Chapter 29 The Apocalypse 28
Good morning! The weather has been getting colder lately, Xuejin, please wear more clothes so you don't catch a cold.
"Tomato and egg drop soup again? Do you really like tomatoes?"
"You've been alone for so many days. Has Chief Mu been in the lab the whole time? It seems you've encountered a tricky problem."
"I've finished my work for now. If you encounter any problems or are bored, feel free to come to me anytime."
"Have you been at the research institute the whole time and haven't come home? I remember you got married... Your husband is really something, I haven't seen him come to see you, how could he..."
I regret it.
Lu Xuejin told Dong Yao.
This bespectacled man is like a wet rag; once you touch him, he becomes sticky. From the cafeteria to the garden to the laboratory building, he's everywhere, like a sinister ghost.
He just wanted something to amuse himself when he was bored, and didn't want to get stuck with a smelly rag.
Moreover, the bespectacled man's frequent appearances and his increasingly intimate conversations with Lu Xuejin, ranging from her research projects on food, clothing, and shelter to her family background and pre-apocalyptic life, constituted harassment. When Lu Xuejin feigned discomfort and tried to avoid him, he followed closely, seemingly oblivious to the young man's obvious disgust.
"Xuejin," the man addressed her affectionately, his gentle tone carrying an unspeakable sense of pressure, "I heard you inadvertently offended the Shepherd Boy on your way to Cangqiong? He's notorious for his tyranny at the base; because of his privileged background and powerful abilities, no one dares to say anything. If he sets his sights on you—"
Those dark eyes looked over. "If your husband is in the hunting team, be careful. He can still do things inside the base, but outside... Xuejin, you're not here as an assistant, are you? Mu Huai might be able to help you hide for a while, but can you hide forever? I heard that Mu Tong has been near the research institute lately, with many people acting as his informants. What are you going to do in the future?"
The veiled threats and coaxing remarks sounded utterly repulsive.
Dong Yao sent a vomiting emoji: [Baby, let Mu Huai deal with him, this guy is disgusting!]
Lu Xuejin dodged the man's approaching figure, turned her face away, her whole body conveying resistance, but her voice was still timid: "You don't need to worry about these things."
On his way back to the lab, he thought to himself, "If I didn't have a mission to complete, he would be finished. I hold grudges very much."
He spoke of it casually, not at all like someone who held a grudge.
Dongyao was very curious: "Bao, how do you plan to get revenge on him?"
It felt that its host was weak and alone, and did not seem capable of retaliating to the point of the other party being "finished".
Lu Xuejin smiled slightly, a playful glint in her eyes.
“Don’t underestimate me. I encountered some difficulties when I was a child.” He said calmly, revealing a cunning and wicked smile. “For example, once a classmate hid a snake to scare me, but I turned the tables and scared him to tears.”
"Xiao Yao, you didn't see what happened back then. His reaction was really interesting."
In addition, Lu Xuejin recounted her glorious achievements in pranking others when she was a child, leaving Dong Yao stunned.
Its first reaction was—Lu Xuejin looks like this, how could anyone bully him?
My second thought was—Lu Xuejin actually played pranks on people when she was little? But then I thought, given the host's appearance, she must have been as cute as an angel when she was little. No matter how naughty a cute human child is, people can always forgive them easily.
After chatting for a while, Dongyao checked on the mission progress and cautiously reminded him: "But baby, you can't leave the male lead for too long, otherwise your dedication points will decrease. We need to speed things up."
"I know. Don't worry, it'll be quick."
...
Mu Huai noticed that Lu Xuejin had been acting strangely lately, always seeming to be avoiding him.
No longer following closely in his footsteps, but lagging behind; no longer curiously trying to touch the test tubes or stroke the angel statue on the workbench, but sitting far away in a corner of the laboratory, lost in thought.
...seemingly unwilling to have contact with him.
Even her smiles have decreased.
what happened?
There's something fishy going on if they're hiding like that.
Mu Huai wanted to find the answer.
Because of this, Mu Huai couldn't sleep all night and lay stiffly on the bed like a corpse.
Feeling upset, I sighed and got up, when I suddenly heard a noise outside the door.
Mu Huai quietly opened the door, walked out slowly, and found that the light on the sink was on and the door was half closed.
A long shadow climbed up the door. Through the crack in the door, Lu Xuejin was standing in front of the sink, leaning close to the vanity mirror, her slender white fingers pulling up her eyelids to examine her eyes.
"How could this be...!"
A suppressed voice, an uncontrollable sob, and panic.
Completely unaware of the strangeness outside the door, the young man kept blinking, but no matter how he closed his eyes, his pupils remained an eerie, bright red.
Mu Huai heard him suddenly take a deep breath, support himself on the sink with both hands, bury his head, and his tense back trembled uncontrollably, looking extremely repressed.
She murmured to herself, "What should I do..."
Mu Huai raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door.
In that instant, the young man with his back to him, like a startled wildcat, quickly hid in the bathroom, behind the half-open door, his bright red eyes looking over in panic, clearly having encountered something he dared not let Mu Huai know.
Considering Lu Xuejin's whispers and fear just now, it's probably related to her zombified body.
Mu Huai had prepared for the worst. He knocked on the door again to show he meant no harm. After a moment of silence, a head slowly peeked out from behind the bathroom door. Lu Xuejin's eyes were filled with sorrow, and she met his gaze in a flustered and helpless manner.
His lips moved a few times, but he couldn't utter a word.
Mu Huai sighed and asked patiently, "What's wrong? What problem did you encounter?"
"..."
The young man pursed his lips and remained silent.
A pair of clear eyes, bright with worry and fear.
Despite the obvious signs of being zombified, Mu Huai didn't feel threatened by his natural enemies at all. He only felt that Lu Xuejin's half-hiding and half-coaching appearance was both pitiful and cute.
"Is something wrong with your body?" Lu Xuejin didn't move, so Mu Huai walked over. The young man's pupils narrowed slightly when he saw this, and he stared intently at Mu Huai's steps, his body tense, as if he was trying his best to suppress the urge to back away, until Mu Huai got close enough to touch Lu Xuejin's cheek with his finger.
...The temperature is lower than before.
"Come out, let's discuss and resolve this together. Hiding won't help," Mu Huai said calmly.
The living room lights came on, and Lu Xuejin sank into the soft sofa, placing her hands on her thighs and straightening her back. Ignoring her bloodshot eyes and sharp, hard nails, she looked like a well-behaved student listening to a lecture.
He was always so obedient in front of Mu Huai.
Lu Xuejin's eyes were filled with fear, tears welling up before she could speak. Bathed in the light, the red in her pupils seemed to come alive, moistening the corners of her eyes. Mu Huai paused, deliberately softening his tone: "Is the infection deeper?"
In fact, once humans are infected, they are completely transformed into zombies, without any difference in degree. But Lu Xuejin is an exception.
Lu Xuejin pursed her lips: "...I can't control my eyes."
“Before, it would only turn red occasionally, but now it’s happening more and more frequently… I’m afraid I’ll suddenly turn red when I’m out.” Lu Xuejin’s eyes were completely red.
He had probably been living in fear and anxiety all by himself for a long time, and the burden was too much for him to bear. As soon as he received care from others, the emotions he had been holding back burst forth like a torrent, wetting the corners of his eyes and forming brimming tears.
He looks beautiful when he cries. He cries softly, his tears falling silently.
Mu Huai resisted the urge to wipe away his tears.
"Besides, I haven't been able to eat lately, it tastes bland... I, I..." Lu Xuejin hurriedly raised her eyes, the man reflected in her eyes remained expressionless, seemingly not thinking it was a problem, and gritted her teeth, "Brother Mu Huai, I've developed an appetite for you."
As he spoke, he parted his lips, revealing a pair of sharp teeth that became even more piercing.
Mu Huai then revealed his first expression of the night—he frowned.
As if receiving some kind of signal, Lu Xuejin immediately stood up and grabbed Mu Huai's hand, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with sorrow: "Brother, please save me! I don't want to become a zombie that eats human flesh! Please save me! You're so powerful, you must have a way."
In his emotional turmoil, his grip became unrestrained, like a cold, ghostly embrace, or a damp snake. Mu Huai winced in pain, but did not break free. Instead, he grasped Lu Xuejin's hand, patiently separating his tangled fingers, his thumb gently massaging between his knuckles.
"I really don't know what to do. I don't want to die. Mingchuan is still waiting for me..."
"Medicine, that's right, there's still medicine!" Lu Xuejin suddenly remembered the medicine on the workbench. Mu Huai had been working day and night to advance the development of a certain medicine, and it seemed that there had been progress a few days ago. Her eyes lit up, like a drowning person suddenly grabbing a piece of driftwood. "That's a medicine that can cure infections, right? Can it, can it..."
However, her true nature made it difficult for Lu Xuejin to say what she was going to say next.
Mu Huai said, "The development of special drugs is not mature. There are many known and unknown side effects, and the reversal effect is not obvious. Previous drug experiments, whether on zombies or zombie animals, have all failed."
“There have been cases of death.” Mu Huai frowned; he didn’t want Lu Xuejin to take any risks.
"What if, Brother Mu Huai, please let me try. Please, I don't want to turn into a zombie."
Lu Xuejin's psychological defenses were shattered by Mu Huai's sudden appetite. Tears streamed down his face, soaking Mu Huai's knees, the water droplets falling with tremendous force.
Lu Xuejin pleaded desperately. At first, Mu Huai pursed his lips and remained silent, restraining himself and turning his face away to coax and comfort her. But as Lu Xuejin's voice grew increasingly hoarse and her tears fell in disarray, even the hardest heart softened—he finally gave in.
"...But I'll expedite the process even if it's not safe to take it now." Mu Huai promised, both to Lu Xuejin and to himself, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're safe."
At that moment, he couldn't help but reach out and touch the corner of Lu Xuejin's eye, where he felt a wet patch, half warm and half cold, like a sorrowful lake.
Mu Huai wiped away his tears, thinking with immense tenderness, "Even if the drug development doesn't go well, I will still protect you."
If you need flesh and blood, just take it.
For the next week, Mu Huai worked tirelessly in the lab. Lu Xuejin brought a folding bed to keep him company, so that no matter day or night, as soon as he opened his eyes, he could see Mu Huai's tall and busy figure at the workbench.
Mu Huai was completely immersed in his work and had little reaction to the outside world. Even when it came to meals, Lu Xuejin had to force him to stop his experiments and drag him to the cafeteria.
Seeing Mu Huai there, the bespectacled man didn't dare to approach, only daring to secretly peek from the side. Fortunately, Mu Huai was still thinking about the potion's proportions and didn't notice anything unusual.
Lu Xuejin sighed, "Xiao Yao, Mu Huai is such a good person."
"It's alright, it's his job, baby," Dongyao said awkwardly. "Besides, without my help, the development wouldn't have been this fast at all."
"Oh, thank goodness for our system baby."
Dong Yao's face lit up with a smile again: "It'll be better in a few days. Let's leave after we get the special medicine. I'll take care of the security at the gate and the guards, don't worry!"
Compared to Mu Huai, the system seemed to favor Luo Mingchuan more, constantly urging him to leave.
"Mmm." Lu Xuejin turned over and tucked the corner of the blanket. "Now we just have to wait for the final result."
Some time had passed, and one night, Lu Xuejin was half asleep when he heard Mu Huai open the laboratory door. He slowly sat up. Mu Huai looked pale and tired. Seeing that he had been woken up, he said softly, "It's probably a success. But we still need biological testing. I'll go get some test subjects. You can go back to sleep."
Lu Xuejin watched him quietly close the lab door, waited a few minutes, then got up and picked up the settling medicine: "Is this the miracle drug?"
The dark green liquid looks like a tube of fruit and vegetable juice.
[Got it! Baby, let's go!]
Clutching the special medicine tightly in her hand, Lu Xuejin swiped her card to open the laboratory door and stepped out. The moment she did, her calm and composed expression turned panicked.
It was that kind of panic where you kept blinking and trying to appear calm.
Dongyao asked in confusion: "…Baby, what game are you playing?"
Lu Xuejin ignored it, walking furtively while looking around, as if afraid others wouldn't notice his guilty conscience.
He walked into the deep night, unaware that an uninvited guest had followed him.
With Dong Yao's help, Lu Xuejin successfully left the research institute. His slow pace quickened, and he almost ran all the way back to his apartment. He hid the special medicine in his clothes, and his hand trembled as he turned the doorknob.
Because she was in a state of extreme tension, Lu Xuejin forgot to close the door and rushed to the bedroom to rummage through drawers and pack her things, clearly intending to escape under the cover of night.
The researcher, wearing bulky glasses, slowly entered the living room.
This was the space where Lu Xuejin had lived. He observed it slowly and deliberately, but the thought that another man had lived in this place instantly replaced his comfort with disgust. He turned his gaze back to the busy and nervous young man in the bedroom and adjusted his glasses.
...What did you take from the lab?
It must be a highly classified experimental item, otherwise you wouldn't be so nervous and flustered, wouldn't have run away while Mu Huai was gone, wouldn't have slipped away during the guard shift change, avoiding all surveillance, and left so easily—if discovered, you would be executed by the base immediately. Who bribed you to take such a big risk?
—But it's okay, I won't report you.
The researcher laughed, a twisted yet exhilarating laugh.
This is a perfect handle that would allow him to do whatever he wants to Lu Xuejin.
He murmured, "How about I hide you away? You never like listening to me. If I tie you up, you'll listen, right? Someone in my family likes you a lot. I'm sorry, but to protect you... I have to share you with him. I can't handle the pressure from the research institute alone."
The thought of sharing Lu Xuejin with others caused him a dull ache in his heart.
But why did you keep avoiding me?
The researcher walked slowly toward the bedroom, filled with an immense, twisted pleasure.
...
Lu Xuejin hastily rummaged through her clothes and stuffed them into her backpack when she suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the living room. First, there was a muffled scream, almost like a human's, followed by a sharp sound, like tearing fabric.
They're finally back.
Completely changed from his earlier panic, he calmly tossed down his backpack and strolled out of the bedroom.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Blood droplets continued to fall, like a fine curtain of rain.
The living room was covered in blood.
The bespectacled man had a strong hand gripping his neck, his arms and legs hanging straight down, his eyes wide open, maintaining a panicked and terrified expression.
He is dead.
A narrow hole slowly opened in his chest, and Luo Mingchuan was carefully withdrawing his hand from it. With his movement, more blood splattered out.
He casually tossed the corpse aside, exposing Luo Mingchuan to Lu Xuejin. He was covered in blood, half his face splattered with droplets, but his eyes seemed to have sunk into an abyss, devoid of any light.
The living room smelled pungent, and the strongest smell of blood was from his right hand, which was hanging down.
Luo Mingchuan raised his hand and looked at it, as if examining a sharp weapon.
Then, a pair of eagle eyes suddenly fixed on where Lu Xuejin was.
Author's Note:
Why did you suddenly appear? [eye roll]
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