Ye Chen eyed the figure suspiciously. "A zombie? Could you be..."

"He's the Zombie King—Lin Feng! Run!" I shouted to Ye Chen.

Lin Feng's dull, crimson eyes—vacant and stupid—flickered. They swept past me and Ling Ling, locking onto Ye Chen. His mangled mouth struggled to form words. "Eat... eat! I want to eat!"

Lin Feng vanished from his spot. He reappeared behind Ye Chen, lunging to bite. Ye Chen dodged. Lin Feng came up empty. Instantly, Ye Chen unleashed his Prismatic Domain. Within its shimmering boundaries, Ye Chen and Lin Feng clashed.

"Damn it! I can't predict his attack patterns!" Ye Chen clicked his tongue. "Zombies really do attack on pure instinct." Honestly, the Prismatic Domain countered by reading an opponent's thoughts. But zombies? They had only one thought—devour you. No brain needed. Just mindlessly chomping!

"Chaos Magic is useless against him too! You're seriously my kryptonite!" Ye Chen groaned. Chaos Magic only worked on elemental attacks. Zombies relied on brute force!

"No choice! Ling Ling, take Lin Ye and go! I'll hold him off!" Ye Chen yelled.

Ling Ling stared at Ye Chen. She knew she'd only be a hindrance here. Gritting her teeth, she hoisted Lin Ye onto her back and fled using Wind Magic.

But after flying only a short distance, seven or eight zombies surrounded them. They wore the uniforms of academy headmasters.

"How is this possible? Even they..." I gasped alongside Ling Ling.

"Lin Feng's Malevolent Aura must be so potent it reanimated their corpses!" I explained to my sister.

My sister didn't utter a word. Silently, she set me down. She stroked my head, her voice soft and tender. "Yeer! Run that way! Don't look back! Let them have me instead. You must live well, Yeer. Understand?"

As she spoke, tears filled Ling Ling's eyes. Her face was etched with infinite sorrow.

She stood up and walked toward the zombies. Watching her, my mind shattered. Ignoring the pain tearing through my body, I screamed after her: "No! My sister!"

At that moment, my mind flickered like an old TV screen.

*Elementary school. My sister spoke to her little brother: "Xiao Di! I want ice cream! Buy it for me!"*

*"Xiao Di! My room's a mess!"*

*"Xiao Di! I'm thirsty!"*

*"Xiao Di! Sing for me!"*

*His only reply was always: "Okay!" It seemed like the sister leaned on the brother. But didn't the brother lean on her too? He was searching for his worth, craving a family's love.*

*Middle school. Bullied relentlessly, the brother felt his sister walk past him again and again, as if she didn't know him. His heart turned cold. Then a woman named Yang Qianlan pulled him from despair. But his confession failed, plunging him into deeper darkness.*

*Then, his sister changed. She became fiercely protective, shielding him like a mother hen every single day. Lin Ye's heart ignited anew. With another person's arrival, he regained friendship, becoming almost normal. But he no longer believed in love.*

*High school. His sister's brother complex escalated wildly. She graduated from doting to full-blown 'yandere', her obsession intensifying. Yet, even then, the brother couldn't—dared not—reject the only family he had left in this world.*

Watching Ling Ling walk toward the zombies, Lin Ye's heart felt like it would explode. His mind screamed...

*No! Don't! You can't! Sister can't die! I don't care what happens to me!*

*She's my only family! A world without her... I can't even imagine it!*

*How do I save her? Power! Only power! If I become strong enough, she won't die!*

*Anyone! Give me power! I'll give up anything! Please! Give me power!*

Unnoticed by me, my eyes slowly turned dark gold. Suddenly, I stood in a place surrounded by towering golden pillars. Above, a sun appeared—or rather, a phantom golden eye. I felt no surprise. My heart was consumed by darkness. These wonders meant nothing. Nothing mattered anymore.

The eye boomed with authority: "New Master! Do you desire power?"

Without hesitation, the word tore from my lips: "Yes!"

Far away, locked in combat with Lin Feng, Ye Chen sensed something. He glanced toward Lin Ye's direction, murmuring, "So he's the Sacred Eye... There's hope after all!" Lin Feng swiped at him again. Ye Chen dodged. "You old monster!" he taunted Lin Feng. "Your nemesis has arrived!"

Back with Lin Ye, the eye regarded him. "Master! Your current strength cannot wield my power. Using it would cripple your body. Are you certain?"

"Enough talk! I don't care what happens to me! Give me the power now!" I snapped impatiently at the eye.

"Understood, Master! For this situation, my Third Form will suffice to annihilate these zombies. And know this—I am the Sacred Eye."

"Thank you! Begin!" I replied, a flicker of hope finally warming my voice.

"My Third Form grants mastery over Holy Magic and Holy Qi. This Holy Qi is the ultimate bane of zombies. But Master, your body can only endure two uses. A third would be fatal," the Sacred Eye warned.

"Why is my body healed?" I asked.

"Holy Qi restores life force. And know this—no other eye in this world can emit Holy Qi like I can," the Sacred Eye declared, pride evident in its tone.

Without another thought, I placed myself between Ling Ling and the encroaching zombies. Ling Ling stared at me, stunned. "Yeer! Why? I told you to run! Why come back?"

Seeing my sister, trapped yet still thinking only of me, I looked at her with tender resolve. "Sister... my world has no meaning without you."