Chapter 272

Chapter 272

"Timeline reverts to when Jiang Nian shrank."

The miniaturized Jiang Nian was clingy and loved being spoiled, though his personality remained as wild as ever.

Shaking his damp hair, his fingers roamed restlessly over Cheng Jing, touching and poking everywhere, then he suddenly said:

"Brother Jing, want to try me at this size?"

From Cheng Jing's reaction and the way he looked at him today, it was clear he was remembering when they first met.

Back then, Jiang Nian hadn't experienced any "hardships" yet—he was full of youthful arrogance and confidence. The love at first sight that had dazzled their youth was reciprocated, leaving no regrets throughout his adolescence.

But because his boyfriend was too rational and steady, he never got to fully cut loose. Sometimes, their dates felt more like study sessions.

"You really..."

Cheng Jing's hand trembled slightly as he blow-dried Jiang Nian's hair, lightly bonking him with the dryer:

"Stop messing around."

Jiang Nian turned to face him:

"I’m serious."

Cheng Jing’s expression turned stern:

"No. Behave yourself. You’re underage right now."

Jiang Nian: "..."

Fine. He hadn’t changed, and neither had his Brother Jing.

Too keyed up to sleep, they ended up having a rare deep late-night talk.

From their first meeting, to becoming official, to their passionate phase, then the breakup, surviving the apocalypse, dying tragically, and being reborn...

Regrets, sighs, pent-up feelings—yet fortunately, they were given a second chance and firmly chose each other.

"Brother Jing, having you here is really the best."

Flooded with long-buried emotions, Jiang Nian couldn’t help getting mushy. He seriously reflected on the biggest reason why he hadn’t become twisted despite life-or-death struggles:

He had been well-loved by his mother since childhood, and as he grew up, he was lucky enough to fall for someone truly good through and through. Brother Jing had always given him positivity, support, steadfastness, and enough security.

Cheng Jing mused:

"Only with you here can I be okay."

This was the truth. Just look at his mother’s reaction—if Nian Nian weren't by his side, he really would lose his mind.

The brutal revenge methods from their past life were proof enough of how dark the depths of his heart could be.

"Mm, I will be."

Jiang Nian said firmly. Life was fragile—live and cherish it. They had endured hardships and struggled together to achieve the outcome they wanted. Now, all they needed to do was hold onto it dearly.

Another day later, Jiang Nian fully recovered. The first thing he did was pin Cheng Jing down and kiss him wildly, giving in to their passion.

Their departure plans kept getting postponed.

...

After fully recovering, Jiang Nian first gathered his teammates for some warm-up training, then dove back into work with fresh energy.

Researchers at Lab Building 3 had made new progress in the conversion and extraction of Purify energy. He actively cooperated and stopped avoiding the lab.

As Department Head Wang had said, he was the hope against the apocalyptic zombie virus—not the ultimate solution, and no one could recklessly interfere with him.

With official backing, the protection of his lover and teammates, the shelter of the Southern City Base, and the expert endorsement from the professor with mental evolution ability, the radical demands that once sought to place him on the experimental table gradually faded away.

No longer did anyone believe that someone with such a special Superpower should selflessly sacrifice himself.

The Southern City Base once again received distress signals from various directions, some of which were intermittent and abnormal, drawing official attention.

The internal information Department Head Wang received was:

Survivors and infected individuals from abroad had smuggled in—stragglers who slipped through.

Since the apocalypse began, the country had devoted most of its "super weapons" to border defense, with excellent results. This also meant that any stragglers that slipped through were not to be underestimated.

Thus, Yang Kai and Professor Gao were tasked with staying behind at the base, while a nine-person team, led by Cheng Jing, prepared to set out for the locations with the strange distress signals.

The previously customized, specially outfitted apocalypse RV had been modified and was now ready. Their plan this time was to drive the new vehicle along the border routes for special reconnaissance, dealing with any anomalies as they arose.

Of course, aside from the vehicle, Zhao Lei’s dimensional storage ring still held aircraft and sufficient firepower. Combined with the team’s current Superpower abilities, Jiang Nian coolly assessed:

A team like theirs could practically move through the apocalypse with impunity.

"..."

The vehicle traveled along the ruined highway as the team worked together to fight zombies, harvest energy cores, and search any hidden structures they came across.

It felt like the early days of the apocalypse when they had traveled from Qingyun City to the Southern City Base—except now, the zombies were tougher, and the survivors wandering outside were not to be trifled with either, requiring even greater caution.

When they encountered survivors in need, they provided help when warranted. Those who proved ungrateful were detained and sent to the base for forced labor.

As for the rare few who recklessly caused trouble, they were eliminated immediately to prevent further harm to the innocent.

In short, their actions now represented the authorities.

'A thunderous boom—'

A sound resembling explosions and thunder rumbled in the distance.

A few hours later, they entered a rainy area where the damp air brought a refreshing coolness, and a familiar scent they hadn't smelled in ages lingered in the air.

Recently, suitable cloud formations had been detected in many regions, leading authorities to conduct artificial rainfall, dispersing Purify agents into the sky to fall with the rain.

Aircraft also scattered seeds of various plants.

With Cheng Jing at the wheel, Jiang Nian sat in the passenger seat, leaning against the window to look outside. Scattered patches of green were beginning to appear on the scorched earth, and in some remote valleys, signs of animal life reappeared.

Disasters still occurred from time to time—haze, earthquakes, miasma erupting from underground, and heavily polluted black water—but with fewer people around, the chances of being affected had lowered.

It was as though the Earth, after undergoing a merciless purge, was gradually resetting itself.

Central broadcasts now focused more on reporting the progress and achievements of humanity’s efforts to rebuild their homes, to boost morale among survivors of this cruel catastrophe.

"I suddenly feel like getting caught in the rain."

Jiang Nian chuckled to himself. With Purify protecting him, getting drenched wouldn’t be a problem.

"Hold on a little longer. When it rains naturally, you can get soaked as much as you want."

Cheng Jing replied casually, watching the steady drizzle through the windshield. Through the haze, the world looked almost normal again.

They say water is the source of life. Perhaps the disaster brought by the toxic rain would eventually be washed away by the rain itself.

Jiang Nian turned to look at him, his smile widening.

"Yeah, I really want to let the rain soak me."

It wasn’t just being dramatic or crazy—he hadn’t felt the rain in two whole lifetimes. This anticipation was something others couldn’t understand.

The fight against the apocalypse was still long, but no matter how rough it got, survivors kept pushing forward.

This time, their squad was scouting along the border. By the time they returned to the Southern City Base, he hoped the authorities would announce the lifting of the top-tier apocalypse alert status.

That was what everyone was hoping for.

[The End]

January 22, 2025. This story is officially complete.

017 Squad's work isn't done yet. Nian Nian, Brother Jing, and their teammates will have each other's backs through it all—everyone will be alright.

This was my first time writing an apocalyptic story. Thank you all for your support and companionship along the way. I’ve grown so much, and I apologize for any shortcomings.

Lastly, today happens to be Xiaonian Festival, so I’ll take this chance to wish everyone in advance:

Wishing you all a happy Spring Festival - may your studies flourish, careers prosper, and every step lead you higher.

Take care, folks. Till next time~

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