Chapter 65

Chapter 65

That very night, Huo Changfeng rode his motorcycle to a mall outside the base and bought the priciest camera he could find that was also the lightest and most compact for the money.

The moment he had it, Bai Tu dragged Huo Changfeng to a well-lit spot to take photos. Huo Changfeng let himself be pulled along, following Bai Tu's instructions on where to stand without a single word of protest. Bai Tu tried several locations before finally settling on one. He pulled back the curtains, found an angle that could frame the moon in the sky, hoping to make the background less monotonous.

He placed the camera on a stand a few steps away, adjusted the angle, set the timer, and then hurried back to stand beside Huo Changfeng.

Huo Changfeng had just straightened his clothes when, a moment before the shutter clicked, he raised his arm and wrapped it around Bai Tu's shoulders. Bai Tu instinctively tilted his head, leaning it towards Huo Changfeng, but he remembered to look at the camera. The final result looked as if he was resting his head on Huo Changfeng's shoulder.

In the photo, Huo Changfeng looked handsome with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his posture straight as an unsheathed blade. Bai Tu was very satisfied. He sent this group photo, along with a solo shot of Huo Changfeng, to the group chat.

It was unclear if there was a time difference between their worlds, but Chu Heng replied within minutes.

[Oh, not bad taste. Is that you next to him?]

[Yes.]

Chu Heng sent another message a few seconds later: [Don't you have barbers over there?]

Bai Tu put away the chat panel and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Huo Changfeng had finished looking at the photos and had come to wash clothes. Seeing Bai Tu, he asked, "Need to use the toilet?"

Bai Tu examined his reflection. His hair had grown long again, almost covering his eyes. "I think I need a haircut," he said.

Huo Changfeng looked at him seriously in the mirror, rinsed the soap suds from his hands in the basin, went out, and returned with a pair of scissors and a small stool. He placed the stool in front of the toilet and gestured for Bai Tu to sit. "Come here."

Once Bai Tu was seated, he said, "I want a different hairstyle this time."

Huo Changfeng pondered for a couple of seconds and said, "Okay."

He lowered the toilet lid, sat on it with his legs apart, effectively trapping Bai Tu, who was sitting curled up on the small stool, between his legs. The showerhead was within arm's reach, mounted on the faucet. Huo Changfeng reached over, took it down, turned on the tap to adjust the water temperature, and then had Bai Tu lower his head.

Bai Tu obediently closed his eyes and lowered his head, exposing a stretch of fair skin on the back of his neck.

Huo Changfeng froze for a moment, the showerhead pausing in place, spraying water onto the empty corner of the wall.

Bai Tu's breathing was light, but his presence felt overwhelmingly strong at that moment. He kept his head down for a while but didn't feel any water, so he looked up at Huo Changfeng in confusion.

Huo Changfeng's face tightened. He turned off the tap, put down the showerhead, leaned over, grabbed the sides of the small stool, and lifted both Bai Tu and the stool, moving them a bit farther away.

Bai Tu was slightly startled, his hands instinctively grabbing Huo Changfeng's arms. He quickly regained his balance, but his hands seemed glued to Huo Changfeng's arms, as if coated with super glue, and he forgot to let go. Huo Changfeng didn't immediately release his grip either. Maintaining this posture, he suddenly took a heavy breath and, without warning, turned his head and brushed his lips against Bai Tu's neck, pulling away instantly.

Bai Tu felt as if a tiny spark had landed on that patch of skin, making his entire neck burn, yet the touch was strangely soft.

He shrank his neck, a flicker of something strange passing through his heart, and turned his head to look at Huo Changfeng.

But Huo Changfeng had already straightened up, turning sideways to pick up the showerhead and turn on the water to adjust the temperature. "The water temperature wasn't right just now. It should be okay now."

Bai Tu's hands lost their support as Huo Changfeng moved away, so he placed them back on his knees, said "Oh," and lowered his head again.

Only then did Huo Changfeng glance back at him, shifting his legs uncomfortably.

He wet Bai Tu's hair, towel-dried it until it stopped dripping, then hesitated. For some reason, he didn't say anything. Instead, he cupped Bai Tu's chin with one hand and lifted his face.

Bai Tu offered no resistance, still keeping his eyes obediently closed, waiting for the next step. His eyelashes were wet, clumping together on his lower eyelids. Tiny droplets of water slid from their tips down his face, like tears.

Huo Changfeng's palm was large, his knuckles rough. His hand cradled Bai Tu's chin, thumb and forefinger framing his jaw, his single hand capable of covering half of Bai Tu's face. Having eaten well and slept soundly these past days, Bai Tu's face had gained a little flesh compared to his time in the small town. When Huo Changfeng applied slight pressure, the flesh on Bai Tu's cheeks puffed out, making him look even more delicate.

Huo Changfeng watched silently for a while, taking a long moment to suppress the inappropriate thoughts in his mind before picking up a comb and starting to comb Bai Tu's hair.

The apartment assigned to them by the base had one bedroom and one living room, which was considered quite good within the base. With only one bedroom, they naturally slept together. They had often slept side by side before, so they were used to it, but there had been no further physical contact.

It wasn't that Huo Changfeng hadn't thought about getting closer, but every time such thoughts arose, he was met with Bai Tu's innocent, clueless expression. Afraid of scaring him, Huo Changfeng held back. After restraining himself again and again, any attempt at closeness now felt abrupt.

He was really stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Huo Changfeng sighed inwardly and began cutting Bai Tu's hair. After finishing, he brought a hairdryer to dry it.

His movements were gentle as he dried Bai Tu's hair, his fingers threading through the strands, his fingertips lightly brushing against Bai Tu's scalp. That indescribable, strange feeling rose again in Bai Tu's heart, gradually expanding amidst the roar of the hairdryer. He couldn't help but call out, "Huo Changfeng..."

"Hmm?" Huo Changfeng turned off the hairdryer, looking at him with a questioning gaze.

Just as Bai Tu was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of his new hairstyle in the mirror out of the corner of his eye. In that instant, his heart turned to ashes, and all those strange feelings vanished.

"Nothing," he lowered his head. "The air from the hairdryer is a bit hot."

So Huo Changfeng held the hairdryer a bit higher and continued drying his hair.

*Better not to use cold air in winter.*

*

Bai Tu wanted to print the photos. The only photo printer in the entire base was at the research institute, so early the next morning, he went to the institute with Huo Changfeng.

Just as they entered the building, someone tapped his shoulder.

"Morning!" Lei Ou came around from behind him, holding an opened bag of biscuits. "Want some bisc..."

His words got stuck halfway. The corner of his mouth twitched, caught between laughing and not, his expression extremely contorted. It took him a long moment to squeeze out, "You got a haircut."

Bai Tu nodded expressionlessly. "Huo Changfeng cut it for me. Looks good, right?"

Lei Ou, stared down by Bai Tu's pitch-black eyes, somehow sensed a murderous aura that seemed to say, 'If you dare say it looks bad, I'll make you pay.' He could only nod against his conscience and years of cultivated aesthetic sense: "I swear on the name of Ultraman Leo, it looks absolutely fantastic."

Huo Changfeng also thought it looked good. This hairstyle made Bai Tu's face look round and very cute.

His meeting with Yue Jingming was scheduled for 7:30 AM. There were still over ten minutes before the appointed time, so he first went with Bai Tu to print the photos.

The photography equipment at the research institute was primarily for recording plant growth processes. Each floor had some, but currently, only two printers were still in use: one in Yue Jingming's lab and one in the second-floor common printing room. When they arrived, someone was inside, printing a research report on potato phenotypic growth in different soil types.

Huo Changfeng waited for him to finish before uploading the photos for printing. There was no photo paper, so they could only do color prints. The printout was thin, but the printer quality was good—no ink smudges, and the colors weren't overly distorted.

Huo Changfeng trimmed off the blank edges, found a piece of cardboard to stick the photo onto, covered it with a transparent film, smoothed the edges, and handed it to Bai Tu. "I'll look for an instant camera this afternoon."

He hadn't considered the photo printing issue when buying the camera.

"This is perfectly fine." Bai Tu held the photo with both hands, looking down at it carefully. This was his first group photo with Huo Changfeng. In their previous life, they didn't have a single one. He wasn't good at drawing either and couldn't capture Huo Changfeng's likeness, so in the end, he could only recall Huo Changfeng's appearance over and over in his mind.

Bai Tu carefully put away the photo and gave Huo Changfeng a serious look.

Huo Changfeng was already used to this. He ruffled Bai Tu's fluffy hair, took his hand, and led him to the meeting place. Once there, Huo Changfeng let go.

Almost everyone had arrived. As soon as Huo Changfeng entered, Yue Jingming opened the presentation and started the meeting.

There weren't many attendees, but they were all the main leads of the current experimental projects. Huo Changfeng's seat was near the front. Bai Tu sat down next to him, and the others were used to it. Huo Changfeng didn't want to make his relationship with Bai Tu widely known—even in the apocalypse, two men being together could attract certain odd looks. The only two people in the base who knew, Ren Yan and Little Jiang, weren't gossipers, so others simply thought Huo Changfeng had a clingy younger brother and didn't think further.

Bai Tu often attended meetings with Huo Changfeng. He spoke little, mostly just listened during meetings, didn't offer opinions, and sat quietly beside Huo Changfeng with little presence, so naturally, no one else objected.

Sitting next to Bai Tu was Lei Ou, who hadn't finished his biscuits; about a quarter remained. The bag opening was neatly and tightly folded. In a gap while taking notes, he quietly asked Bai Tu if he wanted some.

Bai Tu shook his head, his attention half on Huo Changfeng and half on what Yue Jingming was saying.

"...A total of 34 soil samples and 607 plant samples have been collected. Per the original plan, only one soil sample remains uncollected." The screen displayed a large-scale survey map with various annotations. Yellow-green represented areas they had already been to or sampled from. Yue Jingming zoomed in on the image, bringing the only spot without a yellow-green dot into clear view for everyone. "Right here."

It was a large mountain range dozens of kilometers northwest of the base. Yue Jingming opened another aerial photograph showing the full extent of the mountains.

Bai Tu sat up straight.

Huo Changfeng looked at him, but Bai Tu didn't notice, his gaze fixed intently on the lush, green mountain range.

"Based on the aerial imagery, our initial assessment is that the mutation level of the flora here is higher than in all previously sampled locations. Besides the plants, other organisms within are highly likely to have undergone varying degrees of mutation. The danger index is estimated to be at least 75."

The danger index was a standard developed by the research institute, with higher values indicating greater danger. Depending on the destination's index level, different personnel and equipment were allocated for each expedition. This system helped facilitate the institute's visual analysis of various regions and to maximize the efficient use of all available resources.

Of course, regardless of the allocation, Huo Changfeng led every team.

So, after Yue Jingming finished analyzing the research institute's progress during this period, as the meeting was winding down, Huo Changfeng stated, "I will lead a team there the day after tomorrow."

He was known for his decisive and efficient actions, returning with the entire team and loaded with samples in as little as one day or up to ten. His expeditions were spaced only days apart, showing no sign of weariness despite the continuous high-intensity operations. Even someone like Yue Jingming, who would rather work tirelessly on experiments, felt a spark of respect for him.

Yue Jingming was about to say there was no rush when he suddenly heard Bai Tu speak up: "I'm going too."

Yue Jingming was startled and looked at Huo Changfeng, who also showed a hint of surprise.

Huo Changfeng disapproved but wouldn't contradict Bai Tu in front of others, so he remained silent, only tightly grasping Bai Tu's hand under the table.

Bai Tu pressed his lips together and said nothing more.

Yue Jingming promptly interjected, "The day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve. We can discuss the sampling after the New Year. The research institute will also be on holiday from tomorrow until the third day of the Lunar New Year. Everyone has worked hard during this period."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those present became somewhat distant.

Since the apocalypse began, mere survival was a struggle. Who had the leisure to remember what day it was? Even if they remembered, there was no mood for celebrating any holidays. Festival or not, surviving came first.

But the Lunar New Year was ultimately different. Making it to the New Year meant they had safely survived another year and were embarking on a brand new one.

And surviving the first New Year of the apocalypse signified that they had successfully lived through the most difficult, most unpredictable period.

Yue Jingming, with his head always in his experiments, naturally hadn't considered this. It was only when Ren Yan rushed over in the middle of the night that Yue Jingming remembered to give the other institute members a holiday. He himself wanted to continue working, but after several hours of Ren Yan talking him into it, he finally relented and agreed to rest as well.

The news of the holiday was sudden. As soon as the meeting ended, the major department heads hurried back to their respective labs to relay the message and quickly wrap up several experiments to avoid delays during the break.

Bai Tu and Huo Changfeng walked home.

On the way, Bai Tu said, "I want to go."

Huo Changfeng stopped walking but didn't speak immediately.

Bai Tu also stopped, head bowed without looking at him, hands stuffed in his padded jacket pockets, toes idly scuffing a small stone on the ground.

After a moment, Huo Changfeng spoke gently, "It's too dangerous there. I might not be able to protect you. I won't be gone for long, just a few days like before."

Bai Tu stopped scuffing the stone and said sadly, "But I don't want to stay home alone, and I don't want to wait for you to come back. If you encounter danger outside, get exhausted or injured, I have no way of knowing."

No one understood better than him how dangerous the mountain range Huo Changfeng was about to go to was. That was where he had died.

"If possible, I don't want to be separated from you for a single day."

He was clingy, but he also didn't want to burden Huo Changfeng, which is why he hadn't gone along for the previous 34 trips. But this time, he was truly afraid.

"I won't hold you back."

As soon as Bai Tu finished speaking, his face was hurriedly cupped in hands.

Huo Changfeng looked into his eyes, breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly said, "I never thought you would hold me back."

He paused. "Alright, then we'll go together. It was my oversight not to consider your feelings. It won't happen again."

Bai Tu shook his head, unclear whether it meant "it's okay" or "it wasn't Huo Changfeng's oversight." His eyes shone brightly as he looked at Huo Changfeng.

Huo Changfeng restrained the impulse to lean in and hug him, mindful that they were on the main road.

He would protect Bai Tu. Huo Changfeng made this promise to himself in his heart.