CHAPTER 122: FAREWELL TO THE CURSED ISLAND I

"No, nothing at all. We’re just staring because you’re far too beautiful," said Lan Qisheng, trying to hide the tremor of his lower lip.

His lover’s words and actions had always been on a completely different level of madness, but now—saying he wanted to burn down an entire island without even batting an eye—that was truly...

"Beautiful, huh? Lan Qisheng, do you want to taste the beauty of my fist as well?"

"N-no, darling, I’m sorry! It’s just that the idea of burning the island... um, it’s a very bold thought, and quite innovative—"

"Cut the nonsense and just admit it’s insane." Sian rolled his eyes.

He had never noticed before how coarse his lover’s face was, or how easily he could spout such drivel with a straight face. What a pity—he should have been the actor, not Sian.

"In any case, this is the only solution. The sooner, the better. After all, animals are not like humans; they’re the first to sense danger and avoid it. By now, they must already be trying to escape the island."

"I’ll contact the higher-ups and ask." After Jiao Liangchen muttered those words, he immediately stood and went to find a quiet place to negotiate with his superiors.

Lan Qisheng, unwilling to let that man take the lead, also rose to call his grandfather.

As for Sian, he remained seated, calmly eating his chocolate as if nothing else in the world mattered but filling his stomach.

"Uh...Big Brother, are we... are we going to die? I saw in movies that at the end of the world, lots of people die."

When the two scary men in the boy’s eyes left, he sighed in relief and finally dared to speak up and ask Sian, well the poor boy didn’t know that his older brother is even scarier than those two men.

Sian, seeing the fear in the boy’s gaze, didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Do you know who dies first at times like these?"

The child hesitated, his expression clouded with doubt, but he couldn’t find the answer. Naturally, Sian didn’t wait for him to respond. With a cold, cutting tone, he said, "It’s not the weak, nor the children, nor the elderly. The ones who die first are those who fear death itself. If you cling to life too desperately, you’ll be the very first to lose it."

After frightening the child to the point that his small body began to tremble, Sian finally answered his earlier question with calm detachment: "This isn’t the end of the world. You can’t even imagine what the real apocalypse looks like. This little setback isn’t even a true danger. Don’t worry—it’ll be over soon. The world may face some changes, but as far as I know, the apocalypse is still a long way off."

Sian wasn’t lying, nor was he trying to comfort the boy. He was simply telling the truth. He himself had lived through a world of ruin and destruction, had witnessed the true end of days.

Though the virus spreading across this island was dangerous, it could not be compared to a worldwide outbreak.

And clearly, this virus was far weaker than the one that had plagued his own world, far weaker than the monsters that had once roamed it.

Humanity, too, was resilient. They wouldn’t be able to create a vaccine in such a short time, but they could still contain and eliminate the threat. That was likely why the organization had dared to release it without fear—first, as a warning to the world’s powers: "Look, we have a weapon capable of subduing you if you don’t bow to us." Second, to study and measure its strength.

The only thing Sian did not know was the virus’s origin—and why it bore such a strong resemblance to the one from his world.

Even that man, the superhuman killer, had no idea whether it was a mere coincidence that his power mirrored the trait of the damn man Sian had slain in his past life, or whether it meant something far darker.

"Sian, Grandfather said they were already considering the same plan. Damn it, I nearly shivered from the thought. Did you know the leaders originally wanted to blow up the entire island with a missile—while we were still here?"

"Oh," Sian responded flatly, unsurprised. He had always known the ruthlessness of those in power.

"Anyway, Grandfather also said rescue is already on its way. The evacuation began some time ago. I told him about your idea of monitoring the civilians at the military facility for two days before sending them out."

Jiao Liangchen soon returned as well, bringing identical news.

He added, however, that helicopters were being dispatched to pick them up. Since there was no safe place to land, the evacuees would have to be hoisted one by one using ropes.

As for destroying the island, the original plan had been to launch a missile. But Sian’s idea of burning it seemed far more practical. Preparations were already underway—fuel, equipment, everything was being readied. Once they were certain the island had been fully evacuated, the blaze would begin.

Sian cared little for all this. All he wanted was to leave this cursed island, take a hot shower, and sleep.

They went back to the others and shared the news.

Cheers and tears broke out at once. Some had lost family, some had lost friends—everyone had suffered heavy losses along the way. Yet the prospect of survival rekindled their hope. Hope for life itself.

Even the pretender, Song Zijian, was crying with joy. Of course, he was the type to cling stubbornly to life. After all the despicable things he’d done to reach this point, how could he possibly accept a gruesome, painful death? Or the thought of turning into a filthy, mindless monster?

And yet, even as he wept, he didn’t forget to shoot Sian a look filled with hatred and contempt.

If not for Sian—and those two men with him—protecting them all this time, he would have gladly thrown Sian into a horde of zombies. But having witnessed Sian’s merciless skill, the way he sliced through necks without hesitation, Song Zijian dared not even stand in his path.

Less than an hour later, the roar of rotors echoed from the mountainside.

The survivors wanted to scream, to cheer, to applaud, but they held their tongues in fear of attracting the remaining zombies. In truth, it wasn’t discipline that silenced them, but Jiao Liangchen’s threats.

He contacted the helicopter captain through the national security network, coordinating the rescue.

At last, ropes were dropped. Normally, someone would descend to assist, but with Jiao Liangchen and Lan Qisheng present, it wasn’t necessary.

Despite the chaos, the survivors managed to board in an orderly fashion. Children and the elderly went up first, followed by the adults. Soon, only Sian, the two men, and the boy—Xiao Zhu—remained.

The child refused to go without Sian, so he stayed behind with him.

Everything went smoothly until it was Lan Qisheng’s turn.

That was when the zombies came.

Yes—the helicopter’s thunderous noise had drawn them in. Dozens—perhaps more than fifty—lurched forward, some crawling, some sprinting, dried blood streaked across their faces and bodies. The sight was so terrifying that even those already aboard the helicopter panicked, urging the pilot to take off immediately.

Such was human nature: even if the man below had been the one protecting them all along, their own lives took priority.

Then—

A gunshot.

The sound froze everyone in place, terror coursing through them.

Of course, they were terrified.

Sian was holding a rifle—clearly stolen from one of the soldiers. After firing a single round into the air outside the helicopter, he spoke in a cold, deadly tone, his voice dripping with menace, as if he truly were a killer who could claim lives without hesitation:

"If I hear another word, believe it or not, the next bullet will lodge itself in your skulls. Understood?"

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Once he was certain they grasped his meaning, Sian stepped toward the open side of the helicopter. Below, Lan Qisheng was waiting for the rope, pistol in hand, calmly shooting down any zombie that came within fifty meters of him.

"When I give the signal, take the helicopter up. Understood?"

"Sian, no—"

"Jiao Liangchen. Understood, or not?"

"...Fine. I understand. Take care of yourself. I’ll keep watch from here and descend if anything happens."

"It’s fine. It’ll be quick."

Suddenly, Sian grabbed the rope coiled at his feet.

He wound it three times around his arm—

And leapt.

Yes, without a harness, without any safety measures, Sian simply wrapped the rope around his arm and jumped straight out of the helicopter.