Chapter Eighty

Chapter Eighty

The Eye of the Desert.

A large yellow dog sat on the ground, gazing longingly in the direction where its owner had last disappeared.

After Lin An left, it desperately tried to break free from the man holding it, but the man was too strong, and Xiao Fu couldn't escape.

Because it kept struggling, no matter how much it was comforted, the man had no choice but to tie its leash to a stone pillar by the road.

There was a hole in the pillar where the leash could be tied, and with half of the pillar buried in the sand, it was impossible for even a person to pull it out, let alone a dog, so the man left to attend to his own matters without worry.

Xiao Fu tried for a long time, constantly raising its head and front paws to push forward, then circling the pillar, leaving only a very round, light mark on the ground around it, but nothing changed.

It lay on the ground whining pitifully, its ears drooping listlessly.

Next to it, a stainless steel food bowl was filled with dog food, but today, Xiao Fu didn’t want to eat; it just wanted to see its owner.

Suddenly, Xiao Fu raised its head; it remembered that at meal times, it just had to knock over the food bowl, and its owner would immediately come, whether sleeping or doing something else, to fill the bowl with food.

It's like throwing the food bowl down; will the master soon return to refill it?

Xiao Fu quickly got up and ran to the bowl, staring at the peaked dog food, and woofed down a mouthful, reducing the food by a third.

It devoured the dog food with a "big gulp," licking the stainless steel bowl clean until it shone, then Xiao Fu picked up the bowl and stood by the road, releasing it from its mouth.

The ground here was sandy soil; the stainless steel bowl made a dull thud when it fell, the sound a bit quiet, so Xiao Fu picked up the bowl and continued the noise.

It tirelessly repeated this action, hoping its owner would appear immediately.

With a thud, the dog bowl didn't fall to the ground as usual but instead stood up in a difficult position.

The rim of the bowl wobbled on the sandy soil, and just then, a gust of wind blew by, helping the bowl to "escape."

It rolled unsteadily to the middle of the road and finally toppled over and landed upside down on the ground.

Xiao Fu blinked and walked forward to pick up the bowl, but despite walking for a long time, it was still in the same place.

？？？

Looking down, Xiao Fu realized it was at the maximum length of its leash.

The man who had been looking after the dog had left the leash short, fearing that Xiao Fu might get hit by a car.

The area was open and deserted, with hardly anyone passing by during the day, so there were no dog thieves, nor anyone to help retrieve the bowl.

Xiao Fu ran forward with all its might, but couldn’t reach.

Even crawling forward, it still couldn’t reach.

Stretching its tongue out in an effort to extend its reach, it still fell several meters short.

Exhausted and panting, Xiao Fu fixated on its dog bowl with a determined and fiery gaze, as if hoping the overturned stainless steel bowl would roll back on its own.

A car sped in the distance, returning from a mission, its team having been out for several days. The entire vehicle was coated in dusty yellow, with only the windshield wiper arcs remaining somewhat clean, the rest obscured by sand.

The weary team members, longing for nothing more than to sleep, naturally didn’t notice anything on the ground.

The car whooshed past in a blur, with Xiao Fu watching helplessly as the tires rolled over its food bowl.

Xiao Fu: !!!

Shocked, its eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of the flattened food bowl, now more a piece of stainless steel than a bowl.

Glancing back and forth between the departing car and the flattened bowl, it realized it no longer had a bowl to summon its owner with.

The angry little Fu bared its teeth and barked incessantly at the vehicle's rear.

When Lin An and his team returned, Xiao Fu was still there, "scolding" fiercely.

“Hey, isn’t that Xiao Fu by the roadside? What’s wrong with it? Why does it look so upset?” A bald head peered out of the car window, Xu Fang seeing Xiao Fu this angry for the first time.

“Oh, why is it tied up here?” Ouyang Dong had the car stopped and hurriedly went to untie the leash.

At the same time, Xiao Fu smelled its owner, forgetting its anger, and immediately wagged its tail and dashed into the just-opened car door, rubbing affectionately against Lin An.

Lin An felt guilty for leaving Xiao Fu alone and tenderly stroked its head, only to end up with a handful of sand.

Lin An: "...Xiao Fu, did you roll around in the sand?"

Xiao Fu tilted its head, looking at him happily.

Lin An: "Let's give you a wash first."

Lin An had already cleaned his teammates from the grime of the sandy town, especially their stench, which even Granny Wu couldn’t stand, covering her nose and staying away until several washes eliminated the smell completely.

They were still a distance from their dwelling, and with many injured on board needing prompt bandaging, they had to continue driving after picking up Xiao Fu.

But suddenly, Xiao Fu jumped out of the car, fetching something in its mouth.

“What’s this? A piece of metal? Where did you find it?” Ouyang Dong took it from the dog’s mouth to examine, “It seems... not like a piece of metal.”

Wu Duo leaned over for a look: “It’s Xiao Fu’s food bowl.”

She had a stack of food bowls in her space, all of the same style. Although the one in front of her was flattened, she couldn’t mistake it.

Xiao Fu sat in front of Lin An, looking at him with pitiful eyes.

Knowing Xiao Fu well, Lin An understood it was being coquettish and began to comfort the dog, petting its head and belly.

With his newfound abilities, bathing Xiao Fu took only a minute or two, the water flowing off the fur taking the dust with it, and then absorbing the moisture, leaving Xiao Fu refreshed before it even realized.

Moreover, Lin An's obsession with cleanliness wasn’t as severe now, allowing him to touch and cuddle Xiao Fu.

Sure enough, with his owner’s comfort, Xiao Fu quickly forgot about being left behind and its bowl being crushed, resting its head on Lin An’s lap, tail wagging joyfully.

Afterwards, they took the injured for dressing, and others went to rest.

The amount of energy resources they acquired wasn’t small, and after bombing the sandy town, there was still plenty left. How to allocate it would be decided once Lu Li woke up.

It wasn’t until late at night that Lu Li finally woke up.

After Shen Xiuzhe returned, all his wounds were dressed, and he felt refreshed from a nap. It was night, the active time in the Eye of the Desert, and with nothing else to do, he came to check on Lu Li.

He intended to just take a look and then go find Lin An, but Lu Li woke up at that moment.

After learning about subsequent events from Luo Yuan, Lu Li, with a solemn face, ordered his subordinates to leave, keeping only Shen Xiuzhe.

Once the others had left, he leaned against the headboard, a faint smile on his lips, his smoke-grey eyes gazing out at the tranquil lake outside the window.

"Do you know? I saw an angel."

Shen Xiuzhe: "…Did you hit your head?"

"Right before I lost consciousness, I really saw one. So gentle and beautiful, I felt I fell in love at first sight."

Shen Xiuzhe suddenly regretted coming here, having to listen to such delirious ramblings. Wouldn’t it be better to spend this time with Lin An?

"The last thing you should have seen before losing consciousness was a zombie."

"No, he had black hair and very fair skin."

Shen Xiuzhe, already standing up to leave, thought since the other could talk so much nonsense, he must be fine. He replied nonchalantly, "Then what you saw must have been Snow White."

"He also had crimson eyes, those eyes were just so…" Lu Li struggled to find words, feeling that all the adjectives he knew fell short of describing the beauty of those eyes.

Shen Xiuzhe, who had turned to leave, suddenly stopped at the door.

Black hair.

Very fair skin.

Crimson eyes.

And it was seen right before falling unconscious.

Shen Xiuzhe turned around, looking at Lu Li’s mesmerized expression, a smile curling his lips. He strode back to the bed and asked with a smile, "How are your injuries?"

Lu Li, still lost in his own world, was jolted awake by Shen Xiuzhe’s smile.

Shen Xiuzhe always had a stern face, as if someone owed him a fortune. His usual smiles were more of sneers, scoffs, or taunts... never like this.

It was the first time Lu Li saw him smile so warmly, finding it more chilling than encountering the hybrid zombie: “What are you doing? Why such a creepy smile? What are you plotting?”

Shen Xiuzhe tightened the bandages on Lu Li: "What ulterior motive could I have? Haven't we known each other for years? Can't I show concern for your injury?"

Looking at the tightened bandages on his arm, Lu Li winced in pain: “Are you insane? I'm an injured person.”

“So am I.” Shen Xiuzhe was almost entirely wrapped in bandages, except for his head, looking indeed much worse than the ability-exhausted, unconscious Lu Li.

"Come to think of it, we haven't sparred in a long time. How about going out for a fight?" Shen Xiuzhe flexed his wrists.

Lu Li looked down at his own wounds, then at the other's bandaged body: "Are you sure?"

"Are you scared?"

Shen Xiuzhe knew Lu Li well. With that remark, Lu Li indeed got up from the bed.

An hour later, Shen Xiuzhe emerged.

Luo Yuan had been waiting at the door. Upon seeing Shen Xiuzhe come out, he went in, only to find Lu Li lying on the ground with a swollen face and bruises, his handsome features bloated like a pig's head, barely recognizable.

"Captain! Captain!!!"

Shen Xiuzhe leisurely returned to the tent. Everyone was exhausted from the day and sound asleep. Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong, as usual, were snoring and sleep-talking.

Lin An sat on the sofa, flipping through the notebook left by his parents. Though he had read it many times and knew it by heart, he would still peruse it repeatedly when others were asleep.

Hearing a noise at the entrance, Lin An looked up to see Shen Xiuzhe lifting the curtain to enter.

"You're back. How's Lu Li?" Lin An put down the notebook, gently moving the dog's head from his lap.

The dog, Xiao Fu, moved to lie at Lin An's feet, resting its head on his foot again.

Shen Xiuzhe sat next to Lin An and sighed theatrically: "Not so good. He might need a few days to recover, and it seems he hit his head. He's been talking nonsense."

Really? Lin An remembered Lu Li didn't seem to have any external injuries, only drained from using his abilities. Did he hit his head when falling? No wonder his expression was so strange then.

Lin An didn't doubt Shen Xiuzhe's words. He wasn't very familiar with Lu Li and had no reason to visit him, merely asking out of courtesy.

"Although Lu Li is my friend and quite capable, his behavior before the apocalypse wasn't great. Be careful if he tries to chat you up," Shen Xiuzhe slanderously described Lu Li, who had never dated and harbored only a secret crush.

Lin An: "Hmm, I won't talk to him."

He rarely left his room, and when he did, he would keep his head down or hide among teammates, hardly interacting with strangers.

Watching the obedient Lin An, Shen Xiuzhe couldn't resist and ruffled his hair.

The two were sitting close, and as Shen Xiuzhe leaned in, he almost enveloped Lin An in his arms.

Lin An felt uncomfortable, but instead of moving away, he tentatively leaned closer.

He was like a solitary and sensitive rabbit, irresistibly drawn to the fire yet fearful of being burnt, a slight sound enough to send him scurrying into his burrow, never to emerge again.

Shen Xiuzhe understood his timidity and his tentative gestures. He smoothed the hair he had ruffled, and his hand slowly found its way into the curled fingers of Lin An.

It was a gesture of fingers interlocking.

It was also a gesture signifying closeness.

Shen Xiuzhe kept his gaze fixed on Lin An's eyes, ready to release his hand at the slightest sign of resistance.

Fluttering like wings, his eyelashes trembled lightly. His crimson eyes seemed to stare blankly at the ground, but his slightly flushed cheeks earnestly reflected his inner turmoil.

Finally, their hands clasped tightly together.

Shen Xiuzhe couldn't help but laugh. This little zombie had now become his own.

Lin An, nervous, lifted his head at the sound of laughter, only to find himself lost in a pair of eyes brimming with mirth.

Their eyes met, and the air around them seemed to thin. Shen Xiuzhe leaned in slowly, and Lin An grew so tense that he became completely rigid.

"Hiss," Shen Xiuzhe frowned and hissed.

The ambiguous atmosphere dissipated instantly. Confused, Lin An asked, "What happened?"

Shen Xiuzhe looked down to find Xiao Fu fiercely gnawing at his shoe, with such force that several holes had already appeared on the shoe's tip.

Shen Xiuzhe: ...Is this dog opposing me? What perfect timing.

"Ah," a soft sigh of regret echoed in the tent.

Lin An and Shen Xiuzhe both looked towards the source of the sound, only to see two heads hurriedly ducking under the covers.

Lin An: No wonder the snoring and sleep-talking stopped. Everyone's awake.

Shen Xiuzhe: Why are there so many annoying people?

With so many people around, and a dog always causing a stir, Shen Xiuzhe could do nothing but sleep, frustrated.

*

In the following days, Lu Li, temporarily acting as a spokesperson, joined forces with the influential ability users in the base, launching a proactive attack on the zombies for the first time.

Shen Xiuzhe removed a small piece from a meteorite the size of a head and placed it in a specific location. All zombies sensing its aura drew near, only to be ambushed and eliminated by the hidden ability users.

Over several nights, the number of zombies attacking the base gradually decreased.

It wasn't until Lu Li recovered from his injuries and appeared before everyone that no zombies had been seen for two nights.

For the first time since the apocalypse, the nights in the Desert City were peaceful.

The entire base lit bonfires and brought out food to celebrate. The desert dwellers, known for their warmth and hospitality, had adapted to enjoying life amidst harsh conditions and now showed even more resilience against the formidable post-apocalyptic threats.

Seeing the hope of returning to peaceful days, it was certainly a moment worth celebrating.

Lin An, as usual, stayed among his teammates. The festive and lively atmosphere was infectious, but he felt out of place. Everyone was invited, and staying alone in his tent would seem unsociable, so he had come out at his companions' urging.

He regretted it immediately.

Lu Li's teammates shared the achievements of Shen Xiuzhe's squad with everyone. Not ones to steal credit, Lin An and his team were the guests of honor that night, and many approached them for conversation on their way over.

Many unfamiliar faces greeted them and offered gifts.

Even hidden among his teammates, Lin An found himself holding several skewers of grapes and grilled meat, bewildered and unsure what to do, overwhelmed by the overzealousness of some enthusiastic elders who had managed to sneak these treats into his hands without him even noticing.

Xiao Fu, following behind him, was now surrounded by a group of women and children, getting his head, face, belly, and tail touched, trapped in a friendly siege.

Xiao Fu: Help, master!

Upon reaching the spot, Lin An sat on the carpet, while Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong, unfaithfully, rushed off to drink.

Only Wu Duo and Wu Shuangxue remained by his side, with more and more people gathering nearby. Lin An regretted coming out, thinking it would have been better to stay alone in his tent, overwhelmed by the crowd.

Xu Fang, a moderate drinker, was quickly overwhelmed by the heavy drinkers around, who consumed their liquor by the bowlful.

"You don't know, that zombie was so ugly, just... beyond description!" Xu Fang, feeling the eyes of the crowd on him, became more animated, "But that zombie was no match for us, turned into nothing in a few hits."

"Keep bragging, you're blowing harder than a bull without hair," someone in the crowd shouted, prompting laughter from those around.

"Bragging? If only we had phones now, I'd take a photo to show you. I'm not that great, but my boss, and my brother An, they're incredible!" Xu Fang, swaying, stood up and looked around.

Spotting Lin An sitting with his knees hugged on the carpet, he immediately shouted, "An bro, over here! Come and tell them how you defeated that zombie."

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone around followed Xu Fang's gaze.

Lin An: !!!

When Xu Fang swaggered over, only Grandma Wu and Udo were left.

"Huh? Where is he?" Xu Fang looked around in confusion.

Wu Duo, munching on grilled meat, rolled her eyes at him: "Little An ran off. You know he hates these gatherings. He wouldn't have stepped out if you hadn't egged him on. And then you went off to drink and drew everyone's attention. Just wait until Shen comes back, he's going to thrash you."

Xu Fang chuckled sheepishly, his mind muddled with alcohol, failing to grasp what Wu Duo had said.

"Don't bother reasoning with a drunkard, tsk. Such a lightweight. In my younger days, ten of you combined couldn't outdrink me," Grandma Wu scoffed. She too wanted to join the drinking but was strictly supervised by her granddaughter, resigned to sipping juice instead.

Meanwhile, the fleeing Lin An was hiding behind a tent, peering cautiously around. He wanted to return, but the path was too crowded for him to navigate alone.

Shen Xiuzhe was summoned by Lu Li for a discussion. In recognition of their contributions to the base, the leaders of Desert's Eye decided to let them select some supplies. Planning a brief stay, opting for portable resources was the best choice.

After concluding the matter, the leaders joined the bustling crowd, and Shen Xiuzhe left promptly.

Lu Li's face had just healed. He suspected Shen Xiuzhe targeted his face out of jealousy for his good looks, thinking that male envy could be quite fearsome.

With some faint bruises still on his face, fearing it would mar his image, he chose paths less trodden.

It was then Lu Li spotted Lin An skulking behind a tent.