I am the Zombie King of the Apocalyptic World
Chapter 1025 - 1022: A Song

Chapter 1025: Chapter 1022: A Song

The more he looked, the deeper Yaztec sank into them. He knew when he met Telos that the other was a very famous and top-notch photographer before the Apocalypse, but Yaztec didn’t know Telos’s works because, before the Apocalypse, he had no understanding of the photography industry at all—he was just a high-level gamer addicted to games at home.

His interest in photography stemmed from the images he dreamed of at night. Yet, seeing Telos’s works, he found many were previously seen as desktop wallpapers on smartphones and computers, or as background images for some copy before the Apocalypse.

These things were common, but it was only when he saw them with his own eyes in Telos’s collection that he genuinely felt what shock was.

Having followed Telos for a considerable time now, Yaztec’s photography skills had significantly improved. Yet, upon seeing his works, Yaztec couldn’t help but wonder what was in Telos’s mind that allowed him to transform such simple scenes into something so beautifully profound.

Each of his works used no filters, no special effects, and no staged shots to create a sense of beauty. It felt natural, silky smooth—capturing the most beautiful scenery in an ordinary moment, delighting the eye.

Not only did his ears capture the zombies on lower floors getting closer to his own, Yaztec also knew he didn’t have much time. He couldn’t waste it, yet Telos’s works were so addictive, like finding a novel that perfectly suits one’s taste in a limited time. The plot intense, thrilling, yet there’s no time to read more. Instead, he had to absorb the gist as quickly as possible and savor it later when time allowed.

Yaztec flipped through the pages quickly, giving only a glance at each piece, yet each glance left him mesmerized. He wished he could immediately go to the safest place and patiently let every detail of Telos’s works sink into his mind.

The album appeared thick at first glance, and Telos’s works were plentiful, but truly looking through them, Yaztec found he was viewing them faster than he expected, or perhaps Telos’s works were too few, like a wonderful tune that’s incredibly catchy yet sadly too short.

Over time, it turned into a regret for some people.

Unconsciously, Yaztec came to the penultimate page of Telos’s portfolio. When he turned to the last page, his eyes suddenly became fixed—each previous piece had stunned him, but the final one, even in these most critical moments, compelled him to carve out some time to linger on this piece.

The protagonists of this photograph were a brother and sister, set what seemed to be a city, but given the distant signage and the siblings’ features, this was likely a city in China.

This city wasn’t bustling, lacking the high-rise buildings of twenty or thirty floors often found in international cities, nor crowded streets packed with people. Everything appeared slow, likely a fourth or even fifth-tier small city in China.

The captured city had just experienced a heavy downpour and stopped briefly. Surrounding pedestrians sheltered under colorful umbrellas, and the roads were submerged in rainwater. The sky was overcast, devoid of rainbows, yet the city seemed so fresh. The residential area in the background loomed in post-rain haziness, giving Yaztec a different sensation.

It was the same feeling, so beautiful. The scene had no sunlight, no rainbow, but Yaztec felt as if invisible sunlight and rainbows were everywhere within the artwork. That sensation of moisture seemed to leap towards Yaztec’s nose, transcending time and dimensions.

In the painting, a brother and sister were riding on an electric scooter. The brother appeared to be about twenty years old, and the sister seemed to be in elementary school, around eleven or twelve years old. The brother had a crazed smile on his face. They were moving fast, the electric scooter sailing through the waterlogged streets as if it were a boat. The brother stretched one foot into the water, feeling the strange sensation of the wave sliding under his footboard, the splash created by the wheels, and the water flicked by his foot wildly splashing over his sister sitting behind him.

The sister, while slapping her brother’s back, also tried to stretch her feet into the water to retaliate, but her legs were too short to reach, leaving her to just angrily pound him with her hands.

All of this was so ordinary, blending perfectly with the surrounding environment, each enhancing the other.

There was not much spectacle, nor the stunning quality of the previous works. Telos had used a very plain approach, looking as if it was taken casually, but it was this that gave Yaztec a more wonderful feeling.

It even made Yaztec feel that if Telos’s collection were missing such a piece, no matter how splendid and shocking the previous works were, they would feel incomplete. It was this particular piece that provided a soul to all the previous works!

It truly was like a song, uniquely beautiful from the moment the prelude sounded, irresistibly captivating at the start, then thrilling to a climax that made one’s scalp tingle, before it softened, losing the previous buildup, and simply fading away quietly, almost inadvertently drifting into the distance.

When you realize that the time left with this song is growing short, and you try hard to grasp it, you feel helpless and unable to hold on. The tune slowly, then again, gradually lowers further, and then, it reaches the end.

Closing the collection, Yaztec simply felt a deep melancholy, as if after watching the most thrilling movie, yet after it ended, his heart was full of endless longing for the protagonist.

Hearing the zombies starting to approach his floor below, Yaztec knew it was time to leave.

At the window, Yaztec looked down and saw Telos’s body lying motionless. A flash of sadness crossed his eyes, quickly transforming into determination. Gazing at Telos’s body, Yaztec said, "Master, rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I will protect everything you’ve left me. I will cherish it, and I believe I can become an outstanding photographer like you."

Having said these words, Yaztec felt somewhat better inside, as if the oppression had lifted, and he began preparations for his escape.

A few minutes passed, and suddenly, a zombie clad in silver armor was thrown out by something. Then Yaztec stepped on the body of the silver-armored zombie and jumped out the window, ignoring the pain from its iron-like silvery skin scratching his shoulder. He exerted all his strength running towards a deserted Reaper battle tank not far away.