In a frigid apocalypse, she fed her boyfriend until he became a zombie king.

3035

I awakened my wind elemental power, but it was all too late.

No, it's not too late.

I can do something else.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

3035

I killed the person guarding the purification crystal cores, took all twenty crystal cores and swallowed them, successfully advancing to Rank A.

They all deserve to die.

I am coming.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

3035

Great revenge.

The town's residents are still trapped inside the research institute; I need to get them out.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

3035

At some point, the research institute was surrounded by vines, and no one could get out.

Fortunately, the vines frequently brought in supplies, allowing everyone to survive for the time being.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Wenren Lei murmured, "So it was because Ling Li massacred the research institute that someone took advantage of the chaos to escape with the crystal cores, and only dared to trade them after traveling all the way to the Qinggang black market."

3035

I can feel the research institute moving slowly.

The vines kept extending, completely sealing the research institute in darkness, trapping everyone inside.

But food is still being brought in continuously.

-----

3035

I'm so hungry, so very hungry.

The researchers' bodies have all been used up.

But I'm so hungry.

The vine seemed to know what I needed; in addition to supplies, it sent in a corpse.

-----

3035

Not enough, not enough.

My appetite is getting bigger and bigger.

I'm so hungry, I'm going crazy.

My neighbor, Aunt Wang, told me to bite her, so that at least I could hold out until the vines bring in the corpse tomorrow.

I didn't want to do this, but she insisted.

I told myself I couldn't do that.

In the last second before I lost my mind, I told myself to take just one bite, just one bite.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

3035

Everyone has disappeared.

They've all... disappeared...

------

Wenren Lei turned to look at the clothes and broken bones in the corner: "Isn't everyone here?"

He flipped through a few pages, but there was nothing more to read, so he slowly closed the diary.

"Sigh, this is too tragic." Wenren Lei leaned back in her chair and shook her head gently.

"boom--"

A loud bang startled Wenren Lei, making her jump: "Holy crap!!"

Almost simultaneously, a dark figure burst through the door and flew in, crashing heavily onto the desk in front of Wenren Lei.

"Huh?" Wenren Lei raised her flashlight and shone it over.

A woman's face was less than ten centimeters away from him. Their eyes met, and Wenren Lei raised an eyebrow: "Hello, Ling Li?"

Ling Li suddenly leaned closer and sniffed hard: "Human flesh."

Wenren Lei laughed, kicked the table hard, and the chair beneath him slid backward at high speed, creating a screeching sound in the quiet room.

He said, "Can't you even speak properly? Who are you calling a doxxer?"

Ling Li, who was crouching on the table, suddenly lunged forward, screaming shrilly, "Let me eat!"

"You eat your grandpa's food."

Wenren Lei dodged away.

Fu Yan rushed in from outside, stood in front of Wenren Lei, and dragged his Tang sword straight at Ling Li.

Wenren Lei sneered: "You kicked her into this room."

While fighting, Fu Yan said, "Sorry, baby."

"Why don't you kick her in my face!" Wenren Lei flung out a water chain, binding Ling Li tightly.

"I'll be more careful next time." Fu Yan sheathed his sword and turned to look at Wenren Lei.

Ling Li writhed wildly on the ground, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Wenren Lei: "Let me eat!"

Wenren Lei walked over and half-squatted down, slowly saying, "Meow meow meow."

Ling Li's struggling movements suddenly stopped, and a glimmer of clarity returned to her eyes: "Guagua..."

But in just a moment, she lost her mind again, wriggling wildly toward Wenren Lei, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth onto the ground.

Wenren Lei stood up and took a step back: "Are the side effects of eating crystal cores that serious? I remember Huang Yijie's brother at least seemed normal."

Fu Yan said, "Most people aren't as badly affected as she is. She ate too many different kinds of crystal cores; she swallowed both the successfully purified ones and the defective ones."

Wenren Lei looked at him: "How did you know?"

Fu Yan raised his chin at Ling Li: "She told me. She's intermittently rational; she'll fight for a while, then talk for a while."

As he spoke, Fu Yan half-squatted down, pinched Ling Li's chin, and poured a tube of blue medicine into her mouth.

Wenren Lei asked curiously, "You're going to poison her?"

Fu Yan said, "No, I found this in the lab when I had some free time. It should be able to temporarily restore her sanity."

"Let's see the reaction." Wenren Lei took off her mask, leaned into Fu Yan's arms, and smelled his scent, trying to clear her nasal passages. "You still have time to find medicine."

Fu Yan embraced Wenren Lei, holding her tightly in his arms: "She's quite easy to talk to when she's rational."

"Okay..." Wenren Lei nestled into Fu Yan's arms and dozed off.

Fu Yan's other hand was hidden in his pocket, tightly gripping the medicine's formula.

He found this in the medicine cabinet while Ling Li was briefly conscious; the medicine's purpose was labeled: to temporarily suppress an out-of-control experimental subject.

If it works, he will take the formula back to District 11 and have Wenren Yu find someone to improve it, which might help the two brothers calm their extreme emotional fluctuations.

"You know Guagua..."

A weak female voice came from the ground.

Fu Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the medicine was effective.

Wenren Lei stepped out of Fu Yan's arms, looked down at Ling Li, raised his hand and activated his supernatural power, a stream of water gushed out from the ground, and lifted Ling Li to place her on the bed.

"Just bear with it. I don't know when you'll go crazy, so I won't untie you for now."

Ling Li nodded slowly, her gaze unfocused, and asked, "Is Guagua alright?"

Wenren Lei recalled the contents of the diary. Ling Li seemed unaware that these vines were sent by Guagua. From her perspective, Guagua was already dead.

"Guagua is nearby. He's merged with a zombie tree and is having a great time."

Ling Li was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with relief: "So it was Guagua delivering supplies to everyone."

She looked at the remains of the corpse in the corner: "It's a pity I let him down."

Wenren Lei didn't offer any words of comfort, after all, he wasn't one of the dead and didn't have that right.

"Just kill me," Ling Li said calmly. "I'll lose my mind again soon, and I don't want to live like this."

Wenren Lei raised his gun: "Fine, I'll help you."

Fu Yan raised his hand to stop her, then looked at Ling Li and asked, "We're investigating the upper-level research institute of this institute. Do you know anything about it?"

Ling Li shook her head: "I don't know. But I do know something about the Cataclysmic Research Institute. They research purification crystal cores in order to create a third force between humans and zombies, mediate between them, and ultimately gain control of both sides."

This aligns well with the zombie king's statement about "giving new life to the entire universe."

Ling Li continued, "They've already established a legion of Crystal Core Ability Users, but we don't know if their first battle will be against humans or zombies. That's all I know."

"Thanks." Afraid that she would forget, Wenren Lei quickly edited the information into a short message and sent it to Wenren Yu and Commander Liu respectively. Then she raised her gun to send Ling Li away.

"Wait a minute." The bloodlust within Ling Li began to stir. She gritted her teeth and maintained her composure. "Please, help me take the photo pocket watch around my neck to Guagua."

Wenren Lei raised her chin: "Brother Yan."