Chapter 88 My Love: Shenchi

Chapter 88 My Love: Shenchi

Shenchi resembled an extremely patient hunter, opening each door one by one. The sound of the doors turning echoed terrifyingly in the silent base.

Shenchi pushed open the second-to-last room and stood for a long time before the last door.

The man inside, leisurely sipping tea, frowned and looked up at the door. The door was eerily quiet, as if the series of sounds from opening doors were just his imagination.

The man's heart rate accelerated. He poured himself a cup of tea, about to drink it when the door suddenly burst open with a loud "Bang!" The sudden commotion startled him, causing him to spill tea all over himself.

He hurriedly stood up to shake it off.

Outside, Shenchi looked at the man in a clean white lab coat and softly said, "We meet again, Doctor."

Zhong Botao froze, stopping his movements and sitting back down behind the desk. He had already seen everything clearly through the window; he knew he stood no chance against this person.

Zhong Botao organized the documents on his desk, dusting off the water stains, maintaining a calm demeanor. "It seems Mr. Jiang has died by your hand. So what do you want from me?"

Shenchi: "I came to take your life."

Zhong Botao laughed. "Young man, don't always seek instant gratification. My value and importance far exceed your imagination. Keeping me alive would be far more beneficial."

Seeing no reaction, Zhong Botao continued, "Think about it, soldiers like you protect the country, while we," pointing to his head, "create your future. Isn't that good...?"

"Swish!" Something flew past, and Zhong Botao abruptly stopped talking. He slowly turned his head and saw an ice blade embedded in a stack of documents on the floor, with warm liquid trickling down his cheek.

Zhong Botao wiped the blood from his hand, staring incredulously at the expressionless Shenchi.

A row of ice blades appeared beside Shenchi, their cold glow reflecting ominously. Zhong Botao belatedly felt the pain, trembling as he opened a drawer, grabbing some powder and pouring it onto his head, eliciting a scream from the searing pain.

Shenchi flicked his wrist, tossing a lit lighter onto the table, igniting the documents Zhong Botao had just organized.

Zhong Botao’s eyes widened, ignoring the pain as he lunged to save them, only to be struck by another ice blade, slicing a piece of flesh from his hand.

Zhong Botao screamed, his eyes bloodshot, losing his composure. "What good does killing me do you?!"

Shenchi responded with a question, the same one Jiang Zhendong had asked, "Do you believe in fate?"

Zhong Botao: "What?"

Shenchi replied, "I do."

As Shenchi took a step back, it seemed like a signal, a warning bell. Zhong Botao felt a surge of foreboding. He began ranting about his research achievements and future plans, even mentioning the vast amount of data he had collected.

Shenchi: "Your research is worthless to me."

"Trash?!" Zhong Botao was enraged. "Worthless... Do you even understand what research means?! Do you know how many people spend their entire lives trying to achieve what I have? Do you know how much glory and wealth these 'worthless' studies can bring you?!"

Zhong Botao rushed forward. "The people in Luye won't allow you to harm me. My value..."

The door was sealed with ice, and Zhong Botao crashed into it. Shenchi watched the man with a twisted face through the ice layer. Behind him, flames rapidly spread, and the ice blades in the room turned, spinning towards the man by the door—

Shenchi walked away without looking back.

He had no time to listen to his enemy's grandiose speeches; someone was waiting for him at home.

Back in the safe zone of Luye City, Shenchi headed straight for the Research Institute. Inside, two toddlers were engaged in a playful tussle. The nanny greeted Shenchi and then left.

Ping'an reached out for a hug, pointing at Zhuangzhuang and babbling, seemingly complaining.

Zhuangzhuang pouted, waving his hands.

Shenchi chuckled, picking up Zhuangzhuang too. The two toddlers started babbling and spitting at each other.

Xiao Yu returned after washing the bottles and paused upon seeing Shenchi.

Hearing the movement, Shenchi put the children down and walked over. Xiao Yu was shorter than Shenchi, so he bent down to accommodate her.

Perhaps sensing the adult soul within Xiao Yu, she seemed to understand that Shenchi had just returned from a perilous mission. She touched Shenchi, her eyes red, "Baby is back..."

"Mm." Shenchi understood Xiao Yu's words, gently combing her hair, "I'm back, and I won't leave."

Xiao Yu tilted her head, looking puzzled, patting Shenchi and saying, "Don't cry, don't cry, mommy loves you."

Shenchi broke down in tears, "What did you say?"

Xiao Yu wiped Shenchi's tears with her sleeve, "Don't cry, don't cry, mommy loves you..."

Shenchi hugged Xiao Yu tightly, his tears quickly soaking her clothes.

Xiao Yu was startled but didn't push him away. Instead, she held him, rocking him gently and singing, "Baby is good... Baby is good..."

Shenchi cried in Xiao Yu's arms for a long time, leaving the two toddlers bewildered.

Ming Jing, carrying a stack of items, paused upon seeing this scene and quietly retreated, muttering a prayer.

Xiao Yu patiently comforted Shenchi for a long time. Suddenly remembering another baby, she left Shenchi and ran to find Ping'an.

Shenchi was stunned, watching her back, and suddenly called out, "Mom."

Too far away and with no awakened abilities, Xiao Yu didn’t hear him.

Shenchi re-entered Ping'an's space, where the person in the Spirit Spring hadn't woken up yet. He went out to handle some matters, handing over the collected items from Hongshan Base to Gu Yibei.

Five days passed, and Cao Kun still hadn't woken up. Shenchi took him out three times during this period, having Xia Yi examine him. All three tests showed negative results, proving that Cao Kun's antibodies had cleared the C1S9 flu virus, though organ repair would take some time.

Shenchi moved Cao Kun out of the space, had medical staff administer nutrients, and gave him a full-body massage.

Cao Kun's complexion had already regained its color, and stubble had sprouted on his chin. Shenchi gave him some water and carefully shaved his beard with a razor.

Shaving oneself is easy, but shaving someone else is awkward in every way. Despite Shenchi's caution, he accidentally nicked Cao Kun.

Shenchi quickly cleaned the foam and, holding a cotton swab to wipe away the blood, unexpectedly leaned down and licked it off instead.

Afterward, he smacked his lips, savoring the taste as if he couldn't get enough, and squeezed out more blood to suck.

As Shenchi was kissing him, pouring out his affection, a slightly hoarse male voice suddenly spoke from beside his head:

"Talk..."

Shenchi froze, looking up to see the previously closed lips now moving:

"Are you planning to suck me dry?"

Shenchi looked up at the person on the bed, meeting Cao Kun's gaze.

Cao Kun, with a roguish expression, stared straight at Shenchi, "Don't just stand there. Talk. Is this how you treat a patient?"

Shenchi looked at him, and just when Cao Kun thought he would turn away again, Shenchi kissed his chin with a smack.

Cao Kun was taken aback: "Ah, getting passionate?"

Shenchi kissed him again, and Cao Kun's lips cracked into a smile, about to tease him, but then heard a heartfelt confession: "Ah Kun, I like you."

Cao Kun's playful demeanor faded.

Shenchi: "Do you want to live with me?"

Cao Kun: "Like living together as partners?"

Shenchi shook his head, "Living together based on love, with each other's names carved on our tombstones."

Cao Kun's eyes welled up, and he blinked, saying, "Kiss me again."

Shenchi hesitated, and Cao Kun laughed, "I haven't agreed yet..."

Shenchi kissed him, "Agreed."

Cao Kun smiled, "Threatening me?"

Shenchi revealed an ice blade.

Cao Kun laughed heartily, "I agree! I agree!"

Taking advantage of Shenchi's momentary shock, Cao Kun pounced, and the needle on his hand flew off. Shenchi exclaimed, "Your hand—"

Blood splattered on Shenchi's forehead. Cao Kun pressed him down, wiped away the blood with his thumb, and kissed Shenchi's nose tenderly.

"My love, Shenchi."

That evening, under Shenchi's support, Cao Kun went to meet Jin Shufan. Cao Kun explained to Shenchi the grudges between them.

Involving over a dozen lives, Shenchi had expected Cao Kun to kill Jin Shufan for revenge, but Cao Kun did not. He merely sat quietly in front of Jin Shufan for two hours until Jin Shufan's suppressed emotions flared up again, and then he left.

Jin Shufan watched Cao Kun's actions in disbelief, sneering, "Wolf Hunter, you've changed."

"Have I?" Cao Kun said, "It doesn't matter. What matters is that the '171' brothers can rest in peace."

Since Shenchi had implanted eighteen ice spikes into Jin Shufan's body, he was effectively paralyzed. For days, he had been eating, drinking, and relieving himself in bed, a humiliating situation for someone so proud.

His already volatile emotions were further agitated by Cao Kun, causing his energy to surge uncontrollably, breaking metal bars around the room.

Fortunately, the room was specially designed for mutants, with reinforced walls and no extra items, so the damage was contained.

Two months later, communication in the safe zone was restored, and Lu City's safe zone returned to its former vitality. Two significant events occurred that day. One was the public trial of Jin Shufan, along with 131 accomplices, including five criminals who had tried to let zombies into the city during the Level 6 zombie wave. This move was met with widespread approval.

The second event was a grand memorial service held in Lu City's safe zone for all those who died in the disaster.

The memorial took place in the cemetery, with thousands gathered, stretching for several streets. The entire city was immersed in sorrow, as many had lost loved ones and their peaceful lives. Some might never recover, but life must go on, and the deceased should rest in peace.

To avoid attracting zombies, soldiers replaced the gunfire salute with "fireworks." Seven types of elemental mutants—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, ice, and lightning—simultaneously released their powers, creating vibrant colors in the sky.

After three minutes, people placed handmade flowers one by one. A 13-meter-long, three-meter-wide stone monument bore the names of 6,810,000 victims, compiled over the past two months. Many relatives were not buried here, but they hoped their loved ones could find peace wherever they were.

At 3 PM, Jin Shufan's trial began. Cao Kun and Shenchi participated as jurors, witnessing the entire process.

Over the past two months, Cao Kun visited Jin Shufan every few days, sitting for hours each time. Jin Shufan's brain waves fluctuated wildly; he knew Cao Kun was humiliating him, waiting to see him break, but he couldn't control his reactions, leading to increasing mental instability.

In the final days, Jin Shufan finally lost his composure and attempted to attack Cao Kun.

Attacking is good.

This was Cao Kun's genuine thought. If Jin Shufan had remained indifferent, Cao Kun would have doubted his decision.

Ultimately, Jin Shufan was sentenced to death for organizing, leading, and participating in terrorist activities, illegal arms trading, and intentional murder. Media coverage of the verdict aimed to satisfy public outrage and deter future crimes.

Whether this was a relief for Jin Shufan, no one knew, but it was for Cao Kun.

After the trial, Cao Kun requested to drink some alcohol. Shenchi took him to the market, buying fresh produce and side dishes. They decided to invite Xia Yi, Gu Yibei, Ji Kaiwen, Ke Luo, Jiang Mian, He Chang, and Anna for a barbecue and hot pot.

They were all free that day and came without hesitation.

Everyone was busy preparing vegetables and meat in the small villa. Shenchi still had pre-apocalypse vegetables in his space, many of which were no longer produced. While others knew he was a dual-element mutant, they didn't know about his space, assuming it was a high-dimensional space. Thus, he didn't use the vegetables from his space.

Anna, with her variety of vegetable seeds and earth-elemental abilities, planted and harvested as they ate.

The two families also placed Pingan and Zhuangzhuang in a stroller next to them. The two little ones were strong and healthy, waving their fists and making adorable cooing sounds, causing the uncles to fight over who would get to hold them.

Both of the little guys were psychics, so their physical condition was naturally better than that of ordinary children. Additionally, Shenchi occasionally fed them water from the Spirit Spring, which further enhanced their physical development. At this moment, giving them a bit of vegetable mush made the two little ones incredibly happy.

Pingan even offered his fist to Jiang Mian, who felt delighted. But in the blink of an eye, Ke Luo's big head leaned over and took a bite of the little hand, pretending to smacking his lips.

This immediately upset Pingan, who started crying loudly. The elders who knew Pingan's temperament laughed heartily.

Cao Kun picked him up, grinning widely with his white teeth and saying, "Just like me, he’s quite petty."

Ke Luo nudged Jiang Mian, "I understand why An'an has a big nose and big eyes like Brother Shen, it’s because daughters resemble their fathers, but how come he looks so much like Brother Kun too? They both have a dimple."

Jiang Mian stuffed a skewer of rabbit meat into his mouth, "Only you talk so much."

Ming Jing approached with a bowl. Ke Luo, being quick-eyed, noticed the clear broth in his bowl and immediately grabbed a wheat gluten stick, coated it with a thick layer of chili sauce, wrapped it in sesame seeds, and tricked Ming Jing by saying it was delicious.

Could Ming Jing be fooled? After some back-and-forth, the wheat gluten stick ended up in Ke Luo's mouth, making him drink beer to quench the spiciness.

Xiao Yu wasn't scared by the crowd; she buzzed around Shenchi and Pingan like a bee. Knowing her situation, everyone took good care of her, offering her sausages, corn, and bowls of soup.

Xiao Yu happily accepted them, but Shenchi quickly intercepted the corn, blowing on it until it cooled down before giving it to her.

Everyone ate, drank, and sang together, all slightly drunk. Shenchi was drinking with Gu Yibei when Cao Kun suddenly signaled him and led him to the courtyard, asking Shenchi to wait while he dug a hole and planted a sapling.

Cao Kun: "Look."

Shenchi was a bit surprised; he recognized the sapling, which had been on display at a stall in the market just hours ago. "Why did you decide to plant this?"

"Because I suddenly remembered that in high school, you often put osmanthus flowers between your books." Cao Kun asked, "Do you like it?"

Shenchi: "Yes."

Cao Kun: "When it blooms, I'll make osmanthus cakes for you to eat?"

Shenchi: "Sure."

On the other side, somehow the conversation turned to arranging a marriage between Pingan and Zhuangzhuang. Anna, who was drunk, got very excited and started looking for the groom's family, shouting about setting the betrothal.

The others joined in the fun, and a group of tipsy people rushed to the backyard, where they saw them planting the tree. Anna rolled up her sleeves enthusiastically and shouted, "Me! Me!"

Before Shenchi could stop her, the sapling visibly sprouted, grew branches, and bloomed, scattering petals everywhere and filling the air with fragrance.

Anna exclaimed, "It's an osmanthus tree..."

Author's note:

The main story is now complete. The next chapter will be an extra. ^_^