Chu Muge lay on the ground, poking at the soft, fleshy carpet beneath her fingers. Bandages were wrapped around many parts of her body, but her eyes were sharp and full of life. The cat ears on her head twitched as she watched the ground curiously.
She tilted her head, looking up at Gu Yao, who was standing nearby. "Senior, are you controlling this?" she asked.
Gu Yao hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Chu Muge fell silent.
Gu Yao had mutated, and she had gained sentience.
Normally, when a zombie first mutates, it isn’t capable of communicating with humans.
But not only could Gu Yao communicate with her, she could also control the Flesh Carpet.
Only a zombie queen with self-awareness from the beginning could control other infected creatures.
Chu Muge's voice wavered slightly. "...Do you still remember who you are?"
Gu Yao met her uneasy gaze, understanding that Chu Muge was asking if she retained any of her original memories.
…Not a single one.
Gu Yao shook her head slightly.
She was someone entirely different now, with no connection to the "Gu Yao" she once was.
But instead of disappointment, Chu Muge's eyes grew even brighter.
She stood up and quickly walked over to Gu Yao, grabbing her hand with a mix of excitement and desperation. "Senior, you don’t need to remember! Just remembering that your name is Gu Yao is enough! Just remember me, just remember me, and that’s all that matters!"
Gu Yao looked at her, dazed, as Chu Muge held her hand tightly. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded.
Chu Muge's eyes reflected her nervousness, and her words came out haltingly, "A-Actually, I always felt like you weren’t really you, not most of the time. It wasn’t until you became a zombie that I started to feel that familiar sense again..."
"Senior..." Chu Muge’s gaze was filled with emotions Gu Yao couldn’t decipher. "Please, don’t abandon me like before, okay?"
Huh?
Abandon her?
Gu Yao was confused.
Did her original self have some past with Chu Muge?
That’s impossible, right? If it were important, Chu Muge wouldn’t have just gone off with the military in the novel. She would have stayed behind to find Gu Yao, right?
Just like then, when she kicked open the small warehouse door and rescued her, even though she was already a zombie.
Chu Muge had no idea what was going through Gu Yao’s mind. After venting her hidden emotions, she gradually calmed down, looking at Gu Yao with bright, sparkling eyes.
"Senior, you’re amazing for being able to control these things."
She had only seen a few like this in her memories.
Chu Muge thought for a moment, then nodded. "I know a few places that could make you stronger."
Chu Muge accepted it all very quickly, as if she was completely okay with everything about Gu Yao. Almost as soon as she woke up, she had accepted that her senior had become a zombie queen.
Her gaze was firm as she looked at Gu Yao. "I’ll make you super, super strong."
The thought was thrilling—she was going to raise a zombie queen.
She would grow stronger, and so would her senior.
"But first..."
Chu Muge, without any guard, hugged Gu Yao, resting her chin on her shoulder, her voice casual.
"Let’s go to the rooftop, shall we?"
—
There was a rooftop on the fifth floor.
After being injured, Chu Muge slept for an entire day, waking up just in time for the evening.
Wang Qiqi tore open a packet of bread and took a bite. Before she could chew, she heard a loud bang as the door to the fifth-floor stairwell was kicked open.
Amid the shocked gazes of the others, Chu Muge walked in with a smile, raising a bandaged hand to wiggle her fingers. "Hi~ Can I borrow your rooftop?"
As she spoke, her eyes drifted toward the woman in the low-cut dress from before.
The woman noticed her gaze and trembled with fear.
Chu Muge squinted and smiled, her cat ears twitching.
Gu Yao followed behind her, looking a bit helpless.
Chu Muge's playful nature, probably due to her cat-like abilities, was quite noticeable.
But only in front of Gu Yao would she drop her guard and show glimpses of her true self.
Ignoring the stares of the others, Chu Muge held Gu Yao’s hand and opened the door to the rooftop.
The rooftop was empty, not a single person in sight.
It was evening, and the scattered clouds in the sky bathed the silent city below in a soft golden light.
A cool breeze brushed past, lifting strands of hair.
In the heavy shadows and golden light of dusk, the two of them stood as dark silhouettes on the rooftop, like a painting.
Chu Muge untied her ponytail, letting her long hair loose, swaying in the wind.
With the door closed behind them, Gu Yao looked at the silent skyscrapers, feeling like the entire world had shrunk down to just her and Chu Muge.
The stillness brought by the apocalypse had turned into a kind of peace. Chu Muge leaned against the railing, letting the wind play with her hair, watching the sunset in silence.
In this time of day, you should have heard the sounds of children playing, birds chirping, or people talking.
The bustling city would be winding down, the setting sun casting a quiet, peaceful glow.
But after the apocalypse, everything was silent. On the rooftop, the only sound was the wind—nothing else.
On the broken streets below, patches of vibrant green grass had started to sprout, with plants tentatively pushing through shattered windows to expand into the shops.
This, too, was a kind of peace.
The rooftop was like a painting: Chu Muge’s silhouette leaned against the railing, gazing at the sky, while Gu Yao’s silhouette lingered by the door, a short distance away.
Quiet.
In this serene world, they were the only two beings left.
"Senior, did you know? I always dreamed of a moment like this."
Chu Muge leaned against the railing, resting her bandaged hand under her chin.
"A peaceful evening, the two of us watching the sunset together, watching the city slip into night."
She turned back, her gaze falling on Gu Yao as the wind on the rooftop swept through her long hair. In her eyes, there was a light that shouldn't exist in the apocalypse—a light full of hope and expectation.
Gu Yao stared at her, silent.
Chu Muge turned her head again, looking up at the slowly sinking sun. The glass of the towering buildings reflected the faint golden light.
As Gu Yao watched Chu Muge’s shadow, cast dark against the red sun, she inexplicably sensed a hint of loneliness emanating from it.
After a brief hesitation, she stepped forward and quietly stood beside Chu Muge.
Hearing the movement, Chu Muge paused, glanced at her from the corner of her eye, and a smile slowly spread across her face.
Together, they silently watched the sunset, observing as it dipped below the horizon. The wind grew cooler, gradually calming as darkness slowly spread across the sky.
Birds migrated, flying in flocks, tracing arcs across the heavens.
There was light—faint, distant light.
Stars began to twinkle.
With the sun gone, the night sky revealed a tapestry of stars that the busy industrial age had long hidden from view.
They dotted the sky, painting the universe above.
Chu Muge’s eyes reflected the starlight. When she looked at Gu Yao, her gaze became the mirror of the other’s silhouette.
She stepped away from the spot where she had stood for hours, spinning once on the rooftop.
Gu Yao watched her, still leaning against the railing.
Chu Muge’s lips curled into a smile as she stopped spinning and faced Gu Yao. She spread her arms wide, as if she wanted to embrace her, or perhaps the vast, starry sea behind her.
"Senior, this is our era."