CH 199

Villainous Zombie King (18)

Song Xu Yi found herself trapped in a void of emptiness.

Longing for her distant memories in the real world, Song Xu Yi remembered them once again after a long time.

She saw herself lying in a cold chamber, with the sound of icy machinery echoing through the compartment: “Do you have any other requests, Agent?”

Inside the chamber, Song Xu Yi pondered for a moment and whispered, “Will I find her? Will she remember our experiences in the small world?”

“You are the person with the highest compatibility with her,” the voice replied, still icy and devoid of certainty. “As for whether she remembers or not, that is beyond my authority.”

“Then…” Song Xu Yi contemplated inside the chamber. “Can a command be set so that I’m unable to fall in love in the small world?”

Strangely, Song Xu Yi discovered that she could empathize with the emotions of the Song Xu Yi within the chamber. The Song Xu Yi inside the chamber had feelings for the person she was looking for, but that person didn’t seem to reciprocate. Hence, Song Xu Yi wanted to set this command, fearing that she might involuntarily develop a relationship with that person in the small world. After all, love is something that cannot be concealed. But if that person didn’t like her, and they formed a bond in the small world, it would only bring more distress when returning to the real world.

“The operating system of this version cannot interfere with human emotions and will,” the voice paused. “But with the highest authority, I can have your companion system constantly remind you by incorporating ‘cannot fall in love’ into the guidelines…”

“Then, please do so.”

Song Xu Yi in the chamber seemed to have something else to say, but at that moment, urgent alert sounds came from outside. Startled, Song Xu Yi raised her voice, “Activate the settings, erase all traces.”

Just as Song Xu Yi’s voice faded away, accompanied by a burst of intense impact and a flash of red light, darkness enveloped her from all sides.

However, this darkness seemed different from the darkness she had experienced before. Her body felt incredibly stiff, as if she had suddenly been submerged in a suffocating swamp. The coldness seeped into every fiber of her being from all directions.

Song Xu Yi struggled with all her might against the overwhelming sensation of suffocation, and finally, at a certain moment, she broke free from its grasp and opened her eyes.

The piercing sunlight poured down, and as soon as Song Xu Yi opened her eyes, she couldn’t help but feel the urge to shed tears. She had to close her eyes once again.

It wasn’t until she felt that she had somewhat adjusted to the surroundings that Song Xu Yi cautiously opened her eyes, testing the environment.

Before her eyes was a fully equipped laboratory, and the sounds of zombie groans could be heard all around. Song Xu Yi glanced left and right, and her gaze fell upon Zhao Miaomiao, who was sleeping by the bedside.

How was she still alive? Wasn’t she already killed by Yu Song?

Song Xu Yi blinked and stretched her shoulders and neck. Perhaps due to sleeping for a long time, she felt much stiffer than usual, and her thoughts had a momentary sluggishness.

“Miaomiao?” Song Xu Yi softly called out, only to realize that her voice was unnaturally hoarse.

Almost as soon as Song Xu Yi spoke, Zhao Miaomiao opened her eyes. Upon meeting Song Xu Yi’s gaze, her eyes immediately filled with tears.

“Mom Xu Yi, you finally remember me! Waaah…” Zhao Miaomiao rushed into Song Xu Yi’s embrace like a firecracker, holding her tightly while tears streamed down her face. “You’ve been unconscious for almost a month…”

A month?

“I’m sorry,” Song Xu Yi gently patted Zhao Miaomiao’s small shoulder, comforting her in a soft voice. “I didn’t know I would be unconscious for so long. I made Miaomiao worry.”

However, Zhao Miaomiao shook her head. “Actually, it’s not me who was the most worried—”

As if remembering something, Zhao Miaomiao quickly turned and ran to the window, pushing it open and shouting, “Aunt Shuiyu, Mom Xu Yi has woken up!”

“Be careful,” Song Xu Yi watched Zhao Miaomiao’s actions and couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, knowing that Zhao Miaomiao was still young and might not be able to explain things clearly. As usual, Song Xu Yi turned to the system for answers. However, before the system had a chance to respond, there was a loud ‘thud’ near the window—the beautiful face of Ye Shuiyu had collided with the glass!

Song Xu Yi felt a pang of sympathy, but Ye Shuiyu herself seemed oblivious to any pain. Upon seeing the awakened Song Xu Yi, she paused for a moment, clearly taken aback, and then quickly pushed open the window and jumped inside.

Perhaps due to the backlighting, Song Xu Yi thought she saw a flicker of red light in Ye Shuiyu’s eyes at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, Ye Shuiyu’s eyes appeared completely normal, without any peculiarities compared to the past.

As Ye Shuiyu approached, Song Xu Yi belatedly realized a sense of fear: considering the days she had been unconscious, Ye Shuiyu had already regained the memories from her twenties. That meant she must have remembered the experiments she had conducted on her original self…

Unconsciously, Song Xu Yi recoiled slightly.

Ye Shuiyu’s eyes flickered, but she seemed to have not noticed Song Xu Yi’s recoil. She took a step forward and embraced Song Xu Yi, nuzzling against her neck affectionately. “Xu Yi, you’re awake!”

Song Xu Yi’s body trembled.

She didn’t know why, but in that instant of contact with Ye Shuiyu, her body suddenly felt a tingling sensation. In that moment, all her strength seemed to drain away, and she couldn’t summon any resistance against Ye Shuiyu, almost instinctively.

What concerned Song Xu Yi even more was Ye Shuiyu’s attitude. Why did Ye Shuiyu still care about her?

Her mind filled with confusion, Song Xu Yi asked the system, but the system couldn’t provide a clear answer. It only informed Song Xu Yi about the events that had transpired during her unconsciousness.

“After your throat was broken by Yu Song that day, Ye Shuiyu rushed in and took you away. She probably came for Yu Song, but Yu Song used the lives of those researchers as shields, and your condition was also very dangerous. So she didn’t kill Yu Song and took you away…”

“I could feel how dangerously low your life force was at that time,” the system’s voice became somewhat hesitant, as if considering its words carefully. “…Anyway, Ye Shuiyu went crazy trying to save you. She injected various types of drugs into your body, eventually bringing you back to consciousness.”

“During the time you were unconscious, Ye Shuiyu also became like a madwoman. She mobilized the zombies, almost as if she would annihilate the entire city if you didn’t wake up. Zhao Miaomiao was afraid to speak to her during this time…”

Song Xu Yi felt that the system’s words seemed to overlook something, but she couldn’t recall it at the moment. Instead, she focused on her own question. “Why is she still so good to me?”

The system’s voice became even more hesitant for a moment.

“Well…”

“Ah! I don’t know either. Why don’t you ask her yourself?” The system actually had a guess in its mind. If the villain is like a sharp and relentless sword, hurting herself without hesitation while piercing through this world, then every time Song Xu Yi encounters her, the villain becomes a softer scabbard, teaching her to coexist peacefully with the world.

Like attracts like, that’s how it goes.

But the system felt uneasy, unable to bluntly pierce through this layer of window paper, so it had to lie and claim ignorance.

Song Xu Yi didn’t inquire further either.

Being held by Ye Shuiyu like this, at first, it was fine. Song Xu Yi could understand Ye Shuiyu’s excitement. However, as Ye Shuiyu didn’t let go for a long time, Song Xu Yi felt her cheeks growing hotter and hotter.

“Shuiyu,” Song Xu Yi lightly poked Ye Shuiyu’s shoulder, watching Zhao Miaomiao playfully covering her eyes with all five fingers and moving towards the door, her face turning bright red. “Could you… let me go first?”

“No, I won’t let go,” Ye Shuiyu’s voice sounded somewhat stubborn. “I’m afraid that if I let go, you’ll run off and seek death again.”

This version of Ye Shuiyu was far from the ruthless and cold person Song Xu Yi had expected. Instead, she seemed no different from before…

A thought flashed through Song Xu Yi’s mind, and she couldn’t help but ask out loud ——

“Shuiyu, how old are you now?” Song Xu Yi asked with a quivering voice.

Ye Shuiyu blinked her eyes, and a fleeting eerie red glow passed through her gaze. However, her tone remained unchanged. “I’m seventeen. I’ve been seventeen for these past few days…”

As she spoke, there was a hint of amusement in her voice. “Xu Yi, do you think my true age is seventeen? But… somehow it doesn’t seem like it when you look at me.”

No wonder Ye Shuiyu saved her. It turned out she hadn’t remembered being used for experiments by the original body.

Song Xu Yi felt relieved, but upon hearing Ye Shuiyu’s subsequent words, she found herself in a dilemma, unsure of how to respond…

Ye Shuiyu couldn’t be seventeen years old.

Nine years ago, Song Xu Yi was fifteen, while Ye Shuiyu was eighteen. Therefore, the present Ye Shuiyu should be twenty-seven.

But if Song Xu Yi were to reveal her true age to Ye Shuiyu, it would indirectly confirm their connection from the past.

However, Song Xu Yi couldn’t bring herself to lie, no matter how hard she tried.

Observing Song Xu Yi’s struggle, the system let out a deep sigh internally. The system didn’t believe Ye Shuiyu’s claim of not regaining her memories. No matter what, when it came to matters of the heart, Song Xu Yi was particularly slow, unable to match up to the perspective of an onlooker like the system.

“Do you really believe she’s seventeen?” The system couldn’t help but speak up.

Song Xu Yi pondered for a moment and whispered her reply to the system, “If she has regained her memories and possesses such immense power, killing me would be as insignificant as squashing an ant. She wouldn’t need to deceive me…”

The system was taken aback, unwilling to expose the villain’s true intentions through the paper window. It could only emit a noncommittal sound and speak with a cryptic tone, “Perhaps she has ulterior motives?”

Song Xu Yi was about to refute the system, arguing that there was nothing the villain could gain from her. But before she could voice her thoughts, Ye Shuiyu playfully interjected, “It seems even Xu Yi doesn’t think I’m seventeen, huh?”

“Won’t Xu Yi find me childish?” Ye Shuiyu finally released her grasp on Song Xu Yi’s hand and gazed into her eyes with a radiant smile. “I will strive to become someone Xu Yi can rely on and lean on.”

“Of course not.” Although Song Xu Yi felt that Ye Shuiyu’s words were peculiar and didn’t sound like something a child would say, she was relieved that Ye Shuiyu didn’t press further about her opinion on her age.

“I’m really glad.” Upon hearing Song Xu Yi’s response, a deeper smile formed on Ye Shuiyu’s face. “Xu Yi, it seems like even the heavens have been helping me lately.”

She led Song Xu Yi to the window. Although Song Xu Yi had heard the roars of the zombies when she woke up, Ye Shuiyu obviously knew that Song Xu Yi wouldn’t approve of her controlling the zombies. The area below was now remarkably clean.

Song Xu Yi realized that she was in a hospital building on the outskirts of the city, providing a view of the research institute within the distant base.

“Xu Yi,” Ye Shuiyu turned her head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Song Xu Yi, “Were you the one collecting evidence of Yu Song’s human experiments and distributing flyers throughout the city?”

Song Xu Yi lowered her head. This was her contingency plan. She had anticipated the possibility of failure and had used crystals to bribe an air-elemental ability user, who spread the flyers throughout the city with their abilities.

“Xu Yi, you’re truly amazing,” Song Xu Yi didn’t know what had gotten into Ye Shuiyu. It seemed like she was stimulated by the fact that Song Xu Yi had nearly died, as she was especially fond of hugging. When she got excited, she hugged Song Xu Yi once again.

“After the flyers spread throughout the city, Yu Song was immediately investigated and it was discovered… that he had been conducting human experiments for a long time. It was further deduced that he might be the mastermind behind the zombie virus. Now everyone is condemning him. Recently, he was injected with a new virus he had developed by enraged individuals. He has turned into a half-human, half-monkey monster.”

“His wife’s family, who colluded with him, also suffered a major blow. They have all been sent to the lowest levels of the slums…” Ye Shuiyu’s voice contained a sense of satisfaction. “Those who were once high and mighty, abusing their power, have fallen to the bottom. For them, it’s indeed a punishment worse than death.”

“My dear Xu Yi, coming up with such a solution… you’re truly remarkable!”

“Is that so?” Song Xu Yi didn’t know why, but it seemed that ever since waking up this time, she had become particularly sensitive to Ye Shuiyu’s presence. Seeing Ye Shuiyu made her incredibly happy, and when she was embraced by her, she couldn’t muster any resistance. At this moment, feeling Ye Shuiyu’s cool breath swirling by her ear, and hearing her emphasize the words “my dear Xu Yi,” Song Xu Yi felt a tingling sensation throughout her body, her legs going weak. She struggled to maintain her composure and listened to Ye Shuiyu’s words until the end.

“I didn’t actually intend for it to turn out this way,” Song Xu Yi’s face reddened as she turned her gaze towards the window. “After all, Yu Song held significant power in the capital city. I didn’t expect to bring him down. I only wanted to plant a seed in some people’s hearts, so that when the time was right in the future, the truth would inevitably be revealed.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it either,” Ye Shuiyu’s lips curved slightly as she looked at Song Xu Yi’s blushing face and delicate earlobes, almost entranced. She resisted the surging desire within her to possess Song Xu Yi, striving to maintain a calm tone. “Perhaps it’s because humans aren’t entirely useless, they’re smarter and cuter than we imagine.”

While saying this, Ye Shuiyu deliberately omitted a few things:

For example, when the army of zombies pressed forward, Ye Shuiyu positioned a talking third-tier zombie puppet at the forefront, giving people the impression that the zombie army was controlled by a third-tier zombie. The third-tier zombie spoke human words: “Yu Song, you turned me into a bloodthirsty monster, you hypocritical pseudo-gentleman, the sinner of all humanity…” This caused a sensation throughout the city.

For example, the friend Song Xu Yi mentioned finding, Zhao Ningning, whose mother was killed by one of Yu Song’s subordinates with abilities. Zhao Ningning and her boyfriend, Li Sibai, have become the forefront of resistance against Yu Song and now hold high positions in the city base.

And then…

Ye Shuiyu lowered her head and looked at Song Xu Yi, gazing at her smooth and fair neck, crimson hues flickering in her eyes.

Ye Shuiyu recalled the sight of Song Xu Yi when they met in the research building: Sinister vines coiled around Song Xu Yi’s neck like a massive python, and Song Xu Yi tightly shut her eyes as the vines pulled, resembling a broken kite plummeting towards the ground.

In that instant, Ye Shuiyu felt an unprecedented panic and pain, as if a whip had lashed across her heart.

She was furious with Song Xu Yi when she arrived.

She believed that Song Xu Yi, having regained her memories of being eighteen, intentionally hid herself by Yu Song’s side, hoping to seek refuge from him.

But even though this woman, who had once hurt her and now betrayed her again, Ye Shuiyu found herself unable to harm her.

Initially, Ye Shuiyu thought it was due to Song Xu Yi’s ability, as healing abilities possessed a strong affinity, causing her to instinctively feel close to her. When she saw Song Xu Yi smile, she would want to smile along, and when she saw Song Xu Yi sad, she would feel immensely sorrowful. When she saw Song Xu Yi playing with Zhao Miaomiao, she would feel displeased in her heart…

But later, Ye Shuiyu discovered it wasn’t solely due to that: Returning to Yu Song’s side, Ye Shuiyu began gradually learning to use scheming, becoming selfish and deceitful. However, when she stayed by Song Xu Yi’s side, she felt just as comfortable and at ease as before.

What troubled Ye Shuiyu even more was that she discovered herself gradually becoming jealous of her daytime self…

It was at this moment that Ye Shuiyu realized she might actually have some feelings for Song Xu Yi that she shouldn’t have had in the first place, even breaking her own principles for her time and time again.

She had provoked herself.

In her anger and grievance, Ye Shuiyu even spent a whole night drafting a treaty: if Song Xu Yi was willing to treat her as she did before, taking her and Zhao Miaomiao wherever they planned, daily showering her with smiles, doing what adults should do at the right time, and proposing to her… then she would consider forgiving Song Xu Yi.

Ye Shuiyu deeply regretted drafting that treaty because it took some time to print, and when she went, Xu Yi was only clinging to a thread of life…

Ye Shuiyu never thought that Song Xu Yi’s intention in entering the research institute was to kill Yu Song.

At first, she was angry and heartbroken, angry that Song Xu Yi didn’t consult her and heartbroken for the pain Song Xu Yi endured. But as she gradually regained all her memories, merging her daytime and nighttime selves, Ye Shuiyu began to feel remorse. She regretted her self-proclaimed intelligence for not realizing Song Xu Yi’s intention to kill Yu Song in advance…

Fortunately, this seemingly cruel fate finally showed her a trace of mercy this time, perhaps because even fate couldn’t bear to see someone as wonderful as Xu Yi leave this world…

Despite the efforts it took and the fact that there might be things that Xu Yi couldn’t accept, she managed to survive.

What more could she hope for?

Even if she had to disguise herself as a seventeen-year-old, even if Xu Yi would forever remain unaware of her feelings and only see her as a companion, as long as Xu Yi remained alive and could treat her without reservation, she was willing to accept it wholeheartedly…

The author has something to say:

Oh, I’ve only managed to write a little over 5,000 words, combined with the additional 1,000+ words from yesterday, it barely counts as a Saturday release, right?

Facepalming, I won’t make random FLAGS anymore~