I am the Zombie King of the Apocalyptic World
Chapter 960 - 956: Not about Loyalty

Chapter 960: Chapter 956: Not about Loyalty

"I witnessed the scene, and I found that neither of the two explanations you mentioned, President, applies. Perhaps our first reaction is that the zombies at the City Center have been controlled by other high-level zombies, but at the scene, I found no leading source, which suggests that other high-level zombies are not controlling the zombies in that area. Then there’s your first explanation, that these zombies are just the most common kind we see, not some special kind of zombies."

When Xu Haishui said this, Tang Ye felt even more perplexed. The zombies had suddenly gathered, breaking through from the restricted area they were confined in, and all moved to the position of the City Center. Moreover, they had suddenly gained a fair amount of intelligence, knowing how to avoid human traps and how to act for greater gains. Tang Ye would never believe this was without the control of other zombies.

The two fell silent for a while when a knock on the door was heard. They both turned their heads to see Hatred standing at the door, knocking with his knuckles and drawing the attention of both himself and Xu Haishui, the zombies.

"You two..."

"Central City, you should know by now, right? What are you here for?" Tang Ye asked Hatred, seemingly aware of the reason for Hatred’s visit, though he also felt it seemingly had nothing to do with him.

"I know all about it, but I feel that there’s something..." Hatred began to speak but then hesitated, a look of indecision in his eyes that Tang Ye failed to notice.

It seemed Hatred knew something but was unable for some reason to directly reveal it to Tang Ye. As he studied Tang Ye’s face, several snippets of conversations from the past few days flitted through his mind.

"Are you sure he’s your brother?"

"..."

"Does your silence mean you’re not sure?"

"No, I can only hope that where I am now is all a dream. I don’t want to face reality, even though I know he’s not the real Li Henian. But I don’t want to confirm he’s not. At least, his being alive gives me the strength to survive."

"You’re deceiving yourself. He’s not Li Henian. In the United District, I was the first to meet him and the one who knew him the longest. Though I can’t remember his name, I know he’s not the person you’re speaking of."

"I know, stop talking, shut your mouth! Chen Chaoyang, don’t forget who gave you everything. I can take it all away at any time! Usually, you can mock me as a weak woman with tied hands, and I won’t blame you. But on this matter, you’d better keep your disgusting, foul-mouth shut!"

"I don’t think I said anything out of line."

"But I detest discussing this issue with your mouth."

"Is that so?"

"Enough, in a few days I’ll leave this place to take care of some affairs. I need to consider some things and prepare. I’m sure your intelligence will quickly realize if anything strange happens during this time, it will be my doing. But I hope you can keep this secret for me. Consider the abilities you possess. You want to be the next Zombie King but you’re not a zombie, and you don’t have the ability to ensure you’ll stay yourself after becoming one."

"No matter what you say, my words remain the same. You can do whatever you want, but if it endangers the Peace Party, I will be the first to kill you!"

"Heh, someone like you understands loyalty?"

"This isn’t about loyalty. I’m simply fulfilling my promise. If Li Henian breaks our agreement, I’ll kill him too!"

"Enough, I don’t want to hear it. I won’t harm the Peace Party; I’ll only cause the Peace Party to lose its privileges in the wasteland."

"What are you planning?"

"Do I need to tell you?"

"I guess not."

Regarding what that woman had said to him that day, Hatred had never understood it until now when he learned that the zombies from the northern part of the city started migrating towards the City Center and began attacking members of the Peace Party. He realized that very likely Tang Ye didn’t even know the reason for this; he was even unable to control that group of zombies anymore.

Originally, he had come to tell Tang Ye the truth, but upon truly facing him, Hatred hesitated once again.

"What did you say?" Even though Hatred had not finished his words, Tang Ye keenly sensed that Hatred had something to say.

"I think we should first go there and check things out." After some thought, Hatred finally stammered out his statement.

Disappointment was unmistakable in Tang Ye’s eyes, but he still said, "Indeed, Old Xu, you’ll come with me to the City Center of Longyang to take a look. I’m curious to see what kind of evil is playing tricks."

"Mhm, okay."

Xu Haishui did not object and nodded, then they both went their separate ways to prepare their things.

The winter snow continued to fall, although much weaker than before, suggesting a slight warming trend. Winter nights always came quickly; by merely six o’clock, the sky was completely dark. Aid vehicles from the south, carrying pot after pot of cooked porridge, ferried supplies from the Central United District to the outside world. And up ahead, ravenous survivors who had been waiting for some time swarmed toward the aid vehicles as they approached, despite the soldiers guarding them with loaded guns. The soldiers had grown accustomed to this sight – initially, they tried to hold back these survivors, but soon realized that the survivors were still afraid of their weapons and dared not brazenly rob the aid vehicles. They crowded around mainly to get food faster and because the hot steam rising from the large pots of porridge provided welcome warmth in the winter.

Many people even placed their heads over the vents where the steam billowed, relishing the hot, rice-scented air that hit their faces.

After returning from the Chenyang-169 Base, Tang Ye saw the people’s warming devices in that human survivor base. So, in order to be able to grow food during winter, he ordered the military science department to produce warming devices with the same effect. The warming devices were made, but the attempt to grow crops in winter was futile given the heavy snowfall; they would be buried before the snow could be melted. Thus, domes had to be installed over the crops in the agricultural areas.

However, this was a huge project and to be completed perfectly would take a considerable time. Therefore, considering the large number of people suffering from the cold in winter, the engineering team decided to prioritize the installation of warming lights. Yet, where there are people, there is contention. Though those suffering in the cold were the lowest residents of the United District, even among them, there was a hierarchy of strength. So, most of those huddled beneath the warming lights, hoping for some heat, were considered strong figures.