Eve took the rock candy and put it in her mouth. The moment the small white cube touched her mouth, a hint of sweetness blossomed, and the dull pain in her arm seemed to ease a little. She let out a satisfied hum from her nose, but said, "It hasn't been relieved much."
He said from behind the curtain: "You are seriously injured. I will go find some medicine for you..."
Eve interrupted him: "No need."
The witch can use magic to heal her own wounds, so there is no need for her to do this. Besides...
Eve's eyelashes drooped a little, and she said, "The medicine you can find is also provided by them, right?"
Hearing this, he fell silent.
Eve didn't bother to hide her feelings; her subtext was clear—even if they had good intentions, what kind of medicine could those "doctors" give them? What if it had side effects?
"I..." As Eve spoke, blood continued to flow out of her body. She seemed very uneasy about this, and her tone was filled with urgency. "Then what should I do..."
Eve thought for a moment and said simply, "Hold my hand."
She: “……?”
"I want to sleep for a while," Eve said lightly, "but I don't like being alone. It makes me feel insecure. Come and hold my hand."
As she spoke, she stretched out a scarred arm and moved closer to the curtain.
"...Wait!" He seemed very flustered. When Eve was still more than ten centimeters away from the curtain, he hurriedly said, "Does it have to be like this? You..." He took a breath, "When you sleep, is there always someone with you?"
Eve remained calm: "Of course."
She wasn't lying. Every time she took a break, there were at least four or five zombies standing guard around her - otherwise she wouldn't be able to sleep at all.
He was still hesitating: "But...but I..."
Eve shook her arms and raised her chin: "Hand."
The opponent was silent for a while, but eventually lost.
After a series of small noises, the slender arm stretched out again, but it stopped after only half of its palm was exposed. "Okay, that's it, I can't go any further...!"
He let out a small cry of surprise—Eve grabbed his wrist and pulled it forward unceremoniously, exposing his entire arm. Before he could escape, Eve hugged him tightly and said briskly, "Alright, that's good."
She hung on his arm like a koala, saying, "If you move, you'll hurt my wound."
Hearing this, the other party paused in his movement to withdraw his hand and froze in place.
"You..." After a while, his hesitant voice sounded again, "Eve, aren't you afraid..."
Eve buried her head, and a careless hum came from under her thick red hair: "Hmm?"
"My wound..." Seeing her trying to look up, his tone became a little flustered, "...No! Don't look!"
"Wound?" Eve asked, "What wound?"
She said, placing her hand on the other person's pierced arm.
A subtle red light poured out from Eve's fingertips, and a warmth flowed along her skin to her arm. She was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "Eve, you..."
"This is a return gift from Bingtang," Eve's expression was still indifferent, only her emerald almond eyes reflected the red light, shining brightly.
He opened his mouth but said nothing. After a while, he suddenly chuckled and said, "Okay."
The pinholes of all sizes began to fade away under the red light, and soon the arm returned to its original state, as white and shiny as a piece of carefully carved porcelain.
Seeing that the treatment was almost done, Eve lazily loosened her hand, turned around, and rested her head on his arm: "I'm so tired... I want to sleep."
He said: "I'll keep watch for you."
"Hmm," Eve mumbled, "Okay."
She was really too tired. Forcibly controlling Hu Bo had already consumed too much magic power. Coupled with the fight with zombies in the abyss corpse chamber for the next four days, Eve did not expect that she could still live to this moment.
During those four days, she hardly closed her eyes. In the dark secret room, all she could think of were the zombies' bloodthirsty roars and the wounds all over their bodies. Her brain was almost as stretched as a string, and it would break immediately if the slightest pressure was applied to it.
But all the pressure, fear and pain miraculously disappeared the moment they entered the silver room.
She turned sideways and looked up at the figure behind the curtain.
Even though she had never even seen the other person's appearance, she had a strange intuition that he would not hurt her.
"What's wrong?" He noticed Eve's movements and thought she was worried, so he said softly, "Don't be afraid, I'll keep watch for you."
Eve didn't say anything, but just increased the strength of her hands and held his fingers tightly.
He seemed to notice it, said nothing, and gently held Eve's hand back.
Eve stared at the shadowy figure on the curtain, took a deep breath, and slowly closed her eyes.
She is not afraid.
Because she knows...
I'm safe here.
***
Eve fell into a deep sleep.
She felt like she had fallen into a deep ocean, surrounded by darkness as thick as ink, but in the pitch-black icy water, a faint voice could be heard.
"This isn't right," the voice sounded puzzled. "Isn't this the most terrifying memory? Why aren't you reacting at all?"
Who is this person? Eve frowned. It was clearly a voice she had never heard before, yet it sounded strangely familiar.
"Let's change the memory," the man seemed to be talking to himself, "This one doesn't work, let's try something more powerful."
No one knew what he had done, but the next moment, a powerful pulling force suddenly came from Eve's abdomen. Her body remained where it was, but her soul seemed to have been pulled out alive, and continued to fall towards the depths of the Black Sea.
“!!!”
Eve suddenly opened her eyes, breathing heavily, her face covered in sweat.
She was still in the silver room, surrounded by silence, with a light silver curtain hanging in the middle, dividing the room into two halves.
Eve wiped the sweat from her face and sat up. Her limbs were much longer than before. If you look closely, you can see that her hands and feet are also a bit bigger, as if she has grown several years overnight. However, Eve seemed not to notice these changes. She stared at the curtain and called out, "Hello?"
She waited for a moment, but there was no response.
Eve frowned and took two steps forward, but stopped when she was almost near the curtain.
—She had promised not to pass through the curtain.
Eve controlled her temper and called out a few more times: "Hello? Are you awake?"
There was no response from the other side.
Eve raised her voice: "Are you deaf? Answer me!"
Amidst the other party's continued silence, Eve's voice was tinged with a flurry of panic that she herself hadn't even noticed. She took a few steps forward and grabbed the curtain: "Hey! Are you there?!"
The soft curtain flowed from her fingertips like water, and the air behind it seemed to be solidified, without any sound or figure.
Eve took a deep breath.
Just before she was about to open the curtain, a strange touch under her feet made her stop suddenly.
She slowly lowered her head.
Eve's sheepskin boots were stepping on a pool of blood. The blood was no longer fresh and was a semi-dried black-brown color. She tried to move her toes and felt a sticky sensation on the soles of her shoes.
Part of the pool of blood spread out from behind the curtain, but she knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg.
Eve no longer hesitated and pulled down the curtain.
Suddenly, the other half of the room came into view for the first time.
Unlike the original half-empty room, the half of the room she was in was filled with some strange-looking large machines, with metallic surfaces flashing with cold green light. She was crowded in the large room by these huge machines, as if she had accidentally walked into a metal forest.
Eve didn't linger on the machines for too long, took two quick steps forward, and shouted, "Hey!"
She wanted to call his name, but only now she suddenly realized a frustrating fact - she didn't know his name at all.
Eve bit her lip, trying hard to suppress the strange feeling in her heart, and quickly moved around the room. Unfortunately, all she saw were cold machines, and she couldn't see the familiar figure.
"Crack—"
Suddenly, a slight noise was heard not far away.
Eve turned around immediately and a figure came into her sight.
It’s him!
He fell face down near an operating table, his messy black hair covering most of his face, making it difficult to see his facial features. He was wearing a simple blue and white striped uniform. Because he was too thin, the loose clothes could not hold him. One of his shoulder blades was exposed, like a bony butterfly wing.
"Hey!" Eve called out.
He didn't respond, as if he had fainted. Eve hesitated for a moment and was about to run over when she heard a low, hoarse groan from under his black hair: "Don't... come over..."
When Eve heard this, she almost laughed out of anger.
"Don't come over here?" She raised her eyebrows. "You're already in this state, and you're still telling me not to come over here?!"
He struggled to support his arms and slowly stood up, but immediately stepped back, distanced himself from Eve, and pressed his back against the operating table behind him.
"I'm fine..." he said weakly, "I just had surgery, and I feel a little dizzy..."
Eve only then discovered that his arms were covered with needle holes again.
"They performed surgery on you again?!" Her voice suddenly rose. "Those 'doctors'? Why would they do that? Don't they know you can't handle it?!"
Although she didn't understand what that group of people had done to him, no matter how she treated him, his body became weaker every time she saw him.
But her words obviously did not sway the other party.
"No," he whispered, leaning against the operating table, "My body is very special... I was the first experimental subject, but since the experiment began, I'm the only one who survived..."
"Eve, do you know?" He coughed softly a few times, a hint of crimson dripping from the fingertips covering his mouth. "A normal experimental subject's useful life is only six months, but I've already lived for three years... They said I was a miracle—the experiment would succeed on me."
"Bullshit." Eve said gloomily.
Although she didn't understand the meaning, the phrase "use cycle" deeply hurt her ears. She said without hesitation: "Now I am coming to heal you. You are not allowed to resist or refuse."
He shook his head: "No..."
Eve raised her head, her eyes bloodshot: "I said - you are not allowed to refuse!"
"Eve," he called out again, but this time, there was a hint of pleading in his tone, "Please."
Eve opened her mouth and was about to say something, but her eyes suddenly froze when they met a certain spot.
She looked at his arms exposed outside his sleeves.
Just a few minutes into their conversation, the skin on that arm began to change color, from its original pale color to a bluish-gray. The skin gradually became mottled, like weathered tree bark, with layers of wrinkles stacked on top, as if it would fall off at the slightest touch.
Eve felt her throat suddenly grabbed by an invisible hand.
"You..." she said dryly, "this is..."
He noticed Eve's gaze and hurriedly pulled down his sleeve to cover that arm: "Don't look!"
Eve's lips moved, but no words came out.
She knew what it was.
No, it should be said that she has seen it thousands of times.
That was... a dead body.
He seemed to understand that he could no longer hide it from Eve, so he chuckled softly and let go of her hand in self-abandonment: "Sorry, I didn't want to let you see such a scary thing."
Eve didn't say anything. She felt her breathing suddenly become difficult, as if someone had sucked out all the oxygen in the room, making her brain scream and her vision spin.
He seemed not to notice Eve's abnormality and said lightly: "I'm going to die."
This sentence miraculously brought Eve back to her wandering thoughts, and she protested loudly: "No, you won't!"
"Eve."
Eve paused.
He met Eve's gaze and said slowly, "...Look."
He loosened his collar.
As the cloth faded, the parts Eve had never seen were exposed - the skin below his shoulders was all necrotic, with large areas of iron-gray covering the original soft skin color, and some places had already festered and festered, revealing the black color of death.
He sat there, his body like a puppet that was torn into pieces and then forcibly pieced together.
"I'm sorry," they whispered, "They thought I would succeed, but... I still failed."
"I'm about to die," they said. "The doctor said 90% of my organs have died. The remaining organs can only function for a few minutes. Look—they've already removed all the catheters."
Once upon a time, he lay on a bed woven with tubes, and imagined countless times that one day he would be able to take off these long transparent tubes, but he never expected that this day would come in this way.
"Eve," his voice was barely audible, "I'm sorry... I don't have enough time..."
Eve stared at him.
"Bullshit," she said coldly, "Do you think I need your apology?"
His body stiffened.
Eve rushed forward and grabbed his collar.
"Don't forget our vows." Those green eyes seemed to be burning with flames, stinging people's eyes and making them feel hot. "You promised me something? Have you forgotten it yourself?"
"No," he said with difficulty, "I remember everything."
"What the hell do you mean now?!" Eve screamed. "Are you planning to abandon me and run away by yourself? Don't forget that I'm a witch - no one dares to break the contract with a witch!!"
Without waiting for him to speak, Eve pressed her hands hard on his chest, exerting force with her fingertips, and the witch's heart began to shine brightly.
"Eve!"
He struggled hard, but his strength was no longer what it used to be. Even someone as weak as Eve could easily control him. She said coldly, "Don't move."
"Cough cough!" The violent movement made him spit out a few more mouthfuls of blood. He raised his head weakly, his messy hair covering his face, "Listen to me..."
Eve lowered her head, her facial features looking somewhat pale in the bright red light.
"I haven't... forgotten... our vows..." With every word he spoke, his breath grew weaker, but he stubbornly held his head high and said with all his might, "Don't worry, I'll be fine..."
Eve said coldly: "Then you will get better now."
He shook his head.
"No...it can't be here," they said, "This place is all fictional, listen to me—" They suddenly stood up and held Eve's hand tightly, "You have to go back, back to your original world!"
Eve stared at him, holding his fingers tightly, as if she was afraid that he would run away.
As if afraid that Eve didn't understand, he hurriedly said, "Do you understand? This is a fake world. We must return to our original place..."
"Fake?" Eve interrupted him, "How can it be fake? You are here."
Her words made him twitch his lips, but he continued, "No, this is an imaginary world constructed by others using your memory."
Eve didn't believe it.
How could it be fake?
Everything here is so real, his skin is warm, his breathing is heavy, and even the blood in the air has a rich fishy sweetness.
"Don't talk," she said. "The blood will flow faster. Now just shut up and I will heal you."
He sighed.
"But I'm leaving."
Needless to say, Eve also noticed this.
——His body was gradually disappearing, and his hands folded with Eve's began to become transparent. Soon, even the blood on the ground seemed to evaporate and disappear into the air.
"......!" Eve suddenly tightened her arms, "No! You can't leave me alone!"
But he acted as if he hadn't heard and continued, "Remember... don't believe everything you see. It's all fake, a fantasy used to scare you."
His body began to transform into tiny stars, and in the fading light, he finally raised his head.
He has a very sculpted face, with cold eyebrows and skin as white as snow. His dark pupils seem to contain a cold winter, but when they meet her gaze, the snow melts slightly, revealing a bit of softness.
——It was a familiar face.
"Eve, I have never forgotten my promise." He said softly.
Eve was trembling. She was so frightened and overwhelmed that she could hardly hold him. She uttered incoherently, "Please... wait...!"
He smiled slightly.
"You are not alone."
"—I will always be with you."
After the last sentence was spoken, the boy was like the last snow in winter, gradually melting into the air.
Eve finally couldn't hold on any longer and screamed:
"seven--!!"
***
At the gate of Zishui City.
Fang Yong suddenly said, "Eve moved?!"
Everyone subconsciously looked at Eve. She had fallen to the ground, and her arm suddenly twitched in spasm.
Qi immediately tried to move forward, but was stopped by Yu Kui: "Wait," he held a knife to Eve's throat, "If anyone dares to move again, I will cut her neck!"
Qi's eyes immediately turned cold, and his shadow spread across the ground like a dormant poisonous snake.
Yu Kui naturally did not miss his action. He smiled coldly and swiped his hand. A red mark immediately appeared on Eve's neck.
"Seven!" Song Shuye quickly pulled him back, "Don't be impulsive!"
Yu Kui smiled.
"He's right," he said slyly, "All of you, stand still. Not a single one of you is allowed to move until I'm out of the city gate."
He has already sent a distress signal to headquarters, and he estimates that reinforcements will arrive in less than half an hour.
Seeing Yu Kui starting to retreat towards the city gate holding Eve hostage, Qi anxiously moved his feet and wanted to move forward, but was restrained by Yu Kui's knife and froze in place, not daring to move.
A hand suddenly grabbed him.
"Seven," Lin Bing whispered behind him, "Look at Eve, she's not feeling well."
Qi was startled and his eyes fell on Eve.
She had not yet regained consciousness and was being half-dragged and half-pulled by Yu Kui. She was almost hanging on him, her face pale and almost transparent under the sunlight.
But her chest was faintly emitting a light red glow.
Qi seemed to realize something and suddenly covered his chest.
A hard touch could be faintly felt under the rough cloth. The witch's heart was embedded in his chest, emitting a scorching heat.
"Eve...?" Seven murmured.
Could it be... that illusion?
"Seven!" Lin Bing's voice suddenly became anxious, "Look! There's something really wrong with Eve!"
The red light was originally faint and could not be detected unless you looked carefully, but in just a dozen seconds, it became brighter and brighter. From a distance, it looked like a gorgeous red spider lily blooming on Eve's chest.
Even Yu Kui noticed something unusual. He stopped in surprise and stared at Eve's chest cautiously.
At the same time, the witch's heart was getting hotter and hotter in Qi's chest. He could even feel a burning pain on the skin touching it.
Seven: "...Back off."
Lin Bing was stunned: "What?"
"Back off," Qi whispered, his dark eyes reflecting light and darkness. "She's...about to explode."
Lin Bing: "But Yu Kui..."
Before he could finish his words, he was pushed by Qi and staggered backward, but Qi strode forward and walked towards Yu Kui.
Yu Kui immediately shouted, "Don't come over here!"
Qi turned a deaf ear to it, and the two shadow tails curled up, raising their sharp tail stingers like a vicious snake spitting out its tongue, aiming directly at Yu Kui.
Qi's voice was as cold as ice: "I'm saying this for the last time - give her back to me."
Yu Kui almost laughed out loud: "Idiot, do you understand the current situation?"
He has hostages! They're all under his control!
Yu Kui decided to teach this ignorant brat a lesson. He flicked his wrist and pretended to cut Eve's neck: "Just wait and see, this is what happens when you don't obey!"
But when he lowered his head, he was stunned.
Eve, who was originally unconscious, opened her eyes at some point, her green eyes like torches, staring at him intently.
Yu Kui was startled and subconsciously thought that she had escaped from the illusion, but after observing her again, he found that although she opened her eyes, her consciousness seemed not to have returned to her body. He couldn't help but smile.
He had seen this kind of situation many times - being haunted by an illusion.
He sneered and said even more brazenly, "Open your eyes and watch carefully! This is disobedience..."
Suddenly, something grabbed Yu Kui's arm from behind.
Yu Kui was stunned and turned his head subconsciously.
A two-meter-tall zombie squatted only a few centimeters away from him, its thick gray claws tightly gripping his wrist, its scarlet eyes staring at him, and he could even see his tiny reflection in the other's eyes.
Yu Kui was horrified: "...w...what?!"
When did this zombie come here?! Why didn't he notice it?!
But soon, Yu Kui found out that he was wrong.
——There are more than one zombies?
With the appearance of this zombie, new zombies continued to emerge from trash cans, telephone poles, and even from the ruins of collapsed houses like mushrooms after rain. They formed a semicircular encirclement and approached step by step.
Yu Kui wanted to retreat, but all his routes were blocked, not to mention that there was a zombie, at least level three, pulling at his arm, and sweat immediately broke out from his forehead like rain.
Why…why were there other people present…so many zombies were only staring at him?!
He suddenly thought of something and lowered his head abruptly.
"It's you..." He stared at Eve, his eyes red as blood, "It's you who did it?!"
Eve naturally didn't answer him, but she raised her head as if consciously, and a crazy smile bloomed on her delicate face.
She whispered, "Kill."
“Ouch!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the dozens of zombies suddenly roared and pounced towards Yu Kui!
The author has something to say:
The bad guy is going to die.
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