Daily Life of Being Turned Gay by the Male Lead After Transmigrating into an Apocalypse – CH23

Chapter 23: Lightning Ability

Chu Yang’s peripheral vision caught Jiang Jue’s left arm. Although the dark purple discoloration had completely faded, the wound was still open, looking painful just to look at.

The bright smile on Chu Yang’s face vanished instantly. He took a couple of quick steps, stopped right in front of Jiang Jue, and reached out to hold his arm. “Brother Jiang, let me see that wound.”

Jiang Jue lowered his eyes toward his arm. Without a word, he gave a slight nod and raised his arm willingly.

Chu Yang gently supported his wrist, careful to avoid the torn flesh as his fingers lightly traced the surrounding skin. His brows furrowed with concern. “The virus is cleared, but we still have to treat the cut. It’ll be a huge headache if it gets a regular infection.”

Crouching down, Chu Yang reached to his side and pulled a bottle of clean mineral water and a roll of sterile gauze from his spatial storage.

He unscrewed the cap, soaked the gauze, and gently dabbed away the dried, crusty blood caked around the laceration.

Once the skin was clean, he retrieved a bottle of iodophor disinfectant and a fresh tube of antibiotic ointment. Tearing open the packaging, he looked up at Jiang Jue. “Brother Jiang, the disinfectant might sting a little. Just bear with it for a second.”

Jiang Jue didn’t answer, merely looking down at the young man kneeling before him.

Chu Yang kept his head lowered in focus. His long, dark eyelashes fluttered slightly as he blinked, and his lips were pressed into a tight line. In the soft light of the room, his features looked gentle—a stark contrast to the reckless, loud chatterbox who was usually bouncing around without a serious bone in his body.

“All done!” Chu Yang deftly wrapped the clean gauze around the arm and tied it off with a neat knot. Taking half a step back, he inspected his handiwork, grinned broadly, and gave himself a proud thumbs-up. “Look at that, Brother Jiang! How’s my technique? Think I could work as a temporary nurse now?”

Right on cue, his stomach betrayed him with a loud, hollow rumble.

Chu Yang let out an embarrassed laugh, clapping a hand over his belly. “Uh… I was so worried about you earlier that I forgot to eat, so the hunger is just hitting me now.” He blinked up at Jiang Jue with a playful grin. “You must be starving too, right? Let me check the stash—let’s treat ourselves to something great today!”

A subtle warmth flashed in Jiang Jue’s eyes as he gave a faint nod.

Chu Yang rummaged through his storage for a moment before pulling out a self-heating meal box and their very last pack of river snail rice noodles, his eyes sparkling with delight. “Time to splurge for once!”

He lit the portable alcohol stove, its clean blue flame licking the bottom of the small pot. Before long, the unmistakable, savory, and spicy aroma of the noodles filled the air.

Stirring the broth, Chu Yang let out a quiet sigh. “We’re running low on supplies in the space. I’ll need to head out and scavenge tomorrow. Brother Jiang, you stay behind and rest up—don’t go running around.”

“I’m coming with you,” Jiang Jue stated calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“No way!” Chu Yang dropped his chopsticks and waved his hands frantically, giving Jiang Jue’s shoulder a light push. “Your arm isn’t fully closed yet. What if you tear the stitches? My combat skills are solid now, and I remember every move you taught me. Handling a few stray zombies will be a piece of cake!”

Seeing that Jiang Jue remained silent, merely staring back with an unyielding expression, Chu Yang kept nagging: “Seriously, Brother Jiang, I’m not the same rookie from days ago. My spatial power is way sharper, and my blade work has gotten a lot cleaner! Just let me handle it.”

Watching him scramble to make his case, the corners of Jiang Jue’s lips curved upward into a subtle smile.

Early the next morning, Chu Yang sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Through the groggy haze, he noticed Jiang Jue was already fully dressed and standing by the bedside.

Chu Yang smiled instinctively, letting out a sleepy yawn. “Up so early, Brother Jiang?”

Jiang Jue gave a slight nod. Suddenly, a tiny arc of blue electricity flickered across his fingertips, crackling crisply in the quiet room.

Chu Yang snapped awake in an instant. He leaped out of bed and leaned in close, staring at the dancing sparks with wide, fascinated eyes. “Is that your Lightning Ability? That is ridiculously cool!” His curiosity getting the better of him, he reached out a finger to touch the brilliant light. “Let me feel what it’s like…”

Jiang Jue’s brow knitted slightly. With a quick flick of his wrist, the current vanished into thin air, dodging Chu Yang’s hand.

“Don’t touch,” Jiang Jue said, his deep voice carrying a firm warning.

Chu Yang’s hand froze in midair. He pulled it back sheepishly, though his mouth refused to back down. “Fine, don’t let me touch it then! Stingy!”

Muttering under his breath, he grabbed a piece of bread and shoved it aggressively into his mouth, tossing two more onto the table. “Here, yours! Don’t go around saying I hog all the food.”

With his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel, he deliberately avoided Jiang Jue’s gaze and marched toward the door.

Yet, the moment his fingers gripped the handle, he felt footsteps right behind him.

Turning around, he found Jiang Jue standing silently in the doorway.

Chu Yang stopped, turning around to plant his hands against Jiang Jue’s chest. “Why are you still following me? A recovering patient needs to act like one! Go back, lie down, and rest! I promise I’ll be quick—not a single hair on my head will be missing when I get back!”

He pushed with all his might, but Jiang Jue stood firm as a mountain, his boots rooted to the floor.

After shoving fruitlessly for several seconds, Chu Yang looked up and met Jiang Jue’s steady, unyielding gaze. The message in those dark eyes was crystal clear: I’m going.

Chu Yang had no choice but to throw his hands up in defeat. “Fine, fine, you win! You can come, but we need ground rules!”

He raised an index finger, putting on a dead-serious expression. “First, stay close to me! Second, no playing the hero! Third, and most importantly—you have to listen to me!”

Watching the youth’s exaggerated display of authority, Jiang Jue simply nodded.

The two made their way down the stairwell. Following their sweep from the day before, the interior of the apartment complex was completely clear of the infected, leaving only scattered clutter and dry bloodstains across the concrete.

Behind a curtain on the third floor, Li Wen and Zhao Dayong were peeking anxiously out the window, just in time to see the pair stepping out into the daylight.

Zhao Dayong gasped and yanked his head back, his face turning pale. “R-Rui, Brother Rui! We’re in deep trouble! Jiang Jue didn’t turn! He just walked out with Chu Yang, looking completely fine!”

Wang Rui, who was resting his bandaged shoulder on the bed, shot up instantly and grabbed Zhao Dayong’s collar. “Are you sure? You didn’t see wrong?”

“It’s really him!” Li Wen chimed in, panic written all over his face. “And I think he spotted us—he glanced right at our window! That look in his eyes was like an ice pick; it chilled me to the bone! My legs are practically jelly.”

Remembering how they had tried to force Chu Yang to abandon Jiang Jue the previous day, combined with their schemes to rob everyone of their rations, cold sweat broke out across their backs.

Zhao Dayong swallowed hard, his voice trembling. “Brother Rui, what do we do now? Are they going to come back to settle the score with us?”

Wang Rui’s complexion turned ashen. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, unable to utter a single word.

Outside, Chu Yang and Jiang Jue cleared the gates of the complex. The deep snow along the main street was beginning to thaw, turning the pavement into a messy, slushy sludge littered with abandoned vehicles and debris.

They hadn’t walked far when three zombies caught their scent and came shuffling toward them—an elderly man, an older woman, and a small child in ragged clothes, resembling a tragic family unit.

“Well, well,” Chu Yang clicked his tongue. He drew his Tang dao, the polished steel gleaming in the pale daylight. “Even in the apocalypse, you guys stick together for a family outing? How touching. I’ll do you a favor and send the whole family on their way—no need to thank me!”

He braced his feet to charge, but a sudden gust of wind whipped past him—it was Jiang Jue!

“Hey! Brother Jiang, we agreed I’d take point!” Chu Yang yelled, sprinting to catch up, only to realize Jiang Jue’s speed was terrifyingly fast.

Gripping his straight blade, Jiang Jue swept the steel through the air, cleanly severing the female zombie’s head. Almost simultaneously, a brilliant bolt of blue lightning crackled from his fingertips, blasting the older male zombie straight through the skull.

Without breaking momentum, Jiang Jue sidestepped the charging child zombie, delivering a clean, reverse slash that dropped the small figure instantly into the slush.

In just a few breaths, all three bodies lay motionless on the ground.

Chu Yang stared with his jaw dropped. Jogging up beside him, he gasped, “Brother Jiang, that speed was ridiculous! You’re way faster than before!”

“The lightning energy boosts physical reflexes,” Jiang Jue said quietly, flicking the dark blood off his blade.

Chu Yang crouched down, skillfully using the tip of his dagger to pry open the skulls in search of crystal cores. Yet after checking all three, he came away completely empty-handed.

Standing up in defeat, Chu Yang wiped the grime from his gloves and puffed his cheeks out in pure frustration. “Are you kidding me? Talk about stingy! A whole family comes running at us and not a single one drops a crystal core? What a total waste of energy! You were just here to give us free combat practice? Zero rewards—one-star review!”

Watching the boy fume with puffed-up cheeks, the corners of Jiang Jue’s lips lifted into a quiet smile. He reached out, patted Chu Yang’s shoulder reassuringly, and said, “Come on. There’s still plenty of food to scavenge ahead.”

Click here to download the full novel (PDF & EPUB)