Hong Ying remained noncommittal.
When she first guessed Xia Jin's intentions, she was no less surprised than Xu An.
But as Xia Jin gradually infiltrated the lighthouse with his influence, those once unattainable ideas slowly became reality.
It was then that Hong Ying realized the terrifying nature of this man, Xia Jin.
Because he never spoke; he only acted.
Even if initially there was no discernible effect, accumulation over time would yield results.
In fact, the zombie crisis wasn't as severe as it was.
But it is in chaotic times that heroes emerge.
Someone deliberately wanted to throw this world into disarray.
At a certain moment, Hong Ying could even understand Xia Jin's actions.
It was akin to ancient emperors, supreme above all, wielding absolute imperial power.
If Xia Jin's plan succeeded, he would hold the lives of millions in his hands, making him more powerful than any emperor.
With a mere glance, he could take another's life if it pleased him.
What a terrifying power that was.
The more Xu An listened, the more her heart grew cold.
"Is Xia Jin mad?"
Hong Ying smiled, "Xu An, it's not Xia Jin who's mad; it's this world that's gone mad. We've long been abandoned pawns, humanity as a whole, abandoned pawns."
For some reason, as Hong Ying spoke, Xu An's mind suddenly recalled what Ze Yuan had told her.
"Humans are the invasive species of this planet; perhaps the apocalypse is merely the planet's own grand cleansing."
But at the time, Xu An was too busy fleeing for her life, trying to find a place to settle, to ponder Ze Yuan's alarmist words.
But now, what if this wasn't alarmist at all?
However, Hong Ying didn't give Xu An much time to think.
"Hurry and go," Hong Ying looked towards the mountaintop. "Though I don't know what's there, I believe it must be important."
Xu An hesitated. Hong Ying knew too much, and she really wanted to ask her for clarification, but time was of the essence.
Even she could feel a restless stir within her body, a kind of craving.
Just as Xu An was about to ask something else, Hong Ying turned and left.
No matter how Xu An called out to her from behind, she didn't look back. Her forlorn silhouette seemed increasingly frail in the howling, cold wind, as if she might topple over with a gust.
Hong Ying's figure gradually disappeared into the snowfield, leaving behind only a wavering voice in the wind.
"If you have a chance, please tell Liu Chang for me, regarding her mother's death..." At this point, Hong Ying's desolate back seemed to pause for a moment, and she quickly said, "Never mind, he probably won't believe it anyway. Forget it."
With that, Hong Ying's figure vanished completely.
For some reason, Xu An felt an inexplicable pang of unease; her intuition told her that Hong Ying would not be returning.
Xu An's guess was not wrong.
Much later, a man, upon learning the truth of everything, returned to this snowfield. But no matter how he searched, he only found the watch that could pinpoint their location, buried under the snow.
That girl, with her charming smile, was forever left behind in that vast expanse of snow.
But that is a story for another time.
After Hong Ying left, Xu An merely paused for a moment before continuing her ascent towards the mountaintop.
Previously, Xu An didn't understand why she was drawn to the power at the summit.
It was only when she saw a tree at the summit that looked exactly like the one in her spatial dimension that Xu An suddenly understood.
Strangely, so many people were rushing desperately towards the mountaintop.
Yet, when Xu An reached the summit, she saw no one.
As far as her eyes could see, there was only the tree identical to the one in her space, and a person scaled to proportion.
Ze Yuan, who was once small enough to be held in her palm, had now grown taller than her.
He stood before her, his expressionless face a stark contrast to his familiar features.
"Are you... Ze Yuan?" Xu An's voice trembled with an unaware tremor.
He neither nodded nor denied.
Xu An gazed at the familiar yet alien face, momentarily lost in a daze.
"Have we met before?"
Ze Yuan understood, of course, that Xu An wasn't referring to the time they spent in her spatial dimension.
He subconsciously nodded, thus indirectly confirming his identity.
"In our past lives, right?" Xu An's tone held an almost imperceptible probing.
Ze Yuan still remained silent, only nodding.
In that instant, Xu An felt as if everything came flooding back.
In her past life, she had indeed met Ze Yuan, just before her death.
That forgotten memory gradually resurfaced.
In her previous life, on the brink of death and despair, Xu An had encountered a tall, elegant man.
However, she was starving and freezing then, unable to discern the man's features, only remembering his voice, like jade, capable of alleviating the dullness in her brain caused by hunger.
Her first words were, "Do you have any food?"
The man merely shook his head.
Xu An, despairing, closed her eyes. Though desperation could drive one to commit acts that crossed moral boundaries, Xu An had held on for so long without compromising her principles.
She would rather die than become a creature neither human nor ghost.
The man before her seemed intrigued by Xu An.
"Is there anything you regret?"
Xu An, with her dulled mind, thought for a moment.
Regrets, there must have been.
Gou Dan, who was cruelly killed protecting her; her mother, who went abroad prematurely due to Xu An's wilfulness; and the many others who died tragically due to her naivete and foolishness.
She had many regrets, but didn't know where to begin.
Yet, the man before her seemed to see through Xu An's thoughts.
"Since you have so many regrets, would you like to live it all over again?"
At that time, Xu An, on the verge of starvation, couldn't comprehend what "living it all over again" meant.
Would she become a bargaining chip between men for a bite to eat, like a dog? Or endure this immense hunger, watching those who were no longer human feast on each other?
Or perhaps, facing endless zombies, constantly hiding and living in fear?
The more Xu An thought about it, the angrier she became, even starting to dislike the man before her.
Even her thoughts became more active.
"To live such a life again? Only a fool would want that."
Xu An expected the man to be angered by her words, but instead, he merely chuckled softly.
"I can let you live again, and live well."
Even after years of surviving in the apocalypse, Xu An, despite her disheveled state, maintained her wariness.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch. What do you stand to gain from me?"
The man looked at Xu An, finding it easy to converse with someone intelligent.
"When all things revive, before the dawn breaks, and humanity finds salvation, you shall become me, become the new key to this world."
The man's words were vague, even peculiar, bordering on the mystical. Xu An was curious; he didn't seem like one of the lower class, struggling to get by.
But what nonsense was he spouting?
What new key? And what damned human salvation?
Whether humanity was saved or not, what was it to her?
Xu An just wanted a bowl of rice.
Or even a compressed biscuit would suffice.
Even a sip of water.
Or perhaps, after she died, someone would burn her body.
She certainly didn't want to become someone's "rations."
At that time, Xu An didn't know that not far from them, a man whose skin and bones were all that remained, whom everyone assumed to be a corpse, slowly opened his eyes.
As if sensing her thoughts, the man before her chuckled softly, and struck a deal with Xu An, who was now desperate and heedless.
...
Ze Yuan looked at Xu An, who was staring blankly.
"Do you remember everything now?"
Xu An plopped down on the ground. "You're not being fair, making a deal with me when I was delirious."
Ze Yuan smiled, and the ice on his face seemed to melt away in an instant.
The unfamiliarity and distance in his expression vanished completely.
"The process doesn't matter; the outcome is what's important."
Xu An finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
"So you knew everything, and you kept urging me to find those mycelia? All to regain your power?"
Ze Yuan did not answer Xu An's question.
"Do you have any regrets now?"
Xu An seemed taken aback by the question. She thought carefully.
Then, she shook her head.
It seemed there were none.
Her mother was now settled, and Gou Dan was content being a宅在家 (zhái zài jiā - homebody) little dog.
She had also met a group of good friends.
It seemed she had no regrets.
Having died of starvation in her past life, Xu An had never deprived her mouth or stomach during the years of the apocalypse in this life.
"It seems I truly have no regrets. But why are you here?"
Xu An looked around, finding the surroundings somewhat familiar.
"This is where you died in your past life."
Xu An understood; no wonder it felt so familiar.
"So, what does the key mean?"
Ze Yuan glanced at her, his demeanor returning to its cold, unapproachable state.
"This world is already unbalanced, because two reincarnated individuals have altered the course of this world."
"Xia Jin is a reincarnated person." Xu An stated it as a fact.
Ze Yuan nodded.
"It should be that not all those who died around you in the past life were completely gone. When I sent you back, he took advantage of an opening."
Xu An was speechless; how could he overlook such a thing?
"So what do you need me to do now?"
Xu An seemed to face her fate with a sense of acceptance.
Since recovering her memories, she had understood one thing: every day she was alive now was borrowed time.
She realized she was no longer truly of this world.
"Take my place."
"And you?" Xu An was curious.
"I must leave. I have gathered enough power now, and I never belonged to this world to begin with."
Ze Yuan told Xu An a very, very long story, so long that Xu An felt it all seemed rather absurd.
It was as if she wasn't living in the 21st century, but in a distant mythological world.
Yet, looking at Ze Yuan's focused gaze, Xu An inexplicably believed him.
"Were you happy during these years?"
Xu An nodded.
Ze Yuan finally asked Xu An a question.
"You will disappear from this world, and your loved ones, including your family and friends, will forget you. Aren't you afraid?"
Xu An quietly asked, "Will these humans be able to survive?"
Ze Yuan nodded.
"Qin Chuan has brought Xia Jin under control. As long as the zombie mutation virus doesn't continue to spread, humanity will eventually eradicate all zombies and return to the land."
Xu An smiled, "That's good."
Ze Yuan didn't press his question further, believing he already knew the answer.
"Do you regret it, that in the end, you have to bear all this yourself?"
Xu An smiled, "I find it quite miraculous myself, that saving the world is something a small, insignificant person like me gets to do."
The two sat in silence, looking at each other.
They didn't know what to say.
After a long while, Xu An asked, "What about these ability users?"
"Abilities were never meant to be a power of this world. I intend to eradicate this power. Humanity's development is rapid, and all species in this world will cease to mutate further. If more and more humans awaken abilities, the ultimate outcome will only be extinction."
Xu An believed this point.
Once humans possessed immense individual power, no laws or morals could restrain them.
Even if the zombies were eradicated, humanity would not be able to return to its previous social order.
Only when everyone was an ordinary person could social order be effective.
...
In the very end.
As Xu An's figure gradually faded,
The dawn's light, belonging to the morning, appeared, illuminating the vast white snowfield.
At this moment, Zhou Haimèi, Xu Yan, Qin Chuan...
All those connected to Xu An felt as if a piece of their memory was missing, as if their most important memories had been ripped away.