The young physician, who had initially looked down on zombies, found Xiao Ye's decisiveness hard to believe.
Xiao Ye took the serum, his expressionless face betraying no emotion.
The physicians couldn't detect any nervousness from Xiao Ye, nor did they know if he was truly fearless.
Or if it was simply because he had turned into a zombie, making it difficult to express human emotions.
The physicians believed it was the former and quickly gave him instructions. "Zombie King, the serum will take effect in half an hour. You'd best arrange for your subordinates' order quickly."
"Also, for this serum that changes zombies, we cannot guarantee what kind of harm it will cause you. We estimate you will endure considerable torment and pain for a period."
They looked at the imposing Xiao Ye, unsure if the Zombie King could endure it.
However, the Zombie King's willingness to bear the weight for humanity earned their solemn respect.
"Roar!"
Beside them, the zombie in the suit fidgeted anxiously, scratching its ears.
It wished it had taken the serum itself, rather than letting Xiao Ye conduct this experiment.
"Hiss."
Xiao Ye communicated with the suited zombie, instructing it to manage the entire territory.
The humans, kept in captivity, were relatively obedient, but it was unclear if any ability users would come to their rescue.
The suited zombie promised to complete the task and stayed by Xiao Ye's side.
It witnessed the serum taking effect on Xiao Ye.
It saw veins bulge on Xiao Ye's body, and his grayish-white pupils flickered with pain.
His skin pores seemed to writhe, revealing a layer of blood that grew increasingly intense.
The sharp nails on his slender hands appeared to be retracting, breaking inch by inch.
"The serum is working!"
The physicians were overjoyed, witnessing the changes in Xiao Ye's body.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
Bones made cracking sounds, making one's scalp tingle.
Xiao Ye's breathing became increasingly labored, and it was hard to imagine the immense pain he was enduring.
Even though the physicians were accustomed to gruesome scenes, they were awestruck by the Zombie King's silent suffering.
Their admiration grew.
Xiao Ye struggled to stand. He disliked crowded places.
He decided to retreat to his room alone.
The physicians waited outside the door, knowing the serum's potency would only increase.
Yet, not a single low growl escaped the Zombie King.
"I never imagined that humanity's hope would be carried by a Zombie King," the physicians whispered lost in thought. When they were captured, they had expected to face death. Instead, they were cooperating with Xiao Ye to research a serum that would save countless zombies.
"Perhaps the Zombie King was once human, and he had people he cared about, not wanting to remain a zombie forever," the young physician mused simply.
The elder physician said sternly, "No, you must understand. The Zombie King is not acting for himself but to end the bloodshed and cruelty of this apocalypse. If he succeeds, all survivors should revere him."
Humans should revere a zombie?
The young physician was stunned.
He was still too young to comprehend the eventual outcome of this apocalypse.
Humanity would become extinct, and the world would be governed by new rulers.
And Xiao Ye's actions were entirely shouldering the continuation of human civilization!
A worthy deed!
Day one.
The physicians heard no activity from inside the house, fearing the Zombie King might have perished.
On the second day, they finally heard Xiao Ye's voice.
It was a gasp akin to a dying breath, a testament to the unbearable pain.
Could he survive?
The physicians were filled with concern.
On the third day, the house remained silent.
The physicians, with dark circles under their eyes, dared not sleep.
Their hands were rubbed red with anxiety.
The suited zombie brought them food, and then waited obediently outside the house.
The young physician, drowsy, could no longer bear it.
As he drifted in and out of consciousness, he heard the elder physicians shouting with excitement and exhilaration.
"Zombie King, you've emerged!!"
The young physician looked up and saw a man with black hair and black eyes, no trace of his zombified state remaining.
He was astonished.
"You succeeded?"
"I believe... you have," Xiao Ye replied.
Xiao Ye's body had largely returned to its normal state.
However, his eyes still held a faint silver sheen, indicating the serum had not fully integrated.
The elder physicians were filled with fervor. "You've regained human speech! We've truly succeeded!!"
Xiao Ye's gaze fell upon the young physician, and he suddenly raised a fist, met with the younger man's terrified eyes.
The fist struck the wall behind him.
Suddenly, cracks appeared across the wall.
A large, horrifying hole was formed.
"My zombie strength still remains in my body," Xiao Ye stated.
Xiao Ye could feel that as the serum integrated further, he would eventually become fully human.
"Now, my body likely has antibodies. Drawing my blood to dilute the serum should allow it to be injected into all zombies."
Xiao Ye's expression was calm and serene as he looked out at the ruins beyond the door.
"This apocalypse should end."
Upon hearing Xiao Ye's words, tears welled up in the physicians' eyes.
They were deeply moved. "Zombie King, your voluntary sacrifice as a medicinal guide to preserve human civilization will forever be recorded in the annals of humanity."
How could they be worthy of accompanying Xiao Ye in ending this apocalypse?
Xiao Ye noticed the suited zombie and placed a hand on its shoulder. "Little brother, it's time for you to become human again. Being a zombie is quite a hardship."
The suited zombie let out a muffled sound. Before becoming a zombie, it had its own family and friends.
Now, it finally had the chance to return to the peace of human life.
The physicians drew some of Xiao Ye's blood and, with renewed vigor, proceeded with diluting the serum for research.
Their human homeland was about to be reclaimed, how could they not be excited?!
Xiao Ye left the research site, leading the suited zombie with him.
"Were these past three days peaceful for you?"
Upon hearing Xiao Ye's question, the suited zombie's expression turned grim.
The number of zombies in their territory was dwindling.
Shen Que and a few other zombies had also failed to return.
"Roar!"
The suited zombie truthfully reported that dozens more zombies had gone missing from the zombie enclosure.
Xiao Ye frowned, a sense of unease settling upon him.
However, the suited zombie had also investigated and discovered it was related to the ability user base.
Someone from the ability user base had abducted zombies, their purpose unknown.
Xiao Ye, having recently donated a significant amount of blood, was feeling somewhat weak and didn't have the time to address this matter.
"To prevent further zombie disappearances."
The suited zombie received the command and scurried off to carry out its task.
The bad news was that
Within two days, the suited zombie also vanished!
Upon receiving the news, Xiao Ye immediately rallied the zombies to attack the base.
He might not care about the zombies within his territory, but...
The suited zombie was fiercely loyal to Xiao Ye.
He could not stand idly by!
Instantly!
The ability user base was thrown into turmoil.
As countless zombies appeared densely packed outside the city walls.