Chapter Twenty-Five: A Fate Beyond Control

The journey before entering the Gobi Desert went remarkably smoothly for everyone. Perhaps it was due to the Second Legion under Javier having drawn out and annihilated a large number of mid- and low-level mutants the day before, causing a sharp decline in the number of mutants along this stretch of the Great Rift’s entrance.

By the time Ye Hai and his companions walked from day into night and reached the edge of the Gobi, they encountered only a handful of mutants—the strongest among them merely two of the fourth stage. With little effort, they dispatched these creatures with ease.

As they traveled, the once lush green forests between the canyons gradually faded into withered yellow lands. Glancing up at the sky, where six moons of different hues hung overhead, Ye Hai spoke, “Beyond this point lies the Gobi terrain, and from there, the territory of sixth-stage creatures begins…”

“We’ll rest here for the night.”

“Although the day passed without incident and the mutants have grown sparse, we must not let our guard down.”

“We’ll take turns keeping watch!”

“I’ll take the first shift with Leanna. Joe, you and Zera take the second. The remaining two, you’ll cover the last.”

“I also brought twelve zombie crows—they’ll help further extend our surveillance.”

“If any of you see a crow fly into camp while on duty, wake everyone immediately.”

“Remember—this is critical.”

Hearing Ye Hai’s orders, Zera felt a surge of reluctance. After last night’s events, she always felt a trace of fear when facing Joe.

Joe, however, was clearly pleased. He always found new ways to amuse himself with Zera. For him, teasing someone forbidden was a particularly novel delight.

After a day’s march, though they hadn’t fought intensely, everyone except Ye Hai and Joe felt exhausted from hours of tension. Joe, seasoned in hunting mutants in the wild, knew the importance of conserving strength and quickly forced himself into sleep.

Ye Hai and Leanna sat by a small campfire, exchanging idle words.

“I could have arranged for a Licker to protect you and left you in a safe zone,” Ye Hai said suddenly. “Do you know why I insisted on bringing you into the Radiation Lands?”

Leanna was briefly startled by his question, then shook her head.

Within the group, she was undoubtedly a burden, unable to fight even a common zombie without firearms, unlike Zera’s two subordinates, who bore everyone’s luggage with their brute strength.

Ye Hai smiled faintly, poking at the fire until its flames danced higher.

“I intend to recommend you to the Corpse Hunters.”

Leanna shot him a surprised glance. “Is it because of the Queen Ant virus in my body?”

Ye Hai nodded and recounted the history to her—the invention of the Queen Ant virus, the siege of the Chaos Star by the four Order Stars, and the ultimate destruction of the virus’s data, the execution of its creator, and over three thousand original carriers.

“That event led to the founding of the Leviathan System’s Virus Research and Control Agency. Over the years, they’ve discovered more than a hundred original carriers—every one of them executed without exception.”

Leanna trembled at this grim history. “So if the Agency finds me… they’ll send people to capture me?”

Ye Hai shook his head, a faint smile on his lips as he studied the naïve girl before him, wondering how she had survived so long.

“They won’t bother to capture you. They’ll deploy orbital weapons and obliterate you from space. Even mushroom bombs, long banned by the Leviathan System’s War Convention, would be dropped on Zombie Star to ensure no other original carriers survive.”

“This is the misfortune of Zombie Star.”

Leanna stared at Ye Hai, her lips parted in shock, unable to speak for a long while. She had never imagined such a hopeless fate awaited her. She could easily envision the natives of Zombie Star rejecting her existence—no one would want to see someone capable of enslaving others at any moment remain alive.

She sighed, overwhelmed by sorrow. Memories of struggling to survive with her campmates, only to be captured by Zera and injected with the Queen Ant virus, replayed in her mind. None of this was what she had wanted.

But… there was no choice.

Leanna was but one of countless pitiable souls on Zombie Star unable to control their own destinies.

“But it is your fortune as well,” Ye Hai continued, seeing her spirits sink.

“Because of Zombie Star’s environment, it has become an unmanaged zone. Its vastness and sparse population mean that since you became an original Queen Ant virus carrier, you haven’t infected anyone else or caused unrest.”

“For now, no one has noticed this place.”

Ye Hai glanced at the sleeping Zera and her two subordinates nearby.

“However, someone knows you’re an original carrier. Still, Zera is useful to many of my plans—he cannot die just yet. Therefore, I must complete your transformation before others learn of you.”

“You’ve already seen the transformation process…” He looked toward Joe.

Leanna suddenly understood—Ye Hai meant for her to undergo the same T-virus injection as Joe.

Her face turned slightly pale. She remembered all too well how Joe had nearly become a monster after the injection, ultimately enduring only through sheer force of will and gaining new abilities.

Ye Hai’s calm voice sounded again. “It seems you understand. But your ordeal will be even harder than Joe’s.”

“Joe has always lived on the edge of life and death, possessing formidable willpower. When the Queen Ant gene segments in your body collide with the T-virus, the reaction will be a hundred times more intense than what Joe experienced.”

“Without extraordinary will, it will be impossible to endure that agony.”

“So, on this journey into the Radiation Lands, I won’t protect you any longer. Even when facing sixth, seventh, or even eighth-stage mutants, your survival will depend entirely on yourself.”

“You must confront life and death. If you cannot pass this trial, the Radiation Lands will make a fitting grave.”

After a moment of silence, Leanna raised her head and asked Ye Hai seriously, “What if I survive this ordeal?”

Ye Hai shrugged. “Then there’s perhaps a ten percent chance you’ll complete the transformation—and become the sixth and most powerful Corpse Hunter. Your codename will be ‘Veronica.’”

“From then on, you’ll no longer be at the mercy of others, but truly in control of your own fate.”

At his final words, Leanna clenched her fists tightly.