Chapter Twenty-Five: A New Prophecy

Chapter Twenty-Five

Gazing upon the devastation, many eyes grew red with fury and grief! Even though the world had ended, even with hunger, cold, and the constant threat of death, they had still been able to fight zombies, still had family, still had hope!

But now, the base and the Huang family had destroyed all of that!

Many people, wild with despair, rushed madly toward the direction of their homes within the base.

Lin Shaojie, who had been elated just moments before at Ye Jingxuan’s safe return, could no longer muster even the faintest smile. Eyes brimming with tears, he ran home, desperate to see what had become of Qu Wenyuan.

Though Qu Wenyuan was no zombie slayer, and had a tendency to scheme and a gift for prophecy that was erratic at best, she had been with them for so long. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her!

Behind him, Ye Jingxuan, Mei, and Mo Chen followed. Power struggles meant little to them; they had no wish to take part. Whether it was the army or the Huangs, they no longer saw a future in this base. They were ready to move on, and only Yang Hao truly mattered to them—only he was worth their intervention.

When they returned, they found Qu Wenyuan, disheveled and haggard, clutching Lin Shaojie and sobbing uncontrollably, as if she would cry out all her terror and despair, but also perhaps tears of overwhelming relief. In her moment of collapse, Lin Shaojie’s sudden appearance was like salvation itself, pulling her back from the brink of hell. That joy of survival in the face of utter hopelessness was something only those who had truly despaired could understand.

Seeing that, though battered and exhausted, Qu Wenyuan was otherwise unharmed, everyone’s hearts settled a little. Lin Shaojie awkwardly tried to coax her to let go, while the rest went inside and sat down.

It was a long while before Qu Wenyuan released Lin Shaojie, but she clung to his sleeve, her voice choked with emotion as she said, “It’s such a blessing that you all made it back alive! Huang Shao… Huang Shiqi brought word saying you were all trapped in the valley. I thought you’d never return. Wuu…”

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. It was Brother Ye and the others who were trapped in the valley—I was waiting outside for them to come back. Who would’ve thought Huang Shiqi’s righteous talk was all a front? He was planning a coup. If I’d known the base would become such a mess, I would’ve come back sooner! With me here to protect you, it’d be better than you hiding at home, frightened all alone.” Lin Shaojie patted her back, regret threading his words.

He had always believed the base was safe; as long as Qu Wenyuan stayed inside, nothing could happen to her. Who could have guessed things would turn out like this?

“Should we even stay here any longer? This base is rotten to the core. I don’t know if Lieutenant Yang and the others can retake it. Otherwise, there’s no point in staying.” Lin Shaojie mused aloud.

“I don’t know. Let’s wait and see.” Ye Jingxuan’s answer was noncommittal, as if he had other plans in mind.

But Qu Wenyuan suddenly seemed to remember something, her voice rising in alarm: “We can’t stay here! We must leave! Soon, there will be a zombie horde—this base can’t possibly withstand it. We have to leave before that happens!”

“A zombie horde? When?” Lin Shaojie stared at her, wide-eyed.

“I don’t know! All I know is that within three months of the apocalypse’s start, a massive zombie tide will sweep the country. Nearly every base will be attacked, and many will fall. Yuehua Base is one of them. We must escape, now!” This time, Qu Wenyuan no longer cared if her words might expose her. All she wanted was to flee as soon as possible.

At this, Ye Jingxuan glanced at Mei and Mo Chen. Both seemed thoughtful, but not the least bit surprised or suspicious. Clearly, Qu Wenyuan’s secret as a prophet had long been revealed to them.

So he made no effort to hide it, and asked directly, “What do you two think?”

Mo Chen raised an eyebrow, surprised Ye Jingxuan would ask, then replied, “What do I think? A zombie horde—it sounds terrifying. Of course we should get out while we can! The only worry is that we might run into zombies on the way, especially since she can’t give us an exact time for the horde’s arrival!”

“But if we don’t run, we’ll all die! Believe me, this base can’t withstand the attack!” Qu Wenyuan screamed, desperate that they might not be convinced.

“Has Sister Yuan’s prophecy ever been wrong? Has the outcome ever changed?” Mei propped her chin in her hands, blinking her large eyes at Qu Wenyuan.

“I… I… It’s not never… Sometimes things do change.” Qu Wenyuan, caught off guard, murmured, her panic fading.

“So, your prophecies aren’t absolute. They can change, right?” Mei pressed gently.

“Yes… yes!” Qu Wenyuan nodded, uneasy.

“Then what are you so worried about? We might not die. You might not die. Yuehua Base might not fall—because now we know ahead of time, don’t we?” Mei coaxed again.

Little by little, Qu Wenyuan calmed, though she still worried, her fear was not as overwhelming as before.

“But the base is in chaos. There’s no unity—how could we possibly defend against a horde? We might not even make it to the zombies; we’ll probably die at the hands of our own!” Lin Shaojie said hesitantly.

“That depends on whether Yang Hao moves quickly enough,” Ye Jingxuan replied.

If his guess was correct, by tomorrow morning, everything would be decided.

Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan stood up and walked out. Mei hesitated, then followed.

“Brother Ye, Brother Mo, Sister Mei, where are you going?” Lin Shaojie called after them.

“To get our revenge, of course!” Mei replied without turning back.

“I’m coming too!” Lin Shaojie said, hurrying to catch up.

Mei turned and, before closing the door, wagged her finger at him.

“Guard the house!” she commanded, locking the door behind her.

Lin Shaojie tugged at the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Seeing Qu Wenyuan’s anxious gaze, as if terrified he might leave her alone again, he relented and stayed.

“Together or separate?” Downstairs, Mei looked at her two companions.

Mo Chen stroked his chin. “Who do you want to deal with?”

“Obviously that lecherous old Huang!”

“Huang Jue?” Mo Chen blinked, surprised she would target Huang Shiqi.

“Lecherous?” Ye Jingxuan suddenly spoke, a dark light flickering in his eyes.

“Yes, lecherous! Did he do something to you?” Mo Chen was confused. They had only met Huang Jue once, and he had been there—he hadn’t noticed any inappropriate behavior.

“He didn’t do anything, but he wanted to. He covered it well, but the moment he saw me I could sense it—his desire, mixed with… hmm, lust, and, hmm, a bloodthirsty malice! I could smell the reek of blood on him. So, I want to pay him a visit!” As Mei spoke, recalling that bloodthirsty aura, her delicate, pretty face took on a seductive, murderous cast.

“You take care of Huang Shiqi. I’ll handle Huang Jue!” Ye Jingxuan declared with a forceful finality that brooked no argument.

Mei’s murderous intent was interrupted by his sudden decree, and she snapped back to her usual harmless self, her big eyes round, her cheeks puffed in childish indignation as she glared at him.

“Why should I go after Huang Shiqi? I don’t have a grudge against him!” Mei protested, but Ye Jingxuan ignored her and strode off.

Mo Chen slung an arm around her shoulders. “You don’t, but I do. Just come with me.”

From her earlier description, it was likely that old Huang Jue had a taste for abusing young girls. Ye Jingxuan probably didn’t want her to witness such things. On this, Mo Chen fully agreed—some things, even in the apocalypse, were best kept from an underage girl.

Though the end of the world had wiped out much that was good, there were still bits of innocence and beauty they could protect. Hadn’t she just been nearly consumed by a murderous impulse triggered by someone else’s bloodlust? If she saw something even worse, who knew what might happen?

Mei didn’t know what they were thinking, but seeing that neither wanted her to confront Huang Jue, she didn’t insist. The Huang household was large, but the three of them managed to slip in unnoticed. Since neither Mo Chen nor Ye Jingxuan had the mental strength to scan such a vast area, and they didn’t want Mei to stumble on something she shouldn’t, they searched room by room rather than letting her scan the whole compound.

After a brief discussion, Ye Jingxuan had Mo Chen take Mei to the second floor while he went up to the third.

Mei and Mo Chen found Huang Shiqi easily on the second floor.

He hadn’t yet received word of Yang Hao’s return. Feeling secure, he’d had several good-looking young men seized for his pleasure.

In a spacious room, Huang Shiqi was pressing down atop a man, while another man knelt between their legs, licking the one beneath Huang Shiqi, even as he pleasured himself, seeking greater ecstasy.

Elsewhere, pairs of men licked and fondled each other, while one man was bound to a metal frame, his hands tied behind and pulled upward, body bent forward, legs spread, his rear forced high, stuffed with toys ceaselessly stimulating him, while his own arousal was cruelly bound to prevent release.

Under the dual torment of drugs and devices, the man’s lust soared with no relief, sweat pouring from his body in agony. Behind him, another man lashed his back with a whip, leaving bloody welts.

This was the debauched scene that Mei and Mo Chen walked in on.

“Shit!” Mo Chen swore, quickly covering Mei’s eyes. “Go wait outside—you’re not seeing this!”

“But I’ve already seen! It’s just a bunch of naked men, what’s the big deal?” Mei replied innocently, puzzled. In her old world, she’d seen plenty of male bodies; there was nothing shocking about it. Besides, she was picky—if their bodies weren’t attractive, she wouldn’t bother looking anyway.

As they spoke, Huang Shiqi climbed off his partner.

“Mo Chen, I didn’t expect you to come back alive. Why come see me so late—do you want to join in?” Driven mad by lust, Huang Shiqi licked his lips and thrust his hips suggestively at Mo Chen.

“Join? Sure. Let’s play!” Mo Chen’s smile was wicked, his tone light, but his eyes were cold as he picked up a whip from the corner and lashed it viciously at Huang Shiqi.