Chapter 2 Reunion

Chapter 2: Another Encounter

After leaving the hospital, Bai Suizhi noticed the wind had died down. The ground was littered with branches and leaves that hadn't been cleared, and promotional signs lay scattered. Several trees, their roots weakened, had been toppled by the wind and now lay across the ground.

He pressed his forehead, feeling the fatigue of over ten hours of flying and constant movement. In this state, driving was out of the question, so he hailed a ride on his phone.

While waiting, Bai Suizhi recalled Kahn’s earlier plea—his voice tense and urgent, his eyes widening as he looked up, his hand cautiously tugging at Bai Suizhi’s sleeve, making refusal almost impossible. For a moment, Bai Suizhi had genuinely wavered, seriously contemplating the difference between taking in a person and a stray cat.

But why was Kahn so desperate as to ask a near-stranger to take him away, yet unwilling to make any changes himself? Was there some hidden reason?

Bai Suizhi rubbed his face, dismissing the thought. They were just strangers who had crossed paths, unlikely to meet again. Just then, the driver called: "Sorry, the storm last night left the road clogged with trees and billboards. It’s too early for cleanup, and I didn’t check the traffic. I’m stuck here. Should I cancel the order, or do you want to wait?"

Bai Suizhi sighed. "Alright, I'll cancel it." He booked a nearby hotel online instead. Upon arrival, he showered and immediately collapsed into bed, falling into a deep sleep.

He didn’t know how long he slept, but when he woke, it was already noon. Only then did hunger pangs strike, and his thoughts drifted back to the man at the hospital. Even now, he didn’t know his name.

After eating downstairs, Bai Suizhi bought some porridge to take to the hospital, only to find the man had already left. It was just a casual gesture anyway, so he wasn't too bothered. He handed the porridge to a nurse and headed to the garage for his car.

Back home, Bai Suizhi texted Shi Mingshan for his shipping address, then began unpacking and tidying up.

Bai Suizhi’s parents had an arranged marriage and divorced shortly after he was born. Both soon remarried, and Bai Suizhi moved out on his own after turning eighteen.

By the time he finished organizing, his phone had over a dozen new messages. Calmly ignoring the pile of cutesy, awkwardly-posed pink mouse emojis, he scrolled to the end, copied Shi Mingshan’s address into the shipping app, and sent it.

A moment later, Shi Mingshan sent a video link: "Holy crap, you have to see this!"

Bai Suizhi clicked open the video. The footage was shaky and blurry, but it was clearly filmed in a subway station. A middle-aged man suddenly lunged at and grabbed an elderly woman standing nearby, sinking his teeth into her neck before she could react. The woman screamed in terror, while bystanders shrieked and scrambled away in panic.

Fortunately, the subway security reacted quickly, using a riot shield to restrain the man.

Just as everyone relaxed, the fallen woman suddenly rose in a twisted posture, her sharp nails digging into a security guard’s shoulder while her jagged teeth pierced his throat, sending an arc of blood into the air!

The video cut off abruptly, leaving the aftermath unknown. Posted during the lunch hour internet peak, its views and shares skyrocketed exponentially, reigniting discussions about the apocalypse.

Some people began secretly stockpiling supplies, while others dismissed the video as AI-generated, a mischievous kid's prank, or a deliberate attempt to incite panic by some antisocial element.

Shi Mingshan: "Bro, this time it’s different. You should stock up too. That subway station is near my place—I already took leave from work. This is freaking terrifying."

After watching the video, Bai Suizhi’s heart hammered uncontrollably. Too many bizarre things were happening at once, making it hard not to feel uneasy. He also thought the video looked authentic. After calming down, he replied to Shi Mingshan, telling him to stay safe.

The supermarket near Bai Suizhi’s home wasn’t too crowded. Perhaps people hadn’t seen the video yet, or they didn’t take it seriously—after all, a zombie apocalypse sounded too far-fetched.

After buying supplies and returning home, Bai Suizhi kept an eye on the news and reminded his parents. Both reacted indifferently, dismissing it as exaggerated, attention-seeking propaganda.

At 1 a.m., in the dead of night, a piercing scream suddenly rang out.

Bai Suizhi’s eyes snapped open. The sound came from downstairs. He pulled back the curtains and looked down. The residential complex was newly built, so there weren’t many residents yet. Most occupied units had their lights on, and people were peering down to see what was happening.

The screaming stopped abruptly after a short while. As everyone was baffled, a middle-aged woman in a floral nightgown from the building opposite pointed tremulously at a spot right below Bai Suizhi’s building and shrieked, "Wh-what is that? Aaaaaah!"

People in the opposite building followed her gaze. It was too dark to see clearly, so a man shone a high-powered flashlight in that direction, illuminating two figures stacked together.

Bai Suizhi couldn’t see what they were looking at—it was in his blind spot—but judging from their reactions, it wasn’t anything pleasant. People were recording videos and calling the police, but no one dared to go downstairs.

"Aaaaah, it moved!" someone yelled as they noticed one of the figures suddenly start moving after finishing its "meal."

When the figure moved out of the blind spot, Bai Suizhi got a clear look: a man in a suit, moving stiffly, with a large bite wound on his neck and dark blood dried on his skin. Normally, such a fatal injury would leave anyone incapacitated—unless he was no longer human.

Bai Suizhi checked his phone. The trending topics were flooded with videos of violent attacks filmed by netizens nationwide, all similar to the subway station video: a "biter" taking a bite out of someone, after which the victim would lose their minds and attack others. The "biters" shared consistent features—ashen, deathly pale faces, hollow and vacant eyes, and sharp, protruding teeth—completely unlike normal people.

The suited man downstairs, having lost his target, began wandering aimlessly. The police still hadn’t arrived, and no one dared to sleep. Everyone stayed glued to their phones, waiting for official updates.

At 2 a.m., an official notice was released, stating that multiple regions were reporting cases of patients infected by an unknown virus. Medical institutions were required to track, report, and treat these cases accordingly.

The notice also announced strict traffic controls and border closures across provinces and cities, mandating that everyone stay home to cooperate with containment efforts.

The official statement offered some reassurance, but the phrase "unknown cause" left everyone uneasy, as if a stone were hanging over their heads, ready to drop at any moment.

People could only hope the situation would be quickly contained or that the virus wasn’t as severe as feared, with a chance for the infected to recover.

Like everyone else in the complex, Bai Suizhi couldn’t sleep. They all watched the suited man wander below. Just as drowsiness set in and vigilance waned, the man seemed to catch a scent and suddenly sprinted in one direction. Everyone noticed his speed was no longer sluggish.

The man with the flashlight kept it steady, tracking the frenzied suited man like a seasoned pro. Others quickly pulled out their phones, capturing the scene from different angles.

At the same time, a dark figure nimbly vaulted into the complex from outside, landing softly. Before the figure could look up, the beam of light followed the suited man charging straight toward him.

Kahn, bewildered, dodged instinctively and found himself grappling with the suited man before he could process what was happening.

The man with the flashlight helpfully adjusted the beam to follow their movements, giving the onlookers a clear view of the violent spectacle—a blend of brutality and grace, both embodied by the dark figure.

The man in hospital scrubs grabbed the suited man by the collar, slammed him to the ground, pinned him with a strong leg to the chest, and punched him repeatedly in the face with his left fist.

Deciding it was enough, Kahn released him, stood up, and brushed off his clothes. Sudden applause erupted, accompanied by praises from residents in the surrounding buildings: "Well done! Awesome! Not just handsome but skilled too..."

Kahn scratched his head, confused. He’d just been on his way to find Bai Suizhi and happened to beat up a bad guy...

Why were so many people watching? Was he going to be arrested?

"Watch out!"

Still distracted by worries of being arrested, Kahn didn’t react in time as the suited man, who should have been incapacitated, suddenly stood up and pounced on him. Kahn’s head hit the ground hard, and his vision went black.

Just as the suited man opened his mouth to bite, Bai Suizhi grabbed his hair, yanked him off Kahn, swiftly shoved a glass into his mouth, and flung him aside—all in one fluid motion.

Kahn lay on the ground, staring intently at Bai Suizhi. This person had saved him again.

Without a word, Bai Suizhi pulled Kahn up and led him home—swiping his card, pressing the elevator, going upstairs—all in silence.

Once inside, Kahn asked softly, "Are you mad?"

Bai Suizhi laughed in exasperation. "How did you find me?"

Kahn looked down at the floor and explained, "After you left, I followed you out. You went into a hotel, but I couldn’t go up, so I waited downstairs. I accidentally fell asleep. When I woke up, I thought you were still there and kept waiting, but you never came down even after dark..."

Hearing that Kahn had waited for him all day outside the hotel, Bai Suizhi felt his heart flutter strangely. He subtly pressed a hand to his chest, trying to suppress the odd sensation.

Kahn continued, "I went back to the hospital and asked the doctor who examined me for your address. The doctor saw it was near his place and offered me a ride since he was off work."

Here, Kahn paused. After leaving the hospital, he realized everything on this planet was very different from his own.

It finally dawned on him that he hadn’t been transported to another place—he had crossed over to another planet.

This planet, called Earth, seemed somewhat underdeveloped. The buildings weren’t very tall or densely packed, and there were many flowers and plants along the roads. On Kahn’s planet, severe pollution made flowers rare and precious.

Moreover, here there were only men and women. Kahn felt his appearance matched what this planet defined as a "man," but he could also get pregnant—here, only women could get pregnant.

Kahn thought self-deprecatingly that on his planet, he was a freak with a defective gland. On this new planet, he was still an unnatural abomination.

Bai Suizhi had indeed filled out contact information and a home address at the hospital, but why would Kahn come looking for him? He asked exactly what he was thinking.

Kahn: "Because I don’t know where else to go."

Bai Suizhi: "Didn't I give you a card? You could have stayed at a hotel or rented a place."

Kahn: "I don’t know how to use them."

Bai Suizhi didn’t buy such a lame excuse, suspecting Kahn was trying to latch onto him. It was late at night, and he couldn’t just throw him out, especially with so many unidentified "troublemakers" outside.

The two fell into an uncomfortable silence, the atmosphere growing tense.

Before Bai Suizhi could figure out what to do, Kahn’s stomach suddenly rumbled. He hastily covered his stomach, his face flushing bright red as he ducked his head even lower.

Bai Suizhi let out a soft, resigned chuckle and ruffled Kahn’s soft hair. "Forget it, I’ll make you a bowl of noodles."

Kahn quickly looked up, his almond-shaped eyes shining with surprise. "Thank you, Bai Suizhi."

Bai Suizhi paused, a bit surprised. "How do you know my name?"

Kahn: "I saw it on the information form." He couldn’t really read this planet's writing, so he had asked the kind doctor. The doctor’s expression had been complicated at the time, and though Kahn didn’t understand why, he repeated the name several times until he had it memorized.

"And you? What’s your name?"

"Kahn Sunderland."

"Mixed race?"

Kahn thought for a moment, then nodded.

No wonder his features were so defined, his eyes really were blue, his hair was nice, his skin was fair, and he was tall... Bai Suizhi coughed lightly, shaking off his thoughts, and turned toward the kitchen.

Kahn tagged along closely, making Bai Suizhi feel a bit uneasy. He told Kahn to wait in the living room instead. The noodles were ready quickly. Bai Suizhi brought them to the small coffee table in the living room. Feeling hungry himself, he had made a bowl too. They both sat on the carpet, leaning against the sofa as they ate.

Kahn stole glances at Bai Suizhi while eating, mentally pinning several "good person" badges on Bai Suizhi. For the first time, he realized that even a life full of misfortune could still hold moments of luck.

Bai Suizhi was well aware of the gaze from the person beside him but pretended not to notice. Still, his hold on the chopsticks tightened a bit, and his shoulders stiffened.

Neither spoke, but under the warm yellow light, their figures sitting side by side somehow felt warm and cozy.