The group got out of the car one by one, leaving only He Zhixiao lying alone in the back seat.
Cheng Du stared at Bu Sigui and asked, "Can you tell us now?"
"Fine," Bu Sigui sat down on a stone by the roadside and sighed. "I didn't want to lay my cards on the table so soon, but the situation forces my hand..."
He cleared his throat, his expression turning somewhat serious: "What I'm about to say, I hope you'll keep confidential. I'm only telling you because I genuinely trust you."
"All right."
"I said before that out of all the people who received this vaccine, only one survived," Bu Sigui held up a single finger. "That person is me. From a certain perspective, I am the origin matrix of the zombie virus, which is why my blood is so attractive."
74. The Whole Story
As soon as his voice fell, the surrounding people unsurprisingly revealed blank expressions.
"I know this isn't easy to understand. Let me give you an analogy," Bu Sigui continued. "I know China has an ancient practice called 'raising Gu'. Some Gu are divided into mother insects and child insects, the latter being bred by the former. Of course, the zombie virus isn't quite the same thing, but it has a tiny touch of that same principle."
"You mean," Cheng Du frowned, "the zombie virus came from you?"
"Half right," Bu Sigui stroked Angus's knee and said, "To explain this properly, I have to go further back. Angus and I escaped from a secret biochemical experimental base in the United States. I've lived in places like that ever since I can remember. Every day I faced silver-white metal walls and various instruments; getting injections and having blood drawn were just daily routines."
Gu Tingyue raised a hand: "Interrupting for a second, if I remember correctly, you said you came to Beijing to find your father?"
"Yes," Bu Sigui nodded. "I only have a very vague memory of my father. He probably dropped me by accident, or was forced to leave me in the base. No matter what, once I escaped, I wanted to find him. He's the only blood relative I have left in this world."
Gu Tingyue didn't speak. Using his logical thinking to analyze Bu Sigui's reasoning, it was full of loopholes, but he didn't point them out. He only nodded slightly, signaling Bu Sigui to continue.
"Maybe my gene is a bit special, or maybe my tolerance to their virus is very strong. Anyway, that madman kept experimenting on me," Bu Sigui twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a rather sinister smile. "Thinking back, it's a miracle I didn't die."
Cheng Du asked: "A madman?"
"He's the chief director of that biochemical experimental base, a medical doctor," Bu Sigui snapped his fingers. "His name is Esphere, but I like to call him the madman. In fact, he really is a complete psycho. This zombie virus was created by him—a virus that fully evolved in my body and is capable of infecting nearly all humans."
"And animals," He Xian added. "We ran into a zombie leopard."
"Fine," Bu Sigui spread his hands. "That means all living creatures. Hey, don't get off track. Anyway, I actually didn't know about the zombie virus outbreak, since my living environment was always so closed off. Angus is his newly assigned bodyguard, responsible for my personal safety."
With that, he patted Angus's arm and smiled: "Tell me, isn't he amazing?"
Cheng Du nodded. He originally wanted to smile, but hearing about Bu Sigui's ordeal made it impossible for him to laugh now.
"I think he's amazing, too," Bu Sigui licked his lips. "So... I seduced him, and the two of us became a pair. Heh, the world is truly wonderful. We found an opportunity to blow our way out of the laboratory, let all the viruses loose, and then quickly took a helicopter to flee the United States. You already know what happened after that. Oh, right, that madman is probably dead, it's just a pity I didn't get to see it with my own eyes."
"That's a lot of information to take in," Gu Tingyue pursed his lips, feeling for the first time that his brain wasn't quite keeping up. "But one thing is clear: you are of great help in solving the zombie problem."
"Well, of course," Bu Sigui smiled smugly. "If this were set in an apocalyptic novel, I'd be the protagonist."
Angus gave a small smile and reached out to ruffle the youth's hair: "You've always been the protagonist."
"No wonder you wanted to go to Beijing," Cheng Du muttered. "Suddenly I feel the burden on my shoulders is terribly heavy..."
"All right, I'm done talking. Since we're laying everything out in the open, I shouldn't be the only one talking," Bu Sigui grinned. "He Xian, tell us about yourself."
He Xian paused and exchanged a glance with Cheng Du. The latter wore a somewhat helpless expression, sighed, and said, "I'll tell them."
"Same here."
"Actually, He Xian is already dead," Cheng Du lowered his eyes and reached out to pull up He Xian's T-shirt, exposing that grey-blue wound. "He was injured during a mission, right through the heart."
Bu Sigui was startled, showing an expression of extreme surprise: "Wait, this isn't quite what I had in mind. Let me take a look."
He slid over to He Xian's side, lowering his head to carefully study the wound that had already hardened, occasionally pressing it with his fingers or feeling his pulse.
"No wonder I always felt something was off," Gu Tingyue said in a low voice. "So that's how it is. What happened next?"
"Sorry, because this matter is too unusual, I didn't dare tell anyone," Cheng Du smiled bitterly. "Later on, He Xian came back from the dead. At first, he couldn't even speak properly and his memories were a bit scrambled, but now he's recovered. However, his skin tone is still wrong—that's why I put foundation on him."
"I get it," Bu Sigui, who had been buried in studying the wound, suddenly spoke up. "So that's how it is. I just figured it out all of a sudden. This virus is even more powerful than I imagined. He Xian, I have to say you're a really lucky guy. Of course, your willpower might also be one of the reasons."
Cheng Du quickly asked: "So what's actually going on?"
Bu Sigui tapped his temple with a knuckle: "This goes back to the mechanism of the virus."
75. Vomiting Blood
"Have you guys ever watched zombie movies? Art comes from life but is higher than life; the current zombie virus is a bit different from the ones in the movies," Bu Sigui shifted his buttocks and said, "Agh, this rock of yours is so sharp, my butt is going to swell up."
Angus sat cross-legged on the ground and patted his own knees, and the youth happily slid right over.
Finding a comfortable position in his embrace, Bu Sigui leaned back against Angus's chest and slowly said, "When I was at the base, life was extremely boring, so I read a lot of books. I found the concept of 'soul seizure' in fantasy novels very interesting—it's very similar to the zombie virus."
Cheng Du's expression turned a bit more serious: "You mean, after killing the human body, this virus takes over people's minds and controls humans to do certain instinctive things?"
"Pretty much, although the terminology isn't quite accurate," Bu Sigui smiled. "Whether in movies or in reality, the virus targets our brains. It spreads through bodily fluids and has terrifying attacking power. The immunity we rely on for survival is vulnerable to it in an instant. After being infected with the zombie virus, I don't think a person dies completely; instead, they enter a state of suspended animation. That period is also the incubation and growth stage of the zombie virus."
"Take Big Brother He's situation," he turned his head to look at He Xian, "To be honest, it would be great if you were still alive."
He Xian said expressionlessly: "What do you mean?"
"The zombie virus cannot kill everyone; it can also be killed," Bu Sigui propped his chin in his hand. "You have a natural antibody against the zombie virus. There are no more than ten people in the entire world with virus immunity. When the virus entered your body, not only did it fail to attack your cells, but it was eliminated and assimilated instead. I thought you were just infected; I never expected you to have actually come back from the dead."
"It sounds incredible," Gu Tingyue said. "It's like a computer with a powerful firewall that gets infected with a virus while shut down. The virus tries to force a boot-up, only to be wiped out by the revived firewall."
"That's it," Bu Sigui nodded. "Anyway, that's the general idea. I haven't completely figured all this out either. Got any water? I'm so thirsty after talking for so long."
"The last bottle of orange juice," Cheng Du tossed him a beverage, smiling as he said, "Little Know-It-All, with your explanation, I pretty much understand everything now."
"As long as you understand," Bu Sigui handed the drink to Angus for him to twist open. "Big Brother He isn't quite human right now, but he can't be called a zombie either. The zombie virus brought him back to life and remains inside his body, but it hasn't seized control. His bodily fluids won't contain the zombie virus, so you guys can rest easy."
"Sounds like he's been domesticated," Cheng Du narrowed his eyes, raised a hand, and patted He Xian's face. "Pretty impressive."
He Xian twitched the corner of his mouth, took hold of Cheng Du's hand, and stood up: "Let's go search for things nearby."
"It'll probably take two days for the zombies to fully regress," Bu Sigui said. "We need to find a place around here to rest. It'd be even better if we can cook a meal."
Listening to his various daydreams about future delicacies, Gu Tingyue stood up after a moment, intending to check on how He Zhixiao was doing. He walked over to the car window and leaned in, seeing only a flattened blanket spread out.
Just as Gu Tingyue reached to pull open the car door, a face popped out from the window unannounced.
"Senior brother," He Zhixiao rolled down the window and said with a cheeky smile, "you got a fright."
"Yeah," Gu Tingyue raised an eyebrow. "Still have the mood to joke around? Feeling good?"
"No, I'm a bit dizzy, feels like a fever," He Zhixiao reached an arm out of the car window, pulled him closer, and blinked. "Senior brother, come inside and keep me company?"
"All right."
He Zhixiao grinned and hurriedly pushed the car door open to make room for him.
The vehicle Angus drove was a three-row van. The middle seats could be flipped up or their backs folded down to form a small bed that could barely squeeze two people.
"I'm starting to miss Brother Cheng's off-road vehicle," He Zhixiao lay on his side, his bright eyes staring intently at Gu Tingyue. "Lying down in that must be so comfortable."
Gu Tingyue paid no attention to what he said, instead reaching up to touch his cheek. He muttered, "So hot," and then pulled back He Zhixiao's collar.
"Senior brother..." The space inside the car was cramped, with the window only cracked open a sliver, making it rather stuffy. He Zhixiao lowered his gaze to the handsome face inches away, feeling the sweat on his body multiply.
"The bleeding has stopped," Gu Tingyue gently touched the bite mark on the youth's neck. The surface of the wound had clotted, but the surrounding patch of skin had a greenish tint, and the two pinpricks below it were tinged with black. "How do you feel?"
"Fairly okay, my body feels a bit hot, like I'm about to run a fever," He Zhixiao closed his eyes and stealthily inched closer to him. "Where are Brother Cheng and the others?"
"They're cleaning up outside, looking for a place to stay."
"Is there nobody around here?"
"I don't know," Gu Tingyue wiped a drop of sweat sliding down the youth's forehead and said in a low voice, "Don't think too much. Do you want some water?"
"A little."
Gu Tingyue handed him the water cup. He Zhixiao took it and gulped down several large mouthfuls. He wiped his mouth, just about to raise his head and say something, when a lump suddenly caught in his throat. He opened his mouth and retched up a large mouthful of blood with a loud "wa."
76. A Night
"It's been so long since I felt like walking through the fields," Cheng Du had a straw hat he'd picked up off the ground perched on his head, and his hand was held by He Xian. He felt his whole body completely unwind. "I never expected Xiao Bu to have that kind of identity. No wonder he's so dead set on going to Beijing."
"Yeah," He Xian nodded.
"Hey, do you remember the day military training ended?" Cheng Du suddenly recalled something from a few years ago and said with great enthusiasm, "You gave me plenty of grief during military training. I kept thinking military training was finally over, only for you to block me in the cornfield that very day. I thought you were going to beat me up."
Cheng Du wasn't a person who held grudges, but whenever he brought up his "torturous" military training experiences, it meant He Xian would have to pay some price for his rather childish actions back then.
Therefore, He Xian reflexively glanced at He Xian twice, and only after making sure his lover showed not the slightest sign of displeasure did he relax his mind and slowly say, "How could I ever beat you up."
"True," Cheng Du said with a smile. "You suddenly confessed to me... it scared the living daylights out of me."
"That's why you turned tail and ran. I thought I'd fallen for a straight guy," He Xian also recalled the scene back then and shook his head with some amusement. "I chased after you for a long time."
"Who told you not to even confess properly?" Cheng Du patted his cheek. "Man, that clumsy confession, and you actually managed to win me over just like that. What a miscalculation."
"You were clearly overjoyed in your heart." He Xian stopped walking and pulled Cheng Du to make him stand right in front of him. "Dudu, I—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a desperate shout suddenly came from near the car. Cheng Du's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly turned around: "It's Xiao Gu!"
The only person who could make Gu Tingyue panic like that was probably He Zhixiao. Disregarding He Xian's unfinished sentence, Cheng Du plucked the straw hat off his head and hurried back.
He Xian quickly followed, though the expression on his face wasn't very pleasant.
The two hadn't walked far before they quickly returned to the vicinity of the car. They saw Angus standing outside the vehicle, while Bu Sigui was half-submerged through the car door, revealing only a round pair of buttocks.
Inside the car, Gu Tingyue held the coughing He Zhixiao tightly in his arms, his eyes splitting with rage: "What happened to Zhixiao?"
"I don't know!" Beads of sweat had also welled up on Bu Sigui's forehead. He yanked up He Zhixiao's T-shirt, exposing his rapidly and violently heaving chest. "It must be a drug reaction. Hold his head down, don't let him breathe so fast."
Gu Tingyue grabbed He Zhixiao's hand, lowered his head to press his forehead against the youth's, and spoke rapidly: "Zhixiao, Zhixiao, look at me."
He Zhixiao's gaze was already somewhat unfocused. He panted heavily, feeling as though his whole body was about to burn up. A fire was stifling his chest, making his ears ring and his hands tremble uncontrollably.
There was a needle poking around inside his head, and involuntary tears streamed all over his face. Just when He Zhixiao felt he was about to die, a sudden coolness touched his lips, and his eyes snapped wide open.
From his angle, all he could see were the youth's slender eyelashes; the lowered eyelids concealed the murky, indistinct emotions in those dark pupils. His lips were thoroughly licked over once, followed by his teeth being gently nudged apart. Gu Tingyue's actions weren't overly deep, but they were exceptionally gentle.
"His breathing is slowing down!" Bu Sigui cried out in pleasant surprise, using a scarf he'd fished out from somewhere to tightly bind He Zhixiao's chest. "Help him prop up his upper body."
"Zhixiao." Gu Tingyue cupped both hands behind He Zhixiao, pulling him up so he could lean against him. He wrapped his arms tightly around the youth's waist from behind, buried his face in the crook of his neck, and said in a hoarse voice, "Hold on. You have to hold on. I only have you now..."
He Zhixiao didn't speak; in the cramped space, only his heavy panting remained. After a long moment, Gu Tingyue felt a sweaty palm press against his hand.
He paused for a second, then turned his hand over to grip those fingers tightly.
Bu Sigui fed He Zhixiao a little more water, but he ended up vomiting it all back out later.
"You guys go outside first," Gu Tingyue said quietly. "I'll stay with him."
Bu Sigui looked at the evening glow on the horizon, his expression turning rarely serious: "Whether we succeed depends entirely on this one night. Make sure to open the window for ventilation. You guys hang in there."
Autumn was steadily advancing, and the night was starting to turn a bit chilly. The only blanket in the car was on He Zhixiao, and Bu Sigui wasn't wearing much, so he had no choice but to curl up inside Angus's embrace, keeping watch by the small campfire alongside Cheng Du.
"Do we really have to sleep out in the open tonight?" He pouted slightly and whispered, "There are bugs outside."
"There's no time to scout out the situation in the village," Cheng Du handed him a biscuit. Ever since He Xian's identity was laid out in the open, Cheng Du no longer needed to put on a charade and eat food just to keep up appearances, which actually saved a small stash of supplies instead. "You guys go to sleep first. He Xian and I will take the first half of the night."
Bu Sigui broke the biscuit in half, handed one piece to Angus, and crunched through the remaining half himself. His cat-like eyes rolled around, finally landing on the sausage in Lu Tong's arms: "That puppy is pretty fat."
Lu Tong hugged his little pet tighter, looking at him with wary defense: "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing," Bu Sigui rolled over and closed his eyes. "Going to sleep."
"Xiao Tong, come here." Cheng Du spread a tablecloth on the ground, pulled Lu Tong into his arms, and said, "Let's sleep together."
While they were talking, He Xian walked over from the fields carrying a pile of dry branches: "Go to sleep, I'll keep watch."
Cheng Du shook his head, resting his chin on Lu Tong's fluffy head while staring blankly at the car not far away, deep in thought.
By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and only the small campfire cast its glow. The occasional chirping of insects sounded, and the distant roars of zombies drifted faintly on the wind. Under such an uncomfortable environment, the group managed to sleep through the night, their necks stiff when they woke up the next day.
77. Rare Leisure
The first to wake up was He Xian.
To be fair, he wasn't really sleeping. The zombie virus kept his mind in a state of prolonged excitement; even when resting, he was merely closing his eyes and letting his mind wander. But being close to Cheng Du made him feel extremely comfortable, and even if he couldn't sleep, he wanted to hold each other all the same.
Gently pulling his arm out from under Cheng Du's pillow, he stood up, picked up the small bucket at his side, and planned to fetch some water.
Passing by the van, he glanced inside and saw Gu Tingyue lying flat on his back with He Zhixiao draped across his chest. Their fingers were interlocked, and their breathing was steady and deep.
He Xian watched for a moment, then turned and walked toward the small puddle not far away.
The morning air smelled wonderful, carrying a hint of grassy, sweet musk. He bent down, took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs, stepped into the mud, and scooped up the crystal-clear water to wash his face.
There were a few fish swimming in the water. He Xian narrowed his eyes and crept closer, then struck out like lightning. Amidst a splash of water, a fish that had no time to react was accurately caught in his grip.
He Xian looked at the frantically struggling fish in his hand for a moment, sniffed it under his nose, and revealed a somewhat disgusted expression before casually tossing it into the small bucket.
A tiny gasp came from behind him. He Xian turned his head to see Lu Tong standing right behind him, his big, round eyes wide with amazement.
"Awake?"
"Yeah," Lu Tong nodded, then seemed to remember something and shook his head instead, his whole face turning miserable. "Sausage peed a little bit on Brother Cheng's clothes. I want to wash them for him."
He Xian paused, watching as Lu Tong pulled a crumpled ball of clothing from his chest; sure enough, there was a wet stain on the cuff.
"I'll wash it."
"Oh, oh, thank you, uncle." Lu Tong hurriedly handed the clothes to him, then squatted down in the muddy ground beside the puddle, propping his chin with one hand while reaching out the index finger of his other hand to lightly trace circles in the water.