Many years later, on a sunny afternoon, Xiang Wan sat in the courtyard drinking tea, watching the red glow of the sunset on the horizon, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

Since zombies gradually developed intelligence and thought similar to humans, the strongest humans and the zombie leaders, after years of struggle, gradually reached a consensus and signed a peace treaty. Furthermore, in some areas, intermarriage is even permitted. This is because human scientists have developed a vaccine against the zombie virus; even if someone is scratched, with proper treatment, they will not easily turn into a zombie.

Zombies cannot reproduce, and the human population has always been kept within a certain range. In the tenth year since the peace treaty was signed, Xiang Wan got married, and this is where she lives after her marriage.

"Wan'er, it's getting cold, be careful not to catch a cold."

Xiang Wan turned her head and saw An, with a gentle expression, coming over with a cloak and gently draping it over her shoulders...

Ah~~~, the scene was too terrifying. Xiang Wan was so frightened that she jumped out of bed, only to fall back down heavily, her whole body aching as if it had been broken.

Opening her eyes, she was met with a room full of pure white light, so bright it was almost blinding. After her eyes adjusted, Xiang Wan took in her surroundings. It was a single room; besides the white walls and the light shining from the ceiling, there was only this one iron bed. Xiang Wan stretched her arms and legs, the chains rattling loudly, a chill running down her ankles and wrists. She pulled hard, the gleaming chains extending to the four iron posts of the bed, glaringly obvious.

He was wearing nothing but a hospital gown.

"Xiao Qi, where is this place?"

"Congratulations, host, you have successfully entered the villain's stronghold."

"What's the meaning?"

"Literally, the host is on his own!"

At the crucial moment, they really washed their hands of the matter completely. Oh well, it's better to rely on yourself than others. Looking at the attribute list, that glaring line "Darkness Index: An 100" almost made Xiang Wan vomit blood with anger.

"System, explain!"

"...Didn't I tell you that An's current corruption level is specifically targeting you?"

Xiang Wan didn't answer, appearing perfectly calm. For some reason, the system felt a chill run down its spine and quickly explained, "This system warned you before; the large red text would cycle continuously for 24 hours, but you remained unconscious, so..."

"Okay, I understand. You can continue hibernating."

007 didn't dare linger and quickly fled. What could it do? The host had brought this upon herself, so it couldn't be blamed; after all, she had forbidden herself from making a sound. It had already fulfilled its duty to warn, so the host shouldn't overthink it.

After lying in bed for a while, Xiang Wan felt a bit hungry, so she shook the iron chain vigorously, hitting the iron bars with a clanging sound.

A moment later, the door opened, and An, dressed in white and wearing a mask, walked in, carrying a tray with syringes on it.

"Ann, did you catch that zombie?"

Before An could put the things down, Xiang Wan spoke first. Instinctively, she suspected these injections were something An had prepared for her, and something bad. She had to clear up all the misunderstandings before he did anything with them.

"Ever since it infiltrated our lab, I've been thinking that if I could capture it and use it for experiments on Ann, it would definitely meet her requirements. But that zombie is too smart, and it won't be easy to catch it. That's why I left without saying goodbye, creating the illusion of being alone, to lure the zombie into a trap."

"Thank goodness you showed up just in time."

Xiang Wan smiled happily. An's hand holding the tray trembled slightly, but he casually placed it on the bed next to Xiang Wan, took out a syringe, and pushed out a little of the liquid inside.

"Throughout these days, although I've seen all sorts of scenery, nothing feels as comfortable as being by An's side. The world has changed so much; I believe there must be many zombies and humans out there with abilities and powers far superior to mine, yet I've encountered very few along the way. Once or twice, it might be good luck. But to keep doing this every time, I, Xue Xiangwan, am not so shameless as to always keep danger so far away from me. I'd rather believe that someone is helping me, silently watching over me all along."

Whenever I'm hungry, I can find food in places that haven't been inhabited for a long time. When I want a suitable weapon, I can find an incredibly sharp sword in a shop that others have searched countless times. When I encounter danger, I always manage to escape unscathed. I caused Peng Liuliu and the others so much trouble, even shrinking her base by more than half, yet no one has come after me. I think I must have saved the galaxy in my past life to encounter such a selfless and quietly devoted person. An, tell me, shouldn't I repay someone like this? Perhaps, offering myself in marriage would be a good idea.”

With a "thud," the syringe fell onto the tray, knocking the tray, which was already on the edge, to the ground.

"An, what's wrong?"

Xiang Wan raised her hand, wanting to touch his arm, but was pulled back by the chains halfway, and could only silently shrink back onto the bed, her eyes dimming.

Cool fingertips gently brushed against Xiang Wan's ear. Xiang Wan looked up, rubbed her fingertips against his, looked at An, and gave him a gentle smile.

"Are you—blaming me?"

Ann's voice was a little hoarse, and her eyes began to redden, extending from the outer whites of her eyes all the way to the black pupils, with a gradual worsening trend, exactly the same as what she saw before she lost consciousness.

"An, in this world, I only trust you."

That trusting gaze and wholehearted reliance miraculously calmed An's restless heart, but then another unfamiliar emotion slowly welled up inside her. What was it?

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