Chapter 26 The Apocalypse 25

This scene was more terrifying than suddenly encountering a ghost while walking at night. Luo Mingchuan's tall and imposing figure, gloomy and cold aura, and unfathomable, dark pupils made him appear even more terrifying than a vengeful ghost.

Dongyao cast a disdainful emoji: [Who's he trying to scare with that stinky face? Should I blur his face?]

Lu Xuejin glanced indifferently at Mu Huai in the driver's seat, then calmly opened the door and got out of the car. She walked straight to Luo Mingchuan, naturally took his hand, and led him to a corner to the side.

Mu Huai's gaze drifted uncontrollably across the rearview mirror. He saw the two people with their backs to him standing under a dim streetlamp. One was tall and the other short, their height difference was incredibly harmonious. His fingers unconsciously tapped the roulette wheel, and his usually calm and undisturbed thoughts inexplicably began to ripple.

His breathing became somewhat labored, and Mu Huai irritably loosened his tie, feeling that the restlessness in his heart stemmed from the constraints of his clothing.

He still doesn't feel comfortable wearing a suit and tie.

At this distance, he couldn't hear what Lu Xuejin and Luo Mingchuan were saying at all.

"You want to go with him?" Luo Mingchuan stared intently into Lu Xuejin's eyes, as if trying to see through her innocent facade and discern her true intentions.

Lu Xuejin chuckled upon hearing this, her eyes crinkling as she said, "Yes. I was in such a rush when I left that I forgot to tell you."

He blinked and said innocently, "Mingchuan, my identity has been exposed."

“Mu Huai found me, and I was... really terrified.” He sighed, his voice filled with lingering fear after surviving the ordeal. “I begged him not to report me. Fortunately, Mu Huai is kind-hearted and willing to believe me. However, I am, after all, a potential threat that could explode at any time. He took a huge risk to keep me here, but he couldn’t let me have the opportunity to threaten others.”

Lu Xuejin opened her arms and gave Luo Mingchuan a very light and quick hug. His breath quickly drew near, carrying a warm feeling in the cold wind, like a beautiful dream from which one could not wake up.

The earlobes were covered in soft hair. Luo Mingchuan took a deep breath. Compared to those fools, he was better able to detect the coldness behind the young man's soft and docile demeanor. Even his scent was like him, only seemingly gentle at first glance.

The embrace was fleeting, almost like an illusion.

“So, from now on, I must stay within his sight at all times and be personally supervised by him. This is the only way for me to stay.” Lu Xuejin gave a helpless and weak smile.

He gripped Luo Mingchuan's fingers tighter and lowered his voice, saying, "I've kept your condition a secret. From now on, you need to be careful."

Luo Mingchuan remained silent, only staring intently at him with a stern gaze. Under his extremely oppressive gaze, Lu Xuejin remained unmoved.

He couldn't help but say, "You did this on purpose."

Given Lu Xuejin's ability to conceal herself and her skill in deceiving people, how could she possibly expose herself in front of others suddenly?

It must be Mu Huai. He has become interested in Mu Huai—since the shepherd boy, he has found a new prey.

This is the only explanation Luo Mingchuan could come up with.

He knew all too well the nature of those around him—Lu Xuejin was like a wild, untamed cat, whose greatest pleasure was manipulating people's hearts. First it was him, then the shepherd boy, and now it was Mu Huai's turn.

This fickle cat is easily bored. Once its prey softens its attitude and shows interest, it will suddenly lose interest and leave without a second thought to find the next prey, completely disregarding the fate of the one it has abandoned.

Luo Mingchuan believed that Lu Xuejin stayed by his side for two reasons: first, because of their special relationship, and second, because he was the most special one among his many prey, the only one who recognized his true nature.

To use an imperfect analogy—he is Lu Xuejin’s “home” that she will never tire of, where every time she opens the door she will discover new fun, and where she is always honest and open with everyone else; everyone else is just a temporary visitor.

But this time he actually wants to leave him because of a new prey—how can that be?

They are of the same kind and should live together and depend on each other until the end of their lives.

For the first time, Luo Mingchuan felt that he shouldn't indulge Lu Xuejin so much anymore. Previously, because of Lu Xuejin's whim, they had risked being wiped out by humans to infiltrate the base.

Now, in order to seek new excitement, Lu Xuejin is willing to expose her identity and leave him.

What will happen next?

What if he finds that living with Mu Huai isn't so bad?

Luo Mingchuan's eyes grew increasingly deep, like thick, unyielding ink, profound and dark, carrying with them a stubborn desire to drag Lu Xuejin into his belly.

Regardless of Lu Xuejin's true intentions, and without listening to his sweet talk, he should simply pick her up and take her away from this base.

Luo Mingchuan thought.

After all, they are zombies and shouldn't be associating with humans.

But now is not the time.

Luo Mingchuan forcefully suppressed his restless hands.

“Moreover, Mingchuan, I learned by chance that Mu Huai is connected to a secret research lab in the base.” Lu Xuejin moved closer to him again, her soft hair brushing against Luo Mingchuan’s ear, bringing a tingling itch. He whispered, “The special medicine you need is inside. I think this is an excellent opportunity.”

In other words, what he said was: Everything I'm doing now is for you.

Luo Mingchuan scoffed.

"Don't worry, I'll do it as soon as possible." Lu Xuejin looked up. "We can talk about it later."

You'd better not get any bad ideas.

Luo Mingchuan gave him a deep look, barely suppressing the urge to grab him by the back of the neck and forcibly abduct him, and sent him back to the car.

Before closing the door, Luo Mingchuan's sharp gaze shot towards Mu Huai. The two men's eyes clashed silently in the dim light, a turbulent undercurrent running through them.

"He's a bit delicate, so I'll have to trouble you to take care of him for the next while," Luo Mingchuan said, asserting his dominance.

Mu Huai seemed oblivious to the provocation in his words and nodded nonchalantly.

The car slowly drove out of the banquet hall, leaving the man's dark shadow a hundred meters away. Mu Huai's fingers gripping the steering wheel suddenly tightened, the veins on the back of his hand bulging menacingly.

He casually adjusted the car window height for Lu Xuejin and gently asked him if he was cold.

Ten minutes later, the car arrived at the research institute.

Before me lay a sprawling cluster of low-rise buildings. Car headlights swept across the mottled exterior walls, where lush ivy covered almost the entire surface, making the place look like an old building from the last century.

Next to it is the most central landmark tower of the Sky Tower, which is said to be a place only for people with superpowers.

Mu Huai quickly helped Lu Xuejin complete the residence registration, and then led him to the family building in the compound.

“No one lives in this building except me. I’ll clean up the side bedroom, and you can live there from now on.” Inserting the key and turning the lock, the room is a two-bedroom, one-living room, one-bathroom layout. The decoration is simple, the room is spotless, and there is little vitality. Only the slightly yellowed walls mark the passage of time.

“You’ll need to come to the lab with me during the day. Unless there’s a field mission, I’ll be there most of the time.” Mu Huai said, while taking out a set of unopened toiletries. “Just follow me there. Don’t look around and try not to have too much contact with other people.”

"If anyone asks me..."

Mu Huai said calmly, "Just say that you are mine."

Dong Yao: [Damn, this kid is shameless!]

Lu Xuejin hugged the soft white bath towel, looked up at him timidly, and said, "I'll listen to you, Mr. Mu."

Mu Huai paused, awkwardly looked away, and said in a low voice, "...Just call me Mu Huai from now on."

"Get some rest," he said finally.

I slept without any dreams.

Mu Huai maintains a healthy routine and finishes washing up before six o'clock.

Lu Xuejin was still fast asleep, so he quietly closed the door. Usually, he either skipped breakfast or just ate a few slices of bread, but this time he made a special trip to the cafeteria to get a few custard buns and a cup of soy milk to bring back.

When other researchers saw him in the cafeteria, they thought they had encountered a ghost. When they saw the steamed buns and soy milk that Mu Huai was carrying, they were even more incredulous.

Only after watching him leave did I dare to whisper to my colleague, "Hey, our chief finally came back to life and started eating?"

After working here for a while, people know that Mu Huai rarely comes to the cafeteria, and there is no sign of him cooking for himself. He spends all day in the laboratory, his face as pale as a ghost. As a result, many people speculate that he has gone mad from his experiments and is treating himself as a test subject.

Even superhumans need to eat. If someone doesn't eat for a long time, it's hard not to suspect that Mu Huai is human.

However, these are just jokes passed around among researchers; no one dares to say them openly.

...After all, they are members of the Mu family.

Mu Huai walked to the corner of the stairs, where a pair of long legs encased in dark combat boots blocked his way.

Looking up from the sole of the boot, there was a baby face with a cold and aloof expression.

The shepherd boy leaned lazily against the wall, his arms crossed. He disliked the poor conditions of the family housing and usually lived in an apartment, so he didn't know why he was here this time.

Mu Huai had a gut feeling that this was related to the extra people in his family.

He had just brought her back last night, and she came knocking on his door today. The shepherd boy's attention to Lu Xuejin was far more intense than he had imagined.

Even though Lu Xue is married now, he still hasn't given up.

Before the collapse of order, such a budding mistress would have been universally condemned. Mu Huai was utterly disappointed in his good-for-nothing cousin and didn't even bother to greet him.

The shepherd boy's cold gaze swept across his face, landing on the breakfast in his hand. A mocking smile suddenly appeared on his lips: "Who came to the house? You're too thoughtful of me to have my cousin, who would rather not even say half a word to his family, personally bring him breakfast so early in the morning."

"Is it your sister-in-law? I heard you brought someone back overnight. It seems my mother won't have to worry about you dying alone anymore. I'm really curious, who is so capable?"

"When do you plan to introduce me to your family, and when do you plan to get married?" the shepherd boy asked slyly.

"You already know all this," Mu Huai said calmly.

These words instantly ignited the shepherd boy's anger. His expression twisted violently, and he grabbed Mu Huai by the collar, slamming him against the wall. His voice, low and filled with rage, screamed, "Mu Huai, you're really something—"

"You've always been good at pretending, acting like you have no desires, fooling everyone. In reality, you even steal the person your own brother likes. What a great older brother you are. He's already married, you know that?!" The shepherd boy said, emphasizing each word, almost gritting his teeth.

"It's laughable that you'd say that," Mu Huai chuckled softly, his back throbbing with pain. "You know he's already married, so why are you still bothering him? Are you having an affair?"