Chapter 27: What If?

Bai Chen Zhu hugged the tree trunk tightly.

As he pondered whether to climb down and how to deal with the man and his dog to escape, he spotted a familiar, drenched figure.

Uncle Duan sensed something amiss behind him and turned, only to meet a solid whack from the baseball bat.

He was incredibly fast and dodged the vital spot, but his shoulder still went numb from the blow. He staggered back a step, his back slamming hard into the tree trunk with a crack. The cracks above spread to the middle.

“Jiang Ye!” Bai Chen Zhu cried out in surprise and delight. He looked at the thoroughly soaked Jiang Ye and shouted, “He has a mutated dog too—be careful!”

The mutated dog barked furiously and charged with its jaws wide. Jiang Ye dodged a few times before kicking it away. But the dog felt no pain or fear of death. It rolled nimbly to its feet and joined its owner in a pincer attack from front and back, proving extremely difficult to handle.

Jiang Ye clamped down on Uncle Duan’s knife-wielding hand with one of his own, pain shooting through the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. He also had to watch out for the muscle-bound mutated dog, leaving him stretched thin, his brows furrowed tightly.

While the man and dog were drawn toward Jiang Ye, Bai Chen Zhu took the chance to scramble down from the nearly toppled tree. He glanced at Jiang Ye and backed away two steps.

Jiang Ye could handle this, right? After all, he had been quite formidable in the past.

But Jiang Ye had said that the path to powerful superpowers came either from innate talent or rigorous training. By that logic, his current body couldn’t compare to the ‘War God’ from the story’s finale.

Bai Chen Zhu hesitated inwardly. ‘If Jiang Ye can’t cope, does that mean I can?’

Besides, if Jiang Ye couldn’t beat him, he could always run. Bai Chen Zhu staying here would only slow him down. He gritted his teeth, deciding this was the ‘optimal solution,’ and left without looking back.

Jiang Ye heard the footsteps fading into the distance but wasn’t surprised.

He threw an elbow backward, knocking Uncle Duan away. The vicious dog lunged at him. He jammed the baseball bat into its stinking maw, and the force sent his feet sliding back half a meter.

A nauseating stench mixed with the tang of rust hit him full in the face. The dog clamped down on the bat and wouldn’t let go. Jiang Ye slammed its head against the tree trunk twice, cracking its skull.

Once the dog was dazed and loosened its jaws, Jiang Ye smashed down on its rows of teeth, sending them flying. The dog let out a miserable howl, tumbling away and collapsing on the ground, twitching as it spat out several fangs.

A knife sliced through the air toward his back. Jiang Ye spun and blocked it with the bat, leaving a deep gash on the weapon.

“Kid, you’ve got some moves,” Uncle Duan said, showing little distress over the dog. His eyes were threaded with red veins, his demeanor wild and unhinged. “You’re the first one I’ve met who can actually trade blows with me.”

“Do you know your end is near?” Jiang Ye looked at his frenzied posture and ‘invincible’ strength, feeling only annoyance.

He had just swum up from the small lake, sopping wet. He’d wiped his face and happily come looking for Bai Chen Zhu with his find, only to run into this persistent lunatic.

Jiang Ye was merely stating facts, but Uncle Duan took it as a taunt, his attacks growing even more vicious.

As the saying goes, those with nothing to lose don’t fear the shod; a dog that knows no pain or death is a razor-sharp blade as long as it can still crawl. This smug middle-aged man wielded his vicious dog like a knife, attacking from both sides—a combo almost impossible to escape.

Jiang Ye was tied down and couldn’t break free for the moment.

The two figures flickered in and out of view amid the grove, with frequent crashes of falling trees and barks from the dog. The mutt coordinated with the lunatic several times in pincer attacks, leaving Jiang Ye hard-pressed to defend on all fronts.

Jiang Ye sent the dog flying again, the shock jarring blood from the webbing of his hand, his arm growing heavy. He suddenly realized this master-pet duo was using a wheel tactic to wear him down.

In that instant of distraction, a whoosh came from behind. Jiang Ye whipped around to see Uncle Duan raising the knife with both hands, the blade aimed straight at him—frozen as if someone had hit pause.

An overload of mental power slammed recklessly into the middle-aged man’s mind, jolting him rigid. He went dizzy and dazed at the worst possible moment.

Bai Chen Zhu? Sensing the familiar chill around him, Jiang Ye didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Uncle Duan’s hands, twisted, and drove the knife into his heart.

At the same moment, the dog caught the scent of mental power and barked excitedly, charging like a loosed arrow toward the figure reappearing in the grove.

Things had gone even smoother than expected. His mental power had successfully seized the lunatic’s mind, if only for a moment. Bai Chen Zhu’s head throbbed excruciatingly, his vision filling with swirling colors and black spots. He leaned against the tree trunk, unsteady on his feet.

This was his first time using mental power on a human. The reckless output left him with a hollow, ethereal sensation, as if half his soul had been pulled out.

“Dodge!” Jiang Ye shouted urgently.

Hearing Jiang Ye’s voice, Bai Chen Zhu sensed the danger approaching. He turned and ran, only to be tackled to the ground by the powerfully limbed dog. It lunged for his throat.

At this life-or-death moment, Bai Chen Zhu’s vision cleared. Under the threat of those gaping jaws, he summoned tremendous strength to fling the dog off and scramble up.

The ravenous dog chased after him and sank its teeth into his calf. Blood immediately soaked through his pants.

Cold sweat poured down Bai Chen Zhu’s back. He clenched his teeth as fear hit him belatedly, along with the chill on his spine.

The baseball bat caved in the dog’s skull, splattering pale brains across the ground.

Jiang Ye knelt half-down, panting heavily. He pried open the dog’s jaws, freed the bleeding calf, swiftly stripped off his jacket, tore it into strips, and bandaged the wound in one fluid motion.

“Why’d you come back?” Jiang Ye asked.

Bai Chen Zhu’s forehead was slick with sweat, the pain making him gasp. He glanced at the still-warm corpse. “Let’s go quick. He has a gang. If they show up, we’re in trouble.”

Jiang Ye smiled, then his expression turned grave. He shoved the filthy baseball bat into Bai Chen Zhu’s arms, turned, and crouched with his back to him.

Bai Chen Zhu clutched the bat and stood awkwardly on one leg. He saw the numerous fine cuts on Jiang Ye’s arms—probably from overexertion. His forearms still trembled against his will, on the verge of collapse.

They were both injured; no need to make it worse.

“No need. I can hobble on one leg. Just support me.” Bai Chen Zhu refused while fishing the remaining half-handkerchief from his pocket. He limped over and tossed it onto the man’s face.

If any mutants came, they’d likely devour the handkerchief—and whatever was beneath—first.

“Oh?” Jiang Ye deliberately misunderstood, teasing, “You don’t like piggyback? Prefer being carried bridal-style?”

Footsteps and barking echoed through the grove, drawing nearer, along with faint voices. “Uncle Duan, where are you? We found something good!”

Bai Chen Zhu’s face changed. Without a word, he clambered onto Jiang Ye’s back.

Truth be told, Jiang Ye was drenched, his post-exertion body radiating heat, smeared with blood and dirt—not comfortable at all.

But as he dashed down the road at full speed, his steady gait stirred a warm sense of reliability and trust that gradually welled up in Bai Chen Zhu’s heart, enveloping him entirely.

The barking and footsteps faded farther away. Bai Chen Zhu’s vision swam with illusory colors. He clutched his throbbing forehead, bit down hard, and didn’t make a sound.

Jiang Ye carried him back the way they came. As they put distance between themselves and the gang, his pace slowed gradually. Bai Chen Zhu heard his heavy breathing.

Not only did his head ache, but his calf throbbed and went numb in spasms. Yet thinking of Jiang Ye’s own wounds, Bai Chen Zhu refused to show weakness and stayed silent.

In the quiet, Bai Chen Zhu suddenly felt like saying something—in this moment of turning danger into safety, when it felt like just the two of them. He wanted to talk to Jiang Ye.

After a pause, he asked a pointless question. “Am I kinda heavy?”

“Yeah, heavy as hell,” Jiang Ye grumbled.

Even knowing no grown man was light, Bai Chen Zhu felt irked by the answer. He drew a breath and, mimicking Zhou Zhuo Hua, tugged Jiang Ye’s ear.

“Have mercy, Lord Bai!” Jiang Ye begged repeatedly. “You’re light, super light—you’re lighter than a feather!”

Too fake. Bai Chen Zhu felt even more annoyed and tugged the other ear red too.

“You really are my lord,” Jiang Ye ground out.

Realizing how childish he was being, Bai Chen Zhu chuckled silently on his back. With his attention diverted, the pain seemed to ease a bit.

“Alright, Jiang Ye,” Bai Chen Zhu said warmly, ruffling his neat short hair. “Back at Blossoming Flowers Residences, you saved me. Now we’re even.”

“Arts major or science?” Jiang Ye asked out of the blue.

Bai Chen Zhu let out an “Ah?” in confusion.

“Probably science,” Jiang Ye said. “You love balancing the books.”

Bai Chen Zhu laughed, though his face grew even paler.

After a while, the back went quiet, only warm breaths—strong then weak—brushing his shoulder. Jiang Ye sighed. “Bai Chen Zhu…”

He murmured the name but said nothing more.

When Bai Chen Zhu woke, he saw the hotel ceiling, followed by Zhou Zhuo Hua’s concerned face.

His leg was already professionally bandaged by her; she said he should minimize movement for now.

He rubbed his swollen, aching temples and scanned the room, seeing only Zhou Zhuo Hua at his bedside. “Where’s Jiang Ye?”

“Out with Bai Tao somewhere. Can’t sit still for a minute.” Zhou Zhuo Hua said solemnly, “Little Bai, Jiang Ye’s a stubborn one. Let me thank you on his behalf.”

Bai Chen Zhu blinked, then heard her sigh deeply in exasperation. “He’s always overconfident, loves playing the hero. I heard he got hurt because he had you lure away a bunch of monsters?”

“Not entirely.” Bai Chen Zhu pushed himself up on the blanket, feeling limp and sore all over. Even sitting up made his back creak stiffly like a rusty robot.

Zhou Zhuo Hua hurried to help, but halfway up, he felt too uncomfortable and simply lay back down.

He could have left for good back then—might’ve escaped unscathed. But after running a few hundred meters, he’d seen people feeding mutated birds to dogs.

Two fists can’t beat four hands. One mutant plus a mutated dog was tough enough; if that whole gang faced Jiang Ye, Bai Chen Zhu gauged the odds and sprinted back.

What if? That was what he’d thought—what if Jiang Ye wasn’t truly invincible, and by walking away, he’d left him to die there.

He’d only meant to go back and warn him, but when Uncle Duan was about to strike from behind, he couldn’t hold back his worry and acted.

Bai Chen Zhu reached down under the blanket to feel his bandaged calf. He thought, if only I’d been more cautious—climbed the tree first before attacking that lunatic. But would Jiang Ye have dodged that knife then…?

If I hadn’t gone that way luring the mutated swans, maybe I wouldn’t have run into ‘Uncle Duan’ alone…

If only Jiang Ye and I had come up with a safer plan from the start…

He started replaying his actions, gradually spiraling into a dead end. Bai Chen Zhu shivered and clutched his forehead. Wait, what was he doing? No use dwelling on the unchangeable past—why chase impossible time travel?

It wasn’t entirely fruitless, though. Bai Chen Zhu realized, to his surprise, that his mental power could be used offensively on people—even someone with strong superpowers. Against ordinary folks…

Seeing him lost in thought, Zhou Zhuo Hua gently patted the blanket to soothe him. “It’s fine, really. I disinfected it. Jiang Ye said you won’t get infected—it’s just a flesh wound. Rest up and you’ll recover.”

“Mm.” Bai Chen Zhu hugged the blanket, pondering if he now qualified as Jiang Ye’s ‘top sidekick.’ With that thought, he pulled the covers over his head and fell asleep.

When he woke again, he was alone. The backpack he’d ditched in the bushes had been retrieved by someone and placed neatly at the foot of the bed, clean and tidy.

A glass of water sat considerately by his bedside. Parched, Bai Chen Zhu sat up and drained it. As he moved to get out of bed, a fragrance wafted through the door crack.

He sniffed carefully—it smelled like some kind of meat. But after seeing all sorts of weird meats since the mutations, the hot meaty aroma now turned his stomach.

Was it some bizarre meat?

The door opened, and Jiang Ye, who had changed into clean clothes, came over carrying a plate with a roast chicken on it—golden and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside.

“You made this?” Bai Chen Zhu took an interest, the nausea fading as his appetite stirred.

“Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to eat it?” Jiang Ye set the plate beside him and pulled out a knife.

Bai Chen Zhu’s gaze snapped to the knife, and he hesitated to speak.

“Relax, it’s clean.” Jiang Ye earnestly carved up the roast chicken.

“Mm.” Bai Chen Zhu endured his growing hunger and waited for Jiang Ye to say it was ready before he immediately picked up his chopsticks.

Jiang Ye sat to the side with his arms crossed, quietly watching him eat.

Bai Chen Zhu ate slowly, savoring the flavors carefully. As he ate, he heard a laugh and looked toward Jiang Ye, who had suddenly burst out laughing. He frowned. “Am I that funny?”

“Ahem, no, no.” Jiang Ye covered his mouth. “I just suddenly remembered how you ate that bread before.”

With Jiang Ye mentioning it, Bai Chen Zhu recalled the time: when they went to find Zhou Meng Meng, he had eaten slowly, but Jiang Ye wolfed his down quickly and even snuck a bite of his bread, only to get his foot stepped on.

The somewhat possessive Bai Chen Zhu looked at him expressionlessly, making Jiang Ye’s laughter die off.

Was this bringing up old grievances? Jiang Ye tried to guess Bai Chen Zhu’s thoughts.

Unexpectedly, Bai Chen Zhu picked up a chicken leg and held it out to Jiang Ye. Jiang Ye was flattered and surprised, tentatively reaching out to take it.

“You eat too.” Bai Chen Zhu’s expression softened.

How rare—like a miser willing to share his gold. Jiang Ye gripped the roast chicken leg tightly, looking it over repeatedly with reluctance, a bizarre thought arising: maybe frame it?

Bai Chen Zhu wiped his hands and suddenly asked, “By the way, what was that thing you were looking for that day?”

Jiang Ye had no intention of hiding it—or rather, now that he had solid proof, it was finally time to tell Bai Chen Zhu what he had always wanted to say.

Jiang Ye pulled a strange object from his pocket. Bai Chen Zhu narrowed his eyes to look; it was like a semicircular arc, gleaming with silver light, about the length of a palm.

He took the item from Jiang Ye and flipped it over in his hand—it was heavy, with an icy touch that didn’t warm to body heat.

Bai Chen Zhu examined the novel object over and over but couldn’t see anything special about it.

He closed his eyes and probed it with the scant mental power he had left, unexpectedly discovering traces of extremely pure mental power lingering on it, though not much.

But that aura was strange. Bai Chen Zhu had only seen his own mental power and Bai Tao’s before, and theirs were utterly different from this—his and hers were like a brook compared to an ocean.

With that in mind, Bai Chen Zhu asked outright, “What exactly is it?”