I am the Zombie King of the Apocalyptic World
Chapter 1538 - 1533: Take Me to Her Side

Chapter 1538: Chapter 1533: Take Me to Her Side

Lu Xiaojie’s sudden change in her eyes seemed to be anticipated by Tang Ye. He expressed no surprise, just nodded slightly, then stepped out the door into the corridor. This residential building was even more dilapidated than the Camberlite structure where Tang Ye had previously resided. A sizable chunk of the building had crumbled away on one side. As he turned his head to the right in the hallway, through the broken gap, he could see the scenery outside: the crisscrossed streets and clusters of buildings that no longer retained their original colors.

Tang Ye could imagine that on a certain day in a certain year, a massive fire swept through the entire city, self-proclaimed soldiers of justice spread their brutality across this land, countless evil guardians were slain by their swords, their blood dried up by the raging flames, merging with the dead bodies into the soil. Singers conveyed the scene in lingering, melodious tunes, satirizing the so-called brave deeds of these just invaders. In the second after the music ceased, they fell to the ground, shot, and the songs were recorded for eternity, painting everything on this land in black, like a silhouette, yet also its actual color.

He stood at the breach, staring into the distance with a vacant gaze. Before him, the sun teetered on the brink of setting, and a sudden breeze rendered his silhouette somewhat despondent.

"Lin Jie, oh Lin Jie, is this what you wanted to tell me? What exactly am I anticipating?"

In Lin Jie’s story, he had always looked forward to meeting Liang Qingbai. It was supposed to be an exciting encounter, full of beautiful images that he dreamt of passionately, striving incessantly for it, pinning all his hopes on that day’s reunion. But the outcome shattered everything for him.

He also reminded himself that as long as one is normal, one will not remain unchanged forever. Never underestimate the power of environmental change—it can utterly transform someone you thought you knew into a total stranger. Lin Jie believed the person he anticipated meeting would share his enthusiasm, but unbeknownst to him, that person had already regarded him as just a passerby, parting ways immediately after.

That farewell was merely an adult’s tactful way of saying ’there will be no future meeting’, yet the other took it seriously. The ending awaiting Lin Jie is what he must experience himself. His longed-for ’see you again’ is genuine, but will the other side anticipate the same? What is he really hoping for?

After all his beautiful illusions turned to dust, this became a contributing factor to Lin Jie becoming a homicidal maniac. If he, Tang Ye, were to replace the protagonist of that story, what kind of monster would he then become?

As Lu Xiaojie said, she too had thought about going outside, but what she feared was the aimless self that would exist out there. The most terrifying thing isn’t mediocrity; at least people can strive for something. Many reach a stage in life where they live not for themselves but for their family, for the dearest person to them.

Their direction is solely for their families, and for people like Lu Xiaojie and Lin Jie, perhaps what they fear most is losing direction in life, not knowing what to do. Only those who share such emptiness can truly empathize because of this; they hope for things beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

He touched his pocket, but then, realizing something, he shook his head helplessly. This habitual gesture was rare for him; it must be a habit common among smokers.

Turning around, Tang Ye returned to the house where Dairya’s family lived, and upon entering, he saw Lu Xiaojie squatting in the corner. Her condition had worsened significantly. Her eyes were pitch black, and as time went by, the darkness was no longer confined to her eyes but extended onto her face in black strands, spreading across Lu Xiaojie’s skin.

"How much time is left?" Tang Ye asked.

Lu Xiaojie fell silent for a while, and after more than ten seconds, she replied intermittently, "She... is coming..." Her voice had become hoarse by now, grating as fingernails on a chalkboard.

With neither haste nor delay, Tang Ye continued, "What should I do?"

"You promised me..."

"Alright, I promise you, I will definitely take you out."

"You must... must take me... to her side... thank you..."

She lifted her head, showing a grateful smile with a face that had become incredibly terrifying. Even though the smile was chilling, Tang Ye slightly raised a hand, in which flesh writhed and a blood-colored longsword materialized. He looked at the sword in his hand, shook his head with a wry smile.

This might be the only weapon in his possession.

"What you need to do is take back what belongs to you... kill everyone... no matter... who they are!"

Lu Xiaojie seemed to have screamed the last two words with all her strength. As her voice faded, her body vanished instantly, and in an instant, everything Tang Ye could see before him turned into endless darkness. Looking down, he found himself standing on flesh-colored ground, and when he looked up again, there was Dairya’s enormous head, half bearing Dairya’s face, the other half covered by dark keratinous plates like armor. That eye was pitch-black, possessing a demonic allure that could engulf one into the abyss!

And in front of Tang Ye stood Lu Xiaojie!

She tilted her head, expressionlessly gazing at him—this gesture, all too familiar to Tang Ye.

"Kill everyone, including you?"

Murmuring to himself, Tang Ye lunged forward, thrusting the longsword he held aloft without a moment’s hesitation towards Lu Xiaojie!

Facing this strike from Tang Ye, Lu Xiaojie made no attempt to dodge. Thus, the blade pierced through her head in the next second, without a sound!

"Break!"

With a loud shout, Tang Ye yanked the blade upward, splitting Lu Xiaojie’s head in two, revealing its contents—not the pliable and soft brain matter but a mass of black ash. As he pulled the blade up, an invisible breeze seemed to blow through, scattering the black ash into the surrounding darkness or disappearing altogether.

Simultaneously, the gigantic Dairya let out a shriek, its vast body starting to crumble, fissures appearing everywhere, including the ground where Tang Ye stood. The next second, the cracks widened, and the immense Dairya was torn into countless fragments!

These fragments, like torn paper, drifted about in the pitch-black sky, standing out starkly in the dark space. They did not fade away but slowly recombined from all around, and before Tang Ye’s eyes, they formed a city’s downtown streets!