Sixteen Years

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“After thinking it over, there’s no cure anyway. You might throw me onto the ambulance and I might end up biting someone else. Those doctors don’t have our skills; it’s better to avoid harming people.”

On the public channel, Fu Yan’s connection was closed, but the special police captain’s wasn’t.

His tone was light, probably because he didn’t want to leave room for second thoughts, so he spoke hurriedly.

The man coordinating outside was startled, afraid that Fu Yan might be contemplating something drastic. He tried to persuade him, saying that there was still no definitive conclusion from the hospital, and the situation might not be as dire as it seemed.

However, Fu Yan on the other end of the earpiece, remained silent and unresponsive. After a couple of rapid breaths, it seemed like he had removed the earpiece, thrown it on the ground, and shattered it, cutting off the communication signal.

The shopping mall fell silent for a few seconds, then a gunshot rang out.

The gunshot was very close to the mall entrance gate, and the people on the outer perimeter of the barrier simultaneously grew quiet, turning to look in the direction of the gunshot.

The ground floor facing the street housed a chain fast-food restaurant, with tables and chairs in disarray behind the clean, transparent glass. A suffocating silence filled the area, along with an instinctual sense of panic and unease.

Liu Ruosong’s heart pounded. He hadn’t expected Fu Yan to actually open fire. Considering Fu Yan’s personality, not only would he not abandon his comrades, but he would also avoid harming anyone, even if they were infected.

Liu Ruosong’s thoughts were in turmoil. He wanted Fu Yan to come out and explain, but he was also afraid that Fu Yan might get into trouble by doing so.

As Liu Ruosong hesitated, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He took out his phone and glanced at it, discovering a text message from Fu Yan.

“You go ahead,” Fu Yan wrote in the message. “Move away from this street, find a place far from the crowd, and wait for me.”

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Liu Ruosong hesitated for a moment but decided to follow Fu Yan’s instructions. He looked around and noticed that no one was paying attention to him at the moment. He took off his earpiece and placed it on the police car, adjusted his collar, and carefully “slipped” out of the crowd.

Although Liu Ruosong had been to S City several times, Fu Yan had visited less frequently. Liu Ruosong was worried that Fu Yan might not find him later, so he didn’t go far. He simply drove around a block and parked near a closed alley in the commercial district.

After settling in, he sent his location to Fu Yan but received no response, wondering if Fu Yan was dealing with those people.

Liu Ruosong patiently waited in place for half an hour before Fu Yan hurriedly appeared from the other end of the alley. He climbed over a few barricades and walked up to the car, tapping on the car window.

Liu Ruosong quickly pressed the unlock button, and Fu Yan, without saying a word, got in and took off his coat and opened a bottle of mineral water to wipe away the brain matter and blood on himself.

“Actually, your choice wasn’t wrong,” Liu Ruosong’s tone was somewhat solemn. “During the time you were inside, things have gone haywire outside. The batch of injured people sent to the hospital first started a riot. The hospital is short-staffed, and many people have been infected a second time.”

“Moreover, from what I heard outside, it seems like there’s chaos happening in places other than this shopping mall,” Liu Ruosong sighed and continued, “I don’t know if it’s because the lightly injured who escaped have also mutated or some other reason. So, you…”

Liu Ruosong wanted to say that you shouldn’t feel too much psychological pressure, but Fu Yan was a person who, in the end, was firm-minded and self-assured. Once he made up his mind, he never doubted himself, so there was no need for Liu Ruosong’s consolation.

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So Liu Ruosong sighed and swallowed the words back.

At times like these, Liu Ruosong always inexplicably felt a sense of powerlessness. To be honest, Fu Yan was an excellent boyfriend, loyal, equal, and respectful, the most important qualities in a relationship. He had never crossed those boundaries. He had his opinions but wasn’t domineering, and at home, he often listened to Liu Ruosong’s opinions. Apart from matters of principle and national responsibility, he almost always accommodated Liu Ruosong.

Setting aside the lack of romance, there were hardly any areas that required Liu Ruosong’s concern.

No one is perfect, and Liu Ruosong thought he should be content. But every time at moments like this, he felt like there was an invisible barrier between him and Fu Yan. Something that he couldn’t touch or grasp, even though Fu Yan was right in front of him. It was as if he could never truly hold onto him.

Fu Yan didn’t need comfort, support, or Liu Ruosong bending over backward to accommodate him. He didn’t even need Liu Ruosong to rack his brains to take care of his emotions.

Fu Yan seemed like an unbreakable steel rod, never getting trapped, whether outside or at home.

Besides being reliable, Liu Ruosong couldn’t help but feel a subtle sense of detachment, just like today.

Because of the nature of his work, Fu Yan was destined to devote half of his energy to his responsibilities. Liu Ruosong understood this quite well and even took pride in it. Liu Ruosong considered himself a mature man who didn’t need to constantly dwell on his “sense of self-worth.”

So, he briefly composed himself and stuffed the jumbled negative emotions that had suddenly surfaced into the mental trash can, then smoothly changed the subject.

“However, how did you manage to get out, and did those people give you a hard time?” Liu Ruosong asked.

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“No,” Fu Yan replied. Unaware of Liu Ruosong’s momentary discomfort, he finished wiping his coat, put it back on, and then said, “There’s video footage, audio recordings, and a lot of evidence. If there’s a need to hold me accountable later, I won’t be able to escape.”

Liu Ruosong understood the implication of his words. It meant that letting Fu Yan go now was primarily because his status was higher than that of the on-site commander. If it was determined later that he had acted negligently, others could still hold him accountable at any time.

Liu Ruosong’s expression became somewhat serious, and Fu Yan squeezed his hand and reassured him awkwardly after hesitating for a moment.

“Don’t be afraid,” Fu Yan said. “I’m here, so nothing will happen to you.”

He spoke the truth. Even in the previous life when the situation had deteriorated to that extent, Liu Ruosong had been able to live within the base, thanks to Fu Yan. Although life was tough, he was safe. After Fu Yan’s death, Liu Ruosong still benefited from his merits. As long as the other party didn’t have any self-destructive ideas, there shouldn’t be any problems in this lifetime.

“Fu Yan, What do you think this virus is?” Liu Ruosong said, “When I was outside just now, I even heard about people biting each other on the streets… The infection spreads too fast. The hospital has fallen, and they’ve taken people to block it off. However, it’s still not enough. There are too many lightly injured people who weren’t controlled or sent to the hospital before. There have even been reports of people biting others on the streets, and we don’t know what’s happening in those semi-closed spaces. Among them are children, about eleven or twelve years old…”

Liu Ruosong seemed to recall a gruesome scene and didn’t go into further detail. Instead, he impatiently ran his fingers through his hair, sounding tired as he asked, “do you think this mess will end?”

In the shopping mall earlier, the special police captain had also asked Fu Yan the same question.

At that time, he had just crushed his own earpiece, and facing Fu Yan with his hands held up, he had taken several steps back, creating some distance between them.

“Come on,” the special police captain tugged at the corners of his mouth, forcing a smile. “You’re such a good shot, so just do it quickly.”

“Have you made up your mind?” Fu Yan asked.

The special police captain frowned, and his voice began to undergo some noticeable changes. His muscles started stiffening, and speaking became much more difficult for him. “I can feel it… I feel so cold, yet it’s like there’s a fire burning inside me. You might not believe it, but I can sense it, as if my nerves are numb, and I can’t even feel my heartbeat anymore.”

His rigid state clearly began to spread, and the cotton-like substances in his pupils expanded. He was gradually losing his composure and spoke incoherently. Drool started dripping from his lips uncontrollably.

Fu Yan had intended to shoot, but before he did, the special police captain used the last of his rationality to ask Fu Yan a question.

“Will this disaster end?” he said.

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He had clearly lost the ability to think clearly, but he still instinctively used the word “disaster,” which gave it a feeling of inevitability.

Fu Yan murmured in a low voice and firmly answered him.

“It will end,” Fu Yan said.

He said it with such certainty that although Liu Ruosong couldn’t fully believe it, he couldn’t help but feel a bit comforted.

Liu Ruosong forced a smile and said, “That’s good… Oh, by the way, there’s something I forgot to tell you.”

Saying that, he took out a mobile phone from his pocket. When Fu Yan had entered the mall to collect samples earlier, he had left Shao Xuefan’s phone in the car. Liu Ruosong was uneasy when he got out of the car, so he decided to take it with him.

Coincidentally, just now, when Fu Yan was inside the mall, a student named Fang Sinin who was traveling outside the city had called him.

The good news was that Fang Sinin, who Shao Xuefan had been thinking about, was still alive. However, the bad news was that he wasn’t in S City but in the distant city of Pengcheng.

“So far away,” Fu Yan furrowed his brow, clearly surprised by this answer.

“He went there on behalf of his teacher to attend some seminar,” Liu Ruosong seemed concerned as well, saying, “That place is a special administrative region, and seminars and such are often held there.”

“I see. Public transportation isn’t safe, and we can’t guarantee that those potential mutants who escaped haven’t infiltrated public transportation,” Fu Yan said. “I’ll figure it out myself. Give me his contact information.”

Liu Ruosong sent Fang Sinin’s phone number to Fu Yan’s phone. Just as he looked up, he saw a pitch-black gun pointed at him, freezing in place.

Before he could even ask Fu Yan how he managed to take a registered firearm for personal use, Fu Yan reversed the gun’s barrel and handed the grip to him.

“Take it,” Fu Yan said. “You remember how to shoot, right?”