Forgotten-Have You Forgotten Me Again?

"... That's not how it is." Realizing there was a loophole in her statement, Xiao Pei had to cover it up, "I haven't seen any other Living Dead. I discovered my talent from the Living Dead upstairs. When I arrived, that Living Dead upstairs wasn't completely dead yet. Ye Jiang said it was a special talent."

Ye Yanran stared at Xiao Pei. Xiao Pei had lived for over thirty years and had experienced countless ups and downs, yet she was not afraid of being scrutinized by this young section chief and openly let her see.

Ye Yanran watched for a while, then looked away; she believed her.

However, she still refused Xiao Pei's help because the Living Dead's aura was too weak; she could handle it alone and there was no need to involve ordinary citizens.

Because Xiao Pei resisted the aura of the Living Dead, Ye Yanran didn't drive her away anymore, and instead drew her dagger and walked towards the Living Dead.

Xiao Pei didn't forcefully intervene. After being refused, she stood aside with her arms crossed and watched. This Polluted's Pollution was too low. Based on her experience, it was probably not even F-Rank. Even Ye Yanran, an ordinary person, should be able to handle it.

Xiao Pei scanned the Living Dead's body, finally fixing her gaze on its neck. Based on the size comparison between Ye Yanran and the Polluted, and considering the weapon Ye Yanran was using, the Polluted's neck was the best point of attack.

Just as she was thinking this, she saw Ye Yanran raise her arm, holding the dagger...

It stood blocking his way.

Used to protect oneself.

Having protected herself, Ye Yanran smiled and approached the Polluted: "Excuse me—may I come with you?"

She smiled warmly, "Friend, this place is no longer suitable for you. I have a great place I can recommend to you, and you can stay there for free!"

Xiao Pei: "..."

She suddenly realized something.

"Director Ye, I have a question I'd like to ask you."

Ye Yanran didn't turn around; she smiled at the Living Dead, her smile full of seduction.

"What?" she asked the person behind her.

Xiao Pei's expression was strange. "... How does your Special Affairs Office deal with the Living Dead?"

She and Ming Xia had only just entered this illusion, and they had spent their time searching for the protagonist and the citizens who had been stranded in the illusion. They only knew that the Special Affairs Office dealt with the Living Dead, but they didn't know how to deal with them. There was something she might have taken for granted.

How to deal with the Living Dead?

Upon hearing this, Ye Yanran's smile faded. She continued to look at the Living Dead, but her gaze slowly turned sorrowful.

She said, "Ms. Xiao, if possible, please don't use the word 'deal with' to test us; please use 'admit' instead."

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the top of the Living Dead's head, a hint of tenderness in her eyes.

Two weeks ago, the appearance of the Living Dead caused a huge uproar online. People panicked, feeling that the government would take the Living Dead for human experimentation, and some even believed that it was the product of secret experiments, that a conspiracy against humanity had been uncovered, and that people were being treated with utter fear!

It was at this critical moment that the Special Affairs Office was urgently established, and announced through a press conference that it would adopt an aggressive treatment strategy for the patients.

"... Please trust us. We will be responsible for every compatriot. We will not abandon or give up on anyone. We will fight to the end!" This is what the newly appointed young director said at the press conference.

This is not merely about reassuring the public or calming skepticism; it reflects the nation's true stance. Like the people, the nation is also deeply concerned about this sudden, unknown disease. "Never abandon, never give up" is not just a slogan for the public; it is the nation's attitude towards its people, and humanity's attitude towards its fellow citizens, in the face of an unknown disease.

At this moment, the young section chief pleaded again with what she considered to be an ordinary citizen, "Ms. Xiao, please don't test us, please don't question us."

Behind her, Xiao Pei remained silent; she had indeed taken it for granted.

She finally realized what was wrong. In her world, killing the Polluted was a common practice. But three hundred years ago, when the Living Dead first appeared, people would have struggled. After all, the Living Dead were once a person's mother, father, brothers, sisters, or close friends. Emotions cannot be easily severed.

Therefore, mothers would hide their Living Dead children.

Therefore, couples might commit suicide out of grief when their lover becomes Living Dead.

Unfortunately, but it is true, the newly established Special Affairs Office did not gain the trust of the world at this time.

So, at what point did these later generations begin to change their minds?

On the other side, the monster stared at the humans in front of it for a while, then strode towards the elevator.

After walking a few steps, realizing the humans weren't following, He turned back and stared at them.

Aren't you leaving?

Silence.

Suddenly, Ye Yanran burst into astonishing joy. "She understands me!"

"The Living Dead are conscious!" she exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly and babbling incoherently, "They... they are conscious, they're still alive!"

She was as excited as a child.

Xiao Pei: "!!"

What?!

The Living Dead... are they conscious?

Chapter 155 Have you forgotten you and me?

The monster coldly watched the humans revel, offering no explanation. Although its curiosity about the alien life had been piqued, leading it to transform into a human and appear in the world to learn more about humanity, its desire to understand carried a hint of condescension.

It wasn't intentional; it was simply that He was used to looking down from above—it was His nature.

Two human women stared intently at Him, one with ecstatic joy, the other...

Stunned.

Just then, the elevator in the basement opened, and another group of people arrived at the villa's basement.

Walking in front was a thin boy. He was silent and shy. He entered the basement, glanced around quickly, and then lowered his eyes, not used to making eye contact with others.

"Sister Yan, I heard you're here." He spoke softly, glancing towards the monster, but quickly looked away before his gaze reached it, and said even more quietly, "Did you come down here for this Living Dead?"

Although his initial glance was brief, he saw everything clearly.

Upon hearing this, his sister Yan shared her joy with him. "Yes, I felt something was off in the basement, and when I went down to check, I found her! Jia Le, guess what? She's very, very special! From the moment I entered the basement, her emotions remained stable, without a single manic episode, without any aggression, and most importantly—she just responded to what I said! She's conscious! She's conscious!"

Ye Yanran very excited. The Special Affairs Office had gathered the Living Dead together for treatment, but after half a month, they still couldn't find a suitable treatment direction. The most authoritative pharmaceutical, medical and biological experts were all in the Special Affairs Office. Meetings were held again and again, but they still couldn't find a solution. They could only try some psychological comfort.

In fact, there was a somewhat discouraging discovery: the Special Affairs Office initially examined the Living Dead and diagnosed Living Dead brain dead.

However, since the Living Dead can still move and respond to some external behaviors, the Special Affairs Office cannot give up.

The mutations occurring in the Living Dead have gone beyond the scope of ordinary biology. Therefore, brain death may no longer be a criterion for determining death. The Special Affairs Office can no longer treat the Living Dead according to the previous standards in all aspects.

The discovery of a conscious Living Dead in the basement may bring some breakthroughs to the Special Affairs Office Special Affairs Office's stalled treatment efforts, or at least offer some encouragement.

This is why Ye Yanran so excited.

Jia Le, the technical and field clerk from the Special Affairs Office, was stunned upon hearing this.

Is this Living Dead conscious?

Jia Le overcame his introverted nature and looked directly at the Living Dead in the basement.

Is that her?

Was she conscious?

The monster noticed that He was being looked at as if He were a rare spectacle, with indifferent eyes.

Are they going to leave or not?

He was losing patience; his gaze was fixed on the elevator, and his intention to leave was obvious.

Jia Le: "!!"

Is this truly conscious?

If that's really the case, then it's truly a joyous occasion.

There's just one problem--

"This Living Dead..." Jia Le wondered, "How did she get here?"

Jia Le possessed the information of the villa's owner. Before Ye Yanran and the others entered the villa after discovering something amiss, they sent him instructions to finish his current tasks and then contact the police to handle the aftermath. The Special Affairs Office couldn't arbitrarily take away the Living Dead; they would need to make contact with the Living Dead's relatives and friends. This task was always handled by the cooperating police force. After receiving the message, Jia Le arranged the bodies of the Polluted in the central square and immediately brought the police here.

The police also obtained information about the villa owner.

The owner of this villa is a young woman. Six months ago, her husband died in an accident, and their child was born in the accident. After that, the owner raised the child alone. However, only six months later, tragedy struck again, and her child became Living Dead. The owner could not bear to part with the child, and because of her distrust of the Special Affairs Office, she hid the child.

The owner of this villa had no parents or relatives. After the accident, she rarely left the villa and severed ties with her friends.

The discovery of a seemingly conscious, living Living Dead in the villa's basement is good news, but the problem is—

The origin of this Living Dead is a bit strange.

No matter how you look at it, there's no reason for a second Living Dead to appear in the basement of this villa.

Ye Yanran's joy waned slightly after hearing the villa owner's information. She remained silent for a few seconds before asking Jia Le, "Jia Le, how is the Living Dead in the stroller outside the villa?"

When she went down to the basement, Qin Xiu had already woken up. She believed that after waking up, Qin Xiu would check on the Living Dead they had left in the stroller outside the villa.

Jia Le: "?"

He considered carefully and said, "If Sister Yan is referring to the baby carriage I saw, there were no Living Dead inside, only a puppet."