Time trickled by, and Gu Shangse was curled up in pain by the stairs.
The zombie toxin was invading his body, attempting to seize control.
But Gu Shangse refused to compromise, unwilling to let the zombie toxin steal his bodily autonomy.
So, he had been using methods to keep himself conscious, jolting himself awake whenever his consciousness was about to slip.
His method was to slash his uninjured arm whenever he was about to succumb.
The fresh wounds and the smell of blood stimulated his nerves, pulling him back from the abyss time and again.
In a short while, his unbitten arm was covered in countless bloody gashes.
Su Ling stood by, her eyes cold but a careful observer would see the worry creeping into their depths.
She could tell Gu Shangse was in agony, enduring it all. His desire to survive and fight alongside her in the apocalypse was palpable.
She found herself wishing he could succeed, could overcome the relentless onslaught of the zombie toxin.
Yet, at the same time, she knew it was a pipe dream.
No survivor had ever been infected by a zombie and remained alive and unmutated.
Once bitten or scratched, there was only one outcome: to become one of the undead.
The air was thick with the pungent scent of blood, a smell that always pricked at Su Ling’s nerves. She had never liked the smell of blood.
Blood meant death, slaughter, conflict, and separation.
It was because of her that he had been scratched.
If he hadn't followed her, he would probably be fine, right?
Su Ling slowly knelt down, looking at Gu Shangse in his severely weakened state. His eyes were bloodshot and already streaming tears of blood.
She placed her hand on the one Gu Shangse was about to use to wound himself again.
Her hand was not warm, but cool.
Gu Shangse lifted his head with great effort and looked at her, "Don't get too close to me, push me to a safe position."
Su Ling complied. She stood up and retreated.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Gu Shangse stopped inflicting wounds on himself. The smell of blood in the air seemed to have congealed.
Su Ling drew her Tang dao and held it in her hand. Looking at Gu Shangse, who had his head bowed and had been motionless for a while, she spoke, "Gu Shangse?"
The entire building was silent. Su Ling's voice echoed back from the distance, hollow.
"Gu Shangse?" Su Ling refused to give up. She called out again, her heart desperately wishing for a response.
Alas, after a long wait, Gu Shangse offered no reply.
Su Ling knew. Gu Shangse had…
In her past life, she had seen teammates on missions bitten by zombies, only to fall silent, and then, when everyone let their guard down, suddenly open their blood-soaked mouths to attack other survivors.
She didn't want to be the one to end Gu Shangse's 'life,' nor did she want to see him become a flesh-eating monster devoid of human emotion.
Therefore, whether she wanted to or not, she had to swing her blade.
As Su Ling raised the Tang dao, she looked at Gu Shangse, who remained with his head bowed, and called his name one last time, "Gu Shangse."
This was the last time she would utter his name. From now on, this name would live only in her memory, becoming a recollection.
Gu Shangse still gave no response. Su Ling saw blood dripping onto the floor. She knew it was time.
With a powerful, sharp gust of wind, Su Ling swung her Tang dao towards the exposed half of Gu Shangse's neck. Her voice was tinged with unbearable sadness, "Goodbye, Gu Shangse!"