Chapter 387: Will Jiang Tong Become the Next Bone Wing?
The woman, seeing no reaction from Jiang Tong, licked the blood from the corner of her mouth and continued:
“Even if humans accept you, they’ll never have pure intentions. They’ll either want to capture you alive or deceive and exploit you. Humans are all cunning—I’ve told you before. Only you and I are the same kind; we won’t harm each other.”
Jiang Tong refuted her, “My brother wouldn’t.”
The woman shrugged. “We’ll see. But my door is always open for you. Humans are unreliable, and ordinary zombies are too stupid and low-level. Eyes Burial, without you, I’ll feel very lonely—and so will you. One day, you’ll come looking for me.”
Jiang Tong turned to leave, but the woman suddenly reached into the man’s corpse, ripped out his heart, stuffed it into a bag, and tossed it to her.
“Take this as a snack. I guess you haven’t eaten in days. If you keep holding back, I’m afraid you’ll lose control and eat your beloved human brother.”
Jiang Tong pressed her lips together but still accepted it.
In the shadowy depths of the alley, one of Jiang Tong’s eyes began to twist and swell, growing large enough to take over her entire face. Within it, countless pupils wriggled like mouths, each one crying out in hunger—a terrifying, grave-like sight.
Soon, the sound of gnawing echoed through the dark night…
Back in Taoyang, Jiang Tong quietly opened the door and slipped inside. Just as she was about to return to her room, her brother Jiang Yu’s voice came from the living room sofa:
“Tongtong, where did you go this late?”
Jiang Tong froze mid-step. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk.”
Jiang Yu turned on the light, stood up, and walked toward her. He caught a faint scent of blood in the air, but it was so subtle that his mind brushed past it without dwelling on it.
He studied her face carefully.
“You went out without your glasses? Could you even see?”
Jiang Tong replied, “Not really—I just wandered around.”
Jiang Yu continued to stare at her, his expression growing more confused and pained.
“Tongtong, you’re lying. When you were little, you made this exact face whenever you lied. But now… I feel like I barely know you. Are you hiding something from me? You can tell me. No matter what happens, I’ll accept it. I’d even risk my life to catch anyone who hurt you and make them pay.”
The worst he could imagine was someone abusing or harming her—forcing her to endure cruel and dangerous things.
Just the thought of it made Jiang Yu’s heart ache. He loathed anyone who might have hurt her and blamed himself for failing to protect her.
Sometimes, these feelings haunted him in his sleep, jolting him awake with such remorse that he would nearly bash his head against the wall, consumed by his pain.
He was terrified to ask.
But today, Su Tao’s questions had shaken him awake—he couldn’t avoid the truth anymore.
He needed to know what had happened to his sister and help her heal, dedicating the rest of his life to loving and protecting her.
Jiang Tong hesitated for a moment, her dark, shadowy eyes meeting his. “Really?”
“Really. I swear.”
Jiang Tong bit her lip before asking softly, “Then… would you leave Taoyang with me? This place doesn’t suit me.”
Jiang Yu froze. “Why? Don’t you like it here?”
He had tried everything to help his sister fit in—building good relationships with the townsfolk, hoping they would accept her despite her cold and distant nature.
Had he failed?
Jiang Tong’s gaze didn’t waver. “Would you?”
“Tongtong… Taoyang is our home.”
Jiang Tong’s emotions suddenly erupted. Her pupils fractured uncontrollably.
“You won’t! You just said you’d do anything for me—but you’re a liar! A liar! Huapi was right—you humans are all liars!”
She stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her.
Jiang Yu didn’t notice her distorted pupils—his heartache consumed all his attention.
Leave Taoyang?
But where would they go?
And even if there was somewhere safe for them, he had promised Su Tao that he would always be her loyal shadow—he couldn’t abandon that promise.
Jiang Yu collapsed back onto the sofa, feeling utterly drained.
“Huapi? Is that someone’s nickname or code name?” Su Tao asked after listening to the ghostly voyeur Shi Zijin describe the sibling’s argument.
Shi Zijin shook his head. “I’m not sure. And aside from confirming that she has no abilities, I couldn’t detect anything unusual. I don’t know if it’s a limitation of my ‘Eye of Inquiry’ or if my powers have weakened since becoming a spirit.”
Su Tao fell into deep thought before suddenly blurting out, “Could she be the second Bone Wing?”
Shi Zijin’s spirit flickered violently in the air.
Su Tao furrowed her brows tightly.
“Of course, it’s just a guess. Maybe I’m overthinking it. Jiang Tong is just a peculiar girl with an unusual recovery in her eyesight—nothing like Bone Wing’s bloodthirsty instincts or extreme nature. Most importantly…”
She paused.
Most importantly, the system hadn’t issued any warnings.
Previously, the system would alert her whenever a zombie approached, which reassured her that Jiang Tong was simply a strange but harmless girl.
But deep down, a voice kept reminding her—had she forgotten Shen Wencheng’s theory?
Zombies keep evolving—mimicking human body temperature and heartbeat. What if, one day, they become indistinguishable from humans? What if they’re already hiding among us—waiting silently to strike?
What if there were already countless evolved zombies out there, blending seamlessly into human society—lurking, preparing for the moment to deliver a fatal blow?
As Su Tao reflected on these chilling thoughts, a shiver ran down her spine.
