IABI -Chapter 124 Humanity’s Counterattack (25)

After Jing Xiubai finished saying those words, Chi Xin remained silent for a long time.

Jing Xiubai thought she was still struggling between kindness and the greater good. Although a trace of anxiety showed in his eyes, he did not rush her.
He had always known that Chi Xin was an independent person with her own will. He worried that saying too much would only backfire, so he simply closed his mouth.

However, Chi Xin was not thinking about the matter the way he imagined.

Her gaze pierced through the dense yet eerily quiet horde of zombies below, fixing straight on the place where Raphael stood.

She was thinking about one thing—the plot.

Although the storyline had long since collapsed to the point that even the original author would no longer recognize it, Chi Xin still remembered that she was, after all, still living in this world. Everything she had experienced was based on the original movie’s framework; it all followed a traceable logic.

After Lou Chen began showing signs of defecting, she had once doubted whether the influence of the plot still existed—whether they were still within the movie’s timeline even now.

Then… what was the final task of this body of hers?

Under the glare of the searchlights, a cold glint flashed through Chi Xin’s eyes.

Charging recklessly into the Zombie King’s lair and dying there—this was the ultimate fate of that troublesome female supporting character. But now that the Zombie King Lou Chen had already disappeared, would her destiny still be bound by that storyline?

Perhaps she had been silent for too long. Jing Xiubai noticed the shifting light in her eyes and could not help softly calling out to her.

“Chi Xin.”

There was uncertainty in his voice, along with a faint, hidden fear.

Then he saw Chi Xin suddenly turn around, her face set with firm resolve.

“I’ve made my decision.”

Five hours passed quickly. When the first faint rays of dawn shone down from the east, everyone returned once more to the city walls.

The world was gradually awakening.

Chi Xin still stood at the very front of the crowd. Raphael swept his gaze across them, but found no unusual expressions on anyone’s face.

A vague sense of unease rose in his heart, but things had not yet gone beyond his control. Thus, he maintained his calm expression and even looked at Chi Xin with certainty.

“I presume you’ve made a wise decision,” Raphael said. “Now, tell me the result.”

To his question, Chi Xin’s answer was—

She raised one arm straight out, two fingers pressed together and pointed forward. Her voice rang clear and loud, like the lever that opened the gates of a new era:

“Attack!”

Raphael froze for an instant. Then the fully prepared human army, the white ant legion, and the giant wolf pack surged forward together like starving tigers pouncing on prey, charging ferociously into the endless sea of zombies.

Disbelief was still frozen on Raphael’s face. Through the countless undead, his gaze locked onto Chi Xin’s smiling face.

Chi Xin slowly withdrew her hand. Her two fingers came together at her lips in a blowing-kiss gesture.

Then she spread her arms, turned her body, and leapt lightly backward off the wall.

As she fell, a long blade materialized out of thin air in her hand. She twisted midair, her entire body becoming a whirlwind of death. Taking the lead, she plunged viciously into the densest part of the zombie horde.

She was a meat grinder for zombies. Wherever she went, nothing was left standing.

“Fine. Very fine.” Raphael was so angry he could barely speak. After taking several deep breaths, his expression turned vicious. “Chi Xin, this is your own choice.”

With heightened senses and complete situational awareness, Chi Xin felt her combat instincts fully activate. Weaving through the zombie horde brought her no sense of oppressive danger—only an overwhelming confidence and dominance, as if everything were under her control.

Her goal was clear. From the moment she leapt off the wall, she had been steadily advancing toward Raphael.

Her conversation with Jing Xiubai from the previous night resurfaced in her mind.

When she had said she’d made her decision, Jing Xiubai hadn’t looked relieved at all. Instead, his expression had been filled with inexplicable fear.

She had paused. “Why are you making that face?”

Jing Xiubai kept silent, like a child refusing to hear bad news from an adult—so long as he didn’t respond, it was as if it didn’t exist.

Seeing his rare hint of childishness, Chi Xin laughed. “Relax. I’m not that stupid.”

Then her expression grew serious. “I did consider launching a night raid and killing Raphael directly—it would save a lot of trouble. But as you said, I don’t know what he has waiting for me. Besides, attacking first would break the agreement we made before dawn and force the war to erupt early. That wouldn’t benefit us.”

Only then did Jing Xiubai relax slightly. “Thank heavens.”

“Huh?” Chi Xin tilted her head, glanced at him, then got back to the point. “His reinforcements will arrive tomorrow morning. No matter what, we can’t start the fight now. Otherwise, when they arrive, we’ll be exhausted and wiped out in one fell swoop.”

“Oh?” Jing Xiubai said deliberately. “I thought you’d want to wipe out this batch first, then deal with the next batch when they arrive.”

Chi Xin rolled her eyes. “I like solving problems in the simplest way, but that doesn’t mean I only accept one method. Warfare follows the rule of striking while morale is high—first surge strong, second weaker, third exhausted. I know that much.”

“First surge strong, second weaker, third exhausted,” Jing Xiubai’s eyes lit up. “Exactly.”

“So I’ll wait these five hours,” Chi Xin said. “When the time comes, I’ll still go find Raphael. No matter what he has waiting, I won’t retreat.”

Jing Xiubai raised no further objections. He quietly studied her for a while, his eyes seeming to hold a sky full of stars.

“All right,” he said. “We follow the commander’s orders.”

And so things had come to this point.

Chi Xin moved without pause. Slaughtering zombies became a dazzling dance beneath her hands—every movement elegant and composed, not a single zombie able to touch even the hem of her clothes.

Her gaze remained locked on Raphael within the protective ring of zombies. He watched everything with the air of a lofty god; the brutal slaughter unfolding before him only seemed to bore him slightly.

A cold smile curled at Chi Xin’s lips. She kicked aside the zombie blocking her path and charged straight toward him.

Suddenly, several zombies about to reach her were pierced through the head by ice spikes and collapsed stiffly to the ground.

Chi Xin paused for only a split second before continuing forward, sparing a glance sideways at the person who had caught up beside her. “Didn’t we agree on a clear division of labor?”

“If you said you were going to kill Raphael, then yes—no one would stop you,” Jing Xiubai replied quickly, cutting down several more zombies as he spoke.

Chi Xin was momentarily speechless. Even amid intense combat, her tone remained calm and orderly. “Is this the time to play word games? You know perfectly well it’s safer for me to face Raphael alone.”

“Safer for everyone else, maybe,” Jing Xiubai shot back sharply.

Chi Xin looked at him.

Blood stained Jing Xiubai’s handsome face, giving him a demonic, almost divine allure. Yet his eyes were deep, filled with pain and tangled emotions.

“You said that if you faced Raphael alone, you could escape easily if anything went wrong,” Jing Xiubai said, his attacks ruthless, his abilities unleashed without restraint, turning single-target powers into sweeping assaults. “But what if you run into danger? Who’s going to save you then?”

Chi Xin’s lips moved, but no words came out.

Jing Xiubai said nothing more.

When it came to Chi Xin, his temper could be endlessly gentle. He could even change his stance and decisions for her. But there was one thing he would never compromise on—

Her safety.

Such moments were rare, so much so that only now did his stubbornness truly show.

Thus, a simple yet terrifying killing duo was formed: Chi Xin on the offensive, Jing Xiubai providing cover. Though small in number, their destructive power was undeniable.

Whether ordinary zombies or high-tier ones, none could withstand their combined force. In short order, they carved their way directly to Raphael.

By now, the sky had brightened fully. Scale-like clouds drifted across the horizon, veiling half of the newborn sun and casting multicolored halos across the land.

Raphael watched quietly as Chi Xin finished off the last of the zombies guarding him. A strange smile curved his lips.

“I’ve imagined this moment many times,” Raphael said softly. “You standing before me, this close. Just as I imagined—so beautiful, and so cold.”

“Did you graduate from a drama academy?” Chi Xin snorted. She raised her blade, pointing its tip straight at his nose. “You’re under my blade now. Care to give a final speech?”

Raphael smiled faintly at the blade aimed at him. “You are the strongest, Chi Xin. I’ve never doubted that.”

“Since you know that,” Chi Xin said, “why not consider dispersing these zombies? Then I might consider leaving you an intact corpse.”

Raphael lifted a finger and lightly pressed it against the blade’s tip, pushing it aside. He leaned closer to Chi Xin and whispered, “Do you really think this is the end? Do you think you already hold victory in your hands?”

Chi Xin watched him draw closer with icy eyes. Between those deep-set brows and eyes lingered a malice that could not be dispelled. After saying those words, he threw his head back and laughed loudly.

“I’ve been thinking about something lately,” Chi Xin said, ignoring his laughter. “I once thought that only by killing the Zombie King could this world return to normal. After discovering that Lou Chen was the viral progenitor, I was lost for a time—but now I realize that this logic is still correct.”

She looked straight at Raphael. “The one I need to kill is the Zombie King. Lou Chen is not the Zombie King. You are.”

The storyline she had been turning over in her mind at last found its conclusion.

She faintly sensed that killing the “Zombie King” was her destiny—and that she existed here precisely for this moment.

“An ignorant, pitiful mortal!” Raphael stopped laughing and suddenly spat out those words. Then he continued, “You could leave unscathed, Chi Xin—but what about the others? What about these ignorant yet innocent, pitiful humans? Won’t you spare them a thought?”

“My best consideration for them,” Chi Xin said, enunciating every word, “is to use your blood to mourn the compatriots who have already died.”

“Good. Very good.” Raphael nodded, then let out a strange, piercing shriek from deep in his throat.

Chi Xin’s blade and Jing Xiubai’s weapon swung toward him at the same time, but it was as if a transparent wall blocked them. The long saber that had accompanied Chi Xin through countless battles shattered with a clang.

Chi Xin’s pupils constricted. A sudden premonition made her twist her head at once, looking toward the dense green forest.

Clearly, dawn had arrived—and Raphael’s reinforcements had arrived as well.

Everyone who heard that sound turned grave. No matter where they were, they couldn’t help but look toward the forest, just like Chi Xin.

That was the only direction from which help could come.

Yet after Raphael’s shriek, nothing happened.

The eerie stillness made Chi Xin freeze.

Even Raphael himself seemed stunned. Having lost his control, the zombie horde reverted to a dull, motionless state. The humans fighting them sensed something was wrong and gradually stopped attacking.

“Impossible!” Raphael’s face darkened. Unwilling to accept it, he let out another shriek.

“Wilson! It’s time for you to take the stage!”

This time, there was movement in the forest.

The soldiers closest to the treeline were ordered to withdraw strategically, pulling back as a group to avoid the most likely impact zone.

After a flurry of subtle motion, a group of people in camouflage uniforms ran out.

Then another group.

And another.

An astonishing number of camouflaged figures poured out of the forest, rapidly seizing advantageous positions.

Chi Xin instinctively looked at Raphael—only to see his expression dark, his pupils flickering with disbelief. She was almost certain now.

In this battle against time, they had won.

Among the camouflaged group, the one at the front raised a hand and waved back. Two people dragged out a man in a black uniform, half-dead.

At the sight of that man, Raphael’s face turned completely black.

The leader in camouflage lifted a hand and removed his cap. Long black hair spilled free, adding a touch of masculine ease to his tall, upright bearing, without the slightest hint of femininity.

Then he raised his head, revealing a face Chi Xin knew all too well.

“Rong Feng,” she murmured.

And among the people holding up the man in black, that tall silhouette made Chi Xin immediately identify the other one as well.

“He Chen Xing,” Jing Xiubai said.

“Ah Feng—!”

Yu Xiang’s hoarse, ecstatic shout carried across more than half the battlefield.

“I knew it—hahahahahaha!”

Laughing wildly, he casually smashed the heads of two zombies beside him.

Rong Feng’s gaze swept across the field, finally settling on Chi Xin.

On his cold, camouflage-painted face, a faint curve appeared.

“Sister Chi, Captain Jing—Rong Feng reporting in. Sorry I’m late.”

Chi Xin smiled and shook her head.

Rong Feng glanced sideways at the half-dead man in black. “If this is the Wilson who was supposed to make his entrance, then he’s really… pretty weak.”

So the reserve forces Raphael had painstakingly prepared had all been wiped out by Rong Feng’s timely arrival.

It was a pleasantly shocking surprise—though not a pleasant one for Raphael.

When Chi Xin looked back at Raphael, her expression tightened slightly.

His face did not show the despair of someone whose base had been destroyed and who stood on the brink of annihilation. He calmly surveyed the entire battlefield, then reached out to rub the ring on his little finger.

A cold voice came from his mouth. “Pull back our forces. Launch a full assault on the main gate.”

Chi Xin’s gaze flicked across the ring on his finger.

It was likely some kind of control or communication device. As soon as the order was given, Xiao Li’s urgent voice came through the earpiece: “Chi Xin, they’re retreating—heading toward the main gate.”

“That’s right. They’ve changed tactics,” Chi Xin said. “Pull our forces together and come over here too. This is the final battlefield.”

Xiao Li responded at once.

“Then let’s do it this way.” Chi Xin looked at Raphael, casually stowing away the broken blade in her hand and switching to the pair of familiar twin sabers.

As the blades rubbed against each other, they gave off a cold, hard sound. Chi Xin gathered her momentum and issued a low command to the entire field.

“For the dignity of humanity—charge!”

“For the dignity of humanity—”

“Kill—!”

The battle erupted once more, fiercer and bloodier than ever before.

Chi Xin and Jing Xiubai closed in on Raphael, hemming him in so he couldn’t move an inch.

“What is that layer around him?” Chi Xin asked, staring at him, speaking to Jing Xiubai.

Before Jing Xiubai could answer, Raphael spoke first. “Curious, Chi Xin? Come closer—I’ll explain its composition and principles to you in detail.”

“He just stole Huo Lai’s ability,” Jing Xiubai said lightly. “A thief steals something and then flaunts it as capital?”

Raphael’s smile faded slightly.

“I’ve long suspected that he put the ability serum on the market for a reason,” Jing Xiubai continued. “If it were just experimental data, the test subjects he captured would have been more than enough. It wasn’t until he used this ability just now that I was certain—he has a way to steal other people’s abilities for his own use. That also explains why, even without Lou Chen, he can still command the zombies.”

Chi Xin frowned slightly.

It sounded beyond human technology—but then again, in a post-apocalyptic zombie world, talking about scientific rigor was almost laughable.

The thought flashed through her mind and was quickly discarded as she refocused on the fight.

“There’s just one thing I still don’t understand,” Jing Xiubai said, his gaze darkening as he looked directly at Raphael. “Why are you so obsessed with getting Chi Xin? Her ability is powerful, but you could obtain similar traits from others. Why must it be her—specifically?”

Chi Xin’s heart stirred.

She looked at Raphael and saw that he was looking back at her as well, a trace of emotion in his eyes that she couldn’t decipher.

“This is the limitation of mortals, Jing Xiubai,” Raphael said, accurately calling out his name. “I admit you’re intelligent—but only by mortal standards. Higher realms are beyond your reach. You can’t touch them, and you don’t dare to imagine them.”

“What are you talking about?” Jing Xiubai frowned.

“I’m saying that as long as one cannot escape the shackles of mortality, one will forever be a weak insect—no more than a speck of dust, trampled underfoot, gazed upon with pity.”

“Brother—!”

Yu Xiang’s heart-rending shout came through the earpiece, overlapping with Raphael’s voice. Chi Xin turned her head instinctively.

The battlefield was vast, but with her eyesight, Chi Xin could see straight through layers of combat to the city wall.

Yu Xiang had gone mad, charging into the city gate blasted open by artillery. Under the protection of soldiers, he carefully dug a person out from the rubble.

Even without seeing clearly, Chi Xin knew who it was.

Her mind exploded with a loud bang, blood rushing to her head. At the same time, the sound of violent impact and shattering ice rang out. Chi Xin turned back to see a massive jet-black claw slam brutally into the ice sword Jing Xiubai was controlling midair.

At that moment, Chi Xin’s composure shattered.

Yu Shizhao’s fate was unknown, and now Jing Xiubai was in mortal danger right in front of her.

She took a deep breath, stopped Jing Xiubai with a look, seized the ice sword, and swung it toward the enemy who was undergoing a transformation.

Like a snake shedding its skin. Like a cicada emerging from its shell.

Aside from the claws, Raphael’s entire body was undergoing a drastic change.

His human skin twisted and peeled away, sagging to the ground as a massive, hideous head emerged from within, covered in jet-black, hardened scales.

A pair of enormous skeletal wings unfurled from his back, still trailing strands of sticky mucus. Raphael threw his head back and roared. After freeing his bloated claws, he stomped his own human skin underfoot, a long tail lashing behind him.

At this moment, he was no longer human—but like the cruel dragons of Western mythology, appearing abruptly on the battlefield.

Even in a world already accustomed to mutated beasts, the sight of a monster with human intelligence made hearts tremble.

The brutal beast’s eyes fixed on Chi Xin. Reflected in his pupils, the girl looked small and slender.

“No one can defeat me—including you, Chi Xin.”

The dragon’s voice boomed, deep and resonant like a bell.

“Is that so?”

Chi Xin’s response was a soft snort.

“Then I’ll have to try—dragon slaying!”

She leapt into the air, ice sword swinging. Under the sunlight, it was as if she were wielding a blazing sun wheel.