You were supposed to hoard supplies, why the heck did you hoard zombies!

Chapter 86 Don't Want to Atone?

His breathing became suddenly rapid, and his eyes filled with an incredulous expression.

Red eyeballs were definitely not something a living person could have.

But if it were a zombie—

Xu Lin's mind suddenly recalled the events that had just taken place, and then he reached out and tore off the mask of the security guard in front of him.

A stench hit him, like that of rotting mice in the streets and alleys.

A face riddled with corruption appeared.

It was like an overripe pear that had turned black.

It truly was a zombie!

He instinctively stepped back a few paces, his hand instantly reaching for the axe handle hanging at his waist, but then he heard Zhang Ye, beside him, chuckle softly.

"Xu Police Supervisor, no need to be so tense,"

"It doesn't bite."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lin's gaze moved back to the face that seemed no different from the zombies below.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that this particular zombie was indeed different.

The seemingly rotten face appeared to be wrapped in a transparent membrane, underneath which was some blackened flesh that looked somewhat shriveled.

The area below the neck was completely covered by the uniform of the security guard.

But judging by the dried bloodstains on the clothing, it was evidently the same situation as with the face—the wounds that should have been oozing blood were all enveloped by this semi-transparent membrane.

In other words, this zombie displayed a tissue similar to human skin.

It also meant that it wouldn't rot in the wind and sun like its brethren below.

Even so, this creature that was indistinguishable from a normal person with its mask on was still a zombie.

Its ravenous kin had no intention of targeting it at all.

Thinking this, his gaze involuntarily turned to the security team below.

This was the source of Zhang Ye's confidence.

And his ability.

Upon this realization, Xu Lin suddenly felt an impulse and asked subconsciously, "Zhang Ye, since you have such an ability, haven't you thought about doing something for..."

Zhang Ye turned, a smile breaking across his face as he interrupted,

"You wouldn't be suggesting that I do something for the country, would you?"

"Or for the government?"

Xu Lin did not speak, but his eyes betrayed his thoughts.

That was indeed what he wanted to say.

In his view, having such a powerful ability should transcend personal gain and strive for something more noble.

"I understand what you're thinking,"

"Being a Police Supervisor, it's only natural to have a higher realm of thought," Zhang Ye said with a smile, but then he turned his gaze towards the intersection and looked up, scanning the surrounding skyscrapers.

"Xu Lin, do you know how many people there are in Sanjiang City?"

Xu Lin was very clear about this question and answered decisively,

"The urban area shouldn't exceed three hundred thousand."

"But including several development zones and the towns and villages below, the population should be around eight hundred thousand."

Zhang Ye nodded and then asked,

"So, how many do you think will survive?"

"Or to put it another way, how many of the eight hundred thousand do you think will mutate into zombies?"

Xu Lin hesitated this time.

How many had survived?

Apart from the survivors at the mall and those like Zhang Ye who had come from outside, he had not yet seen any other survivors.

But with the zombies, it was a different story.

Thousands upon thousands.

Before he could come up with an answer, Zhang Ye's voice rang out again in his ear.

"How are things at the city government?"

Xu Lin was startled and asked instinctively,

"How did you know I went to the city government?"

But he saw the answer in Zhang Ye's eyes as soon as he had spoken.

Given his identity, it was only natural to check on the government situation as soon as he escaped from the mall.

Xu Lin thought of these things, and his tense body suddenly relaxed.

"The square outside is full of zombies."

"Can't get in."

He didn't spell out the situation inside, but Zhang Ye had already guessed the fate of those people in the building upon hearing this.

The government compound of Sanjiang City is opposite People's Square.

The outcome, naturally, doesn't need to be elaborated upon.

As Xu Lin spoke up to this point, his whole demeanor deflated completely.

If Sanjiang City was like this, how could other places be any better?

The odds were they met the same fate.

The government was no more.

The so-called dedication to the country had naturally become empty talk.

Moreover, with his current identity, what reason or qualification did he have to instruct Zhang Ye on what to do?

Seeing his silence, Zhang Ye immediately glanced at the task bar in his field of vision, confirmed the mission on it once more, and then said sternly,

"Xu Lin, come and work for me."

Xu Lin was startled but did not speak, just quietly looking at him.

As if waiting for something.

"I already know the situation at the shopping mall."

Zhang Ye glanced at him and continued,

"You have nowhere to go now, do you?"

"It's very safe here."

Xu Lin still didn't speak, his expression just becoming somewhat bitter.

There was also a hint of pain in his eyes.

"Don't you want to know why?"

"Why could Chen Bingjiang and Zheng Youcai suppress you?"

"Why would those model citizens deal with you deceitfully, even abandoning you, their protector, when it mattered most?"

"Why could a few zombies turn the entire mall into a mountain of corpses and hell on earth?"

Zhang Ye said this and then suddenly stopped, staring intently into Xu Lin's pained eyes.

"It's all because of you."

"You're too weak, Xu Lin."

"If you had been more assertive from the beginning and used your office as police supervisor to take over the management of the mall, to distribute and manage the resources, would the subsequent events have happened?"

Xu Lin's lips parted, but he said nothing and just silently lowered his head.

Indeed, he had thought about it at the start.

In fact, some people had also given him such advice.

But in the end, he rejected this approach out of professional ethics and personal moral beliefs.

He chose to believe in human nature.

But reality slapped him hard in the face.

Those seemingly good citizens soon plunged into chaos over the scramble for resources, ultimately following the lead of Chen Bingjiang and others towards complete division.

Xu Lin's face looked ugly, but Zhang Ye continued to speak.

"And as a police supervisor with formal military training, didn't you think of training the survivors under you?"

"If all of them had been trained, what would be the situation now?"

"Would the mall have been so easily doomed?"

"Probably not."

He pointed at a distant zombie and said,

"Look at these zombies."

"They can't even walk steadily."

"In single combat, zombies are definitely not a match for humans."

"If all your people had formal training, even if these few zombies sneaked into the mall, what could they do?"

Xu Lin was somewhat dazed, because he felt that everything the other person said was correct.

Just then, it was as if he heard another sentence,

"The apocalypse isn't because of zombies, but the fear, unease, and doubt in people's hearts."

"Xu Lin, the tragedy of the mall is actually caused by you."

"Don't you want to atone?"