wouldn't say what exactly—so he was quietly shipped off to Guanshan Prison for temporary confinement until they could transfer him again. Then the apocalypse happened."

Cheng Jing pressed:

"Where was he before?"

"The name was hard to say, something like..."

After struggling to remember for a long while, Second Brother Qi finally recalled:

"Right, it was called the 'Special Phenomena Management Experimental Research Base.' Sounds all hush-hush and mysterious."

"..."