CHAPTER 1626: CHAPTER 1620: WHY COME BACK

The atmosphere was stiff. The three people kneeling were slightly better off; with their heads lowered, they didn’t need to concern themselves with much. But the soldiers standing behind them simply stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. They wanted to speak but didn’t dare, and as for leaving without permission, even with ten lifetimes’ worth of courage, they probably wouldn’t risk it.

Time stretched on for a while. Yan Jiang only now seemed to notice the situation behind him. Finally, he spoke, "Alright, stop standing there. Except for those three, everyone else—if you’re not gone by the count of three, deal with the consequences yourself."

His voice revealed no hint of emotion, yet it carried an invisible tension that made the air thick with dread!

As he spoke, he extended one arm backward, raising three fingers on his hand. One by one, the fingers lowered. Seeing this, the soldiers behind Ghost Head and the other two didn’t hesitate. Without saying a word, they turned and bolted. Ghost Head cautiously raised his head to look at Yan Jiang, thinking he might say something once the soldiers had left. But unexpectedly, Yan Jiang continued tending to his own affairs, not even sparing them a glance.

More time passed, and at last, Yan Jiang turned around, his gaze sweeping across the three of them. His eyes lingered a little longer on Brother Shi and Yong.

"Are you deserters?"

His voice rose, even and calm, yet it sent an involuntary shudder through Brother Shi and Ghost Head! The man before them had held power for so long that his presence alone carried an oppressive weight. Even though his words bore no explicit accusations, a nameless fear pressed down on them. No one could guess what such a man might be thinking. He might overlook another’s grave mistakes without a second thought—or he might decide, in the blink of an eye, to end your life without reason, only for you to thank him as you died!

"Y-Yes..." Brother Shi hesitated for a moment before tremblingly admitting it.

"When did you run?"

"During a reconnaissance mission to City Center..."

Yan Jiang’s eyes narrowed. Of course, he knew about the "Cemetery Plan." Frankly, the Cemetery Plan was like a gambler who placed just the right amount of chips on the highest multiplier. If they lost, the losses were negligible; if they won, the payout would be astronomical!

But the plan was utterly unspeakable. Those two thousand soldiers, including their officers, had been sent to the Graveyard completely unaware of their fate, where they had all perished amidst the monstrous tidal wave of undead. Brother Shi, shrewd as he was, had avoided outright admitting that they had deserted during the Cemetery Plan’s phase. If he had done so, Yan Jiang, even if inclined to spare them, would have had no choice but to kill him to bury the secret.

"How did you escape?"

Yan Jiang followed up with another question. Brother Shi took a moment to organize his thoughts and then recounted their escape in detail. Yan Jiang’s gaze fixed on him, devoid of emotion. Unlike Yong’s dazed expression, Yan Jiang’s gaze was calm to the point of suffocating, carrying an imperceptible pressure. His eyes, like stagnant water, sent chills straight through Brother Shi’s heart!

After listening to Brother Shi’s escape narrative, Yan Jiang fell into silence. He paced back and forth in front of the three, seemingly lost in thought. With every step he took, their tension ratcheted higher, their nerves strained to the breaking point.

Finally, Yan Jiang stretched out his hand, grabbed the nearby chair, and sat down heavily.

His eyes still rested on the trio. His fingers lightly tapped on the chair arm. Despite the constant noise from outside filtering in, the three could hear, with crystal clarity, the rhythmic echo of his fingers striking the chair.

"What made you decide to run?"

A little more time passed before Yan Jiang suddenly posed the question. Brother Shi froze. Yes, what had driven them to run? The earlier tension had occupied his mind so completely that he hadn’t thought about how to answer this. For a moment, he stammered and stumbled over his words.

"We... We..."

He glanced up at Yan Jiang, whose gaze rested squarely on him, patiently waiting for his answer. The indescribable pressure felt like it was suffocating him.

Drawing a deep breath, Brother Shi forced himself to stay calm and began scrambling for an answer to Yan Jiang’s pointed question.

In a flash, countless plausible explanations sprang to mind, only to be rejected one by one. This wasn’t just anyone he could deceive. Brother Shi might manage to bluff most people, but this was Yan Jiang. A Level 7 New Human. Yan Jiang probably didn’t know much about Brother Shi personally, but Brother Shi, through his elder brother, knew a great deal about Yan Jiang. Both before the Apocalypse and after it, Yan Jiang had consistently been a decision-maker, a man as shrewd as they come. One lie, and Brother Shi knew there was a high chance he would be exposed. At that point, there would truly be no way out!

"What should I do? What do I do now?"

Panic took over Brother Shi’s mind, plunging it into chaos. His eyes darted instinctively to Ghost Head, who glanced back, equally desperate. Ghost Head clearly had no answer, so how could Brother Shi possibly have one?

In his helplessness, Brother Shi suddenly thought of his brother, and his eyes lit up. He realized he had overlooked many details in his earlier panic. His brother was one of Yan Jiang’s subordinates!

Anything his brother knew, Yan Jiang likely knew as well!

Brother Shi hadn’t deserted the Graveyard Plan’s unit without reason—his brother had warned him of the approaching danger, so he had fled. The fact that he was standing before Yan Jiang now was likely because of his brother’s influence. There was a good chance Yan Jiang already suspected that his brother had tipped him off and arranged his escape.

If that were the case, there was no point in lying. But then again, was the "Cemetery Plan" something someone at his level was even allowed to touch?

The truth might yield the same fatal result!

Trapped in an endless internal conflict, Brother Shi decided he had to gamble everything on this moment!

He gritted his teeth, his expression firming with resolve, and confessed the truth about why he had deserted. The room fell silent. Ghost Head stared at him. Yan Jiang stared at him. The air around them grew increasingly suffocating.

Ghost Head’s gaze lacked menace, but Yan Jiang’s stare made Brother Shi feel as though needles were pricking his back. He could feel countless tiny goosebumps erupting across his skin as his heart grew colder and colder.

"That’s the situation... We panicked back then, so we ran..."

"Where did you go?"

"We aimed for the White Wing Base, but turned back when we reached Wangxing City."

As soon as Brother Shi answered, Yan Jiang abruptly stood up and walked to within two meters of him. His eyes swept over the trio once more before his voice rang out.

"If you made it that far, why did you come back?"

"We..."

Hearing this question, Brother Shi’s heart skipped a beat. He thought he saw a glimmer of hope. At the same time, thoughts of his brother surged forth. His brother’s death still felt surreal to Brother Shi, as if it hadn’t fully sunk in.