Chapter 15: Mu Ye and Lei Zheng Don’t Deserve Happiness Either

Chapter 15: Mu Ye and Lei Zheng Are Not Worthy of Happiness Either

The entire massive convoy rumbled through the desolate ruins for two hours, leaving the final defensive perimeter of the safe zone behind as they drove into the extremely dangerous area where zombies wandered unchecked.

After the apocalypse struck without warning, human civilization's remnants were shattered and reshaped across the ravaged landscape, eventually managing to establish ten major safe zones, surrounding the Central Zone at the very heart like stars encircling the moon.

The Third Safe Zone, where Sheng Su was located, wasn't the best of the ten. Its land area ranked only in the middle, its population density ranked fifth—it was a steel cage crammed with survivors.

The weather in the apocalypse always changed faster than you could flip a page.

When they set out at dawn, the sky was still shrouded in thick gloom. Midway through the journey, the scorching sun suddenly hung high, blazing down harsh, dry sunlight. But now, that blazing sun was about to be completely devoured by the rolling dark clouds closing in from every direction.

When the apocalypse erupted, what tore this world apart was never just the tireless flesh-eating zombies wandering the streets, but also the freakishly extreme weather that raged with insane frequency across the globe.

Torrential rain, hurricanes, and acid fog ravaged the land. They mercilessly shredded the vegetation on the earth's surface and contaminated what had once been fertile soil and water sources.

Species went extinct in droves, while the surviving birds and beasts twisted into aberrations through radiation and mutation.

Human living space shrank at a terrifying, visible speed, forcing humanity into a corner.

Survival under such brutal oppression had nothing to do with the survival of the fittest anymore. Everyone did whatever it took in the face of death. The toughest of the weak died in the mud, while the most ruthless bastards clawed their way to the top of the food chain.

To cope with this catastrophic extinction event, the human body developed supernatural abilities in the face of desperation.

There were also legends that the Earth's magnetic field had undergone a bizarre, irreversible shift, changing everything overnight—and that all of it was destined for inescapable destruction.

But whether these years of apocalypse were humanity's final mad celebration before annihilation, or a desperate last stand on the edge of the abyss—no one could know.

Most of the old navigation systems had long since gone dark. After humanity settled into the safe zones, they'd tried multiple times to launch or repair old satellites, only to find the ground stations and orbital networks already destroyed beyond recognition.

In his previous life, Shu Hanqing had once taken on a long-distance mission accompanying the military on a terrain survey. Gazing into the distance, all he could see besides crumbling walls were bleached bones scorched by the sun, weathered into the dust.

Inside the carriage, apart from Sang Mai in the front seat occasionally reporting road conditions in a low voice, everyone else sat in dead silence, saying nothing.

Shu Hanqing leaned back in his seat, pulled out his portable game console, casually finished his daily quests, then switched to fishing mode and began idly passing the time.

It was a mind-numbingly repetitive motion: cast, wait, watch the float jerk, tap the button, reel in the fish, then blankly cast again.

Rong Hua pressed himself flush against Shu Hanqing's side.

He didn't care that there were other people in the carriage. His dark, wild, untamed eyes stared unblinkingly at the movements of Shu Hanqing's fingertips.

Watching him, he couldn't help but reach out again, stroking and caressing Shu Hanqing's beautifully contoured wrist.

Lately, they'd fully accepted each other's closeness on an instinctual level—the moment their skin touched, a secret, addictive pleasure bloomed.

Shu Hanqing frowned slightly and pushed him away once, coldly.

But a second later, Rong Hua shamelessly plastered himself back against him.

Shu Hanqing thought that if they were in the cabin, he would definitely slap this brat's hand away and chew him out at the top of his lungs.

Compared to the others' tense, ready-to-snap mood, Yun Ying beside them was sprawled against the edge of her seat, dead asleep.

Suddenly, brakes screeched, and the convoy ahead ground to a halt.

The lead scout vehicle had encountered a small group of zombies blocking the road.

The military vanguard reacted fast, holding the front line. Dense gunfire instantly crisscrossed into a net, and the dull roar of gunshots erupted, mowing down the first wave of zombies into the mud.

The gunfire roused at least dozens of zombies from the shadows on all sides, surging out endlessly. Their rotting, festering wounds gaping, they charged madly at the convoy.

Orders soon came from the front to engage immediately.

They were just a pack of mindless low-level zombies—way too easy for this battle-hardened squad.

Shu Hanqing shoved the door open with one hand and hopped out, taking the chance to get some air. Right behind him, Rong Hua landed, face lit up with excitement.

Fighting ran in Rong Hua's blood. The moment he stepped onto the battlefield, the ground split with a thunderous crack. Several thigh-thick, pitch-black mutated vines burst from underground like giant pythons.

The vines shot through the air with piercing shrieks, viciously coiling around the zombies' legs, then yanking them upside down into midair.

The plants writhed wildly, brutally cocooning the zombies' bodies in an airtight grip.

The sickening crunch of shattering bones rang out endlessly.

The vines squeezed madly, strangling their prey, then suddenly let go. Severed limbs and blackened blood mist exploded in the air like a torrential downpour. Finally, in the middle of the disgusting, scattered remains, a few pristine low-level crystal cores sat alone.

The rest of the squad was just now climbing out of the vehicles. Caught off guard, they looked up and found themselves staring straight at the bloody, violent meat-grinder scene. For a moment, their faces twisted in discomfort, and they froze at the car doors, afraid to step out.

Yun Ying, who'd just rubbed her eyes and stretched, poked her head out and let out an exaggerated shriek, face full of disgust: "Xiao Rong! Can't you do that somewhere farther away? Smell the air around here—does it smell good?!"

Rong Hua ignored everyone else.

He flicked his fingers, guiding two vines to precisely fish those clean crystal cores out of the pile of mangled flesh.

Sang Mai's eyelid twitched, afraid this lawless little brat would do something even more disgusting. He just reached out a big hand and, like an eagle grabbing a chick, hauled Rong Hua over to Shu Hanqing, flat-out banning him from fighting.

Rong Hua shrugged his shoulder in defiance, snorted indignantly, and muttered under his breath: "They're just scared I'm too strong and will hog all the crystal cores nearby. Hanqing, here."

Shu Hanqing looked at the few crystal cores emitting a faint glow: "...It's clearly because you're too messy yourself."

Rong Hua held the crystal cores out to Shu Hanqing.

Shu Hanqing sighed helplessly, conjured a few water orbs, and washed the disgusting, sticky gunk off the crystal cores.

In the same motion, he whipped out a violent torrent of water, blasting a zombie that had lunged from the side, jaws wide and shrieking, sending it flying several meters into a pile of rubble.

Looking at those black plants lurking in the shadows, Shu Hanqing suddenly thought of certain ridiculous nights, and his expression flickered with awkwardness: "...Don't wrap me up in your vines anymore."

Hearing this, Rong Hua's cocky, spirited expression instantly fell, and his voice dripped with immense grievance: "Why not?"

Shu Hanqing pulled an alloy dagger from his tactical thigh holster, stepped forward, and expertly dug the crystal core out of the zombie's skull.

Rong Hua trailed after him.

The crystal core turned clean and translucent under the water's flow. Shu Hanqing held it in his palm and met Rong Hua's eyes: "It's just not allowed."

Suddenly, with a few soft rustles, several vines of varying thicknesses and shades emerged from behind Rong Hua, swaying like living serpents as they appeared before Shu Hanqing.

What was even stranger was that these terrifying plants, which killed without a second thought on the battlefield, now had delicate, pure white flowers blooming in perfect sequence along each branch.

The vines practically shamelessly nuzzled against Shu Hanqing's feet, their posture dripping with fawning, sycophantic energy.

Rong Hua spoke in a muffled voice from behind: "You're not thinking they're dirty because they've killed zombies, are you? They're really clean. When they're not on missions, they clean themselves—I swear."

Shu Hanqing looked at these mutated plants frantically swaying, practically shoving their little white flowers in his face, and couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.

He reached out and sprinkled water over the vines.

That did it—rewarded, the vines writhed even more exuberantly in the air, blooming one delicate white flower after another right in front of Shu Hanqing, like they were free, bursting with sheer delight.

Rong Hua pointed at the thickest, pitch-black vine and introduced it: "This one's called Xiao Hei. I usually send it out specifically to tear zombies apart—nastiest temper of the bunch. The slightly thinner one next to it is Xiao Lan—second meanest in a scrap."

Then he tapped a slender vine tinged with red, with a few trembling little white blossoms at its tip: "This is Xiao Hong. It's never touched dirty blood—it's the most delicate, the cleanest..."

As he said this, a weird, suspicious flush crept across his face.

That see-through, bashful look was so obvious that Shu Hanqing didn't even have to think to guess what that so-called Xiao Hong had been used to tie up, stroke, or rub against during those wild, messy nights.

Shu Hanqing cut him off mid-sentence: "Shut up. Just don't talk right now."

The dozens of zombies in the surrounding infected zone had been completely cleared out.

Up ahead, a military soldier was suddenly stopped by a voice—cold, arrogant, carrying absolute authority: "Everyone, get in the vehicles. We're moving out."

Shu Hanqing whipped his head around at the sound, his gaze sweeping past several vehicles until it landed on Lei Zheng, who was standing up high.

In that instant, Shu Hanqing felt the Thunder Mark on his spine suddenly burn with inexplicable heat.

Lei Zheng wore a crisp, imposing black uniform, standing like a peerless blade drawn from its sheath, radiating the overwhelming presence of a superior—so commanding that everyone around couldn't help but stare at him.

At his side, half a step behind, stood a curvy woman with big, bouncy wavy hair, red lips, and gleaming white teeth.

The otherwise plain military uniform was stretched tantalizingly over her curves, every move oozing seductive charm.

It was Yin Bianyan—the woman who'd stopped Shu Hanqing at the base entrance a few days ago.

Yin Bianyan's narrow, alluring eyes swept around and clearly landed on Shu Hanqing. Her red lips curved into a smile as she waved at him like an old friend through the swirling dust, beaming with an over-the-top friendly vibe.

Before Shu Hanqing could even read the look in her eyes, a hand shot out of nowhere and clamped down over his eyes, completely blocking his view.

Shu Hanqing, pissed off by such thuggish behavior, laughed despite himself and slapped hard at Rong Hua's hand: "...What are you doing?"

Rong Hua gritted his teeth: "Your eyes were wandering."

Shu Hanqing was fuming. He pried Rong Hua's fingers off and sneered coldly: "Are you crazy? What's wrong with me looking at someone hot a few more times?"

Rong Hua's handsome face went pale with frustration, his dark eyes full of grievance as he muttered accusingly: "...You're such a flirt. Old or young, guy or girl—you just have to go after everyone."

Shu Hanqing snorted dismissively and jammed his elbow hard into Rong Hua's stomach: "You bastard!"

Taking the hit, Rong Hua's ears drooped right away: "...Hanqing, I'm sorry."

A few steps away, by the front passenger door, Mu Ye watched the intimacy and tussling between Shu Hanqing and Rong Hua, his eyes going completely dark.

Shu Hanqing leaned back in his seat, his mind suddenly flooding with memories from his past life.

He searched through them carefully—in his past life, Lei Zheng never seemed to have anyone like Yin Bianyan by his side.

Maybe in that life, by the time he'd clawed his way to Lei Zheng's side through countless hardships, this alluring woman had already died in some forgotten infected zone, or gone somewhere else.

Everything was spiraling out of control. The gears of fate had struck entirely different sparks in this life, and looking closer, nothing matched the past.

The Plot Guide hadn't shown up recently—it had said it would alert him once they hit the plot point where the Thunder Mark could be fully resolved.

After the convoy set off again, a layer of dust coated the windows.

Shu Hanqing closed his eyes. Rong Hua, surprisingly, didn't pester him, but quietly swiped the game console Shu Hanqing had left on his knee.

When the long-haul convoy finally slowed to a stop at an abandoned gas station and everyone got out to rest, Shu Hanqing opened his eyes, took back the console, and nearly laughed in exasperation.

His meticulously maintained virtual farm, which had cost him so much effort, had been completely overhauled beyond recognition.

The once orderly orchard had been forcibly moved to the far back of the garden, while that garish, space-hogging set of amusement rides had been lined up in a row, blocking the front door.

Shu Hanqing jabbed at the screen with his fingertip, his brow furrowing: "Why'd my cow's name change too?"

Rong Hua rubbed his straight nose, leaned in, and argued in a clingy voice: "I thought the name 'Little Cow' didn't sound cool at all. Besides, I delivered it—I brought that little life into the world with my own hands. It'd definitely be happy with a new name I gave it, right?"

Shu Hanqing stared at the two big characters "Little Flower" on the screen, wondering how that name could possibly sound any better.

Expressionless, he turned his head and ordered Rong Hua to restore the farm to its original state immediately—otherwise, the kid wouldn't get to touch a single finger of his ever again.

The trump card worked instantly. Rong Hua deflated, his fingers frantically tapping the screen in misery as he resigned himself to being the restorer.

Night fell fast, and the temperature dropped sharply.

They began setting up temporary camp tents.

Sang Mai was a natural extrovert—within the span of one cigarette, he'd already chummed it up with Lei Zheng's tightly guarded elite soldiers, laughing and cussing up a storm.

Shu Hanqing rolled up his sleeves to help secure the wind ropes. He'd just pulled out a stake when Yun Ying sidled over all mysterious and yanked him into a shadowed corner.

Yun Ying lowered her voice, barely able to contain her burning curiosity: "Brother Shu, I've been dying of curiosity these past two days! Please, do me a favor and tell me—what exactly is going on between you and Xiao Rong?"

Shu Hanqing looked away, trying to brush her off.

But Yun Ying saw right through him and grabbed his sleeve, refusing to let go: "Don't try to fob me off. Brother Shu, if you don't admit it, I'll go corner Xiao Rong myself—or better yet, I'll just ask the captain straight up!"

Shu Hanqing grabbed her hand back, sighed in frustration, and gave in: "...It's exactly what you think."

Yun Ying's eyes went wide as saucers: "Brother Shu, you really... I never would've guessed. No wonder the captain's been so out of it these past few days, like he's lost his soul. I can't believe you're actually with Xiao Rong. Oh my god, this is too..."

Just then, Sang Mai's booming voice from the campfire cut their conversation short.

He was calling for a few people to scavenge dry firewood and scrap wood from the ruined buildings nearby.

This was a rare moment of easy calm during the journey, and they needed to conserve as much Superpower and fuel as possible.

Shu Hanqing, who didn't want to stay anywhere near Lei Zheng anyway, volunteered for the firewood crew.

Rong Hua caught him moving out of the corner of his eye and, like he had radar, nearly tossed the console aside to follow—but before he could even stand, a warning glare from Shu Hanqing over his shoulder sent him shrinking back down.

Don't come near me until you're done fixing it.

Rong Hua sank back down.

Shu Hanqing followed Sang Mai and the others a good distance away from the gas station camp.

Gravel crunched dully underfoot.

They gathered wood for a while, and then Sang Mai, just like Yun Ying, sidled over to pry.

Shu Hanqing made a throat-slitting gesture at him: "Ask again and I'll kill myself."

Sang Mai: "...Fine, I won't ask. But don't say such unlucky things—pfft, pfft, pfft."

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind.

Everyone turned sharply, only to see a tall, upright figure striding through the darkness, following at a leisurely pace.

It was Mu Ye.

Sang Mai asked in surprise: "Captain? Why did you follow us?"

Mu Ye stopped: "Yun Ying has enough people to take stock of the supplies, so I wasn't needed there. So I came over."

Shu Hanqing crouched down without a word, carefully picking up sticks from the rubble and dead grass.

They gathered for a bit, then Sang Mai suddenly strode over and scooped the heavy bundle of firewood out of Shu Hanqing's arms in one go.

Sang Mai grinned and shot him a cryptic wink, calling out: "Brother Shu, you and the captain keep gathering back here. We're fast, so we'll haul these back to camp first."

Shu Hanqing's brow furrowed slightly, and he was about to say he'd head back with them, but before the words could leave his mouth, his wrist suddenly tightened as a hand clamped down on it hard.

Mu Ye's palm was burning hot.

Before Shu Hanqing could struggle, Sang Mai and the others bolted like ghosts were chasing them, clutching the firewood and disappearing into the dusty darkness in the blink of an eye.

It was like they'd all planned it in advance.

Shu Hanqing turned around.

In his memory, the man before him hadn't always been called "Captain," but the senior apprentice brother who always wore a clean, faded white shirt, kept his hair short and neat, and smiled gently in the sunlight before the apocalypse.

Before the apocalypse erupted and the world came crashing down like dominoes, Mu Ye was the only dream Shu Hanqing desperately chased. It was Mu Ye who held his hand through blood and bodies, guiding him out of that collapsing world.

"Hanqing, stop running from me."

Shu Hanqing's eyes dropped to his wrist: "Captain, you're squeezing too hard."

Mu Ye slowly loosened his grip: "You... are you really together with Rong Hua?"

Shu Hanqing didn't answer directly. He furrowed his handsome brow and let out a bitterly sarcastic laugh: "Didn't the captain see clearly enough with those big, wide eyes that day?"

"Or does the captain think he was just dreaming? No, someone as pure and untouchable as the captain probably wouldn't have such dirty, filthy dreams."

"Hanqing..." Mu Ye's face went pale, and he called out in pain.

"Who I'm with, who I share a bed with—none of that is any of your business, Captain."

"Hanqing..."

"Stop calling me that!"

Shu Hanqing pressed his thin lips together tightly.

He really couldn't understand the man in front of him.

If he'd never liked him from the start, he could've just given him a cold rejection, said he wasn't good enough for him, instead of letting everyone on the team loudly tease and joke with all that ambiguous innuendo, making Shu Hanqing himself believe the absurd illusion that he was loved.

When Shu Hanqing offered his whole heart to this man with both hands, Mu Ye dealt him the heaviest, deadliest blow.

Mu Ye said they were best friends, teammates—but never lovers.

It was so unfair.

When this man rejected him, he was always so calm and self-righteous.

Shu Hanqing had long since figured out that in this rotten world, no one loved him, and he didn't need that kind of cheap love anyway.

The apocalypse couldn't get chaotic enough. Let it collapse completely into lawlessness, then burn away all the hypocritical memories until there was nothing left.

Protagonist, cannon fodder—whatever.

Mu Ye reached out, trying to touch the corner of Shu Hanqing's eye, but before his fingers could get there, Shu Hanqing stumbled back several steps, his footing unsteady.

"Hanqing, listen to me—I would never hurt you!" Mu Ye stepped forward urgently. "Rong Hua is too young. He's got a bloodthirsty streak in him—he's moody and dangerous. If you stay with him, you'll end up torn to pieces sooner or later. Just trust me once, okay? Leave him. I'm begging you."

Hearing that, Shu Hanqing immediately turned to walk away from Mu Ye.

But the moment he took a step, Mu Ye lunged at him, his long arms wrapping around Shu Hanqing with the terrifying force of a High-Level Ability User, like an iron wall, yanking him into a tight embrace.

Shu Hanqing struggled, slamming his elbow into Mu Ye's chest, but the man holding him showed no sign of letting go, his arms squeezing tighter and tighter.

Shu Hanqing's patience had completely run out. He reached down and drew the alloy dagger strapped to his thigh. The sharp white blade caught a cold, fierce glint in the moonlight as he pressed it hard against Mu Ye's shoulder and collarbone.

"Mu Ye, let go of me!"

Mu Ye's pupils suddenly shrank, like he couldn't believe Shu Hanqing would pull a blade on him.

This was the first time in forever that he'd heard Shu Hanqing call him by his full name, without a shred of respect, his tone carrying a ferocity and malice that made it sound like he wanted to drink his blood.

Mu Ye stared at him, shocked and hurt, but his arms, locked tight around the other man's slender waist, still showed no sign of giving.

He was usually gentle, but his clear, soft voice had now hardened into a cold edge befitting a superior: "Hanqing, this is the first time you've ever called me that."

The mask Shu Hanqing wore shattered in that instant: "Mu Ye! I said my business is none of your business! Who do you think you are? Why should I do what you say? Who I want to be with, who I want to sleep with—that's my call. I liked you before, so does that mean I have to stay loyal to you?"

Shu Hanqing felt like Mu Ye thought he was some enshrined deity in a temple, that a few words could make him come back.

Mu Ye pressed down on the blade in Shu Hanqing's hand, driving it an inch deeper.

Mu Ye's hand was still wrapped in gauze.

The blade sank into flesh.

Warm, thick blood instantly gushed out between their tightly intertwined fingers.

Drip... drip...

In the dead silence of the night, the sound of blood hitting the rubble was unmistakable.

The red sandalwood prayer beads on Mu Ye's wrist, in the chaos of the struggle, were inevitably stained with big patches of sticky blood.

That thing was delicate, and now it was completely soaked in blood.

All the color drained from Shu Hanqing's face in an instant.

He instinctively wanted to let go and pull away, but Mu Ye's gauze-wrapped palm seemed welded to the blade.

In the moonlight, the blood seeping from Mu Ye's shoulder had already soaked half his shirt, yet there wasn't a hint of pain in his eyes, as if the wounded body didn't belong to him at all.

After a moment of silence, Mu Ye spoke, and his tone eerily shifted back to that familiar, indulgent gentleness: "You calmed down yet?"

Shu Hanqing clenched his jaw tightly, saying nothing.

He was genuinely freaked out by Mu Ye.

"If you're still pissed..."

Mu Ye murmured to himself, gripping Shu Hanqing's hand, dragging the bloody dagger inch by inch down his collarbone.

The blade screeched against the fabric, finally stopping right over his heart.

"If you're still pissed, stab me here." Mu Ye stared at him.

The guy's a total psycho.

Seeing Mu Ye's palm start pressing down harder, Shu Hanqing shuddered, and with a sudden surge of strength from out of nowhere, he violently wrenched himself free from Mu Ye's grip. The extreme tension suddenly snapped, and his legs gave out, nearly collapsing in a heap on the ground: "Enough!"

Clang.

The dagger, slick with thick, sticky blood, rolled across the ground, picking up a layer of grime in the dust.

Mu Ye knelt on one knee in front of him, reaching out a hand smeared with crimson blood, trying to touch Shu Hanqing's pale face. But before his hand could even make contact, Shu Hanqing jerked his head away in disgust: "Don't touch me."

In his past life, when Shu Hanqing had cut ties with Mu Ye, it had been the same—he never wanted to see Mu Ye again.

Mu Ye's fingers went stiff. Still kneeling in the sand, he cupped Shu Hanqing's face in both hands and bowed his head: "You're right. I've got no right to control you."

"So I'm begging you—break up with him, okay? Hanqing, I'd do anything for you, I swear..."

He'd do anything for him, except be with him.

Shu Hanqing looked up through his lashes at the disheveled Mu Ye before him, and coldly spat out two words: "No."

"If the captain's really that desperate for this relationship, you could always try stealing him away yourself. I'm not gonna be as stupid as before, putting my heart into someone who can never be mine. Whether you think Rong Hua's the problem or you just can't stand seeing me happy, you know the answer yourself."

Shu Hanqing left it at that, dusted himself off, and turned to stride away.

On the way back to camp, he ran straight into Lei Zheng, who'd been standing there God knows how long.

As they passed each other, Lei Zheng made no move to step aside. His hawk-like eyes locked onto Shu Hanqing in the darkness, cold and piercing: "Does Rong Hua know you're messing around with your captain behind his back?"

Shu Hanqing gave Lei Zheng a cold look.

That single glance was too complex—two lifetimes of blood and corpses, misplaced devotion, stubborn obsession, all packed into that one brief moment.

Shu Hanqing: "...What's it got to do with you?"

Lei Zheng warned him: "Rong Hua's really into you. You'd better not betray him."

Shu Hanqing laughed like he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world: "Officer Lei doesn't strike me as the loyal type."

Lei Zheng's gaze slid from Shu Hanqing's lips upward, his eyes hooking like a lure: "Rong Hua's like a half-brother to me."

Shu Hanqing didn't get why Lei Zheng was telling him this. Could he already have feelings for Rong Hua at this point?

Shu Hanqing still remembered the blood debt from his past life. He leaned in close to Lei Zheng and sneered: "Officer Lei, no offense, but you're not even a match for our captain. You've got no chance."

With that, Shu Hanqing walked away.

Lei Zheng watched Shu Hanqing's retreating figure, then suddenly raised a hand to press tightly against his own violently heaving chest.

Why?

Why did watching that person walk away make his heart ache with a suffocating, knife-like pain? Why did Shu Hanqing carry traces of his superpower?

Shu Hanqing returned to camp.

Before he even reached the campfire circle, Rong Hua spotted him and rushed over, grabbing his shoulders and asking why he was back so late.

By the firelight, Rong Hua caught sight of the bloodstain on Shu Hanqing's cheek and wiped it away for him: "How did you get blood on you? Shu Hanqing, are you hurt? Where?"

Shu Hanqing looked at Rong Hua, whose eyes were full of him, and felt a momentary daze.

He reached out both arms, wrapped them around Rong Hua's waist, and buried his entire face deep into the crook of Rong Hua's neck.

He held on so tightly, like a weary bird soaked through in a storm, having endured countless hardships to finally find the one warm harbor that could shelter him.

Rong Hua's body stiffened, clearly not expecting the usually aloof Shu Hanqing to suddenly embrace him so willingly.

At that very moment, Mu Ye also walked back step by step from the shadows.

The captain of the Shengsu Squad, where was the slightest trace of his usual radiant, untouchable, godlike demeanor? His face was pale as a ghost, his whole body disheveled by the wind and sand. Especially from his left shoulder to his chest, a large patch of thick, dark red blood had spread completely, soaking the black fabric into a blackish-red mess.

The shock on Rong Hua's face faded instantly. Holding Shu Hanqing, his wild, untamed dark eyes locked onto Mu Ye in the distance across the cramped space. The madness and ferocity in his gaze seemed ready to cross those few steps in the next second and bite to death this captain who coveted the treasure in his arms.

Shu Hanqing could feel the gazes falling on him—Mu Ye's, Lei Zheng's.

Protagonists, cannon fodder—what did it matter?

Since he had come back to life, he would not be manipulated by anyone.

Mu Ye and Lei Zheng didn't deserve happiness either.