Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Ten minutes later, Feng Chen and Yan Bubu sat in a modified van, facing a nervous middle-aged couple.

Feng Chen looked young and handsome, but exuded an aura of aloofness, seemingly relaxed but imposing, making the couple sit up straight instinctively.

After introducing themselves, the husband explained, "We're from the Central City, heading to Junya City. We prepared well, spent a lot on modifying this tracked vehicle, and bought a Li stone from the black market. We calculated the Li stone would be enough to get us back to Junya City, but then we got caught in a blizzard and had to stay in the vehicle for half a month. We used up more energy for heating, and by the time the blizzard stopped and we got here, we realized we were running out of Li stone. Luckily, my wife noticed this building looked inhabited, no snow on the windows…"

While he spoke, Yan Bubu stared intently at the couple.

Despite his gaze, the couple didn't seem uncomfortable, as if being examined by a curious child, their eyes showing only curiosity.

The wife smiled kindly at him.

Yan Bubu returned the smile, then shyly looked away.

"Sir, your brother is really good-looking," the wife complimented Feng Chen sincerely.

Feng Chen responded noncommittally, "I'll give you half a Li stone, enough for your vehicle to reach Junya City. As for food, you can hunt the mutant rabbits on Haiyun Mountain yourself."

He had no intention of providing them with food.

Considering this couple had made it from the Central City to here and survived a blizzard, hunting a mutant species shouldn't be too difficult for them.

"Thank you, thank you so much," they gratefully expressed.

Li stones were hard to come by even on the black market. The couple had only hoped for a place to stay and to figure things out slowly. Receiving a Li stone was an unexpected and welcome surprise they hadn't even dared to dream of.

The couple repeatedly expressed their gratitude, and the wife even took out a gem-encrusted butterfly brooch to give to Yan Bubu.

"I really don't have much, just this brooch I found in the ruins of my home after an earthquake. Please don't mind its simplicity; give it to your brother to play with."

Yan Bubu quickly withdrew his hand, "No need, no need."

Feng Chen also said, "We don't need these things."

Seeing their firm refusal, the wife reluctantly put away the brooch. Feng Chen then got off the vehicle with Yan Bubu, "I'll go back to get the Li stone. You wait outside the building."

"Yes, yes, I'll go," the husband hurriedly followed.

Back inside, Feng Chen saw Yan Bubu still watching the man outside and asked indifferently, "Not planning to come back in?"

"Ah? Coming, coming back," Yan Bubu quickly climbed back inside.

Feng Chen went to the power room and took out a Li stone from the storage.

He had dragged this barrel of Li stones from an underground shelter. Although it had been nine years, supplying energy to the building, the consumption wasn't significant.

He could give the couple an entire Li stone, but he chose not to. Instead, he cut the stone in half and took one part to the window.

"Even if you encounter another blizzard on the road, this half Li stone should be enough to get you to Junya City."

Initially apprehensive, the man became ecstatic upon actually receiving the half Li stone, struggling to express his complete gratitude.

"Thank you, thank you! If you ever visit Junya City, please find me. I used to have an address... well, now there are no addresses, but just mention my name at the settlement in Junya City. No, no, I'll come back here to thank you properly, in person. I must."

"You don't need to come back to thank us," Feng Chen replied with a hint of mockery in his eyes. "I helped you not for gratitude, but because my brother would probably lose sleep for a long time if something happened to you."

The man, oblivious to Feng Chen's attitude, kept bowing and thanking profusely.

Handing over the half Li stone, Feng Chen paused before closing the window and asked hesitantly, "How is Central City now?"

For years, he had avoided thinking about the outside world or those from his past, content to guard this empty city with Yan Bubu. He had only wanted a quiet and peaceful life for them both.

But still, he asked.

"Central City? Well, it's surviving," sighed the man. "Although the surface is overrun with zombies, they can't reach the lower levels."

"Surface, lower levels?"

Realizing Feng Chen's lack of awareness, the man explained, "You must not have been to Central City since the earthquake. It’s rebuilt in the air now, due to the zombie infestation. It's suspended about ten meters above ground; beneath it, there must be hundreds of thousands of zombies."

Shocked, Feng Chen asked, "So many zombies?"

"Yes, the city's large population turned into zombies after the earthquake. The establishment of several settlements attracted more survivors, leading to an increase in zombie numbers. Fortunately, after years of rebuilding, the city is now safe, suspended in the air, away from the ground-level zombies."

Although the man's description was brief, the underlying horror and weight were palpable.

Feng Chen, however, was focused on another aspect, "People are still turning into zombies?"

"Yes, every day," the man replied with a bitter smile. "Everyone's living in constant fear. You never know if the person you meet might attack you the next moment. Even staying at home isn't safe; anyone could turn into a zombie anytime. We're just taking each day as it comes."

Wiping frost from his face, the man looked around, "My wife and I are from Junya City. Thinking we might turn into zombies any day, we hired a mercenary team to escort us out. It's been a tough journey; it took us a month to reach here. According to the map, this is Haiyun City. Junya City is better, at least it still has a settlement..."

He didn't ask Feng Chen how they had managed to survive. Nowadays, everyone had their own harrowing tales of survival and had lost the curiosity to inquire about others.

"Is there no way to prevent ordinary people from turning into zombies? Doesn't the Western Alliance have a method? Hasn't Central City developed something effective?" Feng Chen pressed on.

The man shook his head, "No, there's never been an effective method."

Feng Chen inquired, "Do you know of Major General Lin Fen from the Western Alliance?"

"Major General Lin Fen? I've never heard of him in the Western Alliance."

"You haven't heard of him?"

Seeing Feng Chen’s serious expression, the man grew nervous, "I'm just an ordinary person. The only generals I know are those who appear on TV. I'm not really aware of all the generals in the Western Alliance. Maybe there is a Major General Lin Fen, but I haven't heard of him."

Feng Chen remained silent, and after a moment, the man, clutching the half Li stone, thanked him profusely again before returning to his vehicle.

Feng Chen closed the window and stood motionless until Hei Shi and Bi Nu Nu appeared outside. Only then did he snap back to reality.

Hei Shi skillfully shook off the icicles from his mane in the corridor. Bi Nu Nu, having spent the afternoon running wildly in the snow to vent its excess energy, was no longer irritable and seemed quite calm.

It simply nudged Feng Chen aside at the window before heading to lie down on the sofa on the fifth floor without a glance.

Feng Chen went back up to the sixth floor to find Yan Bubu still looking out the window. Hearing Feng Chen's footsteps, he commented without turning, "They’re leaving, the car is moving... Ah, it stopped... Hey, it's moving again."

At night, the bedside lamp cast a soft, pale glow in the room. Feng Chen lay on the bed, hands clasped behind his head, silently staring at the ceiling.

The door connecting the two bedrooms slid open, and Yan Bubu, in his pajamas, entered carrying a pillow.

He placed two pillows side by side, climbed onto the bed beside Feng Chen, laid his head on Feng Chen’s shoulder, and adjusted to a comfortable position.

"Brother, what's it like outside Haiyun City?" Yan Bubu scratched Feng Chen's chest curiously.

Feng Chen continued to gaze at the ceiling, replying, "Whatever Haiyun City looks like, the outside is similar."

"But there must be a lot of people outside, right? Like the underground settlement and the beehive ship we used to know. Do they all live in houses like this, or do they still live together?" Yan Bubu mused excitedly, "The houses in Central City must be numerous, with cake houses, chocolate houses..."

"Central City is full of zombies," Feng Chen said flatly.

"Zombies?" Yan Bubu asked in surprise.

"Central City is built mid-air, with zombies covering the ground below, as far as the eye can see, just like the snow in Haiyun City. Even inside the city, people are turning into zombies every day."

Yan Bubu sat up abruptly, "But didn't we give the code box to Major General Lin and Colonel Yu? Weren't there supposed to be no more zombies?"

Feng Chen murmured, "...I don't know."

Yan Bubu pondered for a moment, "Could the contents of the code box have been useless?"

"No, I'm sure the code box contained data to combat the mutation. I found a video file when I was clearing the ninth floor, probably left behind by the Eastern Alliance Army, mixed with ordinary documents."

"A video file? What was in it?" Yan Bubu pressed.

"It was a researcher's observation diary, recording the condition of someone about to mutate into a zombie, treated and observed for a week."

"Did that person get cured?"

Feng Chen shook his head, "No, but there was no worsening either."

Yan Bubu asked, "So, they didn't fully turn into a zombie?"

"Right," Feng Chen reflected, "Major General Lin once said that the Eastern Alliance Army had made a key breakthrough in combating the mutation. The video file seemed to confirm this. They were just one step away from finalizing the research when the earthquake hit, halting it. The code box contained that research data. Theoretically, with that data, Central City should have been able to succeed, but even after all these years, it's still plagued by the zombie crisis."

Yan Bubu murmured in confusion, "Why is that... I wonder if Major General Lin, Colonel Yu, Captain Su, and my classmates Yu Ke, Wang Suizi, Chen Wenchao, Liu Xingchen are alright."

Yan Bubu, who had only briefly attended school on the Beehive Ship at six years old, still remembered his classmates' names so clearly.

Feng Chen sighed internally.

After a moment of silence, Feng Chen said, "They should be fine. The code box is already with Major General Lin, and whatever happens outside is none of our concern. Zombies can't reach Haiyun City anyway. Stop thinking about it and sleep."

"Oh, right, sleep," Yan Bubu agreed.

Though he consented verbally, Yan Bubu lay down lost in thought, turning restlessly in Feng Chen's arms.

"Why are you fidgeting? Want to go back to your room to sleep?" Feng Chen shook Yan Bubu's shoulder.

Yan Bubu immediately lay still, emitting thunderous snoring.

"Try making that noise again?"

Yan Bubu's snoring quieted down, and he mumbled a few sleep-talks, smacking his lips.

Feng Chen couldn't help but shake his head: "Honestly, Yan Bubu, if you used this craftiness in your studies, you wouldn't be the worst student in Haiyun City."

"Annoying, always nagging," Yan Bubu turned over, his back to Feng Chen.

Feng Chen pinched his neck gently, watching him shrink like a cat, then withdrew his hand, satisfied.

After Yan Bubu turned twelve, Feng Chen had set up a separate bedroom for him, but every night he would stand at the door with a pillow, scratching: "Brother, brother, I want to sleep with you..."

Feng Chen opened a door between the two rooms, leaving it open at night so Yan Bubu wouldn't be scared and could get used to sleeping alone.

Yet Yan Bubu always found ways to sneak into his room, quietly crawling into bed in the middle of the night, curling up cautiously at the side like a puppy.

Initially, Feng Chen tried to send him back, but after it happened frequently, he let it be. Yan Bubu then brazenly brought his pillow every night, returning with it after waking up.

The return of the pillow meant that he had spent the night alone in his room.

As Yan Bubu's steady breathing reached his ears, Feng Chen quietly got out of bed, closed the door, and went down to the fifth floor.

Bunu and Heishi, not requiring sleep, were watching a movie together. Bunu appeared impatient, but as Feng Chen approached the staircase, it hurriedly grabbed the remote, quickly pressing to turn off the TV.

Yet, Feng Chen caught a glimpse of the screen, pointing his finger at Bunu in mid-air: "Secret Love... If you don't like it, no need to force yourself. Kids shouldn't be too curious."

Bunu sat composedly, waiting for Feng Chen to descend to the fifth floor before patting Heishi, signaling to go out and play.

Yan Bubu, waking up and finding Feng Chen not beside him, also got up and left the bedroom.

The sixth-floor hall was silent and unlit. Bunu and Heishi from the fifth floor were likely out playing.

Those two didn't sleep and roamed the empty city every night. Sometimes they even brought back a dead mutant beast, ensuring meat was never scarce on his and Feng Chen's table.

Descending to the fourth floor, Yan Bubu saw light seeping through a door crack. Gently pushing the door, he heard the dull sounds of punching.

Inside the training room, Feng Chen, wearing sponge gloves, was repeatedly punching a sandbag.

Yan Bubu didn't know how long Feng Chen had been practicing, only noticing his T-shirt and hair soaked in sweat, as if he'd been fished out of water.

Yan Bubu remained silent, watching for a while before stepping into the yellow-lined space.

With a beep, several beams of light shone from the ceiling, and he began to dodge swiftly.

He practiced earnestly, dodging the rapidly moving beams, weaving left and right, advancing and retreating, with only the sound of punches behind him.

Half an hour later, when the thudding finally ceased, he turned back, letting the beams hit him as he gasped for air, looking towards Feng Chen lying flat on the ground.

Beep.

"Target hit, training failed," a mechanical female voice announced.

Yan Bubu, unsteady on his feet, walked towards Feng Chen and lay down beside him. Both were panting heavily, staring at the ceiling.

"Yan Bubu, I've already given the code box to Lin Fen," Feng Chen suddenly said out of the blue.

Yan Bubu replied, "Yes, you gave, gave it to him."

"So whatever happens outside has nothing to do with me."

Yan Bubu added, "Right, it's got, got nothing to do with you."

Feng Chen stretched out his hand wearing a sponge glove towards Yan Bubu, who also raised his hand to touch it, and both said, "It has nothing to do with us."

After a moment of silence and rest, Feng Chen's breathing gradually calmed, and sweat soaked the floor around him.

Still staring at the ceiling, he murmured, "I just want to live here peacefully with you, not caring what the outside world has turned into, nor what those people have become... I shouldn’t have asked that question..."

Yan Bubu reached out, removed his sponge glove, and their sweaty hands intertwined.

"Yan Bubu..." Feng Chen called his name but then said no more.

Yan Bubu turned his head to look at him, and Feng Chen looked back.

Yan Bubu’s eyes were like a serene, clear lake, soft and bright, with no trace of doubt or hesitation, filled only with trust.

"What exactly went wrong in all this?" Feng Chen asked, hesitantly looking into his eyes.

Yan Bubu affirmed, "Whatever the problem is, it has nothing to do with you."

"Lin Fen took the code box, but the zombie problem hasn't been solved."

Yan Bubu frowned, "It's not your problem that it hasn't been solved."

"I know it's not my problem, but I..." Feng Chen hesitated, a struggle flickering in his eyes.

"But what's wrong with you?"

Feng Chen murmured, "But my heart won't settle."

"Let me listen." Yan Bubu turned over, pressing his ear against Feng Chen's chest, feeling the strong heartbeat. After a moment, he said, "It's saying I’m not happy, I’m not happy, I’m not happy..."

Feng Chen remained silent.

Yan Bubu picked up his hand and placed it on his own heart, "Can you hear what my heart is saying?"

"What is it saying?" Feng Chen asked softly.

"It's saying, Brother, whatever you want to do, just do it. No matter what, I’ll be with you."

"Do you know what I want to do?" Feng Chen asked.

Yan Bubu blinked, a bead of sweat falling from his eyelashes, "I know."

Feng Chen didn't continue speaking, just gazed steadily at Yan Bubu, and after a moment, he smiled.

This smile dispelled the confusion in his eyes, bringing back a sense of ease. Yan Bubu joined in with a silly laugh, but was pulled into Feng Chen's embrace and, despite his protests, had his head vigorously rubbed against Feng Chen's chest.

Yan Bubu wailed and struggled, "You stink, let me go, you smell so bad..."

"Dare to complain about me? Smell yourself and see if you don’t stink."

Feng Chen released Yan Bubu, gradually ceased smiling, and said seriously, "I'll think it over and tell you my decision tomorrow."