Looking at the door that had been slammed shut, Mi Xiaobao leaned against the wall and slid helplessly down to the floor.
Scattered around his feet were crystal cores, flickering with a faint, eerie light in the darkness. Mi Xiaobao closed his eyes and suddenly felt terribly tired. It was not only exhaustion in his body, but also a weariness in his heart.
More than ten years ago, during that disaster, a strange torrential rain had nearly reduced Zhelang to ashes. Although Mi Xiaobao had exhausted all his strength to protect Zhelang’s body, Zhelang was still badly injured.
Later, the military began hunting down the zombies that had survived in the various districts. Mi Xiaobao took the seriously injured Zhelang and hid from place to place, fleeing for nearly three years before finally settling down in the Seventh District.
Zhelang was no longer human, so naturally he could not eat ordinary food. Seeing Zhelang grow weaker by the day, Mi Xiaobao began learning how to hunt, finding crystal cores inside the brains of other zombies and then feeding them to Zhelang.
Day after day, year after year, Zhelang’s body gradually returned to normal, but his gaze toward Mi Xiaobao also became increasingly unfamiliar. Mi Xiaobao knew that, in Zhelang’s eyes, he was no longer the baby whom Zhelang had once been willing to protect with his life. Zhelang had forgotten him.
Faced with Zhelang’s unfamiliarity and deliberate distance, whenever Mi Xiaobao felt hurt, he would tell himself that perhaps one day Zhelang would remember.
Remember who he was.
Remember all the things the two of them had once shared.
But…
He didn’t.
Zhelang left more and more often, and each time he was gone for longer periods. There were long stretches when Mi Xiaobao would not see him for several months.
Until today.
When he saw Zhelang again, Mi Xiaobao immediately noticed the smell of blood on him.
It was not the blood of a zombie.
It belonged to a human.
Zhelang had eaten a human…
This realization finally caused Mi Xiaobao to explode. He furiously got into a huge argument with Zhelang, and when he watched Zhelang leave without offering a single explanation, slamming the door behind him, Mi Xiaobao suddenly felt like crying.
Ever since that great disaster, Mi Xiaobao had not shed a single tear.
But that night, he burst into loud sobs, as though releasing all the grievances he had kept suppressed for so long.
Zhelang no longer needed him.
(Third District)
At the entrance of Qingdi Military Academy, Mi Xiaobao hid in an inconspicuous corner, watching the students laughing and making noise inside the academy. A trace of nostalgia and sadness passed through his eyes.
Deadwood, Qing Yi, Lan Qi, Feng Qingyang…
Were everyone still alive?
It had already been more than two months since he left the Seventh District. Mi Xiaobao had returned to his birthplace and visited every place he had once been familiar with.
When the disaster erupted, he had also returned home, but he had not found his father. Although he did not want to admit it, Mi Xiaobao understood that under those circumstances, with the Third District serving as the main battlefield, it would have been very difficult for his father, an ordinary civilian, to survive.
Mi Xiaobao lowered his head. Tears fell from his eyes, splashing onto the ground one drop after another.
“Uncle, what’s wrong?”
A childish voice suddenly came from nearby.
Mi Xiaobao hurriedly raised his head. Through the mist of tears in his eyes, he vaguely saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen looking at him curiously.
“Nothing.”
Mi Xiaobao hurriedly turned his back and wiped the tears from his face.
“Jinghe!”
A cold voice came from far away, carrying an oppressive authority.
“Hurry up and come over to report in!”
“I know, Brother.”
The girl called out loudly. Looking at Mi Xiaobao’s back, she thought for a moment before taking a small box of meat buns from her spatial device. She walked over and stuffed it into Mi Xiaobao’s arms.
“Uncle, don’t cry. Here’s something delicious for you.”
Mi Xiaobao lowered his head and stared at the meat buns in his hands, momentarily stunned.
“My daddy said that he once had a good friend who really liked eating these. He said eating these would make people very happy.”
Jinghe smiled at Mi Xiaobao before turning around and running toward the young man in the distance.
Watching the girl’s departing figure, Mi Xiaobao remained silent for a long time. He opened the lid of the metal food container.
Two small golden characters were embedded on the inside of the lid.
‘Xiahou.’
“Lord Deadwood…”
Darkness had already descended.
Mi Xiaobao sat cross-legged beneath a tree, quietly gazing at the brightly lit buildings not far away. That place had once been his home, but now, unfamiliar people lived inside.
Mi Xiaobao opened the food container in his hands and picked up one of the meat buns, already cold, bringing it to his lips.
The familiar taste once again blurred his eyes.
Lord Deadwood…
He was still alive.
A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around Mi Xiaobao from behind.
Mi Xiaobao was startled. He swung his palm backward, about to strike, but a cold hand firmly caught his wrist.
“You!”
Mi Xiaobao’s face was filled with anger. He was just about to start cursing, but when his eyes collided with a pair of familiar blood-red eyes, the words that had reached his mouth were abruptly forced back down his throat.
“Zhelang!”
Mi Xiaobao’s eyes widened as he stared in astonishment at the man behind him.
Seeing Mi Xiaobao’s dumbfounded expression, Zhelang lowered his head and kissed the lips he had longed for day and night.
They were just as soft and beautiful as he remembered.
Startled by Zhelang’s sudden attack, Mi Xiaobao only came back to his senses when he gradually found it difficult to breathe. He forcefully pushed against Zhelang’s body with both hands.
“Bastard! Let go of me!!”
“I won’t!”
The hoarse voice was filled with deep attachment.
Mi Xiaobao froze, his movements going rigid as Zhelang’s cold lips brushed against his ear.
“I’ll never let you go for the rest of my life.”
“You… you can talk now?”
“Baby, you’ve really gotten bolder and bolder. You actually dared to sneak away.”
“When did I sneak away? I left openly and honestly… No, wait!”
He was about to argue, but then he suddenly seemed to realize something. Mi Xiaobao stared at Zhelang’s gloomy expression in astonishment.
“You, you… you remembered who I am.”
“I never forgot!”
Mi Xiaobao’s dazed and bewildered appearance made Zhelang burn with anger. He almost wanted to tie the man to the bed and keep going until he begged for mercy.
Never forgot…
Never forgot!!!
Mi Xiaobao somehow found the strength to shove Zhelang away. He stumbled backward several steps and glared angrily at him.
“You never forgot? Then you…”
“When I first mutated, I really did forget who you were. Later, I was seriously injured by that rainstorm. When I woke up again, I already had some vague impressions. I kept working hard to absorb crystal cores until my memories were completely restored. But…”
Zhelang stepped forward until he was beside Mi Xiaobao. Helplessly, he pulled the wary and defensive Mi Xiaobao into his arms.
“I couldn’t completely control myself. I was afraid I’d hurt you, so I could only stay away from you, collect large amounts of crystal cores, and absorb their power to suppress the agitation inside my body.”
“Then now…”
“I’ve already advanced into a super-intelligent life form. I won’t hurt you anymore.”
Zhelang gently stroked Mi Xiaobao’s messy hair and smiled.
Looking at the smile on Zhelang’s face, Mi Xiaobao only felt a little creeped out.
He did not know where he had gotten the courage, but with a sharp smack, he knocked Zhelang’s hand away and slipped out of his arms.
“Baby!”
Zhelang’s face darkened, his teeth nearly gritted together.
Seeing Zhelang’s expression turn gloomy and fierce, Mi Xiaobao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He patted his chest.
“That’s more like you. That smile just now scared me to death.”
“Mi Xiaobao!!”
With an angry roar, Mi Xiaobao shuddered.
Seeing Zhelang storm toward him in fury, he thought something was wrong and immediately turned around and ran.
But before he could run even two meters, Zhelang grabbed him and lifted him back with one hand.
“What are you trying to do?!”
Mi Xiaobao stuck out his neck and snorted stubbornly.
“Do you believe that if I shout ‘Zombie!’ just once, an entire military unit will immediately come in battle spacecraft and surround you?!”
A pair of blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Mi Xiaobao’s arrogant little face.
After remaining silent for a long time, Zhelang gently pulled Mi Xiaobao into his arms.
“Do you hate me?”
Mi Xiaobao froze slightly, then snorted coldly and turned his face away.
“What could I possibly hate you for?”
“Baby, even after I became a zombie, you still refused to abandon me. Doesn’t that mean you’ve fallen a little bit in love with me too?”
“Who, who fell in love with you?!”
Mi Xiaobao’s face quickly turned bright red. One hand trembled as he pointed at Zhelang, his words becoming incoherent.
“You saved my life, and I repaid you with one of mine! Now that you’re fine, that’s perfect. Let’s go our separate ways from here on out. We have nothing to do with each other anymore!”
“Don’t even think about it!”
Zhelang frowned and shouted angrily, a fierce look surging in his eyes.
“That isn’t up to you to decide!”
Mi Xiaobao broke free from Zhelang and turned around, about to walk away.
“This isn’t the Seventh District anymore. You don’t get to decide everything here. If you don’t want to be discovered and hunted down, you’d better hurry back!”
Hmph!
You said you didn’t want anything to do with me, so you had nothing to do with me.
Then you said you wanted to be together, so suddenly we were together.
What did you think I was?
Had all the grievances I’d suffered been for nothing?
“Baby!”
Zhelang quickly caught up and tightly grabbed Mi Xiaobao’s arm.
“What?! You want to force me again?”
Mi Xiaobao shot Zhelang a sideways glance, his words filled with sarcasm.
“I like you!”
Seeing that Mi Xiaobao seemed determined to leave, Zhelang’s voice became somewhat urgent.
“I’ve fallen in love with you! I want to be with you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life!!”
Mi Xiaobao’s footsteps suddenly stopped.
He turned around and looked at Zhelang behind him, surprise written across his face.
“Baby, I know I’ve already done many things wrong, but give me a chance.”
Zhelang tightly gripped Mi Xiaobao’s shoulders with both hands. His voice was urgent, his expression solemn.
“I’ll definitely treat you well from now on! Believe me!”
Staring blankly at Zhelang’s serious yet flustered expression, Mi Xiaobao opened his mouth, wanting to speak but unable to find the words.
“Baby.”
Zhelang bent down and gazed into Mi Xiaobao’s eyes, speaking every word clearly.
“Marry me.”
“…”
Mi Xiaobao was speechless.
“I…”
He did not know how much time had passed before Mi Xiaobao finally managed to find his voice again. Somewhat awkwardly, he turned his face away, avoiding Zhelang’s gaze.
“I’m hungry.”
Mi Xiaobao rubbed his nose and spoke as calmly as he could.
Zhelang smiled.
It was a carefree, open smile Mi Xiaobao had never seen before.
It was warm and beautiful.
“Come on. Let’s go home!”
Zhelang tightly held Mi Xiaobao’s hand and turned toward the place where Mi Xiaobao had once lived.
“Hey! What are you doing!!!”
“Taking you home.”
“That isn’t my home anymore. Someone else lives there.”
“I know you like it, so I bought it.”
“…”
Mi Xiaobao was speechless.
“Baby! I love you.”
“…I know. You’re so annoying!”
His face flushed red as he turned away, deliberately complaining as though he were impatient.
“Then do you love me?”
“…”
Mi Xiaobao was silent.
“Baby?”
“…”
“Baby!!”
“Ahem! A little, I guess.”
In the darkness, the two figures walked farther and farther away together. The light fell upon their bodies, stretching two long shadows across the ground, filled with a warm and tender intimacy.
Their road together was still very, very long…