Read Novel Full Chapter 415: Apple
Chapter 415: Chapter 415: Apple
The chemical structure was complex, unstable, and unprecedented. Still, Jay knew this wasn’t a perfect result.
The data wasn’t ideal yet. The apple might need further maturation, or there could be variations they hadn’t accounted for.
But even so, hope, real hope, had finally appeared.
That alone was enough to make their hearts race with excitement. It was honestly astonishing that an antidote could even begin to take shape within just eight months of the apocalypse.
’We’re not completely helpless anymore,’ Jay thought as hope quietly bloomed in his chest.
After finishing his work, Jay returned to where Ivy’s family was staying.
Since he intended to marry Ember, he had already begun living with her, even though he had never openly mentioned marriage to anyone else.
The Nightbane family treated him kindly, repeatedly reassuring him that it was perfectly fine.
In truth, the idea of not getting married right away had been Jay’s from the beginning. Ember herself didn’t fully understand why he insisted on such a condition, but she had agreed after Ivy assured her gently, "It’s for your own good."
Long before Jay officially joined the research department, he had requested a private meeting with Ivy.
When Ivy arrived and sat across from him, Jay spoke calmly, though his posture was stiff with tension.
"I’m not ready to marry Ember immediately," he said without hesitation. "You’re extremely protective of your family, and you practically control half the base. If I ever hid anything from you, you’d see me as a threat. So I am informing you in advance that I can’t get married right now."
He paused, then admitted quietly, "I might be overthinking."
Ivy had already seen his true nature in her previous life. She knew how genuine he was. So instead of questioning him, she simply nodded.
"Alright."
Jay froze. "That’s it?"
Ivy smiled faintly. "I trust you."
That single word filled Jay with a strange confidence, a quiet pride that settled deep in his heart. His respect for Ivy only grew. Still, he explained further.
"I want to marry Ember later because I need my own standing," he said honestly. "Even if it’s just half... even one-tenth of what others have. I want to make an antidote, even reaching the 1/100th part would put my name in history. I want my name to mean something. When that happens, my wife will be respected too. That’s why I want to wait."
Ivy frowned slightly. "What if it takes years for you to achieve that?"
Jay’s expression hardened with resolve. "If I don’t produce any meaningful research results within six months, I’ll marry Ember regardless."
Ivy finally let out a relieved sigh. "Good. At least you know what you’re doing."
She understood him perfectly. Before the apocalypse, Ember had been wealthy, and she had fought fiercely against her parents to be with Jay.
Back then, Jay hadn’t been able to offer much. After the apocalypse, his family gained the upper hand, only to later break their promises, causing endless hardship. Jay didn’t want Ember to suffer again because of him.
Hearing his resolve, Ivy felt genuinely moved. ’My sister’s future is secure,’ she thought. From that point on, Ivy convinced the others, and no one questioned Jay’s intentions again.
This time, Jay returned because he wanted to share his achievements. He walked down the quiet corridor and stopped outside Ember’s door.
Just as he raised his hand to knock, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. The world spun violently.
The next second, he collapsed.
Inside the room, Ember was lounging on her bed when the loud thud startled her. She rushed out immediately.
"Jay?"
Seeing him lying on the floor, her heart clenched. She knelt beside him and patted his cheeks anxiously. "What happened? Wake up!"
Her hand brushed his forehead, and fear surged instantly. ’He’s burning up.’
Panicking, Ember dragged him into her room and laid him on the bed. She quickly fetched fever-reducing medicine, the kind Ivy had stocked for all family members thanks to her powers. Carefully, she helped Jay swallow it.
But the fever didn’t subside.
Ember’s worry deepened. As she hovered near him, she noticed something else. Dark blotches were spreading across Jay’s hand. Her breath hitched.
Instead of screaming or running, she forced herself to stay calm. She stepped closer and gently lifted his eyelids.
Suddenly, Jay’s eyes snapped open.
They were empty. Emotionless.
The moment he looked at Ember, her spine went cold. There was a terrifying hunger in his gaze, a raw desire that made her feel like prey.
Jay himself was horrified. He knew Ember. He loved her. He was completely human. Yet an uncontrollable urge surged through him, screaming at him to bite her.
’If I eat her... I’ll feel better,’ a foreign thought whispered in his mind.
Fear exploded in his chest. He recoiled instinctively, backing away.
Ember reached out. "Jay... "
He lifted his hand sharply, stopping her. He shook his head again and again, terror flooding his thoughts.
’The apple... I touched it. Did it infect me?’
He wasn’t wrong. The apple had indeed affected him. A mutated version of the zombie virus now coursed through his body.
Ember stepped closer anyway, her voice steady despite her fear. "It’s okay. I’m here."
Jay took a long moment, then nodded faintly.
Ember stared at him in disbelief. "You’re conscious. Could it be... are you still a human?"
Jay looked away and shook his head sadly. ’If I wasn’t affected, I wouldn’t feel this hunger at all.’
"It’s strange," Ember murmured, studying him carefully. "Other than those blotches, you look completely fine."
Jay turned toward the mirror nearby. His reflection stared back at him... normal. No decay. No transformation.
"How is this possible?" he whispered.
Then he spoke aloud, cautiously, "Ember... Can you understand me?"
She looked at him like he’d lost his mind. "Of course I can."
Relief crashed over him. His shoulders sagged. "Then... maybe this is a reaction from the apple I touched."
The word "apple" instantly caught Ember’s attention. Her eyes widened.
"The apple?" she echoed sharply. "What apple are you talking about?"