Flames instantly surged up, seeping through the door crack and igniting the desks and chairs piled at the entrance. Those wooden desks and chairs were already dry, and once they met fire, they crackled and burned, thick smoke beginning to spread, carrying a pungent burnt stench.
“Go!” He Xu pushed Xie Zhiwei, turned around, and raised the axe, preparing to fight. Her palms were covered in sweat, and the axe handle was slippery in her grip, but she still stood firmly in front.
But Xie Zhiwei did not move.
“I said,” Xie Zhiwei’s voice was calm, “we go together.”
His eyes began to turn blue, and the temperature inside the basement plummeted. He Xu felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet. She turned to look and saw Xie Zhiwei with both hands spread open. The water stains on the ground quickly froze, and the frost spread toward the door as if it had a life of its own.
“Zhiwei, don’t—”
Too late.
The ice layer had already covered the entire doorway. The flames hissed and died within the frost, making a “chichi” sound. White steam and black smoke mixed together, choking people so much they could not open their eyes.
But the power had clearly exceeded the range of control. The frost began spreading wildly toward the surrounding walls, even climbing onto He Xu’s shoes.
Outside came exclamations and curses. The sound of weapons smashing ice rang out, but more ice quickly filled the gaps.
He Xu rushed forward and hugged Xie Zhiwei. “Stop! You’ll exhaust your power like this!”
Xie Zhiwei trembled in her arms, his lips purple, clearly a sign of overdraft. But the frost was still spreading, and the surroundings began to make creaking sounds of being unable to bear the weight. The excessively low temperature made the building structure fragile.
Even if they were not burned to death by the other side, they would die in a collapse!
“Listen to me.” He Xu held his face, forcing him to look at her. “Look at me. Take a deep breath. Withdraw your power. You can do it, just like this afternoon.”
Xie Zhiwei’s gaze was scattered, and he could not hear He Xu’s voice.
He Xu gritted her teeth and released all of her contract ability.
She was going to forcibly contract Xie Zhiwei! She could not do it—she could not let a child protect her and die. She could not watch him be devoured by his own power in her arms.
Even if it cost her something, even if it went against the original intention that had brought her to this world.
Sorry. She was too softhearted to do otherwise.
Instantly, she felt herself falling into an icy river.
Bone-piercing cold surrounded her, and countless memory fragments washed past. His mother’s face turning into a zombie, his father’s terrified gaze, the days and nights spent hiding alone in the darkness…
This was Xie Zhiwei’s mental world.
He Xu struggled to maintain consciousness in this frozen inner world. She relaxed her body and sank toward the bottom of the river, searching in the extreme cold for that curled-up boy.
Found him.
In the mental world, Xie Zhiwei was curled up at the bottom of the river, surrounded by thick ice. He Xu swam over and reached out to touch the ice surface.
“Xie Zhiwei,” she transmitted with her consciousness, “I’m here.”
He raised his head, his eyes empty. “Everyone will leave. Everyone will be afraid of me…”
“I won’t.” He Xu said firmly. “I promise.”
“Liar.” Xie Zhiwei in the ice layer said softly. “Mom also said she wouldn’t leave Dad. Dad said he would protect me… all lies.”
He Xu felt a pang of heartache. She did not know how to explain to a twelve-year-old Xie Zhiwei that “adults lie too,” or how to tell him that the people who abandoned him did not do so because he was not good enough, but because they were too cowardly.
She pressed her palm against the ice surface, her contract-type ability running at full power. “Then make a contract with me.”
Xie Zhiwei was stunned. “What is that?”
“A contract that binds us both.” He Xu said. “I promise I will not abandon you, I will teach you to control your power, and I will survive together with you. And you promise you will not abuse your power to hurt the innocent, and you will not let fear control you. If either of us breaks the promise…”
She paused, then stated the plan she had long considered: “The contract will backfire. I will lose my ability and become an ordinary person; and your power will sleep forever. That way, neither of us can betray the other.”
This was a gamble.
Using a contract-type ability to bind the future villain, using a symbiotic relationship to replace the ending that might lead to her death. He Xu knew clearly that verbal promises could not soothe the unease in Xie Zhiwei’s heart.
He needed a stronger bond, and the contract-type ability was the best choice. Once the link succeeded, it would be an eternal non-betrayal in the mental world.
Cracks appeared in the ice layer. Xie Zhiwei began to waver.
“Really… can it work?” Xie Zhiwei’s voice trembled.
“It can.” He Xu said. “But you have to withdraw your power first. Trust me once, okay?”
In the real world, Xie Zhiwei in He Xu’s arms suddenly took a deep breath. The spreading frost halted, then began to slowly flow back.
The temperature in the basement gradually rose. The ice at the doorway melted, revealing the three uncertain ability users outside.
He Xu breathed a sigh of relief, but did not dare relax her vigilance. She supported the weak Xie Zhiwei and raised her head to look at the intruders.
The leading fire-type ability user was a man around thirty years old, with a scar on his face. Beside him stood a young woman, a water sphere condensing in her palm, an expression of surprise on her face that she had not had time to hide.
The scarred man looked at them warily, flames igniting in his hand again. “That was an ice-type ability just now?”
“Yes.” He Xu admitted frankly, while secretly preparing her ability. She could try to establish a deep connection with Meiqiu and briefly obtain a cat’s speed and perception. Perhaps that could create a chance to escape.
“Such a small child…” The water-type ability user beside him was a young woman, a trace of surprise in her tone. “Where did you two come from?”
“We hid in the elementary school in the south of the city for half a month.” He Xu said, half-truthfully. “What about you? Why did you attack us?”
The scarred man narrowed his eyes. “Not attack. Search. This area is under the jurisdiction of ‘Dawn Base.’ All survivors and ability users need to register.”
Dawn Base.
He Xu’s heart tightened. The timeline had changed again. That large base that eventually split in the original work had actually already been established.
“And after registering?” She asked.
“Work and housing are assigned according to ability type.” The female ability user took over the conversation, her tone gentler than the scarred man’s. The water sphere in her palm had already dispersed, her hands hanging at her sides. “Combat-type ability users join the defense team. Support types also have corresponding posts. Of course, you can also choose not to join, but then you cannot enjoy the base’s protection and resources.”
It sounded reasonable, but He Xu knew the original plot.
Dawn Base was strictly hierarchical internally. Ability users and ordinary people were worlds apart, and the lower-level survivors lived difficult lives. Moreover, class oppression within the base was severe. Ability users without background were easily bullied.
“We need to think about it.” He Xu said. “It’s too late today. Can we talk again tomorrow?”
The scarred man exchanged glances with his companions, then finally nodded. “Fine. But let me remind you, this area is not safe at night. Recently there have been mutated zombies appearing. If you change your mind, come to the logistics center in the north of the city before noon tomorrow. Someone will be there to receive you.”
The three withdrew and disappeared into the night.
Only then did He Xu truly relax, feeling a wave of exhaustion. Xie Zhiwei in her arms was already half-unconscious, his body temperature frighteningly low. She hurriedly dug out all the clothing she could find and wrapped him in it, then lit a small fire.
“Hold on,” she said softly. “You can’t fall here.”
The deviation from the original work was growing larger and larger now. He Xu’s mind was a mess. The current situation was that the plot had been moved earlier, the characters had appeared earlier, the events had happened earlier. All the time she thought she could still use to prepare was being compressed little by little.
If Xie Zhiwei died in her arms, what would the future become? Those things she knew, did not know, and thought she could still change—would they all collapse?
Wait.
He Xu’s fingers suddenly froze. Who was the protagonist of the original work?
A name was clearly on the tip of her tongue, as if pressed down by something, and no matter what, it could not float up. The harder she tried to think of it, the blurrier the name became, like a reflection in water being stirred and shattered, leaving only scattered fragments.
She suddenly could not remember. An invisible hand had just erased her memory of the original work.
At that moment, Meiqiu rubbed against her leg, conveying a warm feeling of worry. He Xu forced a smile and stroked its head.
Late at night, Xie Zhiwei’s body temperature finally rose again. Xie Zhiwei murmured something in his sleep. He Xu leaned closer and heard clearly:
“Really… can it work… the contract…”
She was silent for a long time, then softly replied: “It can. Tomorrow we will sign the contract.”
From the moment the contract was signed, her fate and the fate of this future villain were already tightly entangled.
The next morning, He Xu was awakened by the sound of bells from the north of the city.
This was the morning bell of Dawn Base, reminding the people inside the base that a new day had arrived, and at the same time warning ability users who refused to join not to approach easily.
He Xu held the boy in her arms tightly and made her decision.
They would not go to Dawn Base, nor to any known stronghold. She was going to find a place completely under her own control and establish a true safe house.
And the first step was to fulfill her promise and sign that symbiotic contract with Xie Zhiwei that might change everything.
In the original work, contract-type abilities were extremely rare, even rarer than mutated natural types. But because ability users who awakened this category were relatively weak, it was classified as a special type—a category that sounded respectable, but in reality was where strange and miscellaneous abilities were stuffed when no one knew how to classify them. Other abilities were classified as ordinary types.
Moreover, a contract set by both parties required mutual recognition from both sides. For example, if you wanted to sign a master-servant contract but the other party refused, the contract could not succeed.
Open, transparent, mutual consensus.
These were the main characteristics of contract-type abilities.
Xie Zhiwei stirred in her arms, unconsciously moving closer to the source of warmth. He Xu sighed softly and looked toward the gradually brightening sky.
Near noon, Xie Zhiwei woke up beside Meiqiu’s warm fur. He blinked, taking a few seconds to realize he was lying on the mat, covered by He Xu’s jacket.
“Contract…”
He repeated the word softly, sat up, and looked for He Xu. The fifteen-year-old girl was standing by the broken window, the morning light outlining her thin but straight figure. She held a map in her hand, brows slightly furrowed, focused on marking something.
“Awake?” He Xu said without turning her head. “There’s porridge heating on the stove. Drink some.”
On the simple stove in the corner, a small pot of oatmeal porridge was cooking, giving off a rare aroma of food. Xie Zhiwei hesitated for a moment, then still ladled out a bowl. The porridge was cooked just right, with diced luncheon meat dug out from a can added in. In the apocalypse, it could be called luxurious.
“Are we leaving here?” He asked.
He Xu turned around and put away the map. “We have to leave. Those people from yesterday know our location, and people from Dawn Base may come again. We need to find a more hidden and safer place.”
She walked over to Xie Zhiwei and sat down, her expression serious. “But before that, we need to talk about last night.”
Xie Zhiwei gripped the spoon tightly, his knuckles turning white.
“Your power is very strong,” He Xu said calmly, “but strength means greater responsibility. If you lose control, it will not only hurt others, but also hurt yourself. Last night you almost died from exhaustion. Did you feel it?”
Xie Zhiwei nodded, remembering that hollowed-out feeling of weakness.
“So we need a contract.” He Xu extended her hand, palm up. “Not a master-servant relationship, but a symbiotic relationship. I help you control your power and teach you how to survive in the apocalypse; you promise not to use your power to hurt the innocent, and to provide protection when I need it. If either of us breaks the promise, we will suffer the backlash.”
She paused, gazing into the boy’s eyes. “This means neither of us can betray the other. Are you willing?”
Xie Zhiwei put down the bowl and stared at He Xu’s palm. In the sunlight, he could see the lines on her palm, and could feel that the warm touch from when she held him yesterday still lingered in his memory.
After his father died, this was the first person willing to come near him, not afraid of him, and even saying she would teach him.
“If…” his voice was very soft, “if I lose control again?”
“I will remind you.” He Xu said. “The contract will let us establish a mental link. I can perceive the state of your power and give a warning before you lose control. But the ultimate control is in your hands. You must learn to master it, not be mastered by it.”
A long silence.
Outside came the chirping of birds, one of the few creatures in the post-apocalypse that could still survive normally. Meiqiu rubbed against Xie Zhiwei’s leg, conveying a feeling of trust.
“I am willing.” Xie Zhiwei finally said, placing his small hand in He Xu’s palm. “But how do you know the contract will work? Your ability… isn’t it only able to communicate with animals?”
He Xu smiled slightly. “My ability may be more special than I thought. Close your eyes and relax.”
Xie Zhiwei did as told.