Chapter 206 - 202: I Have Seen Many Geniuses (2)

Chapter 206: Chapter 202: I Have Seen Many Geniuses (2)

"But could you stop calling me Uncle Lin? It’s a bit weird."

"What should I call you then? Colonel Lin? Dr. Lin? Brother Lin? Uncle Lin?"

"Just call me Lin Fan..."

Lin Fan hoisted Ye Qingniao higher with both hands, saying exasperatedly.

"Alright, it’s that shop up ahead, on the left!"

Ye Qingniao readily agreed. A short distance later, she saw the store where they had left Uncle Jiang...

Lin Fan stopped as Ye Qingniao directed, but before him lay nothing but a vast expanse of ruins.

At least four or five of the storefronts ahead had been reduced to a single heap of rubble. Only the children’s supply store to the left remained standing, but even its third floor had partially collapsed.

There were no zombies in the vicinity. Lin Fan did a quick scan but saw no health bars, so he walked up to the edge of the rubble.

"There’s a flashlight in the pocket on my right thigh..."

Ye Qingniao said suddenly, her gaze sweeping over the area.

"You had a flashlight and you’re only telling me now!?"

Lin Fan twisted his head to shoot her a sharp glare.

"I forgot!"

Ye Qingniao shot back, her head held high in defiance.

It was an awkward position to get something out of a pocket. Lin Fan’s right hand fumbled behind his back for a good while before he finally pulled the military-grade tactical flashlight from the utility pouch on her thigh.

"Don’t you dare take advantage of my paralysis!"

Ye Qingniao threw her head back, thumping the back of Lin Fan’s head.

"Maybe I should put you down and you can walk on your own, then..."

Lin Fan couldn’t make out the ruins clearly, but he could imagine it must look like a massive concrete tomb.

He knew this was just Ye Qingniao’s way of easing her tension, so he replied, half-joking.

"Fine, take advantage of me then!"

Ye Qingniao once again threw her head back, thumping the back of Lin Fan’s head.

"What’s with this flashlight? It won’t even turn on!"

Lin Fan clicked the button, but it refused to light up. He smacked it against his palm to no avail, then turned and yelled into Ye Qingniao’s ear.

"Did you forget I got struck by lightning!?"

Ye Qingniao yelled back just as loudly into his ear.

"Are you just messing with me!?"

Lin Fan tossed the flashlight aside, reached out his right hand, and pinched the uninjured half of Ye Qingniao’s right cheek, speaking through gritted teeth.

"Oww, ow, ow—ha, ha, hahaha—"

Ye Qingniao shook her head, knocking Lin Fan’s hand away, and suddenly burst out laughing.

Her laughter was clear and loud, tinged with an unreadable emotion that sounded utterly jarring in the rain-soaked, deathly silent darkness.

The laughter echoed for a few seconds before cutting off abruptly. She took a deep breath and yelled toward the dark ruins before them:

"Uncle Jiang! Are you in there? It’s Cyan Bird! Colonel Lin is here to rescue you!"

Her voice dissipated into the rain, gradually swallowed by the silence.

There was no answer, just as she had expected deep down.

It seemed Ye Qingniao hadn’t really expected a reply. The moment she finished shouting, as if completely drained of strength, her head fell onto Lin Fan’s shoulder. She whispered in a voice that was barely audible:

"Lin Fan, let’s go. We’re running out of time."

But he didn’t move.

In a daze, a memory from less than twenty-four hours ago flashed before Lin Fan’s eyes.

Last night, that small figure had stood before a pillar of fire that reached the heavens. Braving the scorching heat, she had stubbornly said goodbye to the people she held most dear.

And now, it was happening all over again.

He reached out his right hand and patted Ye Qingniao’s head. As she slowly raised her head and stared blankly ahead, wondering what he was doing, Lin Fan extended his own hand. His fingers were held together, straight, and he gently touched his middle finger to the space between her right temple and eyebrow.

Palm down, angled slightly outward, he mimicked the gesture he’d seen her make when they first met last night. In an awkward position, he was helping her pay her respects to this tomb—a salute that was hers to give.

Lin Fan could hear Ye Qingniao’s breath hitch, followed by a nearly inaudible, choked sob next to his ear.

She gently nudged her head against the tip of Lin Fan’s fingers, adjusting her position as best she could.

They remained like that for three seconds.

Then, her forehead slowly pulled away, and she pressed her cheek against the side of Lin Fan’s neck, her whole head trembling.

The rain had softened the charred skin on her scars, which had blistered into hard, thorn-like points. Now, as it brushed against the side of Lin Fan’s neck, it felt both soft and sticky.

But beneath those scars, he could feel the burning warmth of a living person.

Silently, Lin Fan drew back his right hand and placed it under her thigh, hoisting her a little higher.

"You..."

A muffled, almost inaudible voice sounded from the crook of his neck. The heat of her breath stubbornly seeped through their wet clothes, warming his skin.

"I hate you..."

The rain beat down, constantly stealing their body heat, which made that patch of warmth feel particularly comforting.

"Mm..."

He hoisted her up again, allowing her to bury her head more securely.

"Get ready. Any later and we’ll miss our ride..."

"I think I’m falling in love with you..."

The voice, muffled by his shoulder, continued as if to herself.

"Mm..."

Lin Fan took a deep breath, let half of it out in a soft sigh, then exhaled the rest through his nose with a hum.

"That’s puberty for you..."

"You...! Lin Fan! Something’s here!"

Ye Qingniao was about to bite Lin Fan’s neck in retaliation when several dark shadows suddenly flashed across her lone, blue-glowing eye.

"Overhead! Lots of black lines!"

A faint flicker of lightning lit up the sky. In the darkness directly ahead, where there had been nothing moments before, countless glistening black tentacles were descending silently like giant pythons.

They were densely interwoven, forming a living, tightening black canopy that instantly blocked all paths of escape!

’?’ Lin Fan saw no health bars in his vision, but with a flash, a spear appeared in his hand. The Blade on its tip glowed with silver light. "Bite onto my clothes and hold on tight!"

With no way to evade, he turned his spear into a silver tempest and plunged headfirst into the giant black net!

...

The rain wasn’t heavy, but it fell in a fine, dense drizzle. It had completely washed away the dust stirred up by the collapse of the building, revealing a rugged "mountain range" of reinforced concrete.

But it was less a mountain range and more a ramshackle dam.

Zhang Wenyuan floored the gas, wedging the sedan he was driving up against the "defensive line." The back seat was already loaded with plastic bottles full of a yellow liquid, and the car reeked of gasoline.

He clambered out, slammed the car door shut, and jogged over to Ye Qingzhou, who was standing nearby.

"Qingzhou—" His voice caught in his throat when he saw two other people standing beside her.

It was the two women who were always with Lin Fan.

He most clearly remembered the young girl who had introduced herself to him, Chu Zhaozhao.

"The number of zombies on that road is growing. I didn’t dare shoot, for fear of making the horde move faster, so I had to come back."

Zhang Wenyuan gave the women a nod of acknowledgment and continued speaking.

Judging by their expressions, Lin Fan wasn’t back yet. He couldn’t help but worry for their safety.

He hated to think it, but based on past experience, Uncle Jiang was likely dead.

With Wang Zhong so badly hurt, he could only imagine how dire the situation over there was. Ye Qingniao had been even further ahead, so her circumstances were surely worse.

"Zhang—" Su Qing started to say to Zhang Wenyuan, but she hesitated, unable to recall his full name for a moment.

"Miss Su, just call me Zhang."

Zhang Wenyuan quickly interjected.

He remembered her surname was Su and figured she was probably Lin Fan’s girlfriend.

"Alright, Zhang, can you see how far away the horde is?" Su Qing asked.

"Um... I can’t see it, but..."

Before Zhang Wenyuan could finish, Ye Qingzhou spoke up from the side.

"Estimating based on the time, they’re about two kilometers away..."

She didn’t even glance at a watch, as if every second of a countdown was ticking away inside her head.

"Seven minutes, tops. Then we have to leave..."

"I’m not going! I’m going to wait for him here!"

Chu Zhaozhao suddenly pushed past Su Qing, stopping almost nose-to-nose with Ye Qingzhou as she declared loudly.

"Has your power fully recovered?"

Ye Qingzhou didn’t argue, simply asking the question coolly.

"I..."

Chu Zhaozhao instantly deflated, her defiant energy completely punctured by Ye Qingzhou’s question.

She could clearly feel that the energy she used to control metal was recovering far more slowly than before. She wasn’t even at the level she’d been that morning. Just having the stamina to remain standing was the result of forcing herself to eat a lot.

"I saw you before the meal; you were too tired to even get up. If you stay, you’ll just be getting in his way..."

Ye Qingzhou had observed the abilities of these Awakened Ones, using Ye Qingniao as a case study. She knew that in order to use their amazing Superpowers, they had to expend a type of internal energy.

She’d seen her during the meal and knew she must have exhausted her energy clearing out zombies with Lin Fan all afternoon. She pressed on.

"Or do you really think someone with his abilities could have run into trouble?"