Chapter 201: Unburdening the Heart
Ling Hanmu hugged Xia Chenge tightly again, as if trying to embed her into his bones.
Xia Chenge found it hard to breathe from his embrace, yet she remained still, letting him hold her.
The Zombie King, whom everyone in the apocalypse feared, was sensitive and insecure after regaining his consciousness.
He shouldn’t be blamed for the apocalypse!
He shouldn’t be the original sin behind humanity’s catastrophe.
The world’s destruction wasn’t his fault either.
“Xiao Mu, the culprit is that laboratory. You are innocent, and everyone who was used as an experimental subject is innocent. Don’t blame yourself, don’t hate yourself,” Xia Chenge closed her eyes and softly comforted Ling Hanmu.
These past two days, the torment he endured in his heart must have been no less than the pain he suffered during Ling Zhongwen’s experiments, right?
“I know, but I can’t forgive myself,” Ling Hanmu said, his voice trembling.
He couldn’t imagine how many innocent people indirectly died by his hand in an era where everyone was in constant danger.
How much fresh blood had his hands been stained with?
“None of this has happened yet, has it? Don’t trap yourself in a dead end. As long as we destroy the laboratory and eliminate the zombie virus, history will be rewritten, and the apocalypse won’t descend,” Xia Chenge patted him gently.
Ling Hanmu lowered his head, “Little Brother, can you truly accept someone like me?”
“I’m marrying you now, are you willing to marry me?” Xia Chenge looked up and met his gaze, asking back with utmost seriousness.
Ling Hanmu was stunned.
“See, you’re the one hesitating about whether to accept, not me,” Xia Chenge raised her hand to caress his face, tracing his handsome features. “During the apocalypse, I witnessed countless partings. To me, being alive is a gain, so why dwell on so much?”
“You’ve lived for several hundred years, how can you not see through this?”
“Xiao Mu, the problem lies in your heart. If you’re unwilling to accept yourself, you’ll never believe in others’ sincerity. Only by believing in yourself first can you trust others.”
“I trust you unconditionally and never doubt your feelings for me. If our identities were swapped today, I would still tie you to my side without hesitation. Meeting is already difficult, and loving each other is even rarer.”
“Ling Hanmu, I love you.”
Ling Hanmu froze in place, unable to believe the confession he had just heard.
Xia Chenge met his gaze directly, her eyes not showing any sign of evasion.
Since Ling Hanmu lacked confidence in himself, she would give him enough of it.
So what if he was the Zombie King? As long as he was the one she loved, she would love him even if he were a demon.
Ling Hanmu snapped back to reality, suddenly hugging Xia Chenge and whispering ecstatically into her ear, “Xia Chenge, I love you too, very, very much!”
Xia Chenge smiled and wrapped her arms around him, “Then you must continue to love me like this, never changing your heart no matter how the world changes.”
“Yes, even if we have to return to the apocalypse, I will love you with unwavering devotion,” Ling Hanmu vowed. “From now on, even if I forget the whole world, I will remember you firmly.”
“I’ll wait for time to prove your vow.”
The two embraced quietly, both tacitly refraining from breaking the rare peace.
Xia Chenge was very happy that Ling Hanmu could overcome his inner turmoil and not get stuck in the memories of the apocalypse. Furthermore, Ling Hanmu had completely regained his humanity before his rebirth, meaning he, like her, had awakened his apocalyptic abilities and would no longer lose control!
Having someone to accompany you on the path ahead was such a fortunate thing.
She no longer had to bear the fate of humanity alone, which was wonderful!
“By the way, I overheard Ling Zhongwen mentioning Zheng Changdong, Ji Shinian, and Lu Lian from Country H in the laboratory. Do you have a way to quickly investigate the backgrounds of those three?” After calming down, Xia Chenge’s thoughts returned to the laboratory.
“Are they related to the laboratory?” Ling Hanmu asked. He had no recollection of anything related to Country H.
Xia Chenge nodded, “They are related to Grub, because Ling Zhongwen said that Ji Shinian and Lu Lian were both hypnotized. I suspect that Laboratory 748 was created by Grub, and they are conducting experiments worldwide.”
Ling Hanmu’s expression turned grim, “It seems this laboratory controls many people.”
“Yes, such experiments require enormous financial investment. The people controlled should be from the top families in various countries. Only with wealth and power like your Ling family can they support their experiments to continue.”
“Unfortunately, in my previous life, I was turned into an idiot by them early on, so I knew very little about other matters.”
“Do you remember the general who was by your side during the apocalypse?”
“General?” Ling Hanmu asked, confused. “I don’t have a general.”
“You and that general were the only two zombies to successfully evolve during the apocalypse. Wasn’t he the one who charged into battle for you?” Xia Chenge raised an eyebrow.
Ling Hanmu thought for a moment, “At that time, I only made them submit to me through violence. In reality, zombies are not completely mindless. Zombies have their own ways of communication; otherwise, they would have attacked each other long ago. My strength was far superior to theirs, and they submitted to me one hundred percent.”
“As for the general you mentioned, he was just one of the zombies who submitted to me. I didn’t clearly distinguish their status from other zombies; they were all the same.”
“So you don’t remember what he looked like?” Xia Chenge sounded somewhat disbelieving.
“A zombie without humanity, do you expect him to remember a fellow creature inferior to himself?” Ling Hanmu chuckled.
“But you remember me!” Xia Chenge said.
Ling Hanmu playfully flicked her nose, “Don’t you remember? I personally witnessed how they sent you back. At that time, I had completely regained my humanity. You were the first human I saw, and the only human I remembered!”
“In that case, I’m quite happy,” Xia Chenge said with a smile. “Hey, let’s not get sidetracked. Let’s continue talking about that general. Did you know? His face looked exactly like Grub’s. I suspect Grub is that zombie general.”
“What’s your reason?”
“I’ve fought Grub. Although I didn’t detect the virus in him, his combat skills were very impressive. If he also returned from the apocalypse, he would have brought back his apocalyptic abilities, just like us. With his ambition, the world might fall into chaos.”
At this point, Xia Chenge’s relaxed mood turned heavy again.
“Let’s find his base camp as soon as possible. Since the zombie virus exists within me, I believe that even if they extract it for human experiments, it shouldn’t have much effect,” Ling Hanmu was not as nervous.
“The moment I regained my humanity, it proved that the zombie virus had completely lost its effect on me.”
“Little Brother, the zombie virus isn’t without a way to suppress it!”
Ling Hanmu suddenly had a flash of inspiration. How could he have forgotten such important information?
