The day’s overloaded exertion had taken its toll on Yun Huacen, both physically and mentally. Not only had he experienced killing for the first time, but he had also narrowly escaped being pounced on by a zombie dog. For a young man who had just come of age, it was all too overwhelming.
He spent the night plagued by nightmares, breaking out in cold sweats that soaked not only his pajamas but also his pillow. When he woke the next morning, his head felt heavy and groggy. Taking his temperature, he was shocked to find it had soared to 39 degrees Celsius.
Yun Huacen forced himself to get up, poured a glass of warm water to soothe his dry, sore throat, and then checked the surveillance feed on his phone. Sun Qi and Shao Lan were cooking in the kitchen, while Yu Lei sat in the living room reading a book. The other three were not in the living room, nor were they visible on any other cameras, likely staying in the guest rooms.
Yun Huacen connected to the video intercom on the first floor and called out, “Yu Lei.”
Yu Lei paused, looking around for the source of the voice. Spotting the lit-up intercom by the door, he stood up and walked over. “Uncle, were you calling me?”
Yun Huacen nodded. “I have a fever. There’s a first-aid kit in the storage room on the first floor. Bring it to me.”
“Uncle has a fever?” Yu Lei frowned with concern. “I’ll go get it right away.”
Yun Huacen ended the call and unlocked the door leading to the third floor so Yu Lei could bring the kit up. After about five minutes, there was a knock on the door, and Yu Lei’s voice came from outside. “Uncle, I’ve brought the kit.”
“Come in.”
Yu Lei pushed the door open and entered, looking toward Yun Huacen, who was propped up in bed. “Uncle, are you alright? How did you get a fever?”
“It’s nothing, just a common cold,” Yun Huacen replied, taking the kit and finding the fever-reducing medicine. He swallowed it with water. “Have Sun Qi bring my meal up later.”
Yu Lei refilled Yun Huacen’s glass with water. “Alright. Please rest well, Uncle.”
Noticing the boy’s dry, peeling lips, Yun Huacen hesitated for a moment before saying, “Tell everyone they’re limited to five cups of water per day, no wasting. The zombie virus can also spread through water, and our supply is limited. We need to conserve.”
Yu Lei was taken aback, instinctively licking his lips. “Thank you, Uncle.”
Yun Huacen lay back down, deciding to set aside other matters until he recovered. As he drifted in and out of sleep, he faintly heard knocking. Struggling to open his eyes, he forced himself awake.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Sun Qi entered, carrying a tray. “Uncle, your meal is ready.”
Yun Huacen sat up. “What did you make today?”
“Millet porridge and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Since you’re sick, you shouldn’t eat anything too greasy.”
Yun Huacen glanced at the tray, comparing Sun Qi’s scrambled eggs with tomatoes to his own version. They were practically two different dishes.
“I’ll unlock the door later. You’ll be in charge of delivering meals today.”
“Okay,” Sun Qi nodded, hesitating briefly before adding, “Uncle, could you let A-Rui out?”
“No.” Yun Huacen replied, his expression losing its usual warmth.
Sun Qi grew nervous at his response. “Uncle, I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just that being locked in a cage without access to a toilet is really…”
Yun Huacen frowned slightly. “There’s a chamber pot in the cage.”
“But there are cameras.”
Yun Huacen paused, having completely forgotten about that detail. “So he hasn’t used the toilet all these days?”
“The younger one is fine, but the older one…” Sun Qi’s face flushed.
“He attacked me, so for safety reasons, I can’t let him out. Later, when you go in to deliver the meal, I’ll turn off the surveillance for half an hour. Have him take care of his needs during that time.”
“Alright, thank you, Uncle.”
Yun Huacen finished his meal and fell into a deep sleep again, sleeping until evening when Sun Qi came to deliver dinner. He took his temperature, still feverish, still at thirty-nine degrees. Despite drinking large amounts of water, he broke out in layer after layer of cold sweat. Throughout the entire day, he hadn’t used the bathroom even once. His mind was foggy from the fever, unable to think clearly. The fever persisted for three full days without any sign of subsiding. Afraid he wouldn’t make it, Yun Huacen reluctantly opened the cage and released Yue Zirui.
Yue Zirui went up to the third floor and stopped outside Yun Huacen’s bedroom door, silently staring at the doorknob. In his memory, they had been treated as test subjects, companions either turned into zombies, died, or lived in unbearable agony. Yun Huacen had been like a demon, controlling their lives and deaths. Yet, in reality, that demon hadn’t treated them as test subjects at all. Instead, he had allowed them to take refuge in the villa. Moreover, in his memory, after imprisoning them, Yun Huacen had spent every day in the laboratory. There had been no period of illness like this.
“Could it really have just been a dream?”
Yue Zirui gripped the doorknob, took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked in. Yun Huacen lay on the bed, his face flushed, his lips dry and cracked. Seeing Yue Zirui enter, his clouded eyes brightened slightly. Yun Huacen glanced at the cat by the bed, when he released Yue Zirui, he had also let the cat in. Compared to Yue Zirui, the cat was safe for him.
Yue Zirui spoke first. “Why did you call me here?”
“They must have told you. I’ve had a high fever for three days straight. I’ve taken a lot of medicine, but the fever still hasn’t broken. If it continues like this…” Yun Huacen paused briefly before continuing, “I called you here because I want you to do something for me.”
“What is it?”
Yun Huacen pulled open a drawer and pointed to the laptop inside. “If I die, give this computer to Professor Zhang Qian at Haining Medical College. He was my mentor.”
“What’s on this computer?”
“My medical research from over the years. It would be a shame if it were buried because of my death.”
Yue Zirui stared intently at Yun Huacen and asked, “Why do you think I would help you?”
“You managed to escape with those children, which proves you have a kind heart and a sense of responsibility. You attacked me because you were afraid I would harm those children.” Yun Huacen’s throat felt itchy, and he couldn’t help but cough twice. “I can’t claim how much this medical research will impact humanity, but I dare say it could save medical researchers from unnecessary detours in certain areas. You wouldn’t just be helping me, you’d be helping many, many more children.”
Yue Zirui silently met Yun Huacen’s gaze, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, then looked away and turned to leave. “We’ll talk about it when you’re dead.”
“Then I’ll take that as your agreement.” Yun Huacen’s throat itched again, and he coughed once more.
Yue Zirui closed the bedroom door, listening to the coughing inside. The scales in his heart tilted once again. As the saying goes, a dying man’s words are kind. Perhaps the memories in his mind really were just a nightmare he had dreamed up.
Yun Huacen picked up his phone and opened the surveillance feed, watching Yue Zirui’s figure disappear before turning to the cat and asking, “What do you think is going on?”
The cat shook its head.
“Then tell me, if I die, can you still come back?”
The cat shook its head again.
“So what do you plan to do?”
The cat stared at Yun Huacen with its dark eyes.
Though it didn’t speak, Yun Huacen understood its meaning and hurriedly said, “Then let me die completely before you bite me. I suffered enough in my last life, this time, I want to die peacefully.”
The cat silently watched Yun Huacen for a moment before getting up and jumping onto the bed.
Yun Huacen was taken aback, then pulled the blanket up a little and said, “Don’t come any closer. I’m still alive. If you bite me, there’s no turning back.”
The cat raised its paw and pointed to the tablet on the nightstand.
Yun Huacen paused for a moment, then picked up the tablet and handed it over.
The cat typed on the tablet, “How did you die?”
“Leukemia. I held on for five years, finally made it to adulthood, but still died in the end.”
The cat paused briefly before typing again, “When you arrived, the zombie virus had just broken out. Didn’t you think about sending the drug formula to the government?”
“Do you think I’m stupid?” Yun Huacen looked at it with amusement. “If I sent the drug formula to the government right after the zombie virus broke out, what would they think? They’d be absolutely convinced that I was the one who created the virus. Instead of fame and glory, I’d be facing judgment from all of humanity.”
The cat silently watched Yun Huacen.
“Even if they gave me a chance to explain, and I told them I came from another world, foresaw this disaster, and conducted research that led to a breakthrough, where did the virus for the research come from? Why didn’t I report it to the government earlier? Even if the government believed me, would other countries? Would they think this was some conspiracy by our country? In the end, pressured by international opinion, they’d likely sacrifice me to protect the nation.”
“But do you know that for every day you delay, more people will fall victim to the zombies?”
“I know. Not to mention, your research is only at a preliminary stage, it hasn’t undergone clinical trials yet. We don’t know if there are side effects or what they might be. What if the drug kills the zombie virus but also kills people?”
The cat didn’t type anymore, just stared at him intently.
Yun Huacen unconsciously averted his gaze. After a long while, he smiled bitterly and said, “Alright, no matter how much I say, it’s just excuses. The truth is, I’m afraid of dying. In my last life, I struggled through countless hardships just to live eighteen years. I couldn’t accept it. Now that I have a chance to live again, I don’t want to die so soon. Maybe it’s because of this selfishness that fate is punishing me, taking away this chance at rebirth.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Yun Huacen was taken aback, his dim eyes lighting up briefly before he smiled and said, “I expected you to say that. After all, neither of us are good people, we don’t have the selflessness to sacrifice ourselves for others. Still, I have to thank you. If it weren’t for your protection, I might have died long ago.”
“Tell me about your world.”
“My world…” Yun Huacen snuggled deeper under the blanket. “Where should I start?”
Yun Huacen rambled on about his own story, the amusing and troublesome moments of his childhood, his ideals and ambitions as he grew up, the medical research he had participated in, and so on. He spoke of everything except his illness, and as he talked, he gradually fell asleep. This sleep lasted for three days.
Throughout those three days, the cat remained by the bedside, watching the children come and go. Each time, they would stay quietly for a while before leaving, their eyes reddened as they departed. The cat couldn’t understand, they had only spent a few days together, so why were they so deeply affected by Yun Huacen’s illness?