Chapter 146: Entreaty

Yi Chen’s face was dark, and his silence was terrifying. No one could tell what was going on in his mind at this moment.

The sudden appearance of Mu Zongxing inside the old mill undoubtedly confirmed his role as the mastermind behind the scenes!

"My daughter... Mu Qing has been captured by the Lurker, and they say she is at the World Trade Center now... Only you, only you can save her!" Mu Zongxing’s voice was intermittent. The flame of his life flickered like a candle in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any second.

Having suffered such a severe gunshot wound and lost so much blood, heaven only knows how he managed to hold on this long.

"Heh." Yi Chen let out a cold laugh.

"Does only you have family?! My mother is dead! If it weren't for that trap, if it weren't for the high-voltage electricity, this would never have happened!" Yi Chen roared furiously.

The veins on his neck bulged, and with a swift motion, he raised his sword. His hand trembled from an uncontrollable surge of anger!

His emotions finally erupted!

The entire place fell dead silent.

No one had ever seen Yi Chen this furious while in his normal state!

Everyone knew how deeply he cherished his family!

As a unique infected being, the boundary between Yi Chen, monsters, and zombies was not entirely clear-cut.

He had felt lost and hesitant many times, but it was precisely his attachment to his family that allowed him to break through adversity time and again, maintaining his sense of self without being completely devoured by the virus.

Yet, while he was completely immobilized, the Lurker had brutally murdered Chen Hong. He had failed to stop it, and in the end, he hadn't even been able to slay the monster with his own hands to avenge her.

What was even more detestable and hateful was that the Lurker had actually possessed the body of his good friend, Lu Yu!

A new monster was thus born, and Lu Yu had been completely reduced to a sacrifice, his current whereabouts unknown.

For all of this, Yi Chen could not forgive himself, nor could he ever lightly spare Mu Zongxing, who had been involved and facilitated it all!

The blade of Shengxie was a mere twenty centimeters away from Mu Zongxing's head.

Mu Zongxing felt no fear. By this point, he had long since put his own life and death behind him.

Yi Chen was his final glimmer of hope, and no matter what, he had to take a gamble.

As fate would have it, he had originally considered Yi Chen to be the greatest threat to his daughter, yet at the critical moment, he still had to rely on him.

Judging from his years of hard-fought business and negotiation experience: although Yi Chen was extremely furious, he had not lost his sanity. Otherwise, his head and body would have been separated long ago.

Mu Zongxing suddenly realized something—Yi Chen was not evil at heart, and furthermore, he possessed a far greater sense of responsibility and justice than the vast majority of people.

Becoming infected was not his fault; that he would temporarily lose consciousness and indiscriminately attack humans when completely zombified was also something beyond his control.

Perhaps it was because they, as humans, calculated too much for themselves, constantly exploiting and pushing him, that they had driven him to the opposite side.

Yet conversely, he himself had not been wrong either. He had acted for the safety of his daughter, hoping to keep her far away from catastrophe, but Yi Chen's appearance had made Mu Qing the focus of attention for both the corporation and the monsters, repeatedly plunging her into danger and nearly costing her life. How could he not feel hatred?

The one at fault was this apocalyptic era, yet everyone was merely a helpless chess piece unable to break free from destiny, leaving themselves at its mercy. Perhaps someone could reverse the tides of heaven and earth, but he would never live to see it.

Mu Zongxing gritted his teeth. Since Yi Chen had not struck yet, he had to seize the opportunity to finish saying what needed to be said.

"...The monster captured my daughter, and Ouyang Hong was its accomplice. They used her to blackmail me, forcing me to set up the high-voltage trap here to deal with you."

"...I... I don't beg for your forgiveness. If you are unsatisfied, you can kill me! You can even eat me to vent your hatred! But please, for the sake of your past friendship with Mu Qing, save her!"

While speaking intermittently, Mu Zongxing shed tears and kowtowed heavily, his head striking the ground with dull thuds.

At this point, the middleman who had dominated the business world for half his life completely stripped away his armor, laying down all his dignity and schemes as he begged.

Before Yi Chen could reply, Yi Lin burst into tears once again. She was reminded of her deceased mother, and of her father far away in Xijing who still knew nothing of this.

It was the same grief, merely happening to different people.

After saying so much and kowtowing for a long time, Mu Zongxing was hoarse and collapsed flat onto the ground.

Yet unwilling to give up, his hands groped blindly as he tried to prop himself up again.

"Are you finished? You can go die now," Yi Chen said coldly.

As his consciousness began to fade away, Mu Zongxing felt as though he had plunged into an icy cellar upon hearing those words.

Had he failed? Would Yi Chen truly refuse to help after all? Was this retribution...? Turbid tears welled up in the corners of Mu Zongxing's eyes. He simply refused to believe that the most failed negotiation of his life was the one involving his daughter's survival!

"She's at the World Trade Center? I'll go." Yi Chen sheathed his sword, turned to walk around Mu Zongxing, and did not spare him another glance.

"Thank you..." Mu Zongxing never expected the tables to turn so dramatically, finding a glimmer of hope after despair.

Yi Chen had agreed.

Mu Qing... I leave her to you. With his heart completely at peace, Mu Zongxing closed his eyes and breathed his last.

He had nothing left to let go of. Just how powerful Yi Chen was, he had already witnessed through the surveillance monitors earlier.

Since Yi Chen had promised him, he would definitely fulfill it. As Mu Zongxing died, he inexplicably believed this.

"Let's head out together. You guys go to the railway station first, and I'll make a trip to the World Trade Center," Yi Chen said.

"You child, you're even kinder than we imagined," Ling Lan's eyes turned red. Being able to agree to the request of an enemy, Yi Chen's magnanimity was far beyond ordinary. They all understood him and knew how much pain his heart was holding right now.

"Kind? Don't get it wrong," Yi Chen scoffed. "I just don't wish to see another child lose their family. Besides, Mu Qing... she is in danger, and I cannot simply ignore it."

"Fine, save the explanation, we understand. Let's get moving, we're pressed for time!" Of course Ling Lan knew about the subtle relationship between Yi Chen and Mu Qing.

She felt a stirring of emotion.

As the eldest among them, reputed for seeing through things the most and understanding the ways of the world, she couldn't help but quietly worry for the two of them: after such a traumatic ordeal, there probably wouldn't be a good outcome between Yi Chen and Mu Qing.

Yi Chen would surely never forget the fact that Mu Zongxing, as the mastermind, had caused the death of his mother, Chen Hong; while Mu Qing was a perceptive and intelligent girl who understood many things without needing them spelled out—if she hadn't gotten involved with Yi Chen, her old man wouldn't have died.

However, as the saying goes, true feelings are tested in adversity. After surviving so many dangers and tribulations, perhaps their bond would only grow deeper.

If they could open their hearts, cast aside their misgivings, and speak their true thoughts, it wasn't impossible for things to progress further.

The group hurried back. Wang Liang took charge of looking after Yi Lin, while the others cleared away a few scattered zombies along the way. Returning to the vehicle, they prepared to leave the exact same way they had entered.

Ling Zhe drove the small van plunging down the stairs, drawing gasps of astonishment from everyone as they were once again conquered by his daring and crazy driving skills.

When the vehicle finally came to a halt by the roadside, Yi Chen parted ways with the rest. Liang Bing, worried about his mental state, insisted on accompanying him to the World Trade Center to rescue Mu Qing.

Considering the true condition of his own body, Yi Chen agreed.