Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Actually, Bai Tu had poor sleeping habits; the one with good sleeping posture was Huo Changfeng. However, he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so he could fool Huo Changfeng for the time being.

Huo Changfeng had been a soldier for four years, and his sleeping posture was quite standard: lying on his back, hands folded over his lower abdomen, with the quilt covering just the middle of his chest. Bai Tu turned over. His enhanced night vision allowed him to clearly see Huo Changfeng's sleeping face.

In the end, Bai Tu got a new quilt from the cabinet because Huo Changfeng seemed ill at ease.

He pulled Huo Changfeng's quilt up a bit, covering his shoulders, then unabashedly let his eyes roam over his outline.

Huo Changfeng had a classically proportioned face. One of his ancestors was German, and influenced by this German heritage, his brow bone was higher than that of most men, with deep-set eyes and a straight nose bridge, giving him a very handsome and heroic appearance.

It had been three months since Bai Tu's rebirth, and only now did his heart finally settle.

He pulled up the Underworld Debt Panel. Xue Ji had participated in the panel's development and revision, and had even set up a group chat. Bai Tu clicked into the group, found Chu Heng's avatar, and poked it.

[Chu Heng, you weren't wrong. I found him.]

[Thank you.]

*

At six o'clock the next morning, while Huo Changfeng was still asleep, Bai Tu got up to cook porridge in the kitchen.

Three men were sprawled out sleeping in the living room. Ji Songyue had laid out a sleeping bag in a corner and was curled up inside, sleeping soundly.

Having been a ghost for so long, Bai Tu had gotten used to walking very lightly after becoming human again. He skirted around the others and went to the kitchen, skillfully washing rice and vegetables.

Four-Eyes was the first to be lured awake by the aroma. He rubbed his eyes, put on his glasses, and drifted like a wandering soul toward the kitchen door, taking a deep breath.

"That smells amazing," he couldn't help but say.

Bai Tu didn't look at him, focusing intently on the pot, slowly stirring with a spoon. Four-Eyes felt too awkward to go in, so he stood on tiptoe to peek into the pot.

Wow, porridge with greens, mushrooms, and shredded pork.

And looking at the amount...

Well, there wasn't any for them.

Just walking away now would be awkward.

Four-Eyes greeted him: "Uh, hello, I haven't asked your name yet. I'm Fan Xinglu. You can call me Four-Eyes like they do."

"Bai Tu."

"Nice name. Can I call you Bai Tu? Thanks for last night. We haven't had a proper rest in a long time. Without you, we'd probably have had to make do somewhere for the night."

Bai Tu turned the heat down to low to simmer the porridge, covered the pot, and said, "The rice is in the cabinet. You can cook some yourself."

Fan Xinglu thought to himself, was his greedy look that obvious? Seeing Bai Tu about to leave, he quickly stepped aside to make way.

Bai Tu passed by him and went straight to the weapons room.

The owner of the house was just a few meters away, so Fan Xinglu didn't feel comfortable rummaging through the fridge and decided to just cook some plain porridge to make do.

In this society nowadays, even plain porridge is hard to come by.

Fan Xinglu watched over the pot, afraid the porridge would burn. Glancing at the other pot, the porridge inside was clearly already done. Not wanting to waste food, he went and knocked on the weapons room door.

"Come in."

Fan Xinglu turned the handle and opened the door. The moment he saw what Bai Tu was doing, his soul nearly flew out of his body.

He was dismantling a grenade!

Did he think he had too many grenades or that his life was too long?

"...Uh," Fan Xinglu gulped, "your porridge seems ready."

"Oh, thanks."

Bai Tu swept all the scattered parts and the undismantled grenades on the floor into a box. Fan Xinglu watched his movements nervously, his legs uncontrollably taking a few steps back.

A moment later, he caught up to Bai Tu, who was heading toward the kitchen. "Were you in the military?"

"No."

"Then... did you major in weapons manufacturing in university?"

"No."

"May I ask...?"

"Chinese Language and Literature."

Fan Xinglu thought, "Amitabha Buddha, I wasn't blown up just now thanks to the Bodhisattva's protection."

*

At seven in the morning, Huo Changfeng got up. Bai Tu served two bowls of porridge and sat down to eat with him. As they ate, Bai Tu said, "I washed the clothes you changed out of yesterday, oiled the dagger, and your shoes are on the balcony."

The other four at the table pricked up their ears.

Remembering Bai Tu's words from last night and the look in his eyes, Huo Changfeng swallowed the "thank you" that was about to come out and simply said, "Okay."

But as soon as he said it, it felt even more strange. This kind of conversation was too domestic, as if he and Bai Tu had been living together for a long time, familiar and close to each other. Yet, in his memory, they were strangers who had known each other for less than twelve hours.

He looked at Bai Tu. Bai Tu was taking small sips of porridge with a spoon. Unlike them, who were used to wolfing down their food, Bai Tu's chewing movements were slight, his cheeks barely moving. When he brought the porridge to his mouth, he didn't make any slurping sounds. When he lowered his head, his bangs fell in front of his eyes, and his eyes drooped slightly, making him look refined and gentle.

Huo Changfeng's gaze drifted downward. Bai Tu's lips were rosy, without a trace of chapping, probably indicating he usually didn't lack hydration.

Fan Xinglu coughed, a dry, deliberate, and abrupt sound.

Huo Changfeng suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing he had been staring at Bai Tu's lips, and felt a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, Bai Tu kept his head down drinking porridge and didn't notice his intrusive gaze.

He had always been good at controlling his expressions, so he remained calm and composed on the surface to avoid being teased by his companions. However, he didn't dare look around randomly anymore and simply buried his head in his porridge.

The table immediately fell quiet, with only the clinking of chopsticks and occasional sounds of drinking porridge.

Fan Xinglu lowered his head, burying half his face in his bowl. His glasses fogged up from the steam. He lifted his face and, using the fog as cover, glanced toward the far end of the long table.

Song Lan sat in the seat farthest from Bai Tu, drinking porridge with downcast eyes. His expression didn't show the gloom from last night, but he was expressionless, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Fan Xinglu had always kept a respectful distance from Song Lan. Their small team originally had only Huo Changfeng and Xiang Yubo. Before the apocalypse, both were in the army, in the same company. They were out on a mission when the zombie outbreak happened, and only the two of them survived. With the surface communication systems down, they couldn't contact their superior units. When they returned to their base, they found it already deserted, so they teamed up to head north to check the Army Headquarters.

Fan Xinglu and Xiang Yubo were childhood friends who also happened to be heading north. They met on the road and naturally joined them. Later, Ji Songyue and Guan Jianrui joined.

Song Lan had only joined them a month ago.

When they encountered Song Lan, the other team he was with had been wiped out by a zombie siege. They lent a hand, but in the end, only Song Lan escaped. After being left alone, Song Lan naturally joined them. But unlike with Ji Songyue and Guan Jianrui, Fan Xinglu just couldn't feel close to Song Lan.

At first, Fan Xinglu thought it was because Song Lan was too beautiful, beautiful to the point of creating a sense of distance. To be fair, Song Lan was pleasing to look at and was an outstanding wind-type superhuman. Although he had a bit of a young master's temper, he was still a decent companion. But Fan Xinglu just felt something was off.

It wasn't until four days ago, when Song Lan confessed his feelings to Huo Changfeng, that Fan Xinglu finally realized what had always felt off to him.

All his teammates died overnight, yet Song Lan showed no grief at all. In less than a month, he was already in the mood for romance.

Fan Xinglu hadn't shared this feeling with the others. After all, they were all part of the same team and would be traveling together for a long time to come. He didn't want to make things too awkward.

So, after finishing the congee, he still went downstairs to call Song Lan up.

Thankfully, Song Lan didn't make a scene and sat down quietly without a fuss.

Fan Xinglu looked away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bai Tu refilling the captain's bowl with congee, while on the other side, he caught Song Lan gritting his teeth in secret. On one hand, he marveled at the captain's imposing and extraordinary presence, his charm so potent even another man couldn't resist it and fought for his affection. On the other hand, he stood up, picked up the ladle, and scooped himself a full bowl of congee.

*Plain congee really is fragrant.*

It had been a long time since any of them had eaten such pure, additive-free rice. So, they kept going bowl after bowl, as if there was no tomorrow.

Bai Tu was the first to finish. He only had one bowl. After eating, he didn't get up to leave but remained seated. He waited until Huo Changfeng put down his chopsticks before speaking: "Before you arrived, this town had only me. There weren't many zombies either."

This statement was loaded with meaning. Huo Changfeng sat up a little straighter.

This town was located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with terrain mostly consisting of plains and hills. It lay at the border between M Province and A Province. Though not highly developed, its scale wasn't small either. Whether considering topography, traffic conditions, or infrastructure, the permanent population must have been sizable. The absence of people wasn't strange; they had passed through countless towns along the way, with survivors few and far between and hordes of zombies roaming outside.

But now Bai Tu said there weren't many zombies either. So where did the "people" go?

If someone had arrived in this town before them, then the town couldn't have been as well-stocked as they saw last night, unless they were the first group to reach the town besides Bai Tu.

Was that possible?

And what about Bai Tu? Where did he come from? Had he always lived here?

No, impossible. Bai Tu said he had known him for a long time, and he himself had never been to this town before. Bai Tu absolutely couldn't be an original resident of this town.

Bai Tu's brief sentence detonated in Huo Changfeng's mind, unleashing a flood of doubts.

Belatedly, he realized he had relaxed too quickly and too unusually. He frowned, his gaze toward Bai Tu unconsciously taking on a scrutinizing and probing look.

No one at the table was eating congee anymore.

The confrontation and silence from their first meeting last night hung in the air once more.

Bai Tu continued: "Seventy meters southeast of this house, there's a farm. The soil quality is normal; it can grow normal root vegetables and leafy greens. The chickens, ducks, and geese previously raised by the farmers haven't mutated. I go to feed them every day; they're still alive and well.

"There are supermarkets, clothing stores, and Chinese and Western medicine shops in the town. All the necessities for daily life and survival are fully available. Water and electricity facilities are operating normally, and there are diesel generators for power. Nearby, there's a household with a lathe and several hardware stores. If we set up an electric fence around the town, the entire place would be very safe."

In the apocalypse, such a town was nothing short of paradise.

However,

"Why are you telling me all this?" Huo Changfeng's brows furrowed tightly.

"What I mean is, you could stay here." Bai Tu paused, looking at Huo Changfeng. "I'm inviting you to stay here with me."

Huo Changfeng's brow relaxed slightly, then furrowed even tighter. He stared intently at Bai Tu, his gaze now overwhelmingly oppressive. An ordinary person would have broken into a cold sweat under such a look. But Bai Tu simply met his gaze calmly. After a long moment, he lowered his eyes and said softly:

"Can you not look at me like that?"

Huo Changfeng was taken aback.

"I don't mean you any harm." Bai Tu said. "I just want you to stay."

Oh my god.

Ji Songyue, who had been observing all along, gasped inwardly.

Listen to that plain yet subtly aggrieved tone. Look at that calm yet subtly aggrieved expression. A master, this is definitely a master.

Ji Songyue looked at Huo Changfeng, praying her captain could use his usual tough, no-nonsense attitude, and not be tempted by this honeyed trap. But clearly, her captain had already surrendered.

"Isn't this place good?" Bai Tu asked.

It was very good.

Huo Changfeng averted his eyes, feeling a twinge of guilt. Bai Tu sincerely wanted to help him, yet he had almost resorted to tactics he'd use on an enemy. He felt at a loss for a moment, weighing his words to avoid making Bai Tu feel bad. This hesitation allowed someone else to cut in.

"Of course it's good." Song Lan suddenly spoke up. He looked coldly at Bai Tu, his tone quite rude. "But can you guarantee it will always be like this? Will the farm's soil still be this normal months from now? Won't those chickens and ducks mutate? Will there still be supplies left in the town's consumables? Will water and electricity still function? Will no one else ever come here?

"If others try to fight you for resources, or attract zombies, can you still ensure this place is safe? Can you guarantee all of that?"

This speech sent the temperature in the room plummeting. Though harsh, it indeed voiced the worries of everyone present.

In the apocalypse, staying long-term in a place without a stable social structure was absolutely suicidal. If resources couldn't be produced sustainably, survival would eventually become difficult. Besides, Bai Tu wanted to keep their captain.

After a long silence, Ji Songyue tried to smooth things over: "Bai Tu, we all know you mean well. We're really grateful. But we were just passing through, planning to rest for a night and then leave. Being able to sit here and eat congee is already thanks to you. We don't want to impose any further."

Bai Tu barely acknowledged this. He focused his gaze on Huo Changfeng, as if waiting for his answer.

Huo Changfeng's eyes met his briefly before quickly looking away, fixing on a small black dot on the wall nearby. "I'm sorry."

Bai Tu let out a disappointed "Oh."

Of course he knew staying here wasn't a long-term survival strategy in the apocalypse. This town's idyllic facade could last at most another two months. He just wanted two months undisturbed, spending peaceful days with Huo Changfeng. Perhaps with these two months, everything afterward would be different.

But unfortunately, the current Huo Changfeng had no reason to stay for him.

"Then I'll go with you," Bai Tu said.

Huo Changfeng turned his head in astonishment. "What?"

Now he was truly baffled. He could understand Bai Tu wanting him to stay as perhaps Bai Tu was too lonely and wanted company. But why would Bai Tu leave here to follow him? What exactly was Bai Tu's goal? Or was there really something about him that was extremely attractive?

Huo Changfeng truly couldn't figure it out and felt a headache coming on.

"Can't I go with you?"

"It's not that you can't..."

"Of course you can't!" Song Lan was practically fuming. "What right do you have to follow us? Every one of us is a Superhuman. Are you? Do you even know what a Superpower is?"

Superhumans were one in a thousand. Song Lan didn't believe Bai Tu had the luck to be one, or rather, he didn't believe this seemingly frail guy had the capability. He had merely survived until now by chance, being in this still-normal town when the apocalypse broke out.

But a sliver of remaining reason told him that compared to Superhumans, Bai Tu, living a normal life at this time, was the abnormal one. The two thoughts warred in his mind, and Song Lan's expression turned thunderous.

Wasn't Huo Changfeng very straightforward when rejecting him? Why did he start hemming and hawing when it came to Bai Tu? What was so good about Bai Tu? Just because of those few bowls of noodles and congee?

Song Lan desperately hoped Bai Tu was just an ordinary person who was incredibly lucky. That way, their team would have no reason to bring him along. However, when Bai Tu actually admitted he had no superpowers, he still froze for a moment.

Bai Tu really had no superpowers.

Not just him, everyone present was stunned by this, to the point of being momentarily speechless.

Bai Tu didn't seem to pick up on the awkward vibe and continued, "If you take me with you, you can have everything here."

Huo Changfeng stayed quiet, like he was thinking it over.

Bai Tu was starting to get a little worried, and kind of confused too. In his past life, he had also met Huo Changfeng in this small town. Back then, he had no means of self-defense, and Huo Changfeng had saved him from a zombie. Overwhelmed by the fear of death and the relief of surviving, he had bawled his eyes out, too choked up to string a sentence together, just begging Huo Changfeng over and over not to leave him behind. At that time, Huo Changfeng had just looked at him for a bit before taking him along—and that decision lasted a lifetime.

Was he gonna have to cry as pathetically as last time to get Huo Changfeng to say yes?

Did Huo Changfeng enjoy seeing him cry?

With that thought, Bai Tu managed to get his eyes to water, tears pooling but not falling. "You don't want me with you?"

"What's he gonna get out of taking you?" Song Lan grew even more irritated at the sight and snapped, "You don't even have an ability. What can you do? Laundry, cooking, or warming someone's—"

"Enough!" Song Lan was talking fast, but Huo Changfeng cut him off, his voice cold. "This is my call. I'll deal with it."

Song Lan stared at him in disbelief but had no leg to stand on. In the end, he abruptly stood up and stormed out.

Things had gotten super awkward. Ji Songyue rubbed her nose and said, "We didn't get a chance to visit the Chinese medicine shop last night. There might be something useful there. I'll go check it out."

Xiang Yubo also stood up. "The car needs work on the undercarriage and tires."

Fan Xinglu immediately chimed in, "I'll help you!"

Guan Jianrui glanced around, uh-ed before saying, "Should I go explore other parts of the town?"

Ji Songyue held back for a moment but finally couldn't take it anymore. She yanked Guan Jianrui up by the ear. "Then what are you still sitting around for?"

As the group reached the door, Bai Tu suddenly remembered something and reminded them, "Don't go to the west side. It's more dangerous there."

The west side of the town was surrounded by mountains, so there's a higher chance of mutated plants and animals. Even without his warning, Ji Songyue and the others wouldn't have ventured there lightly. They nodded and thanked Bai Tu before leaving.

Once they were gone, only two people remained in the living room. After a moment, Huo Changfeng's expression softened and he said, "Don't mind Song Lan's words. Not having an ability isn't a big deal. You might not be any less capable than superhumans."

Bai Tu shook his head to say it was fine.

"Where are you planning to go?"

"The capital," Huo Changfeng replied. "I was originally in the military but lost contact with my superiors. I plan to go to headquarters to check. The others in the team are also heading to the capital to look for family and friends, so we can't stay here for long."

Bai Tu fell silent for a while. After a few minutes, he stood up and went to the last unopened room in the house. The door was locked, and he took out a key to unlock it. As the door opened, a weird, faintly fishy smell drifted out. Huo Changfeng found the smell oddly familiar, as if he had encountered it somewhere before, but he looked away and didn't snoop.

Bai Tu closed the door behind him after entering and emerged two or three minutes later, carrying two bulging burlap sacks, each about thirty centimeters long. He locked the door again and placed the sacks in front of Huo Changfeng.

"I'd like to ask you to protect me on the way to the capital. In exchange, take these as my payment for protection. Is that okay?"

The tops of the sacks were tied loosely, revealing an assortment of colorful crystals inside, each one polished clean and glittering like gems. Huo Changfeng's pupils contracted slightly, his heart filled with shock.

He was all too familiar with these crystals. In this post-apocalyptic world, they were commonly called crystal cores, found in the brains of zombies or mutated animals. Only by destroying the crystal core or severing its connection could they be completely incapacitated.

Crystal cores contained a peculiar energy that current science couldn't explain. For superhumans, absorbing this energy could help them quickly recover their stamina. Accumulating a certain amount could even strengthen their abilities and elevate their levels. Abilities varied in strength, and correspondingly, the energy within crystal cores also differed in potency. Based on their experience, the darker the color, the higher the energy level. The darker the core, the more agile and aggressive the zombie it came from, making them harder to deal with.

The darkest crystal core Huo Changfeng had seen so far was red, while the weakest were transparent cores, containing energy equivalent to a few grains of rice—pretty much useless.

Among the two sacks Bai Tu had brought out, transparent cores made up the majority. However, due to the sheer quantity, there were also many colored cores of varying shades, casting a jumble of colors under the indoor light. It would have taken killing thousands of zombies to amass these two sacks.

Huo Changfeng remained silent for a long time, making Bai Tu uneasy. Clutching his pants, he asked, "I know absorbing crystal cores is beneficial for superhumans. This... isn't enough?"

Huo Changfeng gave him a deep look and shook his head slightly. "I'll take you to the capital. Keep these crystal cores safe and don't let anyone else see them."

Finally relenting, Bai Tu was overjoyed. He smiled brightly and grabbed Huo Changfeng's hand on the table, exclaiming cheerfully, "Great! I'll save them all for you!"

He hadn't planned on giving them to anyone else anyway. If Huo Changfeng wanted to share them with his teammates, he wouldn't be happy about it.

Since their meeting, Bai Tu had rarely shown exaggerated expressions or movements. Even when he smiled, it was usually a brief, subdued smile with his head lowered, disappearing in an instant. Most of the time, he was either lost in thought or gazing at Huo Changfeng with earnest eyes. This was the first time Huo Changfeng had seen such a bright smile on his face—his eyes sparkling, lips red, teeth white, his entire being radiating vitality, with an indescribable beauty.

Huo Changfeng was momentarily stunned before finally looking away. "I meant for you to keep them for yourself."

"Why?" Bai Tu shook his hand gently. "I have no use for them."

Huo Changfeng finally realized he had forgotten to pull his hand back. He coughed, withdrew his hand, and subtly touched his earlobe. "The awakening of abilities is random. If you ever awaken one, you'll need these very much."

"Then we can talk about it when that day comes," Bai Tu replied. In his past life, he had never awakened an ability until his death. He knew he had no affinity for them and didn't care much about these crystal cores. Besides, they were originally prepared for Huo Changfeng.

"I need you to protect me. If you absorb these crystal cores and become stronger, you'll be better able to protect me. In a way, they're still being used for my benefit, right?" Bai Tu thought for a moment and added, "I only need you to protect me."

The implication was clear: these two sacks of crystal cores shouldn't be shared with anyone else.

Huo Changfeng fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.

He hadn't agreed to Bai Tu's request immediately for two reasons. First, he felt the small town was stable, and Bai Tu had already found a way to survive that suited him. There was no need for him to take risks with them. Second, the journey north was long and perilous, with countless dangers along the way. Bai Tu had no ability, making it difficult for him to protect himself in dangerous situations, and Huo Changfeng wasn't confident he could ensure his safety at all times.

However, his perspective shifted after seeing the two sacks of crystal cores. Clearly, Bai Tu wasn't as fragile as he appeared on the surface. While the small town offered temporary stability, it wasn't suitable for long-term stay. It might be better for Bai Tu to travel north with him. Yet now, he felt Bai Tu was overly naive and too trusting of others. He had casually produced two extremely precious sacks of crystal cores, even offering them for free.

With such a temperament, if Bai Tu encountered someone with ill intentions, he'd likely be swindled out of everything, all while happily counting money for them—just like how he was now, gazing at Huo Changfeng with hopeful eyes.

Huo Changfeng sighed. "Alright. But the outside world isn't like this small town. Stay close to me, and I'll do my best to protect you. You also need to be more cautious. Don't wear accessories that make noise when you walk."

Last night, after Bai Tu finished bathing, he had worn long sleeves and pants. When he climbed into bed, his pants had ridden up slightly, revealing a silver bracelet adorned with a small bell around his ankle. The bell was no larger than half a fingernail, but its sound was crisp and loud. While pleasant to the ear, it was also conspicuous.

"Is this what you mean?" Bai Tu lifted his pant leg to reveal the silver bracelet, gently moving his ankle a few times.

The crisp sound of the bell rang out. Huo Changfeng glanced at it briefly before quickly looking away. "Yes."

Bai Tu reached down and fiddled with the bell. When he moved his leg again, the bell no longer made a sound.

"The clapper is movable. There, it's silent now." Bai Tu lowered his pant leg. "Can we stay here for three more days? There are many things in town that can be gathered and taken with us. You can also use this time to absorb some crystal cores."

Huo Changfeng agreed without hesitation.

Bai Tu happily grabbed his hand again before standing up to wash the dishes.

Huo Changfeng's hand, resting on his lap, curled slightly. Then he followed Bai Tu into the kitchen. "Let me help you."