That day, Lian Qiguang’s unconsciousness truly frightened Xiahou Shaoxuan. Xiahou Shaoxuan sent Lian Qiguang to the hospital and even brought Murong Qing over from the First District. Yet no matter how they examined him, they could not find anything wrong. Apart from the normal reactions of pregnancy, all his other readings were healthier than those of ordinary espers.
Later, if Lian Qiguang had not woken up, Xiahou Shaoxuan might have gone mad and executed the entire group of quack doctors.
But from that day onward, Lian Qiguang once again began living under house arrest, never leaving the house. Every day, he did nothing but eat and sleep. In between, Lian Qiguang protested once, only to be ruthlessly suppressed by Xiahou Shaoxuan.
Later, seeing Lian Qiguang becoming increasingly listless, Xiahou Shaoxuan sent people to collect nearly every game released over the past few decades and filled an entire room with them. This finally managed to appease Lian Qiguang’s intention to go on a hunger strike.
“Awake?”
Sensing movement beside him, Xiahou Shaoxuan put down the computer in his hands, leaned over, and lightly bit Lian Qiguang on the face.
“Mm.”
Lian Qiguang murmured, slowly opening his eyes. He looked at Xiahou Shaoxuan blankly.
“Hungry?”
Amused by Lian Qiguang’s wandering little eyes, Xiahou Shaoxuan reached out, picked him up, and pulled him into his arms.
“A little.”
Lian Qiguang’s mind was blank for a long while. After finally getting his thoughts together, he habitually patted his increasingly large belly with one hand.
“Wifey.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan gave a low warning and grabbed Lian Qiguang’s mischievous hand.
“Didn’t I tell you? You’re not allowed to do that.”
“I was saying hello to them.”
Lian Qiguang pouted, somewhat aggrieved by Xiahou Shaoxuan’s anger.
“They’re still small.” Faced with Lian Qiguang’s pitiful little appearance, Xiahou Shaoxuan could only sigh helplessly. “Wait until they come out and grow up.”
“But my mother said that when I was in her belly, she took me along to fight every day.”
Thinking of that dead woman, Lian Qiguang wrinkled his nose.
Xiahou Shaoxuan was speechless, wanting to say something but ultimately saying nothing.
“Do you want to sleep a little longer while I go make you something to eat, or…”
Not wanting to remain on this heavy topic, Xiahou Shaoxuan changed the subject.
“No. I’ve slept for so long that I feel awful.”
Lian Qiguang shook his head. As his belly grew larger, it became increasingly difficult for him to lie down. Whenever he maintained the same position for a short while, his back and waist would begin to ache, leaving him extremely uncomfortable.
Xiahou Shaoxuan naturally understood Lian Qiguang’s discomfort. Seeing him unable to eat or sleep well these days also pained him. Now that he heard Lian Qiguang say this, he no longer tried to persuade him. He got out of bed and picked up Lian Qiguang’s clothes.
“Come, I’ll help you get dressed.”
Lian Qiguang and Xiahou Shaoxuan changed clothes together and washed up before walking out of the room arm in arm and heading downstairs.
“Shaoxuan, do you smell something?”
Leaning against Xiahou Shaoxuan’s arms, Lian Qiguang moved his nose and sniffed the strange odor in the air, his brows slightly furrowed. It was a very familiar smell, but it came and went, almost as though it were an illusion.
“I bought meat.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan rubbed Lian Qiguang’s hair and spoke in a deep voice. Back then, in order to let Lian Qiguang calmly recuperate and protect the pregnancy, he had specifically used military-grade metal to build this house in a completely enclosed form, cutting off all outside sounds.
Xiahou Shaoxuan helped Lian Qiguang to the dining table downstairs and sat him down before pouring him a cup of nutritional supplement for pregnant women.
“Your favorite fruit flavor. Drink this first. I’ll go prepare the food for you.”
“Okay.”
Holding the cup, Lian Qiguang swung his feet and obediently nodded. His well-behaved appearance warmed Xiahou Shaoxuan’s heart. He lowered his head and kissed the corner of Lian Qiguang’s mouth.
Lian Qiguang tilted his head and, following Xiahou Shaoxuan’s example, kissed him back on the face.
“It’ll be ready soon. Don’t eat snacks.”
After reminding Lian Qiguang, Xiahou Shaoxuan turned and walked toward the kitchen.
Lian Qiguang bit the edge of his cup and stared wide-eyed at the graffiti on the wall. This was a piece of paper he had asked Xiahou Shaoxuan to find, and the two of them had scribbled on it here and there until they produced this drawing.
At first, Lian Qiguang had thought it was ugly, but Xiahou Shaoxuan insisted that it looked good, had it framed, and hung it on the wall.
Looking at the two crooked little clown figures in the picture, Lian Qiguang grinned.
Xiahou Shaoxuan poked his head out from the kitchen. Seeing the smile on Lian Qiguang’s face, the corners of his own lips curved upward slightly.
Lian Qiguang bit his cup, and soon the entire drink was in his stomach. His previously somewhat hungry belly finally felt a little better.
Lian Qiguang craned his head toward the kitchen, wanting to see whether Xiahou Shaoxuan was finished.
Suddenly, a faint sound of impact came from outside the door, as though something were lingering outside and refusing to leave.
Lian Qiguang froze slightly. He glanced at Xiahou Shaoxuan, who was still busy in the kitchen. After thinking for a moment, he jumped down from his chair, dragged his slippers along, and walked toward the door.
As Lian Qiguang approached the entrance, that faint, intermittent strange odor in the air suddenly became clearer. The knocking outside also grew more urgent.
Lian Qiguang frowned slightly, placed his hand on the door, and opened it.
The moment the door opened, a black shadow suddenly lunged in from outside. Two hands grabbed Lian Qiguang’s shoulders as it pounced toward him.
Caught off guard, Lian Qiguang slammed hard against the wall. Before his mind could react, decades of ingrained instinct had already sent his hand chopping outward.
The sound of flesh splitting apart was accompanied by thick, foul-smelling fluid splattering across Lian Qiguang’s face.
“Wifey!”
Xiahou Shaoxuan emerged from the kitchen and immediately saw Lian Qiguang standing at the doorway—and the headless corpse hanging from his body.
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s eyes instantly went bloodshot. He flew forward, pulled Lian Qiguang back into his arms, and raised the lightning in his hand.
The headless corpse was blasted away and instantly turned to ash.
“Wifey, you—you’re hurt somewhere? Where does it hurt? Tell me…”
Xiahou Shaoxuan tightly held Lian Qiguang with one arm while nervously examining his body with the other. The usually cold and resolute face was now filled with panic.
Yet faced with Xiahou Shaoxuan’s panic, Lian Qiguang seemed not to notice at all. His black eyes remained fixed on the outside in a daze.
Seeing that Lian Qiguang did not respond, Xiahou Shaoxuan thought he had been injured. Even his arms trembled slightly as he held him.
“Wifey, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“No!”
Lian Qiguang suddenly grabbed Xiahou Shaoxuan’s arm, stopping him.
“The hospital… We can’t go.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan looked into Lian Qiguang’s vacant eyes. His heart immediately sank.
Following Lian Qiguang’s gaze, he slowly looked outside.
When he saw the situation beyond the door, he instantly sucked in a cold breath.
The city that had once been bustling and noisy was now a scene of utter devastation and tragedy.
Spacecraft and hovercraft hung suspended in the air, crashed into one another, flames blazing from their wreckage.
Buildings were damaged, filling the landscape with desolation. Occasionally, humans could be seen running past, but behind them followed hundreds of beings with rotting skin, missing limbs, and severed arms, emitting eerie, cackling roars…
Zombies.
The humans soon ran out of strength and were surrounded by groups of zombies. Their flesh was mercilessly torn apart and devoured. Their stomachs were ripped open, their internal organs spilling across the ground, only to be grabbed by the zombies and greedily swallowed.
Screams, cries of agony, and desperate wails intertwined, resembling a living hell.
Crimson blood dyed heaven and earth red.
Just like in the dreams he had once seen.
A zombie that had been gnawing on a human palm suddenly raised its head. Its pair of murky, blood-red eyes viciously locked onto Xiahou Shaoxuan and Lian Qiguang.
It let out a roar and greedily lunged toward them.
One.
Two…
More and more zombies noticed Xiahou Shaoxuan and Lian Qiguang and ran toward them.
They were densely packed, like a writhing black tide, terrifying enough to make one’s scalp crawl.
Xiahou Shaoxuan reacted first. He grabbed Lian Qiguang and pulled him inside, then slammed the door shut.
The zombies crashed against the door, emitting shrill roars as they repeatedly battered it, trying to force their way inside.
Xiahou Shaoxuan suppressed the shock in his heart. Carrying Lian Qiguang, he walked into the living room and placed him on the sofa before turning around to get some water.
When he returned to the living room, he saw Lian Qiguang’s face deathly pale, his body curled tightly into a ball.
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s heart ached terribly. He hurried to sit beside him and pulled him into his arms, carefully wiping the blood from his face.
“Don’t be afraid. Don’t be scared. I’m here…”
Feeling Lian Qiguang trembling, Xiahou Shaoxuan whispered comfortingly.
“It’s exactly the same as in my dream.”
Lian Qiguang curled up in Xiahou Shaoxuan’s arms and murmured softly.
“Wifey…”
“He really… actually did something like this.”
Lian Qiguang closed his eyes. His face, which had always shown little emotion, now could not conceal the pain within it.
“He really did it.”
“Wifey!”
As though he had suddenly thought of something, Xiahou Shaoxuan’s face became exceptionally grim.
Both hands gripped Lian Qiguang’s shoulders tightly, the force nearly crushing him.
“Does the blood of these monsters carry an infectious virus?”
Looking at the bloodstains that had not yet been completely wiped from Lian Qiguang’s face, Xiahou Shaoxuan appeared calm, but his body was trembling uncontrollably.
Lian Qiguang raised his head and stared blankly at Xiahou Shaoxuan without speaking.
“Tell me!!! Lian Qiguang!!!”
Being chilled to the bone by Lian Qiguang’s gaze, Xiahou Shaoxuan roared hoarsely. His violent madness and fury seemed as though they might devour Lian Qiguang whole.
Lian Qiguang lowered his head and answered faintly.
“Mm.”
In an instant, Xiahou Shaoxuan’s eyes turned scarlet. A violent killing aura swept in every direction, destroying the surrounding objects and furniture and leaving the room in complete disarray.
“Don’t panic.”
Sensing the madness and killing intent about to erupt from Xiahou Shaoxuan, Lian Qiguang reached out and hugged him.
“I’m not injured. None of the blood got into my eyes or mouth, so nothing will happen. Besides, I have mutated wood-type abilities, and there’s lake water in my space. The zombie virus is useless against me.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan looked like a beast on the verge of exploding. His eyes remained locked onto Lian Qiguang’s face, as though determining whether he was lying.
“Wifey!”
The blood-red color in his eyes slowly faded. Xiahou Shaoxuan abruptly embraced Lian Qiguang, the force of his movement seemingly trying to merge the two of them into one.
“Wifey, don’t even think about leaving me. Otherwise, you’ll die.”
Being held so tightly that it hurt, Lian Qiguang seemed not to notice. He gently returned the embrace and whispered,
“You have to live well.”
Not hearing the meaning behind Lian Qiguang’s words, Xiahou Shaoxuan released him and said solemnly,
“As long as you don’t die, I’ll live. I’ll live for you.”
Looking at Xiahou Shaoxuan’s resolute face, Lian Qiguang felt his chest tighten painfully, and moisture welled up in his eyes.
Lian Qiguang pushed Xiahou Shaoxuan away, concealed the tears in his eyes, and turned to walk toward the window.
Xiahou Shaoxuan followed and wrapped an arm around Lian Qiguang’s shoulders.
The two silently gazed at the planet outside, now engulfed in flames of war.
Burning flames.
Collapsed and ruined buildings.
Broken virtual advertising screens emitting the harsh sounds of crackle, crackle.
Humans running for their lives.
Zombies hunting them down.
A person was bitten, then mutated, beginning to attack the people around him.
A little girl who had fallen to the ground was mercilessly trampled beneath people’s feet, letting out terrified cries.
The zombies caught up.
One bit down on the girl’s arm. The blood attracted the other zombies, who tore into and shared the prey.
The peace that had once existed had already collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Darkness and hell had returned once again.
Watching all of this, Lian Qiguang remained silent for a long time before calmly speaking.
“Do you see it? This is my world.”