Chapter 25.2: Battered yet Strikingly Beautiful
Wu Heng leaned back against the warehouse wall and slowly slid down to the floor.
He pulled down the zipper of his jacket. Blood had already soaked through the white shirt underneath. His long fingers pressed against the buttons, undoing them one by one. Lowering his head, he saw five fresh bloody holes right where his heart should be.
The poppy’s roots were bound to his heart. Even if the zombie had succeeded in ripping it out just now, he could still wrest it back and graft the heart into place again.
But shifting it around like that drained too much of both his and the poppy’s vital energy.
Not to mention—just being squeezed once had nearly overwhelmed him. Still, he refused to show weakness in front of Lin Mengzhi and Wu Zhi.
Wu Heng took out a roll of gauze, wiping away the blood that had spilled, then carefully cleaned the wooden-element energy core he had just obtained. He held it in his palm until the core’s green glow completely faded away.
Tilting his head back, he rested the back of his skull against the wall. His apricot-colored eyes half-lidded, he let the emptiness left by his drained power slowly be filled again as the new energy flowed into him.
By the time he walked out of the store, he had restored his usual calm, composed air.
Lin Mengzhi and Wu Zhi, who had been waiting anxiously on either side of the door, rushed forward the moment they saw him.
“How is it? Are you okay?”
Wu Heng opened his hand. Resting in his palm was a fire-red energy core, blazing as though it might burn the air itself.
“This is a fire-element core I hunted down yesterday. I can’t use it. Take it.”
“That’s… really not right…” Lin Mengzhi hesitated. He had already witnessed Wu Heng’s strength more than once. With the world in chaos, he’d rather see these resources spent on Wu Heng himself.
Wu Heng only said, “I don’t want you dragging me down later.”
“…”
Lin Mengzhi carefully slipped the energy core into his pocket. “You were hurt just now. Let me carry your bag for you.”
Wu Zhi hugged a can of cola in both hands. “Brother, drink cola. Cola makes you happy.”
The corner of Wu Heng’s lips lifted. “I’m very happy right now.” With that, he turned and walked ahead, leaving the other two behind. X reacted the fastest, flapping his wings to catch up at once.
The core from the green vine was far stronger than the cactus one from before. Wu Heng felt as though he’d been charged full of electricity; the hunger had vanished, and even his mood had lightened.
After another half-hour of walking, they finally reached the shopping mall.
This was Hanzhou’s largest commercial center. On the surface, it looked no different from usual. Famous nationwide for its unique architecture, the mall was made of three buildings, each constructed from countless interlocking triangular prisms. Tens of thousands of glass panes glittered under the sun, scattering dazzling shards of light.
But Wu Heng and Lin Mengzhi, as ability users, could clearly see zombies wandering just behind the glass.
Fortunately, when the outbreak hit, most of the people inside had been staff. At a glance, the number of zombies inside didn’t look too large.
Clang! The lock on the main entrance dropped to the ground. Lin Mengzhi quietly pushed the door open. He turned his head, and just when Wu Heng thought he was going to whisper be careful, what rang in his ear instead was:
“A’Heng, are you wearing sneakers or canvas shoes?”
“…” Wu Heng muttered, “Either’s fine.”
He had worn canvas shoes for years—they were durable, and as long as they fit, they didn’t need replacing.
The white canvas pair on his feet now had been bought three years ago. The laces were stained gray-blue by his faded school uniform pants, the once-white uppers were clearly yellowed. Yet the shoes were always scrubbed clean—just like the boy himself, giving off an impression of unassuming neatness.
Wu Zhi clung to his arm. “Brother, you should wear leather shoes. The kind Dad wore—real leather ones.”
Wu Heng ignored her, gently pushed her aside, and turned right into a high-end skincare counter.
He didn’t read the ingredients—he only looked at the price—and pocketed several five-figure sets into his space.
“You buying more for that idiot?” Lin Mengzhi asked, leaning on the counter.
“Mm.”
“Really? Now? Skincare? You don’t even use this stuff yourself.” Lin Mengzhi said, then casually grabbed an eight-hundred-yuan facial cleanser and shoved it into his pocket.
Wu Heng stepped out of the counter and said softly, “Born beautiful—don’t need it.”
“No way,” Lin Mengzhi replied in disbelief. “How did I never notice you’re pretty vain? Sure, we all have reason to be, but saying it out loud? How are the ugly people supposed to live?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a zombie in a security guard uniform appeared across the hall. Its limbs were twisted, none of its skin intact; it lurched crookedly toward them.
Wu Heng moved to deal with it, but Wu Zhi stepped forward. “Brother, I’ll go.”
Lin Mengzhi was horrified. “You?! You don’t have to throw yourself away just because your brother said you’re ugly!”
Wu Zhi’s eyes widened involuntarily as she looked at Wu Heng. “Brother, you said I’m ugly?!”
“…No.” Wu Heng chose not to admit it. He tossed Lin Mengzhi’s knife to Wu Zhi. “Go. Remember to chop its head off.”
Clutching her rag doll and the knife, Wu Zhi ran toward the zombie. She slammed on the brakes in front of it; the rotten stench and the monster’s distorted, putrid face made her want to shut her eyes immediately.
But she didn’t want to hold her brother back.
Wu Zhi raised the knife and drove it hard through the zombie’s skull. She took a deep breath, pulled the blade free, and turned to run. The zombie staggered and collapsed to the ground.
Wu Heng leaned against a pillar; his expression wasn’t as tense as Lin Mengzhi’s, but Wu Zhi ran straight to him.
“Brother, I did it!”
“Mm, well done.” Wu Heng patted Wu Zhi’s fluffy head, but his gaze shifted, expressionless, to the corridor behind her. Soon, his eyes narrowed.
The zombie’s body was gone.
Something was off in the mall—that was Wu Heng’s first thought.
“Mengzhi, stay here with Wu Zhi. I’ll go check.” Wu Heng took the knife back from Wu Zhi, and X hopped off Lin Mengzhi’s shoulder onto his own.
—
The mall, usually so crowded and noisy, was now cold and eerily silent.
The polished tiles reflected the tall, slender figure of the boy. Each step he took echoed faintly, yet insistently.
On the floor, a long drag mark streaked through the corridor, the trail of filthy blood broken and uneven.
Wu Heng didn’t follow the trace all the way. At the corner where the smear bent out of sight, he stopped—and even stepped back two paces.
His long black lashes framed pupils dark as ink; here, he could feel an immense surge of energy.
Without hesitation, Wu Heng turned away. But he didn’t go back to Lin Mengzhi and Wu Zhi—he sought out the shopping center’s directory map instead.
He stood quietly before it, scanning from the top down.
Dining…
Apparel…
Culture…
Entertainment…
His gaze remained calm, almost detached, until it landed on three words tucked in the corner of the basement level. His brows knit—barely, but noticeably.
Basement Level 1: Reptile House.
Without a second thought, Wu Heng turned and headed back toward the exit where Lin Mengzhi and Wu Zhi were waiting. His steps were swift, and his usually mild, scholarly face sharpened into something keen and cutting cold.
At last, his figure emerged into the corridor.
Lin Mengzhi and Wu Zhi, idly playing rock–paper–scissors, lit up at the sight of him.
But Wu Heng’s expression was fierce, and in a rare raised voice, he shouted at them:
“Over here!”
His voice echoed through the empty mall. Lin Mengzhi and Wu Zhi, though unclear on what was happening, knew enough from that alone—they grabbed their bags and dashed toward him.
“Ah!” Wu Zhi cried out. She had barely lifted her foot before something yanked her by the ankle, throwing her hard onto the ground.
Lin Mengzhi bent down to pull her up. But when he saw what was coiled around her leg, he swallowed a mouthful of spit, body freezing stiff.
A lizard.
He had seen colleagues keep these before, usually no more than twenty centimeters long, docile and harmless. But the thing before his eyes—what the hell was this?!
It was indeed a lizard, but one monstrously enlarged, its body twice the size of a grown man. Its green skin stretched over bulging muscle, and a pair of fist-sized eyes jutted grotesquely from the top of its head, rolling now and then.
Its swollen belly told of a fresh meal not long ago. Though still meters away, it had already snared its prey with its tongue.
Slowly, it crept closer, dragging itself forward inch by inch.
Lin Mengzhi didn’t hesitate further. He unleashed a burst of fire straight at the slick tongue. The mutated lizard recoiled, snapping its tongue back, and he seized the chance to scoop Wu Zhi into his arms and bolt forward.
Wu Heng was already sprinting their way. He caught Lin Mengzhi by the arm, shoved him aside, and sent his vines shooting like arrows toward the lizard.
But the creature had learned. With a twist of its massive body, it used the armored hide of its back to block the strike.
Wu Heng flicked his wrist, redirecting the vines in an instant—this time spearing them at its eyes.
Pop. Pop. Both eyes burst, spraying foul liquid. The lizard let out a shriek that pierced the ears, its massive body thrashing and rolling, smashing counters and shelves to splinters.
“Brother…” Wu Zhi clung to Lin Mengzhi’s arms, her voice trembling, too frightened even to cry. “I… I think I’ve been caught again.”
Wu Heng and Lin Mengzhi whipped around. On the wall behind them, crouched to the left and right, were two even larger green-skinned lizards. Both had their tongues lashed around Wu Zhi’s ankles, one left, one right.
Wu Heng raised his knife, just about to strike, when the mutant lizards swiftly retracted their tongues.
They swung their massive tails, staring unblinkingly at the living prey before them.
Wu Heng’s voice was calm. “I’ll count down to one. Then we take the stairs on the left and run. Once we’re moving, find a sealed space to hide in.”
Lin Mengzhi had never been this tense before—because he knew the instant they moved, those two mutant lizards would definitely lunge at them.
“Three.”
“Two.”
“One—run!”
Lin Mengzhi hoisted Wu Zhi onto his back and bolted up the left staircase, sprinting as if his life depended on it.
But when he reached the landing, he realized Wu Heng hadn’t followed. Lin Mengzhi looked down and saw the two mutant lizards bound in place by a tangle of vines, thrashing in impotent fury as bloodthirsty growls rumbled from their throats.
He didn’t dare relax. Because right then, from all directions, he saw bizarre, misshapen creatures swarming toward them.
“A’Heng! Get up here! Shit, there’s a ton of them—bugs, all bugs!!!”
Wu Heng yanked back his vines, and instantly something heavy crashed to the ground behind him. He didn’t dare look back. Instead, he kicked away a half-man-sized, bloated pillbug that came hurtling at him.
It wasn’t just lizards—other mutant crawlers kept lashing out at him with long, whip-like tongues. Wu Heng tossed out his vine, which wrapped around a lamp hanging on the second floor. With a powerful tug, he was yanked straight out of the swarm of insects and slammed down hard on the upstairs floorboards.
The boy groaned in pain. “Next time, a little gentler.”
The vine brushed against his soft, slender waist as if full of guilt.
“Find somewhere to hide first,” Wu Heng said. “They’ll be on us again any moment.”
The three of them dashed up to the third floor. Perched on the three massive central pillars were several giant katydids, screeching shrilly as their wings trembled, ready to take flight. Meanwhile, the first and second floors were already crawling with countless mutant pillbugs, infesting every corner.
Wu Heng got separated from Lin Mengzhi and Wu Zhi. Several lizards—able not only to leap but to fly—chased him all the way until he finally ducked into the storage room of a clothing store.
He quickly bolted the door. The mutant lizards refused to give up, ramming it again and again until, realizing they couldn’t break through, they finally quieted down.
Wu Heng leaned against the door, head lowered, heart pounding so hard it took him a long while to steady his breath.
But when he finally lifted his gaze—and saw the boy sitting casually on the stack of boxes opposite him—his expression froze completely.
“Hey.”
Xie Chongyi’s features were noble and composed, touched with arrogance, yet his tone carried teasing amusement. His smile was disarmingly friendly as he lifted a hand in greeting toward the battered yet strikingly beautiful youth before him.