TFRLTOP Chapter 86 Part 2

“Yeah, and they used to laugh at us, saying we’d get killed by the mutants. Joke’s on them.”

“Even if the apocalypse ends, they’ll still be second-class citizens. We, the powered ones who saved humanity, won’t be taking orders from anyone weak.”

“Heh, just wait — wouldn’t be surprised if a third world war breaks out.”

The car buzzed with chatter.

Ming Ming could feel the tension — the hostility the powered had toward normal people. She didn’t really understand the history, so she just stayed quiet.

Then, the radio crackled to life.

“Warning! Warning! A new type of zombie mutant has appeared inside the city. The safe zone is about to fall. All powered individuals, report for backup immediately.”

A moment later, a few sharp “zzzt—zzzt” sounds crackled through the radio, followed by a panicked plea from inside the safe zone:

“Please, someone, help us! The zombies got in! Ahhh—help—uh—!”

Then the transmission cut off.

Silence filled the vehicle. No one spoke.

“Damn it…” someone muttered quietly.

“No matter the circumstances,” Guan Yi said evenly, “humanity shares a common fate.” Then he gave the order: “Full speed ahead. We’re going to support the safe zone.”

“Yes, sir!”

On the way there, the team couldn’t help but wonder. For all its problems, the safe zone’s defenses had been solid—how could zombies have broken through so suddenly?

When they arrived, the sight before them left everyone stunned. Zombies—moving on all fours—were scaling the walls with terrifying ease, climbing as if they were level ground. In seconds, they breached the perimeter. Screams of terror and chaos echoed from within.

“What the hell…”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Even the blast didn’t kill them?!”

These creatures looked exactly like the mutated “spider-men” they had seen at the military base—still wearing tattered camouflage uniforms, some missing limbs from earlier explosions.

And yet, they were still moving—fast. Faster than anyone expected. They’d reached the safe zone before Guan Yi’s team could.

“Be careful. These things aren’t easy to handle,” Guan Yi warned.

Inside, unarmed civilians were running for their lives. Infection spread like wildfire.

“You stay out here and handle the detonators,” Guan Yi told Ming Ming. “See that open area to the southwest? We’ll lure the zombies there. Once about a dozen gather, blow them up.”

“Got it.” She nodded. She didn’t have any combat abilities—it was better not to get in the way. But she hesitated. “What if they still don’t die like before?”

“It’s fine. If blowing off limbs isn’t enough, turning them into mince will do. Just hit the trigger. Leave the rest to us.”

With that, the team rushed into the chaos.

Inside, everything was pandemonium. Mutant “spider” zombies darted between survivors, nearly impossible to hit. Powers flared—ice, flame, lightning—but the creatures were fast. Too fast. Guan Yi and the others quickly realized they couldn’t keep this up. They began herding the zombies toward the southwest clearing.

Ming Ming had already armed the bombs.

“Get them away from the civilians! Don’t let anyone else get infected!” Guan Yi shouted, flinging several zombies toward the open ground.

Watching her tablet’s readouts, Ming Ming waited until enough of the creatures had gathered, then started the countdown—five seconds.

Done.

She exhaled, clamped her hands over her ears, and braced for the blast.

But from inside, Guan Yi—just turning back toward the group—was caught by the explosion. His instincts kicked in. A tendril shot from his arm, wrapping around a flagpole, flinging him clear just as fire erupted behind him.

When the first explosion died down, Ming Ming started prepping the next detonation.

“Bai He!!!”

His roar tore through the smoke.

“Are you trying to murder your husband?!”

Ming Ming blinked, confused.

“I said—check! The! Area! First! Before! You! Blow! It! Up!”

Guan Yi was furious.

Ming Ming’s face flushed red. She realized her position had a blind spot. Scrambling forward, she repositioned and took control again.

Soon, other powered teams arrived to help. Civilians were evacuated.

After the third explosion, the ground was covered in scattered limbs and burned flesh. The zombie numbers dropped sharply. Guan Yi finally allowed himself a small breath of relief—until the soldier beside him stumbled.

“You okay?” he asked, steadying the man.

The soldier smiled faintly. “Just pushed myself too hard. Got a little dizzy. Thanks.”

Then Guan Yi froze.

“You…”

The man tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re infected,” Guan Yi said hoarsely.

The man’s eyes narrowed, then he laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Infection turns you in under a minute. If I were infected, you’d already be dead.”

But Guan Yi shook his head, staring at the wound on the man’s arm. The soldier followed his gaze. “This? I just scraped myself climbing the wall. Not a bite. Come on, Captain Guan, after three years in the apocalypse, surely you can tell the difference?”

Then, mid-sentence, the man froze. His hand shot to his head. His eyes turned dark and hungry.

“Why… why do I suddenly want to bite you…”

A gunshot cracked through the air.

The man fell instantly, a bullet clean through his forehead.

Guan Yi turned. The shooter was the commander of another squad—the dead man’s own leader. He gave a grim nod, then went back into the fight.

Guan Yi looked down at the body. Even now, dark veins crept across the man’s face, his eyes cloudy like a zombie’s.

Why had he stayed lucid for so long? Was it connected to the mutant strain?

Guan Yi thought of the bat-like zombie from before. Those creatures had shown clear intelligence, even strategy. If more like them appeared—zombies with both powers and consciousness—what future would humanity have left?

“Help! Please!”

A gaunt man stumbled toward him, a zombie close behind. Guan Yi’s tendril lashed out, skewering the monster through the skull. The survivor collapsed, shaking uncontrollably. Guan Yi sighed, offered a hand—

The man’s eyes flashed red. He lunged and bit down on Guan Yi’s wrist.

Guan Yi’s instincts exploded into motion. He threw the man into the air, then twisted his neck with a flick of his tendril.

“Damn it…” he hissed, shaking off the blood.

From afar, Ming Ming had seen it. Her chest tightened—but then he tossed the body aside and went back to fighting, and she forced herself to believe he was fine.

Before long, the battle ended. Zombies were cleared out. Survivors wept in relief.

Ming Ming rushed over. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Guan Yi said with his usual easy grin.

But his hand stayed behind his back.

“What’s wrong with your hand? Let me see.” Her voice was calm, but the tremor underneath betrayed her fear.

“It’s nothing—just a cramp. Really. Don’t worry, babe. I just need a minute to walk it off.” He tried to joke, to smile like he always did. “You stay here and help with the evac, okay? I just need to… step away for a bit.”

He turned to leave.

Ming Ming grabbed his arm. “You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

He laughed, trying to shake it off. “What? No way. Come on, babe, you’re really that worried about me? Yesterday in the valley, you were ready to dump me for your ex-husband, remember? Now you love me again?”

He leaned close, voice teasing. “Don’t worry, your husband loves you too. Just let me go pee before I embarrass myself, okay?”

But the more he dodged, the more certain she became.

Her mind screamed in denial, but her voice trembled: “Don’t go… please…”

Her breath hitched. Her eyes filled with tears. “Show me your hand.”

Silence.

The laughter, the cheers, the noise of survival all seemed to fade away. The world shrank until it was just the two of them.

Her grip tightened. Her tears fell.

And Guan Yi—smiling no more—looked at her quietly, something breaking behind his eyes.

Pity.
Sorrow.
And unbearable tenderness.

Slowly, he brought his hand out from behind him.

A deep, bloody bite mark gleamed on his wrist.