Chapter Thirty-Three: Dreamscape

The moment Zhao Qiang’s hands touched the sage’s skull, a strange phenomenon arose. A powerful current of consciousness surged from his fingertips straight into his brain. He let out a shrill cry and collapsed limply to the ground, while the sage’s body fell completely still.

Where am I? Zhao Qiang was bewildered. He only remembered a splitting pain in his head, and when it faded, he found himself standing in a tropical jungle. Why am I here? Where is this place? Countless questions flooded his mind.

Towering trees were everywhere, and the forest was so quiet that not a sound could be heard. Moving between the vines and trunks, his feet sank into the soft carpet of fallen leaves. Drawing from his memories of television documentaries, Zhao Qiang deduced that he was in a wild tropical rainforest.

In the perpetual twilight beneath the dense canopy, all usual methods of finding direction were useless. The enormous treetops blocked most of the sunlight, and the thick trunks were slick with moss. If only he could find some high ground to get his bearings. The thought had barely formed when he found himself suddenly rising above the treetops, gazing out over an endless expanse of rainforest.

He didn’t realize how unusual this was, but floated quietly in the air, carefully observing this unfamiliar world. The sky was azure blue, the rainforest lush and boundless, and everything seemed utterly tranquil.

Drifting aimlessly, Zhao Qiang seemed to be searching for something. In the depths of the distant jungle, a pyramid caught his eye and drew his attention. A pyramid? Zhao Qiang was puzzled. That style was from the Mayan civilization, but he was clearly in Asia—why would he suddenly find himself in South America?

He circled the pyramid, confirming his judgment. Out of the corner of his eye, a figure flickered through the undergrowth. Who is that? Zhao Qiang was instantly on guard. The figure seemed strangely familiar, yet exuded an overwhelming sense of danger. With a thought, Zhao Qiang’s form appeared beside the thicket where the figure had vanished.

Damn! he cursed inwardly, quickly hiding behind a massive tree. The forest was crawling with Smashers and all manner of zombies he had never seen before. Judging by their builds, even the formidable Smashers were nothing more than cannon fodder here.

Zombies packed the woods, their numbers so vast it made Zhao Qiang’s scalp tingle. He observed them for a long time and realized they seemed to be waiting for something. The birds and beasts that usually filled the rainforest had vanished without a trace. At first, he moved cautiously to avoid being noticed, but as he realized none of the zombies seemed to sense him, he began moving boldly through their ranks.

They must be under the sage’s control, he thought, weaving among the undead, careful not to touch any of them. The memory of the earlier infighting between zombie dogs and Smashers was still vivid—he had no desire to share their fate. After an uncertain amount of time, Zhao Qiang finally found a gap in the horde, a stretch of nearly a kilometer where not a single zombie could be seen.

He floated into the air again and was startled to see the zombie army forming a U-shaped formation around the pyramid. What is their goal? He drifted in the direction of the open end of the U. With such an arrangement, there must be a plan.

He traveled for an unknown time before finally discovering their intention. In the midst of the dense rainforest, a road appeared. At its far end, with a roar of engines, giant trees fell one after another.

A machine that looked like a bulldozer was snarling as it advanced, toppling every tree in its path. Behind it, countless tanks and armored vehicles rumbled forward. Soldiers clad in full armor, wielding M16 rifles with drum magazines, marched alongside the vehicles. Their cold helmets obscured their faces, but their constant vigilance as they scanned both sides showed their alertness as they performed their protective duties.

As this column pressed unimpeded toward the pyramid, the zombie horde closed the final gap. Zhao Qiang grew anxious. He rushed ahead of the convoy, desperate to warn these ignorant comrades of their impending doom. But no matter how he tried, it was as if he did not exist. A tank even drove straight through him.

Despairing, Zhao Qiang watched as the last tank passed through his body, as the legion of undead completed their encirclement, and his eyes filled with tears.

In a daze, he sensed figures moving before him. As his sight gradually cleared, familiar faces appeared: Mei Qiu, Li Zihan, Wei Tao, and others.

When Zhao Qiang opened his eyes, Mei Qiu took out a flashlight and shone it repeatedly into his pupils. Seeing that his pupils reacted normally, she softly asked, “What’s your name?”

Zhao Qiang chuckled. Though still weak, he couldn’t help but joke at her question. “Who am I? How did I end up here? Dr. Mei, can you tell me?”

Mei Qiu, who had been tense with worry, finally breathed a sigh of relief on hearing her own name from Zhao Qiang’s lips. She shot him an exasperated look, put the flashlight back in her pocket, and said to Wei Tao, “He’s fine now.”

Zhao Qiang sat up on the sofa and fixed his gaze on Wei Tao. “Old Wei, how did we get back? What happened to the big-headed zombie?”

It turned out that while Wei Tao was defending the entrance, he suddenly heard Zhao Qiang cry out in pain. Forgetting about the struggle with the zombies, his apprentice’s safety became his only concern. Eventually, in a corner, he found Zhao Qiang unconscious beside the motionless sage.

After putting a few bullets in the sage’s skull for good measure, Wei Tao carried the unconscious Zhao Qiang back to the supermarket. Mei Qiu conducted a series of examinations and concluded that Zhao Qiang’s brain had suffered some severe shock—whether or when he might wake was uncertain. Just as the checkup ended, Zhao Qiang began shouting and thrashing.

“Why did you pass out?” After explaining what had happened, Wei Tao questioned him coldly. To him, Zhao Qiang’s collapse was suspicious—no injuries, no sign of a struggle, and Zhao Qiang had been sprawled on top of the sage.

“I don’t remember,” Zhao Qiang replied bitterly. “All I remember is catching up with it, and then, for some reason, it stopped and turned to stare at me. I stared back, and then... nothing.”