When Gong Lixin and Song Haoran rushed to the North District prison, they heard unusual noises. Dozens of members of the Self-Defense Force were inserting steel forks coated in toxins into the eyes of a water-system python. The python opened its mouth and screeched, the sound getting smaller and smaller before it finally twitched and died. The steel fork went straight from its eyes into its skull and the poisonous tip melted its brain into a mass of rotten meat. Even if it was covered with indestructible scale, it could do nothing if its brain was gone.
Seeing this, the members of the Self-Defense Force team finally let go of their hanging hearts. One by one, they fell to the wet ground, panting to catch their breath. On the other side, Lin Wenbo and Dou Heng each killed a third-level mid-grade water python and stepped back to check the situation of the team.
Not just a few of them were injured, but most of them were injured by water jets shot by the pythons and were not infected. They usually joined forces to kill a three-level mid-grade water python, so the combat effectiveness of the Self-Defense Force team made the ability users that had come to support them, look on with amazement. This change was indeed brought out by Young Master Gong's team members. Even if there was no ability user, their strength cannot be underestimated. Thinking of that, the ability users rushed forward to deal with the injured members of the Self-Defense Force team with admiration on their faces.
Many of the members of the Self-Defense Force team were originally slaves under the hands of Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan. After joining with the Eastern District's Self-Defense Force group, they learned that ordinary people also had their dignity, that ordinary people could also become stronger and that ordinary people could rely on their own strength to survive in the hell that is the apocalyptic days. Seeing the respect these strong ability users showed them, their hearts trembled and they suddenly had the desire to cry.
The wire protection net erected outside the North District prison building was perforated by three giant pythons and had crumbled to the ground. The water jet from the pythons flooded the training ground around the prison building and the cold moonlight shone on it making it seem like the distant ocean. Gong Lixin and Song Haoran stepped into the water that came to their ankles and walked towards the crowd, moving around the dead bodies of the three pythons.
Seeing that Young Master Gong came, whether sitting or lying down, the exhausted members of the Self-Defense Force team stood up straight and rushed to greet him as they tried their best to make Young Master Gong see their good side.
"Boss is here. As soon as our team found the three pythons, we didn't let the them climb into the prison building, otherwise it could create a lot of trouble." Gu Nan and Ma Jin took charge of patrolling tonight and when they saw Young Master Gong, they rushed over to report the situation.
"Good job!" Song Haoran patted their shoulders and complimented them. Both smiled and looked at Gong Lixin with hope filled expressions.
Under their hope-filled stare, Gong Lixin smiled and nodded.
Gu Nan and Ma Jun smiled and asked in unison, "Boss, when are we teaming up again? It's been so long since we've taken a task together and my hands are itching to have a go!"
"Recently, you've performed well. Let us re-form the teams after another half a month of inspection. For now, go and see the situation of the other team members and take the seriously injured to the infirmary. Don't delay." Lin Wenbo waded across the water and began to speak to them.
"Yes!" After getting their answer, the two were overjoyed. They hurriedly said their farewell to their boss and went to take care of their team members.
Lin Wenbo stepped forward. He glanced at the young man and saw the slightly pinkish corners of his eyes. His eyes flickered slight and he reached out to stroke the deep red marks on the young man's neck as he whispered, "Were you resting? Everything's all right here, so go back to sleep."
Even though he said that, Lin Wenbo's finger still lingered on the youth's neck, reluctant to separate. He shouldn't have been working tonight but another night, but he didn't want to stay in his room and listen to the passionate moans of his friend and Xiaoxin. So, he walked to the beach near the North District to patrol. In fact, he knew that his friend did the same thing as him. Whenever the teenager was spending time with him, his friend would leave the room and spend the night out. At first, the two did this to escape, not wanting to listen, watch or think about it, so as not to feel uncomfortable. But now, after such a long time, they had become accustomed to it and finally followed it like a scheduled shift with unexpected harmony. No one wanted to give up and no one wanted to be abandoned. They could thus only enjoy as much as they could, even if they spend the rest of their lives like this.
"It's okay to only sleep for a few hours. I'll look around and make sure everything's okay before leaving." Gong Lixin narrowed his eyes and cuddled into Lin Wenbo's arms as he whispered.
"Alright. Wait here to take care of the wounded and make sure that the wounded are taken away. After that, go back and rest immediately." Lin Wenbo pinched Gong Lixin's cheeks and turned to look at his friend. He waved him over, "These snakes came from the beach, Haoran. Follow the trail to the beach and see what's going on."
Song Haoran nodded and went. He took a dozen ability users with him to the beach. When the back of the party disappeared, Gong Lixin walked towards Dou Heng who had buried himself in helping the Self-Defense Force members to deal with the injured.
From the corner of his eyes, Dou Heng had been following the young man's movements. Seeing him approach him, Dou Heng quickly fixed the injured arm before him, then stood up, straightening his back and nodding slightly to the young man. "Well, this is it." He glanced at the youthful white face of the young man before lowering his eyes, afraid to look at him again. The more he looked, the more he became attached.
The man's face was still as grim as ever and Gong Lixin still couldn't see the slightest change in expression, but for some reason, Gong Lixin could feel strong bitterness emanating from him.
"What's wrong?" Licking his lips, the teenager's clear voice came out slightly disturbed.
"It's nothing." Dou Heng waved his hand. Just then, the groan of a wounded person resounded and he immediately walked over to check. Gong Lixin no longer questioned him when he saw the situation and instead, leaned over to check the injuries of the crowd. He inserted a bit of internal force to help them deal with bruises and internal injuries. After busying themselves for over ten minutes, the wounded people’s condition stabilized and they were taken to the infirmary one by one. Gong Lixin stood up and looked back, but didn't see Dou Heng's figure. He frowned, listened for a while then walked towards the cliff outside of the North District.
The man stood at the edge of the cliff and faced the icy sea breeze. The tall figure stood upright and looked as tall as a mountain and just as silent. Gong Lixin approached him slowly, smelling a trace of blood mixed in with the scent of sea breeze. He frowned fiercely.
"You're injured?" Gong Lixin said firmly, his clear voice tightening as he did so. The blood of the python was smelly while the blood of human kind was sweet thus they were both easy to distinguish.
"Um. A fire crow was hiding in the dark and pecked me." Dou Heng admitted frankly. He pulled back his black t-shirt and exposed his wound that was seeping with blood. The blood had changed from red to black. It was clear that he had been infected with toxins from the bird's beak.
"You're a third-level high-grade, no? Why didn't you use your ability to protect yourself in battle?" Gong Lixin deliberately lowered his voice as he was filled with deep dissatisfaction and blame.
"At that time, the water had already reached our ankles. If I deployed a shield over my body, the people on the field would indifferently be hit by the high-voltage current." Dou Heng explained with his eyes looking down. He raised his eyes and stared deeply at the teenager in front of him. He slowly said, "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I won't be able to guard you anymore."
Dou Heng's purple eyes were as deep as the sea and the hidden, complex emotion of his flowed out from them, almost drowning Gong Lixin with its intensity. Although Gong Lixin couldn't understand a lot of emotions, he suddenly felt very depressed and felt like he couldn't breathe. He didn't know why. Dou Heng would always be somewhere around him. As long as he looked back, he could always see his erect figure. At first, he was alert about his presence, then later, he indulged in it. Now, it became a habit to look for him. He had already accepted Dou Heng's existence near him. He never thought that the other would one day leave him.
While the youth was confused, Dou Heng's bright purple eyes stared at him silently. Collecting back all the emotions he leaked out, he lifted his feet and passed by the teenager. He was not afraid of death, but was afraid to become an unconscious walking dead, of losing all his memories of the youth. The young man was the cleanest, most unique and precious treasure in his heart. He was his belief and his hope, the one that supported him and pushed him to live. When he thought about the future where he would become a zombie with only hunger; no sense of self and no memory, he couldn't bear it. Even if the young man took care of him, he found that intolerable and hated it so much that he'd prefer to immediately turn into smoke and dissipate into the air. His pride didn't allow him to live such a life like Jin Shanghui, not even knowing what he liked best.
"Wait." Just as Dou Heng drifted away and was about to merge with the dark night, Gong Lixin finally regained his senses and shouted, "That little injury is nothing. Follow me." He stepped forward and took Dou Heng's hand before walking towards the death row building in the Eastern District.
The teenager's hands were smooth and delicate, soft and boneless with a touch of warmth. The feeling of the other's palm wrapping over his hand was so incredible that Dou Heng instantly felt disoriented. He secretly tightening his fingers, wishing to never let go. This way, before he knew it, he was led to Jin Shangyu's door.
"Boss, why are you looking for me so late in the night?" Jin Shangyu asked sleepily. She wore a large men's t-shirt and her long hair were all over the place. Jin Shanghui was trembling with excitement. He heard the familiar footsteps and quickly rushed to the door. He circled Gong Lixin while yelling at Dou Heng from time to time. The low roar was full of hostility.
"He is injured. I need you to help me treat him." Gong Lixin let go of Dou Heng and pushed him in front of Jin Shangyu.
"Where's the injury?" Jin Shangyu asked seriously as she re-entered the door. She rubbed her eyes to drive away the drowsiness.
"He was pecked on the back by a fire crow." When the room door was closed, Gong Lixin patted Jin Shanghui's head lightly before pointing his finger toward Dou Heng's back.
"Let me have a look." Jin Shangyu wanted to stretch out Dou Heng's clothes, but Dou Heng slapped her hand away.
"Sorry. I'm not used to others being so close." This was an occupational disease. Dou Heng explained as he pulled up the hem of his clothes and turned to reveal his lower back. The man's sensual, bronze skin, well-textured and bulging muscles made for an extremely explosive combination. At first, he was in a state of high alert. Had it not been for the youth's words, he would never reveal his back to someone unfamiliar.
Not used to being close to others? Why were you holding Gong Lixin's hand then? Does your nose grow when you lie? How terrible! Jin Shangyu rubbed the back of her hand that had turned red and gave Dou Heng a look full of grievance before looking down to check the situation.
"This little injury can be dealt with in a minute." Seeing the small wound on the man's back, Jin Shangyu rolled her eyes and didn't worry about it. She could see Gong Lixin's furrowed brows and unconcealed worry before her eyes. She knew that this person had some weight in his heart and she should treat this person with caution. The impatience on Gong Lixin face came out, reminding her to do it. Without waiting for Dou Heng's permission, she covered his wound and purified the toxins with a white light.