Chapter 236
Chapter 236: You Told a Demon You’d Eat Her—Are You Out of Your Mind?
Chong Ming’s emergency address ran for only three minutes, but it was replayed on every official channel again and again until no one in the empire could miss it.
He promised they would not abandon a single citizen. He promised no trending topics would be suppressed.
He reminded everyone: any attempt, in any form, to conceal or suppress information about a crisis was illegal. He urged all citizens—on Capital Planet and across Zhen Lin Empire—to take precautions, stay alert, and report anything unusual to the police.
Starnet erupted.
Some praised him, saying they’d wanted to scream when the topic was suppressed, only to be stunned silent by the way he took control and spoke directly.
Some swooned over his face and composure, embarrassing themselves in public.
Others stayed vicious, insisting a three-minute speech meant nothing.
Then the conspiracy crowd poured in—claiming he was sending the Imperial Crown Prince to die so he could seize the throne—until other users tore them apart.
“Zhen Lin Imperial Family only has two dragons. They’re rarer than anything. How could he send one to die?”
“He’s sending the Crown Prince to show the people the empire will not abandon them.”
“He has a mate and cubs now,” someone sneered. “You think he’ll risk himself?”
Another shot back, “Shut up with your garbage plots. The Crown Prince is basically his own child. He raised him. He hatched him. If he wanted him dead, he wouldn’t need theatrics.”
The arguments sprawled in every direction, a mess of fear, devotion, and suspicion.
Chong Ming did exactly what people who understood him expected: he stripped officials who suppressed the trend, launched criminal investigations, and began moving the empire’s machinery with ruthless speed.
Rescue ships, quarantine forces, medical teams—some were already en route; others were still being scrambled.
In Chong Ming’s office, Jiang Tea Tea and Sui Xuan Chu stood waiting.
Chong Ming didn’t want Jiang Tea Tea at the infection center.
Jiang Tea Tea met him head-on. “Sui Xuan Chu and the others are going. If I don’t go, it looks bad.”
“I’m going to take a look. If it’s confirmed to be zombie infection and there’s no cure—then we kill.”
The last two words hit the room like a blade.
Sui Xuan Chu shivered. For a moment, it felt like he could see it—his roommate had killed countless living dead before.
Chong Ming glanced at her, as if something almost rose to his mouth—then redirected.
“Separate infected from uninfected immediately,” he said. “Researchers and healers will confirm the infection type. Only after confirmation will we decide whether killing is necessary.”
Jiang Tea Tea nodded. “You still need to prepare yourself. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it’s nine out of ten.”
She added, “Also, tighten your defenses against other nations—especially insect clan. Live-fire drills, readiness protocols, all of it.”
“Nan Bei Star and Blazing Star have this virus too. Before it erupts, find it, isolate it, stop it. Otherwise you’ll never catch up.”
Chong Ming replied, “I’ve already deployed those measures. Your instincts are sharp.”
He held her gaze a beat too long. “Next time, be even sharper.”
Jiang Tea Tea grunted. “Okay. I’m going.”
“Wait.”
Jiang Tea Tea turned. “What?”
Chong Ming stepped in close. His gaze swept her from head to toe, then paused on her abdomen. Something surged behind his eyes—so intense it felt like it could drown a person.
Sui Xuan Chu watched, stunned.
His uncle’s gaze wasn’t clean.
It looked like longing held back by force—wanting to hold her, touch her, kiss her.
Jiang Tea Tea instinctively started to step away.
Chong Ming’s arm shot out. He pulled her into his chest.
Jiang Tea Tea’s eyes widened. Her body tensed to shove him away—
And he released her.
He stepped back one pace, eyes dark. “Go. Be careful.”
Jiang Tea Tea swallowed a thousand insults that jammed in her throat. She gave him a strange look, then followed Sui Xuan Chu out of the office and onto the ship.
Chong Ming stayed where he was, watching until they vanished from sight. Then he returned to his chair and drafted additional emergency plans and contingency orders.
The flight from the Military Department to Ni Su Town at full speed took five minutes.
So Sui Xuan Chu and the others waited near the ship’s exit.
Jiang Tea Tea still couldn’t figure out why Chong Ming had hugged her like that.
Was he afraid she’d get infected and die—with the cubs?
Sui Xuan Chu waved his lightbrain at her. “Roommate. Look.”
Online, conspiracists were claiming he wasn’t really going to Ni Su Town—that his uncle was using him as a tool to stabilize public morale.
Jiang Tea Tea glanced at the thread. “Easy. Post a message. Slap them in the face.”
Sui Xuan Chu and Jiang Tea Tea both reposted Chong Ming’s address and added a single line:
“On our way to Ni Su Town!”
The confirmation was immediate and vicious. Starnet users in Zhen Lin Empire swarmed the conspiracists and trolls.
“You said our Crown Prince didn’t go? Open your eyes. He posted. He’s going.”
“Healer Jiang is going too. Together.”
“Crown Prince plus the only 3S healer—this means the Commander-in-Chief takes it seriously.”
Meanwhile, far away in the insect clan’s political sphere, General Atuya returned and took the blame for everything involving Agris. She shielded his reputation and thoroughly enraged the Insect Queen.
The Insect Queen demoted her from general to lieutenant general and sent her and her army to a remote frontier star.
Atuya’s request to dissolve her engagement to Agris was neither approved nor denied—left hanging like a blade.
Agris, on the other hand, didn’t want to lose the engagement. He pleaded with his empress mother and was told bluntly: if he wanted to keep what he had, he needed results. His mistakes couldn’t be swept away forever.
Zhen Lin Empire’s outbreak was a perfect opportunity.
Agris ordered his spies in Zhen Lin to sow more chaos—infectious agents, destabilizing events, anything that would fracture the empire’s response. Then he sent people to the palace to suggest a strike while Zhen Lin was distracted.
In Ni Su Town, ten-meter iron walls were being erected around the perimeter.
Rescue flyers streamed in and out, carrying uninfected citizens to centralized screening and quarantine.
Seventy thousand permanent residents, plus tourists and visitors, meant more than seventy thousand people total.
Thousands were already infected. Thousands more were close contacts.
No one could say for sure how many were infected, or how many close contacts might still become infected.
The town’s treatment centers had collapsed. The power grid had been destroyed. The general signal had been cut.
With no signal and no power, lightbrain tracking was impossible. Large-scale manual rescue was the only option.
Jiang Tea Tea’s eight-person team arrived in three flyers, each capable of carrying thirty people. Cheng Yuan came with them.
They’d been told the treatment centers had fallen.
When they entered, they realized the truth was worse.
The entire town had fallen.
Living dead—zombies—ran through streets, hallways, stairwells, and houses.
They moved fast. They bit anything living—beastfolk, pure humans, pets.
Anyone bitten was either eaten or turned into one of them: mindless, rotting flesh, and impossible to kill. A bullet through the chest did nothing. Cut in half, they still crawled. Split open, they still hunted.
The uninfected hadn’t all been evacuated.
And even with the military inside, Chong Ming’s order was clear: no killing, no burning. Capture only.
Jiang Tea Tea, Sui Xuan Chu, and the others went in on foot while three remained piloting flyers behind them.
Jiang Tea Tea’s presence was like throwing fresh meat into a starving pack. The infected swarmed toward her, drawn by her scent.
They wore torn clothes. Their necks and limbs were missing chunks. Blood soaked them. The stench of rot clung to them like fog.
Cheng Xiao Ting whispered, voice tight. “Beast God above… I saw Da Xi’s videos and photos online. I didn’t think it looked that scary.”
“In person,” someone else muttered, “it’s worse.”
Not because of the smell.
Not because of the speed.
But because most of them had been living people days ago—hours ago.
Now they were mindless zombies.
“Damn Yellow Dragon Clan,” Cheng Xiao Ting growled. “If Chong Xing Qi knew about this, I’m beating him every time I see him.”
“Call me when you do,” another said. “I’ll help.”
Sui Xuan Chu reminded them grimly, “Commander-in-Chief ordered capture only. No killing unless forced.”
Jiang Tea Tea lifted her flame staff. “Then let’s work. Surround and bind.”
She swung.
A zombie lunged at her.
Her staff slammed down so hard the infected crumpled, skull shattered, body twitching.
Cheng Xiao Ting and Zhang Ting Zhou rushed in with specialized binding ropes, wrapping it before it could rise again.
Sui Xuan Chu mimicked her, smashing an iron bar into another zombie’s ribs hard enough to send it flying.
The military moved the same way: rods, bars, binding ropes. Strike, bind, drag away.
The zombies were fast.
Jiang Tea Tea was faster.
Within moments, the first wave—dozens—were down and tied.
Just as they drew breath, a scream tore through the air from a nearby room.
“Help! Help! Don’t come closer—help!”
Jiang Tea Tea instinctively slapped several more layers of magic power protection over her abdomen and rushed inside.
A zombie had pinned a small female against the wall, teeth at her throat.
Jiang Tea Tea swung once—smashing its head apart.
She swung again—sending it flying across the room.
The danger was gone.
She reached for the trembling girl. “Come here. Don’t be afraid. I’m military. I’ll get you out.”
The small female’s face was splattered with blood. Her eyes were red with terror. She was pressed against the wall like she couldn’t breathe.
Then, in an instant, she shot forward.
Her bloody hand clamped around Jiang Tea Tea’s hand and yanked her close.
She inhaled deeply, voice turning eerie and delighted.
“Sister… you smell so good. So delicious.”
“I’m going to eat you.”