Chapter 527: The Final Blaze

Chapter 527: The Final Blaze

No one knew how much time had passed.

Without Bian Junwu’s command, no one dared to open their eyes.

The power of Desolation was simply too overwhelming.

Even the seasoned members of the investigation team dared not risk a direct gaze.

And now, with Ice Soul amplifying Bian Junwu’s strength beyond its former limits, he was undoubtedly a true Epsilon-class Superhuman.

Only Zhang Yi, protected by his Dimensional Gate, had the courage to keep his eyes open and watch.

Gradually, the radiant white light that had enveloped the world began to fade.

The surrounding landscape was now completely devoid of zombies.

Beyond the reach of the fading light, members of the three major factions stood in stunned silence, their faces frozen with fear.

None of them dared to step forward.

They had never seen anything like this in their lives.

And now, they fully understood just how terrifying a Superhuman at LV5 Epsilon level could be.

It wasn’t just power.

It was the destruction of conventional warfare itself.

An Epsilon-class Superhuman was no longer a mere combatant.

They were walking nuclear weapons.

Zheng Yixian’s eyes gleamed with manic excitement.

His lips curled upward uncontrollably.

No… I can’t celebrate yet! Just one more step to victory!

Zhang Yi, you idiot! You helped us more than you can even imagine! Hahaha!

Now, the leaders of Tianhai City’s major bases, including Bian Junwu, have all used Ice Soul.

As long as we kill them all, our dream will be within reach!

As the battlefield quieted, the last traces of white light dissipated.

Bian Junwu turned around and walked toward the others.

Zhang Yi immediately shut his eyes, pretending he had seen nothing.

But the next moment, he felt a hand grip his shoulder.

The grip was firm and steady, as heavy as a mountain.

Zhang Yi tensed up instantly.

Then, a cold voice whispered in his ear:

"Stop pretending. You were watching the whole time, weren’t you?"

Zhang Yi forced a bitter smile and slowly opened his eyes.

“…You noticed?”

But the moment he saw Bian Junwu’s face, his smile froze.

Bian Junwu’s expression was cold.

His lips curled into an enigmatic smirk.

“Captain Bian, thank you for saving us all!”

Zhang Yi quickly adopted a sincere look and spoke with gratitude.

Bian Junwu didn’t respond.

His right hand remained on Zhang Yi’s shoulder, exerting a tremendous pressure.

Even though Zhang Yi knew Bian Junwu didn’t have much time left, he had just ascended to Epsilon-class—at this range, he could kill Zhang Yi in an instant.

“You’re quite the schemer,” Bian Junwu murmured. “Even I walked right into your plan.”

Zhang Yi’s expression remained calm as he spoke softly,

“Apologies. This wasn’t my first choice. This was my contingency plan. But with no other options left, I had to use it.”

He wasn’t lying.

Zhang Yi had prepared three different strategies for this crisis.

Force the Followers of the Snow God to relinquish control of the zombie horde by leveraging Jiangnan District’s pressure.

This plan failed. He had overestimated the cult’s ability to command the horde.

When the horde spiraled out of control, even they could do nothing to stop it.

Boost Bian Junwu’s team with Ice Soul, forcing them to break through the horde by sheer strength.

This plan had succeeded—but at great cost.

Abandon Tianhai City and escape before the Reaper of Love arrived.

If the situation had completely collapsed, Zhang Yi would have fled without hesitation.

Survival was always his top priority.

If he had another way, he would have never wanted things to reach this point.

He had no personal grudge against Bian Junwu.

But when the situation was out of control, hesitation meant death.

Bian Junwu sighed and shook his head.

“…Forget it. I don’t have much time left anyway.”

“In a way, I should be thanking you. If not for your suggestion, I wouldn’t have been able to burn this brightly one last time.”

He looked down at his hands.

“This… is the power of LV5 Epsilon-class? Incredible. I just wish… there was another chance to use it.”

Suddenly, his massive frame swayed.

The hand on Zhang Yi’s shoulder slipped away.

Zhang Yi quickly reached out and caught him.

“…Don’t worry,” Zhang Yi said softly. “Now that you’ve done this much, I’ll handle the rest of Tianhai City’s problems.”

Bian Junwu looked at him.

His ashen-gray pupils flickered with doubt.

“…So you’ve been hiding even more secrets.”

“What are they, I wonder?”

But he never got an answer.

Because at that very moment, his body reached its limit.

Bian Junwu had burned away everything—his energy, his life force, his very existence—just to unleash his final attack.

He collapsed into Zhang Yi’s arms.

And he never moved again.

A moment later, the others sensed the battle was over.

They slowly opened their eyes.

The battlefield that had once held hundreds of thousands of zombies…

…was empty.

Not a single Bronze Armored Zombie or Flying Bronze Zombie remained.

Only a few scattered ordinary zombies still wandered aimlessly—weak and no longer a threat.

Xiao Honglian’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Her voice trembled as she whispered,

“…Is it over? Did we really… win?”

Just moments ago, she had prepared to die, expecting to be devoured by the endless horde.

Now, the sudden absence of danger felt so surreal that it left her shaken.

But the investigation team had no time to celebrate.

Because they knew what this meant.

For Bian Junwu to have unleashed such power—

…he had paid the price.

Wu Di’s eyes locked onto Zhang Yi.

His face twisted in horror as he saw Bian Junwu’s lifeless body in Zhang Yi’s arms.

"Boss!!!"

With a guttural cry, Wu Di rushed forward and snatched Bian Junwu’s body from Zhang Yi.

His eyes were wide with fear, his movements frantic—like a lost child.

“Boss! Wake up! Wake up!”

“Don’t sleep! You won’t wake up if you fall asleep!”

He screamed in Bian Junwu’s ear, shaking him violently.

But the only response was silence.

Then, the once-arrogant Wu Di…

broke down sobbing.

Zhang Yi stepped back silently.

He knew—this was their moment to say goodbye.

One by one, Wu Di, Baili Changqing, and the others gathered around Bian Junwu’s body.

Their faces were solemn, filled with sorrow.

But aside from Wu Di, no one cried.

They simply placed their right hands over their chests…

…and saluted in silence.

Because in this apocalyptic world, they had seen far too much death.

And they knew—one day, this would be their fate too.

No words were needed.

Their respect would last forever.

Meanwhile, Zheng Yixian was ecstatic.

This couldn’t have gone better!

Sure, they had lost hundreds of thousands of zombies—

But zombies could be replaced.

Bian Junwu’s power, however…

That was irreplaceable.

And soon, it would belong to Yuan Kongye.

We won big.

Zheng Yixian smirked.

Then, his greedy gaze swept across the battlefield, silently counting how many had used Ice Soul.

Like a farmer, watching his crops ripen for the harvest.

Author's Note