Apocalypse Rebirth: Beauties Surround Me

"It's great to see you're okay!" Nicholas exclaimed, his excitement making him want to rush forward.

"Wait, you know each other?" Elijah was also surprised.

However, he remembered that Elena's classmates had mentioned her family was high-ranking in the military and had even sent a team to find her.

Given that this group also seemed to be from the military, it was quite plausible they knew Elena.

"Of course I know her. She's my sister!" Nicholas stated confidently.

However, Elena ignored him, tilted her head as she looked at Nicholas, and then said to Elijah, "I don't know him."

"Hmm?" Nicholas was stunned.

"Elena, I'm your brother, Nicholas!" Nicholas called out incredulously.

At this moment, one of Nicholas's team members noticed something was off and pulled Nicholas aside, saying, "Captain, calm down. Look at Elena's eyes!"

Nicholas looked at Elena's eyes and immediately saw they were a deep, blood-red color!

His heart sank instantly. They had dealt with zombies extensively and studied them carefully. This was unmistakably the eye of a zombie! The sudden appearance of his "sister" had made him lose his composure and overlook these crucial details.

Now, recalling everything, if she were truly his sister, why would she have remained cloaked and not revealed herself?

It was clear now that this "sister" of his was obviously a zombie.

Nicholas calmed himself and began to carefully observe his "sister" and Elijah's group. He soon became certain that this was indeed his sister. When he called out her name, Elena's reaction had implicitly confirmed it.

The key was that they had grown up together. He was sure he wouldn't mistake her.

However, his sister seemed to have turned into a zombie—retaining some intelligence but no longer recognizing him!

Memory loss?

Nicholas pieced together the clues and quickly deduced the probable truth. He also noticed the two other women had the same red eyes, indicating they were zombies too!

Nicholas had seen many zombies before—some vicious, some cunning, some treacherous—but this was the first time he encountered ones with intelligence who could coexist peacefully and converse.

This clearly wasn't due to a lack of experience on his part but related to the fact that among the four people before him, only one was a normal human!

It seemed he needed to have an open and honest discussion with them.

Nicholas took a deep breath, then straightened his posture and said to Elijah, "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Nicholas, a Colonel in the Eastern Theater."

Elijah, seeing this, introduced himself as well: "I'm Elijah, an ordinary civilian, currently the leader of the Neoville City Survivor Alliance."

Nicholas was moved by the latter title and instinctively asked, "Have the survivors of Neoville City come together? How many survivors do you have now?"

"Just under 500 people," Elijah replied casually. With the confirmation that this person was indeed Elena's brother, Elijah's attitude began to shift.

He was particularly interested in the possibility that, as a military figure, Nicholas might have access to large-scale weapons.

He wondered if he could leverage his connection to Elena to trade for some.

Even if they couldn't obtain large-scale weapons, acquiring some standard firearms, armor, and communication equipment would be beneficial.

After all, seeing how efficiently they dealt with zombies using their silenced guns was impressive!

Since there was an opportunity, Elijah wanted to manage this relationship and channel carefully. Otherwise, private dealings for firearms could pose a problem for Azure Isle in the future.

"Is that many?" Nicholas and his team were momentarily taken aback. They had encountered survivor groups before, but most were just a few or a dozen people. They had never seen one with over a hundred survivors.

Nicholas was deeply impressed and saluted Elijah respectfully. "Although I don't know how you managed it, gathering and ensuring the survival of so many survivors is truly commendable!"

Nicholas's team members also saluted Elijah in turn, which made Elijah feel somewhat embarrassed.

After the salutes, Nicholas turned his attention to Elena and said to Elijah, "Elena is indeed my sister. She was a student at Neoville City University, correct?"

Elijah nodded in silence.

"My father once sent a team with a helicopter to find her, but they never returned. Now she's a zombie, but she retains some intelligence and no memories. Can you tell me what happened?"

Hearing this, Elijah confirmed Nicholas's identity and said, "I don't know how Elena became a zombie.

When I found her, she was already a zombie with some intelligence.

I suspect it's related to her father's call and the stockpiling of supplies.

It's likely that other students envied the supplies and harmed her.

When I found her, she was seeking revenge against those students."

"As for her memories… from my experience with intelligent zombies, they only retain some of their most vivid memories. Elena seems to remember her hatred towards those who wronged her, which drives her to seek revenge."

"I see…" Nicholas's expression was complicated. It seemed that his father's good intentions might have inadvertently led to Elena's predicament.

"And those students?"

"They're all dead."

Nicholas fell silent for a moment, then asked, "As far as I know, zombies typically attack humans indiscriminately. I find it hard to believe that a zombie with intelligence can coexist peacefully with humans. How have you managed it?"

"Your view is correct, but it's related to my abilities. I'm afraid I can't disclose more."

"Abilities, you say? If Elena is separated from you, will your influence on her disappear?"

"It might, or it might not."

Elijah's ambiguous response effectively discouraged Nicholas from attempting to take his sister away. The brief exchange between them helped to ease the tension between the two parties.

Nicholas continued to inquire about Elena's behavior as a zombie. He was relieved to learn that, although she had turned into a zombie, she didn't eat people but consumed corpse cores for sustenance.

Throughout the conversation, Elena showed minimal reaction, merely acknowledging that the man was her brother and curiously observing him.

As the discussion drew to a close, Nicholas appeared resigned. Although his sister was no longer the same, at least she was living in a new form. As Nicholas was about to take his leave, Elijah's walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life.

"Elijah, I see you're engaged in conversation. What's the situation?"

Elijah took out the walkie-talkie and glanced skyward. Indeed, hovering above the warehouse they had occupied was a woman's figure—Fiona!

Elijah guessed Fiona had grown impatient and, using her telekinesis, had flown up to observe. Seeing that Elijah and Nicholas were having a friendly discussion, she used the walkie-talkie to check in.

"This place is secure; you can come over now!"

As soon as Elijah finished speaking, Fiona's figure flew down towards them!

Nicholas watched in astonishment as Elijah held the walkie-talkie, clearly amazed by what he was witnessing.