"Not long after we parted ways, I used Miss Ning's method of absorbing crystal cores and successfully advanced." Song Tiantian recounted the years that had passed. "The people in Fang Cheng's squad — none of them believed it. As for Gu Dongling, he came looking for trouble a few times. I beat him for it. A while back, I don't know what got into his head — he actually tried to rob my food. I broke his leg."
"At first, I genuinely thought something was wrong with his intelligence," Song Tiantian said quietly. "Then I figured out, almost by accident, that the whole point of what he was doing was to goad Fang Cheng and the others into coming after me — ideally so we'd tear each other apart. That man's mind works in truly vicious ways. What he didn't account for was that Fang Cheng and the rest of them weren't about to risk their necks over one Gu Dongling."
"I was going to kill him, actually. Fang Cheng and the others begged me not to, so I let it go — broke one leg and called it even." Song Tiantian's face was bright with a satisfied smile. "I wanted Gu Dongling to understand what it felt like — the pain I went through back then. And I wanted him to see clearly that Fang Cheng, Pei Wenqing, Lei Zhe — whatever their relationship with him might be — when it comes down to their own lives, Gu Dongling doesn't count for much. In this world, where does all this talk of genuine feeling come from?"
She let that hang in the air, then slid a sidelong glance toward Han Xiaojiao and Ning Xin, her expression turning a little warm. "Of course — between Miss Ning and Xiaojiao, it's definitely the real thing."
These past years, she'd watched the apocalypse with cold, clear eyes. The endless fighting, even instances of cannibalism, couples tearing each other bloody over a single loaf of bread, family members killing one another for food, for survival. The cold, dark, brutal side of human nature had come fully unraveled, and there was no putting it back.
Many times, she'd nearly let herself sink into it too — nearly become one of those people who lived only to survive, who treated human life as worthless, who killed without hesitation and felt nothing. In those moments, her mind would drift, unbidden, to the image of Ning Xin walking hand in hand with Han Xiaojiao.
Back then, Xiaojiao had moved slowly, stiffly, couldn't speak — pale skin, cloudy grey eyes, honestly a little frightening to look at. And that woman named Ning Xin had been so patient with her. Brushing Xiaojiao's hair, doing her makeup, making sure she had a clean, pretty flowered dress to change into every single day. Ning Xin would stand outside the door and wait — often for a full hour.
Ning Xin was a living, breathing person, and a powerful one. She could have gone further, risen higher, carved out something remarkable in this world, earned the devotion of countless people. Instead, she chose to give all of that up, to simply stay by Han Xiaojiao's side.
Every time Song Tiantian thought of that love — between a person and a zombie — something in her half-frozen heart would warm. That sweetness softened the hard edges the apocalypse had carved into her, kept her from losing herself entirely.
"After that, I gathered many women who thought the way I did. None of them wanted to be told what to do anymore."
"And then I came across a very unusual body-cultivation technique. Even the women who hadn't awakened abilities could train with it. They were never easy prey again."
Song Tiantian's face was radiant as she said all this. She took Xiaojiao's hand in both of hers. "I found my purpose, and I have the strength to see it through."
"The fall of C City didn't affect us much, in the end. My space ability keeps growing — everything important is stored inside it. I've heard that the base here is close to developing a cure for the zombie virus. But the real threat now isn't the zombie virus anymore. It's the mutated plants and animals — they're far more dangerous than any zombie."
She paused, her expression shifting with a flicker of worry. "Xiaojiao — would that anti-zombie drug hurt you?"
The moment the words were out, she thought of Ning Xin sitting right there and decided the question was probably unnecessary. With Miss Ning around, Xiaojiao would always be looked after.
"It won't," Xiaojiao said simply. The truth was that zombies who had drunk from the spring water were beyond what any such compound could touch.
"I have... a place to stay," she added.
Then Xiaojiao and Ning Xin announced that she wanted to take Song Tiantian on a tour of the castle. Ning Xin said, "Shall we head there now, then?"
A castle? Song Tiantian blinked, genuinely surprised. A zombie castle? Surely Miss Ning hadn't built it for Xiaojiao? She pressed her hand over her mouth to hide her delight. If she had — wasn't that just locking away your treasure in a castle? This love story of theirs really was as wonderful as it had ever been.
When Song Tiantian finally saw it — the magnificent, gleaming, utterly breathtaking castle — she nearly cried out in shock. It was like something out of a dream. In the middle of the apocalypse, a castle this beautiful and this intact?
Miss Ning really did love Xiaojiao to the depths of her soul, didn't she?
Song Tiantian was a little envious. In that moment, she felt distinctly like someone who'd bitten into a lemon — sour right through to her core.
"This is... mine," Xiaojiao announced with magnificent pride, "and Ning Xin's." She looped her arm through Ning Xin's as she said it — a quiet declaration: the castle and Ning Xin both belonged to her, and no one was taking either.
Seeing the undisguised longing on Song Tiantian's face, Xiaojiao walked over and patted her on the shoulder. "You," she said gently, "will have too."
Song Tiantian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How could there possibly be a second person like Miss Ning in this world? And even if there were, that was no guarantee of being found by one. Love was the kind of thing you couldn't go looking for. Some people went their whole lives without finding it, without knowing what it felt like — and some were deceived by pale imitations that wore its face.
She was standing there, head bowed, turning all of this over in her mind — and so she didn't notice the man in the cap who had been quietly following behind her this whole time. Something passed through his eyes, brief and deep, before his gaze settled back on her. He looked the same as always — still, unhurried, as if nothing in the world had ever touched him.
Xiaojiao led Song Tiantian on a proud tour of the castle. Song Tiantian quickly saw that the place was genuinely good — zombies living in the castle itself, ordinary people in the charming little villas outside. As they passed through the grounds, the residents were busy tending their vegetable gardens, faces soft with easy smiles. You could see it clearly: these people were living well, and happily.
The Zombie Castle truly was, by any fair measure, a paradise at the end of the world.
Later, Xiaojiao asked if she'd like to stay.
In the beginning, Song Tiantian might have said yes. But she looked back at the women standing behind her, and slowly shook her head. "It's a wonderful place. But it isn't our world." She squeezed Xiaojiao's hand. "I'm grateful, truly. But we've all been fighting our own battles out there, carving out our own lives — we didn't come to a paradise to rest."
"We have strength now. We want to do something with it, out in the world. And I think..." Song Tiantian's voice dropped, quiet and certain, "if I don't stand up, there won't be many years before the women of this world face a different kind of apocalypse. One that has nothing to do with zombies."
She hadn't been able to do anything about it before.
Now she could. How could she look away?
She had earned everything she had by refusing to be broken. Maybe that was why — because heaven saw her fighting back, saw she wouldn't accept it — she'd been given her ability, and then that cultivation technique. To have all of that and settle into comfort and ease would be a betrayal of whatever had been entrusted to her.
Xiaojiao nodded, pulled Song Tiantian into a hug, then stepped back and gave her a firm thumbs-up. "Wonderful."
Then Xiaojiao's gaze drifted to the quiet man who'd been watching Song Tiantian all this time. She looked at him for a long moment.
"Zombie... King," she said.
The man lifted his head, faintly surprised. His eyes — which had been slowly, almost imperceptibly inching toward something human — fixed on Xiaojiao. He knew she was a zombie; her behavior made it obvious. What puzzled him was that he couldn't reach her through the instinctive connection zombies shared. There was something else, too — a faint pull, as though she could draw him forward if she chose. Not that it would amount to much, given his awareness and strength. He could resist it. Still, if it came to a fight between them, he genuinely didn't know who would win.
"His name is Yin Ke," Song Tiantian said. "My partner, for now. He is a zombie — we knew each other before all this, grew up in the same area. Once, we wandered into a zombie nest by accident and got ambushed. If he hadn't stepped in, we would have lost much more." She'd felt comfortable introducing him here, of all places. In the Zombie Castle, neither Ning Xin nor anyone else was going to look twice at what Yin Ke was.
Since that day, he had simply stayed close to her.
"Yin Ke," Song Tiantian said, turning to him, "this is the Zombie Castle. Someday, humans will wipe out every zombie without awareness. After that, there won't be many places left in this world for your kind." She'd had the thought the moment she first heard the words Zombie Castle. "If you're willing, you could stay here." A Zombie King should be free. He didn't have to spend his days trailing after her, living among humans. That wasn't the life a Zombie King was meant for — and humans, no matter how evolved he became, no matter whether he attacked anyone, would never truly accept what he was.
Yin Ke barely paused to consider it. He shook his head, quiet and unhurried.
From the day he first met Song Tiantian, he had already decided: he would protect her until the last breath left his body, or until the day she no longer needed him. He didn't need to be accepted anywhere. As long as Song Tiantian didn't send him away, that was enough. They had been neighbors once, and from the beginning he had quietly loved her — but she already had someone she cared for, so he had kept his feelings to himself, without hope or expectation. Even now, after everything, he hadn't thought of wanting anything in return. He had grown used to protecting her in silence, and that was sufficient.
"You really won't stay?" Song Tiantian still looked a little regretful. "Miss Ning told me zombies can evolve. You're already a Zombie King — when you evolve further, into a Zombie Emperor, you'll be able to look fully human again. This place really would suit you, Yin Ke."
He shook his head again. This time, he spoke.
"I said I would protect you."
Song Tiantian gave a small, helpless sigh. "I can protect myself."
"I said it." His voice was immovable. "I made a vow. Can't break a vow — lightning will strike me down."
Song Tiantian stared at him.
Since when did breaking a vow get zombies struck by lightning?
Not far away, Xiaojiao was watching the two of them, her head tilted, leaning lightly against Ning Xin. Then she broke into a soft laugh.
She was probably right, wasn't she? This Zombie King — he was clearly very fond of Tiantian, and protecting her was just the only way he knew how to say so. Though he really wasn't very good at it. Couldn't coax, couldn't flatter, couldn't manage a single honeyed word. For a zombie who'd evolved this far, that was quite a failure. You couldn't court someone with a voice that stiff, could you?
Then Xiaojiao thought about it — she hadn't exactly said many sweet things to Ning Xin either. She stole a glance sideways. Maybe she should try, sometime? Ning Xin had always been the one doing the looking-after. And Xiaojiao had just turned down her marriage proposal again. Was Ning Xin sad about that?
The thought made Xiaojiao's heart clench with sudden anxiety. She'd been so focused on wanting to be perfect that she hadn't thought much about what Ning Xin might be feeling. She pressed her lips together, brow furrowed, face very serious.
Ning Xin noticed. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.
"Ning Xin." Xiaojiao took her hand. She said it slowly, carefully, each word deliberate. "I... like you. Really. Very... much."
She wasn't putting off the wedding on purpose. It was only that she wasn't perfect yet — that ugly gap in her neck was still there.
"I know," Ning Xin said. "What are you worrying yourself over now?"
When Xiaojiao had first learned to speak, Ning Xin had come home one day to find her practicing alone, over and over — Ning Xin, I like you, Ning Xin, I like you. She'd heard it many times. But Xiaojiao had never said it to her face before, and Ning Xin had quietly suspected why: Xiaojiao wasn't ready. Her sentences were still halting, and she hated things being imperfect. How could she confess under conditions like that?
As for why she was saying it now — something must have shifted in her thoughts. Ning Xin could already feel the anxiety underneath.
Xiaojiao was thoroughly flustered. "You—" How did you already know? She'd never said it out loud before. No grand moment, no surprise. The confession she'd been saving had amounted to absolutely nothing. What was the point?
She stared at Ning Xin. That's it?
She really should have waited until she could speak more smoothly. She'd finally said something important, and this was the reaction she got. It was maddening.
She snuck another glance. She had confessed. Didn't that deserve some kind of response?
Ning Xin gave a low, warm laugh. She leaned close to Xiaojiao's ear and murmured, "I know, Xiaojiao. I like you too, you know."
The words slipped in like a breath of warm air. Xiaojiao felt something blaze through her — her body was still cold as death, had always been cold, but in that moment it felt like her blood was boiling, like her heart was pounding wildly. She pressed her hand to her chest. Nothing. Her heart wasn't beating. She felt for her pulse at her wrist. Nothing there either. Same as always.
She let her hand fall. She breathed in Ning Xin's scent, and the feeling came rushing back — that inexplicable certainty that she was just a normal person, with a beating heart and a racing pulse and blood warm enough to burn.
Song Tiantian watched the two of them from a careful distance, not wanting to interrupt. This was what she loved to see. Xiaojiao and Miss Ning's love was a thing that made people happy. Every time she witnessed it, it warmed something in her chest that had gone a little cold.
Yin Ke noticed Song Tiantian's dazed, rapturous expression and found himself genuinely baffled. She looked exactly like someone watching two beloved idols fall in love.
Song Tiantian stayed at the castle for three days. Xiaojiao fed her and her entire group from the vegetables the castle residents had grown — fresh, clean, green things that no one had tasted in a very long time. Every one of them was overjoyed.
Everywhere they'd traveled through, the tree branches, the weeds, the roots had all long since been stripped bare and eaten. It was only after the plants and animals began to mutate that the mountains became too dangerous to forage — before that, people would have flooded into the hills to survive. Some had tried, early on, and been seized and drained dry by mutated vines the moment they stepped inside the treeline. After that, no one dared venture into unfamiliar wilderness.
Before she left, Song Tiantian pulled Xiaojiao aside and whispered: why wasn't she married to Ning Xin yet?
Xiaojiao ducked her head in embarrassment and pointed at the gap in her neck. Then she picked up a pen and wrote on paper: The way I look right now is ugly.
"Miss Ning won't care about that," Song Tiantian said. "I think you two could get married right now. You're going to finish evolving sooner or later."
Xiaojiao kept her head down, pen scratching steadily: I know Ning Xin doesn't mind. But I still want to wait until I'm perfect — I want our wedding to be perfect. I know she won't think I'm ugly. But I want to be more complete. My body is cold, so different from a human's. I'd be cold to the touch for her.
Song Tiantian failed entirely at talking her into it. "Then hurry up and evolve, Xiaojiao." She watched her trace a finger over the gap in her neck, and suddenly understood something she hadn't before. A woman adorns herself for the one she loves. Xiaojiao wanted to be perfect because she loved Miss Ning that much. Song Tiantian took her hands. "I believe in you. And when the wedding happens — you have to invite me."
"Mm." Xiaojiao held her gaze warmly, then offered her own encouragement in return: "Dreams... come true." She paused, then added, "Yin... Yin Ke. He's... good."
Song Tiantian didn't quite catch the thread of that last part, assuming Xiaojiao was simply paying the zombie a passing compliment.
She gathered up Xiaojiao's gifts, rounded up her women, and left.
The day after Song Tiantian's group departed, Xiaojiao dragged Ning Xin out again to collect more people and zombies.
Three months passed. They brought back quite a few. Then Han Wu sent word: stay inside. The base has completed its anti-zombie compound. They're going to disperse it via rainfall, diluted and distributed across the land. Any zombie that comes into contact with it will die.
Any creature infected with the zombie virus would be eliminated.
That day, Xiaojiao sat at the top of the castle. Ning Xin sat beside her. They looked out toward the horizon, where dark clouds had gathered and the sky was heaving with wind — and neither of them said a word.
After a long time, the rain began to fall in the distance. Not ordinary rain. This rain carried the cure — and the end.
The mindless zombies out there, the ones that bit and tore without thought — they were her kind. They had once been human, too. Xiaojiao was sad, in spite of everything. She pressed her face into Ning Xin's shoulder, arms wrapping around her.
Was this it, then? After today, only the castle's zombies would remain?
"The zombies here will outlive any human," Ning Xin said quietly. "With you here, they won't hurt anyone — and no one will come to destroy them. This is your kingdom, Xiaojiao. You decide what happens here."
Xiaojiao tucked her head closer against Ning Xin's shoulder.
Only Ning Xin would know the right thing to say. Every time, without fail — following her lead, no matter how unreasonable, never once turning her back.
She must have been a very good person in a past life.
Remarkably good. There was no other explanation for how she'd ended up with someone like Ning Xin.
Wherever the medicated rain fell, the zombies disappeared. And in the years that followed, further compounds were developed to eliminate other infected species — until the creatures that had once been twisted by the zombie virus faced nothing but death when they encountered a human.
Against the fully mutated plants and animals, though, humanity still had no answer. Like the ability users themselves, that transformation was something the world had given to them — a mysterious, innate power that no amount of research could reverse in any short span of time.
Without zombies. Without those terrible infected creatures. The apocalypse was still dangerous — but humanity's living space was slowly, steadily expanding. The structures of order and governance were rebuilding themselves. Different from before, though: this time, every seat of power was held by an ability user, whoever controlled the most strength and resources.
Several years on, no one called it the apocalypse anymore. The better name was the Age of Ability Users — and "ability users" no longer meant humans alone. The other creatures, the plants, the beasts that had been transformed — they were all part of it now.
Every other evolved creature and plant was humanity's enemy.
A new profession was born in this age: the Hunter, whose purpose was to track and eliminate other ability-enhanced animals and flora.
The world was carved up and held by those with power. The Han family stood at the top — not because they had always been the strongest, but because a woman named Song Tiantian had appeared seemingly from nowhere, grown into something extraordinary, and chosen, with complete conviction, to stand at the Han family's side.
The sight of it, at the time, had been something no one could have predicted — a dozen-odd trucks filled with nothing but devastatingly capable women. A genuine army in every sense of the word.
Song Tiantian's reasons for backing the Han family were simple. First: Xiaojiao. Better to work with the Han family than with anyone else. Second: after meeting them, she decided they were worth it.
Her one condition — both for the Han family and for anyone else in the new order — was this: when the apocalypse ends, women cannot be reduced to breeding tools. Women deserve equal standing, the same as anyone else.
And beyond that, she wanted custody — if they were willing — of every woman who had survived the apocalypse.
The condition met fierce opposition, as expected. Everyone knew the numbers: women were far fewer after years of attrition, and the whole plan for restoring the population rested on them having as many children as possible. If women were free to choose, the argument went, humanity itself might die out.
But when word of Song Tiantian's position spread, women came to her in waves. She turned no one away, and every woman who came trained in the body cultivation technique.
It didn't take long.
The women who had once been called weak were weak no longer. When a single arm could cripple a grown man, the question of forcing women to produce child after child answered itself.
Of course it could no longer happen.
The tide had turned. Song Tiantian changed the outcome that women were being dragged toward — and the cultivation technique, as it happened, could only be practiced by women. Countless people seethed over this, but there was nothing to be done.
To be clear, Song Tiantian had never tried to stop women from having children if they chose to. But the women who had survived the apocalypse, who had lived through so much that had been done to them without consent — even those who wanted families weren't going to give themselves to just anyone. Only for someone they truly loved would they consider it, and not a day sooner.
They had bought this freedom with their lives. They intended to keep it.
Humanity faced its gravest crisis yet. There were those who whispered that this might be the end.
Song Tiantian watched the panic and felt not a single pang of doubt. Even if humanity died out altogether, she was not going to let women be forced into becoming vessels. That had been her conviction from the beginning. She had never wavered.
Over the years, many came to negotiate with her. They left by being thrown out — usually after an educational encounter with one of her women and their iron-hard arms.
"What do we do? Song Tiantian won't budge. And even if she did, these women have found their wings — who's going to make them give birth?"
"Try talking to her again."
Song Tiantian arrived as requested, listened to their speeches about humanity's extinction, and smiled pleasantly. "You know," she said, "you might want to rethink your approach. Why does it have to be women? If you want children so badly — why not figure out how to carry them yourselves?"
She had heard from Han Wu, too, that someone had actually developed a compound designed to produce three to five children per pregnancy, and had been quietly planning to give it to women who agreed to have children.
It had already been used.
One woman hadn't known her husband had given it to her. She only realized something was wrong when her stomach kept growing and wouldn't stop. When she finally got checked — five.