Chapter 24: Only Your Death Can Put My Mind at Ease

Meng Ran’s shoulders and hair were dusted with snow as she struggled to stand up and pull the window shut.

Back in her sanctuary, Niannian, wearing earmuffs, couldn't help but cry when she saw Meng Ran return covered in blood.

"Mom, what happened to you?"

Meng Ran smiled faintly. "I'm fine. This is Fang Weiwen’s blood."

The ability to make blood droplets explode on contact was indeed surprising; she had miscalculated. She hadn't expected a villain like Fang Weiwen to awaken such powers.

Meng Ran cleaned off the blood and applied ointment to her burns. Her head throbbed painfully; she had exhausted too much mental energy today. While her mental capacity had increased alongside her affinity, a single error in judgment had nearly cost her everything.

Fang Weiwen was severely injured, and Meng Ran let out a long breath. Once she recovered a bit, she planned to finish him off before he could heal. The thought crossed her mind: if Fang Weiwen turned into a zombie after death, would he retain his abilities? With the cellular network down, there was no way to verify this, which was quite a headache.

"Mom."

Niannian brought in a basin of water, and Meng Ran stood up to take it. "Thank you, Niannian."

Meng Ran washed herself with the warm water. Niannian stared at her bright red, burned hands. "Weren't you wearing gloves? How did you still get burned?"

"That man has a special ability I wasn't aware of, so I couldn't react in time." But at least this encounter had allowed her to gauge Fang Weiwen’s true strength.

Remembering that her door was still open, Meng Ran left the sanctuary to latch the iron gate. Mu Qiuyun appeared at that moment; her expression flickered briefly when she saw Meng Ran was unharmed.

"I heard some noise and thought I’d come to check on you."

Meng Ran scrutinized her. "Did you run into Fang Weiwen?" She didn't recall Mu Qiuyun having any companions before the apocalypse; she had always been a loner. Fang Weiwen usually targeted people like her and Granny Liu, so had he crossed paths with Mu Qiuyun?

Noticing the vigilance in Meng Ran’s eyes, Mu Qiuyun took the initiative to explain, "I hid elsewhere before he arrived, so I didn't run into him. When I came back, I did see that my place had been ransacked."

Meng Ran remained guarded, though she remembered that Mu Qiuyun had warned her once before. "So, you didn't know he possessed special abilities?"

The question was a probe; Meng Ran still wasn't sure if Mu Qiuyun was an awakened individual herself.

Mu Qiuyun let her guard down just enough: "Special abilities? He actually has them?"

Suddenly, she realized something and looked up at Meng Ran. The fact that Meng Ran had survived an encounter with an empowered Fang Weiwen spoke for itself. Seeing that they had both seen through each other, Meng Ran closed the door, pulled down the curtains, and blocked them with a cabinet.

"Is that lady a good person?" Niannian asked curiously.

"Sort of, but not entirely. Remember, Niannian: don't trust anyone right now."

Regardless of Mu Qiuyun’s motives, Fang Weiwen had to die. Even if he turned into a zombie, she would simply kill him again.

"I need to rest for a while." Meng Ran massaged her temples. She had to head out tonight. "You stay here just like before, and don't go near the breeding area. It’s too dangerous."

The cows and sheep were much stronger than Niannian, and Meng Ran never allowed her near them. Niannian nodded. "I’ll just watch the two chickens in the yard. I won’t go over there."

Lacking energy, Meng Ran skipped a formal dinner, sharing a simple meal with Niannian instead. She planned to act in the dead of night to avoid drawing attention.

As dusk fell, a basin of blood-stained water was carried out.

"Damn it! Can't you be more careful?" Fang Weiwen kicked Chen Yun away. His wounds were still bleeding; the blood droplets had exploded way too close to him, and he had only done it to save his own life. But this injury would likely take days to heal.

Seeing a drop of blood floating in the air, Chen Yun jumped in fright. "I—I'll go get you some food."

Fang Weiwen grunted, signaling her to hurry. "Tell those people outside not to come back for a few days. Wait until I've recovered."

"Yes."

Chen Yun went out and saw several people in the living room. "He’s injured. He wants you all to go back for now and come back in a couple of days." She spoke timidly. The others knew what had happened—the four who had gone with Fang Weiwen hadn't returned.

"Fine, we'll come back in two days," they muttered before leaving. Chen Yun locked the door behind them.

She brought him biscuits and bottled water, which Fang Weiwen swallowed with a grimace. "Nothing hot? These biscuits taste bitter—are they expired?"

Chen Yun had no solution for his complaints. Given the circumstances, having anything to eat was a luxury; hot food was out of the question. Fang Weiwen lay on the bed, his wounds wrapped in strips of cloth. After eating, a wave of drowsiness hit him. "I'm going to sleep. You keep watch."

Chen Yun gave a low affirmative, curling up on a blanket by the bedside. Seeing her obedience, Fang Weiwen finally closed his eyes in peace.

As the man on the bed began to snore, Chen Yun slowly stood up. "Fang Weiwen?"

There was no response; he was sleeping like a log. "Of course. Two sleeping pills—there’s no way you'd wake up."

She had bought the pills herself, never expecting to use them like this. She knew he possessed special abilities, so she had to strike a lethal blow. She had been waiting for this moment—for him to be severely wounded and exhausted—to finally use the medication.

"I truly don't understand how the heavens could favor someone like you!" The blade in Chen Yun’s hand, which she had spent days sharpening, glinted coldly.

*Squelch.*

The knife pierced the artery. Warm blood splattered onto her, and Chen Yun closed her eyes, her hands trembling. "Only with your death can I find peace."

She covered him with the quilt and stabbed the knife into his heart twice more to be sure. Fang Weiwen never had a chance to retaliate; he lost consciousness and closed his eyes forever. He died in agony, killed by the very woman he had always looked down upon.

Chen Yun collapsed to the floor. She crawled up, covered in blood, and checked for his breath. A smile finally broke across her face. Fang Weiwen was dead.

Meng Ran set out in the dead of night. She headed downstairs toward room 517. It wasn't hard to find, but the door would surely be locked, and she needed a plan. She kept her tools in her sanctuary, ready to be retrieved at any moment.

As she reached the door and contemplated her next move, it swung open from the inside. Chen Yun, reeking of blood, stepped out.

"You!"

Meng Ran leveled her blade at Chen Yun’s throat. Chen Yun looked at her with vacant eyes. "You’re here to kill Fang Weiwen, aren't you? He's already dead."

Meng Ran frowned. "Dead?"

Her gloved hands felt sticky with blood. She peered inside; a dark trail stretched across the floor, and when she shone her flashlight, she saw it was blood.