Chapter 135: Reunion
Wu Heng lowered his head and looked at the flower that had been growing in the center of his palm. It was always in full bloom, like a tattoo etched into his skin.
Before, it had been a murky, ashen black. Now it looked as if it had been polished clean—layers of gauzy textures had emerged, the edges a translucent pale violet, and beneath them he could even see the dense web of blood vessels.
Xie Chongyi didn’t know when he had opened his eyes.
“Don’t you think Lin Mengzhi is always too noisy?”
Wu Heng looked at Xie Chongyi, unsure of what he was getting at.
“Why don’t we just kill him.”
“?”
Seeing Wu Heng freeze and part his lips slightly, Xie Chongyi pulled him into his arms, buried his face in the hollow of his neck, and let out a muffled laugh.
Wu Heng was still trying to figure out how those two things were connected when the laughter at his neck stopped. Teeth brushed densely against his earlobe—painful and ticklish at the same time.
He felt things had gone a bit too far these past two days and tried to dodge away. The other immediately grew dissatisfied and turned the playful nibbling into a deep kiss.
A face suddenly appeared outside the window.
Lin Mengzhi stared wide-eyed, mouth agape. Before he could say anything, Xie Chongyi sent him flying with a blow.
Xie Chongyi kissed Wu Heng until he was dizzy and unable to speak, and only then seemed mildly satisfied.
“I’ll head back to Jingzhou after breakfast,” he said softly, cupping Wu Heng’s face.
Wu Heng instantly sobered up. He looked at him, frowned slightly, and said, “It’s still raining.”
“I’ll have someone send Xue Shen and Xue Qi over to you. Dou Lu is metal-type—you’ll need her, so I’ll send her too. And Teacher Ying—he can’t adapt to Jingzhou’s climate and has already become universally disliked, so consider him a free add-on.”
“I don’t want him either.”
“If he knew he could leave, I wouldn’t be able to keep him.”
“As for earth-types, I’ll look around. But if Xie Yi finds out you’re going to Siwangzhidi, she’ll probably arrange manpower for you—though she’ll definitely have conditions. For example, local biological samples. Some experts say the climate in Siwangzhidi is different from anywhere else.”
“A deal is fine,” Wu Heng said, fully clear-headed now. “But I don’t take orders from anyone.”
“I’ll go talk to her,” Xie Chongyi said. His palm slipped around from beneath Wu Heng’s waist as he pulled him into his arms. “They’ll come over first. I’ll handle the handover afterward, and once that’s done, I’ll come find you.”
Wu Heng breathed in the scent clinging to Xie Chongyi. He lightly clenched his teeth and nipped at the other’s neck, not daring to bite down for real.
After hearing what Xie Chongyi said, he tried to lift his head, but was pressed back down again. All he could manage was a muffled question, “You’re not staying in Jingzhou?”
“Did I ever say that?”
“You mentioned taking a vacation.”
“I need rest during the handover process too.”
“Then what about your ideals?”
“Did I ever say I had ideals?” Xie Chongyi stroked the hair at the back of Wu Heng’s head. “I just have some things I need to figure out. Who knows—maybe we really can stay in love all the way to the end of the world.”
Cradled in Xie Chongyi’s arms, Wu Heng gradually grew drowsy.
He had no idea when the other left the study.
Zhou Shan happily prepared several bags of local specialties from Shenjian for Xie Chongyi. He even dug up a whole patch of the courtyard’s lotus lamps, and packed his own homemade pickled vegetables along with several jars of honey.
“It’s still raining—are you really leaving in such a hurry?” Ruan Silian held an umbrella, seeing him off together with Lin Mengzhi and Shen Ping’an. “Why not wait until A’Heng wakes up? If he wakes and doesn’t see you, he’ll definitely be unhappy.”
“He needs rest.” Xie Chongyi tossed the umbrella to Shen Ping’an and climbed into the driver’s seat. “See you.”
Lin Mengzhi craned his neck. “Class Monitor, is there anything good to eat in Jingzhou? Bring me something next time!”
“No.”
“Wow! I’m going to go back and badmouth you to A’Heng!” Lin Mengzhi shouted.
A low hum rose from the fuselage. The rotor blades above split the rain, sending it spiraling away. Xie Chongyi tapped open the map and navigation, connected the energy panel to the main console, and pulled the control lever. The helicopter’s landing gear retracted automatically, and the tail rotor sped up at the same time.
After rising halfway into the air, it headed north—but then hovered there for a moment. The young man in the pilot’s seat lowered his gaze, looking toward the small wooden house in the distance. The airflow outside the cabin door churned and surged into his chest; his ribs ached as his heart swelled within them. In a daze, he realized that liking someone was, in truth, an impatient urge to land—to land by his side.
After a long pause, the people below almost thought the helicopter had been put on pause. Finally, the fuselage trembled, and it was soon swallowed by the rain and mist.
“Do you think the class monitor might secretly cry on the plane?” Lin Mengzhi stared at the now-empty visitor center, a sudden thought popping into his head.
“That’d be you,” Shen Ping’an said, holding an umbrella. “Come on, let’s go back.”
“That’s not me. I change partners every day!”
“Oh—so Mengzhi is a scumbag!”
“That’s called skill.”
Shen Ping’an nodded. “Even more of a scumbag.”
Laughing and bickering, the three of them returned to the cabin. With Zhou Shan leading the way, they brought back two wild boars. Zhou Shan applauded happily—he said he hated the nearby wild boars most of all. When it didn’t rain and the forest grew dry, the boars would come down the mountain in groups and root up his garden. Their bodies were far larger than the monkeys’, and after mutation they were as massive as small hills. A good bear doesn’t fight pigs, so Zhou Shan could only watch helplessly as they wrecked his garden, digging up every last bit of the hard-earned crops.
In the courtyard, Shen Ping’an set up a wooden frame and hung the two boars on it, one to the left and one to the right. Each boar weighed nearly a ton; once hoisted, the frame creaked and groaned under the load.
He and Lin Mengzhi stood on ladders on either side, raised their knives, and slit open the boars’ bellies. Bloody fluid seeped out smoothly, while Lin Mengzhi, on the opposite side, hesitated and couldn’t bring himself to strike.
“I’ll do it,” Ruan Silian said, holding an umbrella on the ground and asking Lin Mengzhi for the knife.
“How could you?” Lin Mengzhi shook his head. “This is a mutant animal—an ordinary human doesn’t have enough strength.”
After saying that, he gritted his teeth, pumped himself up inwardly, and plunged the blade into the boar’s belly.
With a wet pffsh, fresh blood splashed across his face—hot, and reeking.
Below, Zhou Shan held a plastic basin printed with peonies, so anxious he could hardly stand it. “Cut the throat first! I want the pig’s blood!”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“Start over, start over—tonight I’ll make you something delicious!”
…
When Wu Heng woke up, the people in the courtyard were still busy, the noise loud and lively, like it was New Year’s.
He sat up and reached out, only to find the space beside him empty. But when he shifted his feet slightly, he kicked into something fluffy.
He lifted the blanket—X was lying on its back at the foot of the bed, with Shukui curled up beside it.
By then, Wu Heng already had a guess: Xie Chongyi must have left. In any case, Xie Chongyi wasn’t the type to gather with them to slaughter pigs.
He changed clothes and stepped outside. The rain pattered down, mountain mist winding around the air. Sure enough, there was no sign of Xie Chongyi.
—
“We ran into Xue Shen and Xue Qi’s mother.”
“She was an animal symbiote—the toad that dragged her into the sewers back then—but she had already lost her original memories and will. In her nest, we found many human remains. She laid eggs inside human heads.”
“Xue Xianrong killed her with his own hands.”
…
Xie Chongyi landed in Jingzhou. Wen Yuan and Dou Lu came up to greet him; Dou Lu looked lifeless, while Wen Yuan’s face showed no emotion at all.
“Understood.”
Xue Shen and Xue Qi were in the Combat Operations Center building. Xue Xianrong poured hot water for the two brothers. “Drink up, then go back to the dorm to rest.”
Xue Qi grabbed the cup and hurled it at the wall in front of him.
“All you need to do is check those people’s records to know that not a single one of them was clean. She still had consciousness. She didn’t kill good people—why did she have to die?”
“Determining whether a human still possesses human will isn’t done the way you’re doing it. Did she kill to punish evil and promote good? No. Xiao Qi, your mother did it to strengthen her own species—to allow the toads to reproduce more smoothly.”
“She’s not a toad!”
“If you keep being this impulsive and foolish, then you’d better pray every day in the dorm that Xiao Shen lives longer than you.”
Xue Qi was so furious his vision darkened. “If coming to Jingzhou was just so I could watch you chop off my mom’s head, I’d rather I’d died the moment the apocalypse began.”
“Xue Qi.” Xue Shen lightly pushed his shoulder.
Xue Xianrong’s back seemed to tremble for a moment—or perhaps it didn’t. He walked over slowly and sat down in front of Xue Qi. The dark circles under his eyes made it clear he hadn’t slept for days. He pressed a hand over Xue Qi’s wrist. “If the one dragged into the sewers had been me, I believe your mom would have made the same decision I did, without hesitation. And if one day I’m infected and mutate as well, I hope you’ll make the same decision I did.”
Xue Qi bared his teeth. “I can do it right now.”
Xue Xianrong burst into laughter and looked toward the doorway. “Xiao Xie’s back?”
Jingzhou bore pressure from all sides, while also supplying resources outward. The major bases were doing their best to support the others. Compared to the initial chaos, order had been rebuilt once more.
But humanity’s current order was built atop chaos, with the constant risk of collapse. Frequent natural disasters alone, along with wildly unpredictable climate shifts, carried a fierce momentum that seemed intent on driving humanity to extinction.
—
Zhou Shan didn’t know where Wu Heng had gotten the hotpot base, and he didn’t ask—he only praised it again and again.
“The pig stomach can be stewed clear and drunk as soup. Use the extra to stir-fry the base, then blanch the offal in it.”
“The pig kidneys, score them and stir-fry with our local pepper leaves. Guaranteed to be delicious.”
“This piece, chest fat, put it together with the pork belly, straight onto the grill.”
Zhou Shan even had a grill plate. After all, this was his home, and his kitchenware was fairly complete. He hauled out whatever he already had and let the others help with the prep, while he plunged headfirst into the kitchen to work on his dishes.
Lin Mengzhi lit the firewood in the iron stove and set the large cast-iron grill plate on top. Smoke billowed for a while before dispersing, and the plate gradually heated up.
Ruan Silian and Wang Meixia cut seven or eight strips of pork belly into small pieces two or three centimeters thick. With no conditions for marinating, they laid the pieces directly onto the grill. The rich, fatty pork belly immediately began to render, juices seeping out as the aroma of meat filled the air.
Liu Dongfan held a small bowl and scraped the rendered fat into it. “Don’t waste it, perfect for stir-frying.”
“Tell me, how do pigs grow so well? They’re that delicious…” Lin Mengzhi couldn’t wrap his head around it. He bumped the Wu Heng beside him, who was staring straight at the grill. “A’Heng, what do you think—why is that?”
“No idea.” Wu Heng mercilessly shoved away the dog head that was inching toward the pan.
In the kitchen, Zhou Shan’s stir-fry hit the wok with a loud sizzle, far louder than the crackling from the grill outside. He was so excited he reverted to his bear form, brandishing the spatula and stuffing the kitchen to the brim, frightening Wang Meixia and Luo Lei—who had been about to help—into retreating again and again.
The soup needed time to simmer, but stir-fries were quick. Zhou Shan came out drenched in sweat, carrying several plates. “Let’s eat first. No soup yet—have it as a late-night snack.”
Wu Heng took a small dish and poured a base layer of cracked black pepper into it, holding it in his hand as he began picking up pork belly that had already finished grilling at the edge of the plate.
He didn’t like meat sliced too thin—it had no presence once in his mouth, and after all the fat rendered out it felt like chewing bark. Thick-cut pork belly suited his taste better: crisp on the outside, with a layer of fat still inside. One bite, and the aroma filled his mouth.
“Where did you get chili powder?!” Lin Mengzhi reached his chopsticks toward Wu Heng’s plate.
Wu Heng hid his dish behind him and tossed a bag of cracked black pepper at Lin Mengzhi. “Don’t stick your chopsticks into my bowl.”
Lin Mengzhi clicked his tongue. “Then how come you were kissing the class monitor?”
Everyone else, still busy with what they were doing, froze at once and looked over at Lin Mengzhi, all of them impressed by his nerve.
Since Xie Chongyi had left that morning and Wu Heng had gotten up, Wu Heng hadn’t mentioned Xie Chongyi, and everyone had tacitly avoided the topic as well. What Lin Mengzhi just did wasn’t merely mentioning it—he’d kicked the kettle clean off the stove.
Wu Heng picked up a piece of pork belly, dabbed it with a few grains of black pepper, and put it into his mouth.
His lips glistened with oil, glossy and bright; his complexion looked better too. After swallowing, he looked at the flustered Lin Mengzhi.
“Do you want to kiss me?”
The tension everyone had been holding instantly eased.
Lin Mengzhi grinned and leaned over to Wu Heng’s shoulder. “Kissing’s not necessary, do you have chili powder? I still want chili powder.”
“And is there any alcohol? Not too strong. Beer would be best, actually.”
Zhou Shan pulled a light bulb brighter and came over to sit with them.
“This wild boar’s huge. Even if we all eat together, we won’t finish a tenth of it. We’ll store the rest, some for Brother Bear, some to take with us on the road.”
“How could I accept that?” Zhou Shan exclaimed in alarm. Then, seeing that no one was going to play the polite back-and-forth with him, he hunched his shoulders instead. “I want the hind legs and the head.”
A relatively tall dining table stood there, the grill plate set a bit lower. A circle of people sat around it. The hotpot broth bubbled vigorously; someone at the far end dumped in sliced heart and lungs, along with the fish fillets Zhou Shan had prepared. The pig blood floated on the surface in bead-like clumps from the start, clearly already cooked through.
Wu Heng didn’t like chili peppers and focused solely on eating the plain, unseasoned grilled pork.
Now and then, he fed a bite each to X and Shukui.
“Get a good rest today. Tomorrow we start building a boat,” Shen Ping’an suddenly said.
“What are we building a boat for?”
“To cross the river.”
“Does anyone here even know how to build a boat?”
“We could check my study, see if there are any related books.”
“No need. Just make a few rafts.”
“Who said rafts?” Lin Mengzhi stood up, chopsticks in hand. “What if there are crocodiles in the river? Sitting on a raft, how’s that any different from climbing onto their dining table ourselves?”
“Then we kill them,” Wu Heng said.
Zhou Shan added, “Traveling through the mountains won’t be any less dangerous than taking the water route. If this rain is global, I suspect Earth’s creatures are about to undergo a second explosive wave of mutation. The hidden dangers in the forest are easy enough to imagine.”
“And besides, there’s no river here that can actually be navigated. We’d still have to cross several mountains. On the other side, it’s not a river either, it’s a swamp. I suggest we wait until we’re past the swamp before building a boat.”
Wu Heng said nothing, only kept stuffing meat into his mouth.
Both his cheeks were puffed full. As he chewed, crack, crack sounds rang out. He narrowed his eyes in contentment—then, in the very next instant, snapped them open and looked out the window.
—
On the open ground of the visitor center, a blinding beam of light shone toward the cabin. Before the tail rotor had even finished slowing, it accelerated again. Vague figures moved swiftly in the direction of the wooden house.
Shen Ping’an appeared outside the courtyard. He stood in the middle of the road, and a long blade slid down from his wrist into his hand.
The man at the front was tall. A black combat uniform set off his commanding presence. When he saw Shen Ping’an, he pulled down his face covering, removed his helmet, cradled it in the crook of his arm, and quickened his pace.
“Wen Yuan—we’ve met before,” the man said.
Though surprised, Shen Ping’an didn’t show it. He shook the man’s hand, pretending not to see the dozens of people behind him. “A few months ago, you refused me a ride.”
Wen Yuan’s expression didn’t change. “Official business. My apologies.”
“Then today you’re—”
“Student Shen! Shen Ping’an!” A familiar, timid voice came from behind the group. Someone staggered forward, running up to them with the excitement of seeing family at their in-laws’ house. “I’ve finally made it back! You have no idea how hard it’s been for me in Jingzhou!”
Shen Ping’an, however, wasn’t nearly as excited as Ying Liuquan. “Didn’t make it in Jingzhou, so you came back?”
The normally taciturn Student Shen had somehow turned razor-sharp. Ying Liuquan awkwardly withdrew his hands. “They were all on guard against me.”
“As they should be.” Shen Ping’an thought of Ying Liuquan’s indiscriminate attack style. People in Jingzhou were people too.
It wasn’t until Xue Shen appeared that Shen Ping’an’s hardened expression eased somewhat.
“On Old Xie’s request, and also for my own reasons,” Xue Shen said frankly.
“How many of you came?” Shen Ping’an asked, frowning.
“Twenty in total.”
“Does Wu Heng know?”
Xue Shen paused. A suddenly inscrutable smile appeared on his face. “He probably does.”
But he didn’t know. Shen Ping’an actually thought this in his heart—thought it despite himself.
“Let’s see Wu Heng first.” Shen Ping’an put his blade away and pushed open the courtyard gate. “Don’t touch the lotus lamps in the yard. They’re poisonous.”
In a forest this dense and abyss-like, no one found it strange anymore. They had seen plenty of mission sites far more dangerous than this. Still, when Xie Yi named the destination this time as Siwangzhidi, they had all been stunned for quite a while.
Xie Yi hadn’t issued an order—she let them choose for themselves.
The two of them walked side by side, quietly passing through the courtyard.
Shen Ping’an pushed open the wooden door at the front. A wave of steaming white mist rushed toward them, followed by a meat aroma so rich it could make one dizzy.
Compared to Shen Ping’an’s calm, the others reacted with far more tension and shock when they saw the armed team. A few people in the corner even sprang to their feet—were they here to arrest them for eating wild boar? Several of them hurriedly wiped their mouths.
Lin Mengzhi had drunk himself half-dizzy on beer. He clutched his belly, hugged the dog, and was already snoring.
The only one who looked completely at ease was the young man sitting cross-legged on a cushion on the floor. His long hair fell over his shoulders; his features were delicate and quietly somber. He held a small plate in his hand, his gaze slanted toward the grill, clearly waiting for the meat to finish cooking.
Those who had come were all ability users. From him, they sensed an immense, immeasurable power—surging yet tranquil, so oppressive it almost made it hard for them to breathe.
Wen Yuan studied him. Three days apart, and one must look again with fresh eyes.
“Wu Heng, long time no see,” Xue Shen said. He was doing fairly well, directing someone to help Xue Qi onto a chair.
Xue Qi was doing even better. He stared at Wu Heng in amazement. “Wu Heng, how did your hair get so long?! It’s so beautiful!”
Only then did Wu Heng lift his eyes. His gray-green pupils swept over the faces of the people behind Wen Yuan, making their scalps tighten under his gaze. Not until he reached the very end did he withdraw his eyes and ask,
“Xie Chongyi didn’t come?”
—————————————————————————
Author’s Note:
Everyone else: The interview’s coming, the interview’s coming, the interview’s coming.
Little Demon Snake: Where’s my boyfriend?