RIACMET chapter 239

 

The polar night lasted 24 hours each day. Because all you saw when you opened or closed your eyes was darkness, time passed excruciatingly slowly.

Without daylight, everyone’s biological clocks and sense of time were thrown off, except for those with fixed duties.

There was no need to keep track of time—just eat when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re full, and do whatever needs to be done whenever you’re awake.

The polar night had already lasted more than half a month, but it felt like more than half a year had passed. This was also different from what Cheng Jing had experienced in his previous life—the duration had increased. That wasn’t a good sign.

It was now the end of December, and the weather showed no sign of cooling down. The nights were windy, yet it remained hot.

Last year, at this time, the weather had already become freezing—far more unbearable than it was now.

“Teacher Gao, there’s a shift change at eight tomorrow. We’ll be patrolling outside the base again. Use your special ability to see if anything feels off around here.”

It was 11 p.m. in the Central Zone dorms when Gao Xuyang came out of the shower and heard Yang Kai’s instructions. He glanced at the message from the command center that Yang Kai had shown him on his phone.

Gao Xuyang only glanced at it briefly before nodding. He didn’t ask any further questions.

“Okay.”

After all, he was only responsible for following Yang Kai, no matter what the job was.

Yang Kai offered to help him dry his hair, but Gao Xuyang refused.

“It’s late. Go shower first.”

“Well, you know… if we shower together, we could save water and time.”

Yang Kai teased lightly as he walked into the bathroom with his clothes in hand, feeling a little disappointed. Gao Xuyang always kept his guard up around him, whether it was changing clothes or showering.

“…”

Gao Xuyang didn’t respond. He waited until Yang Kai was inside, then walked over to the mirror near the entrance and stared at his reflection.

His appearance had greatly improved, the lifeless look gone.

The visible veins under his skin no longer looked frightening. If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t notice anything unusual. The dull, grayish-white hue of his eyes had also faded. He didn’t look scary anymore.

He could now sustain his purification state for more than thirty minutes at a time. Once he stabilized further, he could get closer to Yang Kai. He wanted to shower with him, too.

Since the polar night began, they had been living in the central zone dorms as usual. Spending every day together, he could clearly see just how good Yang Kai was to him and how panicked the man was whenever he woke up from a nightmare and clung to him tightly.

Ever since the unauthorized infection incident, Yang Kai had discussed everything with him and sought his opinion before acting.

Only when they were lying in bed together did Yang Kai become forward and do something inappropriate.

Yang Kai liked touching him, but Gao Xuyang didn’t react to being touched. He couldn’t accidentally fire the gun, and he always felt sorry for his partner.

After standing in front of the mirror for a while, Gao Xuyang returned to the bedroom, tidied the bed, and laid out the uniforms they would wear the next day.

Since moving in, Yang Kai had not allowed him to secretly get up at night to do chores or laundry, instead tossing everything into the washing machine himself.

Once everything was ready, he waited for Yang Kai to finish showering. The two chatted briefly before lying down together. Their communication was smoother now, but Gao Xuyang still processed things more slowly.

After allowing Yang Kai to touch him for a while, he went to sleep. He didn’t need sleep, but he closed his eyes and rested. This had become a routine ever since they started “living together.”

Click—

With a soft click, the lights dimmed, and the only sound in the room was the whirring of the fan.

As soon as Yang Kai got into bed on the other side, he moved in close, wrapping his arms around his stiff lover and murmuring,

“Teacher Gao…”

His voice was hoarse, and his breath was quick and hot. It was obvious what he wanted.

In the past, Yang Kai would just borrow his hand, which was enough to annoy Gao Xuyang. So, when the man tugged on him again, Gao Xuyang spoke up unexpectedly.

“Let me help you a different way.”

Before Yang Kai could object, Gao Xuyang had already gotten up and was kneeling between his hips.

“Don’t…”

Yang Kai sat up in alarm and reached out to stop him.

“No need. It’s just a normal reaction when my lover’s next to me. You’re not fully recovered, physically or mentally. Let me handle it.”

He couldn’t bear to let this man push himself like that.

“It’s fine. I want to help you. We’re lovers.”

Gao Xuyang insisted. He turned off the nightlight and bent forward in the dark, relying on memory. His normally slow heartbeat quickened.

Yang Kai couldn’t see his expression or actions and didn’t resist.

Once people got a taste, they always wanted more. At first, Yang Kai only wanted his lover to be alive and by his side. He hadn’t cared about having a simple life. But now, he was greedier than ever.

“Xuyang, are you uncomfortable?”

Afterward, Yang Kai pulled Gao Xuyang into his arms and asked, satisfied.

Gao Xuyang shook his head.

“No discomfort. Go to sleep; you’ve got a lot to handle tomorrow.”

Since he couldn’t share the heavy workload with Yang Kai, all he could do was be a steady partner—someone reliable. This made him even more determined to return to normal.

“All right. You rest too.”

“I’m happy,” Yang Kai said as he hugged him and closed his eyes contentedly.

It wasn’t easy to get close to someone older than you, especially someone like Teacher Gao. He seemed approachable, but was actually incredibly difficult to get near.

They weren’t on the same level. When he was hiding, you couldn’t find a trace of him anywhere. But he always knew where you were, every move and breath.

Thanks to missions and frequent work intersections.

Once Yang Kai did get close to him, though, Teacher Gao became sweeter than anyone. Teacher Gao was considerate and spoiled him in every way. Despite their demanding jobs, they managed to find a good balance.

He thought he would sleep through the night and wake up naturally, as usual.

But halfway through the night, Gao Xuyang suddenly opened his eyes.

He furrowed his brows in the dark for a long time, then turned to look at Yang Kai, who was still sleeping. Then, he quietly got out of bed.

Yang Kai was well-trained when it came to sleeping lightly and keeping an eye on Gao Xuyang. Just as he was about to open the door, the room’s light flicked on.

“Teacher Gao, where are you going? Are you hungry?”

Yang Kai was already up. He rubbed his tired eyes and checked the time. It was nearly 4:30 a.m.

“I’m not hungry. Sorry for waking you.”

Gao Xuyang looked a little guilty. He pointed at the ceiling.

“I want to go up to the roof and pick up some brainwave signals from my kind. It feels like they’re reaching out deliberately to find their companions. They’re very weak and must be far away, but there are many of them, so I’m a little worried. There’s less noise on the roof, so I thought I’d go up and try.”

Sensing his own kind didn’t require a supernatural ability; it was a natural instinct of a zombie king. However, the noise in the residential area and the energy fluctuations from power users affected his ability to sense them.

In order to pick up weak, distant “signals,” he needed a quiet environment. Since leaving the base was difficult, the roof was the only option.

“It’s fine. Let’s go. I’ll come with you.”

Yang Kai yawned, put on his shoes, and grabbed his pistol and night-vision goggles. He didn’t even change out of his pajamas, which made him look a bit out of place.

Gao Xuyang could move freely in the dark. With his night-vision goggles, he didn’t need a flashlight, which saved them some trouble.