16

Luo Xun shoved the cup of water into Yan Fei's mouth without any gentleness or consideration for the wounded. Yan Fei wondered how he had been nursed the past two days, with such treatment how had he not choked to death?

In reality, Luo Xun had been gentle and considerate, so long as he did not face an awake Yan Fei. Seeing the man's face, Luo Xun felt that he should distance himself lest he become careless, leading to his current unusual behaviour.

There was no helping it, he was an innocent bent man! It would be strange to face this super handsome man without issue. When he was back on his feet, must make sure he moved back next door!

"What medicine did you give me?" Yan Fei only asked after he swallowed the pill.

"Anti-inflammatory drug, Yunanbaiyo." Luo Xun packed the medicine away.

"You vomited blood so I guessed you had internal injuries but no specifics. Any anti-inflammatories should have had some effect. My family's old dog ate some which helped after getting hit by a car."

Yan Fei remained silent, he was lucky to be alive. Maybe the medicine was really effective? Perhaps when Yan Fei had been shot in the gut, his broken ribs did not touch any internal organs? Or maybe ability users had an improved constitution?

His fever had passed when Luo Xun brought Yan Fei home. He just had not woken up until now.

"Eat some congee."

The man was fully awake but Luo Xun knew he could not shoo him out the door in consideration of future ammunition. He had reluctantly boiled rice porridge for him – rice was very valuable. If he could save two bags, in two years time prices would be high enough he could exchange for half a year's worth of mutated food!

"Thank you..." Yan Fei wisely avoided any questions – Luo Xun looked like he would vomit blood as he glared resentful at the spoon.

After eating a few spoonfuls, Luo Xun's resentment became unoticeable.

Yan Fei asked, "Before you said I would need to do something? What?"

Luo Xun suddenly remembered his previous words, he immediately put down the bowl and grabbed something nearby. "Can you make this?"

He revealed the crossbow arrow from his quiver.

"This?" Yan Fei arched an eyebrow, eyeing the crossbow with surprise.

During their first encounter, Luo Xun's raincoat and crossbow were quite conspicuous. In these troubled times, he must have had a good head on his shoulders to grab a weapon at the start. The lethality was less than that of a gun but safer than other cold weapons. No wonder he had saved him...

"Is there any metal?"

Luo Xun hurriedly handed over a few screws. Yan Fei took the arrow and screws which suddenly floated, suspended above his palm. With several twists and turns, an almost replica was formed.

"Is this okay?"

Luo Xun's eyes widened, he had only heard of metal abilities in his past life. However he had never seen since the ability was very rare. Most had been fire and lightning with offensive abilities or various body strengthening types.

Not to mention, regular people and ability users only mingled at the start of the apocalypse. During the middle to later time period, how would an ordinary person like Luo Xun be able to see such people except when they bought things.

The two crossbow arrows weighed about the same, the color was different, which was irrelevant since the materials differed.

Luo Xun quickly loaded the arrow and aimed at the special target mounted on the bedroom wall.

*Swish, thunk* The crossbow lethality was qualified!

Little Puppy suffered a huge shock, sitting in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yan Fei's eyes narrowed at the still vibrating, bullseye arrow. All the movements were fluid and uniform, Luo Xun had such a hobby before the apocalypse and also practiced often? How could he have such accurate aim only a few days after the apocalypse?

Fortunately Luo Xun was rather young so having a mix of activities such as playing real counter-strike or egg shooting was not strange. Yan Fei also did a variety of activities, otherwise he would have been suspicious.

At this moment Yan Fei felt that Luo Xun's regard had changed from shy maiden to burning desire. This rare ability user was indeed powerful! Yan Fei inexplicably felt a chill down his neck and he lightly coughed.

"So you want me to help you make these?"

With the question, Luo Xun calmed down and sat at the side of the bed.

"Wait until your injury is healed, since using a crossbow is inconvenient without arrows."

Yes, just inconvenient, so long as he did not attract others attention, Luo Xun could use an alternative method as a matter of practicality.

"If you agree, I would like to trade for food and water, These things are not cheap after the apocalypse but at the same time the price of weapons, especially ammo is not low either. Both sides benefit."

Yan Fei's eyes flashed, under pressure to help himself, he would convert his own bullets. One's own life was precious, beneficial exchange was difficult to believe in. Closer to cold equivalent exchange, who helped who and who saved who.

In face of the post-apocalyptic world, Yan Fei did not want to change his way of life. Is this what he had been vaguely expecting to change? He still only trusted himself.

"Okay." Yan Fei nodded and closed his eyes.

"Eat something and rest."

The scent of congee wafted forward, Yan Fei opened his eyes and thought Luo Xun's movements were more natural and gentle without stiffness. Sure enough, people needed to communicate to understand each other.

Luo Xun turned to leave with the bowl and spoon. Puppy had somehow snuck in and was sitting in curiosity.

"Go downstairs." Luo Xun whispered, Puppy perked up and with a swish of her tail glanced at Yan Fei in bed then exited.

The lights on the second floor were on, but the first floor living room was dark. There was a bit of starlight pouring through the window.

The privacy film could only block view from the outside, it could not block all trace of indoor lighting. The power in the district had been out for three days, the light from the second floor was completely blocked by the thick curtains.

However it was not enough for the living room since the balcony had a lot of plants. Luo Xun had no way to keep the curtains drawn, any reveals would cause him trouble.

The night of the blackout, after leaving Yan Fei in the bedroom, Luo Xun had connected his home to a standby power supply. Now his freezers in the living room were powered with alternative power. His solar panels were assembled outside, charging his new personal generators.

If now was not the early days, Luo Xun would have used all of the available wall and roof space to install solar panels. Relying on this, he could even nurse five patients simultaneously in his home!

"Obedient, what's the use?" Luo Xun said to the puppy wandering at his feet.

He saw her sleeping during the day. He decided to go back to sleep. Luo Xun checked the doors, windows, the quails in the glass box on the balcony and ended up in the middle of the living room.

Puppy wrapped her tail around Luo Xun's feet. These past two days Luo Xun did not go out much, Yan Fei was currently in his home and the nearby troops had rapidly reacted. They sent a portion of troops into the city centre to those who had ordered priority rescue. The remainder dealt with zombies in the surrounding area.

Since the troops were close to Wang Jing district, there was always a group passing by during the past two days. Just yesterday, the troops had cleared all the wandering zombies in the neighborhood. The speed was so fast the even Luo Xun – one who had experienced two doomsdays was impressed.

Luo Xun returned to the bedroom and saw Yan Fei leaning on the pillow trying to stand up, his eyes closed until he realized he was not alone. Luo Xun stepped forward, he refused to admit Yan Fei's face was still riveting even after three days. Luo Xun walked over, fluffed the pillows and helped Yan Fei lie down.

"Do you need to go to the washroom?"

"Not right now..." Yan Fei thought to himself then asked, "How did I...these past two days? What method?"

Luo Xun handed over a meal, his deadpan face had a trace of a nasty smile. "Diapers."

..........

Yan Fei's scalp felt numb, he just realized that his lower body had felt strange. He had thought it was from sleeping too long!

Yan Fei wanted to ask more questions but held back seeing Luo Xun's expression. He felt like throwing up!

17

Luo Xun turned off the bedroom lights and turned on the small bedside lamp. His mood had improved, no wonder people said – if you feel sad just say something and spread it to everyone!

Seeing other down was the most effective way to buoy one's own mood! This way Luo Xun's sadness at being unable to shove the guy back next door had completely dissipated. Luo Xun suddenly remembered something and smoothly pulled an object from the drawer to put on the side table.

"Here, your gun"

Yan Fei paused for a moment and looked perplexedly at Luo Xun.

Luo Xun leisurely turned away while on the bed. To him, the threat of a gun in Yan Fei's hand was equal to that of his metal powers He had come across many guns in his life, not to mention there were only two bullets left. There was nothing to be greedy about.

If one really wanted to kill someone, there was no difference between a gun and a crossbow.

Yan Fei did not touch the gun and instead closed his eyes, his mouth quirked up. The two metre bed sunk slightly under the weight of two men sleeping peacefully side by side without touching.

Yan Fei adjusted after a while, trying to distract himself from uncomfortable sensations.

He asked, "What's the current situation like outside?"

Luo Xun kindly avoided teasing Yan Fei's nerves, "Army vehicles passed by yesterday, cleared the road of zombies and helped stabilize the populace. Today the soldiers combed the neighborhoods to clear out remaining zombies. Tomorrow they will come again to clear up zombies inside buildings and count the survivors."

His room had been prepared for visitors, nothing to be concerned about

Luo Xun also added, "This is a new district with few inhabitants. It's estimated that everything will soon be cleaned up with the nearby troops. I heard that there is no way to recover old homes if absent. If new survivors are rescued in the future, the army will probably use these empty homes. You should take a room now otherwise you might not have a place to live."

In reality, Luo Xun only wanted to say the last sentence but was afraid of offending the other party. Letting Yan Fei leave of his own initiative would be best.

Yan Fei had dealt with people who were far more experienced than Luo Xun. Even if Luo Xun had lived two lifetimes, he could be considered a defensive counter-attack type. His movements were used to block others murderous intentions and ensuring his relative safety and privacy

On the other hand, Yan Fei was very different. He grew up in high society social circles and was forced to observe and be observed.

After all, the best defense is a good offense. Keep your opponents busy, never let them relax and naturally they could not afford to deal with you. He had understood this from the age of 10.

"Occupy an apartment?"

The room next door? Yan Fei's eyebrows quirked in understanding, if this had been his own home, he would also not have been willing to let a stranger stay but...

Luo Xun went to close the curtains. Yan Fei turned to the side, raised a hand to cover his chest and coughed.

"What's the matter? Where does it hurt?" Luo Xun was distracted.

The cough got cut short so the that the fake cough did not become real – though there was some chest pain upon taking a deep breath.

"That...it's fine, wait until your injury is healed. Anyway I already dealt with the home next door."

"Handled?" Yan Fei asked doubtfully.

"Ah, put a peephole and changed to door locks."

In this building peepholes were only installed after finding a tenant. The peephole meant that the apartment had an owner. Thus why it and the locks were changed.

Luo Xun had bought the lock as a standby before the apocalypse. In case someone broke the door, otherwise he would not have any replacements.

Yan Fei's mood inexplicably relaxed hearing that Luo Xun was no longer urging him to move next door. His eyes narrowed and his lips curled. He did not want to depend on Luo Xun like this, eating his food and using him. What kind of guest was he?

He was not a gigolo. Even with the apocalypse, with brains and brawn, nature would find a way to live. Of course Luo Xun's help would be rewarded.

However he did not want to leave now, not at all. In more than 20 years he had not had such an easy or comfortable time talking with anyone.

Yan Fei sighed in relief. "When I was fleeing I could not contact my family, don't know if they...if I can find them I'll figure out where to live, maybe my family is okay." His voice was a bit hoarse, probably because he had been lethargic and did not drink enough water.

Hearing that low mellow sound shook the heart like an earthquake.

Luo Xun was caught in a wave of sympathy, even if he previously wanted Yan Fei to leave, to get rid of him quickly while remaining cordial. Luo Xun's parents had died while he was in high school and only left their house to him. Due to their death his college entrance examinations admitted him to a third tier university.

After he only attended two years because of expensive tuition, a school atmosphere not conducive to learning and irresponsible professors. With Luo Xun's reluctance to continue his studies, he simply worked until the apocalypse.

"Where does your family live?"

Yan Fei's mouth curled into a sneer, "Downtown Xi Cheng district. I was going to go find them but there was a car accident halfway through. I had temporarily evacuated to the southwest area with some others because there were too many zombies in the area."

Xi Cheng district was one of the most densely populated areas in the city, along with the other urban areas would be hit hardest the midnight of the apocalypse.

"...The army has been dispatched so as long as your family closed the door and stayed inside, they should be saved soon."

Luo Xun was well aware of the dangers of densely populated areas. He had barely escaped from F-city the first time, which had a much lower population density versus A-city. He then came to A-city base and experienced a number of zombie sieges.

How many of the zombies in the sea of corpses had been people from the city?

Search teams combed the city to collect all sorts of resources after the base had stabilized. Any encountered zombies would be dealt with, but the enemies were endless. It was possible that Yan Fei's family was already dead.

"Well, so long as there is a chance, we'll meet again somehow."

Yan Fei decided to switch topics and asked, "What about your family? I haven't seen anyone else so far?"

Luo Xun sighed, "They died my sophomore year."

Yan Fei was stunned, he thought Luo Xun lived with his parents. The room was well furnished, Luo Xun was rather young without a city accent. He looked like a stay home college student.

"My condolences..."

"It is fine, it has been years."

Luo Xun faintly smiled and found with the lights off he could speak to Yan Fei like an ordinary person, almost like friends.

"Sorry." Yan Fei sincerely apologized, his intention had been to stir up compassion, let Luo Xun feel guilt at moving him away.

Of course Yan Fei would not depend on him forever, but teasing Luo Xun was interesting. He did not think his words would poke at another's weak spots.

"It's fine, if need be I will also help you inquire about your parents."

Even if it was difficult to get good news.

Yan Fei opened his and wanted to say, "No, with their selfish personalities they will find the safest, most protected area immediately when something goes wrong."

Afterall, the home may be located in the Xi Cheng district but the people almost never lived there. Each had a lover's nest built in the city, the three did not need each other to live well.

With some difficulty and movement pain he lifted his left hand. Yan Fei placed his hand between the two on the blanket. It seemed he wanted to pat Luo Xun but due to pain could not complete the action.

"Yes?" Luo Xun turned in confusion and looked at the beautiful eyes and mole.

"Don't bother looking. They will live well, must be very good."

Luo Xun paused then stretched out his hand, Yan Fei's skin was soft but he was not powerless. These two days when Luo Xun helped him go to bed, eat food and take medicine, Yan Fei's seemingly thin body had strength. When poked the supposedly soft body had flexible muscles. In contrast to Luo Xun's chicken limbs, Yan Fei's hand was tough and strong even when injured.

Luo Xun felt depressed but quickly pushed the thought away. "Well nothing to worry about."

There was no awkwardness holding hands. Both men were comforting each other and neither wanted to let go first. In the dark room, others could not see and they had not realized.

In December, the north wind whistled outside, without heating the rooms would have been freezing. However Luo Xun had planted crops in advance to transform the balcony, terrace and nursery into greenhouses. Coupled with some powerful solar batteries, several rooms were unexpectedly warm.

It did not feel cold, even with a hand outside the blanket. The two men fell asleep finding nothing odd.

18

Luo Xun woke to his noisy watch alarm, he reached for it but his hand was grasped. He confusedly turned to see his hand being held then looked up to see a pair of sleepy eyes obscured with fog. The natural morning reaction became more noticeable, there was a small tent pitched in the duvet.

Luo Xun twitched and grabbed his hand back. He subconsciously shrunk back and with a crash...fell from the bed. Downstairs, the puppy barked a few times in response to the noise.

The previously sleepy Yan Fei was now fully awake. He looked at Luo Xun's red, flustered face avoiding eye contact. When Luo Xun finally looked up, the quilt had fallen down a bit, he hurriedly grabbed the nearest clothes and fled the room.

Yan Fei raised an eyebrow and smiled crookedly. He remembered last night when Luo Xun had blushed a bit but was still clearly dangerous. However just now, would a normal man, even a thin skinned one blush like that in response to a handsome man?

Yan Fei lifted his left hand to his face and laughed. Due to his wounds the laughs turned into coughs before he depressingly smiled. Although it had been an unexpected possibility, but with Luo Xun's overreaction he seemed like an innocent boy who lived alone for a long time afraid of losing face.

Yan Fei from a young age had been the target of many people's pursuit due to his excellent looks. Amongst them, there were both men and women. Less men pursued him, though it was not zero but he had little interest. More importantly, all were attracted to his appearance first!