Bai Chen Zhu woke up early. When he propped himself up with his hand on his forehead, the throbbing headache had already eased somewhat. Zhou Zhuo Hua looked at him with a face full of worry and said she’d quietly brought back some painkillers.
“Thanks, but medicine is precious—save it for now.” Bai Chen Zhu gestured for her to put it away. He scanned Bai Tao and Zhou Zhuo Hua, frowning. “Where are Jiang Ye and Tang Zhao?”
Bai Tao said, “They haven’t woken up yet. They had more serious injuries, but there’s something really strange about it.”
Strange how? Bai Chen Zhu’s eyes seemed to speak volumes. As soon as his gaze landed on Zhou Zhuo Hua, she explained, “The healing speed. Tang Zhao had a fractured left arm and two broken ribs—it should take a long time to recover. But after I treated him, in just one night, it’s already half healed. And Jiang Ye is even more unbelievable…”
Zhou Zhuo Hua sucked in a cold breath. “His injuries were worse than Tang Zhao’s, but after lying there one night, they’re down to just some superficial wounds.”
That miraculous? Bai Chen Zhu was stunned. Bai Tao thought he didn’t believe her and quickly gestured animatedly. “It’s true! I checked Jiang Ye’s wounds every hour, and they really healed super fast! Even Hua Tuo’s medicine wouldn’t be this amazing—you should go see for yourself!”
Evil Bai Tao smacked her lips. “Did he turn into some kind of ‘flesh that revives the dead and mends bones’ Tang Monk meat? Or maybe we should carve him up while he’s still out.”
Zhou Zhuo Hua smacked her on the head and teased, “Put away your gluttony, you little peach demon.”
Bai Chen Zhu got up and looked outside. The sky was bright, and passersby on the road had smiles on their faces, like they were discussing some joyous event. Leaning on the window and listening carefully, he vaguely caught keywords like ‘Mr. Li,’ ‘revived,’ ‘daughter,’ and such.
“What’s going on out there?” Bai Chen Zhu’s expression turned grave.
Last night’s chaos had been so big—the others in the manor couldn’t possibly be unaware.
Zhou Zhuo Hua and Bai Tao exchanged a glance and shook their heads. Zhou Zhuo Hua adjusted her glasses. “We’ve been taking care of you all night and haven’t had time to check the news.”
Bai Chen Zhu frowned. A sense of crisis urged him not to stay lying down. “I’ll go out and ask around.”
Zhou Zhuo Hua worried he’d faint again as a patient and followed him.
They only needed to grab someone to get the full story.
It turned out Li Zhen Zhen had rushed nonstop to the hospital to pick up Mr. Li and announced publicly that Mr. Li had been ill and recuperating out of sight before, but now that he was better, he’d returned.
No one knew about Bai Guang Zheng’s disappearance yet—the ones who did kept quiet about it.
The manor belonged to the Li Family, and the bodyguards and others didn’t fully answer to Bai Guang Zheng. Now with him missing and Mr. Li reappearing to take back control of the manor, they switched sides like wallflowers, immediately obeying their original employer.
The manor was damaged and in ruins. Li Zhen Zhen suggested they move to the Holiday Hotel for a while, but Mr. Li insisted on staying in the original place. “This is a lesson.”
Bai Chen Zhu’s quarters were far from the small building and hadn’t been affected. Being so far away, they also missed the lively welcomes and visits in the front courtyard.
—
That afternoon, Li Min Nian and Li Zhen Zhen came over with gifts, without anyone else. Bai Chen Zhu and the others received them.
But Bai Chen Zhu felt there was no connection between them besides the Fragment, so there wasn’t much to say. Zhou Zhuo Hua only cared about their own people and had no opinion on the leadership change in Luozhou.
As for Bai Tao, she widened her eyes innocently, round and clueless, answering “I don’t know” to every question, looking adorably dumb. Li Zhen Zhen stared at her for a moment before looking away. They tacitly acted as if Bai Guang Zheng had never existed, and their interactions hadn’t revolved around him.
Thus, the father and daughter simply gave their thanks, left some gifts, and departed.
The gifts sat in the small hall. Bai Tao excitedly stuffed them into the car. “Free stuff—why not take it?”
Bai Chen Zhu and Zhou Zhuo Hua separately checked on Tang Zhao and Jiang Ye. Though they hadn’t woken, their wounds did look much better.
“Don’t let anyone else know about this.” Bai Chen Zhu lifted Jiang Ye’s bandages for a look, his frosty face creasing with a tight frown.
“That’s what I thought too—too dangerous.” Zhou Zhuo Hua hugged her arms, leaning against the doorframe to watch him. After a day and night without sleep, fatigue showed on her face.
Bai Chen Zhu tried to rewrap the bandages, but they ended up crooked and messy. Zhou Zhuo Hua found his clumsy efforts amusing and walked over slowly. “Not like that—want me to teach you?”
Bai Chen Zhu perked up with interest, rolling up his sleeves. “Sure.”
—
Another day passed, and Jiang Ye woke first.
Bai Chen Zhu had learned some bandaging from Zhou Zhuo Hua and was carefully wrapping Jiang Ye’s wounds when he heard him grunt in pain. Looking up, he saw sweat beading on Jiang Ye’s forehead and raised a brow. “You, Mr. Arrogant all the time, beaten like this by a zombie. If we hadn’t lured it away, you really planned to tank it to the death?”
“Mm.” Jiang Ye fiddled with the butterfly knot on his arm bandage, suspecting Bai Chen Zhu was getting personal revenge. “It has no pain sense and slow body awareness. Just disarm its limbs to immobilize it, and the rest is easy.”
Bai Chen Zhu shook his head, disagreeing, and tightened his grip, making Jiang Ye gasp. “Begging for mercy already? Your method’s suicidal—what if you get killed first?”
Not impossible. Gambler Jiang Ye fell silent, then got cheeky, slapping his thigh. “Won’t you save me?”
Bai Chen Zhu saw through his deflection and punched his shoulder with a laugh. “Idiot! Who’d save you?”
Jiang Ye clutched his shoulder, yelling in pain.
Bai Chen Zhu knew he was faking and ignored him. But as the cries dragged on, his hesitation grew, and he pulled open Jiang Ye’s shirt. “Where’s it hurt?”
Jiang Ye looked pitiful. “You said you wouldn’t save me—my heart hurts.”
Bai Chen Zhu: …
“Cheeky, huh?” He huffed, half-amused, and tied the bandage tighter.
After the horseplay, topic-dodging Jiang Ye grinned, rocking side to side, splitting the bandage open again and earning a swat before settling down.
“Don’t be so reckless next time.” Bai Chen Zhu adjusted the bandage seriously. “You shoved me out the door—what about you? Think you’re invincible?”
“I don’t like owing favors, and neither do you.” Bai Chen Zhu said coldly. “If you died because of me, I’d only hate you.”
Jiang Ye laughed again.
Doubt stirred in Bai Chen Zhu’s heart. He remembered Jiang Ye smiled often, but never with this dazed, silly look.
Like a big dumb oaf.
Hesitant, he tested by waving fingers at Jiang Ye, who grabbed his hand.
Bai Chen Zhu’s worries deepened.
Jiang Ye’s eyes gleamed with obsession, looking him over with fresh eyes. “A’zhu, you’re so pretty.”
Pretty? Bai Chen Zhu paused, surprised, and probed, “Pretty where?”
Jiang Ye reached to touch the air behind Bai Chen Zhu. “Your wings are all rainbow-colored, huge and gorgeous. Feels icy-soft, like a celestial fairy.”
Wings where? A chill ran down Bai Chen Zhu’s spine. He felt Jiang Ye’s forehead—no fever—then other skin areas, unable to tell, and quickly stood to open the door. “Sister Zhuo Hua, come quick!”
It wasn’t just Jiang Ye—Tang Zhao had similar hallucinations too. Their world seemed a blend of reality and fantasy.
Fortunately, aside from the visions, they behaved and didn’t act out. The hallucinations faded as their injuries improved.
—
Once back to normal, Jiang Ye clutched his forehead, recalling his stupidity, and hung his head in silence.
But Bai Chen Zhu, still beside him, deadpanned dramatically: “Wow~ Butterfly wings!”
“Rainbow-colored!”
“Icy and cool.”
Bai Chen Zhu leaned his head on Jiang Ye’s shoulder, pointing at his empty back with a grin. “Wanna touch again?”
Jiang Ye shoved his head away one-handed and explained to the onlookers. “It’s an upgrade, evolution—whatever you call it. Like A’zhu’s headache. Good thing, just temporary disorientation. I say again: I’m not crazy!”
Now Tang Zhao was the one going “Whoa.” Hearing it was an “upgrade,” he excitedly lapped the hall twice, then peered at Bai Tao up and down, only to slump in disappointment.
Bai Tao blinked in confusion. “What’re you looking for?”
“Peach tree spirit, your peaches are gone—no more hallucinations. My upgrade’s done?” Tang Zhao scratched his head.
Bai Tao blanked for a bit before realizing, then chased him furiously. They circled Zhou Zhuo Hua, who alternately blocked them, laughing helplessly. “Stop it, stop!”
“While you were recovering, Li Min Nian came once.” Bai Chen Zhu sat up straight, getting to business. “I sent him off. With the Fragment in hand, no need to keep dealing with them, right?”
Bai Chen Zhu always acted independently—without Jiang Ye awake, he’d handled things his way.
Jiang Ye shook his head, deep in thought. “No, we have more to discuss. But first, A’zhu, come shopping with me.”
These past days, Bai Chen Zhu had gone out, but Jiang Ye hardly had.
Though puzzled, Bai Chen Zhu was fine with a trip out.
—
Today was a rare sunny day.
Bai Chen Zhu traded for a coconut, cracked it open, and hugged it, sipping occasionally. Walking beside Jiang Ye, he watched him gaze at the scenery, wondering what Jiang Ye was after.
“What’re you looking for out here?” Bai Chen Zhu finally gave in to curiosity.
Jiang Ye spun for a sneak attack, but prepared Bai Chen Zhu dodged nimbly with his coconut.
Jiang Ye laughed, clutching his belly at the food-guarding look.
Bai Chen Zhu shot him a glance and calmly sipped.
Jiang Ye stopped fooling around. Bai Chen Zhu exhaled, hands behind his back, strolling leisurely. “What do you think of Li Min Nian?”
“Pretty good. A bit old, but capable and well-liked.” Bai Chen Zhu was straightforward—he’d gone out with Zhou Zhuo Hua to gather info and kept tabs on Li Min Nian’s recent moves.
In his eyes, after dealing with Bai Guang Zheng, Li Min Nian had seized the moment to escape soft confinement, “reviving” in everyone’s view and returning to the main residence.
From then on, Li Min Nian worked nonstop: recruiting Ability Users into teams, planning fishermen’s sea voyages, crop planting, and more, all coordinated with a full secretarial staff.
Compared to him, Bai Guang Zheng seemed like a slacker rich kid “guarding the empire”—as long as he was strong, no one dared take the “rich kid’s” fortune.
“Lots of people visited him. He sent us food as thanks and said he wants to see you once you’re up, but I don’t think it’s necessary.” Bai Chen Zhu said bluntly.
He paused. “You have other ideas?”
Jiang Ye nodded. “I have a rough plan—hear me out.”
“You once asked why I didn’t tell those big shots who could make waves about the Fragment.” Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes. “What’d I say? Those who could know about the Fragment are gone, and those who don’t know won’t believe easily.”
At that, Bai Chen Zhu got it. “You think with Li Zhen Zhen vouching, Li Min Nian—after all this—will believe.”
Jiang Ye sighed deeply. “Just us won’t cut it. From what I know, there are plenty of them. We need allies.”
But where to find allies? The new base leaders were prime candidates.
Bai Chen Zhu understood and nodded. “True. I support it, but you figured out how to pitch it?”
They walked shoulder-to-shoulder through streets, stopping at the seaside. The massive ship-like Holiday Hotel loomed at the island’s center, its silhouette like a steadfast mountain.
Jiang Ye stared at the giant “ship” and tugged his lips. “A’zhu, I still remember that story you told me. In the end, the bad protagonist destroys the so-called ‘post-apoc hope,’ dooms the world, and gets spat on by all.”
“I have another version of the story ending. Wanna hear?”
“Been wanting to.” Bai Chen Zhu nodded. Their time together had given him vague glimpses from Jiang Ye, but just shadows.
“Really?” Jiang Ye smiled and told him the other version’s conclusion, filling in the backstory and outcomes—like rewriting unofficial history into a wholly unfamiliar tale.
In the stories Bai Chen Zhu had read, Jiang Ye was the absolute protagonist. Everything went smoothly for him; he had women on both sides, acted as he pleased in the end, established the largest base, but deliberately destroyed the vaccine for the zombie virus—he was a complete villain.
But from Jiang Ye’s own mouth, at least in terms of the ending, he was not some ‘Martial God’ who easily obtained everything. He had crawled and fought desperately to the end, with friends and family, and a base he cherished.
Yet all of that was destroyed because of a race that descended from the heavens.
When facing these strangers whose intentions were unknown, humanity split into two camps…
The sunlight gradually shifted toward the west. The coconut in his hand had long been emptied, leaving only the shell. Bai Chen Zhu remained silent for a long time after hearing it, even harboring some doubts.
The story of ‘Jiang Ye’ that he knew seemed more like the delusions of an ignorant bystander, and those were merely the tip of the iceberg.
So that ‘author’—was he really the author? Or was it like Zhuangzi dreaming he was a butterfly, unaware of the truth.
“I know what you’re worried about. If I hadn’t known you for so long, even I wouldn’t believe it.” Bai Chen Zhu tossed away the coconut and patted his shoulder. “Call Tang Zhao and the others too. If Li Min Nian doesn’t believe us, we’ll just leave.”
To their surprise, the journey to meet Li Min Nian went very smoothly. Li Min Nian even proactively dismissed the others, leaving only Li Zhen Zhen.
They met in a conference room—or rather, it was quite rudimentary, with only a slightly larger round table in the center of the room. Jiang Ye sat across from Li Min Nian. Bai Chen Zhu swept his gaze around and sat beside him, while the others took their seats one after another.
Li Min Nian laughed heartily. “Little friend, you have done a great favor for me and Zhen Zhen. Whatever it is, speak freely.” He had long prepared for Jiang Ye’s arrival and even thought up various arrangements for them.
But what Jiang Ye wanted to say was beyond Li Min Nian’s expectations.
Jiang Ye was silent for a long time before suddenly asking, “Do you know about the Insect Race?”
