Chapter 258

Chapter 258

"Timeline: Some time after returning to base from a zombie-gathering mission."

*Crunch… crunch…*

*Crunch…*

The sound of crunching on something hard cut sharply through the silent night.

"......"

Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked over at the empty half of the bed in the dim glow of the nightlight. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand—2:30 a.m.

Ever since he’d brought Gao Xuyang home, no matter how exhausted he was during the day, he always noticed when the man got up at night.

At first, Gao Xuyang would sometimes slip out at night to snack on a few crystal cores in the living room before quickly returning to lie beside him. Yang Kai played dumb.

But after the zombie-gathering trip, Gao Xuyang’s superpower had leveled up, and the frequency of his nightly crystal core-eating increased.

His intake jumped from a handful to dozens of crystal cores. It took longer, and sometimes, as he absorbed the crystal cores’ energy, low, stifled growls escaped his throat.

Gao Xuyang didn’t want to wake Yang Kai but was too afraid to go outside alone, so he tiptoed around.

Yang Kai climbed out of bed and pushed open the bedroom door. The living room light flicked on as he followed the noise to the bathroom.

The bathroom door was closed, with only faint light seeping through. A shadow slumped against the door, and the crisp sound of chewing drifted out.

Instead of barging in, Yang Kai rapped lightly and murmured:

"Gao Xuyang."

"......"

The chewing halted, and Gao Xuyang’s stiff, halting voice answered:

"Yang Kai… I’m eating crystal cores."

After a beat, he opened the door and stepped out, shoving the leftover crystal cores into his pocket. His face was tense as he asked:

"Did I… wake you?"

"No."

Yang Kai smiled, his chest tightening at Gao Xuyang’s nervous fidgeting. He pulled him into a hug, then guided him to the couch, gripping his hand tight.

"Gao Xuyang, you don’t gotta hide in the bathroom to eat. Do it right here or in the bedroom. Don’t sweat waking me up—it’s no big deal. Watching you like this kills me."

"......"

Gao Xuyang read his face, held his gaze for a second, then nodded.

"Sorry… for freaking you out again."

Yang Kai shook his head.

"Quit apologizing. I just wanna see you good. You don’t gotta walk on eggshells with me. If something’s eating at you, spill it. We’ll handle it together."

"Got it."

Gao Xuyang squeezed his hand back and, after a moment of silence, said:

"My Power breakthrough requires more energy... So, I’ve been eating more frequently at night lately... and consuming more energy cores."

"Don't worry, eat all you need. You have me and everyone else here."

After speaking, Yang Kai turned and grabbed a wide-mouthed glass jar from the shelf against the wall, filled with purified energy cores delivered by Jiang Nian that morning.

Gao Xuyang began eating the energy cores again, this time feeding himself without Yang Kai’s help. The crunchy sounds followed one after another until he stopped after consuming about a dozen.

Looking at the loving expression beside him, he suddenly asked:

"Yang Kai, are you afraid I’ll lose control?"

"..."

Yang Kai froze, only to hear him answer his own question:

"I am afraid! After slowly recovering some memories, I’m even more afraid—afraid I’ll lose control and hurt you or those around me, afraid my selfish cravings will lead to irreversible consequences."

"Professor Gao..."

Yang Kai didn’t know what to say. Of course, he was afraid. Though bringing his beloved back to the base had gained support from all sides, aligning his personal desires with the public interest, his sense of duty and mission as a government agent constantly reminded him that his lover was a walking time bomb.

Whether it was exposure or loss of control, the consequences were beyond what he could bear.

Gao Xuyang sighed softly, lowering his gaze as he continued:

"Actually, since turning into the Zombie King, I’ve always been hungry—even now. Eating these cores fills me up, mostly helping me stay rational, clear-headed, and grow stronger, but it doesn’t satisfy my appetite..."

"The hunger never stops. The craving for blood, raw flesh, the urge to bite people—this animal instinct follows me relentlessly, that never goes away... That’s why I’m afraid. Without Jiang Nian around, I’d choose to live outside the base."

"..."

Yang Kai tightened his grip on his hand:

"Is it because we’re too close, making it harder for you? Or... do you need some live prey to go with the energy cores?"

"No, not at all."

Gao Xuyang shook his head, cutting him off:

"Did you forget? I endured being around a group of vulnerable civilians. The hardest phase is long past. If I ever eat meat again, it’ll be when I’ve fully recovered. I’m telling you this so you understand my condition."

Whether it’s Zombie Kings or those infected with zombie toxins, if they can resist the urges—bloodlust, biting, hunger—and endure, it becomes a next-level evolution.

Of course, in the base, surrounded by fresh flesh and blood, he was like a wolf in a butcher shop.

He could endure it, but he couldn't stop imagining the taste of fresh blood and meat.

The struggle was real.

Yang Kai’s tension eased as he embraced his rigid frame:

"I’m sorry I can’t help you more. All I can do is stay by your side. Jiang Nian’s Purify can break this curse. We'll get through this together."

"Yeah, Jiang Nian is strong. I trust him—and I trust myself too."

Gao Xuyang nodded and continued,

"Ever since the day I renewed my oath under my father’s badge number, I made up my mind—even if I died, I couldn’t tarnish his legacy. That conviction never faded, not even when my memory was scrambled."

During the hardest times, when he had forgotten everything around him, including his lover, that conviction kept him going—a wordless, almost holy certainty.

Yang Kai gently patted his back,

"I know. Nobody could've handled it better in this regard."

It was after hearing his family talk about Teacher Gao that he first felt that unexplainable pull in his heart—a mix of admiration, longing, and heartache. Even now, remembering it still made his heart race.

He understood Teacher Gao’s feeling, which was why their relationship was both passionate and rational.

"I also think I did well..."

Gao Xuyang sighed softly, biting down on a crystal core before shifting the topic abruptly,

"But my Superpower can keep humans and zombies apart, keeping them from interfering with each other. Zombies don’t attack their own kind, but humans do."

After becoming a zombie, he had already made peace with being put down. Facing the cruelty of human nature under the assault of zombie instincts had eaten at him.

If not for years of a cop's discipline holding him back, he would have snapped and gone feral long ago.

He was grateful he had endured it and cherished everything he had regained—so hard-won. Eager to do something for Yang Kai, yet often backfiring.

Noticing the slight fluctuation in his emotions, Yang Kai let go of him, smiling,

"Humans were like this even before the zombies. We’ve seen enough—no need to dwell on it. As long as the bigger picture is stable, that’s enough. In times like these, those who push their luck tend to meet their fate quickly."

Under this 'Great Purge,' there were those like Second Brother Qi, too damn stubborn to change even with death staring them down, and there were also criminals who, after awakening their Superpowers, actively cooperated with the authorities, fighting against the apocalypse’s disasters to save ordinary people and atone for their crimes.

The chance to choose anew in the face of desperation was right before them—how they chose was up to them.

Gao Xuyang was slow on the uptake, and after a moment, he nodded in agreement,

"Yeah... I was just blowing off steam."

"That’s how it should be. Don’t suppress your emotions. Now, we can do whatever the hell we want."

Yang Kai finished with a light hum. In the past, during missions, no matter how aggrieved he felt—even if he wanted to stab some people on the spot—he had to suppress his anger and endure.

Not anymore. During rescue missions, those with bad attitudes could be left behind. Knocking some heads together shut them right up.

As Jiang Nian put it, the world's gone to shit anyway—better to make others suffer than torment yourself.

After Gao Xuyang had his fill of cores, the two returned to their room.

Lacing fingers with his partner on the bed, Yang Kai suddenly remembered something else,

"My uncle told me the Southern City Base’s research institute is rolling out a program to create artificial dual-trait Supers. I want to participate. If I can transplant a spatial-type core, it’ll make getting around together a breeze. I wanted to discuss it with you first."

(artificial pause)

After a pause, Gao Xuyang asked,

"Is the risk high?"

Yang Kai huffed a laugh,

"Not high. It’s controllable."

Gao Xuyang agreed,

"Alright, you've got my blessing."

(artificial pause)