The Zombie I Flirted With After Losing My Memory, Who Was Pretending to be an Alpha, Is Actually My Ex - Chapter 43

“So Shi Yun was the one who told you that you worked at the Red House?”

Xie Jinbing listened quietly to Teng Xi’s narration, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts. Teng Xi nodded, but seeing Xie Jinbing’s reaction, it was obvious Shi Yun had lied. But why would she lie?

Neither of them could understand; there were no logical clues to explain it all.

“By the way, where is the lighthouse they mentioned? Why did the hospital staff tell me not to go near it?” Teng Xi suddenly recalled the question.

“There are two lighthouses on the island,” Xie Jinbing said, pointing toward the right coastline. Standing far off was a white lighthouse; from this angle, only the white top was faintly visible. “That is the first one, the lighthouse in a practical sense.”

“In a practical sense?”

Xie Jinbing nodded. “Yes, because there is another ‘true’ lighthouse on the island, over there.”

Xie Jinbing turned around to face the center of the island. Logically, a lighthouse shouldn’t be in a bustling town area or a densely wooded mountain where it would be obscured by buildings or trees, losing its purpose. Yet Xie Jinbing pointed toward the heart of the island.

“The true lighthouse is on the mountain.” Looking in the direction she pointed, one could only see a mountain and a vast forest; not a single building was visible.

“In the mountains? Hidden by the forest?”

“Yes. To be precise, it’s a laboratory. Even someone of my rank isn’t permitted to enter. I saw it once from a distance a long time ago; there were guards with live ammunition outside the lighthouse. It’s very difficult for an ordinary person to get close.”

Live ammunition? If the lighthouse in the woods was eerie, the heavy military guard pushed that eeriness into deeper territory.

“So you don’t know what’s inside the lighthouse either?”

“Unfortunately, I really don’t,” Xie Jinbing shook her head.

“And does everyone who comes to the island have to do a memory test?”

“You did a memory test?!” Xie Jinbing frowned, clearly displeased. “Memory tests have many side effects.”

Teng Xi hadn’t expected such a resistant attitude from her. “Doesn’t everyone on the island have to do it?”

Xie Jinbing shook her head. “No. Only employees recruited by the Red House are required to do the memory test. They’ve never explicitly stated the purpose, but I suspect it’s to prevent people with ‘other ideologies’ from infiltrating.”

The Red House was too cautious—or rather, Qi Yin was. She wouldn’t allow anyone with different thoughts to enter and destroy the false paradise she had built.

Both fell silent, leaning against each other as the wind and waves raged in their ears, soaking their clothes. Teng Xi finally broke the strange atmosphere.

“Sister Xie, how much time do you think is left?”

How much longer until this place became a living hell like the world outside?

Xie Jinbing shook her head. She opened her mouth to say something but ultimately didn’t. She simply said softly, “I will never let you turn into one of them.”

As she spoke, Xie Jinbing nudged her head against Teng Xi’s neck, but Teng Xi pressed a hand against her. Teng Xi had noticed that Xie Jinbing loved acting spoiled lately, constantly using her actions to tempt her.

But soon, a faint scent of sweet orange drifted to her nose. She immediately understood: Sister Xie wasn’t acting spoiled or tempting her—this was the precursor to a heat!

“Sister Xie? Sister Xie?” Teng Xi gently shook Xie Jinbing’s shoulder, only to see her eyes squeezed shut in pain. “You’re starting to release pheromones again.”

Teng Xi bit the tip of her tongue hard to force herself to stay calm. She didn’t know if it was a side effect of the memory test, but the suppressants she had used before weren’t working at all. That thickening scent of sweet orange was desperately trying to lure her in.

“Xi-Xi…” Xie Jinbing’s voice was hoarse.

Looking at her lover’s face so close at hand, Xie Jinbing swallowed hard and pressed even closer. Her voice was syrupy, like a broken honey jar. Her soft lips brushed against Teng Xi’s neck and chin, her hot breath landing on Teng Xi like a spark, igniting small fires across her body.

Xie Jinbing’s body slumped limply against Teng Xi like a boneless kitten. A spring-like surge from within made her rub her legs together restlessly.

“Xi-Xi… it hurts…”

Teng Xi frowned, smelling the pheromones growing denser by the second. She was now certain this was another heat. But why?! It had only been a few days since the last one. This situation was clearly abnormal.

Just then, a beep-beep-beep alarm sounded from Xie Jinbing’s wrist, red light flashing through her hospital gown. Teng Xi pulled back the sleeve to find a metal bracelet flush against her skin. The inside of the bracelet emitted a continuous green light against her flesh; it looked like a medical body monitor.

Xie Jinbing was now curled up in pain, her hands tightly clutching Teng Xi’s hem. She breathed in Teng Xi’s scent greedily as the gland on the back of her neck exploded with pheromones, relentlessly triggering Teng Xi’s desires.

No one was around right now, but Teng Xi knew people would arrive soon.

The skin under her touch went from cold to burning hot. In a daze, she felt as if she were back in that lab at the psychiatric hospital. The sound of the waves merged with the whirring of the wind shower corridor; the oil-paper umbrella had long since fallen into the sea, swept away by waves; the scorching sun overhead mirrored that piercingly bright fluorescent light in the lab.

Teng Xi felt her own thoughts becoming muddled, whether from the pheromones or the drugs from before. She forced herself to hold Xie Jinbing in her arms as the waves surrounded them, feeling strangely warm.

The tide is coming in, Teng Xi thought hazily. She gathered her strength to hold Xie Jinbing and tried to stand, but her body was limp and devoid of power. For the first time, she hoped “those people” would arrive quickly.

Both seemed to have fallen into the pheromone trap, unable to pull themselves out. Teng Xi forced her eyes open until she felt her arms being hoisted up by others. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief and allowed her consciousness to drift away, holding Xie Jinbing tightly until the very moment she passed out.

“Sister Xie!”

Teng Xi snapped her eyes open, her chest heaving as she breathed in fresh air. her memory was still stuck on that beach and the Lover’s Rock.

“Captain Teng, you’re awake? Don’t move! Don’t move!” A young nurse entered just as Teng Xi was throwing off the covers to get out of bed, rushing over to stop her.

“Where is Sister Xie?” Teng Xi grabbed the nurse’s arm, asking urgently.

“Huh?” The nurse was startled for a moment until Teng Xi noticed her expression and let go. The nurse regained her outward composure but frowned with a hint of disgust.

“Where is Xie Jinbing? She was with me!”

Teng Xi didn’t care what the nurse thought; her mind was only on Xie Jinbing. Upon waking, she had scanned the room, and that figure was nowhere to be found.

“Oh, you mean Doctor Xie. She was taken away by Director Qi.”

“Qi Yin?”

“Yes, Di… Director Qi.” The nurse was still a bit wary of calling the Director by her name.

“Hey, hey, don’t get up!” Seeing Teng Xi still stubbornly trying to stand, the nurse grew annoyed. “I swear, why are you Alphas so disobedient? Doctor Xie has specialists treating her. What can you do if you go there? You’re not a doctor!”

Teng Xi was successfully persuaded by the nurse’s words and sat dazed on the edge of the bed. The nurse seized the opportunity to re-insert her IV needle.

A moment later, with a soft click of the door, a figure entered the room. Teng Xi gave a cold glance and then looked away.

“I’ll handle this. You go tend to other things,” Shi Yun said, taking the medicine bottle from the nurse. The nurse couldn’t wait to leave; if she hadn’t been unlucky enough to draw the lot to care for this Alpha, she wouldn’t have come within half a step of the room.

“Relax, it’s not poison. I’m just here to see if you’ve died yet.” Shi Yun used a syringe to draw liquid from the vial and injected it into the IV bag. Her expression was as calm as if she were doing a routine chore, which for her, it was.

“Who put that monitor on her wrist?” Teng Xi asked.

“She volunteered for it,” Shi Yun adjusted the drip rate and dragged a chair over to sit by the bed. “I believe I told you.”

Shi Yun had indeed told her that Xie Jinbing and Qi Yin had a deal, but Teng Xi now deeply doubted what that “deal” actually was.

“Why is she showing those symptoms?” Teng Xi frowned.

Shi Yun shook her head. “I don’t know. What I can tell you is that the irregular release of pheromones in her body is indeed due to zombification.”

Looking at Shi Yun’s flat expression, Teng Xi couldn’t tell for a moment if she was lying or telling the truth.

“You haven’t seen her since she woke up, have you?” Realizing it was harder than climbing to heaven to get information out of this woman, Teng Xi stopped pressing and changed the subject.

As expected, Shi Yun didn’t respond. Her hand, tucked in her lab coat pocket, was rubbing a vial of medicine. She looked down in thought, several times appearing as if she wanted to pull the vial out and inject it into the IV bag.

“What kind of feelings do you actually have for her?” Teng Xi finally couldn’t help but ask.

Shi Yun seemed surprised by the question. She froze for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “I said before, I don’t want her to die. She is the savior of humanity.”

She made her final decision then, letting go of the vial in her pocket. She reached out and tucked the corner of Teng Xi’s blanket—a rare act of kindness—and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Rest well. Survive the Trial Day.”

“Shi Yun.” As Shi Yun turned to leave, Teng Xi grabbed her wrist. The hand holding the vial slipped from the pocket; Shi Yun only had time to ball her hand into a fist, hiding the vial in her palm.

Shi Yun frowned, looking down at Teng Xi. “Teng Xi, sometimes being too smart isn’t a good thing.” She moved her wrist but couldn’t break Teng Xi’s grip. Feeling Teng Xi trying to turn her wrist over, her expression soured. “Teng Xi, I haven’t tried to hurt you again.”

At those words, Teng Xi stopped.

It was true. Since arriving on this island, Shi Yun hadn’t taken any harmful action against her. It was Qi Yin who had stabbed her in the back with a needle. But since the first time she saw Shi Yun through the monitor, Shi Yun had been doing things to hurt Xie Jinbing. Was her stance really the same as Teng Xi’s?

Though she still had many doubts about Shi Yun, she released her wrist. Shi Yun pulled away with a light tug.

“The one you should worry about now is yourself. You won’t be able to get in to see Xie Jinbing for the next few days. But I can guarantee her safety. Survive the Trial Day, and you will see her naturally.”

With that, Shi Yun walked straight out.

Teng Xi sat somewhat despondently in the chair Shi Yun had occupied. Her gaze pierced through the buildings toward the sea in the distance. The waters were still turbulent, with only a few fishing boats passing by. The hospital window faced the sea, so she couldn’t even look in Xie Jinbing’s direction.

She realized that since arriving on the island, she had become a lamb to the slaughter. Ominous surveillance watched her every move, and many areas required clearance she didn’t have. She was completely isolated. This island felt less free than the zombie-infested world outside.

Just as Shi Yun had said, she didn’t see Xie Jinbing for the next two days. Qi Yin came by twice, bringing two “greetings” from Xie Jinbing.

On the afternoon of the second day, Teng Xi sat in her room listening to the growing noise outside. she stretched her limbs, stiff from sitting too long, grabbed an apple from the nightstand, wiped it haphazardly on her hospital gown, and took a bite. Over the past two days, she had realized one thing: it was better to enjoy the moment. The zombie world outside didn’t have such good fruit.

She didn’t open her door immediately. Instead, she pressed her ear against it, listening while she ate the apple.

“What is going on out there? Can your leaders give us an explanation?!” “Exactly! For decades, the boat to the island has never been late. The day is almost over and there’s no sign of the cruise ship!” “You must get a leader out here to explain today, or we aren’t leaving!” “Aye, even if we don’t rely on those outsiders’ tourist money to survive, the goods in the cargo hold are things we need!” “And what your leaders said before—not letting fishing boats go to the deep sea—why is that? It was never like this before!”

Teng Xi quickly understood the situation. she walked to the window and looked toward the market; the crowd was even more clamorous than usual. No wonder the town center had been so lively since this morning—today was the once-a-month day for the cruise ship to arrive.

She poked her head out the window, stretching her neck to look toward the dock. Rows of palm trees grew there, but they couldn’t hide the gathering crowds. Out on the sea horizon, there wasn’t a single large ship in sight.

It seemed the Red House’s previous orders had sparked suspicion among the islanders. She wondered what they would do next. If nothing went wrong, the Red House should be able to hold out; the dangerous surrounding waters were their best bulwark. The only question was whether the island’s resources were enough for long-term survival.

But Qi Yin was an outlier. From what Shi Yun implied, Qi Yin was developing a virus serum, which meant she had to deal with the virus. Teng Xi hoped this place wouldn’t become the next “Red House Psychiatric Hospital.”

Thinking of this, Teng Xi’s brow furrowed as she recalled what Xie Jinbing had once said: The first case in the Red House Psychiatric Hospital had escaped from the heavily guarded Area A.

Teng Xi sat back on the bed and turned on the TV. A movie was playing; the actors’ slightly exaggerated voices drowned out the noise outside, giving Teng Xi some rare private space. It was strange—somehow the Red House controlled it so that the TV only showed dramas, movies, and cartoons. She hadn’t seen a single live news broadcast since she arrived. The people here didn’t seem to care; it was as if the internet was a distant memory.

That night, Teng Xi’s mind raced. Soon, it was the morning of the third day—her Trial Day.

But compared to her life-and-death situation, most of the populace no longer seemed to care about an Alpha’s trial. From early morning, the docks were packed with people, and many had gathered at the hospital, noisy and argumentative. The entire island was falling into a state of primary chaos.

“Captain Teng, are you ready? The trial starts at ten.” Outside the bathroom, the nurse knocked impatiently. Only after hearing a cold “Mhm” from inside did she grumble and walk away. “Captain Teng, hurry up.”

Inside the bathroom, Teng Xi sat on the toilet lid, hearing the nurse’s footsteps fade away. She scanned every corner of the bathroom, confirming once again there was no surveillance. She then pulled a card from her hospital gown. This was Shi Yun’s access card. Grabbing Shi Yun’s wrist the other day had been a feint; though she had noticed Shi Yun was holding something, she valued the access card more and had swiped it.

She didn’t know if Shi Yun had noticed, but the fact that she hadn’t come looking for it might mean she tacitly allowed it. Some things Teng Xi had to confirm for herself. Originally, she wanted to wait for a better opportunity and a perfect plan to rescue Xie Jinbing, but the chaos on the island gave her a different idea.

She threw on clothes she had swiped from a janitor yesterday, put on a mask, opened the bathroom window, and sat on the sill. She had already scouted the terrain. Outside every bathroom was a platform a palm-width wide. Walking slowly to the left along the platform, she would find the ledge holding the external air conditioning units. From there, it was relatively easy to climb down to the next floor. Directly below the bathroom was a small path for medical waste transport, rarely used. If she timed it right, no one would notice a “Spider-Man” on the wall.

The process might be difficult, but she only needed to go down one floor to have a chance at saving Xie Jinbing.

“Wife, please let me not fall to my death.” Teng Xi pressed her hands together, following her habit of praying before action. But this time she didn’t pray to gods or Buddhas; she only prayed to Xie Jinbing.

Heaven seemed to favor her. She successfully made it down to the AC unit on the floor below. To avoid startling anyone in the patient rooms, she waited a moment before climbing in through the bathroom window. She opened the bathroom door, ignoring the patient holding a washbasin who looked at her in shock, unable to figure out when a doctor had entered the stall.

Teng Xi walked calmly through the noisy crowd, out of the building, and toward the adjacent building. She entered the elevator and swiped the access card—all in one smooth motion. The process was so smooth it gave her a faint sense of unease.

Upon reaching the ninth floor, the silence was a stark contrast to the chaos outside. A few doctors walked the hallway, all in a hurry. She walked quickly toward her memory of the room. Turning the corner, Xie Jinbing’s room was right there, but several people were standing outside the glass wall.

What surprised Teng Xi was that these people weren’t hospital doctors. They weren’t wearing lab coats; their sharp suits and military boots looked unusual at a glance. Leading them was a woman with a high ponytail, tall and slender, radiating a cold aura. She had her hands in her pockets, looking into the room like a god looking down on mortals.

The woman seemed to have been watching for a long time, but she quickly noticed Teng Xi at the corner. She nodded to her subordinates and led them away.

Passing by Teng Xi, the woman noticeably slowed her pace. She glanced at Teng Xi with an expression that commanded respect without trying, but it didn’t scare Teng Xi. The woman curled her lips and stopped in front of her.

Only then did Teng Xi realize the woman wasn’t as tall as her, but she radiated an aura that screamed “I’m six feet tall, fight me if you dare.” Her specifically groomed flat brows gave her a more authoritative look, and the slender phoenix eyes beneath added to her intimidating presence.

The woman rubbed a ring on her thumb, about to speak, when a voice came from nearby.

“Miss Xi, please forgive our poor hospitality after your long journey.” Qi Yin’s cold voice came from the elevator, making Teng Xi’s brow furrow.

“Director Qi, you’re too kind,” the woman said noncommittally. She bypassed Teng Xi and walked toward Qi Yin, seemingly losing interest in her.

Teng Xi let out a sigh of relief and walked toward the patient room, trying to appear as calm as possible.

“Wait a moment. What is your name?” But Qi Yin still saw her and called out from a distance.