Chapter 86—The worship of Soup God
by Bocchan13
“Yes! Yes! Turn there! Gah!!” Wang Cheng yelled as the yellow Lamborghini hit a wall and struggled to move. “C’mon! You’re in last place!”
Rose unflinchingly used his opposable thumbs to navigate the joystick on his controller. The Lamborghini eventually got out of the wall but like Wang Cheng said, he was in last place. Wang Cheng was leaning over Rose’s shoulder, his lips near his ear, munching on some crackers he had stashed away.
“Keep moving! Go! Go! Go!”
Rose just nodded seriously, his vines taking over for his hands. Wang Cheng stared in amazement as the dexterity of the vines easily took over the computer AI cars and settled on 2nd place.
“Wow! You can do that! Play with me next! Where’s the other controller?” Wang Cheng patted Rose on the back and rummaged in the cupboards, looking for the controller. Rose just sighed and scratched the ear Wang Cheng spoke in; his pale green-ish skin was faintly red.
Xiao Zi heard their exchange and laughed as he came in. Rose looked up to see Xiao Zi and the box of medical supplies in his hands.
“Are you busy? I’ll just take today’s sample.”
Rose nodded and raised his arms up. His quite innocent eyes blinded Xiao Zi as he gratefully wrapped an elastic band on his upper arm, exposing a vein. Rose’s skin was similar to an ability user’s in which it was much thicker and harder to penetrate. He’d had to get a very strong metal that could draw blood.
The syringe was larger as well with the base 3x the size. Rose silently watched as Xiao Zi took out the blood. The blood coming out was red like a normal human’s which had puzzled Xiao Zi at first but got used to.
“I’ll take this for this week, so just make sure to eat healthily. You’re a human now, not a plant and can’t absorb sunlight like you used to.”
Rose nodded and touched the pricked skin. When Xiao Zi left, he immediately went up to Wang Cheng who had already found the other controller and showed Wang Cheng the skin, a small ooze of blood escaping.
Wang Cheng’s heart clenched as he pet Rose’s hair.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. You did so well today! Let me help you.” Wang Cheng had helped Rose so many times the past few weeks that he now carried some disposable Band-Aids Song Yu had given him. He gently held Rose’s arm and applied the band-aid.
When that was done he once again rubbed Rose’s hair, his slender fingers gliding down the length of red. Rose closed his eyes and let this gentle person comfort him.
“It’s such a shame that Xiao-Zi’s healing abilities don’t affect zombies or sentient plants. You wouldn’t be in so much pain.”
Wang Cheng completely forgot that Rose had his own healing ability…and Rose wouldn’t tell him.
“You wanna play some more?”
Rose nodded excitedly and led Wang Cheng to the TV. However they were interrupted by Song Yu who called them.
“Wang Cheng? You there?”
“I’m in here! What’s up?”
Song Yu’s head popped through the door, his eyes bright.
“I just finished the soup for Ming Ze’s base. Do you have time to send it to them? I made a few pots.”
Wang Cheng gladly took the errand and took Rose as well. Wang Cheng swept the hot steaming soup pots into his space and wore the padded coat Song Yu made. Rose was decked out in something similar, his long hair swept back in a low ponytail.
“Careful out there. It’s going to snow a little harder later, so make sure to come back soon.” Song Yu watched them from the door and gave Wang Cheng some breakfast. Wang Cheng bit a piece of jerky and nodded his head.
“No worries, if the car malfunctions, Rose can just take me back. Have you seen how fast he runs? He’s like The Fl*sh!”
Song Yu smiled and shooed them off, thinking to himself that it was like a grade schooler going on their first errand.
Wang Cheng was used to going back and forth between bases and was familiar with the route. Rose rode in the front seat and silently nodded to Wang Cheng’s chatter. The hour long drive was easily completed and Wang Cheng drove to the very center of the village.
Ming Ze’s scouts told Ming Ze who came out excitedly. “Wang Cheng, you’re bringing more food? We still haven’t finished the soup from last week! Song Yu is too generous.”
Wang Cheng puffed his chest out proudly.
“Song Yu knows that you guys are conserving it, so he made extra. We want to fatten you guys up!”
The group of ability users who had trained with Wang Cheng laughed and led Wang Cheng to the mess hall.
The mess hall was large and able to hold all of the residents. There were five large and long tables and a bench that they had made to accommodate the residents. At the very back was the kitchen and distribution area, where there was still a full pot of thick creamy soup.
Wang Cheng happily swept the emptied pots into his space and unloaded the freshly made soups. A clean smell of vegetables wafted in the air, and everyone sniffed in happiness. Song Yu was no chef, but he had been able to make a new soup every week with varying flavors. The vegetables were crisp and fresh tasting with little oil on the surface.
Ming Ze delegated tasks to more efficiently give to the people who had started coming into the mess hall. Three children were impatient and hopped around the line and stared in awe at the soup. Wang Cheng and Rose happily helped around. Ming Ze offered him a bowl, but Wang Cheng declined.
“I already ate breakfast at home. I still have to go back before the afternoon. Song Yu said that the forecast showed snow, so everyone prepare to stay inside after 2 PM.”
Ming Ze nodded and sighed.
“I don’t know how we could have survived without you guys, seriously.” Wang Cheng just nodded in satisfaction and helped everyone have breakfast. When it was the three children’s turn, they each held a large bowl already filled with yellow-ish rice.
“Wang Chen! Wang Chen! Is the person coming today? Can we see him?”
Wang Cheng wanted to cry!
“You want to see him and not me? I’m heartbroken!” Wang Cheng clutched his heart for effect and looked through slitted eyes to see two scolding the third.
“He’s busy! He has no time!”
Ming Ze laughed and patted Wang Cheng on the back.
“Song Yu has a reputation with the younger kids. Since he’s the one cooking, they think he’s a God of Soup.”
Wang Cheng laughed uproariously and leaned on Rose who gently held his waist.
“G-God of Soup! Hahahahahah! Oh damn, Song Yu is gonna laugh at that.”
The children who got soup put in their bowls scowled at Wang Cheng. The youngest of the three stuck out his tongue.
“Don’t bully Soup God! He’s not gonna bring any more soup if you laugh at him!”
Wang Cheng wheezed and laughed more. The youngest’s face got red and he immediately kicked Wang Cheng’s shin, spilling a few drops of his soup on Wang Cheng’s foot.
“Ah! Owww! You little—! C’mere!”
“Kyaa!!”
Wang Cheng ran after the kid who gleefully gave his bowl to his friend and ran around the building. The people who had already sat down watched happily at this show, and even teased Wang Cheng as he ran past them.
Ming Ze laughed along and saw the warm atmosphere. Here, they didn’t have to worry about zombie attacks, had food to eat, a warm place to stay and people who surrounded each other and took care of each other. Ming Ze’s heart jolted in what appeared to be…contentment.
Thank you. Thank you Song Yu for giving this to me.
As if a stone was lifted off her chest, everything surrounding her was filled with light.
Later that night, Ming Ze had a dream. In the dream, she was still an office worker. When the zombie apocalypse broke out, she led her co-workers out. Eventually she settled in a village in A Country with her comrades. But there was no Yu Hong, no An Wei and no Du Win. She was instead at odds with another base whose ability users stole some of her resources.
She had fought with them, making her somewhat famous. But sooner or later, her base became smaller and smaller, and the zombies were more and more ferocious. Ming Ze had no choice but to move her base somewhere else. She spent the next 5 years migrating with less than 20 people and finally settled in C Base.
She was a soldier of the finest order and led the C Base to a higher reputation. This was also greatly due to a base close to them called the Paradise Base that shocked the world with a pure ability user. No matter how many people enticed the Paradise Base to hand over the pure ability user, it was no use.
No one knew what this person looked like, if it was a woman or a man, where they came from and how they did it. The only thing the public knew was that the price of his ability was high.
When Paradise Base was besieged by a zombie hoard, several hundred people fled to C Base which opened their gates for them. This was not entirely selfless; an eye for an eye, an equivalent exchange. And for a time, it was.
In the deep night, the pure ability user would do their work and the water source would purify. The C base was happy. But…at some point, the pure ability no longer came and the people of Paradise Base left with stronger walls…and indoctrinated C Base ability users.
Yes…it seems that the Paradise Base wasn’t really paradise after all.
C Base declined and had to use the grain they salvaged to purify their water. But ultimately, there was no help. When C Base was finally eroded by the zombie virus, the survivors ran to Paradise Base in hopes of sanctuary.
Ming Ze saw on top of the new walls of Paradise Base, a face of no emotions. She saw as family fought against family, friends killing each other, men killing children. Ming Ze wanted no part in this horrible world anymore.
She waited until the last survivor was granted sanctuary and led into the base before using her Earth ability to drag over a hundred corpses into the forests, digging graves for each one.
Finally, she dug a hole for herself and slept inside until she could no longer breathe, silently saying goodnight.
.
.
.
Ming Ze woke up, tears slipping down her face. She felt like she had a horrible dream…but as the sun spread onto her warm bed sheets, the nightmare ebbed and no longer took root inside her heart.
Like a mirage, it escaped from her mind…travelling to a far off place where memories disappeared.
thanks for the chapter