Chapter 134

Like other minerals, energy stone veins are not exclusively buried underground.

They might be nestled among the mountains, buried in the soil, settled under the sea, or even... interlaced with glaciers.

This energy stone vein located in the polar region is distinct from the ones already mined.

Unlike other energy stones that need to be detected and excavated, the stones in this vein are all embedded silently within the pure-colored glacier— the outermost layer being a milky white. As one goes deeper in, the faint golden hue within the stones intensifies.

Layer upon layer, they encircle and envelop the central area.

However, at the very core, where high-grade energy stones should have been frozen, instead of the small gaps left by typical excavations, there's a strangely shaped large pit. Its uneven edges do not seem to be marks left by mining robots.

Lu Yinghuai observed Xia You, who had appeared somewhat distant since approaching the vein, feeling an inexplicable unease.

"Xia You?" He reached out, caressing her cheek.

Xia You paused for a long while, rubbing her cheek against the palm of Lu Yinghuai's hand before burying herself into his embrace.

"Cold?" Lu Yinghuai tightened his hold on the young man, his hand checking the protective gear Xia You wore.

Resting her forehead against Lu Yinghuai's chest, Xia You shook her head, murmuring, "I just... wanted to be held."

Lu Yinghuai chuckled at her words, pulling her even closer.

"Alright, a tight hug it is."

Recognizing the pun Lu Yinghuai made to cheer her up, Xia You laughed and snuggled further into his embrace.

After a moment, Xia You released Lu Yinghuai, took a step back, looked around, and murmured, "This place... feels so lonely."

Lu Yinghuai nodded, "The excavation of this energy stone vein went smoothly. There are no structures around, all the energy stones are neatly frozen within the ice layer. Even the extraction of the high-grade stone was unexpectedly easy."

Perhaps because of the post-apocalyptic era they'd experienced, during energy stone excavations, unique items were often discovered beneath the layers of earth. Since no one could permanently reside near the veins, images or videos would be sent out for scholars studying ancient Earth cultures to identify.

Sometimes, an uncorroded piece of fabric would become a coveted artifact, causing scholars to fiercely contend for it, which would also affect the progress of energy stone mining.

The premium price of high-grade energy stones is indeed due to their stunning beauty, rarity, and concentrated energy. However, a minor factor is the energy shockwaves usually encountered during their extraction.

The extraction of a single high-grade energy stone typically results in the loss of over a hundred robots.

"I see," Xia You, upon hearing Lu Yinghuai's words, smiled radiantly with her ocean-blue eyes gleaming. "That's good then."

"Hmm?" Lu Yinghuai felt there was something off about Xia You's response.

Xia You continued, "Our family doesn't sell our energy stones; we use them all ourselves. If the costs were too high, we'd be at a significant loss."

Without suspicion, Lu Yinghuai, thinking Xia You to be momentarily frugal, agreed, "Yes, this energy stone vein has been quite compliant."

At his words, the corners of Xia You's lips curled up, and the arch of her eyes lifted even more.

"Your Highness, would you feel more comfortable standing a bit farther away?"

Lu Yinghuai contemplated, "Let me try."

Xia You nodded repeatedly, letting go of Lu Yinghuai's hand, "It's best to see if there are any noticeable effects from energy stones of different intensities."

With Xia You leading the conversation, her psychic energy might cloud Lu Yinghuai's judgment.

Lu Yinghuai nodded, turning and slowly walking away from the center.

He assumed Xia You would follow, but after taking a few steps, he didn't hear her footsteps.

Lu Yinghuai's eyes widened in surprise, and he spun around abruptly.

Upon viewing the scene behind him, Lu Yinghuai's breath caught, and his fingers trembled at his sides.

The golden-haired youth was nestled, with eyes half-closed, in a shrimp-like position right at the heart of the energy stone vein's pit.

It wasn't a perfect fit, but the general shape aligned incredibly well.

The oddly shaped pit suddenly made complete sense.

Xia You let out a soft sigh, her expression a mix of slight resignation and a hint of proud smugness.

"I really have grown quite a bit, haven't I?"

***

This is the Arctic, a place seldom visited before the apocalypse. Yet, there exists a small town here.

Those who lived here were once referred to as the northernmost inhabitants of the Earth, also known as the "Light Whisperers."

Here, you can witness the most breathtaking auroras, the purest snowstorms, and animals unguarded against humans.

The golden-haired boy couldn't recall how he arrived here. He only remembered traversing vast distances, encountering a myriad of zombies, and consuming various zombie crystals.

He never let himself go hungry and never directly attacked humans or zombies. Only those zombies who ignored his psychic abilities and sought to harm him became his sustenance.

Compared to the chaotic wastelands populated with the undead, he preferred it here.

It was clean and tranquil.

Here, he met a little girl, a bearded man, and a somewhat chubby woman.

In this land, there were only these three...

The boy's gaze clouded with confusion for a moment.

...Were they... his kind?

When they approached him, attempting to bite, countless transparent tentacles swiftly emerged from the boy, extracting three radiant golden cores in the blink of an eye, absorbing them completely.

The passing wind carried away the residual dust from the crystals. The boy tilted his cheek contemplatively.

Edible, not of my kind.

The boy stood in place for a while, then meandered slowly down the path.

The Arctic days are long, roads expansive, and everything is blanketed in white. Only under the cloak of the aurora does the sky erupt in magnificent, dazzling colors.

The boy encountered the first of his kind.

It was a massive, white, and fluffy creature. When the boy found it, it was furiously ramming its head against a glacier.

So soft.

It must be so comfortable.

The boy stared intently at the moving cushion for a while. Then, using the small tentacles he'd possessed since gaining consciousness, he swiftly pulled the fluffy white mass towards him, dropping it heavily onto the snow-covered ground.

The polar bear, having never been treated in such a manner, looked up with dazed eyes, taken aback by the sudden act.

The boy reached out, touching the bear's ear. Then, instinctively, he continued to pet it, eventually immersing himself deep into the bear's fur, stroking it with all four limbs.

Soft and delightful.

Smells inedible, a kindred spirit.

The polar bear roared in anger, raising its paw to strike the boy. However, its limbs were swiftly bound by the tentacles, pulled in four directions, immobilizing it.

"Roar!"

Climbing atop the soft furry cushion, the boy reached out and pinched the polar bear's mouth shut, staring deeply into its eyes.

Those inorganic blue eyes radiated innocence but also carried an unambiguous threat.

"Whimper."

The sensible bear lay flat in the snow, dutifully serving as a cushion for the boy.

As time passed, the bear noticed the headache that had driven it to ram into glaciers began to ebb. The longer it stayed close to the boy, the less it felt the urge to bite or fight.

The fierce yet endearing polar bear let out a deep sigh, resting its head and gradually drifting off to sleep.

The boy, still awake, noticed the bear's transformation, gently stroking its belly fur. His eyes sparkled with a long-missed joy.

Soft, kindred, cherished.

……

"Roar!"

"Squeal!"

The golden-haired boy with blue eyes sat by the sea, gleefully watching dolphins leap from the water. Hearing the noises, an expression of human-like exasperation appeared on his exquisitely pale face, devoid of any color. He stood up and hurriedly walked towards the source of the sound.

A snow-white polar bear was growling at a red fox, its mouth wide open. The fox, despite being several sizes smaller, retaliated fiercely, snapping at the bear.

Surrounding them, a variety of animals sat or stood, sneakily observing the scene.

The boy stepped forward, placing himself between the bear and the fox. He swiftly inserted a hand into each of their mouths, skillfully using his tentacles to bind them both.

When the bear and the fox regained their senses, they found themselves biting the boy's hands. They immediately released him, each collapsing onto the ground, one whimpering and the other whining, their cries competing in plaintiveness.

The boy crouched down, gently patting the white bear with one hand and scratching the red fox with the other, a smile lighting up his face.

The bite marks on his hand, deep enough to reveal bone, began to heal at a visible rate. In no time, they were completely mended.

Reluctantly, the boy extracted his tentacles, bundling them into small tufts and feeding them to the animals lying close by.

There were no fewer than twenty polar bears, each unique but bearing a similar appearance.

Troops of red foxes, looking like flames dancing in the snow, received a pat from the boy each time he fed one.

Snow foxes with distinct eyeliner, puffins with contrasting black and white feathers but yellow beaks, thick-furred stoats, wolverines that looked like furballs, and snowy owls that had flocked to the boy as he descended from the sky...

Soon, the golden-haired boy was surrounded by a warm and fluffy assembly.

Just as the boy was delighting in feeding them, a series of slapping noises sounded nearby. A group of seals emerged from the water, rushing excitedly towards the boy.

One of the larger polar bears snorted, raising its paw and smacking the foremost seal, sending it splashing back into the sea.

While chiding the bear's action with a pinch, the boy comforted the protesting, rotund seal. His tentacles moved expertly among the furry creatures, soothing them with practiced ease.

These animals, each from a different rung of the food chain, coexisted harmoniously beside the boy.

The energy the boy provided alleviated their internal pains and suppressed their hunger.

While they retained their warmth and breath, their instincts for reproduction faded, and no new offspring were born.

In this last icy sanctuary, they lived and played, focusing daily on grooming their fur, hoping for the opportunity to snuggle beside the boy at night.

Smiles became more frequent on the boy's face, but his strength waned as his tentacles were continuously harvested.

He was hungry every day, yet he remained joyous.

He cherished them.

They were his kindred spirits.

So, it's alright to be hungry, and it's okay to feel weak.

It would be nice if things could remain this way.

……

As the years roll on, one after another.

The boy and the animals braved tsunamis, heatwaves, hurricanes, time and again... yet couldn't resist the ebb of life.

One by one, the fluffy creatures aged and left the boy's side.

The companionship by the boy's side dwindled.

Before the last tsunami struck, only the youngest seal remained.

Tentacles shattered the icy surface, as the boy held a white fox in his embrace, caressing its fur one last time before sealing it eternally within the glacier.

The boy stood, gazing into the distance, with the aged seal lying by his feet, also lifting its head to look afar.

From their central point, encased within the glacier in rings were their once companions, pristine and uncorrupted, as lifelike as ever.

The rotund seal looked at the boy, lifting its flipper to place it in the boy's hand.

The boy sat on the ice, gazing sorrowfully at the seal in front of him.

When it first came to his side, it was only as big as his palm, the smallest pup he had ever seen.

The seal struggled to lift itself, its chubby cheeks pressing against the boy's neck, its whole body trying its best to snuggle closer.

A gesture that felt both like reluctance to part and comfort.

The boy silently held the seal, burying his face deeply into the seal's short fur.

The auroras, in shades of gold and green, cascaded from the heavens, while towering trees lost their hues, turning into an oppressive, dense black.

The glacier beneath the boy reflected the brilliant colors of the aurora, but the snow on the shores remained as pure and unspoiled as when they first set foot on this land.

The breathing of the seal in the boy's embrace gradually ceased. Its weight pressed heavily between the boy's arms, its slippery flipper still held in the boy's grasp.

Time moves ever forward, and life fades away. Only the boy and the Arctic snow remain, unchanged as always.

The boy sealed the seal beneath the glacier and sat motionless in place for a very long time.

Until the next aurora graced the sky.

With a small tentacle, the boy dug a shallow pit.

He didn’t need much space, for the cold would envelope him.

The petite figure of the boy lay curled up in the icy pit, hugging his knees. Though he should've been immune to the cold, he clutched himself tightly.

He remembered.

His name was Xia You.

He was human.

He hailed from beyond time and space.

He was the last of his kind.

In the distance, a hurricane gathered, roaring and dark, lifting the sea as it bore down.

Nestled quietly in his icy cradle, Xia You recalled all his memories from before he turned into a zombie.

But what did those memories matter now?

In the past, as in the present, he was always alone.

Xia You closed his eyes, placing a hand over his left chest.

His physiological structure differed from typical zombies; possessing potent self-healing abilities, which explained why he always triumphed against the mightiest of zombie kings.

Xia You’s alabaster fingers penetrated his chest, his exquisite face betraying no emotion.

Pale and slender fingers extracted a sea-blue crystal core from within him. The soft glow of the core and the brilliance of Xia You’s eyes created a mesmerizing interplay of light.

As the crystal core detached from his body, small tentacles covered the gaping wound on Xia You's chest, mustering their last strength to heal him.

Casually pressing the crystal core beneath him, Xia You lowered his gaze once more, tightly holding himself and dissipating the protective psychic barrier that had been shrouding the glacier.

He no longer had anyone or anything to protect.

Roaring waves, with an irresistible force, surged forward, sweeping over the sea, intent on obliterating every resilient existence that had yet to be purified.

Turbulent waters flooded into the icy pit. The boy remained motionless, his golden locks flowing freely in the water.

A zombie cannot lose its crystal core.

Xia You felt the dwindling energy inside him rapidly depleting. Even the psychic tentacles couldn't sustain, fragmenting into tiny specks, caressing the furry beings resting beneath the glacier.

So tired.

As consciousness grew dim, a long-forgotten and alien sensation of sleepiness enveloped him.

...Goodnight, Xia You.

The boy's lips moved silently, whispering to himself.

The raging waves crashed down, extinguishing the last trace of zombie presence on this blue planet.

A planet that once bore humans, but due to their countless afflictions, returned to its primordial stillness and desolation.

The animals, nurtured by Xia You's psychic energy, gradually melted within the ice, disappearing, leaving behind only golden energy stones.

Yet, in the very heart of the glacier, the golden-haired young zombie remained as he was when his eyes closed.

Exquisite and beautiful.

……

Millennia later, this azure world witnessed the rebirth of animals alongside plants— from invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds... to mammals.

The buried zombies were slowly purified by the emerging flora and fauna, even the air was infused with a diluted zombie virus.

However, the newly birthed organisms on this blue star remained unaffected by the diluted zombie contagion.

Until one day, an unexpected visitor arrived.

The Queen of the Insects inadvertently discovered this untouched, primitive world, sensing an unparalleled, unprecedented energy essence.

Driven by her innate instincts of plunder and consumption, she began to excavate, seeking the pinnacle of energy on this land.

It birthed a vast swarm of insects upon this land, having them search for the deeply buried energy stones.

At last, in the polar ice, it located the most delectable source.

The insects dug through the ice, uncovering a golden-haired boy, who appeared as though frozen in life.

The Insect Queen dismissed her swarm and approached, preparing to feast upon this rare delicacy.

Whether it was the energy stones or humans, she didn't care for the appearance of her food. All that mattered was the immense energy they held, making them her target for consumption.

Only by incessantly consuming energy and accumulating more of it could she give birth to even greater swarms and plunder more resources.

However, the moment the Insect Queen touched the golden-haired boy, a fearsome surge of energy erupted from him, instantly annihilating almost every insect around, save for the Queen.

The blood of the insects stained the glacier, seeping into the icy surface, tainting the pale-golden cores.

A gaping wound tore through the Queen's massive abdomen. She screeched out a signal, summoning all insects to come and protect her.

The very next moment, she detected an unfamiliar virus entering through the wound in her abdomen, permeating her flesh and bones, and in a blink, firmly nesting in her psyche—unshakeable, irremovable.

The Insect Queen's agonized and piercing shrieks echoed through the glacier. Wracked by the intense pain from within, she thrashed about on the icy surface.

Suddenly, she recognized the familiar turbulence of a space being torn apart.

Wandering the cosmos for eons, the Insect Queen knew this to be a temporary wormhole, created due to the psychic explosion.

Even for the Queen, venturing through a wormhole was approached with utmost caution, let alone in her severely wounded state.

Aware of the dangers of the wormhole, in her fury, she used her scythe-like limb to hoist the human from the icy surface, hurling him towards the wormhole's direction. Then, bearing her immense pain, she quickly fled the glacier, seeking a safe refuge to try and purge the virus from her system.

The accidentally formed wormhole, lacking the energy to sustain its spatial gateway, closed within seconds, leaving no trace behind.

On the glacier, apart from the scattered insect remains, all that remained was a deep blue core in the middle of a small icy pit, emanating a soft glow.