Corpse Tide

"Later, my sister received a severe punishment and was locked away alone."

"My physical condition quickly deteriorated, and I fell into a coma. By the time I woke up, my sister was already gone."

"So, from that day on, I never saw my sister again."

Ning Xuan could no longer control her emotions. She grabbed Ning Yu's hand, her lake-blue eyes brimming with tears.

"All the dreams my sister shared with me, the things we promised to do together, the plans to escape—they’ve all turned to dust."

"Sister, I miss you so much."

"Why... why did you have to bear it all alone?"

"I was always the one being taken care of. Why couldn’t I have taken your place instead?"

Ning Xuan’s eyes were red, and her words began to tumble out incoherently.

Ning Yu could only watch her silently, unsure of what to say.

She had no memories of Ning Xuan, but she could feel the raw emotion pouring out of her.

Though she understood why Ning Xuan was so fixated on her, she couldn’t truly resonate with those feelings.

After all, she was just a traveler from a distant place. Was she really the sister Ning Xuan had been longing for? Did she deserve to become the vessel for her sister’s yearning?

Perhaps the "Ning Yu" Ning Xuan yearned for had already died in some unknown experiment or confinement, and that’s why she had ended up in this girl’s body.

The thought filled Ning Yu with a strange sense of guilt, and the sharp disconnect she felt from this world became even more pronounced.

Maybe she was a terrible usurper, stealing the body that rightfully belonged to "Ning Yu" and taking away the sister Ning Xuan had been crying for.

She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

After a long silence, she finally uttered:

"I’m sorry, I don’t remember any of it."

It might have been a cruel thing to say to Ning Xuan, as it meant she might never get the chance to tell the real "Ning Yu" those four words: "I miss you so much."

But Ning Yu said it anyway, because it was the truth. She wasn’t going to fabricate a comforting lie, pretending she might regain her memories someday.

"It’s okay, sister."

Ning Xuan wiped her tears and forced a smile.

"Just being able to see you again already makes me feel so happy."

"I know you won’t run away with me, won’t go to a place where no one can find us, because you have someone important to you now."

"So, let me protect you, just like you used to protect me."

"So... can you hug me, sister? Just once."

She suddenly looked up at Ning Yu with hopeful eyes, her expression heartbreaking.

Hearing her words, Ning Yu was reminded of someone who had once said something similar:

"I’ll protect Xiao Yu, just like Xiao Yu once protected me."

She hesitated for a moment but couldn’t bring herself to refuse Ning Xuan. Ning Yu couldn’t help but ask:

"Do you really see me as your sister?"

She felt the need to confirm what seemed like an odd question.

"Huh? Of course."

Tear-streaked Ning Xuan tilted her head slightly, not quite understanding Ning Yu’s question, then added with trembling eyes:

"It’s okay if you don’t want to. I can wait..."

Before she could finish, Ning Yu, having gotten her answer, finally relaxed. She stepped forward and gently embraced her.

Placing her hand on Ning Xuan’s silvery hair, she stroked her head softly, as if comforting a wounded squirrel:

"It’s okay. Your sister is here."

Ning Xuan, suddenly held in the embrace, trembled as if all the emotions she had been suppressing were bursting forth.

She sobbed uncontrollably, burying her face in Ning Yu’s chest.

"Finally... finally, I’ve found you, sister."

"Finally... I can... tell you."

Feeling Ning Xuan’s hot tears streaming down her neck and collarbone, Ning Yu had a fleeting desire to disappear.

So that the real "Ning Yu" could hear these words.

But that was impossible. Perhaps all she could do was give Ning Xuan what her sister had longed for.

But what did it matter? All she could do now was what she was capable of.

"Your hug is just like it was when I was little."

"So warm."

Ning Xuan clung to Ning Yu like a child, unwilling to let go. Ning Yu didn’t push her away, instead staring blankly at the dark wall, lost in thought.

After a while, Ning Xuan finally stepped back, embarrassed, and took out a tissue to wipe away the tears that had soaked Ning Yu’s clothes.

The two of them tidied up the barbecue tools before retreating to their respective rooms to rest.

...

Early morning, the sun had yet to rise, and the world was still bathed in a dim, hazy light.

But Ning Yu’s eyes snapped open. She glanced at the time—it was only 5 a.m.

An overwhelming sense of danger surged through her, jolting her awake and forcing her to sit up abruptly.

As she got out of bed, she noticed Ning Xuan was already up, her expression grave as she stared out the window. The dress she had worn the night before had transformed back into her combat outfit.

"Sister, we need to leave. Now."

Ning Yu’s heart sank. Something was terribly wrong. She activated her [High-Level Detection] skill.

[Detected: Glutton (Low-Level)]

[Location: 7 o’clock direction, approximately 2000 meters, vertical elevation difference of 220 meters]

[Detected: Butcher (Low-Level)]

[Detected: Greed (Low-Level)]

[Detected: …

The system’s notifications flooded her ears, almost drowning her in their intensity.

She had never seen so many alerts at once, forcing her to mute the system temporarily before turning it back on.

Finally, her ears were clear again.

She walked over to the window and stood beside Ning Xuan, looking out.

The city was still shrouded in a murky twilight, visibility low, but Ning Yu could still make out the scene outside. She couldn’t help but gasp.

The streets were teeming with zombies, and among them were taller, shorter, fatter, and thinner mutated zombies, trampling over the ordinary ones as they advanced.

It reminded Ning Yu of a phrase she had once heard in a horror game:

"A tide of corpses."

In all her time in this world, she had never seen so many zombies gathered in one place.

Ning Yu moved to the other side of the room and looked out that window. Another horde of zombies was surging toward them.

A thought struck her—perhaps this zombie horde was here for her.

But why? What could she possibly have that would attract so many zombies?

Or had something terrifying already set its sights on her?