Chapter 60
The “stone man” collapsed to the ground, twitching. Five minutes later, it went still and vanished from the virtual world.
The system’s mechanical voice announced: Strength-defense zombie data has been recorded for the first time. Tiered models have not yet been updated. The system will automatically exit. Please select a new challenge target.
The scene shifted, and Ye Xuan returned to the zombie simulation interface.
The hybrid-type zombie option had changed to “updating.”
So Ye Xuan chose ordinary zombies for the challenge.
Last time, he had fought his way to the 200th zombie. This time, he continued from there.
With more experience, Ye Xuan did not struggle as much against that zombie as he had last time. He defeated it quickly and challenged his way up to the 250th zombie before getting stuck again.
Ye Xuan did not stubbornly force it. After failing once, he directly exited the virtual world and took off the equipment.
He glanced at his wristband. It was almost time for training to end. He could go to the hall and wait for Xia Chenxi.
When Ye Xuan arrived at the hall, he discovered that Xia Chenxi had gotten there before him.
“Why did your training end so early today?”
“Continuing would just be a waste of time. The system only recorded Nan Yunzhou’s lightning-type ability data. His other ability hasn’t been recorded.”
The base was deliberately hiding Nan Yunzhou’s other ability.
“Maybe he’ll use it in the challenge match on Sunday.” Xia Chenxi’s gaze darkened. Ye Xuan could not see through what he was thinking.
“Friendship first, competition second. Don’t fight him like it’s life or death.”
Xia Chenxi bent down and pinched Ye Xuan’s face. “Looks like you still don’t understand the challenge match rules.”
“The team challenge match starts in the form of an arena match. Both sides send one member onto the platform to fight. The winner holds the platform. If they defend it successfully, they stay. If they lose, someone else takes over, until the final arena champion is decided. Whichever team the champion belongs to wins. The winning side’s streak king can also receive an extra 500 virtual funds and 5 battle points.”
“The individual challenge match rules are even simpler. Two people fight in the virtual world. Whoever dies first loses.”
Xia Chenxi explained it clearly, and Ye Xuan understood right away.
He had nothing to say about the rules for individual challenge matches. It was nothing more than winner takes all.
But were the team challenge match rules not a little unreasonable? Their team was stronger than Team C to begin with, and they even had one more person than Team C. Team C basically had no chance of winning.
“Isn’t this a little unfair to Team C?”
Even if they won, he was afraid Team C would say their victory was dishonorable.
Xia Chenxi pinched Ye Xuan’s cheek again. Whether it was because his fingers were too strong or Ye Xuan’s skin was too tender, two faint red marks were left on Ye Xuan’s face, making him look as though he had been bullied.
Xia Chenxi’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he withdrew his hand.
“There is no absolute fairness in this world to begin with. If there really were absolute fairness, then when we go out on missions, shouldn’t the number of zombies we encounter be equal to our numbers? In reality, the zombies we face are three times or even several times our number.”
That was true. The old worldview no longer applied to life now.
Ye Xuan and Xia Chenxi walked together to Venue A.
Most of the people in Venue A had already left. Only a few scattered figures remained, including Guan Yu. On the surface, he seemed to be waiting for Xia Chenxi and the others, but in truth, he was waiting for Nan Yunzhou.
Guan Yu’s messy chicken-coop hair, for once, looked normal. Every strand of hair lay obediently against his head, without a single stray hair sticking up.
“Hurry up and let’s go. I’m hungry.”
Ye Xuan thought Guan Yu was simply exhausted after training.
Xia Chenxi only glanced at Guan Yu and did not expose his clumsy lie. They were merely each taking what they needed.
After leaving Venue A, they saw someone curled up beside the flower bed. With such a large build, who knew how he had managed to shrink himself into a ball.
Guan Yu passed Ye Xuan and Xia Chenxi, walked behind Nan Yunzhou, and patted his shoulder.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“Ants.”
Guan Yu followed Nan Yunzhou’s gaze. On the ground, a tiny line of ants was carrying bread.
The bread was bright in color and looked fresh. Nan Yunzhou had probably just broken it and placed it on the ground.
Guan Yu crouched beside him and looked at the sesame-sized black things. “What’s so interesting about ants?”
“I’ve never seen them before.”
He had grown this old and had never seen ants before. Was that possible?
Guan Yu thought Nan Yunzhou was joking with him.
Ye Xuan and Xia Chenxi walked up behind them. Ye Xuan thought they were looking at something rare and strange, but it turned out they were watching ants.
He was so absorbed even in watching ants.
Guan Yu kept sneaking glances at Nan Yunzhou from the corner of his eye. Since Nan Yunzhou had not said they should leave, he wanted to stay like this a little longer.
Unfortunately, Nan Yunzhou took the initiative to stand up, turned to Ye Xuan, and said, “Let’s go.”
When he saw Xia Chenxi standing beside Ye Xuan, Nan Yunzhou pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Along the way, Nan Yunzhou stuck close to Ye Xuan’s side, quiet in a way that felt abnormal.
“What’s wrong? You haven’t said a word today.”
Nan Yunzhou looked a little down. “I went on a mission today.”
Guan Yu quietly pricked up his ears.
Nan Yunzhou continued, “The mission failed.”
“Failed?” Ye Xuan stared at Nan Yunzhou in surprise. It was hard for him to believe that a special combat team member’s mission could fail.
Nan Yunzhou repeated, “It failed.”
There was pain and bewilderment on Nan Yunzhou’s face. Ye Xuan hesitated, wondering whether he should ask what had happened.
But Nan Yunzhou told him on his own.
“I had already saved that child and her mother. Then a zombie suddenly appeared. I couldn’t make it over in time. I watched that mother get bitten and turn into a zombie right in front of my eyes.”
Nan Yunzhou bit his lower lip, and drops of blood fell.
The atmosphere became heavy. In an era where zombies roamed everywhere, life and death were normal. As ability users, they understood this truth better than anyone.
Ye Xuan had thought Nan Yunzhou would be more able to accept the passing of a life than he was.
But now it seemed that was not the case. Nan Yunzhou’s heart was purer and softer than he had imagined.
“Life is too fragile.”
But it was also very tenacious. That was why he had crouched by the flower bed and watched the ants for so long.
Ye Xuan did not comfort Nan Yunzhou. All comforting words felt pale and powerless at this moment.
He wanted to pat Nan Yunzhou on the shoulder, but someone moved faster than him and placed a hand on Nan Yunzhou’s shoulder.
Guan Yu put an arm around Nan Yunzhou and pointed at the clouds in the sky.
“My grandma told me that every person who passes away has a soul that leaves the body and becomes a light, drifting cloud. They’ve gone to pursue their freedom.”
With his fiery red hair, Guan Yu smiled at Nan Yunzhou. “Pursuing freedom is a passionate and happy thing. We should be happy for her.”
Nan Yunzhou stopped walking and looked at the sky for a while. Then he suddenly pushed Guan Yu’s hand away and ran off.
“Nan Yunzhou!” Guan Yu shouted.
Nan Yunzhou did not look back. He disappeared from their sight.
Guan Yu looked to Ye Xuan for help. “Did I make him angry?”
Ye Xuan was also completely confused. He shook his head to show that he was powerless.
Guan Yu miserably clutched his head.
How had he messed things up again?
Reborn in the Apocalypse: I Decide to Cling to My Roommate’s Thigh
