IABI – Chapter 106 Humanity’s Counterattack (7)

If even at this point Lian Tianrui still couldn’t tell that Chi Xin and Xiao Li knew each other, then he would truly be too stupid.

His incessant bluster finally stiffened. His pupils dilated from sheer shock, his gaze turning unfocused.

Lian Tianrui sat rigidly on the ground, so stunned that he even forgot to climb back up, staring blankly as Xiao Li—supported by Yu Shizhao—struggled toward Chi Xin.

Given Xiao Li’s current physical condition, even the slightest movement could place a tremendous burden on him. Yet he paid it no heed. From Lian Tianrui’s angle, he could see that Xiao Li’s eyes were locked firmly onto Chi Xin’s face, unblinking for a single instant.

It was Chi Xin who worried he might collapse and took the initiative to step forward, supporting Xiao Li by the arm.

Seeing Chi Xin approach, Yu Shizhao voluntarily let go of Xiao Li and stepped back a pace, standing with Jing Xiubai to watch them.

Chi Xin only felt scorching heat where she touched him.

That arm had the hardness of rock. Even without rolling up his sleeve, Chi Xin could sense the solid muscle beneath.

Taller—and thinner.

Chi Xin lifted her head to look. On this mature, resolute face, she could still faintly see the youthful shadow of the boy she had once rescued from a sea of corpses.

Along with it came a gaze just as scorching as it had been in his youth.

Chi Xin subconsciously didn’t quite dare to meet Xiao Li’s eyes. With just one hand, she easily supported the grown man, while pressing down her earpiece with the other. “Congyun, come to the west side for a moment. There’s a patient here.”

“I’m not a patient—just wounded,” Xiao Li said.

His fingers twitched, as if he wanted to raise his hand, but in the end he stopped himself, letting it hang straight down by his trouser seam.

Chi Xin shot him a glance. “Haven’t seen you in so long, and your tongue’s gotten pretty slick.”

Xiao Li smiled.

After all, this was a battlefield. There was no time for lengthy pleasantries. Through touch, Chi Xin roughly judged Xiao Li’s injuries and sighed inwardly.

Fortunately, they had Jiang Congyun.

Chi Xin gestured to Yu Shizhao, who stepped forward again to support Xiao Li.

All the soldiers who noticed this scene couldn’t help but widen their eyes.

Just who was this girl, to make both Yu Chengji and Young Master Xiao speak to her so gently and comply so readily?

No—wait, weren’t these two always like fire and water? Why were they now standing together so closely?

At the moment Chi Xin let go, Xiao Li instinctively reached out, trying to hold her back. But Chi Xin didn’t notice. She turned away directly, the bloodstained corner of her clothes slipping past his fingertips.

“So, tell me—what’s the plan?” Chi Xin spoke decisively. In a few long strides, she stepped up onto the city wall. With one hand braced, she stood firmly on the parapet, turning back to ask Jing Xiubai.

At once, everyone on the wall only needed to lift their heads to see her figure.

Below her, zombies surged forward one after another, constantly stretching out their arms in an attempt to grab her. Chi Xin didn’t move at all. Her posture was as steady as a vividly unfurled banner. Viewed from below to above, the zombies’ arms looked as though they were forming her pedestal. Behind her stretched the vast blue sky.

Everyone who witnessed this scene fell into a brief, wordless silence.

“Chi Xin.”

Yu Shizhao felt a strong hand clasp back around his own. Even injured, the young master’s grip was strong enough to make him feel pain.

Yet he said nothing, instead supporting the other as they moved forward a few more steps.

“Young Master, she… this lady doing this is far too dangerous. We should have her come down first.”

The forgotten Lian Tianrui scrambled to his feet and sidled up to Xiao Li. He cautiously glanced at Chi Xin, then put on a fawning smile toward Xiao Li. “Please see, it was my fault earlier—blind eyes failing to recognize Mount Tai, mistaking the wrong person. Since she’s an old acquaintance of Young Master, we’ll naturally protect her well.”

Listening to Lian Tianrui’s words, Chi Xin almost wanted to laugh.

This man really put on a fine performance of “turning with the wind.” Earlier, when he thought she was on the Yu family’s side, he spared no effort to smear her. Now that he’d seen Xiao Li’s attitude, he immediately changed his tune, acting as if he’d been considering her well-being from the very start.

Detestable—but also the kind who survived easily.

Xiao Li glanced at him.

That single glance sent Lian Tianrui’s spirits soaring. Convinced he’d hit the right spot with his flattery, he cheerfully said, “I’ll go bring the lady down right away,” and reached out toward Chi Xin.

“Do you think,” Xiao Li suddenly spoke, “that she won’t be able to catch the Zombie King?”

Lian Tianrui froze mid-motion, instinctively sensing that something was off in his tone.

And he wasn’t alone in harboring doubts. Many people shared the same question. Although Chi Xin was being favored by leaders from both sides, that didn’t mean they agreed with letting her cause trouble on the battlefield.

Xiao Li slowly swept his gaze across the surroundings. Though injured, the allied commander still stood straight-backed; every word he spoke was steady and hard, like characters carved into stone.

“If she can’t do it, then no one can.”

The moment these words were spoken, shock spread across the faces around them. Even Yu Shizhao couldn’t help but turn back to look at him.

Lian Tianrui’s shoulders trembled. He opened his mouth, like a fish thrown out of water, struggling desperately to draw in even a bit of air.

A faint look of despair surfaced in his eyes, but at such a moment, no one had the mind to pay him any attention.

Chi Xin curled the corner of her lips.

After being apart for so long, Xiao Li still trusted her so unconditionally. To say her heart didn’t stir at all—that was impossible.

“Chi Xin, even after Xiao Li has said this, I still need to ask you one more time.” Yu Shizhao looked at her solemnly. “If you’re not completely confident, we’ll think of another way.”

That actually surprised Chi Xin.

Seeing her expression, a barely perceptible bitter smile appeared on Yu Shizhao’s face, his voice tinged with a sigh.

“You’re an innocent person. I don’t want to make any more meaningless sacrifices—and also… I don’t want my foolish younger brother to be heartbroken.”

Chi Xin understood.

She turned back around, gazing past countless zombie heads toward that tiny point in the forest that had never moved.

Above the treetops, the boundless sky met the vast sea, colliding into a crystal-clear blue.

Like freedom.

She nodded firmly at Jing Xiubai.

Jing Xiubai had been silent for so long that his energy was already fully charged. The instant Chi Xin’s signal was given, he raised his arm.

In the blink of an eye, starting from the edge of the city wall, transparent blue rapidly condensed and extended outward at astonishing speed.

An icy chill spread from Jing Xiubai as the center, diffusing in all directions. In just a few breaths, what appeared beneath Chi Xin’s feet was an ice bridge roughly five or six meters wide and more than ten centimeters thick.

As if shaped by divine craftsmanship, a miracle recreated—a massive ice bridge burst forth into existence, searing itself into everyone’s vision and stunning all who saw it.

Even Chi Xin hadn’t expected Jing Xiubai to pull out such a move. She had to admit—the effect was spectacular.

“Did your ice get upgraded?” she even had the leisure to joke.

Jing Xiubai rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hadn’t done that gesture in a long time—it replaced the habit of pushing up glasses that no longer existed.

“Can’t let you be the only one making progress.”

“Is this really okay?” Yu Shizhao was still uneasy. “Even with the bridge, how are you going to break through layers of zombies and reach there? And when you’re face-to-face with the Zombie King, how will you catch him?”

He even tugged at Xiao Li’s sleeve. “You’ve confronted the Zombie King directly before, haven’t you? You should know him best. Are you really just going to watch her go to her death like this?”

At the end of the day, his caution and suspicion still kept him from fully believing.

Xiao Li didn’t speak. His eyes were fixed tightly on that dashing figure atop the city wall, the fire in his gaze burning intensely.

It was Chi Xin who answered instead.

“Brother Yu, I said before—we’re still far from despair. You might not have believed it then, but now I’m going to prove it with action.”

She turned back and gave everyone watching her a slight smile.

That smile—and the actions that followed—were carved deeply into the hearts of everyone present. Even many years later, whenever they recalled that day, their blood would still surge, every stroke of the memory as vivid as ever, never fading.

Chi Xin turned around, her expression changing in an instant. She drew the Tang saber that had accompanied her through countless battles.

She took a deep breath and stepped onto the ice bridge.

To maintain the bridge’s balance, it wasn’t built very high. Zombies had piled up layer upon layer, and some had already climbed onto it.

Then Chi Xin slashed out with a single strike, landing squarely on the forehead of the nearest zombie.

The zombie’s gaze instantly went blank, and it fell backward straight off.

Chi Xin stepped on it, tested the slipperiness, then—before everyone’s stunned eyes—kicked hard against the ice surface.

In that instant, she shot forward like she was riding a skateboard, hurtling straight ahead and plunging into the swarm of zombies that had climbed up.

Chi Xin flung all screams behind her. The wind at that height brushed her cheeks, lifting her long hair. Her gaze never wavered as she calmly raised her long blade.

In the very second she charged into the zombie horde—

Her wrist flipped rapidly, the long saber carving out unbelievable arcs in her hand. From afar, it looked like a gigantic windmill, yet one imbued with ruthless killing intent.

Wherever she passed, not a single zombie could fight back. Every one of them fell beneath that cold blade.

Cruel—yet breathtakingly magnificent.

Like a war god wielding divine arms from myth, no filthy thing could escape her judgment.

The people left on the city wall couldn’t restrain their excitement at the sight. Ignoring the zombies surging up, they crowded to the edge of the wall, stretching their necks as far as they could.

They wanted to see her. They wanted to follow her.

At the same time, led by Chi Xin’s overwhelming momentum, the soldiers who had been despondent in the face of endless zombies felt their spirits surge in unison.

Look—they didn’t have to despair yet. They still had hope!

Someone like a god was leading them forward. She wasn’t even afraid of the Zombie King—why should they fear these trash-tier foot soldiers?

In an instant, the firepower against the zombies intensified. None that climbed onto the wall were spared. The soldiers even chased them down to the base of the wall, refusing to let a single zombie hiding in any corner escape.

Yu Shizhao stared blankly at Chi Xin’s back. “Just what… is she?”

“She is hope,” Jing Xiubai replied softly.

Chi Xin had no idea that she had effectively become a walking stimulant of morale. Her objective was clear, and no amount of obstacles along the way slowed her steps.

She plunged deep into enemy territory as if entering an empty land. The long ice bridge took her only a few minutes to traverse before she neared the forest.

Countless branches scraped past her body. With casual swings, Chi Xin chopped them all away—until she finally stood before the Zombie King.

At a distance close enough to clearly see Lou Chen’s features, Chi Xin’s pupils couldn’t help but contract slightly.

Lou Chen sat high atop a tree branch, his skin a sickly bluish-white, his eyes and lips a terrifying crimson.

He looked down expressionlessly at everything. In the distance, blood flowed freely; his “subjects” rushed forward one after another. Human screams and zombie roars intertwined in the air, yet not the slightest ripple appeared in his eyes.

Just like… the true Zombie King in Chi Xin’s memories.