Chapter 22 The Lone City (22)

Chapter 22: The Lonely City (Part Twenty-Two)

When Xue Xiaofeng was in a good mood, he allowed Xia Li to go out. Under his watchful eye, Xia Li could visit Lin Yanqing in Building 7.

Fortunately, the power hadn't been cut off. Xia Li had prepped the yam by peeling and cutting it into sections, then froze them. After getting up, he took the yam out of the fridge, steamed it, then poured in milk, added a small amount of sugar, and blended it into a smooth paste.

Xue Xiaofeng liked to watch him cook, but he vaguely sensed that Xia Li wasn't particularly skilled at it. Only when preparing food for Lin Yanqing did he put his heart into it. Most of the time, he just threw a meal together, always with just one dish.

Xue Xiaofeng felt he was being taken for granted.

Xia Li poured the prepared paste into a thermos, cradled it in his arms, and said, "Brother Xue, I'm ready. We can go."

Xue Xiaofeng stood in the middle of the living room, gritted his teeth, and said, "My birthday is in a few days."

"Happy birthday."

"What gift are you planning to give me? Everyone will give me a gift, everyone!" Xue Xiaofeng enunciated clearly.

Xia Li took a step back and asked hesitantly, "What do you want?"

Xue Xiaofeng took a step forward. He seemed to think of something, then took a step back, hinting, "The community has established new rules. People barter goods and offer supplies to obtain safety. Lin Yanqing has been lying there for two months, doing nothing but draining resources. I think we could just abandon him. What do you say?"

Xia Li looked at him quietly. It was a completely different gaze from the one on screen—calm and unruffled, like a tranquil deep sea, yet unexpectedly unsettling.

Xue Xiaofeng puffed out his chest, mustering his courage, and said, "Perhaps you should offer something in exchange for his right to survive. Of course, I'm willing to do things for you, but relationships between people should be give-and-take. You should offer something too."

Xue Xiaofeng was rambling incoherently, but he felt he had made himself clear enough.

And Xia Li indeed understood his implied meaning.

"You're a lot like my uncle," Xia Li said with a beaming smile, his curved eyes looking extremely cute. He tilted his head slightly, his soft hair falling by his ears.

"Uncle? You have an uncle?" Xue Xiaofeng heard this for the first time.

Xue Xiaofeng suddenly widened his eyes, his face flushing red, and said timidly, "You know what I want?"

"You give me what I want, and I'll give you what you want," Xia Li said with a beaming smile. "Brother Xue, you're so powerful now. The airport isn't far. It shouldn't be difficult to bring my uncle here, right?"

"Not difficult at all, I'm confident. Give me the address, I'll go pick him up tomorrow!" Xue Xiaofeng was overjoyed. "I'll go organize a team right now, we'll set off tomorrow!"

"I need to go see my brother now," Xia Li said, walking out first and pressing the elevator button.

Xue Xiaofeng followed him into the elevator, flustered, and said, "How do you know about these things? I thought you didn't understand anything." He wanted to hold Xia Li's hand but found it cradling the thermos against his chest, so he settled for wrapping an arm around his waist instead.

"We kids are online a lot, we pick up on things," Xia Li said, turning to look at him with a smile. "Brother Xue, you're young too. How old are you?"

"Th-thirty," Xue Xiaofeng said, scratching his head with his other hand.

"What are your usual hobbies?"

"Nothing special. I like going online too. I like watching your videos, and sometimes movies," Xue Xiaofeng said, taking a step closer and tightening his arm around Xia Li's waist.

"I like watching movies too, especially horror films. I'm really brave, a lot of people don't know that," Xia Li said.

The elevator soon reached the first floor. Xia Li walked out first, taking the opportunity to shake off Xue Xiaofeng's arm. He hurried toward Building 7.

Xue Xiaofeng followed behind him, ordering someone to open the door. Xia Li went in alone, closing the door on Xue Xiaofeng.

Xue Xiaofeng was instantly annoyed, but because of the breakthrough with Xia Li, he decided to endure it for now.

Liu Wen muttered, "Boss, you take such good care of them, but these guys really don't know how to be grateful."

"Shut up!" Xue Xiaofeng raised his hand and slapped him.

Liu Wen was sent flying, his body hitting the ground heavily, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He scrambled up quickly, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to Xue Xiaofeng. "I... I spoke out of turn. I know I was wrong. Please forgive me, Boss."

Xue Xiaofeng looked down at Liu Wen's abject posture, feeling a wave of satisfaction. He clenched his fist, savoring the wonderful feeling that power brought him.

He was even grateful the world had fallen into chaos. He hoped the government would never send troops and absolutely disagreed with Xie Zhihang's proposal. He needed subjects who submitted to him, needed weaklings who depended on him. Only then would the world see his greatness and nobility.

Only then would they remember his name.

*

Xia Li walked towards the young man in the darkness. The faint light blurred his features, his silver-white hair shimmering under the glow. In just two short months, that white hair had grown down to his waist. Everyone realized Lin Yanqing's body was undergoing a wondrous change.

Xia Li sat down on the edge of the bed, leaned down, and rested his cheek against Lin Yanqing's chest. Like when he was a child, he wrapped his arms around Lin Yanqing's neck and called his name.

When Xia Li was ten years old, Lin Yanqing was driven out of the house. No one knew that Xia Li had once hated him intensely—hated him for leaving just like that, hated him for abandoning him.

But later, Lin Yanqing came back for him, using every method possible to take him away from that hell. Xia Li forgave him in an instant.

They drifted from place to place, lived in dormitories, rented rooms, shared a narrow single bed, supported and cared for each other, slowly building a home of their own.

Xia Li wished he could still be the carefree, naive youth he once was, but reality kept knocking him down again and again.

"Lili, how have you been lately?" He Yuanshan's sigh came from behind.

Xia Li sat up, putting on a bright smile. "I'm doing great, Uncle He."

There was a lot of noise upstairs. Many people were locked in this building, all the doors sealed shut. No one knew exactly how many had already mutated. Xue Xiaofeng enjoyed the adulation and couldn't be bothered to sweep the building repeatedly. Those so-called building leaders had no supernatural abilities; their 'sweeps' were fake, their looting was real.

Xia Li walked over to He Yuanshan, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Just hold on for a few more days."

Xia Li heard Xue Xiaofeng's voice. He was throwing a tantrum just on the other side of the wall. Xia Li hurriedly said, "I have to go back, Uncle He. Please take good care of my brother."

He Yuanshan nodded solemnly. "You be careful too."

*

Xie Zhihang was leaning on the balcony railing, looking at the scenery. His nephew, Xie Wenxing, rushed in, dripping with sweat, and said anxiously, "Uncle, something's happened."

Xie Zhihang took the last drag of his cigarette, threw the butt downstairs, walked back to the living room, and asked, "What is it?"

Xie Wenxing shook the sweat off his chest, gulped down a glass of water, and then said, "Xue Xiaofeng is going out tomorrow. He's picked a few people to go with him."

"What nonsense is that idiot up to now?" Xie Zhihang sprawled into the sofa and lit another cigarette.

"He says he's going to pick someone up, a relative of Xia Li's," Xie Wenxing said, sitting down beside him. He nudged Xie Zhihang's knee and suggested quietly, "Uncle, why don't we just kill him? He's always causing trouble, acting crazy."

Xie Zhihang took a drag of his cigarette, lowered his head to fiddle with the lighter, pondered for a moment, and said, "The broadcast that day was very clear. The government has serum. From what I've observed, this thing has a long incubation period. There might be a chance to control it. We have to prepare for both possibilities."

Xie Wenxing didn't understand, staring at him blankly.

"There are too many living people in this community. Resources are being consumed too fast. The population has to be reduced. If the social order completely collapses, now is a good chance to carve out our own territory. But if the social order is restored, someone will have to take responsibility for all this," Xie Zhihang blew a smoke ring. "Xue Xiaofeng is a very good candidate."

"But that guy is completely nuts, always thinking about romance. He's not playing with a full deck. Following him will lead to ruin sooner or later," Xie Wenxing said.

"Xue Xiaofeng, this guy, has been a loser his whole life. Now it's the apocalypse, and he's awakened a supernatural ability, so naturally he's gotten arrogant," Xie Zhihang clenched his fist, feeling the flow of energy within his body, and murmured to himself, "Need to think of a way to control him."

*

"Oww... it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts..." Huasheng landed flat on his back, having taken a solid fall. He rolled around on the ground, throwing a tantrum.

Lin Yanqing squatted on the ground and said helplessly, "I didn't even use much force. Get up. Practice with me a little more."

Jiang Songnian had taught him fighting techniques, yet he could only practice them in his dreams. He rolled up his wide sleeves, and with a light lift of his slender arm, he lifted the child, who weighed seventy or eighty pounds, into the air without even exerting much effort—it felt as light as lifting a feather.

Peanut brushed the snow off his pant legs and said glumly, “Why practice all this? You’re still leaving. This place is great—we have everything here. Why do you have to go?”

Lin Yanqing didn’t know how to explain. He couldn’t stay lost in this dream forever. It was undoubtedly a picture-perfect paradise, but that bizarre, chaotic real world was his true home. Even if the journey was tough, he wanted to live there with his family and friends.

Peanut kicked irritably at the snow on the ground. “Go on, then! Just leave already!”

Lin Yanqing suddenly fell silent. He had absolutely no idea how to get out of here. It seemed boundless, with light but no sun, and he couldn’t find the way back home.

Seeing that Lin Yanqing had fallen silent, Peanut scooped up a handful of snow, packed it firmly, and handed it to him. “Here, for you.”

“What is this?”

“Your Uncle Niangao.”

Lin Yanqing was stunned for a second before bursting into laughter.