Chapter 70: Never to Return to the Human Race in This Lifetime

Chapter 70: Never to Return to Humanity in This Lifetime

Shu Hanqing murmured, "Yan Shenyun, not everything can be deduced from a model. You know that now, don't you?"

Yan Shenyun said nothing.

Shu Hanqing: "...Even if I had nobody around me, you still couldn't guarantee I'd make it."

Yan Shenyun did not refute.

Voices came from outside—Sang Mai and Shi Lei: "...Professor?"

Yan Shenyun called out toward the door, "I'm fine."

The people outside didn't seem convinced and weren't about to leave.

Shu Hanqing's lips pressed into a thin, tight line. He stepped forward and opened the door, catching the people outside completely off guard.

Turns out it wasn't just the two of them—Yin Bianyan and Yi Ran were there too.

Shu Hanqing looked at them. "All of you, come in."

No one spoke.

Yin Bianyan glanced between the two of them and let out a dry laugh. "...You two keep talking, keep talking."

Shu Hanqing twisted his wrist and, face expressionless, pressed a Water Blade against the side of Yan Shenyun's neck. "Fine. The second you walk out that door, I'll kill him."

Needless to say, nobody dared to move.

Yan Shenyun didn't seem the least bit afraid of the blade at his throat. "Every exit and checkpoint leading outside requires my iris scan to open. You can't get out on your own."

Sang Mai coughed into his fist and muttered, "...Professor, don't say any more."

Sang Mai wanted Yan Shenyun to stop provoking Shu Hanqing. He knew Shu Hanqing too well—if he really got pushed to the edge, he might actually cut off Yan Shenyun's head and use it to open the door.

Shu Hanqing had a refined, distinctly Eastern kind of handsomeness, but his irises were far lighter than most people's—a pale, amber hue. Normally, he was easy to get along with and down-to-earth, but when he stared at someone like this—expressionless, completely still—it was genuinely intimidating.

Shu Hanqing lowered his hand, then in the next instant condensed a Water Chain and sealed the door shut. "Nobody's leaving this room until everything is explained."

Sang Mai and the others traded glances.

Shu Hanqing looked at them, gesturing at everything around him. "Whose idea was all this?"

"...Xiao Wu," Sang Mai said, using that name for Shu Hanqing. "You can't blame just the Professor. This was all of us."

Hearing the name Xiao Wu, Shu Hanqing's mind went blank for a moment. He was the youngest, the baby of the special forces team—that had been his original name.

The oldest of them was Yin Bianyan.

Sang Mai used to be a genuinely good guy, easygoing and mild-tempered. No matter how messy or thankless the job, he could always handle it.

"Why did the General Bureau decide it had to be you? None of us could accept that. Yin, as the eldest, put the most work into the script. She said she knew you best. She said you were the smartest..."

Shu Hanqing: "...So that book was made up by all of you from start to finish, wasn't it?"

"There really was no book," Sang Mai admitted, looking guilty. "Everything we did back then was just to keep you away from those dangerous people. Who would've thought..."

—Who knew fate could never be defied. No matter how many times you redo things, you'll always run into different disasters.

Shu Hanqing's head throbbed with pain as he stared at the people in front of him, his emotions a tangled mess.

Yin Bianyan played with her hair. "...I didn't see that coming either..."

Sang Mai's mention of the General Bureau was like a fish swimming downstream, churning up scattered fragments of memory in the ocean of his mind.

In a daze, Shu Hanqing seemed to see himself coming up from the underground training grounds.

His clothes were soaked with sweat, and someone suddenly slung an arm around his shoulder like it was nothing, grinning and cracking jokes.

Then someone next to him tossed him a piece of candy.

Shu Hanqing caught it, and a lazy, easygoing female voice drifted over: "Xiao Wu, the Chief Engineer wants to see you in his office. Things outside aren't looking great lately—probably time for us to get deployed."

Shu Hanqing gave an "oh" and casually stubbed out the cigarette in Yin Bianyan's hand. "Big Sis, you should cut back on the smoking."

Yin Bianyan called him a little shit.

That day, Shu Hanqing went to see the Chief Engineer, but it wasn't about a mission—it was about whether he was willing to become a test subject.

Back then, Shu Hanqing's head was just as chaotic as the world outside. When he walked out of the Chief Engineer's office, all the noise erupted around him.

"The fifth defense line has fallen! If this keeps up, every line of defense will collapse. The zombies can't be stopped—we have to evacuate now!"

"The plan has to go forward! He has to go!"

"Why does it have to be Shu Hanqing?"

"Are you all out of your minds?! Now's not the time for sentimentality! When it's life or death, he has to go! He's the only Water Ability User! If we don't do something, are we all just waiting to go extinct?!"

All he could hear was the frantic pounding of footsteps, hysterical shouting, and desperate screams.

A shrill female voice mixed with the deafening roar of the crowd, shredding his eardrums.

In the biting chaos, someone reached out desperately to stop him, but it was all in vain.

Shu Hanqing shoved away every hand that tried to hold him back and walked into the laboratory without a second thought.

Then the light and shadows violently shifted, and the scene cut away abruptly.

A faint, cold sliver of light slipped through a narrow, broken window, casting a pale, grayish glow across the cold, damp operating table.

Shu Hanqing turned his head weakly, slowly raising a pale hand to block the harsh light from his eyes.

A man whose face he couldn't see was trembling violently, letting out a desperate, anguished cry as he gently touched Shu Hanqing's ice-cold cheek. But before that warmth could reach him, the man was tackled by a swarm of guards, his joints pinned down, and dragged away in a miserable state.

Then the scene shattered again with a violent crash.

Shu Hanqing walked alone down a cold, pitch-black corridor. It stretched on so long it was suffocating, as if no matter how far he walked, he'd never reach the end.

Suddenly, a familiar, fractured voice called his name hoarsely from behind.

Shu Hanqing stopped instinctively and turned around.

And there, pinned to the ground by a swarm of black-clad guards, completely shattered and hysterical, was Yan Shenyun.

His usually pristine gold-rimmed glasses were gone, already trampled into cold, scattered fragments on the floor. His deep, cold eyes were bloodshot and swollen, all trace of his usual icy demeanor gone, as he reached out desperately to touch him.

Before he could make out what Yan Shenyun was screaming, the world spun and everything went upside down.

Shu Hanqing jerked his head up. Overhead was no longer the cold laboratory ceiling, but a dense swarm of black crows blotting out the sky, along with twisted ancient trees spiraling skyward.

Sticky, reeking zombie brains burst open, splattering everywhere like a torrential downpour, instantly drenching half of him.

He looked down in horror. Beneath him was a seething tide of zombies, all clawing and scrambling frantically to reach him.

Rrrip—

A bone-white skeletal claw latched onto his calf. A massive, brutal yank hit him, and his body pitched. He plunged helplessly into the abyss below.

The Bureau's plan was for Shu Hanqing to take the place of the evolved zombie king and lead the zombies away from human populations.

But Shu Hanqing remembered that when he became a zombie, he still held onto a sliver of human awareness. But he couldn't leave. He was like an anchor holding the zombies in place, doomed to never rejoin humanity, alone forever.

Shu Hanqing looked at the people before him, set his palm on the huge control console. The familiar mechanical voice came to life, echoing through the whole space.

"Hello, host."

Shu Hanqing watched the control panel as it began to glow: "...This is a dreamweaver. Did you build this dream for me?"

Yan Shenyun: "No, for us. If I'd had the time back then, I wouldn't have let you die."

He kept looping back through time, trying to change everything, and to replace the useless person he used to be.

Shu Hanqing looked at him, at Yan Shenyun's hair, which had more white in it than before: "...Was it worth it all?"

Yan Shenyun looked at Shu Hanqing, his eyes slowly welling up: "...Worth it."

Shu Hanqing and the others had been special children, raised and trained by a secret organization. Until they turned ten, they had no names—just numbers. He was the youngest—even Yi Ran was older than him. Everyone called him Xiao Wu. Only after turning ten did they get real names.

Yin Bianyan was the oldest, followed by Sang Mai, Shi Lei, and Yi Ran. Back then, he was in the classified security unit and joined the Special Ops Bureau at eighteen.

Before the apocalypse, the five of them each had different direct superiors. Shu Hanqing's superior was Yan Shenyun, whose job was to protect him.

Yan Shenyun was a child prodigy, a prized jewel of the Bureau. He always came across as rigid, cold, and stern, so people tended to keep their distance. But Shu Hanqing happened to be oblivious. When his brothers and sisters assigned him to Yan Shenyun, he didn't object. When Yan Shenyun didn't talk to him, he just sat there quietly.

Having grown up around Shi Lei and the others, Shu Hanqing was sloppy and laid-back unless the situation called for otherwise. Yan Shenyun had a lot of objections to him at first.

Shu Hanqing wasn't some refined scholar who sat in an office reading reports all day. He figured he spent his days crawling through mud and fighting, so being a little rough around the edges was unavoidable.

Shu Hanqing didn't like him at first either, but since Yan Shenyun was his superior, he couldn't openly make things difficult. So he complained about him to Shi Lei behind his back.

Shi Lei slung an arm around him and said Yan Shenyun wasn't from their world—just ignore him.

Shu Hanqing thought, he's my superior. Easy for you to say.

The turning point came when Shu Hanqing risked his own life to save Yan Shenyun from terrorists.

They were holed up in a safe house for the time being. In the cramped bathroom of the suite, hot water poured down, steam quickly fogging up the mirror.

Water ran over his bare body all the way down to his heels. Shu Hanqing felt every pore open up, his muscles and bones finally letting go of the ache. Suddenly, blood ran down his leg. It took him a second to find a wound on his shoulder blade. He hissed at the sting. Shu Hanqing turned off the water and was about to towel off quickly when the door suddenly swung open. Yan Shenyun got an eyeful of that lean, lithe frame.

Yan Shenyun froze for a moment, then said: "...You didn't shut the door."

Shu Hanqing wiped the water from his face. When he turned, there was a striking, almost dangerous beauty in his eyes and brows. He grabbed a towel and held it over himself.

"...I'm finished. It's all yours."

But as he turned, Yan Shenyun stared at his right shoulder. "...Don't you know that wound shouldn't get wet?"

Yan Shenyun was actually worried about his injury. Shu Hanqing shrugged it off: "It's fine. I'm tough. Heals quick."

Shu Hanqing wasn't lying. Their recovery rate was insane. As long as the injury wasn't fatal, they healed way faster than normal people. He'd been running missions since he was fifteen, through hell and high water.

At that, Yan Shenyun's face got even darker.

Shu Hanqing's hair was jet black when wet, and the steam had brought color to his face.

Yan Shenyun said: "There's medicine in the case I brought in."

Shu Hanqing, surprised and a little pleased, said thanks and turned to leave.

Shu Hanqing was supposedly working with Yan Shenyun, but really, he was just there to be his bodyguard. He threw on his shirt, pulled up his pants, tucked the hem into his waistband, and was about to head out to keep watch. He had great proportions, and his injuries didn't slow him down—you could tell he was sharp and agile.

But Shu Hanqing had barely taken a few steps when Yan Shenyun called him back. He walked over, unbuttoned Shu Hanqing's shirt, pulled the collar aside, and looked at his shoulder, exposing the wound.

"...Why didn't you put medicine on it?"

Shu Hanqing looked awkward. He couldn't exactly say he couldn't reach it himself, could he? Why not just let it heal on its own?

Yan Shenyun grabbed his arm and said: "Come here."

There was a wound about an inch long behind his shoulder blade. The blood had dried, and the exposed flesh had turned white. Shu Hanqing sat still, arms on his knees, his back a map of old scars. Yan Shenyun's fingers brushed a scar on Shu Hanqing's waist. "How'd you get this?"

Shu Hanqing flinched. He answered honestly: "I don't remember."

He really had forgotten.

"Does it still hurt?"

Shu Hanqing hesitated, then nodded: "...Yeah, I guess it does."

Yan Shenyun said: "Then I'll go easy."

Shu Hanqing froze. The next second, the medicine powder hit the wound. His fingers trembled, but he didn't make a sound.

Yan Shenyun asked again if it hurt. Shu Hanqing pursed his lips and shook his head.

That night, Yan Shenyun let Shu Hanqing sleep in his room.

After that, Shu Hanqing noticed Yan Shenyun's attitude toward him had warmed up a lot. He stopped giving him that cold look, stopped complaining about his noise, and would even sit with him. They started going everywhere together, slowly building a kind of understanding.

When Shi Lei and the others badmouthed Yan Shenyun, Shu Hanqing would stick up for him. The only one who never said a bad word about Yan Shenyun was Yi Ran, because she'd always looked up to him as her idol.

Yin Bianyan laughed: "Xiao Wu, you're way too easy to win over."

Shu Hanqing muttered: "But he's really not a bad guy."

Yi Ran nodded.

Yan Shenyun worked himself ragged. When Shu Hanqing first arrived, someone told him to make sure Yan Shenyun actually rested. Once, Yan Shenyun got so sick he passed out right at the lab bench.

Shu Hanqing could only stay by his side. As he wiped him down with a towel to cool him off, he noticed Yan Shenyun's skin was a pale, cold white—unlike most Asians. His lips were dry, he looked exhausted, and with his eyelids half-closed, he seemed almost pitiful. When he wiped his hands, Shu Hanqing's rough, calloused fingers were a stark contrast to Yan Shenyun's pale, slender ones.

Shu Hanqing thought, this guy's really frail.

Suddenly, Yan Shenyun's eyes snapped open, and he grabbed Shu Hanqing's wrist. Only when he saw it was Shu Hanqing did his gaze soften.

Shu Hanqing tried to pull his hand away, but Yan Shenyun was holding on too tight. So he just told him he was sick and needed to rest.

Yan Shenyun's voice was rough: "...Shu Hanqing, you have to stay with me. Don't let anyone near me. Protect me..."

Shu Hanqing said: "...Fine. Go to sleep."

Yan Shenyun curled up next to Shu Hanqing. At that moment, Shu Hanqing could almost sense a hint of clinginess in him.