Chapter 67

Chapter 67

"Winged Tribe?" Cheng Zhiyu uttered slowly.

Cheng Mo, feeling a pang of guilt, nonetheless confessed earnestly to Cheng Zhiyu.

Upon hearing it, Cheng Zhiyu was speechless.

It was quite a paradigm shift for him. Wow, aliens really exist, and he even had an alien boyfriend?

Cheng Zhiyu was surprisingly adaptable; after all, he used to think Cheng Mo was a dog demon.

A dog demon wasn't exactly a step up from an alien anyway.

"Zhi Yu, I kept it from you." Cheng Mo slyly revealed his ears. "You can hit me or scold me, but I won’t give up being your boyfriend."

Cheng Zhiyu wasn't bothered. He didn’t believe couples necessarily had to know all each other’s secrets, and besides, they had only just started their relationship.

Seeing that Cheng Zhiyu wasn’t angry, Cheng Mo breathed a sigh of relief and added another confession: "Actually, I’m not 18 years old."

Cheng Zhiyu had wanted to say this for a while: "You don’t look 18 either."

He narrowed his eyes: "Come clean, how old are you?"

"Hey, do I have to?" Cheng Mo was reluctant. "What if you think I’m too old and don't want me anymore?"

Cheng Mo vowed not to give Cheng Zhiyu a chance to leave him, so: "I'd rather not say."

Cheng Zhiyu: "...So what’s the point of confessing?"

Saying he’s not 18 but refusing to reveal his real age.

Cheng Mo stated with false righteousness: "I didn’t want to lie to you anymore."

"Then out with it." Cheng Zhiyu was genuinely curious and started guessing: "You’re not thousands of years old, are you?"

He said it as a joke, and Cheng Mo panicked: "How could I be that old!"

Cheng Mo: "My father isn’t even that old! I’m almost a hundred!"

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." Well, that’s not much better.

"A hundred?" Cheng Zhiyu’s eyes widened.

"Cheng Zhiyu, do you really find me too old?" Cheng Mo widened his eyes, trying hard to suppress his sadness, and justified himself: "Our Winged Tribe only reaches adulthood at a hundred years old. Round it off, it’s like your human 18."

"Ahem, I’m just a bit shocked." Cheng Zhiyu quickly comforted him, but: "Do your Winged Tribe have long lifespans?"

Cheng Mo: "Yeah, my father is almost a thousand years old? And still in his prime."

Cheng Zhiyu pursed his lips: "I’d probably be dust by a hundred."

Cheng Mo frowned: "Don’t talk nonsense. A hundred is still a child."

Comforting Cheng Zhiyu while subtly pushing his own agenda.

Cheng Zhiyu thought to himself, for humans, a hundred is definitely not a child.

"Zhi Yu, once things are settled here, will you come with me to my star system?" Cheng Mo said: "I have a partner now, so of course we should be together forever. I won’t let you turn to dust at a hundred."

Cheng Zhiyu was actually quite open-minded. Breakups happen, and he’s only in his twenties now, no point worrying about it so early.

He smiled: "We’ll talk about it later."

If they’re still together by then.

Cheng Mo had no idea what Cheng Zhiyu was thinking and nodded: "Okay."

"My father always said I’d never find a partner and would grow old alone." Cheng Mo said proudly: "I found one just before adulthood. That old man didn’t start pursuing my mother until he was over five hundred, and it took him over a hundred years. I’ll definitely make fun of him when we go back."

Cheng Zhiyu laughed: "Is it okay to talk about your own father like that?"

But: "Uh... father? mother?"

He suddenly realized that his brand-new boyfriend wasn’t just an alien, but not an ordinary alien either.

"None of that matters." Cheng Mo brushed it off lightly and added: "My father is less than a thousand, still young. Maybe he can have another kid."

Being the Crown Prince isn’t important; it doesn’t mean he’ll definitely become king.

Cheng Zhiyu rubbed his forehead: "Alright."

Since Cheng Mo didn’t care, he should... not care either.

But Cheng Zhiyu was curious: "Then you must have had a name before? What was it?"

Cheng Mo nodded: "I’m called Ya Er."

"Ya Er?" Cheng Zhiyu repeated.

Cheng Mo said: "But I still prefer the name you gave me. Just keep calling me that."

Cheng Zhiyu was getting sleepy, but his mind was unusually alert. He closed his eyes and suddenly thought of something: "Wait, if you’re not a dog demon and used to live in a civilized society, you must have known those earlier actions weren’t appropriate, right?"

Cheng Mo played dumb guiltily: "What do you mean, Zhi Yu? I don’t understand."

"In your place, can people just kiss others casually? Hug all over? Pinch... ahem, and that stuff?" Cheng Zhiyu became much more awake, looking sharply at Cheng Mo.

Cheng Mo fidgeted nervously: "Well..."

Cheng Zhiyu played his trump card: "Oh, so you’ve done this kind of thing with others before?"

"No!" Cheng Mo quickly refuted: "Our Winged Tribe isn’t that kind of casual beast. We only commit to one partner for life. How could we casually..."

Cheng Zhiyu smiled: "Oh, so you knew those things are only for partners?"

And he played dumb! Tricked me around!

Even though often, he had allowed Cheng Mo’s actions—if he didn’t agree, the other couldn’t have done anything—Cheng Zhiyu still gritted his teeth in anger.

Damn, it made him look so stupid.

"I... I was seducing you." Cheng Mo’s ears popped out again, not seeing any problem with seduction: "Besides, Zhi Yu was always willing."

Cheng Zhiyu’s face turned bright red: "How dare you say that!"

Damn it, he really had been seduced by Cheng Mo. Even before they confirmed their relationship, he half-heartedly went along...

Cheng Mo blinked: "Are you angry?"

Cheng Zhiyu didn't want to speak, feeling utterly embarrassed—he couldn't control himself every single time.

Cheng Mo: "Zhi Yu? Zhi Yu? Zhi Yu?"

Cheng Zhiyu chuckled dryly: "Your acting is really something."

He totally fell for it—Cheng Mo looked just like an innocent, clueless boy, and since Cheng Zhiyu thought he was a dog demon who might genuinely not know any better, he believed him.

Ah, thinking about it now, it's all tears of regret.

"Don't be mad," Cheng Mo quickly cooed. "I'm willing to make it up to you with my body."

Cheng Zhiyu: "...Heh, no need."

His little scheme foiled, Cheng Mo scratched his nose, a bit defeated.

Cheng Zhiyu pushed him away and declared, "No physical contact with me for a month."

Cheng Mo felt as if struck by lightning—he had just earned his official title, and now he was being banished to the cold palace (a metaphor for being ignored).

"My heart aches so much," Cheng Mo said dramatically. "Feel my heart."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." Using the seduction tactic again, huh?

He closed his eyes, keeping his cool by not looking, and said coldly, "Not feeling it."

Cheng Mo reached out to gently try to open Cheng Zhiyu's eyes. "Open your eyes and look at me!"

If Cheng Zhiyu just looked, Cheng Mo was sure his seduction would work.

But Cheng Zhiyu stubbornly kept his eyes shut. Not daring to force it, Cheng Mo could only gaze at him mournfully. "Cheng Zhiyu, do you not like me anymore?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "Yep."

Cheng Mo gritted his teeth. "Lying's not fun. Let's sleep."

Finally having gotten the upper hand, Cheng Zhiyu smiled. "Just one month. Goodnight."

Of course, Cheng Mo had no intention of behaving, but he decided to compromise for now. "Goodnight."

They had talked for so long that it was already the early hours of the morning. Though Cheng Zhiyu was still a bit excited, he couldn't fight off the overwhelming drowsiness and soon fell asleep.

Cheng Mo, who had been lying still, slowly inched closer. After a while, making sure Cheng Zhiyu was still asleep, he carefully wrapped his arms around him.

A whole month without physical contact? Impossible.

The next morning, Cheng Mo opened his eyes to find Cheng Zhiyu already out of bed. Not mentioning the fact that he had woken up being held, Cheng Zhiyu smiled slightly. "Good morning. Sleep a bit more if you're tired."

Dazzled by that smile, Cheng Mo couldn't help but lean in. But just as he was about to kiss him, Cheng Zhiyu leaned back slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Forget what I said last night?"

Cheng Mo: T_T

Cheng Zhiyu held back a laugh, thinking how fun it was to tease Cheng Mo. But he didn't soften—this guy had played him for a fool before, and it was downright humiliating.

He had to get even.

While Cheng Zhiyu was washing his face, a figure drifted up behind him. Cheng Mo stared at him like a ghost. "Cheng Zhiyu, are you really going to be this cruel?"

Cheng Zhiyu had a counter ready: "Who was it that tricked me first?"

Cheng Mo instantly deflated: "..."

Cheng Zhiyu said righteously, "My mind and body have suffered serious damage. I need time to recover."

Cheng Mo had to switch to a softer approach: "Then can't you choose a different way?"

Cheng Zhiyu didn't answer, just wiped his face. "Hurry up and wash your face."

With that, he left the bathroom.

Left with no choice, Cheng Mo quickly washed up and went downstairs.

The change in their dynamic was quickly noticed by others, with Zhou Min picking up on it first.

Zhou Min, with his sharp observation skills, immediately sensed something was off. Looking at Cheng Mo—wow, he was actually managing to keep a ten-centimeter distance from Cheng Zhiyu without clinging to him?

Something was definitely wrong!

Had they argued? Zhou Min started to worry.

Then, Cheng's mother also noticed something amiss and specifically called her son over to ask, "What's going on with you and Xiao Mo?"

Cheng Zhiyu blinked. "What do you mean?"

Cheng's mother asked, "Did you argue? You should be more accommodating to Xiao Mo. He's had a hard time, coming with you to our home where he's out of his element. Don't bully him."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..."

He sighed helplessly. "Mom, we didn't argue. Don't worry about it."

"Xiao Mo treats you so well," Cheng's mother said earnestly. "Be good to him, understand?"

What could Cheng Zhiyu say? He could only nod. "I understand, I understand."

But wait—why was his mother acting as if he and Cheng Mo were already together? If he remembered correctly, they had only gotten together last night, right?

To this, Cheng's mother said, "You two already share a room. Aren't you together?"

She looked at Cheng Zhiyu as if he were a scumbag.

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." Fine.

Even the usually oblivious Tian Qiao sensed something was off. Unafraid of Cheng Mo, he came over and asked, "Brother Black, did you and Orange have a fight?"

Cheng Mo immediately replied, "How could I possibly argue with Zhi Yu?"

"Then you two..." Actually, their current interaction was just like that of normal friends, but since they were usually so intimate, the sudden change made it seem like they had argued.

"We didn't argue," Cheng Mo emphasized again, then added eagerly, "Well, let me tell you some good news—I'm Zhi Yu's boyfriend now."

Tian Qiao, who had always thought his childhood friend was straight, gaped in disbelief, wishing it was just his ears playing tricks on him. "Male friend?"

"Boyfriend," Cheng Mo stressed. "If it were just a male friend like any of you, would I need to specifically mention it?"

"Ah, this..." Tian Qiao was left in a daze.

Wait, wasn't Orange straight?

Cheng Mo walked away, and Zhou Min sneakily came over. "What were you two talking about just now?"

Tian Qiao blurted out instinctively, "Brother Black said he's Orange's boyfriend now."

"Huh? Wasn't that already the case a long time ago?" Zhou Min scratched his head.

Tian Qiao: "..."

He had no choice but to go confirm with Cheng Zhiyu and received an affirmative answer.

Cheng Mo listened nearby with a proud expression—he finally had his place recognized.

Tian Qiao was in a daze: "Give me a moment to process this."

Cheng Zhiyu patted his shoulder, telling him to take his time, and then went out.

Cheng Mo followed him: "Cheng Zhiyu, are you still mad?"

Cheng Zhiyu replied coldly, "Not yet."

Cheng Mo sighed. A month... and it was only the first day—he couldn't take it anymore.

They arrived at the base's farmland. It had rained for several days, and the previously dry, cracked soil had become much more moist. The ground had been too wet to plant a few days ago, but after drying out for a while, they could finally plant the seeds today.

Grandpa Zhao grabbed a handful of soil and smiled, saying, "This rain was really good."

Cheng Zhiyu walked over with a smile and squatted down beside Grandpa Zhao: "How is it, Grandpa Zhao? Have all the seeds been planted?"

Grandpa Zhao nodded repeatedly: "They're all planted. You know, this is the first time I've ever seen mutant wheat seeds this big—almost as big as the palm of my hand. With seeds this large, who knows how much grain they'll produce!"

As he spoke, a genuine, earthy smile spread across his face. He was a genuine farmer, always happy about the crops in the field, no matter the circumstances.

"I'd only heard that mutant seeds could adapt to the climate of the post-apocalyptic world. I thought it was just about stronger adaptability—I never expected such a change. This is good, really good." Grandpa Zhao's smile deepened the wrinkles on his face.

After chatting with Grandpa Zhao for a while and seeing that everything was fine, Cheng Zhiyu estimated that these wheat seeds would sprout soon.

In the past, the winter wheat they planted needed a whole winter to go dormant, waiting for warmer weather before waking up and growing slowly. The mutant wheat clearly didn’t need this step—it would sprout and form heads directly.

It wouldn’t be long before the base could achieve food independence.

Besides wheat, they also planted some quick-growing vegetables, like lettuce. They planted about an acre, and in about a month, the base would be able to enjoy fresh lettuce.

In the early stages, wheat hardly needed any attention, so the farming crew had downtime. They asked if there were more mutant seeds available.

Cheng Zhiyu naturally had some. Earlier, he hadn’t given them too many varieties because he was worried they’d be overwhelmed. Now that they asked, after some discussion, he provided potatoes and pumpkins.

Without staple foods, potatoes could temporarily stand in as a staple—filling and tasty.

As for pumpkins, they were chosen simply because they produce abundantly.

Fang Guowei thanked him and went back to work with his team. They had already cleared plenty of land, so there was no need to clear new land—they could just plant directly.

Fellow villagers would occasionally pass by to take a look. In fact, some weren’t just passing by—they made a special detour just to look.

This piece of land held the hope for the base’s future—it was growing the food they would eat.

Even though the ground was bare-looking now, just looking at it brought joy.

The mutant seeds were already buried beneath.

The farming department wasn’t very large, so when some fellow villagers passed by, they would even ask if help was needed. They were happy to help for free, always thinking that if they planted more, there would be more to harvest, and they could eat more later.

Since there was nothing needing help here, Cheng Zhiyu went to see Lin Kang.

Lin Kang had just sent someone to find him, asking him to come over.

So Cheng Zhiyu and Cheng Mo went together.

Entering Lin Kang’s office, they found him sitting at his desk, writing something.

Seeing Cheng Zhiyu come in, he smiled and said, "You’re here."

Then he stood up and poured tea: "I just got some tea—perfect for having you over."

Cheng Mo took a sip from his teacup but couldn’t tell anything special about it.

Cheng Zhiyu didn’t know much about tea either, but after taking a sip, he found it quite fragrant—definitely good tea.

"During the recent zombie horde defense, Xiao Cheng, you really made me see you in a new light," Lin Kang said with a complex expression. "To be honest, when I saw so many zombies, I wasn’t as calm as I appeared. I was thinking, if it came to it, we’d hold them off and let the civilians evacuate first. But unless it was absolutely necessary, who would want to leave their home? Especially since our base has only just started to improve."

Cheng Zhiyu simply said, "I’m also a part of the base. It’s what I should do."

Lin Kang smiled: "After this, I believe everyone—regular folks and Superhumans alike—backs you now."

Cheng Zhiyu wasn’t sure what he meant by that, so he didn’t respond.

"To be honest, I used to have grand visions. So when the apocalypse came, I immediately thought about organizing people to resist the zombies," Lin Kang recalled. "At the time, it wasn’t some noble idea—I just wanted to be the first to stand up."

Cheng Zhiyu said sincerely, "No matter what you thought, the base owes a lot to you."

Lin Kang shook his head with a bitter smile: "At first, I was full of ambition, but along the way, it's been a struggle. I’m not management material."

Cheng Zhiyu: "You’ve done very well."

Lin Kang sighed: "No, I’ve just been toughing it out. Yang Kai has always wanted to take my position—I know that. Honestly, if he had even half a brain aside from his strength, I’d be willing to hand it over. But with him like that, giving him the position would just be the ruin of this base."

After saying this, he looked at Cheng Zhiyu: "Ever since you returned, I’ve been observing you. You’re more suited to manage the base than I am."

Cheng Zhiyu: "...I’m not really suited."

"Hahaha, you’re too modest," Lin Kang said earnestly. "Think about it. I feel like I can’t keep this up much longer. Maybe some people just aren’t cut out for this. Ah, this is the first time I’ve told anyone this, but I’ve been trying hard to adapt. Yet it’s still incredibly difficult.

"Before, there was no suitable person, so I had to grin and bear it. But now there’s you. Cheng Zhiyu, I truly think you’re more suitable than anyone else—at least in this base, no one else is better suited."

Cheng Zhiyu fell silent. He never expected Lin Kang called him here to say this.

Before leaving, Lin Kang urged him: "Think it over carefully! I’m serious!"

Cheng Zhiyu was at a loss. He hadn’t expected Lin Kang to think this way.

After leaving, Cheng Mo asked Cheng Zhiyu: "Cheng Zhiyu, what do you think?"

Cheng Zhiyu didn't have the heart to take over. He wasn’t sure if he could do better than Lin Kang, so he said: "Let Captain Lin stick it out a while longer."

Cheng Mo fully agreed with Cheng Zhiyu.

If Yang Kai found out, he’d probably be furious—he tried so hard for the base’s management rights, but these two were playing hot potato with it.

But even if Yang Kai knew, he wouldn’t dare say anything. After the zombie horde attacked the base, Yang Kai was dead scared of Cheng Zhiyu. Whenever they crossed paths, Yang Kai would immediately give him a wide berth.

He was even scared of Cheng Zhiyan now, which Cheng Zhiyan found absolutely hilarious.

——

The Superhumans keeping an eye on the stream came to report again, saying they heard movement near the springs once more, seems like they’re fighting again.

Cheng Zhiyu and the group immediately decided to go check it out. Although the fawn had said that if the tiger came, it couldn’t beat it, they were still somewhat worried.

Sure enough, as soon as they arrived, they saw debris flying everywhere, and the fawn's mournful cries rang out. Their hearts tightened, and they hurried over.

Unexpectedly, the tiger lay on the ground, not breathing, while the fawn, aside from some minor injuries, was mostly fine.

Zhou Min went to treat the fawn’s wounds, while Cheng Zhiyu approached the tiger and checked for breathing—there was none.

The fawn continued to whimper sadly. Zhou Min frowned, "Does it hurt somewhere else? That’s odd, I don’t see any other injuries."

Fortunately, Lin Jiashu was there today and translated, "The fawn is sad because its den was destroyed by the tiger."

Everyone looked and saw that the previously built shed was indeed shattered to pieces.

Cheng Zhiyu comforted the fawn, "It’s alright, we’ll build a new one."

The fawn remained upset. That nasty tiger had insisted on provoking it. It’s gentle by nature; it never wanted to pick fights with other animals.

Although it guarded the spring, it had no control over the stream. The tiger could have easily drunk from the stream instead of insisting on trying to steal its spot.

Magical beasts are very territorial and unwilling to yield. So the two beasts fought again.

The tiger had fully recovered from its injuries, but it hadn’t expected that the fawn, having its leg healed by Zhou Min, had regained its full strength. The tiger was no match for it at all.

The fawn now approached the tiger, seemingly giving it a sniff, and suddenly told Lin Jiashu to have them follow it.

Cheng Zhiyu and the others were confused, but since the fawn seemed to have something in mind, they quickly followed.

As a magical beast, the fawn moved quickly, occasionally glancing back to ensure everyone was keeping up. It seemed to have a specific destination.

Zhou Min panted, muttering, "What does the fawn want to show us?"

Tian Qiao replied, "No idea. But is it okay that no one is guarding the spring?"

Cheng Zhiyu said, "Should be okay for a bit. The tiger’s corpse is still there—it’ll deter many other creatures."

Tian Qiao felt reassured.

Tian Manman and Cheng Mo were the most at ease among the group. Tian Manman was naturally a speed type, and Cheng Mo, he had always been a fast runner.

Finally, they reached their destination. The fawn stopped in front of a cave, seemingly unwilling to enter.

Lin Jiashu finally found a moment to ask why it had brought them there.

The fawn explained that it had just sensed the tiger had cubs—no wonder it fought so desperately for territory.

It actually felt some regret for having killed the tiger, but it had no choice. The tiger was too aggressive; if it had yielded, it would have been the one to die.

Still, the fawn felt guilty, so it brought them here to see if they could find a solution.

Following the tiger’s scent, it indeed sensed a tiger cub inside the cave.

Lin Jiashu relayed the fawn’s message to the group. Everyone exclaimed, "Wow, there’s a baby tiger!"