Xu An was comfortably enjoying her solitude in the space when the zombies outside discovered the scent they had been tracking had vanished from their original location.
Instantly, dozens of zombies spun around in place like headless flies.
...
"Your clothes have a special coating. I'm not sure what its components are, but it contains dried blood. This must be the culprit."
Although Xu An already knew Ze Yuan was the tree in the space, seeing a tree speak to her was truly bizarre.
"Can't you transform like they do in TV shows? Do you have to remain a tree?"
"What do you want to do!" Ze Yuan's voice was filled with panic, as if Xu An intended to do something monstrous to a pure little tree.
Xu An: "...I was just politely asking, you don't need to overreact."
"Let's talk business. Are they using this coating to control those mutated zombies?"
"Likely. But just how much do you think that girl Yu Qin hates you, to only smear that coating on your clothes?"
Xu An rubbed her forehead. How was she supposed to know Yu Qin's deep-seated animosity towards her?
Logically, Xu An had saved Yu Qin during the incident at the mall. Although she had spoken harshly to Yu Qin during the crisis, it was a matter of life and death at the time.
She was focused on saving people and hadn't considered the nuances of her tone.
"So," Ze Yuan concluded, "it's better to mind your own business. I've realized it. You humans can even make enemies while saving people."
Xu An couldn't agree more with Ze Yuan's words.
If it weren't for Lin Zhuoran's sake, she wouldn't have cared if Yu Qin died.
"However, Yu Qin is probably dead."
"How do you know? I was just about to tell you," Ze Yuan sounded curious.
"Wang Zhao and Liu Fei's eyes were off, and they smelled of blood."
After speaking, Xu An noticed Ze Yuan remained silent for a long time, almost as if it had gone offline...
"Ze Yuan?"
"I'm here."
Hearing the slightly subdued response, Xu An knew the other party had something to tell her.
"What's wrong?"
"Your five senses have strengthened again." It was a statement, not a question.
Xu An was more aware of the changes in her body than anyone else. After coming down this time, she had discovered that not only could she see distant objects and people in the mist, but all her senses were also being enhanced.
"Isn't that good? Enhanced five senses."
"Xu An, haven't you noticed that humans on the ground are evolving in a way that leans towards natural laws?"
Xu An hugged Gou Dan, suddenly feeling like the beef jerky in her hands was no longer as appealing.
Why discuss such things when she was happily eating snacks?
"I didn't tell you much before because I had only just woken up and my conscious time was very short. Also, at the lighthouse, if I made any unusual movements, the heart in the white building would resonate with me, and the person in the darkness would discover my existence."
Xu An just listened quietly, not replying.
"You must have sensed it too, the humans on the ground and the humans on the lighthouse are seeking their survival in two diametrically opposed ways."
"But Blue Star won't remain chaotic forever. What I mean is, survival of the fittest, that's nature's rule of elimination."
Xu An remained silent for a long time. "Then what exactly is that heart?"
"You can think of it as my true form."
"And what are you now?"
"I'm not a 'thing'," Ze Yuan realized something was amiss after saying it. "No! What I mean is, you can think of me as a void of consciousness, merely residing in this tree."
"Why did you choose me?" Although they hadn't discussed it, Xu An knew Ze Yuan definitely knew she was a重生者 (reborn).
"It wasn't me who chose you, but you who chose me. There are too many unexplainable things in this world, including your rebirth."
"So when will the apocalypse end?"
"That depends on yourselves, Xu An. This world holds many secrets. Some humans are trying to pry into the truth of this world."
"Are you saying this disaster is man-made? Is it a punishment from heaven for someone prying into the truth?"
Xu An found it somewhat laughable, and indeed, she chuckled.
"Everything has its laws of operation. It's like if one day ants tried to open your heads, wanting to know why you possess intelligence, wouldn't you then crush the ant that tried to pry into you?"
Admittedly, Ze Yuan's analogy was fitting, but being likened to an ant made her feel a chill.
"So, am I actually the main villain obstructing some scientist from discovering the truth?"
Xu An knew Ze Yuan was collecting her scattered consciousness. Its heart had been stolen and was brazenly displayed in the lighthouse. Humans were wantonly consuming the power of the unknown and rejoicing in it.
She thought to herself, it was difficult to discern who was right and who was wrong.
For some reason, she suddenly remembered a TV show she watched as a child. The male protagonist was determined to eliminate the main villain.
Yet, the so-called main villain was actually the only one in the entire show who remained true to his original intention of pursuing world peace.
Sometimes, when paths diverge, circumstances change drastically.
"It depends on how you see it. Like the zombies, have you ever considered that from the zombies' perspective, perhaps humans are the anomalies?"
"Just like you eat the meat of animals, if you look at it from another angle, zombies might simply see you as beef or mutton."
"Do you still think you're funny?" Xu An was speechless.
"I see you're a bit down, cheer up, friend."
"But zombies were once humans!" Xu An tried to argue.
"Humans were once aquatic animals. Does the fact that you've evolved negate the fact that you were once 'animals'?"
Xu An: ... She couldn't refute that.
"Wang Zhao and that Liu Fei are problematic. They must have some sort of agreement with Yu Qin, or they're holding each other's weaknesses."
Ze Yuan: This shift in topic was utterly bizarre.
Xu An gave him a "what can you do about it" look. Nothing is impossible if you're willing to give up.
What to do when you can't figure something out?
Don't think about it.
"You know all this already, why are you asking me?"
"No, I see in novels, people's cheat codes have all sorts of functions. Do you have any special skills, friend? Are you that useless?"
Useless Ze Yuan: ...