The expected pain did not come as Xu Ye closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for what felt like an eternity. Instead, he felt the force of the attacking zombies on his protective suit gradually weakening.
His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed, his long-dehydrated throat feeling dry and painful with the action. Xu Ye cautiously opened his eyes and found the fiercely aggressive zombies strangely calming down. Their fierce howls slowly disappeared, and they seemed to be acting like they had encountered a natural enemy. They retracted their claws in an orderly manner, crowding and moving towards both sides of the wall. The zombies near the window were even more eager to jump down from the shattered windows, looking like dumplings being dropped.
Unusual events always have underlying reasons. Despite the temporary advantage brought by the sudden change, none of them relaxed their guard. Only a few survivors remained, gathering their last bit of strength, staying vigilant, and silently confronting the situation. Their nerves were stretched to the limit, on the verge of breaking at any moment.
Just then, the sound of a leather shoe stepping on the marble floor echoed at the entrance of the floor, followed by another abrupt ‘click’ sound and a second set of footsteps.
First, the heels touched the ground, followed by the toes. When everyone, whether human or non-human, remained silent, these footsteps felt like treading on the spines of the listeners, sending shivers down their spines.
The advancing steps were elegant and composed, strolling casually as if walking in one’s own backyard, a scene completely opposite to the chaos and disorder where Jiang Huan was. Or one could say it was utterly incongruent with the overall atmosphere of decay and tension in the post-apocalyptic world.
Following that, the sound of another woman’s high heels was added, crisp and pleasing to the ears. The footsteps and their frequency were akin to a catwalk on a fashion runway.
Soon after, two pairs of soft and light sports shoes joined in, and the last person’s steps seemed as if they were floating, occasionally leaping lightly on the ground.
The congested zombies on this floor jumped off the building for the most part, and the rest squeezed against the wall, futilely repeating their actions of colliding with the wall, pushing, and blocking each other.
Through the cluttered and stacked obstacles, a man dressed in a dark blue windbreaker slowly entered everyone’s line of sight. The wind whistled past the high-rise, lifting his jet-black short hair. The disheveled strands swept across his eyelashes, causing him to slightly close his eyes and turn his face to the side. In the next second, he lifted his long eyelashes again, revealing a pair of enchanting crimson pupils.
A piece of golden gingko leaf brooch was pinned on the man’s pure white sweater, reflecting dazzling colors under the bright sunlight.
The world seemed to freeze in that instant. Except for the footsteps of this man, all other sounds disappeared, leaving everything in complete silence. Jiang Huan could even hear his own heartbeat.
Xu Ye looked at the four people approaching in the distance with disbelief… No, they were not even humans. Red irises, black sclera, sharp teeth hidden between their lips, and those black, long nails. He tensed his body, ready to face them in battle at any moment.
But just at that moment, Xu Ye’s peripheral vision suddenly caught a blur. Jiang Huan threw the umbrella knife to the ground and rushed forward as if he had gone mad. He forcefully pushed down all the obstacles that the team had guarded for hours and vaulted over them in a mess.
“Captain!” Zhang Xiaowen didn’t know where Jiang Huan got the strength from; she could barely lift her hand due to exhaustion.
Ignoring everything around him, Jiang Huan stepped over the toppled chairs on the floor, and under the metal mask, his eyes sparkled, reflecting the light from the gingko leaf.
There were still many incapacitated but not yet dead zombies on the ground. They opened and closed their jaws, shaking their arms. Jiang Huan’s ankle narrowly missed a zombie’s nail, causing Zhong Yun to shout, “Be careful!”
Nothing could stop Jiang Huan’s footsteps as he moved forward. His cloak fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound. He ran forward without any regard for his surroundings.
Shen Shanwu was almost driven crazy by Jiang Huan’s impetuousness. His carefully planned entrance was completely disrupted by this sudden, rushing person. The previously relaxed and elegant pace has now turned chaotic.
Seeing that Jiang Huan even disregarded his mask, as if afraid that he wouldn’t recognize him, Shen Shanwu quickly opened his arms and stepped forward, embracing this impulsive man.
“Are you crazy?” Shen Shanwu held Jiang Huan’s waist with one hand and hurriedly put the mask back on his face. But Jiang Huan was too excited, evading backwards, and his eyes sparkled with a passionate light, like the brightest flame in the deep night. “Brother, brother! Brother, I am Jiang Huan, I am Jiang Huan!”
“I know,” Shen Shanwu said with a cold face, but his actions were tender and gentle. He gently put the mask back on Jiang Huan’s face and said softly, “Brother is here now, you are safe…”
A few minutes ago.
“We’re here, we’re here, this is the floor,” Wolf Dog hid behind the wall and waved back at the others, “Looks okay, seems like quite a few are still alive.”
“Hold on a moment.” Suddenly, Shen Shanwu moved from the front of the group to the back. The Executioner looked at him strangely but saw Shen Shanwu adjusting his windbreaker collar. He then carefully put on the fingerless leather gloves and tidied his hair before finally bending down to tie his shoelaces.
Wolf Dog groaned in frustration, “Are you kidding me… Milk Tea, what are you doing again?!”
Milk Tea somehow produced a powder puff and lipstick from somewhere, and using her pinky finger, she wiped away the excess lip color in front of a small mirror. “Retouching up my makeup, I still think a slightly darker shade suits this dress better. What do you think, Mr. Top Student?”
“Identifying lipstick shades is a bit beyond my capabilities,” Shen Shanwu replied dryly.
“Aren’t you gay? Hey, when are we going to get some mutant sisters? I’m so sick of you stinky men.”
“Stop messing around; are we leaving or not? We can’t wait any longer!”
“Take a look in the mirror too.”
“No need to; I’m so handsome I can’t even close my legs.”
“…”
“Hurry up, let’s go.”
“You see, even Executioner can’t stand it anymore! …Executioner, you go down first from the air!”
“…I’m used to flying.”
“Then, can I go now?”
“Hurry up!”
“Um, I’m a bit…”
“Just go!” Wolf Dog pushed Shen Shanwu out with a kick.
…
After so many years, Shen Shanwu’s body temperature was still the same, with a coolness like jade. The scent he carried was also the most familiar to Jiang Huan—a contradictory combination of icy death and boundless vitality.
“He’s really alive,” Jiang Huan thought excitedly. It wasn’t a dream; Shen Shanwu was truly alive, and he was in my arms.
Shen Shanwu held Jiang Huan for a while but then wanted to let go. However, Jiang Huan’s arms clung to him like they were welded together. Shen Shanwu hesitated to use too much force to break free, so he could only allow Jiang Huan to continue holding him for a while. It was only when Xu Ye, Zhang Xiaowen, and the others, looking puzzled, approached and supported each other that Shen Shanwu finally mustered the determination to pry Jiang Huan’s arms open.
“Brother!” Jiang Huan became flustered instantly and kept tugging at Shen Shanwu’s sleeves. Shen Shanwu hadn’t seen Jiang Huan like this in a long time and was caught off guard, allowing Jiang Huan to hug his arm.
Xu Ye widened his eyes, as if witnessing his own captain being possessed by a god. Zhong Yin was equally shocked because the man before them, entangled with the captain, looked exactly like Jiang Tong.
“Are you…” Zhang Xiaowen couldn’t help but blurt out, “Jiang Tong’s brother?”
Shen Shanwu didn’t answer. He shifted his gaze and noticed Zhang Xiaowen’s swollen thigh. His brows furrowed imperceptibly, and he said, “Come with us.”
However, to his surprise, the moment he turned around, Jiang Huan seemed to be greatly stimulated and exclaimed, “Where are you going?!”
“…”
Shen Shanwu understood that Jiang Huan was currently in a state of mental vacuum, unable to hear or understand anything, his thoughts almost frozen and stagnant. He was persistently holding onto Shen Shanwu tightly, as if his life depended on it.
Shen Shanwu had no choice but to put aside all the information he had obtained using the identity of ‘Jiang Tong’ and pretend to be angry. He said, “You have the nerve to say that? I sent you so many things, and you disappeared without a trace for so many years…”
Jiang Huan’s grip tightened, and his rusty mind started to work again. He hastily explained, “There was a mistake in delivering the gifts you sent before. I didn’t receive them. I didn’t mean to ignore you, Brother Shanwu, please listen to my explanation…”
“Later, let’s find a place, and you can explain everything to me properly, okay?” Shen Shanwu patted Jiang Huan’s hand reassuringly, noticing the injuries on his teammates.
Jiang Huan was momentarily stunned, as the impact of Shen Shanwu’s promise settled in. He slowly released his grip on Shen Shanwu’s hand, turning around to look at the group behind him: Zhang Xiaowen leaning on Xu Ye, Zhong Yin and Zhong Yun supporting each other, and two members from the Shanhai Unit helping a severely wounded member from the Xincheng Unit.
Beside Shen Shanwu, Wolf Dog wore a deep denim work jacket with a striking diamond earring on his earlobe. Executioner donned a white hoodie with a hood, wore a pair of turquoise-colored earphones around his neck, and his high-top sneakers tapped impatiently on the ground. Milk Tea stood with an air of grace, one hand on her hip, her slender eyeliner tracing a mesmerizing curve, and her curled golden hair resembling a cover model straight out of a fashion magazine. Her unparalleled presence instantly overwhelmed all the women present.
The most formidable and tenacious zombies seemed insignificant before them, and with just a casual stance, the mutants made thousands of zombies scurry in all directions.
“Follow them.” Jiang Huan didn’t waste any unnecessary words. Facing his reliant teammates, he remained the decisive and composed captain.
“Captain,” Xu Ye’s breath tightened, “Are they… mutants?”
At the question, Wolf Dog grinned playfully, baring his sharp teeth. With his hands in his pockets, he took the lead in descending the stairs. However, Shen Shanwu called out from behind him, “Wait, Wolf Dog, carry the shortest woman on your back.”
“Me?” Wolf Dog didn’t expect there was another task waiting for him. He immediately put on a sarcastic smile and said, “I’m a ruthless, bloodthirsty mutant, filled with viruses all over my body.”
“You talk too much.” Milk Tea kicked him and took the initiative to walk over herself. Xu Ye’s body was paralyzed with fear, and only his eyes could barely move. He watched as the sharp black nails brushed past his arm and then supported Zhang Xiaowen’s arm.
Unable to avoid it, Zhang Xiaowen held her breath, her pupils shrinking, and nervously hunched her shoulders. She instinctively looked at Jiang Huan, who calmly nodded at her.
The next moment, she felt weightless as Milk Tea effortlessly princess-carried her, making sure to position her injured leg on the outside to avoid any contact.
With her fear held back, Zhang Xiaowen trembled and managed to say, “Thank you…”
Wolf Dog snorted, hands still casually in his pockets, until Jiang Huan softly called out, “Brother Wolf, I’m counting on you.”
“What ‘Brother Wolf’! It should be the full name, ‘Brother Wolf Dog’,” Wolf Dog retorted, his fur bristling.
“Aren’t you still a dog?” the ever low-key Executioner muttered under his breath, causing Wolf Dog to explode even more.
Shen Shanwu felt a little helpless. They had agreed before coming that they would treat the members of the Shanhai Unit and the Xincheng Unit with cold aloofness. They would only save the people, ensure their safety, and then leave, without getting entangled in any further matters, to maintain the image of heartless, ruthless, enigmatic, and capricious mutants.
The first one to break the cold demeanor was Jiang Huan. He rushed over without any hesitation, fearless and resolute, like a moth flying towards the light. Shen Shanwu couldn’t refuse, nor did he want to.
Milk Tea had been embracing Zhang Xiaowen for quite some time, and she effortlessly helped her, who had difficulty walking. As for the Wolf Dog, who appeared to be a cool and aloof guy without talking, once he opened his mouth, he revealed himself as a complete goof, exposing the mysterious veil of the mutants to show the cotton-like core underneath.
In the end, Wolf Dog reluctantly carried the injured member of the Xincheng Unit on his back. He jostled the person up and scolded in anger, “Stop trembling! What are you trembling for?”
“I can’t help it, it’s a physiological reaction,” the injured Xincheng Unit member sounded like he was about to cry.
Shen Shanwu chuckled to himself, shook his head, and walked to the front. Jiang Huan immediately followed, staying close to his right and matching his steps.
Next came the two injured team members, each carried or held by a mutant, followed by the sisters, Zhong Yun and Zhong Yin. The two members from Shanhai walked carefully in the middle, while Xu Ye remained cautious at the back. The Executioner strolled at the very end, even casually putting on his earphones.
The zombies in the entire building scattered like falling sand, quickly retreating. Those who couldn’t escape in time jumped out of the windows. They had no intelligence to choose routes; their instinct was to escape as fast as possible. As long as their brains were intact, they would continue to be a threat even after losing limbs.
In order to take care of the exhausted group, Shen Shanwu descended the stairs slowly, step by step. The leather soles of his shoes rhythmically touched the cement floor, bringing a sense of security to everyone.
Inside the hallway, apart from the incapacitated zombies, there was nothing else. The passage was eerily silent, so quiet that even the wind dared not make a sound. They seemed like the kings of this world, with a command, and all would kneel before them. A simple gesture, and everything would turn to ashes
Descending the six short floors took them quite some time. Without any expression on his face, Shen Shanwu stepped outside the main entrance. The zombies that were still hesitating and observing instantly retreated, making way for the off-road vehicle that had been squeezed into various positions.
Jiang Huan noticed Shen Shanwu’s gaze and shook his head, saying, “We can’t use it.”
“Is there anything else we need to take from inside?” Shen Shanwu had already anticipated this, knowing that all twelve tires were flat. Jiang Huan lowered his gaze and said, “Wait for me,” then quickly climbed into the car. Xu Ye and the others with mobility immediately followed suit, and in no time, they managed to retrieve some items.
In Jiang Huan’s hands were two filter boxes. “They were placed under the seats and were not damaged.”
Others were holding some food, which they stored in the glove compartment. The zombies wouldn’t bother opening those drawers and cabinets, so they were fortunate to escape unscathed.
“Next door is a hotel. Shall I take you there to rest?” Shen Shanwu asked, and Jiang Huan nodded, “Okay, I’ll follow your lead.”
Shen Shanwu smiled, his eyes slightly curved, looking lively. He habitually patted Jiang Huan’s shoulder, “You’re such a good kid.”
Zhong Yin was standing next to Jiang Huan, and when she heard the remark from the mutant who looked so much like Jiang Tong, her whole demeanor became strange.
She felt that the world was truly surreal, never knowing what would happen in the next moment.
Due to Jiang Huan’s outstanding and excellent abilities, there have been numerous rumors about him in the base. Among them, Zhong Yin found the most unbelievable one to be the rumor that Jiang Huan was adopted by a mutant. After all, our captain was clearly the direct descendant of Marshal Jiang! The existence of mutants was already a mystery, so how could they have any connection with the captain?
She would rather believe that the captain had an unrequited love for a goddess who gave birth to a child with a scoundrel and made the captain pay child support.
It wasn’t until today that she realized the rumor about the mutant might actually be true.
Just as Zhong Yin was questioning life, she overheard an even more fantastical conversation:
“Brother Shanwu… the filters are so heavy, my hands hurt.”
“I’ll take them.”
“Okay.”
Zhong Yin’s pupils trembled. The filters weighed only 0.2kg each, and there were six filters in total in two boxes… and they were considered heavy?
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