Chapter 112: Awakening
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Things were unfolding toward the outcome they had hoped for. Just as they had observed, the swarm slowed down while devouring objects, even slowing its own thought processes. Relying on people resigning themselves to their fate to buy time for escape was indeed feasible, and this was the premise on which most of them accepted Zhaoqing’s strategy.
If what Zhaoqing had said had not been verified, no one would have chosen to follow his advice, even if it benefited them. People were unwilling to admit their own mediocrity, let alone obey someone else.
Tanya had not fled blindly with the others. After discovering that something might be wrong with Zhaoqing, she no longer dared to believe a single word he said.
“Stupid humans!”
The sharp criticism delighted Tanya, because the voice belonged to Chu Ning, a solid and dependable presence.
Even if she sacrificed more of her humanity in exchange for greater strength, Tanya knew that her abilities would never undergo a qualitative leap. She might improve her chances of survival, but it would not be enough to overcome the crisis before them.
Only now did she understand the importance of fundamentals. The foundation might not determine a person’s upper limit, but it could certainly determine their lower limit. She possessed ways to increase her strength, yet still had to suffer because her strength had once been too weak.
Especially when she was burdened with a completely useless deadweight. No matter how outstanding Chu Ning’s strength was while awake, he could not escape the fact that he was helplessly at the mercy of others in his dreams. Unless he was dear Uncle Freddy—and shared Boss Cao’s particular tastes!
As for Chu Ning’s criticism of humanity, Tanya automatically ignored it. Not because she was deliberately trying to curry favor with him, but because she had stopped being human altogether!
After Chu Ning awakened, Tanya’s dress returned to its plain white color. Resentment did indeed make her more aggressive and slightly increased her basic strength. But seeing Chu Ning always maintain his ordinary appearance, rather than displaying the hideous face he wore at the moment of death and startling people everywhere, had left an impression on her.
As a result, Tanya began imitating him, attempting to restrain her negative emotions. Setting aside the possible benefits of such behavior, Tanya felt that controlling her emotions was genuinely soothing, both mentally and physically.
Losing too much of her humanity would cause her to do things she had once found difficult to understand. That was another reason she did not want to remain in her pre-death form for too long. Besides, it had to be said: the form she took at death was hideously ugly!
Perhaps that was because female ghosts were skilled at shapeshifting. The Four Great Evil Arts of Asia were another contributing factor!
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“Who are you?”
Tanya asked hesitantly. Before anything else, she had to figure out exactly who Chu Ning was. She also hated the other party’s spasmodic personality shifts. It was like dealing with two people who happened to share the same face—an absolute nuisance!
She truly could not imagine what kind of life the person who stayed with Chu Ning for the rest of their life would have to endure. It would be a nightmare. She could not help shivering.
“That’s right. It’s me!” Chu Ning gave her a wicked wink, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly to make himself look more cold and ruthless.
Inside, however, he was drumming his fingers nervously. Was this imitation convincing enough? From fragments of memory, Chu Ning had learned that the other fellow had impersonated him without permission. It made him feel as though he had lost a hundred billion. Surely the man had not used his body to do anything shameful?
To compensate for the damage to his spirit, he had chosen to imitate the other party. Otherwise, how could he ever regain his peace of mind?
As Chu Ning radiated his impossible-to-place charm, Tanya could not help shuddering. Was this not unbearably greasy? Could Chu Ning actually be interested in her? It was truly impossible to imagine that a man who killed without batting an eye could possess romantic feelings.
Chu Ning adjusted his expression slightly. From her reaction, he knew that he had overdone it. Still, it was no great matter.
He knew Tanya had mistaken him for someone else. The experiment had been a success!
“What exactly is going on now?” Chu Ning frowned as he gazed at the slaughter unfolding before him, feeling as though he had suddenly been dropped into Sparta. The composition of this world was far too unscientific. That swarm of insects had actually forced humanity into such a desperate state—he had never seen anything like it.
The shock in Chu Ning’s eyes flashed by. He relaxed and restrained his emotions, then murmured softly to himself, “So this is what your world is like. We really do live in different worlds.”
“What did you say?” Tanya asked in confusion. She truly had not heard what Chu Ning was muttering; his voice had been far too faint. She even wondered whether he had been speaking to her at all—if not for the fact that everyone around them was rushing toward a path of survival.
“Ahem. Sorry, my mind wandered just now.” Chu Ning cast Tanya an apologetic glance. He seemed like a man who had just discovered a new continent, eager to experience an entirely different landscape. Human beings were always filled with curiosity toward the unknown, only to grow bored once it became familiar.
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“It’s all right, but shouldn’t we be running? The swarm is getting closer and closer. If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late. The vanguard has already left ahead of us. Should we follow them?”
Tanya stared nervously at the swarm gradually closing in around them. Although she knew Chu Ning could carry her through the air, she was still terrified.
“Ah!”
Chu Ning hesitated as he looked at the scene ahead. A natural sense of dread welled up within him. “We can wait a little longer. Something unforeseen may happen up ahead. We still have time.”
It was truly nauseating. Chu Ning could not bear to watch the swarm devour human beings. Even though the people being eaten did not let out any heart-rending screams, he still found the shocking scene before him difficult to endure.
If this had been a movie, a warning would have appeared on the screen informing viewers that the content was unsuitable for sensitive audiences. What malicious thoughts could the swarm possibly have? It was merely following the biological law of survival of the fittest. But since it had chosen humanity as its enemy, there was no avoiding the label.
“Are you serious?” Tanya’s lips twitched. Seeing that Chu Ning was still standing where he was, she had no choice but to remain beside him, waiting for him to change his mind and take her swiftly away from this place.
It was already too late to change their minds and flee with the main group. The corpses on the ground had been completely snatched away by the people, and the swarm had begun devouring the bodies they threw out.
Everything was currently unfolding exactly as they had expected. Tanya regretted not decisively following the others, but Chu Ning had made her hesitate, causing her to miss the best opportunity to escape.
“Mm.” Chu Ning watched the steadily approaching swarm with lingering fear. He really wanted to ask the omniscient netizens what they would do if they found themselves in the same situation.
Waiting for answers online. He was in quite a hurry!
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