Chapter 83 – Apocalypse Arc: Zombie Siege: Rebirth in the Apocalypse—My Secret Lover (21)
Soon, Bai Tang no longer needed to stare at the map to track the female lead’s position—the red dot had already overlapped with theirs.
Tan Qingqing had arrived.
Shao Licang and his team entered the laboratory and began copying the data from the computer. Just as they started, the open doors suddenly slammed shut, and the electrical voltage became unstable, flickering on and off.
Before the data transfer could be completed, the lab was plunged into darkness.
“Qiu’er, can you help Ah Cang copy the data?” Bai Tang asked, hoping he could contribute in some way.
“No problem!” The system was always responsive to Bai Tang’s requests—especially for something as simple as this.
In the darkness, several sharp icicles shot toward them.
Shao Licang couldn’t see his surroundings, but he could hear and pinpoint the direction of the attack.
“Everyone, move against the walls!”
The attacks were clearly aimed at Shao Licang. The others couldn’t see what was happening, but they could hear the intensity of the battle.
However, Shao Licang was far from struggling. His abilities could neutralize nearly anything—including enemy attacks. He was merely testing the strength of his unseen opponent.
Tan Qingqing, frustrated after missing him multiple times, flew into a rage. She let out a furious shriek and summoned every zombie in the research facility. Tonight, she was determined to tear these people apart.
The zombies that had been surrounding the other two teams abruptly halted their attacks, then staggered toward the lower floors, moving in stiff, jerking motions.
Meanwhile, Tan Qingqing still hadn’t managed to land a single hit on Shao Licang. Instead, he had already pinpointed her position and effortlessly redirected her attack back at her.
Suddenly, Shao Licang’s movements faltered—his chest felt momentarily empty.
Tan Qingqing seized the opportunity, her razor-sharp nails slashing across his throat.
“Slash—!”
At that exact moment, the lights blazed back on. The intense, sterilizing brightness caused Tan Qingqing’s skin to start peeling away.
The little squirrel, in an effort to help Shao Licang, had rushed out and activated the backup power supply—unintentionally drawing Shao Licang’s attention away at a critical moment.
As the others adjusted to the harsh light, they opened their eyes to a shocking sight.
A seductive woman knelt on the ground, her pale gray skin cracking and peeling off in patches. Her blood-red eyes burned with hatred.
“Ahhh—!”
Tan Qingqing forced herself to her feet, lunging toward Shao Licang in a desperate attempt to drag him down with her.
If she was going to die, then Shao Licang would have to be buried with her.
Unfortunately for Tan Qingqing, back in the early days of the apocalypse—at the supermarket—Shao Licang had already destroyed her ability crystal core. Though she hadn’t noticed before, now that she was trying to unleash all her energy, the core inside her brain couldn’t handle the compression. Cracks started forming on it.
The moment she moved, a wave of excruciating pain surged through her head.
Dark blood trickled from Shao Licang’s neck, but he ignored it. His cold, sharp features curled into an icy smirk as a black energy orb formed in the palm of his hand.
Who would be the one to die? That was still undecided.
Ever since she swallowed the jade pendant and evolved into the Zombie Queen, Tan Qingqing had gained a deeper understanding of many things—the apocalypse, reincarnation, and the suppression of different abilities… It was only now that she realized just how terrifying the person she had provoked truly was.
“Bei… Bei…”
She tried to speak, but couldn’t finish a single word. Fear flooded her eyes as she died with lingering regret.
What was Tan Qingqing trying to say? Bai Tang had a vague feeling he was about to grasp something important when a sudden alarm shattered his thoughts.
The red warning lights flashed, accompanied by a shrill siren.
Now leaderless, the hordes of zombies lost their Queen’s control. Following their primal instincts, they turned on the two teams that had been standing by as spectators—ripping them apart and devouring them alive.
Several ability users didn’t have time to put up their defenses before they were swallowed by the zombie horde.
“Boss! Boss!”
Shao Licang, wounded by the Zombie Queen, was still bleeding dark blood.
Leaning against the wall, he reached out and beckoned the little squirrel over, absentmindedly stroking Bai Tang’s back.
“Shao Licang, are you alright?!”
Li Junran pushed through the chaos and broke into the room. Even an outsider could tell that Shao Licang’s condition was far from good.
He was scratched by a zombie!!!
Shao Licang wasn’t afraid of death. But—he couldn’t bear to leave Bai Tang behind.
“I’m about to turn into a zombie. You guys… take him and leave.”
He handed the little squirrel over to his subordinates, then turned to look at Li Junran.
“I’m entrusting my brothers to you.”
Watching Shao Licang’s face gradually turn pale and gray, Li Junran solemnly nodded. “Alright.”
“Zhi zhi zhi—” I won’t leave! I won’t leave…!
The little squirrel jumped frantically between the hands of the people holding him. He leaped to the ground, then scurried back to Shao Licang’s side, nuzzling against his cheek.
“Zhi zhi zhi—” I’ll stay with you!
Shao Licang’s eyes were filled with deep, affectionate love.
“Be good~ Go with them. Go back and find Bai Yun.”
“Zhi zhi zhi—” I won’t go! I won’t go!
The warning sirens blared louder and louder. Li Junran turned to the computer screen, his face changing as he saw the countdown.
“This is bad! The place is going to explode!”
Earlier, when Tan Qingqing activated her ability, she had damaged the self-destruct mechanism, triggering the research institute’s destruction.
“We need to go, now!”
Li Junran grabbed the little squirrel by the scruff of his neck and rushed toward the exit, the others following closely behind.
“Zhi zhi zhi—”
Bai Tang twisted and turned in Li Junran’s grip, activating his unique ability. Stretching out his tiny claws, he scratched Li Junran hard. As Li Junran flinched in pain, Bai Tang curled up and rolled back into the laboratory.
“Boom—”
The research institute collapsed in a deafening explosion.
Those who could escape had already fled.
Left inside were only the zombies, the dead ability users… and Bai Tang.
“Boss…”
They said that real men don’t cry easily.
But Shao Licang wasn’t just their leader—he was their sworn brother, their closest comrade.
Yet amidst the raging flames, a faint, emerald-green glow flickered.
At the last possible moment, Bai Tang had gathered all his strength, forcing the underground plants to grow and shield both him and Shao Licang from the blast.
“Qiu’er, I need to borrow energy from the next world.”
Staring at Shao Licang’s lifeless expression, Bai Tang spoke to the system with unwavering determination.
“No! We can’t use the Punishment World anymore. The world’s order will collapse,” the system refused to grant Bai Tang any energy.
“Qiu’er, I’m begging you… Let me save him,” Bai Tang pleaded desperately.
“No means no!” The system was resolute. Although the male lead treated Bai Tang well, it would never allow Bai Tang to suffer punishment again.
“Qiu’er, Qiu’er, Qiu’er…” His tearful cries, one after another, were like needles stabbing into the system’s heart, each one unbearably painful.
“There is… one other way,” the system finally relented, defeated by Bai Tang’s tears. Maybe this method could even help Bai Tang enter the next world faster.
Shao Licang’s ability and the zombie virus had the same origin. If it were an ordinary zombie virus, he could have healed himself. But Tan Qingqing had consumed the jade pendant—an object that was never meant to exist in this timeline. It had indirectly enhanced the zombie virus, suppressing Shao Licang’s self-healing abilities.
So, with the system’s help, Bai Tang transferred his own life force into Shao Licang.
A life for a life.
As a result, Bai Tang’s body immediately weakened. His lifespan was now drastically shortened.
It was already a miracle that Shao Licang emerged from the ruins alive. But not only did he survive—he also retrieved the research data on the zombie virus and successfully entered the leadership of the Guangming Base.
Li Junran, too, rose to prominence.
As for Chen Feng, who had also miraculously survived—Shao Licang, upon Bai Yun’s warning, secretly eliminated him.
As a high-ranking official, it was his duty to do everything in his power to ensure a better future for the surviving humans.
However, Shao Licang was different. He handed over the management of the base to He Lang and spent all his time with Bai Tang. Those who were unaware of the truth spread rumors that he was indulging in male pleasures and was unfit to lead the base.
No matter how much the survivors complained, the upper management, under He Lang’s strict control, dared not utter a single word of dissent.
One year later.
It was a rare afternoon bathed in warm sunlight.
Bai Tang lay in a rocking chair, dozing.
Bai Yun carefully placed a tray of biscuits and afternoon tea on the small table beside him. Shao Licang pressed a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet and not wake Bai Tang.
Bai Yun gazed deeply at Bai Tang, her eyes misty with emotion. She nodded silently, then picked up the tray and left the room. The moment she stepped outside, she couldn’t hold it in anymore—covering her mouth to stifle her sobs.
Her brother… Why did her little brother have to end up like this?
The Bai siblings had survived until the very end of the story, yet Bai Tang…
The boy on the rocking chair reached out with a hand that was more withered than an old man’s, trembling as he tried to pick up a small biscuit. But his grip was too weak, and the biscuit slipped from his fingers, falling to the floor.
Shao Licang bent down, picked it up, and placed it back on the table.
Bai Tang covered his face with both hands. “I look so ugly. Don’t look at me.”
“How could that be?” Shao Licang wrapped his arms around the boy. “Tang Tang has always been the most beautiful. In my heart, you will always be the most beautiful.”
He gently removed Bai Tang’s hands, revealing a face deeply lined with wrinkles.
Due to the transfer of his life force, Bai Tang’s body had aged to that of an eighty-year-old man. His old age was apparent in every feature.
Shao Licang kissed Bai Tang’s cheek softly. “If it weren’t broad daylight, and if I wasn’t afraid of making you angry, I’d definitely take my little demon home with me.”
That “take home,” of course, referred to a certain intimacy between lovers. But Shao Licang was only teasing—his only goal was to put Bai Tang’s heart at ease.
“You’re so bad~” Bai Tang laughed through his tears, gazing up at the vast, clear blue sky.
“If I weren’t bad, Tang Tang wouldn’t love me…”
Shao Licang cherished this warm moment, but at the same time, he feared it.
He was terrified—because one day, Bai Tang might stop answering him.
“I want to hear a story.”
Bai Tang drank water as Shao Licang held the cup for him.
“Alright, I’ll tell Tang Tang a story.” Shao Licang lifted Bai Tang into his arms, sat down on the rocking chair, and let Bai Tang rest on his lap.
“What does Tang Tang want to hear?”
“I want to hear the story about the squirrel again…”
“Alright.” Shao Licang tucked a small blanket around Bai Tang and began his story.
“Once upon a time, in a forest, there lived a little squirrel. Beneath the squirrel’s tree lived a young hunter. Every morning, the hunter would wake up early to prepare water and fruit for the little squirrel before heading out to hunt. In the afternoon, when he returned, he would place freshly picked pine nuts under the squirrel’s tree…”
As Bai Tang listened to Shao Licang’s voice, vivid images formed in his mind. He could picture the carefree life of that little squirrel.
“And then?” His eyelids grew heavier…
Shao Licang held Bai Tang a little tighter. “One day, the little squirrel said he wanted to go out and explore. At first, the hunter didn’t agree, but he couldn’t resist the squirrel’s pleading, so he reluctantly gave in. He waited and waited… days passed one after another.”
“Did he… come back…?” Bai Tang asked weakly, his breathing growing fainter.
The man felt the boy’s heartbeat slow down—until, finally, it stopped.
After a long silence, Shao Licang pulled the blanket up, carefully wrapping Bai Tang’s still-warm body.
“The little squirrel never came back…”
Shao Licang pressed the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. “Bang—”
“…And so, the hunter… decided… to go find… his little squirrel…”
Author’s Note
The balcony scene… I actually made myself cry while writing it.
I wasn’t planning to write it this way, but once the idea came, I couldn’t stop myself. And now, here I am, making myself cry over my own words. I can’t believe it, seriously. Sobs (ಥ﹏ಥ)
But please trust me—this is a sweet story! Really, I promise!
The next world will be Western fantasy. Originally, I planned to save it for later, but after finishing this chapter, I felt like it should come next. It’ll be the kind with little fairies—hope you guys will like it!
Also, I’ll be going on a company trip tomorrow, so I won’t be able to post extra updates this weekend. But don’t worry, the regular updates will still be on schedule. If there’s a world setting you’d love to see, leave me a comment! Maybe I can add a new arc with your favorite themes! Mwah~ (＾3＾)☆
I think this is going to be one of the best written chapters in this story, so far it seems to be a strong contender considering I’m actually crying rn haha!