Chapter 399: Concealment and Harboring
Su Tao was startled awake by the loud commotion, thinking it was an earthquake. She quickly got out of bed and looked out the window, only to see many tenants gathering outside, all staring in the same direction.
She called Qi Yunlan to ask what was happening.
“Boss, everything is fine inside Taoyang and Dongyang. But we’re hearing intense rumbling sounds from somewhere unknown. We can’t determine if it’s a weapons explosion or something else. I’ve already secured the exits and temporarily prohibited tenants from leaving.”
Su Tao let out a sigh of relief, but just as she hung up the phone, eerie whispers echoed in her ears:
“It’s Huapi and Jiang Tong— they’re fighting.”
Her relief vanished instantly. She anxiously questioned Shi Zijin, “What happened? How is Jiang Tong?”
Shi Zijin shook his head. “I don’t know the exact reason. By the time I arrived, they were already fighting. Also… I have a feeling Jiang Tong doesn’t want to live anymore. She’s fighting recklessly, as if her life doesn’t matter. Huapi, realizing things were going wrong, left after making some vicious threats.”
“They’re both severely injured. Jiang Tong is unconscious now. I suggest you take her back to Taoyang while she’s still weak and secure her.”
Su Tao remained silent for a moment before contacting Xiao Bo, Mist, Xu Qi, and others.
As they were about to leave in the car, Su Tao glanced at Jiang Yu, who was standing in the shadows. She hesitated, wanting to say something, but no words came out.
What could she say?
Tell him to capture his weakened sister? Ask him to stay behind to spare him the pain of seeing her in such a state?
Su Tao couldn’t bring herself to say such heartless things.
Sensing something was wrong, Jiang Yu stiffened and asked, “Is it her?”
Su Tao’s throat felt dry. “Yes.”
Jiang Yu stood still in the shadows for a moment before silently turning away and walking toward the apartment building. His solitary figure radiated an indescribable desolation.
Gritting her teeth, Su Tao ordered, “Drive. Quickly.”
With Shi Zijin leading the way, they soon arrived at the scene, which was far more devastating than Su Tao had imagined.
The surroundings were covered in blood, massive craters, and signs of an intense battle.
In the largest crater, Jiang Tong lay motionless. Her entire body was covered in wounds—some fresh and bleeding, others marked by eerie, festering red spots. Her tattered clothes barely covered her, an embarrassing state for any young woman.
Meng Xiaobo gasped at the blood-soaked figure and took two steps back in shock.
Su Tao knelt by the crater’s edge and closed her eyes, overwhelmed.
Zombies bleed. They weaken. They feel pain.
Their blood is as red as any human’s.
When they are dying, they are just as fragile and helpless as humans.
Aside from their hunger for flesh, they don’t seem so different from humans at all.
Her throat tightened as her eyes stung with unshed tears. “Xiong Tai, go down there and bring her up using your ‘Cage’ ability. Quickly.”
Xiong Tai, a reformed alcoholic who had once captured Black Sesame for personal gain, had been under Qi Yunlan’s supervision for half a year. Though still timid and lazy, his abilities were undeniably useful.
Following orders, Xiong Tai nervously climbed down the crater. Avoiding the sight of Jiang Tong’s battered form, he trapped her in his invisible “Cage” and carefully lifted her out.
Su Tao removed her coat and wrapped it around Jiang Tong. This small gesture seemed to stir Jiang Tong’s fragile consciousness.
Barely able to open her eyes, she saw Su Tao’s face through a haze and weakly murmured, “Bro…”
How is my brother?
Su Tao instantly understood.
A wave of shame, sadness, and guilt surged through her, making her eyes burn.
“He’s fine. I’m sorry.”
Hearing that her brother was safe, Jiang Tong finally allowed herself to lose consciousness completely.
Holding Jiang Tong in her arms, Su Tao suppressed the flood of emotions and raised her head to the darkness.
“Find Huapi—she must be seriously injured too!”
Shi Zijin vanished into the shadows, beginning a thorough search.
Meanwhile, Meng Xiaobo, Xiong Tai, and the others huddled nervously in the vehicle, unwilling to speak as they returned to Taoyang.
Back at Taoyang, Su Tao hesitated outside the lab. Though Jiang Tong should have been sent directly to the research facility, she made a different choice.
Turning to Zhuang Wan and Meng Qian, she instructed, “It’s late. Let’s not disturb Mr. Shen. Arrange for Xiong Tai to secure Jiang Tong in the underground chamber of Taoli Tower.”
Meng Qian was stunned—Mr. Shen valued the second specimen more than his own life. It was unimaginable that they would delay delivering Jiang Tong to him.
Zhuang Wan, however, followed orders without question, swiftly preparing the chamber with a soft bed and medical supplies. After setting access restrictions, they placed the unconscious Jiang Tong inside and carefully cleaned her wounds and changed her clothes before locking the door.
When Meng Qian emerged, she asked hesitantly, “Sister Zhuang, is this really okay?”
Jiang Tong was effectively a wanted criminal—Taoyang, Dongyang, and even Changjing had issued orders to capture her.
Zhuang Wan simply replied, “If the boss says it’s fine, then it’s fine.”
At the same time, Dongyang’s authorities also heard the massive explosion. They declared a Level 1 alert and dispatched a 500-man elite team to investigate.
By the time they arrived, Su Tao and her group had already left. All the soldiers found were the battle’s aftermath—craters and destruction—but no sign of Jiang Tong or Huapi.
Without Su Tao’s permission, neither Meng Xiaobo nor Xiong Tai dared to mention that they had captured “Eye Burial.” Zhuang Wan and Meng Qian were equally tight-lipped, brushing off any questions with vague answers.
Thus, Jiang Tong remained hidden in Taoyang’s underground chamber, unnoticed and forgotten by the world above.
Su Tao tossed and turned all night, waiting for Shi Zijin to return. As dawn approached, he finally arrived.
“Did you find her?”
Shi Zijin frowned and shook his head. “She’s in hiding. I found traces of her blood—she seems to be heading toward the Shou’an base. If you want to capture her instead of Jiang Tong, you need to act quickly before she recovers.”
Su Tao’s heart pounded. “I’ll arrange it immediately.”
As she moved to leave, Shi Zijin called her back, his voice serious:
“Taotao, since you’ve chosen this path, I’ll support you and keep Jiang Tong’s capture a secret from Dongyang. But you must not make any mistakes. If Changjing finds out, you’ll be branded a criminal—an accomplice to harboring a zombie and endangering humanity.”
Su Tao froze, lowering her head.
“I’m already a criminal for doing this,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry. No matter which choice I make, it’s agonizing. But I promise—if we can’t capture Huapi within three days, I’ll personally deliver Jiang Tong to the lab.”
