Chapter 31: The Shattered Doll
Su Tao was so terrified that she almost threw the communicator away. Her body reacted instinctively—she lunged into the car and yanked the door shut.
Just as the door closed, she saw a flurry of blood-red feathers fill the air, along with blood splattering across the car’s windshield, staining her entire view a vivid crimson.
A heavy thud followed, as a corpse crashed onto the front windshield, shattering the glass instantly.
“Holy sh*t!” Guan Zining, in the driver’s seat, cursed and ducked to avoid the glass shards.
With the glass gone, Su Tao could see the mutated zombie in full view—a massive creature with crimson wings, grotesque joints, and a youthful but ashen face.
It soared over the car, its wings almost blotting out the sun, casting the world into darkness.
Its head tilted, gray pupils staring directly at Su Tao. For a moment, it seemed to recognize her, pausing in confusion.
At that moment, a gunshot rang out. The bullet pierced its left wing, causing it to tilt and crash to one side.
Simultaneously, the system’s notification sounded:
[Hidden quest clue discovered: Abandoned Garage]
Su Tao’s heart pounded wildly.
“Stay in the car! Do NOT get out!” Guan Zining kicked open the door, gun in hand, and rushed out.
Pei Dong, Cen Tianjiao, and their team arrived, surrounding the injured creature with eerie, feathered wings.
“You want to kill me too?” Its voice was young and innocent, like that of a teenage boy.
Its wings folded in, slowly disappearing into its back.
Without those unsettling wings, it looked almost indistinguishable from an ordinary human teenager.
“I just want to go home. They provoked me, over and over. I didn’t want this…”
It spoke as if stating a fact, yet its expression was twisted with both pain and rage.
Guan Zining closed her eyes and activated her ability. “It’s injured. I can hold it for thirty seconds. Whether we can capture it alive is up to you!”
Cen Tianjiao immediately moved in, gun aimed, and mercilessly shot twice at the zombie boy’s knees.
The red wings unfurled again, the sharp tips aimed straight at Cen Tianjiao’s heart. But under the influence of Guan Zining’s ability, its movements slowed significantly. Cen Tianjiao grabbed hold of the wings, eyes bloodshot, and fired multiple shots at close range.
Scarlet feathers scattered everywhere, drifting to the ground.
Among Pei Dong’s team was a talent with a ‘binding’ ability. Taking advantage of the creature’s sluggishness, they conjured invisible ropes, tightly restraining it like an invisible snake coiling around its prey.
“You little beast! I finally caught you! You owe my brothers their lives!”
Cen Tianjiao, still fuming, fired several shots but wasn’t satisfied. He raised his gun again, only for Pei Dong to shout:
“Calm down! If it dies, you’ll face severe punishment! Step back!”
Cen Tianjiao ignored her, continuing to fire relentlessly at those eerie blood-red wings, tearing them to shreds.
Seeing he avoided fatal shots, Pei Dong frowned but didn’t intervene further.
From Su Tao’s angle, it looked like a shattered doll.
She turned her face away.
It looked too human… Like a fragile boy of fifteen or sixteen.
Even she found it hard to believe that powerful ability users like Zhuang Hu and the brothers with the surname Tao were actually killed by it.
“Put it in a cage and take it away!” Pei Dong ordered coldly with a wave of his hand.
In the end, with everyone’s cooperation, they successfully captured the powerful mutated zombie responsible for several human deaths and sent it to the research institute.
After days of tension, Pei Dong finally relaxed and said to Su Tao:
“Today went unusually smoothly. In the past, we could only catch sight of it, and by the time we arrived, it would spread its wings and fly away—always so alert.”
Su Tao felt a bit overwhelmed by today’s visual impact. She patted her head and asked:
“It seemed to say it just wanted to go home. What does that mean?”
Pei Dong replied, “It probably retained some of its human memories. Don’t overthink it. No matter what it once was, the fact that it could grow so quickly—from a child to a teenage appearance—means it killed enough people and drank enough blood. It brutally murdered our compatriots, our comrades. That makes it an enemy that must be exterminated.”
Su Tao took a deep breath. Yes, those who are not of our kind must be eradicated.
Zhuang Hu’s death was still fresh in her mind. This creature was the true culprit.
“Are you scared?” Pei Dong asked, softening his tone.
Su Tao shook her head. “I’m more shocked. The world I knew seems to be changing bit by bit.”
Pei Dong nodded, his voice sounding distant. “Yes, changing bit by bit—and not for the better.”
The enemies were becoming stronger and more uncontrollable.
Su Tao rubbed her temples and asked, “Are there any abandoned garages in Dongyang?”
As Dongyang’s “living map,” Pei Dong answered without hesitation:
“Yes, all built before the apocalypse. After the apocalypse, they gradually fell into disuse. There’s one on Sanli Street, northeast gate, now used as an energy recycling station. Another is near the northwest gate by the plantation, currently repurposed by the plantation to store fertilizers. The last one is farthest east. Walk 200 meters along the dry Spring River ditch, turn right, and you’ll find it underground. It’s a refuge for drifters—the darkest, most sunless place in Dongyang.”
Su Tao nodded. She planned to visit these places in a few days.
That evening, the news of the city defense forces successfully capturing the zombie that had infiltrated the base spread throughout Dongyang.
The people of Dongyang celebrated. Residents, cooped up for so long, came out for walks, and the long-silent city became lively again.
When Zhuang Wan heard the news, she covered her mouth and cried silently. The two children, Chen Xi and Chen Yang, also had red eyes.
The next day, Zhuang Wan took the two children to visit Zhuang Hu’s grave. She muttered for a long time, nearly crying her eyes dry.
“That little beast who killed you has been caught. It definitely won’t have a good life now. You can rest in peace. Don’t hold on to any grievances. Oh, and I… I can support myself now, and raise Chen Xi and Chen Yang. We won’t need to rely on anyone else anymore.”
“Huzi, you had such good brothers. Thanks to you, I got to know Boss Su. Otherwise, the kids and I would still be struggling to survive under someone else’s roof. Over there, you must also bless her with health and safety.”
…
Over the next week, the most talked-about topic Su Tao heard was about the “birdman.” That was the nickname the public had given the mutated zombie.
It was quite fitting, actually.
Pei Dong provided the more official term:
“It’s called Bonewing. Its DNA has almost completely reorganized—such a bizarre mutation, with no discernible pattern. It can extend wings up to three meters long from both sides of its back. Its flying speed is twice that of an eagle. Its primary attack method involves extending sharp bone spikes from its wings to rapidly pierce its target’s heart. Large amounts of fresh blood nourish its bones and enhance its abilities.”
Su Tao said, “Hard to imagine… So, what are you planning to do with it? Kill it? Dissect it and continue researching?”
Pei Dong shook his head. “Killing it would be a waste. The research institute needs a live specimen to continuously extract blood and flesh for study.”
Su Tao thought about it and agreed. After all the manpower and resources spent capturing it, killing it would be a huge loss.
“Then make sure it’s securely contained. If it escapes, it’ll be a real horror story.”
Pei Dong’s eyelids twitched. “…Don’t jinx it. We’ll break its wings and guard it closely.”
