Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

Cheng Jingyi blinked, his throat tightened, and he could hardly speak as he looked at Shen Yisui's face.

When praised, one should smile to show humility, but now that Cheng Jingyi is sitting opposite Shen Yisui, she can't bring herself to smile.

"...Actually, you were very cute when you were little, I remember." Cheng Jingyi rolled her eyes. "I was just lying to you about what I just said."

Shen Yisui lifted his eyelids: "Really? Aren't I Chaoxiong?"

Cheng Jingyi: "..."

"Hmph." Not hearing Cheng Jingyi's excuses, Shen Yisui didn't pursue the matter further. He covered his cheek, seemingly unconcerned: "Has Shen Heng left?"

“They’re still in the room across the street.” Cheng Jingyi stood up, pulled Shen Yisui up, and said, “We can’t stay here any longer. We need to get to the main camp as soon as possible before the rest of the army arrives.”

Shen Yisui estimated that there were still nearly two months before the zombie horde arrived, and they could not afford to waste any more time here.

"Okay." Shen Yisui felt the hard touch in his palm, tilted his head and asked, "What did you put in my hand?"

“Crystal cores.” Cheng Jingyi said simply and decisively. He glanced at Shen Yisui’s heart, which was teetering on the edge of his chest, and clicked his tongue. “I’ve saved up some recently. It should be enough to patch up the hole in your chest. You don’t even want your heart anymore?”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yisui lowered his head. He touched his exposed heart and used his hand to push it back into the broken flesh.

"But I'm already dead, so even if I were replaced, I'd just be a corpse."

"That's still better than you are now." Cheng Jingyi pulled Shen Yisui's coat up and said, "Anyway, I'll fix you up in the future."

Shen Yi paused, then smiled and said, "What you're saying... I'm not a robot."

"If you were a robot, I'd save myself some effort." Cheng Jingyi crushed the crystal core, and the power inside surfaced, soon flowing into Shen Yisui's body through the air.

Shen Yisui felt warmth in his chest. He clenched his fist and clearly sensed that his body was slowly improving.

If he survives the next zombie horde, he will be given a brand new and intact reborn body.

Shen Yisui thought to himself, and said to Cheng Jingyi, "I will get better in the future. I am already getting better now."

Cheng Jingyi chuckled: "I hope so, after all, I don't want to sleep with a corpse."

Shen Yisui: "..."

Cheng Jingyi always spoke so bluntly and without much refinement. Shen Yisui's pupils moved slightly, and he said, "But before I leave, I would like to see Shen Heng one last time."

Cheng Jingyi looked at him: "For what?"

“For…” Shen Yisui paused, as if remembering something, and said sarcastically, “For Shen Yisui.”

*

After returning, Shen Heng went to his private cubicle. The furniture in the building was all damaged, and his current room was considered the best in the building.

His entourage naturally reserved the room for him.

"Shen Heng."

Lu Ran called out from behind Shen Heng. Hearing the voice, Shen Heng turned around and asked, "Lieutenant, what's wrong?"

Lu Ran looked at him, her expression remaining largely unchanged: "Can I see the chip in your hand?"

Shen Heng's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. He gripped the chip in his hand and smiled at Lu Ran: "Adjutant, what do you need this for? This belongs to a friend of mine, and I'm planning to take it back to him."

"...It's just related to a case." Lu Ran saw Shen Heng put his arm behind his back and understood what he meant in a moment.

He didn't force Shen Heng, but simply explained the situation: "I found a diary among Dr. Lu Yu'an's belongings, which also recorded some information about human microchips. The one in your hand looks very similar to the contents of his diary."

Several years ago, Dr. Lu Yu'an was pushed off a high-rise building by a zombie and died from the fall. To this day, they have not caught the zombie, nor do they know the zombie's motive for killing Lu Yu'an.

Lu Ran noticed something unusual when he first took over the case. A zombie would usually use its special abilities or bite off a person's neck to achieve its goal, rather than pushing them off a height.

This approach seems somewhat like an attempt to cover up the truth.

"Dr. Lu Yu'an?" Shen Heng frowned slightly upon hearing the name. He then gave a sarcastic laugh and addressed Lu Ran.

"Lieutenant, this doctor is a notorious quack; he's done countless experiments on living people. As for what's recorded in his diary... we can't trust it either, can we?"

Lu Ran's expression changed slightly. He was about to continue speaking when Shen Heng interrupted him, saying, "This chip belongs to my friend. If the adjutant wants it, I'll go back and ask him. If he agrees, I'll give it to you."

Lu Ran remained silent for a moment. Shen Yisui stood at the corner not far from him, the shadow of the house hanging down and enveloping him.

“…Okay.” Lu Ran hesitated for a moment before agreeing to Shen Heng’s request.

Before leaving, he looked back one last time and said, "Get some rest. Those two zombies are still on the other side, be careful."

Shen Heng didn't say anything more. After listening to Lu Ran's words, he turned around and closed the door.

Those standing outside were all isolated. Shen Heng stood inside the house with his back against the wooden door. He looked up and closed his eyes wearily.

"You know he's not Shen Yisui... don't you?" Shen Heng's voice rang out in the room, which was empty except for him. He lowered his voice as if he were talking to the air.

[……Yes.]

After an unknown amount of time, the mechanical sound of the colorful ball finally drifted out from inside the room.

Upon hearing the sound, Shen Heng instinctively clenched his fist. His long, untrimmed nails pierced his skin and dug deep into the flesh. Shen Heng seemed oblivious to the pain; his eyes were dry, and he continued, "He's Shen Cheng, isn't he?"

[Yes. ]

The mechanical sound of the colored ball remained steady.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Shen Heng took a deep breath, looked at the colorful ball, and a hint of resentment appeared in his eyes.

"You knew all along, so why didn't you tell me?! I've done so much over the years, and you just played me for a fool?!"

The colorful ball trembled slightly, and it circled Shen Heng hesitantly, its mechanical voice carrying a particularly strong sense of cautious probing.

[Because I don't know where Shen Yisui is either.]

"...Ha." Shen Heng laughed as if he was angry. "What's the connection between you not knowing where Shen Yisui is and not telling me that it was Shen Cheng? You've been lying to me all along, playing me for a fool..."

No.

The colorful ball flinched, as if trying to guard against something, and covered its body to hide to the side.

[I just don't want you to think I'm useless, I don't want you to look down on me.]