Embers of the Star-Eater

For three years, the Star-Erosion Virus ravaged Yuzhou, reducing the city to ruins. Lin Yan, a former biological researcher, searches for his missing sister, Lin Xi, while working on a cure. In the ruins, he meets Lu Chen, a former special forces soldier who has not been infected by the "Rapid Mutants," and the two join forces. Later, they rescue Chen Lan and her daughter, Duoduo, and head for the Ark Base. But they discover that Dr. Zhou covets the research data and intends to control the virus, forcing all four to flee.

Following the notes Lin Xi left behind, they learn that the key to the cure, the "Star Core," is hidden on the top floor of Yuzhou Tower, guarded by the Mother Infected. They risk infiltrating the tower and seize the Star Core, then develop a cure on the grasslands. Though they temporarily evade Dr. Zhou's pursuers, the Mother Infected in Yuzhou Tower has quietly awakened, and an even greater crisis is brewing.