Chapter 58 — Spoils of War
The little fellow hadn’t noticed that its own master had just been crippled by its paw. With its back arched, tail standing straight up, and hind legs tensed, it barked sharply toward the front door.
Luo Xun supported his poor, aching back as he stood up, using the armrest of the sofa for help. When he passed by the entrance, he reached out and grabbed the hand crossbow and the wolf-fang club resting on the shoe cabinet near the door.
Although the doors of rooms 1603 and 1604 had been modified, the peephole monitor’s screen was still installed on the inside of 1604’s door — after all, that was where he and Yan Fei usually spent most of their time.
The remodeled door now sat slightly farther forward, angled just right to face the heavy iron gate at the top of the stairs. Luo Xun couldn’t clearly see the people behind it, but he could easily tell — whoever they were, they definitely weren’t Li Tie and the others, nor were they Yan Fei or Zhang Su.
Quietly, he twisted open the door and slipped behind the new iron gate, placing a hand on its handle — Yan Fei hadn’t welded the room’s door shut before leaving.
The people outside seemed to be studying the gate’s structure. The iron chains rattled from time to time. Taking advantage of one such noise, Luo Xun gently turned the door handle and listened carefully through the crack.
“…It’s fine. I checked — the 14th and 15th floors are empty.”
“With a lock this tight, there’s gotta be something good inside this floor!”
“No kidding.”
“But I heard there’s an ability user living here… Last time, a few guys almost—”
“What are you afraid of? No one’s been around here during the day lately… Hurry up, bring the cutter and snap this chain open!”
The chain hanging across the gate was something Yan Fei had deliberately set up to mislead intruders. Even after they’d replaced the outer gate with a real iron door, the lock inside wasn’t actually connected to those chains.
Luo Xun’s lips lifted slightly, a cold glint flashing through his eyes. He set down the wolf-fang club — useless in this situation — and pulled a few bolts from his belt to load into the repeating crossbow. Pushing the door open a little wider, he slipped out and pressed his back against the wall beside the elevator, moving slowly toward the stairwell.
From their angle, the intruders couldn’t see what was happening at Luo Xun’s door. They were still fumbling with the iron chains, intent on cutting them so they could see what valuable treasures were being protected so securely.
Twang!
“Ahh—!!” The man who had reached through the gate to pull at the chains screamed — a bolt had shot straight through his hand!
The group of would-be thieves froze, staring wide-eyed as a pale, clean-cut young man in casual clothes stepped out from behind the iron gate, holding what looked like a toy crossbow. A faint, cold smile tugged at his lips, but the killing intent in his eyes was enough to make their blood run cold.
Killing intent. Real killing intent.
The intruders were stunned, unable to react. Hadn’t they confirmed this already? Weren’t the four households on this floor all out working every day? Maybe someone might be home in the afternoon — but in the morning, no one should’ve been around!
Luo Xun raised an eyebrow at their dumbstruck faces — as if they’d forgotten they were caught red-handed — then calmly lifted his crossbow again.
Twang!
Another bolt slipped perfectly through the gaps of the gate and buried itself into the nearest man’s elbow!
“The next time you come,” Luo Xun said flatly, voice utterly emotionless, “I’ll shoot through your necks. Now scram.”
He didn’t realize that the glint in his eyes at that moment was exactly the same as when Zhang Su went berserk.
In truth, from a certain point of view, he and Zhang Su were the same kind of people — both had seen blood, both had killed with their own hands. Luo Xun’s rebirth had stripped away that apocalyptic aura from him, and spending time with Li Tie and the others had made him seem just like any other young man. But in his heart, stabbing a thief’s hand or foot didn’t bother him in the slightest.
If they had actually broken into his home, he wouldn’t have hesitated to shoot straight through their throats.
The intruders screamed, stumbling over each other as they fled, leaving all their lockpicking tools scattered on the floor.
Luo Xun looked down at the scattered wires, wrenches, and bolt cutters, a flicker of excitement in his eyes — had he just robbed the robbers? Perfect! He could take these back to add to his collection. Come to think of it, did Zhang Su get any loot the last time he caught a thief?
As that thought crossed his mind, he bent down to grab the tools lying outside the gate — and a sharp pain shot through his waist. Luo Xun’s face went green.
“Damn that Yan Fei…” he muttered. He’d completely forgotten — he was still injured!
—
Yan Fei’s morning was mechanical, numb, and exhausting — no different from any other day.
The only real difference was that today the higher-ups had distributed more crystal cores than yesterday, and everyone had come back with a haul full of energy. With that, the three metal-type ability users’ work speed skyrocketed once again — faster, more efficient, but also burning through more crystal cores than before.
Even so, Yan Fei still did the same as yesterday — keeping a few crystal cores aside to fill up his personal stash. Of course, aside from some he saved for emergencies, the rest would be used in the afternoon to push his level higher.
He slipped the leftover crystal cores into the inner pocket of his shirt, then climbed onto the truck with the others. The rickety vehicle rattled all the way back to the military camp gates. Once there, Yan Fei grabbed two meal boxes — one for himself and one for Luo Xun.
Meals here were distributed one portion per ID tag, but a person could bring the bowl back for refills or sneak an extra half portion at another window. If you carried a teammate’s tag, you could also pick up theirs. Yan Fei used both tags and got two full portions, packing the meal boxes to the brim.
Carrying the two heavy boxes, Yan Fei blinked in mild confusion — this seemed like more food than when he used the cafeteria trays. So it was true — he should follow Li Tie’s example and bring his own containers every time. Apparently, that’s how they’d been managing to pack extra food for Zhang Su before.
Thinking of his lover who was “recuperating” alone at home, Yan Fei tucked the lunchboxes into a plastic bag, placed them in his backpack, and turned to leave. But as he reached the cafeteria doors, his brows suddenly lifted — and he stopped walking.
The No. 5 cafeteria was close to the camp gates, and today there were quite a few people coming and going. Not far ahead, several people stood arguing.
Yan Fei tugged his mask up, pulled a knitted cap from his jacket pocket, and put it on. Then, hands stuffed into his pockets, he strolled casually toward the gate.
A middle-aged man and a woman with dyed ash-blonde curls were arguing in low voices.
As Yan Fei walked past them, he slowed down slightly, catching their words.
“…You want me to move to a house by the outer wall? On what grounds? Yan Gexin, you wouldn’t even be here without my family! Trying to kick me out there to die? Do you even have a conscience?”
The man frowned, face tight with anger.
“Liu Xiangyu, inner-wall housing is scarce. You didn’t like any of the new buildings, and this place near the outer wall was the best I could find — I even had it cleaned up for you…”
“Cut the crap! The outer wall isn’t even finished yet. Who knows when the zombies will break through again? Trying to get me killed twice?! And don’t think you’re so impressive now — my father’s old subordinate is one of the powerholders in the Southwest Military District!”
The man took a deep breath, forcing his temper down.
“Then tell me — where do you want to live?”
“Didn’t they assign you a dorm by the camp? It’s small, sure, but I suppose I could tolerate it.” The woman tilted her chin up, giving him a sidelong glance.
“No way. I still have to work inside the camp — I need to stay there.”
“Not my problem. I’m still your wife legally, aren’t I? What’s wrong with letting me live in your place?”
Yan Fei’s lips curved into a faint, icy smile. Still the same as ever. Exactly the same.
Hands in his pockets, backpack slung over his shoulders — carrying lunch for Luo Xun — Yan Fei walked leisurely toward the gate.
Yan Gexin, already exasperated from arguing with his “wife,” waved a hand wearily.
“Fine, fine, I get it. I’ll find you another place near the camp, alright?”
Liu Xiangyu lifted her chin triumphantly, her face showing the same satisfied expression she always had back before the apocalypse whenever she got her way. She had never intended to actually live with her husband anyway — even if she had to stay in his house, there was no way she’d let him move in.
After ending the argument, Yan Gexin unconsciously looked up toward the camp gates. People were coming and going, and a few vehicles with special passes drove in. A young man with a large backpack was walking away — that silhouette looked vaguely familiar…
Following his gaze, Liu Xiangyu also glanced toward the gate and saw the young man. But she felt no sense of recognition. She merely snapped,
“Hurry up and find me a place already. Sharing with those other women is driving me crazy.”
Then she turned and headed toward the No. 1 cafeteria.
Yan Gexin, too, dismissed the fleeting sense of familiarity, exhaling a puff of white breath as he turned away, scowling.
See? Those are my parents.
Their own son walks right past them, and they don’t even recognize him — not even his back.
Standing by the camp gate, Yan Fei smiled faintly under his mask. Given how rarely they saw each other, it wasn’t surprising. Even if he stood directly in front of them dressed like this, with his mask on, they probably still wouldn’t recognize him.
As he drove through the marketplace on the way back, he noticed more stalls than before — the city seemed to be slowly regaining some life.
When he returned to the apartment complex, he parked the car and climbed the stairs up to the sixteenth floor. On the landing between the fifteenth and sixteenth floors, he noticed a flat-head screwdriver lying there. Frowning, he bent down to pick it up and glanced upward — no one was there.
He reached the door… and spotted blood.
Instantly activating his ability, Yan Fei unlocked the door and sprinted toward his apartment.
He burst inside — only to find Luo Xun, just as he was standing up awkwardly from the sofa after a noise. Yan Fei rushed over, grabbing his arms to check him over frantically.
“Are you okay?!”
Luo Xun blinked in surprise, then suddenly remembered last night’s events… Cough. Feeling awkward, he tried to push Yan Fei’s hands away.
“I’m fine, really.”
Yan Fei finally let out a sigh of relief.
“I saw blood on the iron gate in the stairwell…”
Understanding what had alarmed him, Luo Xun smiled.
“After you guys left this morning, a few thieves came by. I shot them twice with the crossbow — they ran off.”
Hearing the full story, Yan Fei didn’t even blink — no shock, no guilt — even though his lover had injured someone and apparently rather harshly. He set his backpack down and went to close the outer stairwell door, which he’d forgotten in his rush earlier.
After securing the door, he came back to find Luo Xun proudly pointing at a large bag on the floor.
“Spoils of war! Saw, screwdriver, pliers — they tried to pry open our gate but ran off and left everything behind. I hooked it all in with a pole!”
Then Luo Xun started grumbling again, “Next time, don’t seal the outer door when I’m home alone. With me and the little guy guarding, even if thieves come, we’re fine. You’ve no idea how hard it was to fish this stuff in through the gate!”
He really had suffered — the iron gate’s upper half was a barred grille, but the lower half was solid iron. The bars were narrow, and as an injured man, he’d struggled for ages to pull the bag through — only to find it too big! He’d had to take everything out piece by piece before dragging the empty bag in.
And some of the tools had been left on the stairs — he’d had to use two poles to “pinch” them up bit by bit. Exhausting work!
Yan Fei couldn’t help laughing, his eyes bending into crescents. The tiny tear mole at the corner of his eye seemed almost alive, making Luo Xun stare dazedly and forget his complaints altogether.
Yan Fei pulled him into his arms, resting his chin on Luo Xun’s head.
“Alright. Next time you’re resting, I’ll change the outer door back to a normal one — easier for you to fight off thieves and pick things up.”
He said “next time you’re home resting” — and when would that be? Only after certain nights, when Luo Xun was too drained to go out… Yes, that kind of “rest.”
Absolutely a privilege not to be wasted.
Completely unaware that his words could be taken that way, Luo Xun let Yan Fei guide him to the sofa. As a warm hand began to gently massage his waist, Luo Xun opened the lunchbox Yan Fei had brought back and blinked in surprise.
“It’s so full! You got two portions?”
Yan Fei massaged Luo Xun’s waist while smiling. “I also think they give you more food when you use your own lunchbox. I heard at noon today that our meal cards can be used at cafeterias 3, 4, and 5. One of these days, we should go try the other two — the food there should be better than at No. 5. I haven’t eaten there before, but I can bring the food back so we can eat together at home.”
Originally, the captain had pointed them to cafeteria No. 5 simply because it was the closest. In fact, Luo Xun’s ID card allowed them to get food from any cafeteria from No. 3 onward — the same level as Li Tie and the others.
People like Zhang Su, whose technical level was higher and who received better treatment, could eat at cafeterias below No. 2, while cafeteria No. 1 was reserved exclusively for upper management. Secretly speaking, only a small number of people knew about this — most people, even those whose cards granted them access to higher-level cafeterias, didn’t realize it. It was one of those little unspoken tricks the canteens used to quietly cut costs.
“Sounds good! I should be fine to go tomorrow — let’s go after we finish fixing the wall!” Luo Xun said eagerly. After all, if it meant eating better, he didn’t mind walking a few extra steps. “And we’ll use our own lunchboxes!”
“Alright.” Yan Fei leaned close to Luo Xun’s ear, his low voice and warm breath making Luo Xun think of last night again… Although the aftereffects were a bit embarrassing today, he had to admit — Yan Fei had been incredibly gentle and considerate, and their first time together had been far more wonderful than Luo Xun had ever imagined.
Lifting his head slightly, Luo Xun pecked Yan Fei’s chin, his cheeks turning red before he quickly lowered his head again to check the food.
The dishes were still slightly warm, thanks to Yan Fei hurrying home with the car — even in this cold weather, the food hadn’t gone cold.
When Luo Xun estimated Yan Fei was almost home, he had cooked a bit of millet porridge. It didn’t really go with rice, but given that he was… cough cough… truly “flowered and withered” today =_=, he could only eat lightly and drink more porridge to recover.
He rested the entire day. Fortunately, there wasn’t much that needed doing at home. Apart from straining his back a little that morning dealing with those thieves, and feeling a bit awkward when using the bathroom at night, by the next morning he felt his energy had mostly recovered.
The food Yan Fei brought back the day before had been plenty, so they didn’t even cook dinner — just reheating what was left from lunch was enough to fill them both up.
Early the next morning, Luo Xun stood by the bed and stretched his waist. Other than a bit of soreness around the waist and some lingering awkwardness down there, he was fine. Yan Fei, unable to argue with him, confirmed that his condition was really okay before agreeing to let him come along to repair the wall.
Thankfully, Luo Xun’s performance the morning before had already proven that — even if he’d been “blasted,” he still had the skill to shoot a crossbow bolt through someone’s knee! Going outside the city with him wouldn’t be too dangerous.
As soon as he stepped out of the room, Luo Xun met Zhang Su’s peach blossom eyes — eyes that were practically sparkling and shooting flirtatious beams his way. Luo Xun’s face instantly went from pale to red, then green. This guy could almost be considered the “catalyst” that had finally pushed him and Yan Fei past their last line of hesitation, but the way he did it really wasn’t something to be grateful for!
Twitching at the corner of his mouth, Luo Xun bypassed the man and walked toward Li Tie and the others instead.
Unexpectedly, when he approached them, they all looked nervous — as if they wanted to talk but were afraid that speaking too loudly might blow him away. …He’d just had a fever, right? Why were they reacting like this?
Han Li was the first to speak, carefully: “Brother Luo, is your fever gone?”
Luo Xun smiled and shook his head. “It went down yesterday.” Since he hadn’t come out last night after the others returned, they’d had no idea how he was doing, so their concern was understandable.
The five of them all sighed in relief. Then Wang Duo glanced awkwardly at Luo Xun’s lower body, coughed twice, and asked in a low voice, “Does it… still hurt?”
Luo Xun froze — then realized where that guy’s eyes were looking.
His hair practically stood on end. Yan Fei would never gossip about such a thing — meaning the only possible culprit spreading the “explosion” rumor was—
He whipped his head around to see Zhang Su, who was leaning against the door, laughing so hard his shoulders shook. Luo Xun’s face turned bright red as he strode over, grabbed Zhang Su by the collar, and glared at him — whatever fear he’d had of the man in their previous life was long gone. “What did you tell them?!”
Zhang Su didn’t seem to mind his collar being grabbed. His peach blossom eyes curved in amusement as he patted Luo Xun’s shoulder and casually slung an arm around him. “Don’t be shy, little Xun. I’ve been there before. Just eat light for a few days — after a week, you’ll be fully recovered and back to a normal married life.”
So it was him!
Luo Xun’s fist was already raised when Li Tie and the others, afraid of an actual murder happening, hurried to hold him back. They pulled and pleaded, their words only making Luo Xun want to dig a hole and bury himself.
“Brother Luo, don’t be mad — Brother Zhang meant well!”
“Yeah, don’t mind him. He just talks a little dirty sometimes. Anyway, we all support you and Brother Yan!”
“Exactly! We’re all happy for you two — congratulations on reaching enlightenment!”
“It’s just a shame we can’t buy wedding candy these days…”
“Right, maybe we should hold a wedding for them in a few days?”
“Good idea! We’ll see if we can find some good food for it — I’m still thinking about that stew Brother Luo made last time!”
—
The five men quickly went off-topic — from trying to stop Luo Xun from going after Zhang Su to discussing what good food they should eat in the coming days. When Yan Fei came back after locking the door, his face dark, he stepped in and rescued Luo Xun from the group’s enthusiastic “support.”
Luo Xun’s hand trembled slightly as he pointed at Zhang Su. “Y-you… what exactly did you tell them?!” How did five perfectly straight men so quickly accept him and Yan Fei’s relationship—? No, wait! This was entirely this guy’s fault for exposing them in the first place!
Zhang Su spread his hands innocently. “I just told them a few touching stories about same-sex couples — love so deep it hurts, lovers who were forced to be apart by their families, misunderstood by friends, shunned by society.”
As soon as he said that, Li Tie and the others nodded vigorously, their voices loud and sincere: “That’s right, Brother Luo! The world outside has already changed. The old social order doesn’t exist anymore. You two can be together openly — we all support you!”
Wu Xin even had red eyes as he clasped Luo Xun’s hands tightly. “Brother Luo, we didn’t sleep half the night yesterday. We were talking about why love between two men shouldn’t be as open and blessed as love between a man and a woman! Don’t worry! Even if the whole world turns against you, we’ll stand with you!”
So what exactly had Zhang Su told them?!
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
