13. Luxurious Kindness
Day after day, Su Lin walked alone through the desolate and dangerous wasteland. He could still heal and endure the physical fatigue and fresh scars through the slow flow of his supernatural powers and his unwavering willpower. But the loneliness and deep worry for his teammates' safety gnawed at his heart like a thorn in his flesh, gnawing at him day and night, leaving every breath with a heavy, leaden hue. He could only force himself to focus his full attention, like a spotlight, firmly on the two most pressing priorities: "survival" and "leaving a mark," to combat the negativity that constantly sought to drag him into the abyss of despair.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, the scorching sun tilted slightly westward, its scorching power undiminished. Su Lin trudged along an ancient riverbed, long dried up, its bed cracked like a tortoise shell. On either side of the riverbed were steep slopes, eroded by wind and rain, a lifeless grayish-yellow. The wind here had a strange, swirling quality, stirring up fine dust and making a whining sound. This humming sound seemed to be mingled with an ominous, dense rustling and a low, excited roar. It came from afar, but the winding river echoed, making it difficult to discern its specific source.
Su Lin stopped immediately, his muscles tensing instantly. Like an antelope sensing danger, he quickly dodged behind a large, flood-smoothed boulder. Holding his breath, he gripped his dagger tightly, his sharp eyes scanning the direction of the sound—a sharp bend in the river ahead.
Suddenly, a staggering and extremely weak figure rushed out from behind the corner!
He was a young man who looked only fifteen or sixteen, incredibly thin and frail, as if a gust of wind could blow him over. He wore tattered strips of cloth, their original color long gone, barely covering his body. His exposed skin was covered in dirt and streaks of blood, now black and crusted. His cheeks were deeply sunken, a perverse, sickly flush. His lips were chapped and peeling. His breathing was rapid and labored, and his chest heaved violently like a worn-out bellows. His eyes, which should have been clear, were now bloodshot, their gaze vacant and unfocused. He ran, almost driven by the instinct of survival, drawing on his last ounce of strength.
Behind the young man, the source of his dread appeared—more than a dozen zombies, like a black tide bursting through a dam, roaring, shoving, and surging frantically from around the corner! Their forms varied; some crawled with broken limbs, their intestines ripped open, their stomachs rotting, filth flowing. But without exception, their gray eyes were fixed fixed on the fresh, life-giving prey before them. The stench of decay enveloped them like a tangible curtain as they approached.
The young man was clearly exhausted, his fever clouding his consciousness. He tripped over a raised river rock and, like a puppet with its strings cut, fell heavily onto the dry, hard gravel bed with a dull thud. He struggled to prop himself up with his arms, but the sheer exhaustion and dizziness caused him to collapse once more, leaving only a faint, despairing whimper. As the horde of corpses drew closer, his young face, distorted by suffering and fear, became helpless, like a lamb to the slaughter.
Su Lin's heart suddenly shrank, as if being gripped by an invisible hand. This scene, combined with countless cruel scenes from the apocalypse, awakened the softest compassion deep in his heart.
There was almost no hesitation!
Survival precautions were instantly thrown to the wind, driven by an instinctive desire for kindness and protection. He instantly burst out from behind the boulder where he had been hiding, accelerating to the limit. His figure formed a resolute silhouette in the afternoon sun, like an arrow shot from a bow, precisely piercing the short distance between the young man and the surging zombie horde!
"Hide behind me!" Su Lin shouted to the young man lying on the ground. His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable firmness and strength tempered in desperate situations, which clearly penetrated the roars of the zombies.
The young man seemed to be startled by the sudden, vibrant voice, and for a moment, as if awakened. He struggled to lift his heavy eyelids and looked in astonishment at the figure that stood before him, like a divine being descending from the sky. Against the glaring sunlight, he couldn't see the person's features clearly. He only felt that the figure was not particularly tall or strong, but unusually upright and resolute, like a wall suddenly rising from the ground, blocking out all terror and death.
Su Lin had no time to consider the boy's reaction, or even to consider the consequences. Facing the dozen or so zombies swarming toward him, emitting a strong stench of decay, he took a deep breath of the turbid and dangerous air. His eyes instantly became as cold as tempered ice, sharp and calm. The dagger in his hand seemed to come alive, slicing out sharp and efficient arcs of light!
Phew!
The blade sank precisely into the eye socket of the first zombie to attack. With a deft twist of his wrist, he instantly crushed its brain, causing a small amount of dirty black blood to splatter. The zombie's movements came to an abrupt halt, and it fell straight down.
Su Lin's steps were nimble, and he dodged the other zombie's bloody pounce. The tip of his knife, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, pierced the zombie's jaw from an extremely tricky angle, reaching directly into the skull! His movements were clean and neat, without a trace of superfluousness.
His fighting style wasn't as powerful, domineering, and deadly as Lei Qing's; nor was it as violent and ferocious as A Yan's, with its raging flames and terrifying momentum; nor was it as precisely controlled as Mu Lin's, with its spreading frost and commanding the situation. His movements were characterized by a unique blend of calm observation, precise strikes, and minimal expenditure of energy. This was a style best suited to him, shaped by his long experience fighting alongside three very different yet equally powerful teammates, combined with his own agility and the aid of his healing abilities. He was extremely efficient, striving for the fastest elimination at the lowest cost.
The blade flashed, and his figure moved like a ghost among the zombies. Su Lin seemed to be performing a dance of death, each strike inevitably followed by the complete silence of a zombie. He tried his best to avoid direct force collisions with the zombies, relying more on speed and precision to attack vulnerable areas such as the eye sockets, temples, and jaws.
However, the zombies were simply too numerous! As soon as he nimbly swerved to one side and dispatched one, two or three more would swarm from different directions to fill the gap! His arms, shoulders, and back were constantly slashed by the zombies' sharp claws, leaving waves of searing pain. The scent of blood only fueled the ferocity of these undead creatures!
Su Lin gritted his teeth, a fine layer of cold sweat oozing from his forehead, mixing with the splattered blood and trickling down his cheeks. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and he fought almost instinctively, relying on a willpower beyond human comprehension. He couldn't retreat, not even a single step! Behind him was the dying boy, a ray of humanity he couldn't ignore, a ray of hope in the apocalypse. Occasionally, a faint flash of white light would pass over his most severe wounds, instantly stopping the bleeding and slightly easing the pain. In between battles, he was distracted, struggling to mobilize the tiny amount of healing power he had to heal his injuries, a tremendous drain on both his mental and physical strength. He felt like a small boat in a raging storm, threatened to be completely torn apart and devoured at any moment.
This scene deeply shocked the young man lying on the ground. He stared blankly at the seemingly frail, even somewhat thin, figure who shielded him from all the terror and death that was upon him. The figure dodged and charged through the swarm of savage zombies, his movements fluid and filled with a tragic determination, as if tireless and unafraid of harm. Sharp claws ripped through his clothes, leaving bloody marks, but he didn't even frown, only thrusting his dagger into the vitals of the oncoming zombies with even greater ferocity. In those eyes, gradually blurred by fever and weakness, they reflected Su Lin's bloody battle. The utter despair that had once filled him was slowly replaced by a sense of disbelief and shock and... a faint flame called "hope."
The last zombie, attempting a sneak attack from the side and rear, was briefly slowed by a swift roundhouse kick from Su Lin. Immediately afterwards, the icy blade pierced behind its ear. It let out a short wail, foul blood gushing from all seven orifices, and fell heavily to the ground, motionless.
The whole world seemed to have pressed the mute button at this moment.
The riverbed, shrieking and roaring just moments ago, and the thud of blades piercing flesh, instantly fell into a deathly silence. Only Su Lin's stifled, heavy breathing remained. He bent slightly, hands on his knees, his dagger resting on the ground. Sweat streamed from his forehead like a stream, dripping onto the dry earth before disappearing in an instant. His entire body ached, new and old wounds intertwined. His supernatural powers were nearly depleted, and an intense dizziness continued to assault his brain.
After shaking off the sticky blood on the dagger, he forced himself to stand up and looked around vigilantly. After confirming that there were no new threats, he slowly turned around and looked at the young man who was still lying on the ground.
He walked over to the boy, squatted down, tried to make his voice sound calmer, and slowed down his tone: "It's okay, they've all been dealt with. How are you?"
The young man stared at him in amazement. Now that they were closer, the backlight faded, and he could truly see Su Lin's face. Smeared with a little blood and dust, it still couldn't hide his clean and handsome features. Especially his eyes. Though weary from the fierce battle, they were still clear and gentle. Now, they held genuine concern without any pretense, a stark difference from the sharp, Asura-like demeanor he had displayed during the battle just now.
"You..." The young man opened his mouth, his throat was as dry as sandpaper, and he uttered broken syllables, "Thank you... for saving me..." Before he could finish his words, the high fever, weakness, and the great feeling of collapse brought about by the sudden relaxation once again swept over him like a tide. He closed his eyes, tilted his head, and fainted completely.
Su Lin quickly reached out to support his limp body. Wherever he touched, it was scorching hot; even through his tattered clothes, he could feel the terrifying heat. He carefully laid the boy flat and examined him closely. The boy had multiple scrapes and bruises, but the most serious was a deep laceration on his left arm, deep enough to reveal the bone. The edges were red, swollen, and black, and pus and blood oozed from the rolled-up flesh, emitting a foul odor, which was clearly the main cause of the persistent high fever. Furthermore, long-term malnutrition and severe dehydration had pushed his body to the brink of collapse.
If he is not treated in time, the young man may not survive the night.
Su Lin looked at the young man's pale, tender face, yet one etched with suffering, without hesitation. His own future was uncertain, and he was struggling to protect himself. Now he had picked up another seriously injured and unconscious person, a burden that would consume precious resources and energy. This was undoubtedly an extremely unwise, even foolish, decision.
But he couldn't bear to watch a life disappear before his eyes, especially such a young life.
Just like he couldn't ignore the sick child at Blackrock Base.
Damn, kindness seems particularly luxurious and even dangerous in the apocalypse.
He carefully dragged the boy to a relatively clean, shaded area by the river, sheltered by a large rock. Then, his consciousness sank into his portable space, and he took out clean water, gauze, and the few remaining disinfectant powders and antibiotic tablets he had collected earlier.
He first carefully cleansed the hideous wound on the boy's arm with clean water, washing away the pus, blood, and dirt, revealing the red, swollen, and festering flesh beneath. Then, he took a deep breath, and a warm, soft white light once again emanated from his palm, like the purest life energy, slowly covering the horrific wound.
The healing power seeped gently, gradually suppressing the inflammation. The damaged tissue began to repair, grow, and mend at a speed visible to the naked eye. The boy's brow, tightly furrowed in pain while in his coma, gradually relaxed, and his frighteningly hot body temperature began to slowly drop.
After treating the most serious wound, Su Lin carefully pried open his lips and fed him some clean water and a little bit of liquid food crushed and mixed in water.
By the time they were done, the sky had gradually darkened, the afterglow of the setting sun tinting the horizon a mournful orange-red. Su Lin sat down against the cold rock, looking at the boy's face, still pale but with much calmer breathing. He sighed softly and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his still-clean hand.
He himself is like a floating duckweed, not knowing where to go, and now he has to shoulder a heavy responsibility.
But the strange thing was that when he looked at the young man beside him who was breathing evenly, the loneliness in Su Lin's heart, which was as real as a substance, was inexplicably dispelled a little, and there was an indescribable sense of peace.
It seems that I have a companion on my lonely journey, temporarily, although this companion is still an absolute and huge burden.
As the night deepened, stars began to twinkle against the dark blue sky. In a sheltered spot, Su Lin lit a small, as discreet, bonfire. The dancing orange flames dispelled some of the chill and illuminated his tired yet peaceful face, as well as the unfamiliar young man beside him, who was finally able to sleep peacefully.
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