Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Wen Jiuzhe didn’t like that kind of "special." Special meant danger.

It was because of their special condition that Wen Yi was helpless regarding their situation, delaying the thawing time again and again, eventually leading to their indefinite storage.

Because of their special condition, after Wen Yi’s death, they were coveted by various parties, shuffled around, eventually ending up in different locations.

Even though the people at Beifeng District First Research Institute hadn’t actually harmed him, the moment they showed any desire to study him, Wen Jiuzhe would display his aggression as a warning.

During the ten years he searched for Xue Ling, he had seen too many ruins of research facilities left over from the past.

In the previous two hundred years, it was a time when illegal private research flourished. The frozen bodies in the cryogenic chambers were their best experimental subjects.

It wasn’t until a few decades ago, when the turmoil ended, that laws were passed to prohibit such activities, but even now, some shady practices still operate in the shadows.

Therefore, Wen Jiuzhe had to eliminate all negative possibilities. They couldn’t even have the thought of conducting research on him.

Under Wen Jiuzhe’s coercion, all the researchers worked through the night without sleep, preparing the medication and getting ready for the next day’s revival treatment.

While waiting for the treatment preparations, Xue Ling sat on the bed flipping through a book.

Apart from Wen Jiuzhe, the only news she had heard about someone from the past was about Wen Yi.

"They said this photo is of Sister Yi," she said, turning to a page and showing the photo to Wen Jiuzhe.

The photo showed an elderly woman with silver hair, gazing peacefully at the camera, meeting the gaze of someone beyond time.

Xue Ling’s tone was somewhat downcast. "I feel like I just slept for a bit, and before I slept, Sister Yi was still young. When I opened my eyes, she had grown old."

Wen Jiuzhe, sitting in front of her and encircling her, spoke casually. "She didn’t grow old. She died."

Xue Ling: "..."

Wen Jiuzhe had already seen this photo before. He had seen more photos and records of Wen Yi.

"She used to be sharp-tongued and had a cold demeanor. I didn’t expect that when she grew old, she would turn into a kind old lady, smiling so warmly. I bet it’s all an act."

Xue Ling: "..."

Xue Ling raised her hand and hit his shoulder.

She said, "If I had known that was the last time, I would have said a proper goodbye."

"Saying goodbye is easy enough," Wen Jiuzhe said. "When you’re better, I’ll take you to see her grave. There’s a QR code on it, and you can interact with it in VR."

Xue Ling: "..."

Wen Jiuzhe took the book from Xue Ling’s hands and pointed to the words under the photo. "Check out the birth and death dates. She passed away in 3089, living to the age of eighty, a peaceful passing."

"I read her late-year diaries. She was surrounded by students, had people taking care of everything, and spent her life doing what she loved, respected by others. You don’t need to feel sad for her. We’ve had it worse than she did."

Xue Ling: "...There are diaries? I want to read them too."

Wen Jiuzhe: "I’ll take you to read them when we leave here."

Before being moved into the treatment machine, Xue Ling reached out to Wen Jiuzhe beside her.

"Don’t worry about anything. I’ll be right here with you," Wen Jiuzhe said.

Xue Ling thought of him, how he had become like a wounded wild animal, more alert and sensitive to his surroundings.

When he underwent this resurrection treatment back then, he was alone, with no one watching over him. Was he afraid too?

The second round of treatment was just like the first; she remained unconscious and felt nothing.

When Xue Ling sat up, she noticed her once-pale skin now looked healthier, her hands fuller, and her cheeks soft and elastic.

"Ah." She tried to make a sound, and there was no longer any dryness.

Right in front of the treatment device was a mirror, and in it, Xue Ling saw someone she hadn’t seen in a long time—herself.

Her black hair draped in front of her, and except for her red eyes, she had completely returned to the past, to when she was still human.

Wen Jiuzhe stood beside her.

Xue Ling turned to him, her eyes lighting up with a bittersweet smile. "It's only now that I truly realize… we are in a new world… reunited in a new world."

The moment she said "reunited," tears streamed down her cheeks, endless and unstoppable.

Seeing the tears land on her hand, Xue Ling was stunned. "I can cry."

She looked back at Wen Jiuzhe, and just as she unconsciously smiled, she burst into uncontrollable sobs, crying without a care for how she looked.

It was as if she was finally releasing all the tears she couldn’t shed since becoming a zombie.

All the confusion and sadness from that long time, the moments when her emotions were overwhelming but she couldn’t cry no matter how hard she tried, all erupted at this moment.

She could no longer control her emotions.

"Xue Ling." Wen Jiuzhe called her name several times, only to be met with her sorrowful wails that disregarded everything around her.

He moved closer and took her hand. Xue Ling, like someone drowning who had found a piece of driftwood, grabbed onto him tightly, leaning on him as she cried loudly.

Wen Jiuzhe picked her up and walked to an empty corner outside, stroking her hunched back and wiping her flushed cheeks.

Xue Ling cried for what felt like hours, her eyelashes drenched and her eyes nearly swollen shut.

Gradually, her sobs became quieter, and she whimpered incoherent words like "they're all gone," "Mom," "Wen Jiuzhe."

Tears continued to pour out relentlessly, showing no sign of slowing down.

She cried so hard that it seemed like she might drain every last drop of moisture from her body.

Wen Jiuzhe tried speaking to her several times, but she didn’t respond. Then, he suddenly leaned down and gently pressed his lips to her eyes.

The shocking sensation of having the unspilled tears sucked away, along with her eyelashes and eyelids being in his mouth, and even her eyeballs being licked, finally startled Xue Ling back to her senses.

"...What are you doing?"

"Don't cry anymore, you'll damage your eyes."

Xue Ling leaned back a little, touching her red and dry eyes, feeling a bit of moisture seep out from the corners again, and hurriedly wiped it away.

Wen Jiuzhe had one arm around her, pulling her back when she tried to move away, while with the other hand he opened a syringe.

"I'm going to replenish your IV fluids. Losing too much water at once can damage your body. Close your eyes."

Xue Ling, leaning against him, closed her eyes as she felt him about to inject her neck.

It doesn’t hurt, it just feels a little cold on my neck.

After a while, Wen Jiuzhe told her to sit up straight and kissed the spot on her neck where he had injected her.

"All done." He tossed the empty syringe aside and gently pinched her cheek.

"We’re not really immortal. We can at least outlive Wen Yi and live past eighty... Don’t cry like that next time, okay?"

Xue Ling fell into the numbness that follows a good cry, her head resting against his chest. After a few minutes, she suddenly looked up and asked, "Why isn’t your heart beating?"

"It stopped because of you," he said with a smirk.

"…Mine doesn’t seem to be beating much either," she replied, sounding confused.

"The more you cry, the slower it gets. Want to try crying again?"

Xue Ling thought he was talking nonsense again, but she was too lazy to investigate further and leaned against his shoulder, resting there.

His shoulder was soaked, and when she glanced down, she saw that his shirt was drenched, especially around the shoulders, as if it could drip water.

Xue Ling shifted her head to rest on the other, dry shoulder.

Turning her head, she noticed it was already afternoon. The building across the way was golden, and a sea of golden flowers from the Koelreuteria trees below made everything bright and sunny.

The blue sky and golden blooms made everything feel brighter, more hopeful.

There were also many Koelreuteria trees in Yu City.

Thinking of this, Xue Ling tightly hugged Wen Jiuzhe’s broad shoulders again, gripping his clothes.

"I woke up ten years before you." Wen Jiuzhe pulled her off him, sat her on his lap, and looked into her eyes. "Do you understand what that means?"

Xue Ling: What does it mean? Does it mean you’re going to hold it against me for making you wait so long?

"It means I’ve prepared everything, and I’ve been waiting for you."

So relax, don’t be so worried.

Wen Jiuzhe’s voice was soothing, almost coaxing. "We have a place to live, good jobs, and I have savings. Do you want to see how much?"

Since you put it that way.

"How much is it? Let me see." Xue Ling’s voice still carried a bit of nasality as she leaned in to see him unfold the communicator on his wrist.

This was the modern "phone," a simple model that looked like a watch but could expand to the size of a tablet.

She watched him tap around on it, finally opening a page. She stared intently and saw a balance of zero.

Xue Ling: "?"

Wen Jiuzhe: "Well, does that match your name nicely?"

Xue Ling immediately sat up, and Wen Jiuzhe calmly closed the page and opened another one. "Wrong page, the savings amount is on this page."

This time, the balance showed a considerable figure.

Because it was so considerable, Xue Ling began to wonder. Is the currency inflated, or is this just a lot of money?

"Is this a lot? Can it buy a flying vehicle?"

"What kind of aircraft do you want to buy?"

"Can we buy the one you arrived in yesterday?"

"Those large aircraft used by the anomaly team for missions aren't for private sale, but if you really want one, there's a way." Wen Jiuzhe pondered, "If it were to be 'accidentally' damaged during a mission..."

Xue Ling broke out in a cold sweat and grabbed his arm. "No way! Just get me something else—anything else!"

Wen Jiuzhe chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Xue Ling: "Are you tricking me again, aren't you?"

Wen Jiuzhe lifted her up in his arms, "I have a private aircraft parked at the research institute. Let's go, we can take it back right now."

It had been prepared for when he needed to track her down during his time off.

Private individuals found it difficult to purchase aircraft; it required many licenses, but Wen Jiuzhe's identity allowed them to bypass these restrictions.

That was a legacy from three hundred years ago.

If it had been only him back then, he might have never dealt with Wen Yi or entered the Northern Righteousness Base.

It was Xue Ling who led him down that path, leaving behind such a fortune, which became their current security.

"Wait, you're leaving now? You just finished your resurrection treatment; shouldn't you rest a bit longer? She still needs regular injections to stabilize her condition..."

Wen Jiuzhe: "Hand over all the meds. I’ve got this covered."

He looked like he didn't want to stay a second longer, and the people at the research institute knew they couldn't stop him, so they handed over all the necessary medication.

"You finally found *Smiled*. You won't keep us in suspense anymore."

"Smiled, take care. Drop by if you need anything!"

Wen Jiuzhe raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what did you just call her?"

Xue Ling immediately covered Wen Jiuzhe's ears with her hands and kicked his thigh, "Go, go, let's go, quick!"

But it was too late to stop him from learning the origin of that name.

He seemed much more relaxed now, his smile genuine rather than the forced grin he’d worn earlier.

The moment Wen Jiuzhe opened his mouth, Xue Ling knew he was about to say something terrible, so she clamped her hand over his mouth to stop him.