Chapter 211

Chapter 211

"..."

Gao Xuyang’s movements were slightly stiff as he scanned the group before fixing his gaze on Yang Kai. Frankly, it was kind of creepy.

Yang Kai wasn’t scared, and his teammates watched with calm expressions.

"..."

After a long moment, Gao Xuyang pressed his thin fingers against his temples and slowly uttered two words:

"Yang... Kai."

"Yes! It’s me, Teacher Gao, you—"

Yang Kai stepped forward excitedly, only to hear him continue slowly:

"The others... I don’t remember."

He’d been in a fog until recently, when his mind began to clear slightly. His mind was a jumble, and the only information he could recall was that the person before him was named Yang Kai. The rest remained a blur.

Plus, his limbs and speech were slow, like they weren’t syncing with his brain—something that would take time to adjust and recover.

"It’s fine, don’t push it... Take your time. We’ll help you remember..."

Yang Kai halted, a bit let down, but this was already the best outcome.

Gao Xuyang stayed silent. Instead, he turned to Jiang Nian:

"I... don’t like your ability... Stop using it."

Jiang Nian nodded and raised his hands:

"Fine, fine... Just don’t pull us into any illusions, and I won’t use it."

Gao Xuyang nodded stiffly. His mind was slow, and after another pause, he slowly managed:

"We... were... eating. You... want in?"

Then he swung the door wide and went in. Yang Kai followed closely behind.

"No thanks, Teacher Gao. We’ve gotta get out of here fast..."

The team checked their surroundings before following.

"The Zombie King’s... this polite?"

Huang Qian was weirded out by how surprised she was.

Was this some kind of anti-Zombie King?

Or were they just stereotyping Zombie Kings?

Or was this ‘ex-official Zombie King’ just bad at his job?

Liao Yu whispered in response:

"Sis Qian, trust me, a Zombie King like this is total main-character material in movies or novels."

Huang Qian looked at him:

"Young master’s got some eclectic tastes."

Liao Yu bragged, nodding:

"Of course. After doomsday hit, options got slim, so I turned into an omnivorous enthusiast. I’ve even read tons of those ridiculously long-named Mary Sue novels with names so long you forget the first word by the time you finish."

"..."

Huang Qian’s face spasmed, then she shot Zhao Lei a *what-the-hell* look.

Zhao Lei chose to remain silent.

Tang Ji still muttered worriedly in a low voice:

"Even though Prof Gao’s got manners and keeps his looks even zombified, I think Bro Kai should be careful..."

Jiang Nian said calmly:

"It’s fine. As long as I’m here, unless his neck gets instantly wrecked, it’s not a big deal. I can cure infections, and if he’s injured, Chu’s got a whole lab in his pocket dimension—definitely stocked with high-end emergency equipment."

Chu Yi didn’t deny it, impressed by how clearly he had everything figured out with just a few words.

Jian Cheng butted in with a grin:

"What if they get intimate—"

"Shut your mouth!"

Cheng Jing shut him down mid-sentence, then warned:

"If Yang Kai ever superpower-punches your mouth shut one day, I won’t lift a finger."

This dude’s missing a few brain cells!

Lu Ningzhou mimicked a finishing blow nearby:

"Quack quack, platypus?"

Cheng Jing: "..."

Zhao Lei then turned to Huang Qian, and Sister Qian sucked her teeth:

"Got it. Pot, meet kettle."

"My bad, Cheng. I was just worried about Bro Kai, no shade."

Jian Cheng rubbed his nose and shut his mouth. Tang Yi and Zhou Rongbin, fellow drama vultures, gave him two *you tried* shrugs.

Gossiping about teammates had become one of the pathetic pastimes for these three chronically single losers.

"..."

Behind the door was a reinforced oversized chamber:

At the center of the room, a group of filthy, exhausted women and kids sat huddled on tattered, moldy straw pads, each with food in front of them—bread or cold-soaked ramen bricks. Nearby stood an overflowing garbage bin.

Against the wall behind them were three industrial-sized water drums. In a piss-yellow gloom, a makeshift toilet was set up behind a threadbare sheet...

There were no beds or other furniture, just two small fans blowing. During the extreme heat, this place was cooler than aboveground, but the room still smelled sour and foul.

Upon seeing them, the people eating stared with blank but guarded expressions, instinctively shielding their food.

"Go ahead and eat... they won’t steal from you," Gao Xuyang, who had sat down in another corner away from the crowd, spoke up. Only then did the wary people relax and continue eating.

Huang Qian, the only woman on the team, took the initiative to ask about their situation:

There were 28 people in total—16 women, three of them pregnant, about five or six months along. They were so thin that their bellies bulged under clothes too small for them.

The other 12 were children—5 girls and 7 boys, all between 8 and 10 years old, their faces gaunt and sunken, like starving monkeys.

None of the women and children were family. Under these circumstances, they were locked up together to make them easier to control, ensuring no one would cause trouble for the sake of a child.

When they learned that Huang Qian and the others were from the official rescue team, their numb expressions slowly flickered with hope. Then, overwhelmed with emotion, their eyes reddened, and they set down their food, embracing each other and crying with relief...

Listening to the muffled sobs, everyone’s hearts ached. After a while, Jiang Nian noticed the count was off and asked,

"Weren’t there supposed to be 30 ordinary survivors? Where are the other two?"

Just as he wondered if the missing two might be Second Brother Qi’s wife and child, a pregnant woman wiped her tears and was the first to speak:

"Mr. Gao said Second Brother Qi and his men wouldn’t be coming back... so we killed his wife and son, cut off their heads, and tossed them in with the zombies."

Another petite, frail woman added,

"Second Brother Qi and his gang were monsters. His wife and son profited from it and even encouraged them, treating us like animals. They deserved it."

"..."

Others chimed in, listing the heinous crimes committed by Second Brother Qi’s group, their voices thick with hatred and undisguised loathing.

Even the children, their still-childish faces, wore expressions of disgust and resentment.

The killing of Second Brother Qi’s wife and son was a group effort—everyone took part, including the children. There was no reason beyond pure hatred for Second Brother Qi.

Second Brother Qi and his men had killed their loved ones, relatives, or friends, locking them up here as bait to use however they wanted.

To stop the women’s periods, they were forced to take drugs and injections.

The children, aside from being used as bait, also became food for that pair of cannibals.

The three pregnant women had been specially kept—their unborn babies had already been promised to that sick couple as a "treat."

Originally, there had been more people locked up here. Some were eaten; others killed themselves to escape the shame.

Those who chose to live on in disgrace, including the children who had no choice, all held onto the hope of one day getting revenge or seeing Second Brother Qi meet a gruesome end!

So when Gao Xuyang evolved and started hunting other Superpowered individuals, they were overjoyed.

So what if Second Brother Qi fed them?

He and his men deserved to die!

And so, when Gao Xuyang confirmed that Second Brother Qi and those who had tormented them would never return, they broke into the room where his wife and son were kept and killed them. From start to finish, Gao Xuyang never stopped them.

The food they had now was taken from the warehouse of Second Brother Qi’s gang, with Gao Xuyang’s help. The warehouse still held plenty more.