Chapter 186.1 – We Are V587 (1)

◎ Mother is still Mother ◎

One year later.

In the faint morning light, a starship filled with passengers glided through the vast sky, its silver-white tail trailing a blossoming wreath of redbud flowers.

Inside the quiet rear compartment, a sudden announcement echoed: “Ladies and gentlemen, we have encountered a medium-sized zombie tide ahead. There will be continuous turbulence, please remain calm, stay seated, fasten your seatbelts, and our security personnel will do their best to ensure everyone’s safety.”

The lightly sleeping passengers woke up one after another. Through the portholes, they could see on the distant horizon the dark, densely packed zombies crowding the rooftops, blocking the low-altitude track. Most of these passengers were wanderers, leaving their hometowns, prepared to head to nearby shelters.

“Mama, I’m scared. Can we still go to our new home?” A little girl with braided pigtails snuggled into her parents’ embrace.

“Don’t be afraid, sweetheart. Mommy is here with you.”

“After this stretch, it’ll be fine. We’ll soon reach Loak, the controlled area of the Bauhinia Alliance.” The father comforted his daughter while holding them close.

Swish!

The cabin door opened, and security personnel raised their submachine guns, firing towards the distance. The zombies in the front fell, and those attracted by the gunfire rushed forward eagerly. Smoke filled the air, bullets flew, and as the distance closed, the battle intensified.

Thud—Thud—!!

The starship maneuvered automatically, swaying from side to side.

In the luxurious cabin compartment, a young man lay on a reclined seat, his face covered with a thick “Zombie Language: From Beginner to Mastery” manual. The holographic game controller slipped from his hand as he stirred, sleepily lifting his head to look outside. He then unfastened his seatbelt and stood up.

The young man was around one meter sixty, slender and tall, dressed in branded clothing. He wore expensive headphones, and a large luxury logo adorned his slung bag. Despite a hint of childishness in his facial features, his overall demeanor exuded confidence.

Moving lightly, he passed through the anxious passengers and joined the security personnel, naturally striking up a conversation:

“Can it be resolved? How many evolved zombies are there? Has an emergency commission been issued?”

The security personnel, subconsciously firing their submachine guns, replied, “The system reported a C-level; the others are manageable. There are two Level 3 zombies causing trouble. With the current firepower, it will take about an hour.”

Casually turning back, catching a glimpse of the speaker’s face, the security personnel immediately raised their tone:

“No, kid, who let you out? Quickly go back and sit down!”

“An hour, so slow.” The young man impatiently furrowed his brows.

Casually picking up the newly refreshed C-level emergency mission, the young man raised his head and coincidentally locked eyes with the teary-eyed little girl. He flashed a brilliant smile, defying the airflow as he took a step back. His oversized T-shirt fluttered, and he leaped straight out of the starship.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!! The dense bullets paused for a moment, and everyone’s faces turned pale.

“Hey!! What are you doing!!”

The security personnel failed to catch him in time, watching helplessly as the young man soared like a seagull, then free-fell with a ‘thud!’ into the pile of zombies.

Just as everyone worried about him, the temperature around plummeted, frost danced in the air, condensing into numerous sharp ice blades. Like slicing through watermelons, all the zombie heads, including the two Level 3 ones, exploded, instantly clearing the blocked track!

“Mom, big brother is an awakener!” The little girl clapped excitedly.

“An, a high-level awakener…” Passengers murmured in disbelief.

Two years into the apocalypse, the existence of awakeners was no longer a secret. However, the lower-tier districts mostly had D and C-level awakeners, occasionally encountering a B-level was considered strong. Easily wiping out a medium-sized zombie tide like this, only B-level or higher or even A-level awakeners could achieve.

The young man tilted his head back, his fluffy curly hair standing on end, and his smile as pure as an angel’s. “Uncle, I’ll get off here, no need to worry about me.”

The perplexed security personnel holding their guns: “…” There’s no stop here at all!

“Report the condition of the damaged cabin and continue forward,” a mature voice came from the broadcast.

“Captain, what about that kid…” The security personnel hesitated.

“He’s from V587, an A3-level ice-element awakener. Even if you want to manage him, you can’t.”

Now, information flowed between District B and the lower-tier districts. Some people, as if waking from a dream, pulled out their terminals, only to see the top of the Alliance’s leaderboard prominently displaying:

—— “V587.”

This was a mysterious team, rumored to be all strong men with exceptional abilities. Though they hadn’t shown themselves for a long time, their ranking remained unshaken, consistently holding the top spot on the leaderboard. For those newcomers, a glance at the terminal always showcased the prominent name of V587.

…

Alone, Xu Xing walked through the ruins.

In accordance with the “Post-Apocalyptic Survival Rules” released by the Bauhinia Alliance, the Fallen, as a new species with intelligence, has attracted widespread attention. There is currently no consensus on how to coexist with them, so the general approach is to avoid interference and live alongside each other. The Loak region has been officially designated as a gathering place for the Fallen, and ordinary humans are strictly prohibited from entering.

A year ago, thirteen B-districts, represented by Beijun, Kongsang, and the Northern Base, issued an independent declaration, announcing their departure from Utopia’s jurisdiction and forming a new destiny community called the “Bauhinia Alliance.” As of now, more than half of the 180 districts in the former New Asia Alliance have chosen to join because the highest principle of the Bauhinia Alliance is that everyone has the equal right to live.

Xu Xing found an open space, set up a loudspeaker, clicked play, and a hoarse frequency resonated, spreading into the distance.

The origin of this device is also intriguing, similar to the “Zombie Language: From Beginner to Mastery,” it comes from a renowned zombie language expert in Kongsang. This expert believes that through dialogue, humans can achieve peaceful coexistence with the Fallen.

Xu Xing waited in place for a while. The air gradually thickened, the ground shook incessantly, and hordes of zombies, attracted by the special frequency, roared ferociously as they surrounded him. However, this time, Xu Xing didn’t attack. Instead, he stood there with a cheerful smile.

The small zombie at the forefront leaped onto his back, affectionately nuzzling against him, attempting to steal his slung bag.

Xu Xing held onto the strap tightly and, with a pleading expression, looked into the distance. “Ada, please control them!”

The Fallen leader, approaching three meters in height, made a choking sound twice. The excited zombies slid off Xu Xing’s back and, in turn, curiously examined the loudspeaker.

“Just passing by after completing a mission, came to see you all.”

Xu Xing pulled out a makeshift, wobbly-legged chair from the rubble, struggling to maintain balance. Several small zombies jumped onto his knees, tugging at his T-shirt.

“Oh, a new member?” Xu Xing tilted his head, looking towards the back.

A group of clearly different types of Fallen, resembling zombies more closely, with limbs exposed and covered in rotten cracks, were cautiously wandering in the outer circle, avoiding getting too close. Xu Xing took out several baskets of green apples from his pocket and pretended to reluctantly push them out.

The zombies scattered, rushing to grab the apples.

Xu Xing protected his branded T-shirt, then took a moment to talk to Ada, “Ada, have you found my sister?”

Ada shook her head, having searched every nook and cranny of Loak without any success.

Song Ke had been missing for almost a year. Yes, not dead, but missing. Despite turning into ashes in front of everyone, leaving no trace behind, Zhuang Qingyan still firmly believed that she was alive.

Every member of V587 was waiting for her return. However, their situation was not good. Su Cha became a patient in a vegetative state, covered in tubes and barely alive. Lin Youyou looked sickly, never leaving his side. Fang Zhixu, who went on a “business trip” to Erjia, hadn’t returned, and the remaining one…

Xu Xing held his chin, sighing like an old man, “Sigh…”

Zhuang Qingyan seemed the most normal on the surface, but Xu Xing’s intuition was accurate. He felt that he was the most abnormal one.

Since that day, he hadn’t smiled. Sometimes the madness and stubbornness in his eyes were so intense that it sent shivers down one’s spine.

While immersed in melancholy, his terminal beeped, and Fang Zhixu’s loud voice echoed, “You brat, the location is drifting again. We agreed you’d come back after completing the mission. Where did you run off to? Hurry up and come home for dinner!”

Xu Xing pursed his lips. He, a twelve-year-old child, had independently completed an A-level mission! The pillar of V587 at such a young age, working to earn points and support the entire family!

‘Sister, where are you really?’

The sunlight above was a bit dazzling. Xu Xing lay among the Fallen, closing his eyes slightly.

‘I miss you so much.’

*

District F177.

The gentle sea breeze caressed the rocks, causing ripples on the water’s surface.

Splash—

Fully soaked, Song Ke floated to the surface, slowly opening her eyes.

Once a girl with shoulder-length black hair, almond eyes, and dimples, she now appeared entirely unfamiliar. Resembling a patient with albinism, her skin was pale, her long hair pure white—head to toe, she was entirely in white. Only her irises and pupils were a bewildering light pink. When she stood up, her figure reached close to 1.7 meters. The translucent cheeks seemed like porcelain washed by water, fragile and delicate.

Song Ke pulled her left hand out of the seawater, and her wing-like white eyelashes drooped slightly, staring at it for a few seconds.

Five fingers. This time, it was correct.

After a year, the missing body parts had regrown, leaving smooth skin without any scars, tender and akin to newborn.

The only aftermath was a condition resembling a genetic defect—albinism.

Song Ke bent down to pick up her clothes on the beach, quickly putting them on in a few moves. She wore a hood, covering herself completely.

The sun was about to set, but the light still caused a stinging sensation on her skin.

A faint roar of zombies echoed from behind. Dozens of ragged undead creatures rushed towards her. District F177 was an abandoned island, and monsters could be encountered with just a few steps—it was nothing unusual.

Song Ke raised her eyes and, with barely any movement, the ferocious zombies were instantly cut into pieces by a golden stream of light, blood splattering across the sky.

With her body reshaped, the flow of her magnetic field unhindered, and awakened energy control increasingly precise, Song Ke had become a true Super S-level awakener.

She no longer needed to transform a spiritual weapon because she herself was the most powerful humanoid weapon.

Song Ke returned to a dilapidated house by the seaside. The neighbors had long turned into zombies, their whereabouts unknown. There were faint noises coming from the courtyard.

Aunt Qing scavenged some scraps from the garbage mountain and was stiffly washing them by the water pool.

Xiao Bao squatted, four paws on the ground, crawling around the doorway. Accidentally bumping into Song Ke’s shin, he let out a yelp. Just as he was about to open his mouth to bite, Song Ke kicked him away like a soccer ball.

Song Ke found a stool and sat down. Her face under the setting sun was pale and indifferent. “I’m leaving.”

Due to not speaking for a long time, her voice sounded hoarse, and her use of the Alliance language was a bit rusty. However, once she started speaking, she was fluent, without a trace of stuttering.

Xiao Bao, still dizzy, rolled back, and noticing Song Ke’s arm, which had grown back, he drooled and tried to bite again. This time, his sharp teeth pierced the thin blood vessels, causing blood to flow.

Pig trotters, delicious.

In a daze, Xiao Bao remembered a dish he had eaten when he was still human. His saliva secretion became even more vigorous.

Really asking for trouble.

Smack! Aunt Qing slapped him on the head.

Smack, smack! Two more consecutive slaps, and Xiao Bao cried out in pain. He had to release his bite, rolling over with all four paws in the air.

Even after turning into a zombie, mother is still mother.

Xiao Bao touched his head in grievance, questioning why he couldn’t eat. Last time, he was allowed to eat with two fingers. Why couldn’t he eat with five fingers? Clearly, it was his found backup food!