Chapter 42

"Yong-ge, wait a moment," Cheng Duo held onto him.

"What's wrong?" Yong-ge almost didn't dare to speak, mouthing the words instead. His protective yet furtive glances made Cheng Duo want to laugh.

Cheng Duo cleared his throat and clenched his fist, unintentionally lowering his voice. "Do you remember when I told you that the apocalypse virus gave ordinary people different abilities, and increased strength is just one of them…"

Cheng Duo briefly explained the abilities of superhumans and then recounted his own experience of his half-brother awakening the spatial ability and how he dug out his crystal core to consume out of revenge.

Afraid of scaring Yong-ge, he added an explanation, "I was disheartened at that time and went too far. Now that I have you, I will never do something like that again."

Yong-ge hadn't expected that Cheng Duo had gone through all of this. Recalling Cheng Duo's coldness when they first met, he now fully understood.

He grabbed Cheng Duo's hand, his eyes filled with tenderness. "I know, the past is in the past. Don't dwell on it."

Initially, Yong-ge didn't understand why Cheng Duo was telling him all this at this moment. He was about to continue leading him away when he suddenly realized, "So you have these… 'abilities,' which means you're like immortals? Does that pig have something to do with that space you mentioned?"

"You're really smart." Cheng Duo lightly tapped Yong-ge's forehead, praising him with a smile. He didn't expect Yong-ge to fully grasp everything he said, but the fact that Yong-ge quickly connected the dots showed how bright he was.

"Let's go and take a look." Cheng Duo nodded towards the pig.

"Okay."

Although Cheng Duo had explained it clearly, Yong-ge was still worried. He nervously stood in front of Cheng Duo as if he was afraid the pig would jump up and bite them.

"It's okay, don't be nervous." Cheng Duo turned his head and reassured Yong-ge.

However, it was easy to bring the pig out, but it was difficult to retract it and exchange it for something else. Cheng Duo had put his hand on it for several minutes, but the pig remained motionless.

It's not that he didn't want to eat pork, but there was no firewood in the underground and the lamp oil wouldn't last long. They couldn't eat it raw, could they? Although it was possible to eat it raw when extremely hungry, Cheng Duo still wanted to try something else.

Especially since he wanted to see if the spatial ability was truly present…

Yong-ge didn't dare to disturb him and could only nervously watch, occasionally glancing around at the gloomy and dark surroundings.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and the dim oil lamp suddenly flickered. Yong-ge watched as the white pig on the ground disappeared and was replaced by a pile of white pancakes.

Yong-ge widened his eyes. "I-Is it done?"

The "ability" was so incredible, it was like magic!

Cheng Duo picked up a pancake the size of an adult's palm, squeezed it, and then smelled it. It was exactly the same as the pancakes provided by the base cafeteria and looked fresh, without any signs of spoilage.

After ten years in the apocalypse, searching for resources from the old era was no longer enough to meet the demand. Many bases had already started farming and raising livestock. With the assistance of plant superhumans, the base's plantations didn't need to be particularly large, and a harvest every two to three months was enough to produce simple foods like pancakes in the base cafeteria.

However, the price of a pancake was equivalent to ten contribution points, which was quite high compared to expired food. People burdened with family couldn't afford to buy it, at most, they would occasionally purchase it to improve their meals.

As for a whole pig, the price was even more exorbitant.

Cheng Duo suspected that Cheng Zhao later joined a powerful team of superhumans, as it would be impossible for him to obtain so many good things with just his spatial ability.

"Alright, let's eat." Seeing Yong-ge eagerly looking at him, practically unable to take his eyes off, Cheng Duo smiled and stuffed the pancake into his mouth.

The two of them didn't care that the pancakes were a bit dry. In fact, for Yong-ge, these pancakes made from pure wheat flour and fermented were already very delicious.

They devoured the pancakes, the size of an adult man's palm. Cheng Duo ate five of them while Yong-ge, feeling full, could only manage to eat two.

Yong-ge had initially felt that Cheng Duo was a bit unfamiliar, but seeing him devour the pancakes just like him, they shared a smile and forgot all about being strangers.

After a while, Cheng Duo took out a can of canned fruit. "Have some of this, quench your thirst."

Afraid that Yong-ge wouldn't know how to open the can, Cheng Duo unscrewed the lid before handing it to him.

Yong-ge held the sparkling glass can, which was smoother than silver on the outside, and showed a hesitant expression. "Isn't this thing expensive?"

It looked so beautiful and transparent, and he didn't know what red and yellow things were inside, accompanied by a sweet scent he had never smelled before.

"It's very expensive," Cheng Duo nodded in agreement. Canned fruit, this thing was only available to powerful superhumans or high-ranking members of the base.

The last time he had eaten canned fruit seemed to be seven or eight years ago.

Yong-ge misunderstood upon hearing this. "Then you should keep it. I'm afraid I'll break it."

Cheng Duo laughed. "This can is not valuable. They're all over the place where we come from. Outside, you can find piles of them. What I meant by valuable is the fruit inside…"

Yong-ge's reaction reminded him that this glass can, which was worthless in modern times, might be a precious treasure for others here. In the future, if he had the chance, he might be able to sell it for a good price.

"Since this thing is so expensive, it's better if you eat it." Yong-ge didn't dare to take it and pushed it back to Cheng Duo.

"Yong-ge, if you're willing to die with me, can't I share a can of canned fruit with you? If you don't eat it, I won't eat it either. If my body doesn't get better, then I'll starve to death guarding this space's supplies. It serves me right for having a wife who won't feed me…"

With the appearance of the space, Cheng Duo's mood relaxed considerably. At this moment, facing Yong-ge, he even began to feel the sweetness of being in love, teasing his wife-to-be in a familiar manner.

"You, can't I eat?" Yong-ge blushed and in the end, reluctantly shared the can of canned fruit with Cheng Duo.

The sweet taste of the canned fruit surprised him greatly. Combined with the fact that he was sharing it with the person he liked, Yong-ge felt that he was being showered with sweetness all the way to his heart, and his big eyes narrowed happily.

"Is it delicious?"

"Mmm." Yong-ge nodded. "I'm so full."

Cheng Duo helplessly said, "If I had known we had canned fruit, I wouldn't have let you eat two pancakes."

He wasn't proficient in controlling the space yet, and there was still a sense of awkwardness when storing and retrieving items. He needed more time to study what specific things were inside.

While they were talking, the flickering candle suddenly went out, startling Yong-ge.

"Don't be scared, it's probably blown out by the wind…"

Cheng Duo stopped abruptly as he said this. If this space was created by the fissure they entered, then how did the wind blow in?

If he remembered correctly, they were drawn in by a gust of wind blowing out from the crevice. It was widely known that wind required convection, so there might be another exit here!

"Yong-ge, you're really my lucky star!" Cheng Duo excitedly looked at Yong-ge.

Previously, when Yong-ge craved meat, Cheng Duo immediately awakened his spatial ability. And now, if it weren't for Yong-ge being scared by the candle, they might have left directly and missed the exit.

Regardless of whether there was any basis for it, Cheng Duo felt that Yong-ge was his lucky star.

Moreover, if it weren't for Yong-ge, he would have died twice. If that's not a lucky star, then what is?

"Ah?"

Yong-ge had a puzzled expression on his face but was quickly pulled into a hug by Cheng Duo, who planted a firm kiss on his forehead.

Cheng Duo then stood up, still holding onto Yong-ge's head. "Hurry, we need to find the exit before the candle goes out!"

Cheng Duo was right; there was indeed an exit in this underground palace, a hidden path that led directly to the surface.

"Why is there a road here?" Yong-ge was confused. Who would build a passage leading to the outside in their own tomb? Could he come back to life after death?

"It was probably built by craftsmen," Cheng Duo, supported by Yong-ge, spoke with some difficulty. "Think about it. The tomb owner built the tomb in such a hidden place because they didn't want to be discovered. To prevent the craftsmen from leaking secrets, the tomb owner would usually bury the craftsmen with them. Smart people who didn't want to die would leave themselves an escape route."

"Oh, I see," Yong-ge understood.

What Cheng Duo didn't mention was that the nobles and aristocrats weren't fools. If the craftsmen dug an exit, wouldn't they have poisoned the craftsmen? This underground palace looked relatively intact, but Cheng Duo didn't know if it had been looted before.

Cheng Duo had already made up his mind to come back. He felt that there might be some cheap treasures to be found in this underground palace. Besides, he had awakened his spatial ability, and not returning would be a disservice to himself…

The two emerged from underground and saw the familiar sunlight filtering through the trees. Birds were chirping and hopping on the branches, and even the sight of the scattered dead leaves and branches on the ground felt incredibly comforting.

"We finally made it out!" Yong-ge looked at Cheng Duo with joy. But when he saw Cheng Duo's disheveled appearance, with his face covered in stubble and looking miserable, he suddenly became concerned about himself.

He quickly lowered his head to hide his expression.

"What's wrong?" Cheng Duo asked when he saw Yong-ge avoiding eye contact.

Yong-ge didn't dare to look at Cheng Duo. "Is my face… and forehead dirty?"

When they found the underground river earlier, Yong-ge was exhausted and too worried about Cheng Duo to take care of himself.

He remembered falling off the cliff, dealing with the wolf corpse, roasting wolf meat, and the struggles they had been through. He must look quite the mess now…

Cheng Duo stared at him with interest for a while. "No, the dirt on your face is gone, and your skin looks clean and beautiful."

In addition to being beautiful, Cheng Duo couldn't describe Yong-ge's attractiveness. It was like the mixed-blood handsome boys he had seen on television before the apocalypse. Yong-ge's eyelashes were truly long, and in the sunlight, they seemed like a row of small fans.

When those dense lashes slightly lowered and he looked up at Cheng Duo, there was a charm mixed with temptation, even though he wasn't aware of it…

Cheng Duo felt his nose getting warm and raised his hand to cover his face, shifting his gaze away.

The hardships he had endured in the past decade seemed to be compensated by Yong-ge's companionship. It didn't seem like a loss anymore.

Of course, love is blind, and Cheng Duo had also beautified Yong-ge in his eyes. He overlooked the tiredness under Yong-ge's eyes and the cracked lips…

Yong-ge felt that Cheng Duo's gaze was a bit strange, but just as he started to feel nervous, Cheng Duo turned his face away.

Yong-ge: "…"

While they were in the underground palace, they were intimate in various ways, even sleeping together. But now that they had returned to the normal world, they became more reserved.

Yong-ge stammered, "Which direction should we go? It looks like it's getting dark, can we make it back to the village today?"

Upon hearing Yong-ge's question, Cheng Duo also started to worry. When he left, he had left a courtyard full of wolf corpses and the door unlocked. He didn't know if returning like this would cause any trouble.

But he couldn't make the meat grow back within two days; that was impossible…