Wei Xicheng was busy sorting through the food he had collected, completely unaware that Yu Beiyan had stepped out briefly.
Two or three transparent crystal nuclei were suddenly presented before him, resting in a large palm. Wei Xicheng followed the arm up with his eyes to see Yu Beiyan nodding lightly. “Pick one.”
Wei Xicheng casually grabbed one of the nuclei and absorbed it. Only then did Yu Beiyan clutch the remaining ones in his hand. In the blink of an eye, he crushed them into fine powder and casually tossed them away.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Wei Xicheng lowered his voice and asked the question he hadn’t managed to ask back in the forest.
“Your ability—can it control zombies?”
Yu Beiyan looked at him, slightly puzzled, clearly not understanding why he was asking.
He didn’t need any special ability to control zombies. All it took was a simple thought, but he hesitated to explain further. He instinctively didn’t want Wei Xicheng to know the truth.
So, after a pause, he nodded.
Seeing his confirmation, Wei Xicheng’s eyes lit up with a hint of excitement. That’s such a cool ability. He pressed on, “Then how did you know you could absorb zombie crystal nuclei? And how did you know I could absorb them too?”
…This was difficult to explain.
The air grew quiet for a moment. Yu Beiyan opened his mouth as if to speak but eventually just pointed at his head. “I just know.”
Mental abilities that stimulate the brain also grant some kind of precognition? Wei Xicheng didn’t know how to make sense of Yu Beiyan’s response—it was practically the same as saying nothing at all.
“Fine,” Wei Xicheng relented. He then added, “Were you always this picky about food? I can’t seem to find anything you like.”
In the rare safety of this private moment, Wei Xicheng couldn’t help but blurt out all the questions he had been holding back. Despite being in a relationship, Wei Xicheng didn’t know much about this world’s version of his lover. In fact, Yu Beiyan didn’t even appear in the original story’s plotline. He was naturally curious and eager to learn more.
Yu Beiyan picked up the sack of food Wei Xicheng had gathered. As he turned away, his eyes narrowed slightly, his expression calm and indifferent. “Back then, there was only nutrient solution.”
Nutrient solution? Wei Xicheng stared at the man’s retreating figure, unable to understand what kind of person would have survived on nutrient solutions even before the apocalypse. What kind of nutrient solution could meet all of a human’s needs?
“Wait,” Wei Xicheng called out, but seeing that Yu Beiyan wasn’t inclined to say more, he sensibly closed his mouth. He figured he’d learn everything eventually.
Hearing his voice, Yu Beiyan slowed his pace. When Wei Xicheng caught up and walked beside him, Yu Beiyan glanced at him before slowly speaking. “The past wasn’t pleasant. I’m not as perfect as you think.”
“That’s okay. I know what kind of person you are,” Wei Xicheng said casually, waving his hand. He then took two bags from Yu Beiyan. He was a man too—he couldn’t let Yu Beiyan do everything for him.
Yu Beiyan smiled faintly, his gaze fixed straight ahead. His sharp vision easily captured the smallest movements of the zombies up ahead.
Countless zombies retreated from the streets, automatically making way and leaving behind a wide, empty, and eerily silent path for the two of them.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to explain. After all, you’re standing right here, aren’t you?”
Hearing this, Yu Beiyan was momentarily stunned. He looked at the person beside him, who wore a sunny, handsome expression.
With a soft chuckle, Yu Beiyan said, “Your ability is quite remarkable.”
“Let’s not talk about that…”
Lin Jianbai and Lin Lei, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, exchanged glances once their voices faded into the distance.
Lin Jianbai pressed his hand against the wall and lowered his voice. “Brother Lin, so Mu Shuyang also has an ability.”
Lin Lei removed the cigarette tucked behind his ear and fiddled with it in his hand, but ultimately didn’t light it. Looking at Lin Huan and Lin Jianbai, he nodded. “Those two are hiding something.”
“They must have something that can both attract and repel zombies,” Lin Jianbai said firmly, noting Lin Huan’s surprised expression.
“It’s not that simple,” Lin Lei sighed. “Earlier, when Xiao Huan and I were in the eastern outskirts, we were surrounded by a horde of zombies. Strangely, though, they didn’t attack us and eventually surged toward the central district. Since we couldn’t find supplies in the outskirts, we took the risk of heading into the central area.”
He paused, seeing the confusion on Lin Huan’s face, and carefully explained, “But there weren’t more zombies in the central district than in the outskirts combined. In other words, before we arrived, someone had intentionally dispersed the zombies to the outskirts.”
Lin Lei emphasized the words intentionally and controlled, and when he saw Lin Jianbai stiffen at the implication, he knew he had figured it out.
“Da Lei and I were also attacked by zombies in the west, and there was that horde outside the clothing store,” Lin Jianbai said, knocking on the wall as his thoughts became clearer.
“Could it be Mu Shuyang? He can control zombies?!” Lin Jianbai exclaimed.
That would explain why a strength-type ability user like Yu Beiyan was willing to gather supplies for someone seemingly useless. Being with Mu Shuyang would drastically increase one’s safety—who wouldn’t be tempted?
In this post-apocalyptic world, no one believed in selfless “love” anymore.
Lin Lei nodded, having reached the same conclusion. If someone could control zombies, it wouldn’t be a problem if they had no ambition. But even the slightest hint of greed would make humanity’s survival incredibly difficult.
Zombies themselves rarely evolved, with only one or two advanced zombies appearing among hundreds. Even then, their intelligence was far from comparable to humans.
But if someone could control their movements, it would be a disaster of unimaginable proportions for humanity.
Lin Huan, who had been silently listening to their discussion, finally voiced her question. “Then why would they drive the zombies away in advance? Why not tell us?”
As soon as she asked, she realized it was pointless. If she had such an extraordinary ability, she would also keep it a secret. A power like this would make her a target for elimination.
As for why the zombies were driven to the outskirts, it was probably because their earlier proposal about resource allocation had annoyed the two of them.
What the three didn’t know was that it was all because a certain man simply didn’t want anyone disturbing his private time with a certain someone.
The strange phenomenon of zombies surrounding the clothing store later was merely caused by Yu Beiyan’s momentary excitement.
The three decided to keep their suspicions to themselves for now and observe the duo carefully in the future. If their probing backfired, they would surely be no match for those two in a fight.
Lin Lei specifically instructed Lin Jianbai to warn Yu Sheng and Mei Zi to avoid causing any trouble. Lin Jianbai promised to persuade them but decided it was better not to disclose the real reason.
Meanwhile, Yu Beiyan and Wei Xicheng were strolling down the street when they noticed a figure running toward them. The person’s steps were clumsy and unsteady, their speed slowing as they neared, clearly having exhausted most of their strength.
“Da Lei?” Wei Xicheng was the first to recognize the sturdy man. He called out, causing the man to glance up at them. His expression shifted from delight to deep worry.
“Run!” Da Lei shouted, waving his hand to urge them to leave. Only then did Wei Xicheng notice the two advanced zombies chasing behind him.
Stretching his wrists, Wei Xicheng realized it had been a while since he last exercised. He glanced at Yu Beiyan, signaling him to stay out of it and let him handle it alone.
Yu Beiyan obediently took the bags from Wei Xicheng and stepped aside, his compliance unmistakable.
“Run! Those are advanced zombies!” Da Lei yelled while running, but he noticed that the two ahead didn’t seem scared at all. The seemingly powerless Mu Shuyang even stepped forward to confront them. Was he crazy?
Reluctantly, Da Lei adjusted his course. The man was kindhearted and couldn’t bear to let others die because of him.
But it was already too late. The zombies weren’t intelligent enough to notice Yu Beiyan suppressing his presence. With only Wei Xicheng visible, they charged straight at him, ignoring the scent markers that typically repelled them.
Wei Xicheng cracked his neck, took a few light steps, then leaped forward, quickly closing the distance between him and the zombies.
When Da Lei turned back, he saw Mu Shuyang already fighting the two advanced zombies. But calling it a fight wasn’t quite accurate—it was more like one-sided domination.
Even in combat, Wei Xicheng couldn’t forget his instincts to prioritize aesthetics. Every move was graceful, matching the sunny and heroic image of Mu Shuyang. He was determined to save Da Lei, who hadn’t done anything to deserve being abandoned.
The boy’s hair fluttered with his movements, tracing arcs of vitality and strength. This dazzling display left Da Lei utterly stunned.
It wasn’t until a tall figure approached him that he snapped back to reality.
“Thank you, thank you. I didn’t expect Mu Shuyang to be so strong,” Da Lei said sheepishly, scratching his head as he tried to strike up a conversation with the indifferent Yu Beiyan. He truly hadn’t imagined that this seemingly delicate boy had such incredible power.
“I didn’t save you,” Yu Beiyan said bluntly, not even sparing Da Lei a glance. His eyes were fixed on the boy moving on the street.
“Ah, I know, I know,” Da Lei said with a mischievous wink. “You two are a couple, right?”
Yu Beiyan turned to look at him, confused. “What does ‘a couple’ mean?”
“Huh? You’re not?” Da Lei scratched his head again, even more bewildered. That couldn’t be right—weren’t they more than just good friends?
“We are.”
____________________________________________________________
Author’s Note:
Yu Beiyan: He said we’re a couple. What does that mean?
Wei Xicheng: A couple means two people. He’s saying we’re two people.
Yu Beiyan: Oh, then we’re not a couple. I’m not human.
Wei Xicheng: …
I’m honestly confused! What exactly is Yu Beiyan? He gives neither human vibes nor zombie vibes 🤔
maybe some kind of research subject for scientists..