Xiao Tianming hadn’t noticed when Qi Wu had returned.
Maybe due to his mutation, the already tall young man seemed to have grown even taller during his time on the run. His frame was now even more robust, and as he stood in the doorway, he cast a heavy shadow over Xiao Tianming. However, despite his massive build, his movements were as silent and graceful as a predator’s.
Xiao Tianming’s face drained of color. In front of Xie Xishu, Qi Wu wouldn’t show a truly ferocious face. In fact, he even wore a faint smile as he spoke to Xiao Tianming, but it was precisely this smile that stirred a primal fear in Xiao Tianming.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up one by one.
“I’m hungry.”
Xie Xishu’s voice suddenly broke the tense silence.
The young man, as if oblivious to everything, looked calmly at his boyfriend.
“…Did you bring anything?”
Qi Wu immediately shifted his attention away from Xiao Tianming.
“Just a bit of food.”
He held a plastic bag containing a few cans of eight-treasure porridge, some cola, and a few chocolate bars.
It was clear Qi Wu had sensed something through his other form, which had prompted his quick return. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought so little.
Still, even with this, the supplies he’d managed to scavenge with his monster-like perception would be enough to support them for the journey ahead.
At least… enough for Xie Xishu.
“Have some porridge first. It’ll be easier on your stomach.”
The faint, almost illusory scent of blood surrounding the young man dissipated entirely as he moved beside Xie Xishu. He took out a can of eight-treasure porridge, opened it, and handed it to him.
At the same time, he cast a cold glance at the appendages.
The appendages, from the moment Qi Wu appeared, had curled into a tight, tangled ball, desperately stuffing their ugly “heads” into the young man’s arms, as if they could somehow escape reality by doing so. But Qi Wu, of course, had no intention of letting these unsightly, foolish things continue clinging to Xie Xishu’s chest.
Although these things clearly belonged to him, Qi Wu still felt a strong sense of discomfort after catching the fresh, fishy scent they left between Xie Xishu’s fingers and palm.
He opened his hand, and the split in his palm suddenly burst open, revealing fine, snow-white teeth.
The appendages shrank back a bit in Xie Xishu’s arms, then reluctantly squirmed and slowly crawled into the opening in Qi Wu’s palm.
“Crunch—”
“Crunch—”
As the tail of the last appendage disappeared inside, Xie Xishu keenly heard a few muffled chewing sounds.
He had been steadily forcing mouthfuls of thick, sweet porridge down his throat but now stopped involuntarily.
Qi Wu met his somewhat surprised gaze, then shrugged: “…They weren’t very good.”
He explained somewhat awkwardly.
“Too weak, too dumb, and way too slow.” At this point, Qi Wu glanced at Xiao Tianming, perhaps intentionally. “Looks like they’ll need to shed their skin again before they’re of any use.”
“They’re actually kind of cute…”
Halfway through his sentence, Xie Xishu blinked, noticing Qi Wu’s mouth tensing downward. Acting on a hunch, he reached out and tugged the sleeve of the boy beside him.
“But, all things considered, it feels safer to work together.” Saying this, he raised the can of Eight Treasures porridge in his hand. “And thanks for the porridge; it’s delicious.”
…
Qi Wu suddenly raised a hand to rub the tip of his nose, turning his face aside awkwardly, his voice lowered.
“What’s there to thank? It’s just a can of porridge.”
Xie Xishu saw his ears redden again.
*
Xiao Tianming didn’t dare to move a muscle, watching the interaction between the two before him, unable to make a sound.
Fortunately, with Xie Xishu’s occasional distractions, Qi Wu’s murderous intent toward Xiao Tianming seemed to gradually recede.
After taking some time to regroup, the three set off once more towards the residents’ refuge point.
The closer they got to their destination, the better the roads became under government cleanup and management. Initially, Xie Xishu and the others could still occasionally see ruins of buildings, completely wrecked vehicles, and sometimes even weak monsters that had escaped the mass cleanups.
But near the refuge point, such sights had completely vanished.
Even as they advanced cautiously under cover, they could see a few cars speeding by on the road.
Here, it was as if the three of them had finally returned to the old world—one where the mutation hadn’t happened, where social order hadn’t completely collapsed.
At last, a high wall stood at the end of the road.
Seeing the scene by the wall, all three stopped in unison.
It was such a familiar yet strange sight… Xie Xishu saw people.
Not many, but actual “people.”
From time to time, the hum of helicopters passed through the sky, and below the high wall stood fully armed soldiers wielding machine guns. The temporary wall was lined with dense electric wires, and beyond them, visible fortifications with points of firepower.
Several security gates, similar to airport checkpoints, had been set up beneath the wall.
At the entrance were automated scanning devices equipped with weapon systems. They scanned each person passing through the gates, with screens on the side displaying dense data and clear scan images.
From afar, Xie Xishu could faintly hear a broadcast coming from within the walls.
“After registering your identification information, please follow the guidance of staff to queue for food, water, and medicine… Please maintain personal hygiene, wear masks, and report any discomfort to medical personnel…”
“We provide free psychological counseling services for residents in the refuge. If you need help, please visit the mental health support center… For reuniting with missing family or friends, register at the information center and check the latest missing persons list…”
“We understand that this is a difficult time, but please keep faith and hope. By helping one another and standing united, we will get through this…”
…
Everything there appeared so orderly.
Xie Xishu stared directly at the gate of City A’s refuge point for a long, long time, until his eyes began to redden slightly.
It was a world he knew well and longed for deeply.
Even Xiao Tianming, who had always been carefree and glib about the disaster, felt a twinge of emotion as he looked at the refuge.
A surge of joy welled up in his heart, and he hurriedly quickened his pace, rushing towards the refuge.
But after running a couple of steps, Xiao Tianming suddenly felt something was off. He stopped and turned, realizing that the two behind him hadn’t followed.
“Hey, we’re almost there! What’s taking you so long? Aren’t you coming—”
Xiao Tianming’s voice caught in his throat.
On their way here, they had been extremely cautious, always trying to find cover and conceal their presence.
And Xie Xishu and Qi Wu were the same now. The young man and the boy stood hand-in-hand beneath the eaves of an abandoned shop, most of their bodies hidden in shadows, making it hard to see their expressions clearly.
A cold shiver went down Xiao Tianming’s spine.
“No, it can’t be…” he muttered. “Qi Wu’s mutation is one thing, but Xie Xishu, are you really… not coming?”
He could see it.
Xie Xishu certainly wanted to go to the refuge.
There was the government, the military, everything familiar to them.
If they were lucky, with the state’s help, Xie Xishu might even find his way back to his parents.
But at that moment, the young man remained motionless, standing firmly at Qi Wu’s side.
Xie Xishu was so thin, and in contrast with Qi Wu, the young man’s frame seemed as if it could be swallowed whole by the creature beside him at any moment.
This scene unsettled Xiao Tianming for some reason, his heart pounding erratically.
“I get it, haha, I understand, it’s love, right?” he muttered.
“But, given the special circumstances… you’re still a minor, after all, and going along like this…”
Following a monster into a perilous, post-apocalyptic city—wasn’t that just a bit too reckless?
That’s what Xiao Tianming wanted to say.
He also wanted to talk with Xie Xishu about the screams from that man at the police station.
The “source”—that “half-human, half-monster” being.
But in the end, all his words were swallowed up by a cold glare from Qi Wu.
“Xiao Shu?”
Qi Wu held Xie Xishu’s hand tightly, his own hand feeling even colder than before, with a slight sheen of sweat on his palm.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he restrained the urge to lick away that bit of cold sweat. As a monster, he could sense what Xiao Tianming was feeling, and he knew Qi Wu felt it too. Realizing Xie Xishu’s longing for the refuge point, Qi Wu suddenly felt as if those monsters he’d casually swallowed earlier were alive again, writhing and churning in his stomach, making him feel a mix of nausea and tension.
Xie Xishu stayed silent, not responding right away.
Unable to help himself, Qi Wu turned to look at the boy beside him, his inner appendages wriggling restlessly.
Yes, once again, he felt an urge to swallow Xie Xishu whole.
If he truly lost control and devoured his beloved completely, making him a part of his own body forever, perhaps he wouldn’t feel this fear anymore.
No need to worry that the boy would leave him.
No need to fear that, as a human, he’d abandon him, a monster.
…
The malicious voice in Qi Wu’s head once again started up, relentlessly repeating its tiresome thoughts.
Xie Xishu’s hand was nearly wrapped up in Qi Wu’s wet, soft mouth-like grip.
And after an excruciatingly long few seconds, the boy in the shadows shook his head at Xiao Tianming.
“We still have things to do.”
Xie Xishu said calmly to the man.
“Didn’t we already agree? We’d bring you here, but we wouldn’t stay with you.”
Although he had expected it, Xiao Tianming still found himself standing there in a daze, watching the two of them turn hand-in-hand and disappear from view.
“Take care, Xiao Tianming.”
Xie Xishu said this to him as they left.
And at that moment, Xiao Tianming felt an intense premonition that this was the last time he would see the two boys before him.
*
Xie Xishu lowered his gaze, walking in silence for a long time.
Having recently recovered from a serious illness, he was still a bit frail, and walking at such a fast pace was hard on him; it felt as though his organs were submerged in ice water, convulsing, leaving him short of breath.
Taking Xiao Tianming to the residents’ refuge point and then leaving to investigate the documents his mother had left behind had always been part of his plan.
But even he didn’t know why he felt so upset.
He couldn’t calm down; he only felt a sea of intense emotions churning inside, clashing like electric eels.
With each step, images of the refuge point kept flooding his mind, as if each scene had been seared into his memory.
Survivors…
Those fortunate survivors, safe within the high walls.
They’d returned to a world of normalcy.
Though still seeking refuge, though facing challenges and discomfort, they had ultimately left the apocalypse behind.
He wanted to go.
He wanted to be among people again.
The longing gnawed at him like a hyena, tearing at his heart, even filling his mouth with a faint metallic taste.
“Xishu… Xie Xishu!”
Qi Wu suddenly grabbed Xie Xishu’s arm forcefully from beside him.
“Careful!”
The boy’s face was grim, and he extended a few appendages to wrap around Xie Xishu’s arm.
“…”
Xie Xishu panted heavily, finally coming back to himself, only to see a step directly in front of him. He’d nearly missed it and fallen.
At the sight of the step, Xie Xishu’s knees suddenly buckled, and a wave of weakness overtook him, almost causing him to collapse.
But he didn’t.
Qi Wu suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.
Countless tendrils wrapped around Xie Xishu’s thin frame, the monster’s pulse syncing with the heartbeat thumping near the boy’s ear.
Qi Wu’s heartbeat was fast, too.
“Xishu, you…”
“I’m fine.”
Xie Xishu cut him off, but his voice sounded slightly muffled.
He buried his head in Qi Wu’s chest, taking a long time before finally lifting it again.
“Sorry, I got a little too emotional just now.”
Xie Xishu had finally regained his calm.
But as he spoke, the tip of his nose was still faintly red.
“I don’t know why, I just… felt incredibly sad.”
He explained softly.
Qi Wu’s lips moved slightly.
He wanted to say that he understood, but he couldn’t get the words out. In truth, that annoying guy hadn’t been entirely wrong.
After the mutation, Qi Wu could feel that a part of his body had indeed changed completely.
At the very least, when he saw the residents’ refuge point, he felt no trace of nostalgia or longing.
On the contrary, he even felt an inexplicable bloodlust rising within him.
He wanted to completely level that place.
He wanted every last human in this world to be completely wiped out.
He wanted to have the boy holding back tears before him all to himself.
He wanted to be the only one left by his side.
…to be the only one, forever.
And these dark thoughts stirred an uncontrollable surge of bloodlust in Qi Wu, one that took a long time to fully subside.
