Chapter 59 — Confession
Being treated as gossip material and a “model case” of same-sex love didn’t make Luo Xun happy at all. He really wanted to find a rope, hang Zhang Su in the hallway, and give him a good whipping for a whole day! But work was about to start, and they couldn’t afford to delay another day of base duties.
Yan Fei soothed Luo Xun’s temper, gave Zhang Su a cold glance, and led Luo Xun downstairs. Zhang Su raised his eyebrows, the smile on his face growing even brighter. He knew Yan Fei wouldn’t actually do anything to him — after all, they were neighbors, and sooner or later Yan Fei and Luo Xun’s relationship would come to light. Better to “reveal” it in his own way now and help guide those five honest boys into accepting it normally, rather than have them find out by accident and react badly later… Well, sure, his method was a bit unconventional, but as long as the result was good, what was the harm?
It wasn’t until they drove out of the military camp that Luo Xun finally felt like he could breathe again. Watching Li Tie and the others walk off, he suddenly felt a strange wave of melancholy.
Yan Fei locked the vehicle and patted him on the shoulder — since Luo Xun hadn’t fully recovered, Yan Fei was the one driving today.
Seeing the concern in Yan Fei’s eyes, Luo Xun shook his head slightly. He wasn’t really afraid of people knowing that he liked men and was with a man — so what? They could laugh now if they wanted, but give it two years and see how many living, breathing women they could still find around the base. When those same guys started turning their attention to other men out of desperation, it would be too late to laugh.
It was just that he felt awkward that his long-standing camaraderie with Li Tie and the others had suddenly changed — and of course, it was all stirred up by that meddlesome Zhang Su.
“Come on, let’s go rest in the truck for a bit.” Seeing Luo Xun’s energy return, Yan Fei smiled, took his hand, and led him toward the entrance of the military compound.
“Why are there so many people?” Luo Xun asked in surprise. There were crowds and vehicles jammed in front of the gates, and everything looked chaotic.
“Looks like the base is settling the family members of the high-level officers they rescued earlier. They’re moving them in over the next few days,” Yan Fei said after glancing around. He tugged the brim of his cap lower — he was still wearing a mask, so he wasn’t worried about being recognized.
They soon found the truck they rode every day and greeted the driver before climbing aboard. Not long after, their captain arrived with the rest of the team. When everyone got on and saw Luo Xun there, a few familiar soldiers smiled and asked, “Feeling better today?”
Luo Xun nodded with a grin. “Just caught a little chill yesterday. A day of rest did the trick.”
“Try not to stay too close to the front later,” the captain reminded him. “If things get dangerous, don’t push yourself. We’re not in too much risk today — better to stay healthy so you can keep working later.”
Luo Xun nodded. He understood perfectly — manpower was sufficient now, and unless something unexpected happened, he didn’t need to rush into the front lines. All he needed to do was the same as usual: stick close to Yan Fei and make sure no zombies broke through into the crowd.
Outside the inner base gates, the number of tents and people had decreased a bit compared to before — probably because many had been relocated or temporarily moved into cleared-out buildings.
After several trucks parked in their assigned area, the group disembarked and began their daily routine. During a break, when Yan Fei sat down to rest, the squad leader — seeing things were calm nearby — suddenly remembered something he’d heard and came over.
“Oh right, I heard yesterday that one of the base leaders — last name Yan — has been looking for his son. Seems like he’s about your age? You’re from this city, right?”
Although the base had conducted a population registration, all of it had been filled out manually. Trying to find a person among the masses, with nothing but a name and no one coming forward to confirm their identity, was nearly impossible.
The base’s information network was only just being established, and those registration sheets had been filled hastily — some people’s handwriting was so wild that no one could tell what they’d written. Misreadings were inevitable. How could anyone be sure they’d even identified the right characters?
Now, with the southwest base bustling and constantly receiving new people, it was even harder to track. Even those who had registered might later leave the base and die outside — who would verify their records then?
Even within the base, though housing had been distributed, some people took advantage of others’ absence to seize homes by force. If the rightful owner lost their ID card, it would be impossible to sort out the mess later.
In short, base management was still a chaotic tangle — and that was one of the main reasons Li Tie and the others had been assigned extra shifts to handle paperwork.
If Yan Fei’s parents were trying to find him, it wouldn’t be easy. Moreover, they hadn’t been trying that hard — because in their minds, if their son were alive and had made it to the Southwest Base, the first thing he’d do would be to report to the authorities, state who his family was, and claim the best possible treatment — just as they themselves had done.
It was a pity that his parents didn’t understand their own son’s personality at all. Even if Luo Xun hadn’t appeared, once Yan Fei was capable of protecting himself and finding a way to settle down in the base, he would never have sought help from the military. Having finally escaped from the numbing, oppressive atmosphere of the pre-apocalypse world, he would rather fight zombies with his own hands and earn the supplies he needed to survive than return to that lifeless, suffocating existence.
Yan Fei’s expression held a faint smile as he spoke in a slightly regretful tone. “Xiao Xun and I are both from F City. We only came to A City for work a few years ago. If I had relatives here who were leaders…” He spread his hands regretfully. “I would’ve already pulled some strings to reach out.”
The captain and a few soldiers all laughed. Of course—if someone had connections, they’d have gone to the military for help long ago, just like those new arrivals in the camp who were now stirring up trouble everywhere.
The captain patted Yan Fei’s shoulder and chuckled. “It’s just that the higher-ups heard there’s an ability user here with the surname Yan, so they asked me to check.” When he’d first heard that, the captain had already suspected it wasn’t this Yan Fei they were looking for. Sure, Yan Fei was an ability user and a bit proud, but he never acted like someone from a powerful background. If he really had a father working in a key government position, would he still be doing construction jobs and helping build the walls?
After explaining the matter, the captain left to take care of other work. Luo Xun, however, didn’t believe Yan Fei’s casual explanation. He looked at him with a mixture of confusion and concern.
Yan Fei smiled, reached out to ruffle his hair, and said softly, “We’ll talk when we get back.”
Luo Xun nodded slightly. He understood that this wasn’t the right place to discuss such things, but he also trusted that Yan Fei would never lie to him.
By now, everyone had become familiar with the process of using crystal cores to reinforce the walls, and the morning passed efficiently and smoothly.
When they returned to the camp, the two shouldered their backpacks and decided to check out Canteen No. 3, which Li Tie and the others had recommended. They ran into quite a few people along the way, but no one was particularly interested in listening to anyone else’s conversations.
Only then did Yan Fei bring up his family matters. When the two had first met, both had hidden parts of their past out of caution. But now that they were truly together and had decided to continue on like this, there were some things Yan Fei needed to make clear.
Of course, if his “good” parents hadn’t come to this place, he might never have mentioned his past life at all—just as he knew Luo Xun also avoided talking about his own.
Yan Fei briefly explained his family background, then mentioned what Zhang Su had told him about his mother’s attitude toward finding him. His smile turned cold as he said, “That day we saw their car coming into the camp along with the military convoy, I knew they were fine. So I didn’t bring it up afterward.”
Luo Xun walked quietly beside him with his head down. After a while—just when Yan Fei started worrying that he might think he was being too cold toward his parents—Luo Xun suddenly looked up and said, “You don’t want to see them.”
Yan Fei paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Luo Xun smiled. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support it. If you don’t want to meet them, I can ask Li Tie and the others to help cover for you—to fake some evidence, keep them from finding out.” Luo Xun no longer held that pre-apocalypse belief that blood ties were sacred. His experiences had taught him that when survival was at stake, even family could betray one another.
Perhaps everyone who managed to survive the apocalypse carried some kind of darkness within them. The truly good people—the ones willing to sacrifice themselves for loved ones—had all died in those first, desperate days. Luo Xun’s worldview was beyond redemption now.
He had seen too many horrors in his previous life: fathers killing sons, mothers shoving their own children toward zombies to save themselves, lovers betraying each other. Even Zhang Su had been deliberately injured and abandoned by his former teammates as bait.
Yan Fei’s decision harmed no one. He simply understood from the start that if his parents hadn’t turned into zombies, they would have found protection under some powerful faction as soon as possible. Once he confirmed that they were alive and safe in the base—and apparently doing quite well—he decided not to reunite with them.
Given what Yan Fei knew of his parents’ characters, Zhang Su’s past experiences, and the captain’s reaction earlier, Luo Xun knew they hadn’t truly tried to find their son. How many people named “Yan” could there be in one base? If they had wanted to, it wouldn’t have been hard to learn that an ability user named Yan reported to the camp every day. Would it really have been so difficult to come take a look and confirm if it was him?
Yan Fei’s smile softened. He squeezed Luo Xun’s hand tightly as they walked side by side. He didn’t need any family, any so-called blood ties. Having Luo Xun was enough.
They entered Canteen No. 3 hand in hand. This canteen was more crowded than No. 5, and the food looked noticeably better. After circling around the serving windows, they whispered together to decide what to get.
Luo Xun said, “It’s been a while since we had noodles. The braised sauce looks good—want a bowl?”
Yan Fei nodded. “Sure. You get the noodles, I’ll grab some potstickers for a change. There aren’t any seats left anyway, so we’ll just take it home to eat.”
Luo Xun glanced around and saw that the place was indeed packed. He hesitated a bit. “Will the noodles get sticky?”
“Ask them to cook it a little shorter. The noodles look firm enough—if we mix in the sauce, it should be fine by the time we get back.”
“Alright! Split up then.” Luo Xun grabbed the big lunchbox and hurried to the noodle window, while Yan Fei turned toward the potstickers.
The food here was indeed generous. Seeing that they had brought their own containers, the cooks enthusiastically piled on the food—so much that the lids barely fit. Since everyone was working hard to build the base walls, the higher-ups had ordered the canteens to make sure everyone ate well and had plenty, even if the quality varied between them.
With their containers packed full, they stopped by a windowsill to tie everything up in plastic bags and tuck them into their backpacks. Luo Xun was about to shoulder the load when Yan Fei took it and slung it onto his own back instead. How could he let his still-recovering “wife” carry something heavy?
Luo Xun couldn’t help but smile, his lips curving upward as he took Yan Fei’s arm, the two of them walking off together.
As the two of them were leaving, a few people happened to enter from the opposite direction. The one leading the group brightened immediately when he saw them. “Brother Yan! Brother Luo!” — it was Li Tie and his crew.
“You guys finished your work too?” Luo Xun greeted them with a smile. Just then, his sharp eyes caught sight of a few people talking beside a jeep parked at the entrance of the No. 3 canteen. Among them, a woman happened to look their way — her features… looked strangely familiar.
He blinked, then instinctively glanced at Yan Fei beside him — sure enough, that woman’s features bore some resemblance to his!
The thought struck him sharply, and remembering the conversation they’d just had about Yan Fei’s parents, Luo Xun’s heart skipped a beat. Could that woman be Yan Fei’s mother?
If she had only looked over because she’d overheard Li Tie calling out “Brother Yan,” then it made sense. Still, the thought made him anxious.
Yan Fei didn’t want to acknowledge his parents — that much Luo Xun supported wholeheartedly. But if the woman recognized him and insisted on reuniting, things could get complicated. And what if she discovered the nature of his and Yan Fei’s relationship — and disapproved?
Images of scheming mothers-in-law and melodramatic family feuds from pre-apocalypse TV dramas flashed through Luo Xun’s mind. While chatting casually with Li Tie’s group, he kept glancing sideways toward the people by the jeep. To his relief, the woman only looked at them a couple of times before turning back to her conversation. Maybe he’d guessed wrong?
“Well, you two should hurry home to eat,” Han Li said cheerfully. “We’re just grabbing food to take back to the worksite ourselves.”
Luo Xun and Yan Fei nodded and said their goodbyes. Behind them, He Qiankun’s eyes lit up as he charged into the canteen, clutching his big lunch bowl. “They’ve got ribs today! I’m getting some!”
Luo Xun tugged Yan Fei down the stairs with him. When they passed the group by the jeep, the woman didn’t look their way again. Only then did Luo Xun let out a breath of relief and murmur quietly, “I thought that woman might be your mom…”
Yan Fei chuckled lightly. “The one with the tea-colored permed hair standing by the jeep?”
“Yes, you saw her too?”
“Mm. That’s my mom.”
“…What?!” Luo Xun’s eyes widened in shock.
Yan Fei slipped an arm around his shoulders and guided him forward. “Relax. Even if I walked right up to her, she wouldn’t recognize me.”
“…Because you’re wearing a mask?” Luo Xun frowned. What, did his mother have bad eyesight or something?
Yan Fei laughed again. “I only saw her maybe once a year. One New Year, she even spent the holiday shopping in France, so we didn’t meet at all. And don’t forget — I just got a haircut.”
Luo Xun frowned and eyed his head skeptically. It wasn’t that cold today, so Yan Fei wasn’t wearing his usual knit hat. His hair was a bit shorter than before, sure — but the difference wasn’t that dramatic… right?
Yan Fei patted his shoulder and kept walking. “Come on, let’s get home before the noodles go soggy.”
He was wearing the thick down jacket Luo Xun had bought for him before the apocalypse — it fit perfectly. His new haircut, courtesy of Luo Xun’s rather clumsy handiwork, made him look quite different, and he was also wearing a plain white mask — the kind he would never have worn back home during Lunar New Year visits. If his mother could recognize him like this, that would be the real miracle.
“Yeah, let’s go home!” Luo Xun decided to drop it. After all, if a mother couldn’t even recognize her own son, there was no point worrying about whether to acknowledge her or not.
Yan Fei felt lighthearted, his steps easy as he held Luo Xun close while they walked away.
They drove home, climbed up to the sixteenth floor, and opened their lunch boxes for inspection — the potstickers had gone a little soft, but the noodles still looked fine.
Luo Xun picked up a bite with his chopsticks and tasted it. Not bad — not too mushy.
They’d mixed the sauce into the noodles right after getting them, so even after the quick trip home, the noodles still held a pleasantly firm texture. And the potstickers, though slightly soggy at the bottom, were still crisp on top.
As usual, they couldn’t finish everything. After devouring the noodles and a few potstickers, they left the rest in the kitchen for dinner, planning to make some porridge to go with it later.
They had to admit — the food at Canteens 3 and 4 was definitely better than at No. 5. Ever since discovering this, the couple had alternated between those two, favoring No. 3 for daily meals and saving No. 4 as a little treat. As for No. 5? It was long forgotten history.
Days passed in steady busyness. By the time Luo Xun finally felt completely healed and free of any lingering discomfort—
The outer walls of the base were finished. Only the reinforcement work remained. The seven-story building next to Hongjing Community, as well as several new constructions in the inner city, had been successfully topped off, just awaiting assignment to survivors.
And soon, the very first Lunar New Year of the apocalypse was drawing near.
Luo Xun stood with his hands on his hips in the living room of apartment 1603 next door. “Perfect. The walls are completely dry now. Since we have a few days off, we might as well give it another coat!”
The work on the outer wall was temporarily finished, and the base had granted the two of them a three-day holiday—just in time for the New Year. After the holidays, they would continue reinforcing the outer and inner metal walls, thickening and raising them again.
They knew that while the work was officially “complete,” the real reason for the break was that the base had run out of metal. The military had only just freed up some manpower to send out teams to scavenge for more metal materials to continue fortifying the walls.
Compared to that, materials for earth-type ability users were much easier to find. Even if there wasn’t any concrete or gravel, gathering more soil alone was enough to build high, sturdy walls.
Since they had nothing better to do over the next few days, Luo Xun and Yan Fei decided to spend this rare peaceful New Year’s Eve by applying another layer of putty.
Yan Fei didn’t object. After all, once the house was properly fixed up, the two of them would probably live there for the rest of their lives—barring any accidents. Since they had the means, why not make it comfortable?
That day was the twenty-ninth of the lunar month. Although Luo Xun and his partner were officially on leave, Li Tie and the other four didn’t have such luck. The computer room had finally been set up, and for the past several days they had been busy with all kinds of software and hardware work. The apocalypse had struck too suddenly, and the military hadn’t been prepared; many of the statistical and information-processing programs had to be rewritten from scratch.
The base had recently recruited some experts in this field, but luckily Li Tie’s group was honest, dependable, and good-tempered. Even though they lacked hands-on experience, the military personnel they worked with had come to like them and were happy to keep them on. Over the past few days, they had been tagging along behind the newly found professionals, learning on the job. They’d be allowed two days off for the New Year, but that wouldn’t start until tomorrow—today they still had to work at the barracks.
As for Zhang Su… being one of the few remaining doctors—one of the most important professions in the apocalypse—getting even a single day off for the New Year was already a generous concession from the military leadership.
The couple worked enthusiastically, and in just one day they managed to reapply a fresh layer of putty to all the walls in apartment 1603—practice makes perfect, after all.
Luo Xun planned to inspect the walls once they were dry again. If the surface was smooth and even, he’d skip the third round entirely and save the remaining putty for future repairs. After that, all they needed to do was apply a coat of latex paint, lay the floor heating and floorboards, and they’d have themselves a cozy, warm home!
After a full day’s labor, they took a hot shower. When they stepped out of the bathroom, they heard the clanging of metal from the hallway.
Li Tie and his group, utterly exhausted, were dragging themselves up to the sixteenth floor. When they saw Luo Xun and Yan Fei, they waved weakly.
Wang Duo wiped at imaginary tears. “We finally don’t have to go to work tomorrow—sob sob sob…”
“I’m sleeping till noon! Whoever wakes me up, I’m fighting them!” He Qiankun raised his fists in mock threat, and Wu Xin and Han Li nodded in fierce agreement.
Luo Xun smiled cheerfully. “We found out today that the walls were completely dry, so we gave them another coat.”
The five men fell silent for a moment—then looked at the couple in despair, clutching their heads and howling.
“We totally forgot about the wall paint! Oh no—does this holiday even count as a holiday anymore?!”
From somewhere on the fifteenth floor came an irritated shout, “What time do you think it is?! Stop yelling already! Some of us are trying to sleep!”
The five immediately scrambled through the heavy iron door into their apartment.
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
