Chapter Summaries

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wang Bujian went out to inspect his territory and received the adoration of his subjects. The chapter also described why curing the world’s zombies was unlikely and why Contract Anomalists generally focused on killing them and rebuilding human settlements.

• The chapter explained that most zombies were long-dead corpses, so a vaccine could not restore them to life.
• It noted that Contract Anomalists usually killed zombies and gathered survivors to rebuild human civilization rather than cultivate zombies as a new species.
• Wang Bujian left his villa to inspect his territory after handling official business.
• The residents saluted and praised Wang Bujian, expressing fervent loyalty to their leader.
• Wang Bujian accepted a basket of wild strawberries and other wild fruits from one of his subjects.

Wang Bujian inspected the base, where residents offered him food and patrol squads kept order. A man approached with a concealed gun and shot him in the chest, leaving residents crying out and rushing to attack the assassin.

• Wang Bujian ate wild strawberries offered by a resident and continued inspecting the base.
• Patrol squads formed by Han Po and the small-base leaders saluted Wang Bujian as they made their rounds.
• As Wang Bujian headed back, a man approached carrying a box and pulled out a gun at close range.
• The man shot Wang Bujian in the chest, and nearby residents shouted in alarm and rushed toward the attacker.

Wang Bujian was shot during an attack, and the residents of the Immortal Royal Court rushed to protect him and feared the base would fall if he died. As everyone scrambled to save him, Wang Bujian raised his hand and said he was fine.

• The patrolmen subdued the attacker, who died after swallowing poison before they could save him.
• The residents tackled Wang Bujian to shield him after he was shot, then gathered around his wound in fear.
• People with ill intentions joined the crowd, hoping to obtain blood or genetic material from the first Evolver.
• Wan Wu heard that Wang Bujian had been attacked and ordered the base locked down, though he realized the sprawling settlement would be difficult to secure.
• Wang Bujian raised his hand amid the residents’ frantic efforts and told them he was fine.

Wang Bujian survived the apparent bullet wound, but the crowd and guards treated him as critically injured and carried him into a villa. Tian Hao arrived too late to help, haunted by the brothers he lost during their escape from the Zombie Tide.

• Wang Bujian insisted he was fine, but the people around him feared he was about to die and called for a doctor.
• Tian Hao warned a guard that an assassin had infiltrated the base and urged him to seal off the area.
• Tian Hao identified himself as a former chief, and the guard ordered the crowd dispersed and nearby people detained.
• Wang Bujian let the guards carry him away on a stretcher so he could help expose infiltrators in the Immortal Royal Court.
• Tian Hao watched Wang Bujian being carried into a villa and regretted arriving too late after escaping the Zombie Tide with his surviving brothers.

Tian Hao rushed toward the Immortal Royal Court to protect the first Evolver, but arrived after an assassination attempt. The leader’s fate remained unknown as chaos spread through the base.

• Tian Hao learned that the first Evolver had appeared and hurried toward the Immortal Royal Court to offer his guidance and protection.
• Tian Hao realized he had arrived too late and found that an attacker had shot the leader in the heart at close range.
• The leader’s assassination sent the base into chaos, and some people tried to reach the scene to collect his blood.
• The guards sealed off the attack site as gunfire continued around the base.