Hypocrisy

The officer was rendered speechless by Lu Heng's words.

His face instantly turned ashen, and the surging anger was suppressed in his eyes, swallowed back forcefully. He clenched his teeth, his chest heaving with suppressed rage, and dared not let the ferocity on his face erupt. He opened his mouth, wanting to forcefully argue a few words to salvage the situation.

Just then, footsteps came from the back of the passage.

Unhurried and steady, it slowly approached from the depths of the camp.

A figure emerged from behind the officer, breaking the tense standoff.

He was older, with fine streaks of white at his temples. He wasn't wearing a sharp military uniform, but rather a faded gray jacket with frayed cuffs. He didn't look like a high-ranking officer with the power of life and death, but rather like an ordinary technician who had worked diligently in the camp for half his life. He had a gentle demeanor and was not at all intimidating.

This man was none other than Song Zhi, the head of the camp.

He bypassed the frozen officer, not immediately looking at the imposing Lu Heng, but instead focusing his gaze on Song Yunzhong.

Their gazes were fixed on the severed right hand, pausing silently for two seconds.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he were carefully choosing his words, or perhaps he was simply facing someone he felt indebted to and couldn't find the words. After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, shrouded in an indelible weariness.

"Yunzhong... I'm so sorry."

There was no preamble, no explanation, and no excuse.

The moment he opened his mouth, he readily admitted his mistake. He adopted an extremely humble posture, like an elder who had committed a grave error and was filled with remorse.

"I know about the ring and the finger."

He spoke very slowly, each word heavy, as if forced out from his chest.

"I didn't give the order myself, but I... acquiesced."

This honest statement was completely undisguised.

"At that time, wave after wave of zombie hordes were crushing our defenses, and the camp's defenses were on the verge of collapse. We had no means to restrain the Zombie and simply couldn't hold the entire settlement. Someone suggested that we explore your zombie-controlling abilities further, conduct extreme research, and gamble on a sliver of hope. Due to the circumstances, I nodded in agreement."

Song Zhi looked up at Song Yunzhong, his guilt evident in his eyes, without a trace of pretense or affectation.

"I initially thought it was just routine research and ability sampling, at most causing you some suffering. I never dreamed that the people below would be so ruthless, going to such lengths—imprisonment, torture, cutting off fingers and taking rings—completely pushing you to the brink of despair."

Song Yunzhong stood quietly in place, remaining silent.

Her eyes held a complex mix of emotions: resentment, coldness, and an indescribable ambiguity. She stared intently at the man who had apologized, showing neither forgiveness nor outburst.

Song Zhi withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Lu Heng.

Even after setting aside his sense of indebtedness to Song Yunzhong, his tone remained weary and low. He lacked the smooth, manipulative manner of a junior officer, and there was no condescending threat or enticement. He simply laid out his story, recounting the cruelest reality of the apocalypse.

"My friend, I know you hate us."

"Anyone who suffered such unjust persecution, witnessing others committing evil with impunity and those in power condoning it, would feel hatred. I don't blame you."

His gaze swept over the group of soldiers around him, their expressions wavering and filled with remorse. He lowered his voice further, carrying a silent moral burden.

"But if you start cleaning up, this place will instantly descend into chaos."

"The zombie horde has just receded, and the defenses are in ruins, ready to return at any moment. There are still thousands of innocent survivors in the camp—the elderly, children, the wounded, and ordinary people. They didn't participate in any conspiracy from beginning to end; they did nothing wrong."

He never said the harsh "You can't use your hands."

They merely laid out the fate of the innocent, silently placing heavy moral shackles on Lu Heng's shoulders.

"You want compensation, resources, weaponry, authority—I can give you everything."

His tone was earnest, his posture humble, showing none of the airs of a top official.

"I only beg you... leave these innocent ordinary people a way to live."

Lu Heng listened quietly the whole time, without interrupting or saying a word.

He stared at the genuine guilt, exhaustion, and helplessness in Song Zhi's eyes, but felt no emotion whatsoever, only a chilling nausea.

The guilt is real.

It's truly frustrating.

It is also true that they tacitly condone wrongdoing, tolerate persecution, and enjoy the benefits of research.

This is the most insidious tactic employed by those in high positions.

Without lifting a finger or shedding blood, a mere tacit approval can allow subordinates to commit heinous acts with impunity. After an incident, a simple excuse of ignorance, being misled, or being forced by circumstances can completely absolve oneself of responsibility, leaving one with a clear conscience. Then, the lives of millions of innocent people can be used to blackmail others and force them to back down.

Seeing the other party's earnest expression, Lu Heng spoke coldly, each word sharp and cutting through all pretense.

"You didn't give the order yourself."

"Where are the people who actually ordered and carried out the persecution now?"

Song Zhi stiffened slightly, fell silent for a moment, and was unable to respond.

Lu Heng gave him no chance to breathe, his tone growing colder as he pressed on relentlessly.

"You knew about it, you acquiesced, you allowed the situation to escalate."

"By researching the Corpse-Control Ring, extracting supernatural abilities, and exploring the patterns of corpse control, the camp was able to maintain its defenses, and you enjoyed all the fruits of your labor and the peace it brought."

"Now that the truth has come out, you're shifting all the blame onto the lower-level officials, pretending to be a deceived good person, and using innocent people as shields—"

He took a step forward, and the air around him suddenly turned cold.

"Don't you think it's disgusting?"

The weariness and guilt on Song Zhi's face froze completely, and the last trace of pretense in his eyes shattered.

The gentle and earnest demeanor collapsed abruptly, replaced by the cold and decisive nature of those in power.

Without any unnecessary words, he shouted sternly:

"Shot!"

In an instant, gunshots rang out in the passageway, and flames erupted everywhere.

Countless bullets whistled through the air, all hurtling towards Lu Heng. But the writhing dark red Mycelium had already woven an impenetrable barrier. When the bullets struck it, the impact was instantly dissipated and absorbed, the force completely dissipated, and the bullets fell to the ground, clanging incessantly.

A round of fire was completely ineffective.

The soldiers in the rear paled in shock and frantically tried to mobilize heavy firepower and set up assault weapons.

But they were ultimately a step too slow.

Lu Heng had long since lost his patience with the tug-of-war.

As the power of the dormant Blood Taisui surged in his palm, it erupted completely, and dark red Mycelium spread wildly, instantly enveloping the entire passage like a blood-red tide sweeping across the entire area.

Fine, sharp threads precisely wrapped around each soldier's wrists, ankles, and weapons, instantly locking all movement.

Instead of immediately crushing them, they completely took control of the situation.

The armed force of over a hundred men was completely immobilized and held in place.

The deafening gunfire and panicked shouts instantly fell silent; the passageway was deathly still.

Lu Heng stood in the center of the Mycelium, his eyes indifferent and cold.

Song Yunzhong soft-hearted and good at distinguishing between good and evil; she is willing to forgive blind obedience.

But he doesn't buy into that.

In chaotic times, blind obedience makes one an accomplice, and tacit approval makes one an accomplice to evil.

Who deserves to live, and who deserves to die.

He has his own standards of judgment, and it's not up to anyone to make decisions for him based on the big picture, innocence, or reason.