Han Fei calmly examined the zombie dogs. Only the sweat slowly gathering on his forehead betrayed how tense he truly was. Their current situation was extremely dangerous. The zombie dogs were split into two directions, if they didn’t strike first and just waited until the dogs closed in and pounced all at once, the consequences would be unimaginable. But if they attacked first, Qi Yue only had a gun to defend himself, and that would be dangerous too. Han Fei hesitated, unable to rush in recklessly.
The zombie dogs saw the two of them standing still, and crept closer, gradually surrounding them. The one in the middle, the pregnant zombie dog, had blood-red eyes, an unusually robust body, and sharp fangs bared outside its mouth, looking terrifying. This one was a level-three zombie dog; the other dogs around it were all level one.
Qi Yue secretly loosened his fingers. His palm, gripping the gun, was soaked with sweat. He could clearly hear his own violent heartbeat inside his chest. The two of them pressed close together, staring at the crisis before them. Qi Yue made the slightest movement, and it immediately triggered a round of low growls from the zombie dogs.
“I’ll draw off the one in the middle. Be careful of the others,” Han Fei said in a low, solemn voice. He didn’t dare think of the consequences, and they had no time, nor any other options.
“Okay.”
Han Fei lifted his head and looked deeply at Qi Yue. Qi Yue’s obedient, well-behaved expression made him feel reluctant to leave. Then Han Fei turned toward the approaching zombie dogs and counted softly, “One, two… three.”
On “three,” he dashed forward, sending a spatial blade toward the level-three zombie dog, rolled across the ground, and fired several shots, successfully drawing the dog’s attention entirely onto himself.
The zombie dog dodged the spatial blade but was hit by the bullets that followed. It barked angrily—“woof! woof! woof!”—becoming even more ferocious.
Seeing Han Fei take action, Qi Yue also fired a shot and killed the dog closest to him. Three remained, one in front, one to the right within his line of sight, and one behind him, unseen.
The daytime heat was already oppressive, but Qi Yue felt himself growing even hotter. Sweat dripped from his forehead, rolled down his cheek to his neck, and soaked into his collar. His heartbeat pounded harder and harder. One man and three dogs stared each other down, neither side daring to make the first move.
Han Fei, watching anxiously from the other side, kept attacking the level-three zombie dog relentlessly. A fire bullet he flicked from his fingertips was dodged again, the dog leapt aside and the bullet hit a nearby tree, igniting it.
This pregnant zombie dog was one level higher than Han Fei. It could use its spiritual abilities to predict the direction of his attacks, completely suppressing his abilities.
He couldn’t escape; he couldn’t shake it off. The pregnant dog clung to Han Fei, keeping him from going to Qi Yue’s side. Every time he tried to move toward Qi Yue, it attacked. But when he attacked first, it darted left and right to avoid him. Han Fei’s frustration grew.
A drop of sweat landed on the ground with a small pat. As if receiving a signal, the three dogs confronting Qi Yue suddenly attacked at once, lunging forward.
Bang! Bang!
Qi Yue quickly shot and killed the ones in front and on the right. The one behind gave him no time to turn around…
Qi Yue could even feel the rush of air caused by the dog lunging toward him, brushing past his ear.
Han Fei saw this scene and froze in horror, his eyes reddened, his heart twisting painfully as if crushing his organs, making it hard to breathe—
A gunshot rang out.
It wasn’t from Qi Yue, his gun was fitted with a silencer.
Thump—the sound of a heavy body hitting the ground.
Awooo—a dying howl, coming from the zombie dog behind Qi Yue.
Realizing the danger had passed, Qi Yue collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. It took him a while to calm down enough to turn and look. The dog behind him was already on the ground, struggling faintly. A bullet, he didn’t know from where, had pierced its throat. Qi Yue shot it once more to finish it completely.
There was no time to search for the shooter. He quickly turned back to look for Han Fei, there was still a level-three zombie dog over there. Whoever shot that bullet, whether friend or enemy, it had saved his life. At least for now, they were not an enemy.
Han Fei’s heart finally settled when he saw Qi Yue was safe. He refocused entirely on fighting the zombie dog.
The pregnant zombie dog saw its companions all die and went completely berserk. Abandoning Han Fei, it turned and charged toward Qi Yue.
Level-three mutants already had rudimentary intelligence and could use abilities. This dog spat a series of ice spikes, firing them rapidly at Qi Yue.
Qi Yue rolled behind a large tree for cover. D*mn it! That dead mother dog! Why is it targeting me now?!
While the dog rushed toward Qi Yue, Han Fei again sent out a spatial blade. The dog dodged the attack with another agile roll but just as it landed, a sudden gust of compressed air shot out from the shadows and slammed directly into its belly.
Pfft!
The blast split open its abdomen. Inside, the fully formed zombie puppies writhed, grotesque lumps of decaying flesh, black and red mixed together.
Gag—gag—
Qi Yue bent over and vomited violently.
D*mn! I’m such an idiot! Regaining his senses, Qi Yue cursed himself. Why didn’t he remember to retreat into the small kitchen? He had leveled up! He used to be unable to enter it, but now he could. And he had forgotten. Self-inflicted suffering!
Han Fei walked over and cast a burst of flame, burning the half-formed zombie puppies to ash.
A figure appeared beneath the tree ahead, the person who had helped them.
The sunlight behind the figure was harsh, making it hard to see his face. Qi Yue squinted at him and suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of emotion bursting from his chest.
It was him.
Lin Yuze.
He had finally found him again.
Qi Yue’s eyes grew wet. Through countless dark days and nights, only when he thought of Lin Yuze did he feel warmth, did he feel that someone still cared for him. That silent, wordless devotion had been his warmth in the darkness. Through so many cycles of rebirth, he had gone to L Base several times trying to find him, but Lin Yuze had always been nowhere to be seen.
Qi Yue quickly turned away, blinking back his tears. When he turned back again, he faced the newcomer with a bright smile. “Lin Yuze, I finally found you!”
Han Fei watched Qi Yue’s reaction with displeasure, squinting dangerously. He followed Qi Yue’s gaze to the silhouette beneath the tree.
The figure was over 1.8 meters tall, slender, dressed in black pants and a cool-toned shirt. His brows were lightly furrowed, his thin lips pressed together, his delicate features carrying a quiet, chilly aloofness. Backlit by the sun, he looked young. Light brown hair, messy bangs falling forward. When he lifted his head, the sunlight glinted off a red diamond earring in his ear.
Han Fei stared. Qi Yue’s attitude toward this man was definitely unusual. Who was he?
Lin Yuze, nineteen, a sophomore in university, born in Songyuan City. His parents worked abroad; he grew up with his grandmother. He had childhood autism, rarely spoke, interacted little until martial arts training gradually improved his condition. When the apocalypse broke out, he was attending university far from Songyuan. Through broadcasts, he learned that the military had rescued some survivors possibly including his grandmother to L Base. So he was on his way there to look for her.
He was a dual-ability user: air manipulation and sensory perception, currently mid-level two. His spiritual abilities allowed him to sense the emotions of nearby living beings. He had traveled with several teams but eventually chose to journey alone, he disliked interacting with people, and after gaining the ability to sense emotions, he liked it even less.
The beautiful man in front of him who somehow knew his name had fair skin, rosy lips, narrow peach blossom eyes full of emotion, now misted over. His appearance was stunning, how did he know Lin Yuze’s name?
Then he glanced at Han Fei: sharp features, strikingly handsome, appearing carefree on the surface, but with dangerous glints in his eyes. Both men were exceptional.
Lin Yuze had been driving by coincidentally. He had planned to take a rural detour around the city—longer, but safer. As he turned onto the small road, he sensed abnormal fluctuations, emanating from the frozen storage facility ahead. Then he saw a few vehicles leaving the facility toward the same detour he intended to take. He originally planned to follow them and leave, but for some reason, a strong emotion surged within him, compelling him to check the area.
Who was the man who called his name?
He could sense the man’s overwhelming joy at seeing him, why?
Lin Yuze fell into thought, fatigue and practiced aloofness in his expression.
“Thanks.” Han Fei broke the silence.
Lin Yuze tucked his gun back into his coat, it was something he’d retrieved from a police officer’s corpse. He walked over slowly.
Qi Yue, still excited, hadn’t expected to meet Lin Yuze even before reaching L Base. In his previous life, he had owed Lin Yuze. This time, he would repay him. This time, he would take care of him, never mind whether he had the ability to do so.
Qi Yue rushed forward and grabbed Lin Yuze’s hand. “Where are you going? Let’s go together!”
Han Fei’s face darkened. Seeing Qi Yue so enthusiastic made him feel the situation had turned unfavorable for him. He yanked Qi Yue back into his arms, glaring provocatively at Lin Yuze. D*mn it. Where did this brat come from? Still wet behind the ears and trying to steal Qi Yue from him?
Lin Yuze raised a brow.
What’s going on here?
Their relationship seemed… questionable.
With his ability, he sensed completely opposite emotions from the two men:
The beautiful one was genuinely delighted to see him. His joy even made Lin Yuze feel oddly pleasant.
The other one… that older man… was furious at seeing him. Strangely, that also made Lin Yuze feel even better.
How interesting.
Traveling with them might not be boring.
Han Fei assumed the aloof young man would reject Qi Yue’s invitation, but—
Lin Yuze smiled faintly. “Sure.”
He nodded gently at Qi Yue.
When Han Fei saw the subtle, challenging curve of Lin Yuze’s lips, his expression darkened further.
This pretty boy… just what does he think he’s doing?
