CH 57.2

Chapter 57.2 – Kiss

Xing Yifeng looked out into the wasteland.

The outpost’s perimeter had been cut down by three or four meters during this half-month of heavy fighting, there were rocks everywhere, shell casings, fragments, and corpses. Perseverance was worthwhile, Lu Tinghan gradually mastered the behavior pattern of the rock snake, Su Enqi fully cooperated and arranged his troops in formation, and the battle situation was getting better.

Large groups of infected creatures underground were the deadliest.

The last time a large group of underground creatures appeared was in the 165th year of the Alliance. Schools of fish attacked the city from the underground, and the Alliance lost 5 cities in a row before they were wiped out. Only one urban area of Fengyang City was destroyed this time, which was a miracle. The broadcast of the battle situation transmitted news in real-time, even if Xing Yifeng was not in the city, he knew that people’s support for Lu Tinghan was getting higher and higher.

—To put it simply and crudely, in this era, if you can win the battle, you are the Father, the Heavenly King, and Lao Zi.

Lu Tinghan was right to insist on staying on the front line, otherwise, the city would have fallen long ago.

This time, the city could hold on.

If… the Snake King didn’t show up.

As a special infected creature, the ‘Deer Outside the High Forest’ wandered all day long and was not aggressive. The “Black Queen” infected by Abyss No.0 had been subdued and contained in the laboratory of the main city. The pollution value of the Snake King was not the highest, and there was no endless time. However, looking at the more than 70 years since the abyss appeared, it was the monster that posed the greatest threat to the city.

There was no one else.

Even in the past, in the heyday of the Alliance, the Snake King had the power to break through more than a dozen cities.

If Fengyang City failed to withstand it, the main city would surely be destroyed.

Xing Yifeng sighed in his heart, thinking to himself, ‘I don’t know if we can kill the Snake King, a mountain-like monster, its ability to pass freely underground is simply born for destruction’.

‘But with Lu Tinghan here, it should be no problem… right?’

He was thinking about it, when suddenly Lu Tinghan said: “After the restlessness of the rock snake is over, the abyss should have a period of calm for a few months, which can allow us to regain our strength.”

“This is a good thing!” Xing Yifeng was overjoyed, knowing that Lu Tinghan had said so, he must be confident. “As long as we kill the Snake King, the remaining rock snakes are simply nothing to be afraid of. I heard – I heard that the data center has received data from Iron City. We may be able to complete the ‘Overlook’ plan while taking advantage of this.”

“Yes, maybe it can be done.” Lu Tinghan also looked at the wasteland. “We can send the last spacecraft to the sky.”

Xing Yifeng was encouraged and said, “What about Gleaning City? We can go back one day too, right?”

Lu Tinghan: “Hmm.”

Xing Yifeng became more and more excited, and the fatigue of more than half a month was swept away. However, he heard Lu Tinghan say, “I can’t see these anymore. I will die here.”

Xing Yifeng: “……”

Xing Yifeng: “…what?”

His brain shut down.

Lu Tinghan still looked at the wasteland, as if talking about trivial things that couldn’t be more ordinary: “I will die here.”

Xing Yifeng froze for a few seconds: “If you want to go back to the city, the aircraft can take off at any time.”

“I won’t go back,” Lu Tinghan said, “The Snake King showed up today to find me.”

—At that time, the dark green vertical pupils of the giant snake shone strangely in the fog.

Its eyes were bigger than the outpost, it turned slowly, and finally landed on the narrow glass of the outpost.

It saw Lu Tinghan.

It saw only him.

Xing Yifeng said in surprise: “…how can a monster find someone?! How can they know you exist?”

Lu Tinghan: “They have been mutating and evolving, especially since the peak period. It has appeared before, after infected creatures acquire human bodies, they inherit their memories and can even imitate what they looked like before death. I speculate that rock snakes have similar abilities.”

—Shi Yuan’s convoy had encountered such a monster before.

At that time, the tentacle monster with gorgeous feathers, manipulating two human corpses, asked the convoy for help, and seductively stepped into the trap.

Thinking about it now, that was a dreadful omen.

The number of sacrificed soldiers was not small. The rock snakes devoured their corpses and gained memories to bring to the Snake King, so it knew that there was such a natural enemy of them among humans.

Natural enemies must be eradicated.

Xing Yifeng was still in disbelief: “This…does this mean that they have the ability to think logically?”

“Not necessarily. Sometimes the instincts of living things are amazing. For plants and animals, the instincts left behind by millions of years of evolution are their optimal solution, and even simple-minded insects can behave in the most beneficial way for the group. Infected creatures have accelerated evolution countless times, and as soon as they are born, they are born with the same instincts,” Lu Tinghan said, “I don’t think they have the ability to really think. But we will know the answer – after the Snake King dies.” He paused for a moment, “You will know.”

He added: “It would be great if the Snake King attacked the outpost first, so that the ‘Heavy Hammer’ could be used with more confidence.”

Xing Yifeng was stunned for a few seconds, and said anxiously: “Is there no other way? What about using someone else as bait at the outpost? I, I am willing to stay!”

Lu Tinghan: “There’s not enough time, and no other option can ensure killing it. It is coming for me. I’m going to stay here, and if all goes well, it will die from the ‘Heavy Hammer’. If I have better luck, I will not be killed by the shock wave of the ‘Heavy Hammer’, and this battle will be over.”

Xing Yifeng ignited a bit of hope again: “In other words, strike it with the ‘Heavy Hammer’ before it gets too close to the outpost.”

“Yes, but I don’t think I can do it.” Lu Tinghan took off his dirty gloves and threw them aside. “I can locate it and make sure that the ‘Heavy Hammer’ hits it, it’s already the limit. I shouldn’t expect more miracles. That’s why I said, I will die here.”

He continued: “I have thought about my own death many times. I have to say, it’s sudden to die like this, but it’s worth it. If we don’t end the rock snake here, no city can survive. This is a necessary sacrifice. I am glad that my death is quite valuable.” He looked at Xing Yifeng. “Now, prepare to evacuate the personnel of the outpost, leaving a few death squad soldiers is enough.”

Xing Yifeng stood still.

Lu Tinghan: “Go quickly.”

Xing Yifeng wanted to say something, the veins in front of his forehead jumped, and finally saluted with a taut jaw: “…Yes.” He took a few steps and turned his head again, “General Lu, I will stay together. For the glory of the Alliance.”

Lu Tinghan nodded: “For the glory of the Alliance.”

In the next five hours, the snakes attacked for three or four rounds and were repelled one after another.

As dusk approached, most of the soldiers from the outpost had already evacuated. 14 death squad soldiers stayed behind and stationed at their posts, and Lu Tinghan and Xing Yifeng were the only two left in the huge command room.

The snakes were restless again.

Lu Tinghan said, “It’s coming soon.”

Through the trembling earth, the dancing snakes, the strange vertical pupils, and the cold fangs, he once again got a glimpse of the monster’s heart.

The entire earth was full of surging rock snakes, which formed vortices and waves, rushing to the outpost.

The machine gun spat out tongues of fire.

There was not enough manpower, and the defense was very difficult. But their purpose was not to hold the outpost, but to persist until the Snake King appeared.

“Boom! Bang! Bang!”

Several rock snakes slammed into the glass in front of them, with a terrifying sound.

Lu Tinghan’s expression did not change, he asked Xing Yifeng, “Has the su*cide note been written? Have you said everything you have to say?”

“I said it all, it was done 2 hours ago,” Xing Yifeng said, hesitating to ask, “How about you?”

He had seen Lu Tinghan take out his mobile phone before, as if he wanted to send a message to someone, but finally took it back. He felt inexplicably that Lu Tinghan actually wanted to say something.

“No,” Lu Tinghan said.

Xing Yifeng said in his heart that General Lu was worthy of being General Lu, he could still restrain his excess emotions when he knew that he was going to die.

He said: “I wish I were as firm as you. Speaking of which, I’m not afraid of you laughing at me. In the afternoon, I called my family and listened to their voices. I really almost backed down. Hahahahaha!”

Lu Tinghan: “Saying goodbye will make people feel soft.”

“That’s right.” Xing Yifeng sighed, “That’s why I said you are as firm as always.”

“I am not firm.” Lu Tinghan said lightly, “Otherwise, why do you think I didn’t say goodbye?”

Xing Yifeng was stunned suddenly. In the next second, Lu Tinghan walked quickly to the screen, stared at the snake tide, and shouted to the contact channel: “10 kilometers east of the southeast outpost of Fengyang City, aim at the ‘Heavy Hammer’!”

At the same time, the earth trembled, and the mountain-like Snake King raised its body, its dark green vertical pupils looked greedily at the outpost, and it looked at Lu Tinghan.

Thousands of kilograms of soil slipped from its body, and it covered the sky and the sun. It didn’t know that its head had been targeted, and death would fall from the sky. It didn’t know that its time of death was approaching.

The ‘Heavy Hammer’ fell, and several tons of tungsten rods penetrated the atmosphere and surging clouds, burning and falling.

“…I was still shaken.” At this time, Lu Tinghan actually laughed. “There was a strange kid who performed a stage play and asked me if there was a God of Salvation. Have you seen that stage play? It’s called ‘The Martyr’.”

Xing Yifeng scratched his head: “I’ve seen it, it’s really good. I like the part where the savior saves the world. Maybe I’m superficial! I truly believe that there is a God of Salvation.”

“The script is just the script,” Lu Tinghan said, “So, I told him that there is no such thing in the world – there is no God of Salvation, no divine power to save the world, but I am the martyr.”

Then the ‘Heavy Hammer’ fell, destroying everything.

Shi Yuan searched around the outpost inch by inch, rummaging through many bodies.

They were all dead.

Shi Yuan couldn’t tell whether they died from the rock snake or the ‘Heavy Hammer’, but they were all dead.

The sun had already set, and in the last touch of sky light, he found Lu Tinghan.

Shi Yuan removed the rubble pressing on him, and trembled to check his breathing.—

Still breathing.

There was also a heartbeat.

A hanging heart was put down heavily, Shi Yuan knelt and sat beside Lu Tinghan.

For the first time, he understood what ‘love’ was, and what he experienced was not sentimental and beautiful ambiguity, not strong affection, but worry, fear, and panic, which filled his heart completely. At this moment, he understood Cheng Youwen’s regrets and Edward’s madness.

It turned out that this was what it felt like to lose someone.

Love is that you would be afraid of not being able to hold that person’s hand anymore.

Shi Yuan leaned over tremblingly again—

With his fear and panic, with his ignorant and blazing love, and the secret that he had never said before, he gave Lu Tinghan a kiss of blood and mud.