Arc 63The Immortal Royal Court

Shen Yu and his companions faced the Clock Hands Ghost and the spreading corpses, while Wang Bujian gathered survivors and zombies into a growing base. The Immortal Royal Court became a refuge and a source of hope as Zombie Tides threatened humanity and Contract Anomalists sought to change its fate.

  • Shen Yu used the mysterious love letter to summon the Female Ghost, told her he liked her, and unleashed her against the Clock Hands Ghost that had trapped the building.
  • Shen Yu fought the corpses as the Clock Hands Ghost weakened, then escaped the building with Huo Wujìu and Wen Zhishu while Zhong Xun was injured and Ye Ran fled.
  • Shen Yu and his companions tried to contain the corpses and evacuate residents, but found signs that the missing people had become corpses and identified Zhong Xun as the point where the rules had broken.
  • Wan Wu brought his people to Wang Bujian’s town, where Wang Bujian accepted their loyalty and prepared to use an approaching zombie horde as labor for his base.
  • Wang Bujian subdued thousands of zombies while Wan Wu brought nearby small bases into the group, which named itself the Immortal Royal Court and continued to grow.
  • Survivors debated how to help humanity fight Original Zombies, considering research into immune or gifted people as Wang Bujian expanded his forces and population.
  • Wang Bujian let people believe he was the first Evolver rather than reveal that he was a Contract Anomalist, and news of his identity drew survivors seeking refuge and hope.
  • As Zombie Tides devastated more bases, Contract Anomalists around the world sought to reclaim the world’s dissipating fortune and change humanity’s ending.
Chapters 1552–1576 Vol. 16 Read

Ch. 1552I Never Thought You'd Pull This

Shen Yu showed Wen Zhishu and Huo Wujìu a love letter that had appeared on his desk from an unknown entity, warning them not to touch it. The video of the letter materializing left both friends frightened as they braced for what would happen next.

  • Wen Zhishu and Huo Wujìu insisted on staying with Shen Yu despite his warning that the next events might be frightening.
  • Shen Yu took a white envelope from his backpack and slapped Wen Zhishu's hand away when he tried to open it.
  • Shen Yu explained that the envelope was a love letter from an unknown entity that had appeared on his classroom desk.
  • Shen Yu showed Wen Zhishu and Huo Wujìu a video of the letter materializing, and they reacted with fear.

Ch. 1553Fighting the Unknown with the Unknown

Shen Yu revealed that he had knowingly entered the time loop because a red thread had marked him and was steadily growing. He proposed using the loop’s unknown entity to fight the force behind the love letter.

  • Huo Wujìu confronted Shen Yu and asked whether he had known the place was dangerous before coming.
  • Shen Yu explained that the red thread had marked him and that he expected to die when his time ran out, like Su Nian.
  • Huo Wujìu and Wen Zhishu grabbed Shen Yu’s wrists and saw the thread extending as he held the love letter.
  • Huo Wujìu tried to take the letter, but Shen Yu stopped him because he needed it for his plan.
  • Shen Yu proposed using the entity behind the time loop against whoever had sent the love letter, and Huo Wujìu and Wen Zhishu reacted with alarm.

Ch. 1554Appear Before Me

Shen Yu used the love letter to summon the being behind it, despite the danger of the plan. The letter responded, the Red Thread spread up his arm, and the chapter ended as a cup of water began to shake.

  • Huo Wujìu considered how Su Nian might have died in the time loop and returned without realizing she was dead.
  • Shen Yu told the others to move away, opened the love letter, and called for the being to appear before him.
  • The letter filled with repeated declarations of love as the Red Thread spread from Shen Yu's wrist toward his shoulder.
  • The letter caught fire and hung in the air while Shen Yu clutched his arm in pain.
  • Wen Zhishu watched as a cup of water on the cabinet began to shake.

Ch. 1555Tremors, invaded by a force

As space warped and time began reversing inside the room, Su Nian died outside and Zhong Xun and Ye Ran stumbled in, where the walls’ eyes and clock hands terrified them. A slender hand reached through a tear in space and stopped the hands from moving backward, but the room’s strange forces continued to escalate.

  • The building shook as clock hands and eyes appeared on the walls, and time began reversing the damage.
  • Zhong Xun and Ye Ran rushed inside while Su Nian stopped attacking and died at the doorway.
  • Ye Ran panicked at the eyes and crawled back out, while Zhong Xun sat frozen in terror.
  • Ye Ran found he could not escape the room as a slender hand reached through a rupture and snapped off a clock hand.
  • The invading force pinned the other hands in place as the eyes convulsed, and a fallen eyeball flew into Zhong Xun’s mouth.

Ch. 1556I... like you too

Zhong Xun swallowed an eyeball and gained overwhelming, painful vision as a ghost resembling Song Xiaojie appeared behind Shen Yu. Shen Yu returned the ghost’s affection, provoking her to attack the force trapping them in the building.

  • Zhong Xun swallowed the eyeball, and his vision became unnaturally sharp as he clawed at his eyes.
  • The ghost appeared behind Shen Yu, snapped a clock hand, and shook the building.
  • Shen Yu told the ghost he liked her and wanted to leave with her, but the building was keeping him trapped.
  • Shen Yu said, “I... like you too,” and the ghost screamed with joy.
  • The ghost declared that whoever was keeping them apart should die, then smashed the wall and attacked everything around her.

Ch. 1557He Had Seen It Coming

Shen Yu stayed behind as the female ghost fought the creature controlling the time loop, while Huo Wujìu and Wen Zhishu led the survivors out. As the room began to break apart, Shen Yu realized that the building’s dead were being drawn there and that the creature had used the Post Author to lure people in.

  • Wen Zhishu questioned Shen Yu about returning the female ghost’s feelings, and Shen Yu said he might be serious.
  • Huo Wujìu noticed the space warping and urged Shen Yu to escape, but Shen Yu stayed to keep the creature from going berserk.
  • Huo Wujìu and Wen Zhishu left with Zhong Xun and Ye Ran, taking the other survivors with them.
  • Shen Yu watched the room’s clocks and eyeballs break apart as the two creatures continued fighting.
  • A group of icy corpses burst into the room, and Shen Yu concluded that the creature had controlled the Post Author to lure people into the building.

Ch. 1558Only the Supernatural Could Fight the Supernatural

Shen Yu tried to defend himself against the corpses with a homemade handgun, but the supernatural forces restored their injuries and overwhelmed his ordinary weapons. With ammunition running low, he realized he needed a supernatural way to fight them.

  • Shen Yu spotted Su Nian among the corpses and drew the homemade handgun he had secretly built.
  • Shen Yu shot a charging corpse in the head, but it kept coming, so he fired at the corpses’ legs to slow them down.
  • The walls grew clock hands and eyeballs, and their backward ticking restored the corpses’ shattered legs.
  • Shen Yu counted his remaining bullets and recognized that ordinary weapons could not defeat the supernatural threat.

Ch. 1559Do You Still Have a Mind of Your Own?

Shen Yu fled Clock Hands’ corpses and realized the creature was spending power to heal them, possibly growing stronger by killing the building’s residents. Seeing the Female Ghost fight Clock Hands, he began to suspect she was his classmate Song Xiaojie and questioned whether she still had her own mind.

  • Shen Yu escaped into another room, trapped two corpses behind a door, and used fishing line to bind and injure others pursuing him.
  • Clock Hands tracked Shen Yu with an eyeball on the ceiling while continuing to control the corpses.
  • Shen Yu reasoned that Clock Hands might gain strength from killing residents and repeatedly crippled the corpses to drain its power.
  • Shen Yu recognized sadness and fear in the Female Ghost’s eyes and wondered if she was Song Xiaojie.
  • Shen Yu questioned whether Song Xiaojie still had her own mind, then shot off a corpse’s legs.

Ch. 1560We Finally Escaped

Shen Yu fought the corpses while the Female Ghost and Clock Hands Ghost weakened, causing the shattered space to release Huo Wujìu, Wen Zhishu, Zhong Xun, and Ye Ran. Just as Ye Ran celebrated their escape, a dark figure attacked, and he used Zhong Xun as a shield.

  • Shen Yu restrained two corpses and discovered that their wounds stopped healing when their movements were restricted.
  • Shen Yu fought the corpses until exhaustion and injuries slowed him down, while the Female Ghost panicked at his wounds.
  • The Clock Hands Ghost’s body broke apart and its energy drained, causing its attacks to weaken and the building’s space to shatter.
  • Huo Wujìu and Wen Zhishu escaped the space, followed by Zhong Xun and Ye Ran.
  • Ye Ran pulled Zhong Xun in front of him when a dark figure lunged, and the figure pierced Zhong Xun’s abdomen.

Ch. 1561Everyone in the entire building was dead

Shen Yu escaped the building as the corpses broke free, while Ye Ran abandoned Zhong Xun to die. The group discovered the corpses could not pass a certain boundary, and Huo Wujìu called the authorities, who doubted his report.

  • Ye Ran fled and left Zhong Xun behind as the corpses pursued them.
  • Shen Yu burst through a second-floor window, and several corpses escaped after him.
  • Wen Zhishu attacked a corpse with a fire axe, but Shen Yu pulled him out of danger and warned him to be careful.
  • Shen Yu and the others retreated about a hundred meters from the building, where the corpses stopped pursuing them.
  • Shen Yu told Huo Wujìu to call the police and request an evacuation, but the person who answered doubted that everyone in the building was dead and warned against false reports.

Ch. 1562Breaking the rule

Shen Yu watched the authorities struggle to contain the regenerating corpses and realized something in a neighboring building had broken the rule keeping them confined. He entered the building with Huo Wujìu and Wen Zhishu to find out what happened.

  • The authorities arrived and tried to stop the corpses, but the corpses broke loose and attacked.
  • Shen Yu warned the officers that the corpses could not be killed and urged them to evacuate nearby residents while restricting the creatures’ movements.
  • Shen Yu rushed into the neighboring building to investigate the screams and the event that had freed the corpses from their restraint.
  • Huo Wujìu and Wen Zhishu followed Shen Yu inside, insisting they would face the danger together.
  • Shen Yu told them they needed to find what had broken the rule confining the corpses.

Ch. 1563They had all been turned into corpses

Huo Wujìu, Wen Zhishu, and Shen Yu investigated why the corpses’ restrictions had changed and found signs of a massacre in the residential building. Shen Yu concluded that the missing residents had likely all been turned into corpses, leaving the group unsure how to confront the variable.

  • Huo Wujìu suspected the corpses’ rules had been broken, while Wen Zhishu searched for rope and tried unsuccessfully to pick a lock.
  • Shen Yu used fishing line from his backpack as a way to restrain the corpses.
  • Huo Wujìu warned residents that there was a fire so they would open their doors and evacuate.
  • The group climbed the building and found open doors, blood, and signs of violence, but no bodies.
  • Shen Yu stopped them from going farther and said the missing residents might all have been turned into corpses.

Ch. 1564How about I carry you?

Shen Yu and his companions fled from the endlessly regenerating corpses, but he stopped when they reached downstairs, realizing the danger came from the source behind them. He drew a small knife, determined to prevent the corpses from spreading and threatening his family.

  • As they ran downstairs, Shen Yu identified Zhong Xun as the point where things had gone wrong, while Huo Wujìu admired his quick insight.
  • The corpses tumbled down the stairs after Wen Zhishu and the others, then recovered and continued chasing them.
  • When Shen Yu stopped downstairs, Wen Zhishu offered to carry him, but Shen Yu explained that the source behind the corpses was the real danger.
  • Shen Yu said he needed to stop the corpses from spreading to protect his family, then pulled a small knife from his backpack.

Ch. 1565But These Were Zombies

Wan Wu Base learned that Wang Bujian could summon zombies and braced itself for his arrival. When several hundred summoned zombies approached, the base’s members welcomed them as people while Wan Wu struggled not to attack.

  • Han Po told Wan Wu that their new leader was an evolved human whose ability was summoning zombies.
  • Wan Wu realized Han Po was serious and feared the leader could control a devastating zombie army.
  • A group of stiff-moving people arrived at Wan Wu Base, and its members waved to welcome them.
  • Wan Wu recognized the newcomers as zombies and restrained himself from attacking.

Ch. 1566A Capable Leader

Wan Wu and the people from his base followed Han Po’s group to a nearby town, where they found a safe, thriving community. Han Po welcomed them and arranged rooms for them, leaving Wan Wu reassured about the new base and its leader.

  • Wan Wu kept watch as his people welcomed the silent newcomers and handed them their luggage to carry.
  • Wei Dong assured the base members that the newcomers could move their belongings, and the group traveled to the neighboring town.
  • Wan Wu and the others saw that the town had been cleared of zombies and that residents were working in the fields.
  • The residents greeted the newcomers cheerfully, easing Wan Wu’s worries and convincing him that the base leader was capable.
  • Han Po welcomed the people from Wan Wu Base and arranged rooms for them in town.

Ch. 1567Willing to Serve You Loyally

Wan Wu met Wang Bujian to have his people formally accepted into the settlement and pledged to serve him loyally. Wang Bujian announced his ambition to unite survivors, then dismissed Wan Wu to manage his newcomers.

  • Han Po brought Wan Wu to meet Wang Bujian in a remodeled villa.
  • Wan Wu introduced himself humbly and offered to bring his people under Wang Bujian's command.
  • Wang Bujian declared that his orders alone counted within his domain and proclaimed himself its king, but a Smart Brain alarm interrupted him.
  • Wang Bujian said he aimed to unite all survivors and establish the strongest base.
  • Wan Wu knelt and pledged his loyalty, and Wang Bujian dismissed him to arrange matters for his people.

Ch. 1568A zombie horde was approaching

Wan Wu agreed to persuade nearby small bases to join Wang Bujian’s faction, while Han Po received a report that a zombie horde was approaching Small Town. The chapter ended with Han Po sending Wan Wu back to settle in as the town faced a horde of several thousand zombies.

  • Wan Wu left Wang Bujian’s villa shaken by the leader’s imposing presence and admiration for him.
  • Wan Wu asked Han Po about Wang Bujian and offered to contact nearby small bases about joining.
  • Han Po agreed that Small Town needed more people and asked Wan Wu to persuade the bases to relocate.
  • A sentry radioed Han Po that a horde of several thousand zombies was approaching from the east.
  • Wan Wu offered support, but Han Po told him to return and settle in with his members.

Ch. 1569Evolution among the zombies

Wang Bujian learned that several thousand zombies were converging on his base and saw them as useful labor for its construction. As the horde passed survivor convoys without attacking, the survivors wondered whether an Original Zombie was directing it or the zombies had evolved.

  • Han Po told Wang Bujian that a zombie horde was approaching, and Wang Bujian confirmed it through a contracted zombie’s eyes.
  • Wang Bujian welcomed the horde because he needed more zombies for work at the newly built base.
  • Wang Bujian used his mental power to direct nearby zombies to set up barbed wire, trenches, and other traps.
  • The converging zombies passed survivor convoys carrying civilians who had fled the large base, but did not attack them.
  • The survivors speculated that an Original Zombie was summoning the horde or that the zombies had evolved.

Ch. 1570The New Top of the Food Chain

After Tian Hao’s base fell to a million-strong zombie horde led by Original Zombies, fleeing survivors warned a nearby medium-sized base and reported that Tian Hao had stayed behind to cover their retreat. The base’s leader and officials faced the news in despair and feared humanity could lose its place at the top of the food chain.

  • The fleeing convoy members speculated that zombies could evolve and feared humanity was doomed.
  • The survivors met other convoys and learned they had also encountered strange zombies.
  • People from a nearby medium-sized base stopped the convoy and took the refugees back to report the fall of Tian Hao’s base.
  • A survivor told the base’s leader that Tian Hao had stayed behind to hold off the horde and was presumed dead.
  • The leader and senior officials discussed the threat posed by Original Zombies and feared they would eventually replace humans at the top of the food chain.

Ch. 1571Humanity lost, utterly and completely

Human survivors debated humanity’s collapse and whether they should seek a way to evolve like the Original Zombies. The discussion ended with a proposal to study zombie genes for a means of human evolution.

  • One survivor argued that the Original Zombies’ intelligence, strength, abilities, and immortality made them the future, while another called them failed evolution and said humans could still catch up.
  • The survivors discussed the destruction of humanity’s large bases and feared that medium and small bases would soon fall as well.
  • A survivor proposed rebuilding nuclear weapons and space-based weapons, but others noted that the Original Zombies had precisely located and destroyed humanity’s hidden nuclear bases.
  • The group concluded that the Original Zombies had planned humanity’s collapse by eliminating its strongest weapons, spreading infection, and exploiting human disunity.
  • The survivors debated whether to wait for a gifted person to emerge or begin researching human evolution immediately.
  • One survivor suggested that studying the Original Zombies’ genes might reveal a way for humans to evolve.

Ch. 1572People with Special Traits Like These

A base leader’s group debated the origins of the Original Zombies and decided to search for people who had developed antibodies or special abilities after infection. Meanwhile, Wang Bujian subdued several thousand zombies and gained more than 3,600 contracted subordinates as surrounding small bases joined him.

  • The leader and senior members argued that human research and a vaccine might have caused the Original Zombies to appear and worsen the apocalypse.
  • A senior member suggested extracting genes from infected humans who developed antibodies or special abilities instead of from Original Zombies.
  • The group agreed to search for people with those traits, hoping they could be immune to the zombie virus and possess abilities.
  • Wang Bujian subdued several thousand zombies, killing and burning those with missing body parts and binding the intact ones with contracts.
  • Wang Bujian gained more than 3,600 zombie subordinates, while Wan Wu contacted nearby small bases and brought them into the group.

Ch. 1573A Dead End from the Start

Wang Bujian named his growing base the Immortal Royal Court after its leaders agreed not to challenge his decisions. A system notification marked a 10% increase in his Character Perfection, while he reflected that the zombie race was doomed because it was made up of corpses.

  • Wang Bujian's base grew to 3,461 living people and 17,266 zombies, prompting Wan Wu and the others to ask him to choose a name.
  • Wang Bujian proposed calling the base the Immortal Royal Court, and the others applauded rather than oppose him.
  • Han Po and Wan Wu had warned the small-base leaders to obey Wang Bujian, and those leaders focused on their duties without challenging his authority.
  • The system announced that Wang Bujian's Character Perfection had increased by 10%.
  • Wang Bujian considered how zombies might ultimately prevail, but judged their race to be on a dead-end path because they were corpses.

Ch. 1574The Immortal Royal Court Welcomed All Comers Too

Wang Bujian established the Immortal Royal Court, whose power grew as its leaders gathered survivors and supplies. When news of the base spread, struggling survivors set out to join, and the Immortal Royal Court welcomed everyone without requirements.

  • Han Po, Wan Wu, and the other senior leaders gathered nearby survivors and cleared small towns for supplies.
  • The Immortal Royal Court grew quickly, and news of it reached surrounding bases.
  • Leaders of medium-sized bases mocked the base's name and doubted its strength.
  • Survivors from small bases learned the Immortal Royal Court stood near a large base and decided to seek refuge there.
  • The Immortal Royal Court welcomed all arrivals without setting entry requirements.

Ch. 1575The gap was only a teeny billion bits wide

The Immortal Royal Court prospered as survivors worked together in safety and grew grateful to Wang Bujian for protecting them from zombies. Wan Wu warned that their growing reputation would reveal Wang Bujian as the first Evolver and attract people with ulterior motives, while Wang Bujian let the misunderstanding stand.

  • Survivors worked to grow food and restore nearby towns, enjoying stable lives without the threat of zombie tides.
  • The Immortal Royal Court’s reputation spread, bringing an endless stream of people hoping to join.
  • Wan Wu warned Wang Bujian that outsiders might discover he was the first Evolver and that spies or other ill-intentioned people could arrive.
  • Wang Bujian chose not to explain that he was a Contract Anomalist and allowed the others to keep thinking he was an Evolver.

Ch. 1576The Ending They Had to Change

After Wang Bujian allowed news of his identity as the first Evolver to spread, survivors across the world gained hope and began turning toward the Immortal Royal Court. Other Contract Anomalists were scattered across the world with the same goal: changing humanity’s destined destruction.

  • Wang Bujian told his companions to ignore the news that he was an Evolver, and Han Po and the others accepted that his identity would become public.
  • Word spread to distant bases that the leader of the Immortal Royal Court was the first Evolver, giving survivors hope that humans could awaken as Evolvers.
  • As Zombie Tides destroyed or devastated more bases, people considered seeking Wang Bujian’s genes or joining the Immortal Royal Court.
  • Contract Anomalists scattered across the world sought to reclaim its dissipating fortune and change the ending in which zombies destroyed humanity.
Arc 63 of 64
Arc 63 of 64