Rebirth before Apocalypse: My Whole Family are Bigshots!-Chapter 351: Who Is He

Zhang Yiming’s eyes deepened as he placed the clothes back and sat at the desk with the Fusang Tree Leaves in hand.

Inside the drawer was a thick stack of paper, densely covered with text, the handwriting delicate, all by Zhang Yiming.

Among the inscrutable chemical formulas, faintly visible were the words ’Immortal Country,’ ’Ganmu,’ and others.

Besides the records on Ganmu, there were many descriptions of exotic plants.

In his quest to become human, he not only relied on researching cures but was also well-versed in legendary flora.

He had no other wish left, only the desire to become human, a pursuit to which he devoted all his strength.

The Fusang Tree is a Divine Tree from human history and legend.

Its leaves are brimming with vitality, different from Ganmu.

However, Ganmu is a Divine Tree in the Immortal Country.

Zhang Yiming’s fingers slightly tightened.

One is a Divine Tree in human history, the other a Divine Tree of the Immortal Country.

The two seem to be opposites.

The Divine Tree heals humans, while the Ganmu of the Immortal Country seems to only make zombies more like zombies.

His slender fingers etched out elegant characters on the blank pages, but the conclusions he wrote never aligned with his deepest desire.

After a long while, Zhang Yiming let out a heavy sigh.

He glanced towards the next yard, where the night was deep, seeing only a blue and white bus parked there.

From the house, faint sounds of laughter and mirth could still be heard.

Leng Yebai becoming human made them genuinely happy.

Zhang Yiming’s eyes dimmed; if he became human, would anyone rejoice for him?

Looking up at the sky filled with stars, Zhang Yiming withdrew the bleakness from his eyes, adopting a warm and gentle expression once more.

So be it, he was already in this state.

Before becoming human, how could he dare to hope for anything more?

Zhang Yiming took out a white butterfly-shaped bookmark from his pocket, gently stroking it in his hand.

This bookmark was something Xiao Niu had forgotten to take out at the school library.

Perhaps it was just a small forgotten trinket for Xiao Niu, yet for him, it was a ray of light in his darkest moments.

It bore his fond memories.

Countless times, he wished he could return to his college days, back to the beautiful time when he watched her read.

Just quietly watching her was his greatest wish.

The night grew deeper.

The next yard finally fell silent.

Zhang Yiming placed the butterfly-shaped bookmark back into his pocket and began to fiddle with the various peculiar instruments in his room.

He sliced off a small piece of Mulberry Tree Leaf, placed it in a petri dish, then pricked his finger and dripped black blood onto it.

As expected, the petri dish was instantly burned through, corroding a large portion of the table.

The black blood, upon touching the Mulberry Tree Leaf, began to boil like water.

With a blank expression, Zhang Yiming cleaned up the table and resumed his experiments.

Through the long night, zombies cannot sleep.

The dark hours are often the hardest to endure.

Besides conducting experiments, there was an endless sea of yearning.

After consuming Ganmu, every memory of the past caused his heart to ache unbearably.

Zhang Yiming would occupy himself with various experiments to ease his heavy heart.

He conducted experiment after experiment, and around 3 a.m., the courtyard gate made a light sound.

Zhang Yiming’s fingers paused with the petri dish, then set it on the table and picked up the Crystal Core lying nearby.

His white hand was covered in knife injuries, the blood leaking being black.

The Crystal Core instantly turned to ash, while the cuts healed instantly.

As long as there is a Crystal Core, zombies have an extraordinary healing ability.

Zhang Yiming exited his room and went directly to the courtyard.

There he met Leng Yebai, entering the courtyard face to face.

Under the cold moonlight, the two had sharp features, exchanged a glance, seemingly understanding each other’s intent.

The courtyard gate opened again, and the two handsome men walked side by side on the small road of the Zombie Village.

The cold moonlight shone on their faces, without any hint of expression.

Facing a rival in love, having any expression would indeed be peculiar.

"The one we encountered at noon today wasn’t you."

Leng Yebai’s voice was chillier than the moon above, stating it affirmatively.

"It wasn’t me, you should be wary of him."

Zhang Yiming’s voice was even more chilling than Leng Yebai’s.

"Who is he?"

Leng Yebai slightly frowned.

"Someone out for your life."

Zhang Yiming said with a frosty demeanor, his eyes narrowing slightly.

In that case, it indeed felt rather satisfying.

Just the thought made Zhang Yiming want to laugh aloud.

Leng Yebai: ...

"That person is human, not you." Leng Yebai’s heart had a guess, "He’s a future version of you."

He knew Xiao Niu’s grandparents came from the future, making time travel seem not impossible.

Besides, he had gotten near and sensed the brainwaves at noon, closely resembling Zhang Yiming’s, albeit more volatile.

This was just Leng Yebai’s guess, but seeing Zhang Yiming look unsurprised confirmed it.

"Is time travel this simple now?"

Leng Yebai couldn’t help but grumble.

Xiao Niu’s grandparents had time-traveled.

Xiao Niu had time-traveled.

Now, Zhang Yiming too!

"Anyone else?"

Zhang Yiming suddenly looked at Leng Yebai.

Leng Yebai paused, not naming anyone, but he said, "Two people have returned from the past; they’re hunting the future Zombie Emperor. If they see you, they’d definitely strike. You must show mercy."

"Why?" Zhang Yiming asked again.

Leng Yebai shrugged, "Just know that you mustn’t fight back. Anyway, even if you do, you can’t defeat them. I mentioned it last time outside Tongji Mental Hospital; those two are more important in Xiao Niu’s heart than Bai Yifan!"

Zhang Yiming: "... I’ve never been to Tongji Hospital."

Leng Yebai: ...

Well, he understood why Zhang Yiming had been so violent that day.

"Who else has time-traveled?"

Zhang Yiming’s cool eyes bore into Leng Yebai’s, seemingly seeking an answer.

His Xiao Niu once wouldn’t flinch at a zombie-filled land or at gory scenes.

He remembered, during a school self-study session when a horror film was screened, Xiao Niu’s face was pale.

Only when he unplugged the projector did her complexion improve.

He had long noticed that in just two months, Xiao Niu had grown much tougher.

The cause, he couldn’t figure out.

At first, he thought Xiao Niu had suffered at some mysterious organization, but now it seemed there was more to it.

No matter the reason, he intended to settle the score.

Leng Yebai looked at Zhang Yiming’s intent gaze but didn’t speak, only smiled before turning to leave.

No answer given, yet it felt like everything was answered.

Zhang Yiming’s fingers tightened, nails almost piercing his skin as his fears seemed to materialize.

The future version said Xiao Niu died in the third year post-apocalypse, self-detonating.

Zhang Yiming’s breath nearly halted as heartache gripped him.

Good, good...