Chapter 44—Talking things out

by Bocchan13

Song Yu reached his room and closed the doors gently. His mind was in a tumultuous spin. It degraded his senses and made him dizzy. He gingerly sat on the bed and rubbed his temples.

Lan Zhou is reborn.

He had been in the previous life for more than 20 years.

He died…

His team was going to find an ability user who could help make the cure.

He needs this place.

“Should I let him stay?”

H said this thought out loud. To give it consciousness in his bleak mind.

This changes many things, but it still doesn’t change the fact that they want to stay here! They want to use your things! They want to eat your food and use your water!

Song Yu paused.

The water. It was the water.

Purified, it helped his friend’s level up. Was safer to drink and could aid in healing.

He had tried to purify zombies before when he was tortured. But back then, he wasn’t even a level 1. Could it be?

Could he save humanity?

He clutched the sides of his head and plopped on the bed.

He had two days to decide.

Should they stay or go?

Song Yu heard a knock on his door later that night. He hadn’t slept yet, opting to agonizingly go through every scenario. Three quick raps on the door and Song Yu knew who it was. He slowly got out and opened the door, to see Lan Zhou with a tray of food.

“You didn’t come down for dinner…and I knew you didn’t want to see any of us yet. Here you go.”

Lan Zhou gave Song Yu the tray and turned to leave.

“Wait…Lan Zhou.”

Song Yu sighed, opening the door wider.

“Come in. I want to know some things.”

Lan Zhou smiled, “Okay.”

Letting him in, Song Yu placed down the tray and opened the lid. It was rice with a nice chili stir-fry, a fragrant soup and pickled radishes. He took a nimble taste and relished in the delicious food.

“First thing…how far into the apocalypse did you live to?”

“Twenty three years roughly.”

“And how…did you die?”

Lan Zhou smiled bitterly,

“Not by a zombie if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Song Yu widened his eyes. Lan Zhou…

“There was this base that had a pure ability user. He could purify the waters, crops and built an extensive factory that produced essentials and farming. Although the base was rich, the people inside were extremely corrupt. Many small bases around it had perished, and the survivors were indoctrinated in as laborers.”

Song Yu paled. The base…Paradise Base? Was Lan Zhou talking about him?

“Lu Jingxiu had just gone back for backup when Xiao Zi and I were ambushed. We survived in an underground bunker for a few days but died later by enemy fire.”

Lan Zhou shrugged.

“We were peaceful. We just wanted the pure ability user to purify some ingredients for us. We would have paid everything we could. But by that time, that base had been completely corrupted. I don’t know what internal strife’s happened inside, but it was enough to piss them off enough to kill us.”

Song Yu closed his eyes.

Lan Zhou…why does this feel so familiar? There’s something missing.

Something’s not right.

With Lan Zhou? I completely agree. His story is so fishy; it can be classified as tuna.

Not that! I mean, I feel like I was there. I can feel it. But I don’t remember anything. If Lan Zhou had come before I died, it wouldn’t make sense that I can’t remember.

My memories…something’s wrong with my memories.

“…I was reborn less than a week before the apocalypse happened. I was able to go to the military base and got some supplies. After a year, the team and I went to search for the ability user but it seems like the person has vanished, like he never existed.”

Song Yu could guess that they were looking for him. Lan Zhou didn’t know it though. He thinks he only has a space ability, and the story he told to Lu Jingxiu that there was a kooky doomsayer sounded legitimate.

“You think…the man who built this place was the ability user?”

“Lu Jingxiu only said a few things about that, but I’m not too sure. The water here is similar to Paradise Base, maybe even better. It had never touched the zombie virus so its purity can be higher.”

“I see.”

“So…you know everything that happens for the next 20 odd years?”

“The future has already changed. Five reborn people will cause a butterfly effect. The outside world might not change, but our stories will.”

6 reborn people

“Is this why you are chasing me? Did we get together in the last life?”

Let’s see if you tell the truth.

There was a small silence before Lan Zhou softly whispered,

“No. Not at all. I never met you at the club back then. I never got together with anyone and died an old virgin. This might have been a causation of my rebirth. It led me to look over the dance floor and see you.”

Lan Zhou kissed his forehead.

“I think this was the world’s way of giving me a present.”

Who is this suave Casanova??

“Article 53: Find any way to make your partner feel like they are the most unique being in the world.”

There it is.

Song Yu laughed.

“I bet we did meet and you completely ignored me.”

“Ha! If that was the case, it would be you instead of me.”

They both chuckled.

They talked a little more. Lan Zhou didn’t press Song Yu about his secrets, but instead talked about his time in the Military Base. Song Yu was enraptured by his escapades.

He lived in Paradise Base for so long that he forgot that other places existed.

“By that time, my level had reached 9 so I created a variant ability. The Blue Sun. You saw it before, and how deadly it can be. It melted the military bases wall so bad, they sent me a bill for damages.”

“Hahahahh!”

“I had to write an IOU and work the next three months for free. Poor Wang Cheng had to buy me meals.”

Song Yu was immersed in Lan Zhou’s previous life.

Why didn’t he meet Lan Zhou sooner? Why was he so cowardly that he made other bases come to Paradise to seek his ability? There was so much left to offer. Just like now, he built a little nest for himself, convincing himself that the outside world was ugly.

It was ugly, but Lan Zhou made it bright.

Soon, Song Yu snuggled in Lan Zhou’s arm and drifted off to sleep, listening to his soft murmurs.

Lan Zhou felt Song Yu’s weight on his shoulder and gently lifted him up. Taking off his socks, he took a towel and wiped them with warm water, kissing each toe. He went outside to the veranda and looked at the red moon.

Lan Zhou felt that what he said was true. Song Yu came to him on the butterfly effect. But not his. Lan Zhou knew that Song Yu was reborn too.

He knew that the person they were looking for was him. Song Yu knew too much. He didn’t ask questions about levels or powers and even knew base names. When Lan Zhou talked about the pure ability user, Song Yu didn’t bat an eye, like he knew everything.

The pure ability user…who suffered by his father’s hands was him. The tortured soul who tried his best to survive and made a base meant for saving people.

He knelt onto his knees as tears trembled down his eyes. He didn’t tell Song Yu the entire truth. Before he died…he had come across the main perpetrator who told him the pure ability user had died.

A man named Ye Xin.

More tears escaped his closed lids.

No wonder Song Yu didn’t trust anyone. He had been betrayed by his friends. Lan Zhou didn’t make it in time to save him. There was so much regret. Why didn’t he meet him sooner? Why didn’t he save him?

Wiping the tears away, Lan Zhou vowed that he would stay with Song Yu for the rest of his life. Either as a lover or protector, it didn’t matter. Song Yu was his conviction to keep on living.

Lan Zhou loved Song Yu. More than love itself.

 

He took off his clothes, leaving only his underwear and settled next to Song Yu on the bed. Holding the man close to his chest, he felt the slow heartbeat and warm body. No words could describe his mood.

Neither contentment nor happiness, but as if the soul had been finally filled with life.

…

Lu Jingxiu and Xiao Zi held each other close on the bed, their hands intertwined. Lu Jingxiu kissed him softly on his forehead, his calm heart giving a warm feeling.

“Do you want to leave this place?” Xiao Zi asked.

Lu Jingxiu pondered a bit.

“I feel at peace here, but if Song Yu doesn’t let us stay, then we have no choice.”

“I want to stay here too. We’ve been fighting for so long. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to do laundry out in the sun, farm in the fields and play with the animals. We are such oldies.”

“Well, counting our last life, our hairs would be grey right now.”

Xiao Zi giggled and snuggled next to him.

“Lan Zhou…really does love Song Yu. Do you think Song Yu loves him?”

Xiao Zi had to think on that.

“I think…Song Yu loves Lan Zhou. I mean they loved each other enough to…”

“Xiao Zi?”

“For some reason…I can’t remember what I was just going to say.”

“You’re tired. Let’s go to bed.”

“Okay.”