"What are you laughing at?"

Xiang Ru’s sharp eyes caught Yang Mu’s smile.

"I’m laughing for my own reasons. What’s it got to do with you?"

"I’ve lost two comrades! Another one’s infected with the corpse virus! Do you think this is the time to find something amusing?"

"Captain Xiang, I truly sympathize with your fallen comrades, but that’s where it ends. I didn’t know them, and they’ve done nothing for me. Do you expect me to mourn alongside you, draped in funeral garb?"

"No favors? When you were surrounded by zombie dogs, trapped, it was us who saved you."

"No, you saved those with me. Even if you hadn’t come, I could have escaped on my own."

"You... insolent fool!"

Xiang Ru’s anger was understandable. Yang Mu’s words were sharp, cutting right where it hurt most.

But Yang Mu was only speaking the truth, and the truth, as often is the case, stung. Sweet lies win hearts, but bitter truths are rarely welcome.

As Xiang Ru closed in, Yang Mu’s expression turned cold.

He wasn’t afraid of this soldier, confident in his ability to handle her in a one-on-one fight.

However, Yang Mu had no desire to engage in a fight right now. With Xiang Ru’s teammates around, he stood no chance against all of them, especially if more than two came at him.

"Captain Xiang, shouldn’t we be more focused on finding the murderer right now? I was about to share my thoughts with you."

"You know who the murderer is?"

Xiang Ru was about to strike, but Yang Mu’s words stopped her.

Finding the killer was her top priority, more pressing than anything else.

"It’s not difficult. A quick glance and it’s obvious. Seeing how confused you all are is what made me laugh. Such a simple case, and yet you’re all at a loss. Perhaps all that muscle has sapped your brains, leaving you only capable of firing guns?"

"Enough talk! If you know who did it, tell me. If you’re just spouting nonsense, I’ll knock your teeth out."

"Fierce, aren’t you? Fine, since you’re so beautiful, I’ll tell you."

There was nothing inappropriate about this comment. Complimenting a woman’s beauty wasn’t exactly flirting.

But who was Xiang Ru?

She’d been training in martial arts from a young age and joined the military in her teens. In all these years, no one had ever complimented her looks so directly.

Not because people didn’t want to, but because calling someone as formidable as her “beautiful” seemed too forward, too audacious.

Yang Mu didn’t know it, but he was the first man in Xiang Ru’s life to praise her appearance. The flattery, as it were, landed exactly where it was intended.

A slight blush crept across Xiang Ru’s face. Her anger subsided, and she took a step back, waiting for Yang Mu to continue.

"There are only a few of us here, so the murderer must be among us. Based on what you’ve all said, I estimate the victim died no more than ten minutes ago. Everyone in my room has been together during that time. No one left, and no one was asleep, so we can vouch for each other’s whereabouts. None of us had the opportunity to commit the crime. You mentioned the killer’s swift and precise methods, so a young girl couldn’t possibly be the culprit. Yelena can be ruled out for now. This leaves you, Captain Xiang, and your remaining teammates as the most likely suspects."

This was what Xiang Ru had suspected all along, but she couldn’t bear to accept such a conclusion.

Now that Yang Mu had said it aloud, she felt slightly relieved. At least it didn’t have to come from her.

"There were seven of you originally—one turned into a zombie, another is infected and tied up. One is over there, drinking from the faucet. Another is monitoring the equipment. One is sleeping on the floor, and one was leaning against the open door of the control room, also asleep. The only one left is you."

Seeing Yang Mu look at her, Xiang Ru spoke up, "I was asleep as well, on the top bunk."

"Hmm, so you were also in the control room. It seems there were quite a few people in there, though most were sleeping. Still, there should’ve been enough of you to keep an eye on each other, especially since one of you was awake, monitoring everything. If anyone had gotten up to commit the murder, surely someone would have noticed. After all, we’re talking about a Special Forces soldier here! So, it’s unlikely the killer came from your group. That leaves the dining area. Three people are there—Wang Liang and the infected individual are tied up, and the last one... the one drinking water... seems to be the most suspicious. He had the time and opportunity to commit the murder."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The man drinking water was named Li Shengdong. As everyone’s gaze fell on him, he grew visibly irritated, about to speak when Xiang Ru raised a hand to silence him. She turned to Yang Mu and asked, "You think Li Shengdong is the killer?"

"I never said he was. It just seems, at present, that he's the most likely culprit."

"Your analysis is simple, yet it makes sense. But Li Shengdong couldn't possibly be the killer—he's the victim's cousin. The two were as close as brothers."

Yang Mu nodded slightly, his tone indifferent.

"Is that so? Then the answer is crystal clear."

"What answer?"

"There is no killer."

Everyone nearly lost their minds at Yang Mu's words.

After all that analysis, and now he's saying there’s no murderer?

"What do you mean, no killer? How did this man die, then?"

Chu Hong posed the critical question.

"Exactly. All of you see someone dead and immediately rush to find a murderer. But from the looks of it, none of us could have done it. So, how did the victim die?"

Chu Hong furrowed her brow in thought. The others remained silent, but suddenly, Hu Die's eyes brightened as she spoke up.

"Are you saying... he killed himself?"

"Impossible!"

The word was practically shouted in unison by all the special forces soldiers.

Xiang Ru shook her head vehemently. "He would never commit suicide! A battle-hardened soldier, trained in countless operations—how could he take his own life?"

"In your eyes, it's unthinkable, because you knew him and can’t imagine him doing such a thing. But to me, this is clearly a suicide. None of us had the chance to commit the crime, as we just discussed. Even though his cousin had the opportunity, he lacked the motive. So why couldn't it have been suicide?"

Yang Mu approached the body, pointing at the inside of the deceased's right hand.

"There's blood on the inside of his right hand, and the blade entered his neck from the right side. It’s only natural that blood would get on his hand. You all missed the moment of his death, so after he stabbed himself, his strength waned, and his hand slipped off the dagger, which is why it remained lodged in his neck. Did you notice the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth? You thought it was from the neck wound, right? But I believe otherwise. When he drove the blade into his neck, the pain must’ve been excruciating. But being a soldier, he endured it. In fact, he bit down on his own tongue to avoid screaming."

Xiang Ru quickly pried open the dead man's mouth. The others crowded around and saw deep teeth marks on his tongue, confirming Yang Mu's deduction.

The special forces soldiers were speechless, still unable to believe their comrade would take his own life.

Yang Mu sighed.

"You can't find a reason for his suicide, and that, I think, is the reason itself."

"What do you mean by that?"

Xiang Ru's voice had softened, as she was starting to believe Yang Mu's words.

"Based on his personality and past experiences, you all think he’d never kill himself. But he did. Which means something happened to him, either before or after we were trapped, something so overwhelming it drove him to choose this silent departure, to end his own life. The reason may be horrifying, at least to him. If you want to find out why, you should check his phone or review the footage from when you entered the quarantine zone. You might find some clues."

Taking Yang Mu’s suggestion, Xiang Ru quickly retrieved the dead man’s phone and tossed it to Li Shengdong to examine. She herself headed to the command room to contact Li Xiangjun at the base, asking him to review all the surveillance footage, focusing on Fang Chen for any unusual behavior.

After about an hour of bustling activity, the phone yielded no clues, but the surveillance footage brought a breakthrough.

Li Xiangjun sent over a video clip.

It was from just after their plane crash, when one of the special forces soldiers had used a flamethrower to fend off the swarm of flying zombie birds, allowing the group to retreat.

Not long after, they entered an alley, only to be confronted by a horde of zombies. They opened fire, taking them all down.

More zombies flooded the street, forcing them to retreat deeper into the alley.

The video had been edited by Li Xiangjun, and the scene shifted to footage captured by a camera in the alley.

Fang Chen was at the rear, moving cautiously as the alley's complex terrain could conceal lurking zombies.

Suddenly, Fang Chen turned and shot down a zombie.

But after killing it, he froze.

Ahead, Xiang Ru shouted, "Hurry up, keep moving!"

Fang Chen slowly turned and followed the group.

Over the radio, Li Xiangjun’s voice sighed.

"Did you see? He thought he killed a 'zombie'. What he actually shot is revealed in the next clip."

The scene changed to footage from another camera angle.

After the seven-member team passed through the alley, a gate opened. A little girl in a pink dress, no older than ten, ran out.

Fang Chen had heard the noise, turned, and fired, killing her with a single shot to the head.

He must’ve seen her before pulling the trigger—the girl had raised her hands, clearly not a zombie, but a living child trying to signal for help.

The special forces soldiers were stunned into realization: Fang Chen had accidentally killed a little girl and, overcome with guilt, chose to end his life.

Xiang Ru stood still for a moment before sighing, "Why? Why did it have to come to this? There’s no bringing back the dead..."

Over the radio, Li Xiangjun’s sorrowful voice echoed.

"Fang Chen, male, thirty-four, member of the Battle Tiger Special Forces. He enlisted at thirteen, married at twenty in his hometown of Hanjiang City, though he rarely visited due to frequent missions. Ten years ago, his wife gave birth to a daughter, Fang Xiaoqing. Based on the girl’s appearance in the video, I identified her as Fang Xiaoqing! She grew up barely knowing her father, but last year Fang Chen took a two-month leave, and they finally got to bond. She remembered her father's face."

“Though this place isn’t Fang Chen’s home, Fang Xiaoqing must’ve fled here during the chaos. She saw you passing by from the window and recognized her father, so she ran out to meet him. But Fang Chen, hearing the noise behind him, assumed it was a zombie and turned to shoot..."

"And so, after killing his own daughter, he chose to take his life. He was an honorable man, and we will remember him."

"It’s a tragic story, and we will never forget it. Let’s hope something like this never happens again."

The room fell silent, everyone too shocked to speak.

Yang Mu, a man who had seen his share of hardships, couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow after hearing the story.

He raised his hand in a salute to Fang Chen’s lifeless body, wishing that somewhere, in some unknown realm, Fang Chen and his daughter could find peace, reunited in a life free of sorrow and pain.

Lowering his hand, Yang Mu lit a cigarette, yawned, and turned to leave.

"Chu Hong, shall we go grab some chicken...?"