Chapter 3 – Trouble

After returning from his shift, the intern discreetly inquired among his roommates. Just who was lying in that top-floor ward?

He turned out to be the former friend of the revered leader, Ye Lanzhou. This friend was also the one and only flaw in Ye Lanzhou’s otherwise impeccable leadership. 

When calamity struck a decade ago and the first wave of zombies descended upon the world, a young Ye Lanzhou and his friend fled— but fell victim to the onslaught of the earliest wave of zombies.

At that time, as a regular person without any awakened abilities, Ye Lanzhou’s friend was no match. Desperately trying to protect Ye Lanzhou, he was impaled by one of the zombies.

Believing his friend had died, he awakened his abilities in his near-mental collapse, barely managing to escape with what he thought was his friend’s “corpse.” It was only when he met a doctor did he realise his friend was still alive—a mere breath away from death.

A spark of hope took up residence in his chest. He swore to save his friend, no matter the cost.

Initially, he led a group of people to establish a base, mainly to provide a place for his friend to recuperate.

Over time, as more followers joined, the base withstood attack after attack, was destroyed and rebuilt, eventually becoming the largest base of all—Base 8. Throughout the tumultuous journey, Ye Lanzhou never gave up on saving his friend. 

No matter what it took, he would give everything to ensure that his friend received the necessary treatment.

This act of gratitude and friendship should have been a moving tale. 

That is, if there was still hope for his friend to wake up.

His friend remained in a coma for 10 years. Signs of life faded away, his condition deteriorating, his survival now dependent on mere machines.  

Many experienced doctors and healers examined him, all reaching the same conclusion: he would never wake up.

He was a living corpse.

Yet, Ye Lanzhou refused to accept this. Even when it became challenging to find skilled doctors, he insisted on keeping his friend in a separate ward.

Even in the midst of fierce zombie attacks and heavy casualties at the base, he never once considered giving up on his friend. The equipment ensuring his friend’s next breath was not to be moved by anyone.

In a time when many lost their lives due to a lack of proper medical treatment, this comatose person lay peacefully in his bed. 

However, many people’s lives were saved by Ye Lanzhou.

 The undeniable truth was that this noble leader’s countless sacrifices had protected the lives of many weaker individuals.

Therefore, none dared to blame Ye Lanzhou. Instead, they vented their frustrations on his friend.

Why couldn’t he have died 10 years ago, and spared everyone the burden of his presence?

Living a pointless life, straddling the line between life and death, he had caused the death of many others. In everyone’s eyes, he had completely become Ye Lanzhou’s burden.

Transfers from other departments never fully understood the events from years ago, but the medical department’s staff had personally witnessed many unnecessary deaths. They never felt the same amount of hate, but no one felt any empathy towards the living corpse either. 

If it weren’t for Ye Lanzhou, he would have already been thrown out of the base to be used as the zombies’ feed. 

When this topic was brought up, one of the members from the logistics department couldn’t help but shake his head.  “I understand that doctors can’t stand watching innocent people die, but I can’t help but feel sorry for Ye Lanzhou’s friend… He’s uninvolved! Don’t you think that he’s undeserving of all this hatred?”

A colleague entering the room furrowed his brow. “Are you saying that the others who couldn’t get treatment and died aren’t worthy of our sympathy? They were our comrades! How could you?”

The logistics department roommate was taken aback by his accusatory tone. 

The two usually got along well, so he knew that the other guy didn’t hold back when expressing his opinions. Seeing his roommate’s shock, he softened his tone.

“You’re just judging by appearances,” he scoffed, “If he were ugly, you’d be saying something else.”

His roommate scratched his head and chuckled, not daring to argue further. 

The topic was treated as a joke and abandoned.

The medical intern’s curiosity only grew. What kind of person could make Ye Lanzhou, known for his selflessness and sense of justice, to be so consumed by worry and obsession?

–

In the evening, as the sun cast its last rays, Xiao Bai began his rounds. He recorded basic patient information on his clipboard and checked the number of medical instruments in the empty rooms. It wasn’t necessary for him to do so, but it helped him get used to the new workplace.

The last place to check was the highest floor. He walked out of the last room, but just as he was about to descend the stairs, his gaze was drawn to the room at the end of the corridor.

He stood at the stairwell for a moment, seemingly captivated by the setting sun’s red glow. He turned around and slowly walked towards the mysterious room.

To his surprise, the door to the room was unlocked. With a gentle push, it opened.

The room was barren. Inside was an empty ward with just a bed, a cabinet, and some medical equipment beside it. 

The window was closed tightly. Peering through the glass, he could only see a few bare branches against the backdrop of the high walls surrounding the base. The distant sky was overcast with grey clouds.

No one else was in the room.

He looked left and right, nervously gulping, before cautiously stepping inside.

With only a glance, Xiao Bai understood why his fellow intern had sided with the patient and Ye Lanzhou’s stubborn hope that he would eventually wake.

Beautiful.

When Xiao Bai looked at the person on the sick bed, that was the only adjective that came to his mind.

Every part of his face from the arrangement of the eyebrows, eyes, to the lips, was impeccable.

Any additional adjectives seemed superfluous.

Even without any enhancements, his looks were enough to earn admiration from both men and women alike.

Despite being in a coma for a decade, he still looked like a teenager. His slightly pale complexion and tranquil demeanour betrayed no sign of his illness. It was as if he was simply sleeping.

His body seemed to be frozen in the moment just before his death.

“Death” only served to add more impact to his beauty.

Xiao Bai held on his breath instinctively, afraid of disturbing the person in their slumber.

But he couldn’t help but approach the sickbed, drawn by a sudden compulsion.

“What are you doing here?” a voice, slightly tinged with frost, came from behind him.

Xiao Bai started in surprise. He quickly withdrew his hand, gaze regained its clarity.

His face abruptly paled– he had been about to touch the patient’s face.

Xiao Bai awkwardly hid his hand behind his back, turning around with trepidation. When he saw the person at the door, his complexion paled even further.

“Lieu…lieutenant…” Xiao Bai squeaked.

The man at the door had a handsome appearance, a gentle demeanour and appeared to be in his twenties. His demeanour wasn’t at all threatening.

However, not a single person dared provoke him.

He was the second-in-command of their base, Xiang Renxi.

Xiang Renxi had been his partner long before Ye Lanzhou had formed his own team. Later, due to his exceptional abilities and Ye Lanzhou’s trust in him, he became the deputy leader of the team. 

When Base 8 was established, Xiang Renxi’s position was cemented as the second-in-command of the entire base. Any trivialities Ye Lanzhou couldn’t be bothered to deal with were entrusted to him.

Out of habit and respect, most people in the base referred to him as “Lieutenant Xiang.”

Lieutenant Xiang had a warm disposition, rarely losing his temper; even when his team members made mistakes, he would gently correct them. Everyone viewed him as a good person.

However, for some reason, Xiao Bai had always felt intimidated by him.

“I-I’m here… I, uh…” Xiao Bai struggled to explain, breaking out into a cold sweat.

“You’re the new intern, right?” Xiang Renxi noticed the record board in Xiao Bai’s hand. “Dr. Xu asked you to check this room, I assume.”

Xiao Bai nodded vigorously.

“In the future, you need not come here. Someone else is responsible for this room,” Xiang Renxi advised.

“Y-yes sir,” Xiao Bai replied. He was all too eager to escape from this situation.

The last rays of sunlight cast a glaring red light on the room. Xiang Renxi glanced at the bed but to Xiao Bai’s relief, didn’t pursue the issue. He simply said, “It’s getting late. You should go back and rest.”

I feel like I’ve just been pardoned…

 Xiao Bai promptly fled the room, only daring to catch his breath once he reached the lower floor.

Back in the ward, Xiang Renxi didn’t leave immediately. He stood by the sickbed for a long time, his expression indecipherable.

The light of the setting sun outlined his figure as he leaned over the patient.

‘”Chu… Chen… Li. What a beautiful face…” Xiang Renxi whispered.

His shadow threw the patient’s features into darkness. The patient remained unresponsive.

“It’s a real pity–,” 

Xiang Renxi’s hand grabbed the young man’s neck. Like this, neck exposed, the patient looked helplessly vulnerable in the older man’s strong grip.  

His grip slowly tightened.

“–Why aren’t you already dead?” Xiang Renxi whispered.

No one answered his question.

The usually kind-hearted man’s face was twisted, murderous. But as his gaze scanned the face of the comatose patient, a hint of surprise broke his otherwise grim expression. 

Such a beautiful face, containing such genuine and fervent emotions.

When the apocalypse struck, how many people committed inhumane acts, betraying loved ones and friends for the sake of survival?

Even the saintly figure in the eyes of many, Ye Lanzhou, had his hands dripping with the blood of innocents.

The only exception was Chu Chenli, who, after knowing Ye Lanzhou for only a year, was willing to sacrifice his life to save the other.

For him, time had forever remained frozen in that moment.

Chu Chenli’s love was selfless and pure. 

He had done no wrong–except for unknowingly “living”.

“If you were dead, maybe I could…” Xiang Renxi closed his eyes. Choked down the rest of his sentence…

Bang.

The door slammed open.

Ye Lanzhou stood in the doorway, his face pale. 

“Xiao Xi, what are you doing?”