Differences

Lu Heng did not pause when the Mycelium wrapped around the last soldier's wrist.

The dark red tendrils tightened, digging into the flesh. The people bound by them tensed up, muffled groans rising in their throats. Some people's knees buckled and they knelt down, but the Mycelium tightened as well, pinning them back to their original positions.

There were quite a few people blocking the gate of the Fortress. Song Zhi, the officer, fifty or sixty soldiers, and several people carrying heavy weapons in the back row were all rooted to the spot and unable to move. The muzzles of their guns were still pointed in Lu Heng's direction, but their hands were locked and they could not pull the triggers.

In his eyes, these people were no different.

The moment he picked up the gun and pointed it at him, he had already made his choice.

Blood Taisui surged in the palm of the hand, dark red Mycelium seeping from between the fingers, sharp barbs forming at the tips, ready to pierce through.

"Etc."

A voice came from behind.

Lu Heng stopped moving.

The Mycelium hung suspended in mid-air, its barbs less than half an inch from the nearest soldier's throat.

Song Yunzhong Song Yunjing's support, staggered forward two steps, and stood between Lu Heng and the soldier bound by Mycelium. His face was pale, his lips were cracked, and the scab on the broken part of his right hand was still slowly oozing blood. He looked like he could collapse at any moment, but his feet were firmly planted.

Lu Heng looked at him but didn't say anything.

There was a two-second silence at the Fortress gate. The wind blew in from outside the city, carrying the smell of rotting corpses and scorched earth, swirling around the scattered shell casings on the ground with a soft rustling sound.

"That officer, Song Zhi, deserves to die." Song Yunzhong's voice was strained, each word clear, "But these people below... many were just following orders, unaware of the situation, and shouldn't all be executed."

Lu Heng remained silent for two seconds.

He hadn't expected Song Yunzhong to step forward.

"You were imprisoned by them, your fingers were cut off, and you were used for experiments." Lu Heng's voice was flat. "Now you're speaking up for them?"

"I'm not speaking for them," Song Yunzhong stepped forward, blocking their view even more firmly. "I'm saying that even in chaotic times, there must be a bottom line. Just because they're soldiers doesn't mean they deserve to die."

"Bottom line?" Lu Heng looked at him. "When they pointed guns at me, didn't they think about their bottom line?"

"They're not like Song Zhi!" Song Yunzhong's emotions surged, his voice rising. "Song Zhi is the mastermind; he deserves to die. I'd kill him myself. But these people—some are only eighteen or nineteen, with children waiting for them at home. They're just—"

"Just following orders?" Lu Heng interrupted him. "Song Yunzhong, when you were locked up, did those people who were ordered to guard you show you any mercy just because you were 'just following orders'? When they cut off your fingers, no one hesitated."

Song Yunzhong was speechless.

He remembered it clearly.

When people were researching him, no one asked who he was.

When the stun gun was inserted into him, no one asked him if it hurt.

When they cut off his finger, those people stood by and watched, and no one said a word.

"You should thank me. If I hadn't come, you would have died in the basement long ago, and your sister wouldn't have survived either," Lu Heng continued, his tone cold and hard. "But now, you're standing here protecting these people who once pointed guns at us. In your eyes, this is called a bottom line. In my eyes, this is called betrayal."

Song Yunzhong's face turned pale.

"I didn't betray you..."

"You're blocking my way, using your body to shield me." Lu Heng's gaze fell on him. "This is betrayal."

Song Yunzhong's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word.

He stood firmly in place, refusing to back down. He knew his powers were damaged and he couldn't stop Lu Heng, but he refused to give way.

Lu Heng looked at him, the last bit of warmth in his eyes fading away.

He stopped arguing.

The Mycelium reversed its direction, bypassing Song Yunzhong, and precisely wrapped around the neck of Song Zhi and the officer.

Without hesitation, without pause.

Two muffled thuds.

Song Zhi's eyes were still open, but the look of guilt and exhaustion on his face froze instantly. The officer next to him didn't even have time to scream.

The Mycelium loosened, and the two corpses fell straight onto the ground at the Fortress gate, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

The remaining soldiers trembled, too afraid to move. Anyone who tried to retreat was immediately pinned back in place by the Mycelium. No one dared to utter another sound.

Lu Heng withdrew the Mycelium and turned to walk towards the Fortress gate.

Song Yunjing supported the weak Song Yunzhong they stood there, watching Lu Heng's departing figure. Her eyes were red, and she bit her lip, remaining silent. She didn't move.

Wherever her brother is, that's where she is.

Lu Heng walked out of the Fortress gate step by step.

The ground beneath their feet was cracked and dry, turning white. In the distance, outside the city walls, the commotion of the zombie horde had not yet subsided, and faint roars drifted in on the wind, surging like waves.

He didn't turn around.

The Fortress behind him was still there, the thousands of survivors were still there, and the mess left by Song Zhi was still there. How Song Yunzhong would deal with those soldiers, how he would face the camp without its leader, how he would survive the zombie horde and the hearts of the people—none of that mattered to him anymore.

Song Yunzhong there, watching the resolute figure disappear into the distance, his lips moving, but ultimately he remained silent.

He held firm to his principles and protected the blindly obedient soldiers, but he forever lost the only companion who was willing to overthrow the darkness and eliminate evil for him.

There was a deathly silence in front of the Fortress gate.

The soldiers bowed their heads, panting, their faces filled with guilt and embarrassment. Some looked at the two corpses on the ground, some looked at Song Yunzhong, and no one knew what to do next.

Two corpses lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies ice-cold.

The threat of a zombie horde outside the city has not been eliminated, and thousands of survivors are still barely clinging to life inside the Fortress.

The turmoil, grudges, and unresolved issues at this camp were no longer related to Lu Heng.

Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.