Chapter Fifty-Nine: Li Li's Evolution

As dusk fell, Ru Hua suddenly jerked her head up to look at the sky. All the high-level zombies felt a sinking sensation in their hearts and gazed upward in terror. A massive shadow blotted out all sunlight, plunging the world into instant darkness, only for it to vanish just as swiftly.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Wen asked anxiously, noticing the abrupt change in Ru Hua’s expression.

“It’s nothing. It just felt like something extraordinary passed by.” The darkness had come and gone in a flash, and Ru Hua’s suppressed heart finally eased.

“Hurry back to the villa and keep an eye on Liu Xue. Ever since she evolved again, the girl’s been itching for a fight. Whatever you do, don’t let her run out and cause trouble,” Ru Hua urged, thinking of Liu Xue.

“Alright. You be careful too. I’ll go back and watch her.” Liu Wen nodded. Now that Liu Xue had evolved for the third time, she’d become rather unruly. If it weren’t for the fact that Liu Wen was her elder sister, she’d have been impossible to manage.

Ru Hua rubbed her heart, which was still twitching from the shock. It was all too terrifying; she slumped weakly onto the ground.

Tie Zhu came over, checked on Ru Hua, and, seeing she was alright, helped her to her feet. Ever since their leader vanished months ago, Ru Hua had shouldered nearly everything, and Tie Zhu did his best to assist, but his abilities were limited. In the face of such large-scale battles and the twin-headed Corpse King, Tie Zhu was more a figurehead—he could intimidate lower-level zombies, but only Ru Hua could confront the twin-headed ones and inspire confidence in their warriors.

That damned Corpse King even coveted Ru Hua’s beauty. As Ma Yi’s loyal subordinate, Tie Zhu would never allow such a thing. Once sure Ru Hua was fine, he returned to the hilltop, eyes fixed on the enemy’s high-level zombies. The shadow had shaken him too, but so what? At worst, it meant death—Tie Zhu was no coward. More than the helplessness from earlier, he worried about the enemy zombies sneaking past and harming his boss’s woman.

At the front lines, Tie Zhu and Ru Hua held the twin-headed Corpse King at bay. On the flank were Hammer and Windchaser, while Fatty led the evolved beast horde around the mountain’s back. The lowest-level zombies near the villa were already at the second tier, including the corpse beasts under Fatty’s command. When Tie Zhu transformed zombies into corpse beasts, some turned out strong, others weak. The assault at the rear was less fierce than at the front, so Fatty managed to hold his ground.

A beast at the same level could rival two to eight zombies, and the higher the level, the stronger the beast. The current Rat King, nearly of the Purple Gold level, could even fight Tie Zhu to a standstill, its sharp claws nearly a match for Ru Hua’s.

Inside the villa, Liu Xue paced the living room, clenching her fists as if ready to dash outside, but each time, recalling her sister’s warning, she lost her nerve. Her leather armor was already neatly donned, and she made a silent vow: if her sister didn’t return in five seconds, she’d head out.

Liu Wen’s parents sat uneasily on the sofa. Normally, zombies never bothered evolving beasts, but now, tens of thousands were threatening them.

“Five, four, three, two, one.” Liu Xue counted down in her mind, finishing in a single second, a grin spreading across her face. She eagerly pushed open the door to dash out—only to be embarrassed when she saw her sister standing just outside, looking at her with a knowing smile.

“Wow, Sis, you’re back so soon?” Liu Xue hurried over, clinging to Liu Wen’s arm and acting coquettish.

“You little rascal. If I hadn’t come back, would you have run off?” Liu Wen poked her sister’s forehead dotingly.

“Of course not! I was just checking if you’d come back, not sneaking out to fight.” Liu Xue rubbed the spot where Liu Wen had poked her, pretending to be in pain.

“Slipped up, didn’t you? I never said you were going out to fight—you admitted it yourself. I told you to stay with Mom and Dad, but all you can think about is running outside.” Liu Wen led her back inside. At this point, her own abilities were of little help, and though Liu Xue was much stronger than she, she could do little in such a large-scale battle.

“It’s so boring in here. I just wanted to take a look, really,” Liu Xue whined, playing the spoiled child.

“I went out and saw the enemy horde. Most are ordinary zombies, but with their numbers, things aren’t looking good—we’ve already lost quite a few. Judging by Ru Hua’s face, their leader won’t be easy to deal with. Don’t go causing trouble. If something happened to you, what would I do?” Liu Wen stroked her sister’s hair as she spoke. In the blink of an eye, her little sister was now as tall as she was.

“Okay, I know. It’s all brother-in-law’s fault—if only he were home. I wonder how he’s doing.” Liu Xue nodded obediently, then thought of Ma Yi. As soon as she mentioned him, she regretted it—if she missed him, her sister must miss him even more.

“He should be back soon,” Liu Wen said with a forced smile, not quite believing her own words, but trying her best to comfort herself.

“He’ll definitely come back. He’s such a womanizer, and you’re so beautiful. No way he’ll stay away when he hasn’t won you over yet,” Liu Xue comforted her.

“You cheeky girl, I don’t know if it’s your brother-in-law who’s a flirt, or you who’s got something on your mind. In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown up.” Liu Wen sized up her sister. Liu Xue now had a more perfect figure than she did—her face still a little childish, but her body had surpassed her own.

Liu Xue blushed at her sister’s teasing, and the two began to playfully tussle.

Watching her daughters from the doorway, their mother sighed. Her eldest’s fate had been so hard: her first husband, married only a month, was lost the day the apocalypse began. This Ma Yi was strong, but had vanished for months as well—no word, no news. In these times, one could only endure and wait in silence.

Elsewhere, Ma Yi had expected to reach P City by dusk, but fifty kilometers out, Li Li suddenly began to evolve into a second-stage evolver.

Helpless, Ma Yi had to stop and find a quiet place to wait. Having never witnessed a human evolution, he watched Li Li with curiosity—partly to see how humans evolved, partly to ensure her safety.

Li Li lay on the ground, her cheeks flushed. Ma Yi stood nearby, watching her body tremble and her skin glow with a rosy hue. Her once-weak heartbeat grew stronger, and her body lengthened visibly. Having been one meter seventy-five, she was now approaching one meter eighty.

Ma Yi looked at her height and sighed. Would he stay this short forever? Wouldn’t he ever grow taller? It seemed all the female evolvers were surpassing him—he was starting to feel self-conscious about his height.

Li Li’s proportions changed too—her waist slimmer, her curves more pronounced. For men, female evolvers were simply more perfect than ordinary women. The higher their level, the more ideal their figure. Li Li’s bust, already generous, had grown even fuller after evolution.

Evolution also refined human features. Li Li’s face, previously average, now appeared more delicate. She wasn’t beautiful yet, but without makeup she could be called attractive.

Through the long night, Ma Yi ate some jerky, staring idly at the campfire. The crackling of burning wood was soothing. He looked up at the starry sky—without factories and cars to pollute, more stars appeared each night.

It had been a long time since he’d quietly watched the stars. Leaning against the door frame, Ma Yi reflected on everything he’d experienced. Two rats dozed quietly five meters away, curled up on the ground.

“Tomorrow I’ll be home,” Ma Yi thought. “After that, I’ll just settle down, have a few kids, and live out my days in peace. Liu Wen can have two—a boy and a girl. As for Ru Hua… I wonder if zombies really have evolved into another species. I’ll have to test it when I get home.” Contented, he planned his future, a smile occasionally appearing on his lips. What he feared most was returning home to find it was all a dream, and that he had nothing at all.

“Master, how long have I slept?” Li Li woke up. Feeling changes in her body, she knew from others’ experiences at the base that she was evolving again. During evolution, any disturbance could cause mental collapse, even death. At the Changfeng Base, she’d heard of evolvers who never woke up after being interrupted.

“Not long—just four hours or so. Hungry? Roast some jerky over the fire; it’ll taste better.” Ma Yi shifted his posture, studying the post-evolution Li Li. Her once-loose combat uniform now clung tightly to her body, the utility belt cinched around her slender waist, making her look like an anime heroine come to life.

“Okay.” Li Li noticed Ma Yi’s gaze and blushed. They’d already been intimate, so she wasn’t shy about him looking, but she couldn’t help but notice her figure had improved yet again. The bra she’d adjusted before now felt uncomfortably tight.