Chapter 27: The Show Begins

Time drifted by one second after another. The indistinct roar of a car reached them, and Qu Yan opened his eyes and looked downstairs.

Before long, Song Chengfeng pushed open the door and entered, with Lin Wu beside him and Yan Zhuo bringing up the rear as usual.

Yellow Hair was sprawled against the broken wall, where the steel reinforcing bars jutted out. Seeing that Lin Wu was uninjured, he looked away. To hide the marks around his neck, he had changed into a high-collared undershirt. The close-fitting style made his extreme thinness all the more apparent; one could even make out the shape of his bones.

As soon as Yan Zhuo came in, he quickened his pace, overtaking Lin Wu and Song Chengfeng. He took the stairs two at a time and hurried up. Only after confirming that Qu Yan was unharmed did his brows relax slightly.

“The car can be used normally. There’s just a minor problem, but Song Chengfeng says it won’t affect anything.” As he spoke, Yan Zhuo crouched down in front of Qu Yan and looked up at him.

He had long since grown accustomed to speaking with Qu Yan from this position.

Qu Yan was not surprised. These vehicles had not been abandoned because they had broken down. Their owners had either met with accidents, been forced to abandon them while fleeing, or been bitten by zombies. The cars they left behind were therefore unlikely to have any serious problems.

Yan Zhuo had run up, leaving his hair slightly disheveled. Patiently, Qu Yan smoothed it back for him and asked, “Have you decided what you want yet?”

Yan Zhuo froze. Then, perhaps thinking of something, he shifted his gaze away and stammered, “Not yet...”

“That’s all right. It will count whenever you decide.” Qu Yan took in his expression, then added, “Whatever you ask for, I’ll satisfy.”

He deliberately made the words ambiguous. Leaning closer and closer, he bent down until his lips lightly brushed the bridge of Yan Zhuo’s nose.

Bang!

Dust burst from the floor, and Yan Zhuo fell backward into a seated position. He looked rather ridiculous.

Qu Yan curved his lips into a smile. As he withdrew his gaze, he noticed Yellow Hair watching them. His brows lifted slightly, and Yellow Hair, quick to take the hint, immediately looked away.

Yan Zhuo sat motionless on the floor, completely stunned. His eyes still followed Qu Yan unconsciously, filled with unmistakable trust and dependence.

Qu Yan remained bent over as he looked at him.

The wolf that had first barged into the apartment had been the same. It was clearly a ferocious creature, yet it had opened its mouth and allowed Qu Yan to stroke its canine teeth.

The wolf was Yan Zhuo—different, and yet the same.

Qu Yan did not mock the boy’s wholehearted sincerity, nor did he conceal his own hypocrisy. The game was built on mutual willingness. To make it more vivid, he did not mind personally teaching Yan Zhuo a lesson.

As for what the result would be, that was a matter for later.

Song Chengfeng came up the stairs as well. Only then did Qu Yan extend a hand.

“Get up already.”

Their touch lasted only an instant. Yan Zhuo did not need to borrow his strength, yet he still clasped Qu Yan’s hand briefly.

With the problem of the car resolved, they could leave that day.

As they got into the vehicle, Qu Yan spoke abruptly. “With your abilities, there are many benefits you can obtain now. Perhaps you could find him a chance at survival. But if you stay here and do nothing, there’s only one road left—and it leads to death.”

He was speaking to Lin Wu. Neither Song Chengfeng nor Yan Zhuo understood. Song Chengfeng wanted to ask, but he knew this was not the right time. Yan Zhuo, meanwhile, would never ask. In his eyes, everything Qu Yan did had a reason.

The only ones who understood him were Yellow Hair and Lin Wu. The two brothers looked at each other for several seconds, neither saying a word. No one knew what the other was thinking.

After saying this, Qu Yan got into the vehicle. It was a van with a spacious interior and three rows of seats. As the driver, Song Chengfeng naturally took the front seat. Yan Zhuo, however, did not continue sitting in front. Instead, he moved the little one to the second row and quite naturally followed Qu Yan to the very back.

In truth, it was not entirely natural. When he sat down, he glanced at Qu Yan, and only after seeing no sign of objection did he relax.

Half of the journey to City G remained. Having learned his lesson, Song Chengfeng drove with even greater care and caution. At last, no further accidents occurred, and they arrived safely in the afternoon.

City G lay farther north geographically. Its buildings were also broader and taller, reflecting local customs. A few zombies wandered along the roadside. Song Chengfeng muttered to himself, “It would be great if we could find someone to ask.”

In such a large city, none of them knew where the rumored survivor base was. It was also possible that it did not exist at all.

Song Chengfeng’s hand brushed against the steering wheel. When they had first found the vehicle, the wheel had been covered in dried, congealed blood, presumably left behind by its previous owner. The blood had seeped into the wheel and could not be scrubbed away, so he had laid paper over it as a barrier.

Death had become an ordinary thing. After a moment’s thought, he turned around and asked, “How about you come with me to look for someone first?”

It was obvious whom he was looking for. That was also the reason he had come to City G. Qu Yan nodded in agreement.

Song Chengfeng turned the vehicle around and drove through the city center. Along the way, they passed shops of every size. The prosperity of the past had vanished, leaving only ruin and desolation.

“There are too few,” Yan Zhuo said suddenly, despite his usual silence.

Song Chengfeng asked in confusion, “Too few what?”

Qu Yan answered for him. “Zombies. The number is abnormal.”

Under normal circumstances, Song Chengfeng might have teased them about being perfectly in tune with each other. But at that moment, he could not summon the slightest inclination to joke.

The surroundings were silent. Not the slightest stir disturbed the air, as if the world had become a stagnant pool without a ripple.

The joy of arriving safely faded. Song Chengfeng tightened his grip on the steering wheel and realized that, since entering City G, they had encountered fewer than ten zombies.

But City G was an old city with a considerable permanent population. It was impossible for there to be only a handful of zombies.

He slowed the vehicle and asked in a low voice, “Should we turn back?”

“Too late.” Qu Yan replied in the same hushed tone.

It had already been too late the moment they entered City G.

Hearing him say that, Song Chengfeng saw that Yan Zhuo did not object either. He could only grit his teeth and continue driving.

There were several schools along this street. A roadside sign bore a slogan urging drivers to slow down near the schools ahead. Song Chengfeng scanned the surroundings as he drove. Several minutes passed without anything happening, and he spoke to ease the tension.

“Maybe we’re just imagining things?”

That was when everything changed.

The gates of a nearby school were smashed open, and countless zombies poured out. They seemed to have appeared in an instant, filling every gap in the street.

Song Chengfeng’s heart lurched. He hurriedly stepped on the accelerator.

At first, things went well. The van managed to leave the zombies behind for a short distance. But as their numbers continued to grow, the road ahead became blocked. The vehicle struck the zombies and rolled over them, but soon it could move no farther.

“Get out!” Qu Yan ordered decisively.

Blood and rotten flesh exploded before their eyes, splattering some of it across their faces. Qu Yan pressed himself against Yan Zhuo’s back, clinging tightly to the muscles beneath his shirt.

It was the first time he had seen how Yan Zhuo killed zombies. Blood ran down Yan Zhuo’s face, yet he seemed completely unaware of it, moving like a machine without the slightest change in expression.

The little one in Song Chengfeng’s arms cried without stopping. From the corner of his eye, Song Chengfeng saw Yan Zhuo’s swift, efficient movements. A dark emotion flashed through his eyes, and he could not stop himself from feeling jealous. But in the next instant, he turned his attention back to the surrounding zombies.

There were too many. They came one after another, seemingly without end. If this continued, they would die of exhaustion even if the zombies did not bite them to death.

Yan Zhuo stepped over the chunks of shattered corpses and forced open a small gap in the horde by himself. Directly ahead stood a school building. They had nowhere left to retreat. This was their only path.

“Get inside first!”

Song Chengfeng, nearly exhausted, caught up with them and made the decision immediately.

They ran up the stairs. They did not encounter any zombies and finally stopped on the third floor. Yan Zhuo kicked open a door, then abruptly froze.

Something was wrong with his expression. Song Chengfeng hurriedly asked, “What is it?”

When he received no answer, he leaned forward and understood why Yan Zhuo had stopped.

There was someone inside—a living person, not a zombie.

It was a classroom. Desks and chairs had been piled together, occupying only part of the room. A man stood in the center. Hearing the noise, he turned around and revealed a face that would make anyone gasp in admiration.

His pupils were deep black, his eyelids thin, and the corners of his eyes slightly raised. His features could only be described as beautiful, yet they were not feminine.

When he saw them, his gaze settled on the wary Yan Zhuo. He seemed somewhat surprised, then smiled and asked, “What’s wrong? You don’t recognize me anymore?”

His tone was familiar and intimate.

Leaning against Yan Zhuo, Qu Yan naturally felt the change. The moment the man began to speak, all the guarded tension vanished from Yan Zhuo’s body.

“You know each other?” Song Chengfeng looked from the man to Yan Zhuo.

Perhaps because no zombies had followed them inside, the sudden relief loosened him completely. Looking at the three people before him—and at Qu Yan’s cold, severe eyes—he inexplicably felt as though an entertaining show was about to begin.

Author’s Note:

I had planned to go hiking today. A friend called at eight in the morning to wake me up, but after struggling valiantly for half an hour, I still couldn’t get up. The great hiking plan has been postponed.

Zzz...