In the days that followed, Gene lived under constant dread.
The two zombies never attacked, never spoke. But each night, without fail, they appeared—always at a distance, always following.
He tried shouting, hurling rocks, even fumbling with the talisman Ji Lianyu had given him. Useless. They remained, patient as shadows, reeking of rot.
Because of them, Gene dared not approach villages or travelers. Who would welcome a man trailed by walking corpses?
So he kept to empty paths, hiding in wild ravines, sleeping in defensible spots, watching the horizon for both beasts and men.
Food ran out. He scavenged bitter fruits and dug roots, set crude snares that rarely caught anything. His face grew gaunt, his steps heavy.
One day, fortune struck: he found several wild bird eggs. Overjoyed, he tucked them close, planning to roast them. While gathering wood, his eye caught something—
A scrap of neatly cut paper. Embossed with Cloudsun City's mark.
Hao Lan's group! They must have passed this way!
For a moment, hope surged. If he hurried, maybe he could catch them.
Then cold reason struck. What good would it do? With zombies dogging his steps, he'd bring only fear and danger. And Feng Tianyu's bounty—was it truly aimed at him alone? Or at all his companions?
He sighed, pocketed the eggs, and chose solitude again.
But fate was not done. That very night, as the zombies emerged, a new sound thundered from the north: galloping hooves.