Although Shen Jianze’s combat ability is almost zero, making him nothing more than a big mascot who only knows how to eat and drink and drag others down, his physical fitness isn’t bad. After crossing the bridge and walking for about an hour, Cheng Min was starting to feel a bit tired, but Shen Jianze was still lively, bouncing around and chattering non-stop beside him.
Cheng Min thought he might be a mutant, but the thought only lasted a moment. After all, what kind of mutant is so useless that he can’t even kill a zombie and only cries and hides behind others?
“Brother, are you thirsty?” Shen Jianze approached with a bottle of water, offering it to Cheng Min’s lips. “Want some water?”
The supplies they carried were minimal, enough to last at most three days if they rationed carefully. Forget about meeting up with teammates; even getting out of the city below would be difficult. So, the most important thing right now was to find supplies before they starved or died of thirst.
“No need,” Cheng Min shook his head. “I’m not that thirsty yet.” He noticed Shen Jianze licking his lips repeatedly, looking quite thirsty, and told him, “If you’re thirsty, go ahead and drink.”
Hearing this, Shen Jianze shook his head and decisively stuffed the bottled water back into his backpack. “I’m not that thirsty either,” he said, swallowing hard. “There’s not much water left. I’ll just drink yours when the time comes.”
In the post-apocalyptic world, sharing supplies was common for Cheng Min, and it wasn’t unusual to share a bottle of water with others. However, he had a slight germaphobia and insisted on drinking first before passing the bottle to others. So, he didn’t think much of it and nodded, “Alright.”
Immediately, Shen Jianze flashed a smile.
By around four in the afternoon, the two finally reached City B. There were only a few zombies on the outskirts, and Cheng Min easily dealt with them alone. Shen Jianze just stood by, staying out of trouble.
After dealing with the zombies, they followed their usual habit of moving between rooftops. Below them was the “abyss,” where a single misstep could send them plummeting into a horde of zombies, torn to shreds amidst the roars. At that point, no one could save them.
As they moved, Cheng Min frequently looked back at Shen Jianze, repeatedly reminding him, “Watch your step.”
“Okay.”
The distance between these two rooftops was quite large. Cheng Min almost made a mistake crossing over, but fortunately, he made it safely to the other side. Turning to look at Shen Jianze, Cheng Min’s heart was in his throat. “Be careful.”
“Got it, brother,” Shen Jianze replied.
From the first time they met, Shen Jianze had been very familiar, always calling Cheng Min “brother” this and “brother” that. It could easily make someone think he had a real younger brother. In reality, Shen Jianze was just someone Cheng Min had picked up from the roadside, someone he’d known for less than a day—a freshly minted second-hand “brother.”
Their relationship was almost like that of strangers.
Fortunately, Shen Jianze didn’t disappoint Cheng Min and successfully reached his side. Due to inertia, he fell into Cheng Min’s arms, hugging him tightly. “Brother smells so good,” he said, taking a sniff at Cheng Min’s neck.
Cheng Min felt a bit uncomfortable and pushed him away. “Let go.”
“Oh.” Shen Jianze reluctantly released Cheng Min but continued to insist, “I’m not lying; you really smell good. I want to eat you.” He licked his lips as if afraid Cheng Min wouldn’t believe him. “Just like a creamy little cake.”
Cheng Min felt a bit awkward and didn’t know what to say, so he left Shen Jianze behind and moved forward alone.
They were lucky. Not far ahead, they spotted a convenience store with only a few zombies at the entrance, making it easy to get inside. Without hesitation, Cheng Min jumped onto the store’s roof, slid down the awning to the ground, and quickly dealt with a few zombies.
As the battle ended, a voice sounded behind him. Cheng Min turned to see Shen Jianze had jumped down and was leisurely standing nearby, his white T-shirt glaringly bright. “You really know how to pick your moments,” Cheng Min couldn’t help but tease as he put away his weapon.
“Didn’t want to drag you down,” Shen Jianze chuckled. “Brother, you’re amazing.”
“Mm,” Cheng Min replied casually.
Inside the convenience store, the zombies hadn’t noticed them and were wandering aimlessly. Cheng Min gestured for Shen Jianze to stay put with a “shh” and a look. Shen Jianze nodded.
With Shen Jianze settled, Cheng Min didn’t hesitate any longer. He lunged at a zombie, killing it before it could react. Then, using the same method, he took out the remaining zombies one by one. The battle was swift and efficient, with no unnecessary moves.
Breathing heavily, Cheng Min glanced back at Shen Jianze. “Come out.”
In the next second, a figure darted out, pouncing on Cheng Min. After catching a whiff of his scent, Shen Jianze wrinkled his nose. “It smells bad,” he said, pausing to lick his lips before continuing, “No worries, once it’s washed, it’ll be just as tasty.”
Cheng Min was already used to Shen Jianze’s strange remarks and was immune to them. He pushed away the clingy curly-haired dog and moved forward on his own.
Following the signs above, he reached the canned goods section. Cheng Min took the backpack from Shen Jianze, unzipped it, and began stuffing it with cans from the shelf. He didn’t bother choosing; as long as it was edible, it went in.
During this time, Shen Jianze circled around Cheng Min like a dog, claiming to help but actually being more of a hindrance. He was of no use at all.
Cheng Min sighed, regretting bringing him along. But it was too late to say anything now. They could only take it one step at a time, hoping their luck would hold out long enough to reunite with their teammates and reach another base. At that point, Shen Jianze’s safety would be assured.
When he came back to his senses, the backpack was nearly full. Cheng Min quickly stopped and planned to find some bottled water to fill the remaining space. But then he realized Shen Jianze was missing. Feeling uneasy, Cheng Min looked around and called out, “Shen Jianze?”
No response. Cheng Min’s unease grew stronger. “Shen Jianze?”
“What’s up?” Shen Jianze appeared before Cheng Min, holding several bottles of water. “I went to get some water.”
Seeing that he was okay, Cheng Min finally breathed a sigh of relief. But in the next second, his peripheral vision caught something behind Shen Jianze, and his expression changed drastically. He shouted, “Get out of the way!”
Almost simultaneously, Shen Jianze quickly dodged, causing the bottles of water in his arms to fall and roll around. The zombie missed its target and roared, launching a second attack on Shen Jianze. By then, Cheng Min was already in front of him, forcefully pushing the zombie aside.
“Clang.”
The zombie crashed into the canned goods shelf, causing the cans to tumble down with a loud noise. Cheng Min hurriedly dealt with the zombie, but it was too late. Attracted by the noise, a large group of zombies had already gathered at the entrance, rushing towards them. In just a few minutes, their escape route was blocked.
Cheng Min and Shen Jianze had no choice but to keep retreating, using their weapons to defend themselves. But the number of zombies was overwhelming, and their resistance was weakening. Eventually, they were trapped between the zombie horde and a wall, unable to move.
Seeing this, Cheng Min couldn’t help but take a sharp breath, his temples throbbing. This wasn’t the first time he’d encountered such a situation. Normally, with his skills, he could carve a bloody path out. But now, he had a big burden to protect while fighting zombies, which required splitting his attention to protect Shen Jianze.
The thought gave him a headache, and he regretted his earlier actions. But it was too late to say anything now. “Stay close to me,” Cheng Min said, glancing back at Shen Jianze. Then he swung his long knife at the zombies in front of him.
One zombie after another fell, but more quickly took their place, seemingly endless. Just as he was feeling overwhelmed, a zombie lunged at him. By the time Cheng Min reacted, it was too late. The zombie’s foul saliva dripped onto his arm, and its infected teeth were about to sink into his flesh.
“Thud.”
The moment it touched his clothes, the zombie fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, lifeless. Shen Jianze stood there with a weapon, a rare look of dissatisfaction on his face. But in the next second, he returned to normal, as if Cheng Min had imagined it.
“Brother,” Shen Jianze’s eyes reddened, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Cheng Min refocused on the zombie horde in front of him, noticing they seemed to be wary of something, slowly retreating. Without time to think, Cheng Min seized the opportunity, grabbing Shen Jianze and running towards a nearby small warehouse. Behind them, the chilling roars resumed.
The zombies, as if awakened, chased after them madly. At the last moment, the two successfully entered the small warehouse and barricaded the door. The zombies, separated outside, still craved the two pieces of juicy meat and refused to leave, continuously pounding on the iron door, creating noise.
Cheng Min, feeling like he’d narrowly escaped death, collapsed to the ground. A strong smell of blood filled the air. Opening his eyes, he saw Shen Jianze’s arm was injured, blood oozing from the wound and staining his white T-shirt.
“Brother,” Shen Jianze approached, showing his wound to Cheng Min. “It hurts.”
In the post-apocalyptic world, injuries and bleeding were commonplace. Cheng Min often had new wounds on top of old ones, never fully healed. So, he couldn’t help but find Shen Jianze a bit delicate. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the pitiful expression in Shen Jianze’s blue cat-like eyes, paired with his curly hair, making him look like an abandoned puppy.
The reprimand stuck in his throat, and Cheng Min swallowed it down. “Let me bandage your wound,” he said, tearing a piece of fabric from his clothes and pulling Shen Jianze’s injured arm over to bandage it. However, as soon as he touched it, Shen Jianze pulled his arm back.
“I feel like I’m dying,” Shen Jianze rested his head on Cheng Min’s shoulder, his voice full of pleading. “Brother, can you blow on it?”
Cheng Min was taken aback, then looked at his injured arm. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he nodded earnestly. “Blowing on it will make it hurt less.”
Faced with him, Cheng Min had no choice but to lift his injured arm and gently blow on the wound. “More,” Shen Jianze nuzzled Cheng Min’s neck, unceremoniously. “Blow more, and it won’t hurt.”
With no other option, Cheng Min continued, gently blowing on the wound several times until he felt it was enough and stopped. “It doesn’t hurt as much now,” Shen Jianze blinked, showing an innocent expression. “If brother helps me a bit more, the wound will heal completely.”
“What?” Cheng Min asked casually.
“A kiss,” Shen Jianze pointed to his lips, his eyes darkening, resembling a beast eyeing its prey. “Hurry.”
This side of Shen Jianze felt unfamiliar to him. Cheng Min, feeling a bit creeped out by his stare, wanted to run. But noticing the bulging veins on his arm, he steeled himself and leaned in to peck his lips.
“So fragrant.”
With just one peck, Shen Jianze licked his lips, his expression slowly returning to normal.
Author’s Note: