Home was always a warm word, especially between two people whose relationship was ambiguous, as it added a layer of romantic tension. The wind was quiet as they returned to the villa, carrying both the roars of zombies outside the base walls and the conversations of nearby passersby.
Strangers discussed how the moonlight was perfect for a raid and wondered why the higher-ups had suddenly ordered a rest. They grumbled about the sheer number of zombies in the first wave and joked about wishing a single atomic bomb could wipe them all out.
As the voices faded, Yu Yan looked up at the crescent moon shrouded in a thin veil of mist. He asked the man beside him, who seemed preoccupied, if the moonlight was beautiful tonight.
Looking at the full, plate-like moon, Shan Ze replied in a low voice that the moonlight was indeed beautiful.
Yu Yan smiled. That was truly strange.
His smile came without explanation, making Shan Ze feel tense. Walking beside Yu Yan, he had many questions. He wanted to ask about the secrets his father had never mentioned, the collaboration between Shen Mian and his father, and why Shen Mian had admitted to being a pretty boy at the door.
He had so much to ask that he found himself at a loss for words. Under the bright moonlight, Shan Ze finally asked if the villa would still be Yu Yan’s home in the future.
Yu Yan tilted his head, his long, fluttering lashes making him look somewhat sad. He asked why Shan Ze would say such a thing and wondered aloud if Shan Ze no longer wanted him.
Shan Ze opened his mouth to explain, but his lips were suddenly sealed by Yu Yan’s hand. Yu Yan spoke with unprecedented tenderness, telling him not to say things that would cause sadness.
The palm against his lips was cold, the distinct body temperature of Shen Mian. Realizing this made Shan Ze’s heart race uncontrollably. Noticing Shan Ze’s burning red ears, Yu Yan’s voice became even more suggestive. He proposed that if they had to talk, they should do so once they got home.
That sentence cleared the tenderness from Shan Ze’s brain. He wondered why Yu Yan wanted to wait until they were home. He realized someone was eavesdropping.
Late at night, Yu Yan was not surprised to hear a knock at his door. He looked at the man outside who had clearly just bathed and was still damp. Tugging at his loose robe, Yu Yan asked with a playful smile if Shan Ze was there to collect rent.
Shan Ze looked embarrassed, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to the exposed collarbone on Yu Yan’s chest. He begged Yu Yan to stop teasing him.
From the moment Shen Mian had questioned him earlier, Shan Ze should have understood. Someone was listening, and Shen Mian wanted to talk. Shan Ze’s sharp intuition in professional matters often amazed Yu Yan, but his clumsiness in romance frequently made Yu Yan laugh, especially his greedy yet foolish gaze.
Yu Yan did not like being stared at, but if it was Shan Ze, it was not so unbearable. He reached out and gently straightened Shan Ze’s collar. He asked if Shan Ze would believe him if he said he was truly just flirting.
Shan Ze’s mouth went dry. He felt he should say something, but he did not know what. As Yu Yan leaned closer, Shan Ze thought he was about to be kissed, but Yu Yan suddenly let go. Backlit by the warm yellow light of the room, Yu Yan asked in a seductive voice if Shan Ze wanted to come in.
Shen Mian had a wicked sense of humor. Before entering, Shan Ze thought this was another prank, but once inside, he realized it was real. They were lying on the same bed. Shen Mian was right beside him.
In the dark room, only the vague moonlight from the window provided illumination. Yu Yan could barely see anything, but sensing the stiffness of the man beside him, he turned toward Shan Ze and whispered that he could leave if he was uncomfortable.
Shan Ze replied that he could get used to it. At such a close distance, he could feel the breath from Yu Yan’s words. His heart hammered so loudly he could hardly hear his own voice. When he heard Yu Yan agree, he realized he had just asked if Yu Yan liked him.
Yu Yan’s admission was quick and decisive. Though he had always lived alone and had no frame of reference, he decided he must like Shan Ze. That was why he allowed him to get close and enjoyed his company. But liking him was not enough. In this chaotic world, there were many obstacles ahead of them.
Yu Yan spoke with excitement, realizing this was the first time he had ever wanted to be with someone forever. He suggested they officially be together once everything was over.
Shan Ze’s answer was immediate, as if he feared Yu Yan would change his mind. He turned toward Yu Yan in the dark and promised that they would be together once everything ended. It went without saying what everything meant.
After eighteen failed attempts at communication, Wang Xian finally replied on the nineteenth try. He demanded to see Shen Mian at noon in three days at the top of the Hongye Building.
The message was brief but contained much information. Three days from then would be the only sunny day in a long stretch of rain. The noon sun would make the zombies move with peak agility. Furthermore, the Hongye Building had been the most densely populated office building near the base before the apocalypse, and it was still infested with zombies.
The time and location made it clear this was a trap, but Yu Yan had to go. He felt that Wang Xian was becoming quite annoying. Seeing him in person only confirmed this belief.
The top floor of a commercial building used to belong to the wealthy. There were very few rich people, and even fewer who had a habit of wearing restraints on their hands. After seeing the zombie that had killed the blond thug, Yu Yan was certain these zombies came from the H City underground institute.
Standing in the center of a glass walled floor surrounded by a wall of zombies, Yu Yan looked at the black clad man who stood quietly amidst the chaos. He finally understood why Wang Xian never appeared in the base. The man’s exposed hands and face were covered in crawling white maggots. Even from a distance, Yu Yan could smell the rot, like a sewer in a fish market.
Yu Yan was instinctively repulsed by the creature, but remembering his promise to Shan Ze, he endured his disgust to speak. He informed Wang Xian that Li Rui had likely already explained the terms: Yu Yan would not leave, but he would hand over all research data on the zombie serum. In exchange, the zombie tide had to leave the base alone. Yu Yan held out a thick yellow envelope.
Both sides knew the terms were only a pretext to force this meeting. Wang Xian would take the data regardless of whether he agreed. In a voice that sounded like sandpaper, Wang Xian told Yu Yan to walk over and hand it to him.
It was a dangerous request, but Yu Yan did not refuse. He felt a secret smile tugging at him. The Hongye Building was tall, but the International Finance Center directly in front of it was even taller. Li Rui had stationed snipers there with the most advanced rifles in the base. Wang Xian’s request would put Yu Yan in the way, using him as a shield.
Wang Xian clearly knew Li Rui’s plan. But it did not matter. Yu Yan had never expected Li Rui’s plan to succeed. Whoever had the authority to send Shan Ze away for a fake meeting also had the power to access the plans for today. To kill Wang Xian, they needed the element of surprise.
Beyond the buildings and across the coast stood an even taller tower that had once been a naval lookout. The person stationed there was the best sniper in the original story. Cui Zheng was a wind type user whose power was considered weak by most, but he was blessed with the ability to always have the wind at his back. For a sniper, it was like being favored by a god.
Standing before Wang Xian, Yu Yan saw the clear blue sky. It was a beautiful day. When the sound of shattering glass reached his ears and a sharp wind blew his hair, he was certain of it. With a piercing scream, an arrow flew across the distance and pierced Wang Xian’s head. The arrow tore through two zombies before stopping in the chest of a third.
The sound of the metal arrow hitting the tile was sharp. Just as Yu Yan thought it was over, Wang Xian’s body remained standing like a violent wax statue. The zombies behind him seemed to be drawn by a fatal attraction, turning their gaze toward the upright corpse.
Yu Yan was terrified by the synchronized movement. He wondered why the zombies were still being controlled if Wang Xian was dead. A rustling sound came from in front of him. He watched as a black beetle the size of a fingernail crawled out of Wang Xian’s right ear canal, dragging its mangled body. In the bright light, the beetle’s shattered back shimmered with colors that quickly faded as it died.
Yu Yan recognized the beetle. In his world, there were many monsters, and this one, known as a Black Head, was classified as D class. It consisted of a mother and her offspring. The mother contained infectious material that produced larvae. These larvae would parasitize the brains of mammals and grow into black beetles. They shared information and essentially functioned with a single mind.
One Wang Xian was dead, but there were countless others. The zombies were still being controlled, which meant someone nearby was still parasitized. Li Rui had cleared the area, so the only people nearby should have been Shan Ze, who was protecting him, and Yang Fan, who was handling the lockdown.
Realizing this, Yu Yan shouted for Shan Ze.