Song Chen, who had been holding himself together with great effort, felt his strength evaporate the moment Lu Ze ruthlessly laid out the truth. His body went limp, and he slumped forward, collapsing into the arms of Lu Muyang, who stood waiting in front of him.
"Don't scare me like this. What my brother said can't be true, right? Tell me, please, tell me that everything he said is a lie..."
Lu Muyang held Song Chen tightly, his face a mask of terror and grief. Tears streamed from his eyes like a breaking dam. After a moment, as if a sudden memory had struck him, he began to mutter to himself, "Was it... just now? You... it’s all my fault. I shouldn't have been so stubborn; I should have run first. You shouldn't have come back to help me. It's all my fault, Song Chen... it's all my fault..." His voice was thick with inconsolable sorrow and self-reproach.
Song Chen, however, gently wiped the tears from Lu Muyang’s cheeks. He looked at him with profound affection, but at a loss for words, he turned his gaze toward Lu Ze. A bitter, helpless smile played on his lips. "Lu Ze, sometimes I really hate your perception. You could have just kept it to yourself."
Lu Ze, hearing this, trembled with fury. He clamped a hand firmly onto Song Chen’s shoulder and glared at him, demanding, "Song Chen! I entrusted my brother to you, not so you could leave without a word! Do you think this is what’s best for him? Even if you have to die, my brother has the right to know why. Did you even consider his feelings for a single second?!"
Facing the barrage of Lu Ze’s accusations, Song Chen knew he had been in the wrong. He lowered his head in shame, unable to meet Lu Muyang’s pained gaze, and murmured in a low voice, "I’m sorry... I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept it from you."
"Where is the wound?" Lu Ze forced down his rage, his tone stiff and demanding.
Song Chen hesitated for a moment before slowly raising his arm, revealing the injury he had been hiding. A small, almost imperceptible scratch appeared before them. Yet, this insignificant little mark had turned a ghastly, eerie black. An instant of suffocating dread gripped everyone’s hearts.
Song Chen knew clearly that there were only two paths before him: transform into a vile zombie, or end his own life. He had originally intended to leave and end it alone to avoid harming them, but he had failed to evade Lu Ze’s sharp eyes. The only thing he couldn't let go of was Lu Muyang. He had promised to protect him for a lifetime; it seemed he would not be able to keep that promise now.
Just then, a bone-deep pain shot through Song Chen’s right arm. He knew he had little time left. Clenching his teeth against the agony, he cast one last lingering, red-rimmed look at Lu Muyang before turning his head to Lu Ze. With a hoarse voice, he said, "Lu Ze, for the sake of our friendship, do me a favor. Kill me."
Looking at Song Chen, whose face was contorted in agony from the virus, Lu Ze felt a deep, inner conflict. But as the team leader, he had to make a choice. He slowly raised his pistol, the dark barrel pointing straight at Song Chen’s forehead. However, the hand gripping the gun began to tremble violently, stripped of its usual decisiveness and resolve.
Seeing his brother aiming the gun at Song Chen, Lu Muyang dropped to his knees, shielding Song Chen with his own body. Tears fell in large drops, his face etched with unspeakable pain.
"Brother! You can't kill him! We’ll head back to the base... maybe when we get back, he'll be fine... there must be a way!"
Although he knew that once infected with the zombie virus, death was inevitable, he refused to let go. Seeing this, Song Chen summoned his last ounce of strength and used his arm—which had not yet gone stiff—to push Lu Muyang away, gasping, "Yu Tian, pull him away..."
Yu Tian, standing nearby, felt his heart tear as he watched his dear friend on the brink of death. He knew deep down that ending it was the only mercy left for Song Chen. He pulled Lu Muyang away with force. Lu Muyang struggled desperately, trying to stop what was coming, but the difference in strength was too great.
Tears streaming down his face, he sobbed and pleaded, "Brother, please! There has to be another way... If Song Chen is gone, what am I supposed to do? *Wuu wuu*... You promised you’d let Song Chen look after me..."
Lu Ze stared silently at his desperate brother, a sharp, searing pain piercing his own heart. He knew how deep their bond was. Because he understood that, he knew that if Song Chen died, his brother would never survive on his own. But the reality was cruel and merciless; even if he didn't kill Song Chen now, Song Chen would be dead within a few hours. Worse, he would lose all consciousness and become a walking corpse. Even more terrifyingly, as an ability user, if he transformed, he would likely evolve into a high-level zombie. Lu Ze dared not imagine if they would have the strength to fight him then.
Lu Ze felt as if he were being torn apart. As a leader, he bore the responsibility of keeping everyone safe, but as Song Chen’s closest friend, how could he find the heart to end his life? The sight of his brother, heartbroken and weeping, made the conflict feel like a blade in his chest. Why did they have to endure this?
"Warning! Warning! The male lead's corruption level has risen to 73%... If it reaches 100%, the mission will be classified as a failure."
Xie Qi, who had been resting quietly in a chair with his eyes closed, jumped in shock at the system’s sudden, sharp alarm. "Damn it! Why is there a corruption level now?!"
Though he didn't know why Lu Ze’s corruption level had suddenly spiked, Xie Qi didn't hesitate. He shot out of his chair like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, he reached the living room, only to be stunned by the scene before him: Yu Tian was holding back a distraught Lu Muyang, while Lu Ze stood with his pistol pointed directly at the pale, leaning form of Song Chen.
Seeing the chaos, Xie Qi instinctively asked, "What... what is this performance?" As someone who knew the plot, Xie Qi didn't believe these four would turn against each other.
However, when his gaze met Lu Ze’s bloodshot, trembling eyes, Xie Qi’s heart sank. He lost his composure instantly. He lunged forward, grabbing Lu Ze’s hand tightly.