Chapter 39

The last thing Cheng Duo was able to do for Yong-ge was to desperately hold onto him, protecting him in his embrace.

"Crack!" At the moment of impact, Cheng Duo seemed to hear the sound of his own bones breaking. He forcefully spewed out a mouthful of blood, and then everything went black. He passed out.

"Cheng Duo!!"

The last image Cheng Duo saw before losing consciousness was Yong-ge scrambling off him in a panic, shouting his name loudly.

Although Yong-ge's face covered in blood looked extremely miserable, Cheng Duo felt relieved. It's fine like this, just like this…

In a dazed state, Cheng Duo felt like he had returned to the apocalypse. He saw a numb-looking old man rummaging through a pile of zombies outside the base, searching for useful things. But he had no luck; just when he managed to find a half-worn-out coat and a lighter, a young man nearby snatched them away.

The old man was knocked to the ground, and the lighter he held tightly was also taken. After the young man left, the old man took a long time to get up from the ground, limping back home.

Cheng Duo couldn't help but follow him, watching as he entered a shantytown right next to the base. Inside one of the dirty and dilapidated huts lay a young man paralyzed from head to toe.

His hair was messy, his cheeks sunken, and his lips cracked and peeling. Cheng Duo stared at him for a while before realizing that he was his half-brother, Cheng Zhao, whom he had hated.

The old man from earlier… was that their father?

No wonder Cheng Duo didn't recognize him. Cheng's father had long lost the vitality he once had, with a hunched back and a face full of deep wrinkles, filled with lifelessness.

With his dirty hands covered in grime, he dug out a plastic bottle from a pile of garbage, then fed a little bit of the greenish water to Cheng Zhao.

It was apparent that this water, which had already grown algae, was precious to them now. Cheng's father only gave a small amount to Cheng Zhao, and then he took a sip himself, moistening his lips before putting it away.

After a while, another familiar middle-aged woman returned to this home. She was just as dirty, wearing her shirt loosely and revealing many suggestive marks.

Fortunately, she brought back several bags of small biscuits. Grumbling, she tossed one bag to Cheng's father and another to Cheng Zhao before curling up by the side.

These biscuits had long expired, and some had even gone moldy, but the three of them didn't mind. They ate them ravenously.

Cheng's father seemed a little afraid of Cheng Duo's stepmother, but Cheng Zhao wasn't. With his father's assistance, he finished his bag of biscuits and immediately started arguing with his own mother. The stepmother was also full of complaints, and the three of them bickered like dogs biting each other.

Cheng Duo didn't see his younger sister, Cheng Wei, but she looked good and seemed to be imitating their stepmother. Perhaps she attached herself to a capable man and moved into the base.

Of course, it's also possible that she had died. Cheng Duo didn't know which one it was.

In a hazy state, Cheng Duo drifted to the underground research facility, which was now empty. Broken equipment and scattered papers littered the floor, and Cheng Duo seemed to see his own name written on them.

He leaned in to take a closer look, but the scene before him suddenly distorted and blurred, as if there was a layer of watery film separating him, causing a discomforting halo to sway.

Cheng Duo suddenly coughed, and the intense pain in his chest pulled him back to reality—

"Cheng Duo, you're awake!" Cheng Duo felt a pair of warm hands touching his face, gentle and cautious. The voice sounded both surprised and relieved.

Cheng Duo took a moment to gather his strength before hoarsely speaking, "Yong-ge."

"It's me!" Yong-ge's voice choked up. He was so scared that Cheng Duo would pass away just like that.

Unable to move, Cheng Duo could only look at Yong-ge's face in the flickering firelight. He was lying on Yong-ge's leg, and Yong-ge was looking down at him. Despite Cheng Duo's current state, Yong-ge's eyes were still filled with reliance.

As if as long as he was still alive, everything else was insignificant.

Something stirred in Cheng Duo's heart. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Not long, it's still dark outside." Yong-ge carefully helped him tidy his hair. "Do you feel any pain? Would you like something to eat?"

He was in pain all over his body, but when it came to eating…

"What did you feed me?" Cheng Duo had a rusty taste in his mouth as soon as he woke up. Could it be that this silly little brother used his own blood to feed him?

"Wolf blood." Yong-ge looked a bit embarrassed. He couldn't find any water, so he fed Cheng Duo with the still warm wolf blood.

Realization dawned upon Cheng Duo. "Did you find that wolf?"

Yong-ge nodded, looking very pleased. "Do you want to eat wolf meat? I can roast some for you."

His habits hadn't changed. He not only carried a lighter but also had condiments like ginger and salt. If it weren't for the lack of water and a pot to cook in, he would have made wolf meat soup for Cheng Duo.

If it were someone else who had suffered such severe injuries, they probably wouldn't have had an appetite.

But Cheng Duo… he suddenly felt hungry again. "Okay."

Yong-ge became even happier upon hearing that Cheng Duo was willing to eat. He carefully moved Cheng Duo's head to the ground, placed some dried leaves beneath his neck, and then went to deal with the wolf.

Only then did Cheng Duo notice that Yong-ge's clothes were tattered, and his inner garment seemed to be missing. With a slight movement, his neck and chest were exposed.

His skin was indeed very fair, and the flickering firelight danced on his delicate and flawless skin.

Yong-ge hurriedly adjusted his collar, feeling flustered. Cheng Duo, feeling somewhat embarrassed, looked away and asked, "Why did you follow me?"

It was the middle of the night. Was Yong-ge really that worried about him?

Speaking of this, Yong-ge felt regretful. "I went to find Doctor Wang and got some tonics, but it's a pity. I spent two hours making them."

The medicine was expensive, costing him forty wen. He brought it here while it was still warm, but as soon as he arrived at Cheng Duo's place, he saw him being chased by a wolf up the mountain. He couldn't care less about the medicine and just followed after him, leaving the medicine bottle behind.

He glanced at Cheng Duo and couldn't help but defend himself, "You said our medicine couldn't cure you, but there's nothing wrong with tonics, right?"

Cheng Duo looked at him with a smile in his eyes. Although he wanted to tell him not to bother with these unnecessary things and bring him more meat instead, he couldn't bear to be too harsh. Besides, he hadn't forgotten how money-driven this little brother was when he first arrived. Now, he was even spending money on him…

Yong-ge felt a little uneasy under his gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that? What are you thinking?"

Cheng Duo fell silent for a moment. "When we were on the mountainside, why didn't you let go?"

Yong-ge's lips moved, and he lowered his gaze to the roasted meat on the fire, muttering, "Since it's come to this, we might as well die together."

He tried to sound tough, but it would be better if his expression didn't look so embarrassed.

Yong-ge also felt that he was shameless. Cheng Duo hadn't said anything to him, yet he wanted to die with him.

"Do you regret it now?" Cheng Duo's voice grew softer. "Look at me, I'm practically like a paraplegic. I might even become a corpse by tomorrow morning."

Yong-ge's hand trembled for a moment, but he quickly clenched his teeth. "Then what do you want me to do?"

He slowly raised his eyelids, glaring at Cheng Duo with resentment in his eyes. He was angry and felt wronged. "Yes, I regret it! Why did I follow you? You're so heartless, never said anything nice to me. Why did I shamelessly stick to you? Isn't it just being an idiot?"

"…," Cheng Duo was rendered speechless. He shouldn't have asked that!

Yong-ge was still angry, but the meat was cooked. He blew on it to cool it down and brought it to Cheng Duo's mouth. "Eat!"

Cheng Duo felt touched and amused at the same time. Despite Yong-ge's harsh tone, his actions of supporting him were not so rough, and his body leaning against him made it even more convincing…

Cheng Duo only ate half before indicating that he didn't want any more. Yong-ge thought about how much he had eaten the previous night and didn't insist. After eating some to replenish his strength, he kept the remaining wolf meat.

After daybreak, Yong-ge circled around the sinkhole but could only find a small, undried water pool after a lot of effort. He brought back a handful of water in leaves for Cheng Duo to drink.

After Cheng Duo finished drinking, he asked, "How about it? Can you climb up? If you can get out, go and find someone. I lied to you last night; I won't die anytime soon."

Yong-ge glanced at him. "You've lied to me more than once or twice."

Cheng Duo felt a bit guilty. "I really didn't lie to you this time. I feel much better."

In all fairness, he had lied to Yong-ge about the fiancée matter, hadn't he?

Yong-ge seemed to know what he was thinking. "Last time, you also said you were fine after coughing up blood."

"…," Cheng Duo couldn't argue with that. He couldn't get past this, huh? Just to save face, he would fight to live for a few more days!

Yong-ge looked at him with his lively and spirited appearance, secretly curling his lips, and then said, "Sorry for disappointing you; I can't climb up."

He was telling the truth. The sinkhole was too steep and deep. He really couldn't climb up.

"But there's an underground passage over there, don't know where it leads to."

Cheng Duo pondered for a moment. "Is there a draft inside?"

"Well… I didn't pay attention. I'll go take a look later."

Yong-ge quickly went and returned, informing Cheng Duo that there was a draft in the passage, but it was pitch black inside, and it seemed to be very deep and interconnected.

The two of them didn't venture in immediately. They stayed at the sinkhole for two more days, but no one came. They were running out of wolf meat when they had no choice but to enter the passage and take the risk.

Speaking of the wolf meat, Cheng Duo originally intended to save it for Yong-ge. However, Yong-ge knew about his appetite and was afraid that he wouldn't eat it if not urged, so he forced him to eat at every meal and got anxious if he refused.

Cheng Duo was really tired of him. Whenever Yong-ge's eyes turned red, he obediently complied.

Before setting off, Yong-ge packed up the remaining wolf meat and tied a small bundle of dry firewood for Cheng Duo to carry. Then he carried Cheng Duo on his back and started their journey.

Cheng Duo was worried that he was tiring himself out, but Yong-ge refused to leave him behind. In fact, Cheng Duo was also concerned that Yong-ge might encounter trouble in the underground passage. Even well-equipped exploration teams in the modern era had cases of missing members, let alone Yong-ge with nothing.

Forget it, if they were going to die, they would die together.

But before he died, should he tell Yong-ge what he had in his heart?