"why not?"

Shi Yi suddenly laughed, as if he had figured something out. Even his usually indifferent eyes and brows showed a hint of a smile: "She couldn't accept me when she was alive, but if we can sleep together after death, it seems like a good thing."

“She has too deep a connection with this base, and with the world as well. There are too many people, things, and events that can distract her attention and energy, but I am the only one who cannot.”

Eleven spoke in a low voice, a hint of sarcasm in his dark green eyes.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziqi's narrow phoenix eyes were filled with icy killing intent, and even the smile that was always on his lips disappeared.

For a moment, their personalities seemed to have reversed.

Zhou Ziqi was madness, while Shiyi was twisted—love, hate, and obsession twisted over endless years had long become a beast lurking in the abyss. Even without any change, the increasingly uncontrollable emotions would drag the beloved down to hell.

He will kill her.

He will use death to seal away this twisted love.

Zhou Ziqi suddenly laughed: "I may be a bit crazy, but you really don't care about anything, Shiyi."

Eleven tilted her head slightly: "You are the most pathetic one, Zhou Ziqi. Even if she chooses you, what can you do? You don't know anything at all. It's ridiculous."

"But clearly, you still envy me."

His voice paused, and the smile on his lips grew even more wicked and arrogant, the curve of which carried a hint of madness: "My little Ruan, you can't kill her."

"so--"

The man, dressed in a white lab coat and with his hands in his pockets, bent slightly, his tall figure resembling a taut bow. Zhou Ziqi, who always prided himself on being a "weak researcher who doesn't use force," was now detached from his logistical demeanor and coldly stared at Shi Yi.

The space around him flickered for a moment, and the next instant—

"Then I have no choice but to kill you!"

Shiyi instantly retreated, and in the blink of an eye, Zhou Ziqi appeared in front of him, a small, sharp scalpel between his slender fingers, making a light, deft cut.

The space shattered instantly, almost tearing a person apart in a flash.

Superpowers and mutated plants collided, their narrow phoenix eyes and dark green pupils facing each other, as if they could unleash a monstrous storm.

In a short period of time, the two had already exchanged blows several times. Even the superhumans and zombies in the base below were frozen in place, staring blankly at the sky. Under the force of the impact, they couldn't even see what was happening inside.

Even the aftershocks of the attack made it difficult to approach.

The pressure even forced the superhumans to retreat one after another, but at the same time, the zombies also moved and pounced on the superhumans on the side again, leaving them attacked from both sides!

"You, move aside."

A calm, brief command was transmitted to the minds of the ability users through mental power, and they instinctively dodged to the side.

The mutated plants that originally enveloped the entire Third Human Base, blocking out the outside world with their smog, suddenly developed a crack, revealing the gloomy sky outside. The crack then grew larger and larger until it was completely breached!

A petite figure leaped down, her clothes stained with dirt, looking quite disheveled.

But when she held the knife in one hand, the tip of the blade sank into the ground.

Sharp blades flashed, slicing all the surrounding zombies into pieces before the superhumans came to their senses.

"Miss Ruan!"

"That's wonderful, it's Miss Ruan!"

They shouted excitedly, while Ruan Qing'an landed lightly on the ground, tilting his head and saying, "You guys leave here first."

With Ruan Qing'an relieving the pressure, the superhumans were able to retreat into the research institute. Perhaps because Ruan Qing'an was blocking the entrance, the zombies did not advance, but they continued to approach the institute.

037: [Ancestor, my data monitoring shows that more and more zombies are swarming in from the outside. What should we do next?]

"This can't go on any longer."

Ruan Qingan took a deep breath: "If Shiyi continues to act recklessly like this, the entire Third Human Base will be destroyed!"

A breath later, the aftershocks of the collision between the spatial ability and the mutated plant spread out again, and as dust rose, two tall figures instantly separated, standing on either side of the top floor of the research institute.

Zhou Ziqi and Shiyi were covered in dust and grime, looking somewhat disheveled.

Eleven's body was covered with cuts from the spatial blade, densely packed, even revealing the intricate mechanical structure beneath the simulated skin. Zhou Ziqi's condition was not much better; there was a scratch on his side, from which blood was flowing.

He instinctively licked it, his eyes filled with even more madness: "Looks like you've found a way to kill me without the symbiotic relationship."

"the same as you."

Shi Yi hunched over, his dark green eyes fixed on him: "I originally thought about how to kill you and save myself—but then I realized that it doesn't need to be so complicated. I just need to turn you into a zombie, a high-level zombie."

"Your consciousness will not perish, and neither will I."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziqi scoffed.

He didn't speak, but simply flipped his palm, condensing a small space in his hand, preparing to attack Eleven again.

But at this very moment—

'Ding!'

What first cleaved through space was a dazzling slash mark.

Zhou Ziqi and Shiyi snapped out of their daze and instinctively withdrew their attacking stances, afraid of hurting the newcomer in the slightest.

Before Zhou Ziqi could speak, the scabbard inlaid with the crystal core was slashed out and struck his hand hard. Then, Ruan Qing'an's muffled voice said, "Go back."

"Shiyi is being ridiculous, Mr. Zhou, why are you joining in this nonsense? If you keep fighting with him, what will happen to your base? What about those superhumans, those ordinary people, and the base that serves as a doomsday shelter? Are they all going to turn into ruins?!"

"I--"

Zhou Ziqi opened his mouth, but the sound got stuck in his throat.

Looking at Ruan Qing'an's somewhat disappointed, leaden-gray eyes, this usually eloquent and domineering pleasure-seeker couldn't bring himself to say something like "just for my own happiness."

Ruan Qingan continued, "The zombies are still closing in, Mr. Zhou, it's time for you to do what you should be doing as the person in charge of the base."

"...Really."

Zhou Ziqi pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a wry smile: "How did I end up being lectured by Xiao Ruan..."

At this moment, Zhou Ziqi glanced at the chaos below the base, then ignored the crazed Shi Yi and teleported directly into the research institute after cutting open space on his own.

Soon, only Ruan Qing'an and Shi Yi remained on the high ground of the research institute. The non-human, whose body was covered in wounds, had a smile that grew brighter and brighter. His dark green eyes were fixed on Ruan Qing'an, as if she would run away if he closed them.

"Qing'an, only we are left."

"Are you here... to find me?"

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