Chapter 7 – Amnesia

There was a stranger sitting by his bedside.

He had neat black hair, a round face and eyes hidden behind black-framed glasses. His appearance carried a touch of youth and cuteness.

Seeing as Chu Chenli had roused from his sleep, the young man’s eyes lit up. “You’re awake? Do you feel any discomfort? I’ll call the doctor to examine you.” 

He got up and quickly rushed out.

Chu Chenli couldn’t stop him in time. He just rubbed his throbbing temple, trying to sooth the pain in his head.

 The doctor arrived promptly, his face stern as ever. Despite his cold demeanour, he conducted the examination diligently. While waiting for the test results, he assessed Chu Chenli’s mental state.

Yesterday, when Chu Chenli first woke up, he seemed like a severely intoxicated person. He lacked common sense, basic rationality and survival instincts. Fortunately, he behaved calmly and obediently, and did not cause any trouble.

He seemed a little more alert after waking up today.

It was as if a machine that had been malfunctioning for a long time had undergone hardware replacement, cleared its memory, and finally started operating properly. 

Time began to flow again for him.

“Do you still have problems with your memory?” The doctor glanced at the data, which didn’t differ much from yesterday. He temporarily set the report aside and inquired, “How much do you remember?”

“I remember we were attacked,” Chu Chenli tried to recall what he could. His memories were fragmented, his mind was just a hazy white fog. 

The last scene he could recall was being surrounded by zombies in a valley with Ye Lanzhou. They were too focused on the zombies in front of them, unaware that there were people with guns hiding in the shadows.

Those people specialised in robbing other small groups of their resources. 

Chu Chenli realised too late that there was danger  and could only push Ye Lanzhou away. He was shot in the heart. 

When recalling this, Chu Chenli paused, subconsciously touching the location on his chest.

He distinctly remembered that the bullet should have hit his heart. 

The doctor thought that he might have a psychological shadow from a near-death experience, and said, “You got lucky. The bullet missed your heart by only a few millimetres.”

Glancing towards the door, there was a young man there guarding to prevent outsiders from entering. 

The doctor continued in a lowered voice, “Everyone assumes you were attacked by zombies and it should remain that way. It’s a time of solidarity for humanity against external threats. Do you understand?”

Chu Chenli nodded silently.

Aside from the memory of his death that was etched in his mind, he could only remember the time spent together with Ye Lanzhou. They officially got together in winter, when they took refuge in a cave for warmth. Whether it was because of the desire for warmth born from hardships or the collision of their gazes. They became a couple in the cold winter.

In the apocalypse, finding love wasn’t easy. But it provided moments of respite. It was a source of comfort in this chaotic world.

With that special someone by his side, Chu Chenli managed to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

The doctor had no interest in their love story. Chu Chenli only recapped a rough timeline of his past,  briefly glossing over his love story since the doctor clearly didn’t care.

The memories of being together with Ye Lanzhou were the clearest, while memories of life before the apocalypse were hazy.

He…completely forgot what happened after saving Ye Lanzhou.

The doctor considered this normal. After all, many people unconsciously forgot pre-apocalyptic memories as reminiscing about the irretrievable peaceful past only brought pain.

Living in the apocalypse for ten years was already painful enough.

After being in a coma for ten years of deep sleep, it was fortunate that Chu Chenli only suffered minimal brain impairment.

The doctor advised him to rest for two more days and left the room with the examination report in hand.

Chu Chenli looked down at his palm and pondered. 

It felt like he was still missing something. 

What was it?

The bespectacled young man who was sitting by his bedside earlier walked in. Seeing Chu Chenli lost in thought, he assumed he missed Ye Lanzhou.

“Commander Ye has gone on a mission. He asked me to take care of you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

Thankfully, seeing Ye Lanzhou yesterday was no illusion.

Chu Chenli nodded. He could tell Ye Lanzhou held a high position here, so it was only natural that he had many responsibilities. Although he was slightly  disappointed, he didn’t want to bother him. 

Apart from Ye Lanzhou, Chu Chenli didn’t know anyone. He was also unaware of the current state of the outside world as his memories were jumbled.

He felt inexplicably uneasy…

Regardless, no matter how busy Ye Lanzhou was, he was bound to visit some day.

Chu Chenli didn’t want to cause trouble for Ye Lanzhou. He wanted to get a better grasp of the current situation before Ye Lanzhou returned.

His attention was suddenly diverted by the young man’s wrist. 

When he adjusted his glasses, his sleeve slid down, revealing a dark bruise on his wrist. It was as if his wrist was tightly bound for a long time.

It looked like a strangulation mark.

“Your arm…” Chu Chenli spoke up.

“Huh?” The young man looked confused as he gazed down. “When did this happen?!”

Chu Chenli was speechless.

The young man smiled sheepishly. He didn’t know the answer, and certainly wasn’t expecting an answer from Chu Chenli, the patient who had always been in a coma.  

“Oh, maybe I bumped into something and didn’t notice. Anyways, it doesn’t hurt.”

The young man said, prodding the bruise as if it didn’t hurt much. In this era, getting injured was common, so he didn’t think much about it. Suddenly, he remembered he hadn’t introduced himself yet and scratched the back of his head a bit embarrassedly.

“I’m a new intern in the medical department, Bai Yansheng, everyone just calls me Xiao Bai.”

Coincidentally, Xiao Bai had noticed when Chu Chenli woke up just when he had been appointed to take care of Chu Chenli.

Xiao Bai was an extrovert, whose speech and actions mirrored his erratic thoughts. 

Chu Chenli listened quietly, extracting the information he needed.

It has been eleven years since the apocalypse started and more than half of humanity had died. Currently, there are less than two hundred million people, and at least a quarter with no combat capability, including the elderly and children. 

However, with the emergence of awakened individuals, bases were established one after another. The world gradually entered a relatively stable situation.

Infected humans and creatures were coined as zombies or mutants. Zombies reproduced rapidly, and they became stronger and aggressive. Ordinary weapons were not enough to kill them, especially those with special abilities and high intelligence.

Zombies were the biggest threat to humanity. 

All the bases aimed to eradicate the zombies and shelter and shelter humans.

The core of each base was the powerful awakened individuals.

Awakened humans could rival the mutant zombies, capable of killing them without specialised weapons.

—

Chu Chenli had never encountered an awakened person before.

Based on the description, he could guess that they were probably individuals with special abilities.

Seeing Chu Chenli’s curiosity, Xiao Bai enthusiastically explained.

“It’s similar to superpowers in movies and cartoons, with some differences. It’s also akin to cultivating immortality. Usually, when the awakening factor exceeds the critical value of sixty, different attributes will awaken. Then mutants can imbue their weapons with corresponding attributes, giving them the ability to kill variants. Of course, bare-handed attacks work too, but it’s risky,”

“If they’re stronger, they can even use these attribute abilities in a certain range.”

“By the way, Ye Lanzhou’s attribute is thunder.” Xiao Bai was visibly excited when mentioning Ye Lanzhou. Even though he wasn’t very familiar with Ye Lanzhou, he greatly respected him.

Everyone in Base 8 looked up to Ye Lanzhou.

Ye Lanzhou was one of the first awakened individuals and one of the founders of the base. Powerful yet compassionate towards the weak, he was revered as a saviour by the ordinary and admired by the awakened.

–

His only flaw was his relationship with Chu Chenli.

The survivors who lost comrades and loved ones blamed Chu Chenli for monopolising medical facilities. If it weren’t for him, their loved ones and comrades wouldn’t have died.

Although many people knew Chu Chenli was wrongly implicated, it was easy to blame a vegetable for their psyche. 

Everyone needed an outlet to vent in the apocalypse. 

Of course, Xiao Bai didn’t tell this to Chu Chenli. 

Nobody would want to be hated. 

Moreover…

Xiao Bai secretly glanced at Chu Chenli’s pale face. 

Would he be saddened to the point of crying if he knew?

Xiao Bai belonged to the group that viewed Chu Chenli as innocent and pitiable. Watching the young teenager quietly sitting alone, he couldn’t help but sympathise with him.

A young teenager, with his slender figure, beautiful without any support, was like a fragile branch in the wind and rain, not knowing where the road ahead would lead.

Xiao Bai let his imagination run wild. Chu Chenli turned into a delicate little white cabbage in his mind. He spoke in a soft and gentle tone, subconsciously lowering his voice..

“Dr Du is the best doctor in our medical department. Healing is a very rare attribute to have. In our entire base, there are only about two people. They usually go on missions with the team. Other than those two, there’s Dr Du. I heard that before the disaster, he was the director of a provincial hospital. Even during the apocalypse, he’s saved a lot of lives.”

Chu Chenli realised that the doctor who had examined him earlier was Dr Du.

Xiao Bai was trying to comfort him, saying, “Doctor Du is usually very busy. In addition to treating patients, he is also responsible for researching new medicine. Regardless, Captain Ye specifically asked him to take charge for your treatment. Sometimes, he’s cranky but he is very serious when it comes to his patients.”

“When you recover…,” Xiao Bai, while speaking, took a moment to assess Chu Chenli’s seemingly delicate figure and made up a few comforting words on the spot, “Even if you can’t go to the front line or participate in missions, you can still shine in the logistics department.”

Now, manpower is scarce everywhere. In the midst of a crisis, most people were very pragmatic. If Chu Chenli can play a supporting role, others will naturally change their views of him.

Xiao Bai was very optimistic, and Chu Chenli could feel his goodwill. Xiao Bai wasn’t stupid and he understood those who rejected and disdained Chu Chenli. But he didn’t agree with them.

Chu Chenli also understood. 

No one likes to be burdened with the weight of life and death at such a critical moment. 

Rationally, he could accept it, but psychologically, he felt lost and helpless.

Chu Chenli wasn’t bothered by the hostility of those people. He was held up by the distance of ten years between him and Ye Lanzhou. 

Ye Lanzhou was already a beloved leader, and ten years was more than enough time for others to surround him, accompanying him through the most difficult times. And Chu Chenli was no longer one of them.

Presently, Chu Chenli didn’t know if there was still a place left for him in any corner of his heart.

But at the same time, there was a voice in Chu Chenli’s heart saying—

He was satisfied with just being able to see him again.

Since that was his only wish. 

As for the future, there was plenty of time. 

Chu Chenli sighed inwardly, temporarily suppressing his complicated thoughts. After Xiao Bai stopped comforting him, Chu Chenli quietly asked him, “Can I go outside for a bit?”

Xiao Bai suddenly became silent. 

“Well, you can, but…” Xiao Bai spoke hesitantly. 

He didn’t find it troublesome; rather, he was worried that if Chu Chenli overheard some gossip, it may make him sad. 

“But your body is quite weak right now. The doctor said you shouldn’t move around too much for the time being. Why don’t you go rest? If you’re restless, you can open the window for some fresh air?”

Chu Chenli nodded, understanding Xiao Bai’s dilemma, and didn’t insist further.

His body was indeed weak at the moment. The dizziness and discomfort that came from waking up after a long sleep were not unbearable, but they made him feel awkward, as if his soul had been forcibly placed into an incompatible  body.

His intuition told him to keep that to himself, and the doctor didn’t find anything unusual.

The discomfort was gradually fading, and he should fully recover soon. The time spent lying peacefully on the hospital bed felt like a luxury to him.

Xiao Bai energetically walked toward the window. 

As he opened it halfway, the cool breeze turned chilly. The door of the ward was forcefully pushed open with a “bang,” hitting the wall and conveying a sense of suppressed dissatisfaction.

A short-haired young girl stood at the door, scanning the ward. Her gaze directly bypassed Xiao Bai who was by the window, and landed on Chu Chenli. She narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Are you the pretty boy who saved the galaxy in your previous life?”

Author’s note:

The amnesia won’t last too long. Although Ah Li seems well-behaved now, he used to be someone who wouldn’t hesitate to use force before entering the game (even Little Mu was subdued by him, lol). 

As for Ye Lanzhou, in the eyes of most people, he was indeed a good person previously and currently. Otherwise, Ah Li wouldn’t like him. However, people change, and they can become selfish. Ah Li’s complete disillusionment with him is not just a matter of emotions.