Chapter 19: Uncle Lin Tian

Lin Tian was once one of the subordinates of Ye Yang’s father, Ye Lingyun. Though not particularly outstanding, he was one of the youngest scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences back in the day. Ye Yang was quite familiar with Lin Tian; every time he visited his father’s laboratory, he would run into him. Occasionally, Ye Lingyun would even take him along on trips to Nanjing. Since they were only ten years apart in age, they shared common ground. Lin Tian had the personality of a natural leader among children and used to lead Ye Yang into many mischievous escapades when they were young.

However, at that time, Lin Tian was the youngest scientist in China. Now, in his fifties, he was a man in the sunset of his years, his hair streaked with gray.

“Uncle Lin, you’ve really aged a lot,” Ye Yang remarked inside the room.

“Damn! How many years has it been? How could I not age? Unlike you, young man, in your forties but looking barely over twenty,” Lin Tian grumbled, lighting a cigarette with a look of dissatisfaction. “You’re lucky to have been frozen for twenty years.”

“Lucky?” Ye Yang gave a bitter smile. Who would want to be inexplicably frozen for two decades? He was a youth when he lost consciousness, but now he was nearly fifty. Fortunately, his appearance hadn’t changed—a small mercy.

“About your father, Dr. Lingyun… sigh,” Lin Tian sighed deeply. “I was the team leader who went to rescue him, but we were too late. I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Ye Yang shook his head. Seeing Lin Tian’s guilt, he couldn’t help but sigh. The loss of his father was not easier for Lin Tian either. Their relationship was more than just boss and subordinate—it was like brothers, or even father and son. Lin Tian once said that if he had a father like Ye Lingyun, it would be a blessing earned from a past life.

At the time, Ye Yang scoffed at such words. Only later, when he understood, it was already too late.

“Dr. Lingyun? Is a doctor a scientist? Is Bodyguard Number One’s father a scientist? Who is Dr. Lingyun?” Qifang, another person in the room, asked in a daze.

Ye Yang sighed deeply, suddenly feeling a pang of injustice for his father. No matter how many times he saved humanity, Qifang, this young girl, probably wouldn’t know who he was. Indeed, she seemed to know everything except what she should and shouldn’t.

“By the way, my mother…” Ye Yang suddenly remembered the crucial matter.

Lin Tian’s face stiffened. He took several deep drags of his cigarette but couldn’t bring himself to speak. Ye Yang nodded, understanding everything. Though it pained him even more, he found himself unable to cry.

After a long silence, Ye Yang furrowed his brow and asked, “Do you know what my father did to me? I feel really strange now. I’m not afraid of the zombie infection, and I even…”

“I know!” Lin Tian interrupted before Ye Yang could finish. After some thought, he added, “This isn’t urgent. I’ll tell you slowly later. Hey! I searched for you so hard, but I didn’t expect the doctor to stash you deep underground in the lab.”

With that, Lin Tian took out another cigarette, lit it, and casually tossed one to Ye Yang. “Since we’ve met now, stick with me from here on out! Heh, your Uncle Lin’s doing pretty well—won’t let anything happen to you!”

“Sure! Even if you didn’t say it, I’d follow you anyway!” Ye Yang smiled warmly. He was truly happy. At this moment, it felt like returning to the distant past when Lin Tian led him to confront local troublemakers and avenge him.

Though his parents were gone, at this moment, Lin Tian was no different than family to Ye Yang.

“Oh right, Uncle Lin lives in Yanjing, right? Didn’t you say there’s no residence permit, and that it’s forbidden to go to Yanjing?” Ye Yang suddenly asked.

“Pfft! What kind of person is your Uncle Lin? Residence permit? Consider it settled right away. I’ve even got a place for you to live! Want women? I can arrange a dozen to keep you company on rotation!” Lin Tian boasted like a big brother, patting his chest, making Ye Yang laugh heartily. It was good to meet someone familiar.

“You’re going to Yanjing? You… you want to follow him?” A sharp voice suddenly interrupted. Qifang lunged forward and grabbed Ye Yang’s arm, her face flushed with anger. “No way! You’re my slave! No, no, you’re my Bodyguard Number One—you can’t go with anyone else!”

Ye Yang felt awkward, having forgotten about Qifang. With her grandfather gone, he truly couldn’t just abandon her. Though she had stopped crying, her expression was still gloomy and tear-streaked.

“Um… Uncle Lin, can you help me out? Bringing one more person isn’t a problem, right?” Ye Yang said awkwardly. Seeing Lin Tian’s thoughtful look, he quickly added, “Don’t get the wrong idea! Damn! Don’t think weird things. She saved my life. Without her, I’d have died in the lab.”

“Oh… a lifesaver, huh,” Lin Tian realized, but the strange smirk at the corner of his mouth told Ye Yang he was imagining all sorts of things.

“All right, leave it to me! But we’re not leaving now. It’s rare to get out, so tomorrow I’ll take you out to have some fun. The liquor at the drifters’ camp is pretty good—no more strong Erguotou like this in Yanjing these days.”

With a slam, Lin Tian closed the door and left, leaving Ye Yang and Qifang staring at each other.

“Are you… really going?” Qifang muttered, biting her lip. Though they hadn’t known each other long, they had survived many hardships together and were good friends. Her grandfather was just gone; she truly needed support.

“Yes,” Ye Yang nodded. He had to go to Yanjing. The world had changed, and his future was uncertain. He couldn’t just stay in this bar wasting his days. His father was Dr. Lingyun, and he wanted to make something of himself.

He envied the hunters and longed to be like them—to save those living in terror and help those in need.

“If you want, you can come with me. Didn’t you want to go to Yanjing?” Ye Yang earnestly invited.

“Food, lodging, clothing—you don’t have to worry about any of that. My friend will arrange everything. I don’t know what will happen after, but whatever comes, we’ll face it together. After all, you saved my life. As long as I, Ye Yang, have a bite to eat, Miss Qifang will never go hungry.”

By the time Ye Yang finished, Qifang was stunned silent. Though she knew Ye Yang’s words weren’t meant in any special way, this sounded just like a proposal—if it weren’t for the “you saved my life” part, it might as well have been one.

“Are you saying… you’ll support me?” Qifang asked, wide-eyed.

Ye Yang, unaware of the deep blush on her cheeks, nodded seriously. He hadn’t meant it in that way; he simply wanted to look after her.

“I… I…” Qifang was at a loss for words. Everything was happening too suddenly. Without a single step in between, he was already offering to support her? She did depend on Ye Yang somewhat, but was it affection? Even she wasn’t sure. At most, they were friends—and hadn’t known each other long.

“Let me think about it,” she said, taking a deep breath. She did want to go to Yanjing, a place she had long dreamed of, but she couldn’t leave here behind. Being a drifter was her favorite occupation.

“Fine. Whatever you decide, I won’t mind. I’ll come see you often,” Ye Yang said with a smile. “But I really hope you come with me—I truly want you to enjoy a real life.”

The bar was still lively. Ye Yang quickly found Lin Tian and, without ceremony, sat down and poured himself a drink. Ling Fengyan and the other two had already left—after all, they had important business, and they trusted Lin Tian with Ye Yang.

Ye Yang recalled Ling Fengyan whispering many things to Lin Tian before leaving, staring intently at him. He didn’t know what was said—perhaps it was what Yao Jun had mentioned—but Ye Yang didn’t understand the meaning.

“Uncle Lin, are you doing well in Yanjing? Got a government post?” Ye Yang asked with a smile.

Lin Tian sneered. “Official? Not really. There are no officials anymore. After the apocalypse, even the government collapsed. We just formed the Chinese Alliance to be self-reliant, establishing only the bare minimum organizations—like the Guard, the legal system, and some necessary management.”

“Then what department are you in?” Ye Yang asked curiously. Judging by his familiarity with Ling Fengyan, could it be that he managed the hunters?

Ye Yang was right. Lin Tian was indeed in the hunters’ department—that is, the military—and was doing very well, already the second-in-command of the Chinese Alliance military.

However, Lin Tian didn’t directly oversee the hunters. He was responsible for allocating ordinary human personnel. According to him, managing hunters required not only wisdom and ability but also formidable power to command respect, which he lacked.

“Sss…” Even managing just ordinary personnel was an unimaginable position of power. Ye Yang couldn’t fathom how a scientist like Lin Tian had gotten there.

“Long gone, man. Hey, let me show you something.” Lin Tian laughed heartily, suddenly handing Ye Yang a cigarette. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the cigarette lit itself.

“Superpower?” Ye Yang was startled, suddenly understanding—Lin Tian was a hunter too?

Lin Tian shook his head with a bitter smile. “Not really. When Dr. Lingyun first started hunter research, I signed up, one of the first. But… well…”

“Damn, I was just a failed experiment. Not that the experiment failed, but my physique was weak. The powers too weak—just enough to light a cigarette or charm women. Level 1, that’s all.”

“Oh…” Ye Yang nodded. He didn’t know the hunter ranking system, but Ling Fengyan had said he was Level 4, and those two young trainees were Level 3. So Lin Tian’s strength was indeed unimpressive.

But as long as Lin Tian knew, that was enough. Ye Yang had too many questions anyway.

“By the way, Uncle Lin, do hunters have to devour monsters to increase their power?” Ye Yang bit out the question with grit. If so, he would never become a hunter.

“Devour monsters?” Lin Tian was stunned but then burst into laughter. “Ha! You met that lunatic Yao Jun? That guy… ha, devouring monsters my foot. He’s crazy. Only he needs to do that.”

Ye Yang wiped the sweat from his brow. Sure enough, everyone said Yao Jun was a madman and a pervert. Better not listen to him.

“But that lunatic is strong. Tsk tsk… he’s nearly Level 5 now, right?” Lin Tian sighed. Ye Yang didn’t understand, but once he saw what Level 5 meant, he’d be shocked.

“Oh, Uncle Lin, do you think… I qualify to be a hunter? I’m completely immune to zombie and monster toxins, and I’ve killed a mutant, though I don’t know how,” Ye Yang asked the question most important to him.

“Of course!” Lin Tian laughed heartily. “Don’t worry. Once we’re back in Yanjing, I’ll help you get everything ready. Ha, no one in the world is more qualified than you to be a hunter.”

“Ah? Why?” Ye Yang was stunned. Was it because he was Ye Lingyun’s son?

When he asked again, Lin Tian wouldn’t answer, just saying everything would be explained once they returned.