Chapter 262: The Return Journey (Part 1)

Chapter 262: The Return Journey (Part 1)

Qin Yu observed the world through a layer of floating dust.

Having seen so many stories of civilizations in dire straits, returning to this world now made him feel less of an impending sense of danger. Even the aimless wanderers on the streets, reeking of alcohol and endlessly complaining, harbored a faint hope that "maybe tomorrow will be better."

Following the fluttering flyers, he saw a long street already showing signs of decay. The century-old buildings bathed in the last glow of sunset exuded a final hint of their former grandeur.

The disheveled prostitutes, their hair tousled by the autumn wind, still wore leather skirts barely covering their hips. They kept their heads down, smoking cigarettes, and approached potential customers with inquiries. A few homeless people huddled in the crevices of buildings, covered with old newspapers.

Qin Yu's eyes saw nothing bright; everything was like withered roses and desolate vines, carrying a decadence beyond human control.

"There's an ice cream shop there. I always wanted to try it."

A glimmer suddenly appeared in his field of vision. Qin Yu was momentarily puzzled, thinking this journey was meant to revisit past sorrows, but Ji Xinghai's smile seemed like sunlight breaking through thick clouds, touching the ground.

Ji Xinghai was accustomed to facing life with a smile, not as a facade of strength, but out of confidence in his own power, thus unafraid of any situation.

Qin Yu looked at him, thinking, how joyful it must be to be with someone like him? His eyes always sparkled, and his soul remained untainted by any dust.

"The witches of the Avian civilization can traverse time and space." The ability to manipulate the world with a mere gesture was mesmerizing, but Ji Xinghai knew he could not achieve it.

"Since she wants me to relive it, I will. But no one said I had to do it with a mournful heart, right?" In the end, he would understand why she helped him, so there was no need to dwell on it.

Ji Xinghai pulled Qin Yu forward, their shirts peeking out from beneath their flapping coats, their steps light and graceful like butterflies.

Qin Yu lagged half a step behind, his gaze fixed solely on that person. Even the dust on him seemed to glow.

Two well-dressed young men appeared on the street, their demeanor out of place in this world, yet no one around them seemed to notice.

"I thought I had forgotten, but seeing it brings it all back."

They ran into an alley, their boots crunching over cracked stone slabs, eventually reaching an ice cream shop with scattered customers.

It was originally three storefronts, but one was closed, with a 'For Rent' sign hanging on the door. A middle-aged man with a handsome mustache and a woman with rosy cheeks were scooping ice cream for the customers outside.

If not for Ji Xinghai leading Qin Yu here, he wouldn't have noticed this ordinary little shop, its sign handwritten and clumsily adorned with a few roses.

"The ice cream is very rich. I used to love this place. The smallest serving cost about five carni, which wasn't too expensive, but I couldn't afford it." Ji Xinghai recounted the past to Qin Yu.

"At first, I sold pomegranate seeds for a living. The pomegranates came from the fruit store owner, who also provided the tools. With the cost of losses, each cup of pomegranate seeds cost six carni and sold for seven carni. I needed to sell five cups to get five carni. The government-provided relief food was two pieces of bread for three carni, enough to last a day if saved carefully."

He pointed to the others waiting to buy ice cream: "You can see the economic situation isn't good here. People's desire to shop has vanished, and there's little work available.

"This job was introduced to me by an older sister among the street children because I was young and presentable. Many more kids scavenged for trash.

"My luck has always been good, meeting benefactors along the way."

At that moment, a black-and-white flyer blew by, caught by Qin Yu. It bore JiuZhou characters, accompanied by images of closed doors and people with ashen faces.

"Economic depression?" he asked.

"The financial system collapsed, and the currency depreciated. At its worst, people jumped from the tallest building every day."

Qin Yu followed his gaze, looking at the ten-story building, which stood tall here, offering a panoramic view.

In a daze, he seemed to see tiny specks falling from the top of the building. Such a height left no chance of survival.

The snowflakes of the era, when they land on individuals, become avalanches. How was Ji Xinghai back then? When he left, his soul was only nine years old. How did he survive?

Others couldn't see Ji Xinghai and Qin Yu, but they could feel and touch everything here. The beautiful female owner had just placed two ice cream cones on the shelf when they disappeared, replaced by a tiny golden seed that could buy a hundred such cones.

Ji Xinghai ate the peak of the cone, the creamy flavor mingling with icy frost invading his taste buds. Eating ice cream in this season felt exhilarating, making every pore tingle.

Qin Yu could smell the aroma and feel the cold, but the scent was dulled, like expired dairy products.

Yet, seeing Ji Xinghai extend his tongue to lick away the delicate white castle, revealing genuine joy, made the ice cream in his hand seem fresh and vibrant again.

It wasn't just Ji Xinghai who had an appetite; anomalous beings also had appetites for humans.

They turned several corners, heading towards the residential area. Ji Xinghai finished his ice cream cone, crunching the last bit before it melted.

Qin Yu had already finished his ice cream, observing the surroundings. Most houses here were single-story, flat-roofed, with small windows and yards. This type of house typically appeared in the northwest region, where rainfall was scarce, winds frequent, and temperature differences significant.

Ji Xinghai walked through the residential area without stopping, eventually reaching an abandoned village.

"This is Survivor Village. You saw the 'Hetero Invasion' ads earlier, right? Before the economic depression, the main conflict here was between the original inhabitants and the heteros. This village was where the displaced heteros gathered after the transformation. It was also where I used to live."

Passing the dilapidated outer walls, they entered a world even more desolate. The planted fruits and vegetables had been harvested, leaving only wild grass and barren, cracked soil.

Birds still searched for food on the ground, and a few small children, wearing sandals despite the cold, shivered with cold.

Through them, Qin Yu glimpsed the young Ji Xinghai.

Ji Xinghai didn't think much about it. Seeing those flyers, he knew the timeline was after his time, as fighting the heteros was still the norm when he was alive, but now economic decline was the greatest threat.

Moreover, this world wasn't entirely gray for him. Without growing up here, he wouldn't have become who he was.

"Here." Near the entrance of the village stood an inconspicuous building, also a large, flat-roofed house with a yard.

"Why is the door locked?"

Ji Xinghai pulled the iron chain on the door, breaking it with a strong tug. Dust fell as he waved the air, waiting for it to settle before pushing the door open. Inside, the counter and reclining chairs were neatly arranged.

Apart from being tidier, it seemed no different from other houses.

But as Qin Yu stepped inside, he realized he was wrong. It was actually a medical room. Although most of the medicines and equipment had been removed, the remaining traces

Look, this used to be a secret medical point.

Further inside, there was even a makeshift operating room with an overhead shadowless lamp.

"This is a hospital, of course, an illegal one. Usually, only people from Survivor Village come here, many of whom are mutants."

"What are mutants?" Qin Yu observed for a long time. On his way here, he had been paying attention to others, including those homeless children earlier, but saw no obvious signs of anything unusual.

"Originally humans, they now feed on human flesh after the mutation," Ji Xinghai thought for a moment. "Mutants is the term used here; in some places, they are called 'blood-eaters' or 'ghouls.' But mutants don't necessarily have to eat humans; they just can't taste other food."

Qin Yu's hollow eyes looked at the empty operating room. Would someone like him be considered a mutant here?

"I am the doctor here," Ji Xinghai interrupted Qin Yu's thoughts with a single sentence.

"A doctor?"

"From being an assistant, I learned from my teacher for ten years and then took over everything, becoming the only doctor here."

My teacher not only taught me medicine but also imparted various knowledge, survival skills, combat techniques, and firearms. He raised me into someone who could intimidate the monsters in Survivor Village—this was the condition for his teachings: Survivor Village needed a new 'doctor.'

The mutants need him, hate him, and fear him.

Having said all this, Ji Xinghai decided to share something happier: "Do you know why my teacher decided to take me in?"

"Why?" Qin Yu immediately played along.

"I almost got eaten by a mutant but managed to kill it instead. My teacher picked me up, saying I seemed destined to live a long life and wouldn't die easily." Ji Xinghai laughed. "And indeed, I'm still alive."

Qin Yu also recalled something: "I chose to enroll in the Hungry Academy voluntarily because a fortune-teller once told me that I had a hard fate, bringing misfortune to my parents but not to myself." Of course, he was later scolded by his superiors for being reckless, but his name was already submitted, and he didn't want to withdraw it.

"You do have a hard fate."

Both felt this was something worth celebrating. Later, Ji Xinghai took him to see his teacher—there were no bones or tombstones, just a tree.

"He was a mutant too. Mutants leave no bones when they die, only a pool of blood. I wonder where my bones ended up; surely they weren't eaten? But who knows." Although he could intimidate those creatures while alive, he couldn't control what happened after death.

Ji Xinghai touched the rough bark of the old tree: "Teacher, you taught me for ten years, and I guarded the village for ten years, but I couldn't hold it together."

The uncontrolled mutants couldn't resist the taste of human flesh; they broke their vows, making Survivor Village no longer a safe haven.

Seeing the village's decay, he knew it had been completely abandoned. Those mutants who refused to join the others and held onto their principles had wandered off somewhere. Was there another Survivor Village out there where they could live peacefully?

"Teacher, I'm going home."

Ji Xinghai's face wore a gentle smile.

His teacher had once tried to move him emotionally, hoping he would willingly shoulder the burden of the entire village, but failed. He was a heartless person. Even after living here for twenty years, he remained a passerby, unwilling to stay.

The wind blew through the treetops, and the dry leaves rustled as if questioning him.

Ji Xinghai looked up at the tree. If he hadn't experienced the fullest love, he might have resigned himself to fate, forgotten the way home, and stayed here forever. But he had experienced it, knowing what was best, so he wouldn't settle for less.

"I'm grateful for everything you taught me, Teacher, but this isn't my home."

The wind suddenly grew stronger, and the dry, sharp leaves fell like blades.

Ji Xinghai kept smiling, knowing he had betrayed his mentor's expectations and deserved some consequences. But a hand appeared in front of him, turning the spinning leaves into dust, enveloping him in warmth.

"Xinghai, let's go home."