Is this what a zombie is?

2. Time is life

Time is life, and for Jiang Chen at this moment, this statement is the truth.

He has to race against time; only by winning the race can he have a chance to survive.

To save time, he had to spend money and book the fastest flight to his destination.

What Jiang Chen didn't expect was that the intense feeling of weightlessness and the pressure changes in the cabin during takeoff almost crushed his body.

"Buzzing—"

The ringing in his ears continued, and then, the world before his eyes was stripped of all its paint.

The bright red seatbelt indicator lights, the brightly colored clothing worn by the passenger next to me, the warm yellow overhead lights in the cabin...

Everything faded and was stripped away in an instant.

Those vibrant colors completely disappeared from his perception, leaving only monotonous and simple black and white.

A world composed of light, shadow, and grayscale made Jiang Chen feel unfamiliar and filled with unprecedented fear.

His senses are deteriorating, and his perception is disappearing.

"Sir, are you alright, sir... sir..."

Jiang Chen saw a flight attendant bending over, looking at him with concern. Her lips moved for a long time, but Jiang Chen could not hear her voice. All he could hear was a buzzing in his ears.

Fortunately, this situation did not last.

"Sir, do you need help? May I contact the flight crew for medical assistance?"

Medical assistance!

These four words acted like a shot of adrenaline, instantly bringing Jiang Chen back to his senses.

Once a patient is considered critically ill, whether the plane turns back now or is forcibly sent to a hospital after landing.

There will only be one outcome: his plan to find the Resurrection Incense will be completely ruined.

He only had three days left, no, now he probably doesn't even have three days left.

He absolutely could not let any unexpected event disrupt his plans.

"No, thank you, I'm fine."

He strained his stiff facial muscles to force a reassuring smile, trying to calm the flight attendant in front of him.

"This is my first time flying. I'm a little airsick, and I also have low blood sugar. I'll be fine after a while."

To increase credibility, Jiang Chen also produced his student ID.

"Trust me, I'm a medical student, I can take care of myself."

My identity as a medical student definitely proved useful.

The flight attendant's guard relaxed a little. After receiving Jiang Chen's clear refusal, she didn't want to delay the entire flight because of one person.

"Okay, sir. Please feel free to press the call button if you feel unwell."

She straightened up, but it was clear that she had already made him her primary focus.

"I'll bring you an airplane meal and motion sickness medication right away."

"Thanks."

The flight attendant quickly brought over a hot in-flight meal and water. But Jiang Chen just put it aside and didn't touch it.

Three days ago, his digestive system went on strike, and he couldn't swallow normal food at all.

Fortunately, he did not grow fangs, nor did he develop a thirst for blood.

This can be considered a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

But what about the future? It's hard to say.

During the several hours of smooth flight, Jiang Chen forced himself to adjust to this black-and-white world.

At first, he felt fear and rejection, but gradually, he discovered something different.

In this colorless vision, he could see faint, smoky gray gas clinging to some of the passengers.

Some people have absolutely nothing on them, as clean as a blank sheet of paper.

Some people have a few wisps of hair floating on them.

What is this?

At this moment, Jiang Chen was still unaware of what these gray gases represented, nor did he have the inclination to study them.

Late at night, the flight finally landed.

After several transfers, he finally arrived at his destination close to midnight.

Before us stands a three-story villa that has been abandoned for many years.

The old house was swallowed up by overgrown weeds and withered vines, and the dark windows, like empty eye sockets, exuded a sinister and eerie atmosphere under the moonlight.

The letter said that we must enter at midnight.

He glanced at his phone; it was 11:23.

He didn't have much time left, but a difficult problem was troubling him.

How do I get in?

The rusty iron gate was firmly locked, and the wall, though not high, was fitted with barbed iron railings.

The only good news is that this lonely old house doesn't have any security cameras installed.

Jiang Chen gritted his teeth; in the current situation, he had no choice.

If he were in good health, it wouldn't be difficult for him to climb over the wall, but unfortunately he isn't.

His limbs were stiff and sluggish, and he was also weak and powerless.

He's currently only holding on by sheer willpower and the will to live.

He now desperately wants to know how zombies harness resentment for power; he urgently needs to learn this skill.

After finally managing to climb into the yard, he felt like he was about to fall apart.

Pushing open the slightly ajar front door, everything inside was covered in a thick layer of dust, along with some discarded furniture that hadn't been moved.

The most eye-catching thing is the huge hanging clock on the wall in the center of the hall.

The pendulum continued to swing slowly from side to side, making a dull, tinkling sound.

Perhaps it hadn't been wound up in a long time, because the time was completely off; it was only 10:34, but it was at least an hour late.

Time isn't the point; the point is, where is the Resurrection Incense?

Jiang Chen began searching the room. Now, with his eyes only able to see black, white, and gray, the darkness was no obstacle; every detail in the room was crystal clear to him.

While searching, Jiang Chen also kept track of the time.

The letter specifically instructed that I must arrive before midnight, so something is bound to happen when midnight arrives.

As he watched the time slowly tick away on his phone screen, Jiang Chen felt a complex mix of emotions.

More than anything, I felt uneasy, and a little bit of anticipation.

This reminded him of a line from a Spring Festival Gala skit from a certain year.

I'm afraid it won't come, but I'm also afraid it will cause trouble.

Amidst the conflicting emotions of fear and anticipation, time skipped a beat.

00:00

A new day has begun!

Ta-da!

Ta-da!

Ta-da!

……

The crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

It sounded like marbles bouncing on the floor. Jiang Chen was often bothered by this sound when he was a child.

I later learned that this was just a normal phenomenon caused by thermal expansion and contraction within the building structure and stress on the materials, which is essentially aging.

However, Jiang Chen still liked it quite a bit. To put it in person, it was as if the house was breathing.

I used to think that this would make us feel closer, but now I think that being too close isn't necessarily a good thing.

Because Jiang Chen heard breathing sounds between the marbles.

The sound of a person breathing.

That kind of life-threatening, weak, rapid breathing.

With more air intake than exhaust, it's nothing more than a dying candle struggling in the wind.

Is someone in this house?

The moment the thought crossed Jiang Chen's mind, a chill ran down his spine.

wrong.

His hearing was already severely impaired, so how could he possibly hear such a faint sound?