Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 159 Didn't you want to be a human being?
"Are you crazy?"

The leader of the group was a thin young man with dyed blond hair, who was also the only superhuman among them. He looked at Zhao Xuan with a gloomy expression.

Some people scoffed, "What, did that soldier drug you? It couldn't have been a pack of sanitary napkins that bribed you, could it?"

"You don't really think they'll save you? That they'll forgive what you did? Weren't you partly responsible for throwing those zombie crystals off the car? Didn't you kill those soldiers too?"

"You're an executioner too!"

These words made Zhao Xuan's face turn paler, and her breath caught in her throat: "I just..."

"But what? Even if they really want to save you, they might not have the ability." The man grinned, his smile sinister: "Once our plan succeeds, everyone here will become our slaves, and then... heh."

"I think that little female soldier who delivered your things is quite pretty. She looks stubborn and strong-willed, which is my type. When I get tired of her, I'll let her keep you company and be your good little sister. What do you think?"

These words elicited agreement and laughter from some, but also caused others to frown. Zhao Xuan's lips trembled as she stared wide-eyed at the man, unable to utter a word.

The man who had explained things to Zhao Xuan before she boarded the bus seemed very distressed. He said to Zhao Xuan, "Can't you see what happened to Commander Liu and the others? Even if you die, you can't escape its clutches!"

"On the contrary, if we can complete the task it gives us, then even if we die, we can still achieve that thorough and powerful evolution and become a member of the new human race!"

"Can't you see it clearly?!"

As he said this, his face showed an almost morbid fanaticism, while the man who pushed Zhao Xuan into the car said, "I've noticed you're a chatterbox. Why are you wasting so much time talking to her?"

"I noticed something was off about this little wench a long time ago. She's so fussy and indecisive. I might as well kill her now and then, so she won't cause any trouble and interfere with our operation."

"Of course, before killing them, it's not that we can't let the brothers have some fun."

As he said this, the man began to take a step forward. He licked his dry lips, looked Zhao Xuan up and down, and said with satisfaction, "Sister Xuan, you should actually be under thirty this year, right? You look quite young. I've been locked up by that guy for so long, and I haven't touched a woman in a long time. Sister Xuan, let me see if you're really that young?"

"When we've had our fun, we might consider giving you a quick death!"

Zhao Xuan was already pale. She never imagined that just saying one sentence would make the situation so bad. She staggered backward again, but bumped into a table with a thud—she had nowhere left to retreat.

However, at that moment, someone stood in front of Zhao Xuan.

The group froze, looking at the man before them with scrutinizing eyes—a young man, not very old, also from their group, but often silent and not very noticeable. No one expected him to stand up at this moment, and to stand on Zhao Xuan's side.

"Dude, what do you mean?"

The man didn't answer immediately, but turned around and glared at Zhao Xuan: "Idiot, stupid as hell, why aren't you running?"

Zhao Xuan was stunned for a moment, her mind went blank, and she quickly nodded and ran downstairs.

There were only six people in the team. The remaining four looked at each other but were not in a hurry to chase.

"You brat, if you care about her that much, you can just go first later. Why bother?"

"It's not impossible for you to play with it for a few more days later... Just keep it under control."

“I don’t care about her.” The young man shook his head. This made the remaining men’s expressions even darker. The leader, a blond-haired youth, asked coldly, “Oh, then what do you care about? It can’t be your conscience, can it?”

"Don't tell me that now you suddenly want to be a human again!"

Upon hearing this, the young man remained silent for a moment, then smiled with deep emotion.

"Yeah, after taking a look around here, I want to be human again."

"Pfft, that's hilarious. Now you're all tough, but where was this backbone you were in that air-raid shelter?"

"Hmm." The young man shrugged. "That line is quite fitting. I didn't have a choice before, but now I want to be a good person."

"A good person?" the blond-haired man sneered. "If I kill you now, I'll wait until that person pulls you up and tortures you again. Let's see if you regret it!"

The young man said indifferently, "We're already dead, so what happens next... doesn't matter."

"You think your death was worthwhile?" The blond youth, the only superhuman in the group, stepped forward: "This office building has twenty-six floors. How long will it take that woman to get downstairs? How long do you think you can stop us?"

“Neither of you are superhumans, where do you think she can run to? Even if we kill you, we can still bring her back.”

Emerging from the distribution center, they carried no guns. The blond-haired youth drew a bloodstained dagger from his waist and approached the young man, but the next moment, the young man frowned.

"Wait a minute, what are you holding in your hand?"

The young man's fist was clenched tightly, and a few drops of blood were seeping from between his fingers. Upon hearing this, he calmly raised his hand and gently lifted it. The moment he opened his hand, the expressions of the people who had just surrounded him changed drastically, and they all took a few steps back.

In his hand lay a crimson spiritual energy crystal derived from a zombie. The tip of the crystal had pierced his palm, and the crystal was stained with blood, radiating a bewitching and demonic glow.

"Are you crazy! Don't you want to be a human being?!"

The young man's eyelids were drooping uncontrollably, and bulging blood vessels were visible on the arm holding the crystal, while the flesh on his palm was gradually festering.

But a different expression finally appeared on his usually indifferent and calm face—a satisfied smile mixed with a hint of sarcasm.

"Of course, even if I become a zombie, I'll still look more like a human than you guys!"

"Now, I am dead."

"But at least I died as a human being!"

……

After a chaotic scene, one of the remaining four people was reduced to four.

Although they outnumbered each other, they didn't actually have guns, and the highest-ranking among them was only a first-level superhuman. They were extremely passive in the face of the mutated zombies that had been forcibly catalyzed. By the time they finally finished the battle and rushed out of the office building, Zhao Xuan was no longer there.

"Damn it, you're insane! Hurry up and move out of the way! That little wench can't run that fast right away. Let's make our move before those people can react!"

(End of this chapter)