The Beautiful Top Being Pursued Relentlessly [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 28

“Dead? Really dead?”

“Died for good? No doubt about it?”

Jiang Yi, who had spent the entire night alone in an empty room, arrived at the central row house early in the morning. After being blocked by several ability users claiming to be “acting on the Leader’s orders,” he resorted to squatting next to the bushes of plastic flowers.

Yu Yuyu sat beside him in a row, clutching her ragdoll, Bulala.

The two of them squatted there for a full hour. Half a minute ago, Yu Yuyu, whose eyes had been half-closed with drowsiness, suddenly snapped them open and said out of the blue, “The person brought back is dead.”

That was what prompted Jiang Yi’s startled interrogation.

It didn’t fit logic at all. At the very least, on their way back to the base, his Immortal hadn’t shown any killing intent toward Xu Le; they had even discussed using Xu Le to keep Xiao Yu in check.

“Are you sure your senses aren’t off?” Jiang Yi placed his hands on his head and shook it back and forth. “Maybe Xu Le just took a beating and is in a weakened state.”

“Dead,” Yu Yuyu repeated.

Presumably satisfied with the “final result” of the Leader staying there all night, Yu Yuyu stood up with her doll, let out a yawn, and trudged listlessly back toward her own quarters.

Jiang Yi’s legs were numb from squatting. He simply sat down on the ground, propping his chin on his hand. After thinking for a long time without coming to any conclusion, he slapped his thigh and offered unconditional praise: “Good kill!”

After doing so many terrible things, he wouldn’t have lived long anyway. The Immortal was just removing an evil for the people. It was just like the Immortal said smelly fruit should be plucked immediately.

Click.

The mahogany door in the center opened from within.

As soon as Xie Cheng stepped out, he heard that enthusiastic exclamation. Looking toward the source of the sound, he spotted the familiar cowlick on Jiang Yi’s head swaying among the fake flowers.

His expression didn’t change; he had expected it all. He could even predict the words about to come out of Jiang Yi’s mouth something like, “Xie Cheng, Xie Cheng, you’re out!”

“Xie Cheng, Xie Cheng! You’re out!”

Exactly as predicted.

Xie Cheng arched an eyebrow, staring at Jiang Yi as the man rushed toward him. He didn’t move, waiting quietly. Soon, a large bundle of Jiang Yi was hanging off his neck.

“Xie Cheng, Xie Cheng.”

Jiang Yi peppered his face with kisses and nuzzles. The movements were a bit aggressive, so Xie Cheng slid his hand down Jiang Yi’s back to support him firmly. When Jiang Yi tried to kiss him again, Xie Cheng tilted his head away. “How long have you been waiting?”

“Just a little while.”

Another lie. Xie Cheng knew Jiang Yi had been outside. After all, wherever this man was, he made a great deal of noise; it was hard not to notice.

“And you?” Jiang Yi asked.

“Me?”

“Yeah. It took that long.  to kill one person?”

The way he said “kill one person” was so casual it sounded like he was asking if Xie Cheng had eaten dinner.

Xie Cheng felt like laughing. The feelings of repulsion and disgust that had gathered in his heart were easily kissed away by Jiang Yi. Having someone stay by his side with such wholehearted devotion—he was truly pleased.

It was rare for him to feel this happy. He explained patiently, “I was handling some things inside.”

For instance, the modified “Post-Apocalyptic Survival System” inside Xu Le’s head. He had tracked its signal for a long time and finally managed to find a trace of it, only for the cunning thing to escape again.

“Oh.” Jiang Yi didn’t ask what he was handling. He stepped out of Xie Cheng’s embrace, stood firmly on the ground, and lightly punched Xie Cheng’s shoulder with a fist. “Hard work, hard work.”

“Mm. Let’s go back,” Xie Cheng said.

Jiang Yi took a giant step forward, gripping Xie Cheng’s hand tightly, and began to ramble. “The people from the Central Base came looking for you this morning. They couldn’t find you.”

“What did they want?” Xie Cheng asked, following the thread.

“About Xiao Yu, obviously.”

Xie Cheng understood. “Looking for us is useless.”

“Exactly! We’re not some brilliant scientists. Why bother us all day long?”

As Jiang Yi spoke, he suddenly laughed. He leaned his body toward Xie Cheng and looked up with a grin. “Xie Cheng, Xie Cheng, everything is handled now.”

“What do you want to do now?” Xie Cheng’s gaze dropped, lingering on his joyful face.

“We can go on vacation!”

Xie Cheng: 

Vacation. The word was entirely out of place in the apocalypse. No normal person would want to vacation in a place swarming with zombies. Oh, right Jiang Yi wasn’t a normal person.

“Where do you want to go?” Xie Cheng asked.

“We could go to Rising Sun Base. I heard things are getting chaotic there again. The newly elected leader can’t control such a large operation; it’s the perfect time for us to go recruit some people.”

Jiang Yi tilted his head, resting it on Xie Cheng’s shoulder. “Or we could go to City H. They’ve been hit by several terrifying zombie tides and suffered heavy losses. If we go now, we can save a lot of people. We’ll be ‘Hero Flower’ and ‘Hero Jiang Yi’!”

“Basically, you just don’t want to stay here?”

“Yeah.” There were too many tagalongs here; he didn’t even get a chance to be alone with his Immortal.

“Fine.” Xie Cheng reached out a finger, pressed it against Jiang Yi’s head, and pushed him away. “After you’ve explained everything to Old Qian, we’ll head to Rising Sun Base.”

Jiang Yi blinked excitedly. “To chase away the new leader and then run for election ourselves?”

“Whatever you want.”

It sounded like a very boring task, after all.

*****

In the blink of an eye, it was the winter of the sixth year of the apocalypse.

The powerful Rising Sun Base of the original plot had been a mere flash in the pan, coming to an end in the second year. The Immortal Base and the Central Base continued to grow, one in the south and one in the north, silently guarding the shared home of humanity alongside other small strongholds.

The cold wind whirled with grit, howling as it came. The increasingly frequent extreme weather was yet another test for human survival scorched earth in the summer and bone-chilling ice in the winter. Scarce water resources, dwindling food supplies, and the constant mutation and evolution of zombies.  yet the humans of this world did not seem to be defeated.

Above the ruins, life still bloomed.

A tall, slender figure appeared silently atop a half-collapsed high-rise, overlooking the snow-covered streets below. He wore a well-fitting dark technical jacket and a windproof mask, revealing only his calm eyes.

Six years. The world hadn’t gradually become “better,” but everyone had stubbornly endured, slowly adapting to the new era. Compared to the ending he had predicted, this was much improved.

Suddenly, a thin, sharp whistle pierced the air. Xie Cheng lowered his eyes slightly, and a familiar figure agilely navigated the ruins, reaching his side in a few bounds.

“Xie Cheng, Xie Cheng! I’ve cleared that area over there.” Jiang Yi pulled down his mask, exhaling a large cloud of white vapor.

Xie Cheng looked at him. His face carried a flush from running, his eyes were exceptionally bright, and his brow held more of a tempered steadiness and edge than it had six years ago. Yet he still smiled like that—the pure smile he only showed to Xie Cheng.

“Anything unusual?” Xie Cheng asked.

“Of course not. When we take action, it’s a sure thing.”

Xie Cheng nodded and leaped down to the ground, landing steadily in the snow. “This area will serve as the third safe zone for the Immortal Base. Ensure its absolute security.”

Captain Jiang stood up straight. “Yes, Leader!”

“Alright.” Xie Cheng adjusted the puppy cotton hat on Jiang Yi’s head and gave it a pat. His tone softened. “Recall the squad. We’re going home.”

“Heck yeah!”

Jiang Yi instantly dropped his serious facade and stepped forward, skillfully taking Xie Cheng’s hand. “What do you want to eat tonight?”

Xie Cheng allowed him to lead him, giving the same answer as always: “Whatever.”

“Noodles with shredded pork and sauerkraut?”

“Sure.”

“Add an egg?”

Xie Cheng glanced at him. “Where are you getting eggs?”

No matter how strong the freshness-keeping ability of the space was, after six years, the stored food was mostly gone.

Jiang Yi leaned in, his lips brushing Xie Cheng’s earlobe. “You won’t believe it, but Jiang Shui managed to keep three chickens alive. And they’re egg-laying chickens.”

Live.  chickens?

Xie Cheng’s eyes flickered. “That sounds. quite extraordinary.”

“Right? I was shocked when I heard it. And it seems the chickens he raised have mutated; they can lay a bunch of eggs at once.”

Hearing the laughter Jiang Yi couldn’t hide, Xie Cheng’s lips also curved up slightly.

“And one more thing, but I can’t tell you yet. I’m giving you a super big surprise.”

Another “super big surprise”?

Xie Cheng didn’t reply. Over the past six years, Jiang Yi had provided countless “super big surprises” sometimes a new colored plastic flower he’d found, a puppy-patterned bracelet he’d scavenged, or a large pack of replacement puppy masks…

In short, there were many, many of them.

*****

They arrived back at the base in a modified bulletproof vehicle, the sky already completely dark. There was no transition of twilight, as if someone had hit a fast-forward button; the vision was pitch black.

Xie Cheng pushed the car door open. Just as he was leaning out, a tiny boy tangled himself around Xie Cheng’s right leg, hugging it and looking up at him while crying.

“Waaaaa, Leader Brother, I don’t want to go to primary school anymore. It’s no fun at all!”

Xie Cheng stared at him expressionlessly. The boy shrank his neck back timidly, his face carved from the same mold as Old Qian’s flushed red from crying. After a moment, his collar was grabbed, and Jiang Yi hoisted him up.

“What is it with you? You’re on the truant list every single time.” Jiang Yi turned the boy around, making him face the “vicious” Captain Jiang.

The boy let out a sob. “Waaa. I really don’t want to go to school.”

“Go on, get out of here. Find your dad,” Jiang Yi said, carrying the boy to the door. “The Leader won’t help you.”

Going to school was Xie Cheng’s idea. The continuation of life was like the continuation of hope, but in such a cruel environment, no one could guarantee their absolute safety; they could only learn to protect themselves. Thus, the first post-apocalyptic school appeared.

The “genius” Jiang Yi had named it—the Hope School.

Children of all ages could enter to learn survival skills and attempt to trigger their abilities, allowing them to be trained in specific classes. It was a good idea, so the school persisted.

As the sound of the boy’s crying faded, Xie Cheng took off his heavy coat and draped it over the sofa. Clearing zombies wasn’t easy; it was tedious and troublesome work. Xie Cheng and Jiang Yi had been outside for three days and nights, their energy spent.

He leaned against the sofa, finding a more comfortable position, and closed his eyes, intending to sleep for half an hour.

In his blurred consciousness, warm fingertips touched the bridge of his nose and moved upward, gently massaging his brow. The pressure was perfect.

“You’re tired. Rest well.”

Jiang Yi leaned down and kissed his forehead. “You never know when to rest during a mission. You don’t have to be so exhausted; taking it slow is fine too.”

Xie Cheng kept his eyes closed, reaching out to scratch under Jiang Yi’s chin. “Where’s the surprise?”

Even though he didn’t have much expectation for these “super big surprises,” he still humored him by asking, his tone casual as it had been many times before.

“The surprise will appear before you tomorrow.”

Jiang Yi leaned down and pulled a cord under the sofa. A panel popped out, instantly turning it into a sofa bed. He quickly lay down on it and hugged Xie Cheng tightly.

“Why?” Xie Cheng asked.

Jiang Yi rested his head in Xie Cheng’s embrace, his tone coaxing. “Because the process of opening a gift is also tiring. And a very tired Flower Immortal needs to go to sleep.”

He’s treating me like a child.

Xie Cheng stroked the messy hair on Jiang Yi’s head. Gradually, the sound of the wind outside diminished. All that remained in their ears was the sound of each other’s breathing.

Intertwined, fused, and woven together.

Support