Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Cheng Zhiyu quickly summoned Little Iron, his gaze wary as he watched the unfamiliar man he had kicked off the bed.

After being unceremoniously deposited on the floor, the man awoke, his impossibly handsome face contorted in displeasure, tinged with a hint of inexplicable panic.

Cheng Zhiyu scanned his surroundings, Big Black nowhere in sight. He then looked back at the stranger, an unbelievable suspicion beginning to form in his mind.

The next moment, his suspicion was confirmed as the man shot him a resentful look. "Cheng Zhiyu, why did you kick me?!"

In truth, he hadn't been asleep at all—how could he possibly sleep? He'd been feigning slumber, patiently waiting for Cheng Zhiyu to wake up to gauge his reaction. Instead, he'd been unceremoniously booted off the bed.

He felt utterly wronged.

"Big Black?" Cheng Zhiyu was momentarily stunned. "You're Big Black."

"Who else?" Big Black rose to his feet. He was remarkably tall, estimated to be around 190 cm, and looked down at Cheng Zhiyu. "That kick really hurt."

Cheng Zhiyu knew he should maintain a serious demeanor, but as he sat on the bed, Big Black's sudden standing brought *that* particular part directly into his line of sight.

Only then did he notice Big Black was naked, his sculpted chest and eight-pack abs looking almost like a 3D model. Paired with his unrealistically handsome face, he seemed even more like a digital creation.

Under normal circumstances, this sight would have been quite a shock, but at this moment, the presence of "little Big Black" was simply too overwhelming.

Cheng Zhiyu closed his eyes and exhaled. "Put some clothes on first, then we'll talk."

"Don't close your eyes!" Big Black angrily reached out, his fingers prying Cheng Zhiyu's eyelids open, forcing him to look. "Am I ugly? Why are you closing your eyes?"

Cheng Zhiyu, forced to keep his eyes open: "..."

Forget it. Big Black had just transformed into a human; his thought process might differ from ordinary people's. He probably didn't realize there was anything inappropriate about being naked.

Besides, he seemed so vulnerable.

Cheng Zhiyu sighed softly, making a conscious effort to ignore the proximity of "little Big Black," which was already touching him due to their closeness, and struggled to maintain his composure. "You look very good, but... we humans prefer to talk with clothes on. I closed my eyes out of propriety."

Big Black's lips curved upward at the first part of the sentence. "Oh, I see. Forget propriety—I make the rules. You can look as much as you want."

Cheng Zhiyu: Help.

He was now absolutely certain this was Big Black.

The other man smiled at him, his once model-like handsome face now looking a bit goofy, which paradoxically made him seem more human.

Helplessly, Cheng Zhiyu said, "How about you put clothes on instead? I'm used to talking with clothes on."

Big Black reluctantly agreed. "Fine. It's not that I don't want to wear clothes—I just don't have any."

Only then did Cheng Zhiyu realize. "Wait here. I'll find you some clean clothes."

Big Black followed him, asking, "Are they your clothes?"

This question was important.

Cheng Zhiyu nodded.

Big Black was satisfied. "Oh, even if they're not clean, that's fine too."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." What are you talking about?

Of course, he wouldn't give him unclean clothes, but they were all ones he had worn before, freshly washed and clean. Considering Big Black's physique, he picked out two loose-fitting items.

As for underwear—Cheng Zhiyu truly couldn't bring himself to give Big Black his own worn pair, so he had to let him go commando for now.

After handing the clothes to Big Black, Cheng Zhiyu sat aside in a daze. His adaptability wasn't that strong—yesterday, Big Black was a big dog, and today he had become a man taller than himself. His mind was still reeling.

He had pondered before whether Big Black might turn human, but thinking about it and it becoming reality were two different things. And why so soon? According to his expectations, even if it happened, it would take a long time.

Moreover, he had assumed that if Big Black turned human, he would be a child!

What went wrong?

Big Black took the clothes from Cheng Zhiyu but didn't rush to put them on. Instead, he held them, turning them over and over in his hands, then asked, "You've worn this before, right? I remember you wearing it."

Cheng Zhiyu replied absentmindedly, "Yeah."

These clothes were a bit too big for him, so he had only worn them once. Seeing Big Black's persistent questioning, he assumed the other might dislike wearing his used clothes and said, "Just make do for now. I don't have any unworn clothes here. I'll find you new ones later."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Big Black buried his face in the clothes. "It smells so good. Zhi Yu, do you always smell this good?"

Cheng Zhiyu felt his whole body flush. He gritted his teeth. "That's the smell of laundry detergent!"

Also, are you a dog, sniffing around like that?

Well, he actually was. Cheng Zhiyu let out a breath and decided not to argue with him.

"Put your clothes on already!" Cheng Zhiyu blurted out, losing his composure. "Aren't you cold?"

Actually, it was already daylight, and it wasn't cold at all.

"Oh... why are you so mean when you talk?" Big Black muttered unhappily. Cheng Zhiyu had never been this harsh with him before.

Cheng Zhiyu: "...I'm not being mean." He was just a bit impatient.

Big Black didn't say anything else and finally put on the clothes.

Cheng Zhiyu had given him a set of baggy sportswear, but on Big Black, the loose fit transformed into a tight one.

Cheng Zhiyu looked at the T-shirt on Big Black's upper body—it was so tight that his physique was fully on display.

He pursed his lips: Help!

Although Big Black's face and body perfectly matched his aesthetic preferences, he absolutely couldn't entertain any improper thoughts.

He felt that Big Black was very naive. Having any other kind of feelings toward him would be too sinful.

Fortunately, while the top was very tight and the bottom was somewhat snug, nothing was overtly revealing.

Big Black moved his arms. "It's too tight. Uncomfortable. I don't want to wear it."

Cheng Zhiyu: "I'll check with Tian Qiao later if he has looser clothes."

Tian Qiao had a larger build than him.

"No." Big Black refused, frowning. "I don't want to wear someone else's clothes."

Big Black: "Tight is fine. At least they're your clothes."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." I give up.

"So, how did you suddenly turn into a human?" Cheng Zhiyu tried to change the subject.

Big Black: "...I don't know either."

Okay. Cheng Zhiyu asked again: "Then how old are you?"

*How did he suddenly become such a tall, big man?*

Big Black rubbed his nose: "Oh, I... I just became an adult."

Actually, he was ninety-nine and a half years old, which sounded very old, and he didn’t want Cheng Zhiyu to know he was that old.

The Winged Tribe lived for thousands of years, and they only reach adulthood at a hundred years old. He was indeed not far from adulthood, so... it wasn’t really a lie.

If he were among the Winged Tribe, he would still be considered just a kid.

"Eighteen years old?" Cheng Zhiyu gave Big Black a skeptical look. Honestly, he didn't look eighteen at all.

It wasn't that Big Black looked old—he just looked mature. He had typical sharp, defined features... which naturally made him appear more mature.

*Cheng Zhiyu had originally thought Big Black was only a year or two old. Now, hearing he was eighteen, that explained it—no wonder he grew into such a big guy.*

Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "I’m 24 years old, so you should call me *ge* (older brother)."

The actually ninety-nine-and-a-half-year-old Big Black: "..."

The words stuck in his throat.

"Alright, I need to change clothes," Cheng Zhiyu said. He was still wearing his pajamas.

Big Black’s cheeks grew warm: "Oh."

Seeing him standing still, Cheng Zhiyu prompted him: "I’m going to change. You should go out first."

Big Black hesitated for a moment but nodded and went out.

Cheng Zhiyu let out a sigh of relief, his thoughts racing. He quickly grabbed a set of clothes and changed.

*God, how did he get so big? He really didn’t know how to act around Big Black now.*

*Especially when he remembered that he had kissed him before...*

Ah!!!

"Who are you!" Tian Qiao’s alarmed voice came from outside the door.

Big Black sat spread out on the sofa, looking up at Tian Qiao, yet somehow radiating an imposing, almost condescending air—completely different from his attitude toward Cheng Zhiyu.

He looked completely badass.

Tian Qiao immediately conjured an Ice Arrow and shot it at him. Big Black raised his hand and swatted it aside, shattering it instantly.

Tian Qiao’s hairs stood up: "What did you do to Cheng Zhiyu? Dammit, I’ll fight you!"

Seeing that Tian Qiao was genuinely concerned about Cheng Zhiyu, Big Black’s expression softened slightly. He created a ball of water and splashed it in Tian Qiao’s face.

Tian Qiao: "?" Not exactly painful, but totally humiliating.

He was about to rush at Big Black when Tian Manman and Zhou Min grabbed him.

Tian Qiao: "Why are you stopping me?!"

Zhou Min: "Uh... I think he seems familiar."

"Familiar my ass—" Before Tian Qiao could finish, Cheng Zhiyu hurried out of the room: "He’s Big Black."

Tian Qiao froze: "Huh? Brother Black?"

Big Black nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Ignoring the shock of Tian Qiao and the others, he walked over to Cheng Zhiyu and complained in a low voice: "These pants are uncomfortable."

Cheng Zhiyu: "Are they too tight?"

"No, my... you know, keeps swinging and slapping my thigh," Big Black said.

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

"Just bear with it for now," Cheng Zhiyu said, sounding tired.

Big Black: "Alright."

"Is he really Brother Black?" Tian Qiao’s jaw practically hit the floor. He was completely floored—just last night, Brother Black was still a dog, so how did he suddenly turn into a human?

Cheng Zhiyu: "Yeah."

Zhou Min: "Holy shit, this is so sudden."

Cheng Zhiyu: I think so too.

Shock aside, they still had things to do. After breakfast, they needed to hit the road.

Cheng Zhiyu cooked while the others handled other tasks. Big Black stayed by his side.

"I’ll help you cook," Big Black said cheerfully. Cheng Zhiyu had accepted his transformation and didn’t seem resistant.

Cheng Zhiyu smiled: "Do you know how to cook?"

Big Black: "No, but I can learn."

Sticking by his side, he really was like a big dog.

Cheng Zhiyu assigned him the task of cutting vegetables. Big Black held the knife, his handsome face serious, slightly frowning as he let out a breath and started chopping.

He was cutting eggplants—Cheng Zhiyu was making braised eggplant, which just needed to be cut into chunks, no advanced skills required.

Big Black: "I’m done cutting."

Cheng Zhiyu took a look and said: "Not bad."

Big Black smiled happily. He found cooking with Cheng Zhiyu quite enjoyable.

Breakfast consisted of braised eggplant, stir-fried pork with green beans, braised mutant bird, and tomato egg soup.

As usual, Big Black sat next to Cheng Zhiyu to eat, his thigh pressed against Cheng Zhiyu’s. The latter felt uncomfortable and shifted away slightly.

"Cheng Zhiyu, why are you deliberately moving so far away from me?" When Big Black was unhappy, he liked to call Cheng Zhiyu by his full name.

Seeing the others watching with gossipy interest, Cheng Zhiyu cleared his throat: "It’s a bit hot."

Big Black's expression softened a bit as he used his water power to gently brush over Cheng Zhiyu, instantly lowering the temperature. Satisfied, he continued to snuggle up to him: "Hmm, much cooler now."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

Zhou Min watched from the side, snickering, and deliberately said: "Hey, Brother Black, I'm hot too."

Big Black glanced at him lightly: "Then stay hot."

Tian Qiao slapped his thigh: "Hahaha."

Zhou Min: "..."

After the meal, the others cleaned up while Cheng Zhiyu took out a map to study. Big Black sat down next to him.

Cheng Zhiyu tried to ignore his presence, but suddenly, Big Black opened his arms and hugged him: "Zhi Yu, what are you looking at?"

Cheng Zhiyu broke free from the embrace and cleared his throat slightly: "Looking at the map."

"You don't like me anymore?" Big Black suddenly said.

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

Seeing that Cheng Zhiyu remained silent, Big Black felt very wronged: "You used to always hold me. Why won’t you let me hold you now? Who was it that held me and said they liked me?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." He was at a loss.

He really wished he could go back in time and strangle his past self.

But obviously, that wasn’t possible. Cheng Zhiyu could only murmur in defeat: "I didn’t."

"Then why won’t you let me hold you?" Big Black looked at Cheng Zhiyu.

Cheng Zhiyu snapped: "...Fine! Hug! Is that okay?!"

Big Black was overjoyed and immediately hugged Cheng Zhiyu, nuzzling him like an affectionate puppy: "Alright, I understand it’s a bit unfamiliar at first, but you’ll get used to it later."

Get used to it... Cheng Zhiyu closed his eyes. He couldn’t imagine it.

Big Black was a whole head taller than him and could completely envelop him in his arms. Surrounded by his masculine scent, Cheng Zhiyu felt overwhelmed.

"Zhi Yu, why is your heart pounding so fast here?" Big Black reached out and touched Cheng Zhiyu’s chest.

Cheng Zhiyu: "Quit groping me!"

Big Black withdrew his hand, grumbling: "Fine, if I can’t touch, then I won’t. Why so fierce? You used to touch me plenty before."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

"I’m checking if there are any cities nearby," Cheng Zhiyu deflected. "We’re running low on supplies, and we need to find more clothes for you."

Especially boxers—Big Black couldn’t just go commando all the time, right?

Cheng Zhiyu was amazed he was still holding it together, managing to think clearly despite everything. Finally, he found a city about fifty kilometers away.

He pointed: "This is the closest. Let’s go there."

The map wasn’t detailed, only roughly indicating direction and distance, showing where the cities were and how to get there. It didn’t have specifics, but it would do.

Soon, he discussed it with the rest of the team. No one had any objections. They weren’t short on food, but mainly needed seasonings and some daily supplies.

A supply run was necessary.

After gearing up and confirming the route to the nearby town, they hit the road.

Cheng Zhiyu said he'd drive. If he didn’t drive and sat in the back, Big Black would definitely hold him—no chance...he needed space.

Since Cheng Zhiyu was driving, Big Black had to settle for sitting in the passenger seat closest to him.

He still thought they were too far apart, so he placed his hand on Cheng Zhiyu’s leg.

Content.

Cheng Zhiyu gripped the steering wheel tightly: "You’re messing with my driving."

Big Black reluctantly withdrew his hand and let out a small sigh.

Zhou Min wore a mysterious smile, patting Tian Qiao and Tian Manman, shooting them a meaningful look.

Tian Qiao was clueless. Seeing Zhou Min’s expression, he asked puzzledly: "What’s wrong with you? Are your eyes twitching?"

"Are you feeling unwell?" The good-natured and simple Tian Manman looked concerned. "You should rest more. Go ahead and rest."

Zhou Min: "..." How lame.

He had no choice but to turn around and look ahead.

Out of nowhere, Big Black suddenly turned around and asked them: "Am I ugly?"

The three: "..."

Dude, are you for real? Asking if you’re ugly with a face like a Greek god.

In fact, Big Black was asking seriously—he didn't really understand human standards of beauty.

"Brother Black, you’re already so handsome. Asking a question like that, are you trying to make the rest of us feel bad?" Tian Qiao was speechless. He considered himself decent-looking, but Big Black’s face was just... ridiculously handsome.

Zhou Min muttered: "Are you showing off?"

"What’s showing off?" Big Black frowned and looked at Tian Qiao: "Did you and Zhi Yu grow up together?"

He said this a bit jealously.

Tian Qiao didn’t notice: "Yeah, we’re like brothers."

"Were you that broke? Why did you share pants with Zhi Yu?" Big Black frowned.

"Uh... It’s a figure of speech meaning we’re really close," Tian Qiao explained.

Big Black rubbed his temples: "Alright, then you should know Zhi Yu pretty well. Do you think he likes my looks?"

The car suddenly wobbled—Cheng Zhiyu’s hand trembled.

Do I not exist?

Tian Qiao didn’t catch his drift and scratched his head: "Who wouldn’t want your looks? Haha."

Big Black took that in and took it as a yes. He felt better. So Cheng Zhiyu didn’t think he was ugly—maybe he really was throwing him off while driving?

Zhou Min chuckled under his breath: "Hehehe..."

Tian Qiao and Tian Manman, who heard it, were baffled—what was so funny?

Zhou Min patted their shoulders. "You two are clearly straight men, so it's normal you don't get it."

The two: "?"

The thirty-kilometer distance was quickly covered by car. Once in the city, the road became difficult to navigate, filled with abandoned vehicles and all sorts of junk.

They had no choice but to get out first and leave the off-road vehicle where it was.

This small town was desolate, seemingly already abandoned. Perhaps the survivors had left, leaving only wandering zombies behind.

Cheng Zhiyu frowned as he dealt with a zombie, skillfully digging out the crystal core, cleaning it, and storing it away.

Soon, there was no time to dig for crystal cores—they encountered a horde of zombies. Fortunately, the highest level among them was only level three. Big Black directly controlled one into killing itself.

"Whoa, Brother Black, you're amazing!" Tian Qiao exclaimed while mowing down zombies. "So can you control anyone you want?"

Hearing this, Big Black instinctively glanced at Cheng Zhiyu. Seeing that the other wasn't looking at him, he pressed his lips together. "No, I can only control these low-intelligence creatures."

With a wave of his hand, lightning and water-based attacks erupted, instantly wiping out a large group of zombies. He muttered, "These zombies are so annoying."

"Exactly," Zhou Min chimed in.

Big Black: "Zhi Yu is so busy mowing down zombies, he doesn't even have time to look at me."

Zhou Min: "..." I'm really done.

On Cheng Zhiyu's side, even more zombies fell. He had Little Two, Little Iron, and Little Roll, each exceptionally combat-ready.

A waist-high fireball could burn down a large group. Little Roll tossed zombies around while digging out their crystal cores.

He wielded the Little Iron submachine gun, mowing down rows of zombies.

Tian Qiao's abilities had improved significantly—he could now summon over a dozen ice arrows at once, each taking down a zombie, dropping them in groups of dozens.

Tian Manman was much more straightforward and brutal. He darted swiftly among the zombies, his large blade cutting through, sending zombie heads rolling to the ground, split in half.

Zhou Min held a specially crafted crossbow from Cheng Zhiyu, with a quiver of arrows on his back. Firing three arrows at once, three zombies fell instantly. He quickly drew three more from the quiver, and if any weren't completely dead, he finished them off with a dagger.

Hundreds of zombies were easily dealt with. As he dug out crystal cores, Zhou Min exclaimed, "Holy crap, we struck gold!"

They could fill a whole bag with just the crystal cores.

Cheng Zhiyu was also quite pleased. The higher the level of the plants in his personal space, the harder it was to upgrade them with crystal cores. This many should be enough to level them up once more.

After collecting all the crystal cores, they stacked the zombie bodies together and set them on fire. Leaving corpses piled up could easily cause new problems.

After resting for a while, they went to search for a supermarket.

This used to be a small town, not very large, so they should find it quickly. Even though they had just dealt with a zombie horde, they remained vigilant along the way.

Cheng Zhiyu frowned—it was too quiet here, eerily so.

"Hey, is that a person over there?" Zhou Min, with his keen eyesight, pointed not far away.

Just as Cheng Zhiyu looked over, he heard the other exclaim, "There's a zombie next to that person!"

Cheng Zhiyu's heart sank. Sure enough, there was a zombie beside the person, and its level of decay seemed lower than any they had seen before.

This meant the zombie was definitely level three or higher.

Seeing the zombie about to bite the person, Cheng Zhiyu intervened, having Little Roll pull the person over.

Little Roll acted roughly, wrapping around the person's waist and tossing them over, sending them tumbling onto their rear.

Cheng Zhiyu coughed lightly and looked at the person. "Are you okay? Were you bitten?"

The person had somewhat long hair, head slightly bowed, making it hard to see their eyes. They shook their head.

Cheng Zhiyu glanced over, saw no bite marks, and didn't dwell on it, immediately turning his attention back to the zombie.

"That zombie must be stupid—it hasn't attacked us at all," Tian Qiao mumbled.

However, the next moment, a blazing fireball came hurling at them. Little Roll swiftly wrapped around the group and dodged, leaving behind a massive crater where they had just been, with a radius of dozens of meters.

Their expressions turned grave. This zombie was far more powerful than any approaching level four they had encountered—it might not even be level four, but possibly… level five.

How could a level five zombie appear in such a small town? Zombies upgrading were difficult, and higher-level ones were rare. The strongest they had encountered on their journey was only approaching level four.

But there was no time for doubt. The zombie launched another attack, giving them no chance to catch their breath.

Fortunately, with Little Roll around, they were hurled around while looking for opportunities to strike.

However, whether it was ice arrows, arrows, or bullets, the zombie evaded every attack. Big Black's lightning did strike it, but the zombie had too much health, and the attack hardly made a dent.

Meanwhile, Cheng Zhiyu's arm was grazed by an extremely powerful fireball, instantly burning off much of his skin. The others were also injured to varying degrees.

"Zhi Yu!" Big Black's eyes turned red.

Damn zombie.

Cheng Zhiyu was sweating from the pain, gritting his teeth as he gripped Big Black's arm. "Don't panic, I'm fine."

He was truly afraid Big Black would charge forward and fight recklessly.