Chapter 50: Gao Ting's Story

It all happened five years ago. Back then, Gao Ting was even younger than Qi Fang, only fifteen years old. Much like Qi Fang, the village where the girl lived had also been invaded by zombies, hit by a sudden and completely unannounced attack.

Due to its remote location, hoping for reinforcements was pure delusion. Although the number of zombies during that attack was not large, the village could never hold out with just a few shotguns. While many villagers practiced martial arts, how could mere physical prowess stand against monsters?

Whether by luck or a twist of fate, just as the village was about to fall, a mysterious stranger suddenly appeared and saved Gao Ting along with her entire village. Exhibiting extraordinarily formidable power, that stranger single-handedly drove away all the zombies and monsters.

He was a handsome young man who claimed to be a Hunter—a warrior dedicated specifically to protecting humanity!

The village was saved. While the villagers were overwhelmed with gratitude, they also worried that the driven-off zombies might return. After all, the village was remote, and it was unlikely someone would be there to rescue them every time. Consequently, the village elder stepped forward and pleaded with the handsome man to stay and protect the settlement.

Unexpectedly, the man readily agreed. The villagers rejoiced, little knowing that this was merely the beginning of a nightmare.

At that time, Gao Ting was only fifteen, right at the age of awakening romantic feelings. Unlike the men born and raised in the village, the Hunter possessed a breathtaking, otherworldly handsomeness. The young girl was easily captivated and actively invited the man to live at her home, clearing out a small cottage in the backyard with her mother.

Every day, after finishing her household chores, listening to the Hunter big brother tell stories was Gao Ting's happiest time. The girl had been completely enchanted by this handsome and powerful older boy, and the villagers were deeply grateful for his vow to protect them to the death.

However, good times never last. Although the Hunter's presence kept the zombies from invading again, the villagers soon noticed that every few days, a few people would go missing, vanishing into thin air...

"It's those monsters outside the village! Don't worry, I'll find a way to kill them!" That was what the Hunter said, and that was what he did. Every day, he would go outside the village to battle those monsters, occasionally bringing back zombie heads or even the corpses of mutated creatures.

The villagers grew even more grateful to him, but... even so, the missing persons cases in the village were never resolved. A small village of over five hundred people was reduced to three hundred in a mere half-year. While panic and anxiety gripped the residents, no one had any solution.

Until one day, Gao Ting's grandfather went missing. The entire family searched frantically, but he was never found again. Crying, Gao Ting begged the Hunter for help in the search, but it was useless. The Hunter only returned after killing a few zombies, completely unable to find any trace of her grandfather. Not many days later, her father and mother went missing as well.

Gao Ting was utterly dumbfounded. Weeping hysterically, she practically turned the village upside down. It was through this desperate search that the girl finally found her father and mother—however... they were already corpses, and even worse...

That night, the young girl clearly saw the handsome Hunter, the older brother she adored so deeply, devouring her mother's internal organs.

"Little girl, you are truly cute. Actually, I originally planned to eat you last, what a pity..." The Hunter grinned hideously. He was no longer a handsome man; in an instant, he had transformed into a monster. Was that... a fiend?

Her grandmother fought desperately to save Gao Ting, but perished beneath the sharp claws of that fiend. When the truth finally came to light, the small village descended into utter madness. The surviving villagers picked up weapons, fighting desperately against the fiend's massacre, but it was completely futile. The zombie army appeared once more, and everyone was shocked to discover that these zombies and mutated creatures had actually been subordinates of this fiend all along.

"Teacher Ling happened to pass by and saved me. Everyone in the village died, and I was the only one rescued..." Murmuring in a trance, Gao Ting was already a crying mess.

What followed was simple. Ling Fengyan rescued Gao Ting, who was left completely alone. He genuinely had a kind heart; he brought Gao Ting back to Beijing, pulled strings to help her obtain a residency permit, and later brought her along to become a Hunter. Gao Ting indeed possessed good potential and worked extremely hard. Coupled with the martial arts training she had received since childhood, she had grown exceptionally strong over the years.

The bar was silent. Not a single person spoke. Even the people at the neighboring tables quietly set down their wine glasses to listen, and the waiter walked over with a deep sigh to refill Gao Ting's glass.

Ye Yang understood everything now. No wonder Gao Ting was so cold toward strangers—it was because of... No wonder her attitude had been extremely hostile when she first met him, especially when he mentioned that his physique was unusual and very similar to a Hunter's.

"I'm sorry..." Gao Ting smiled bitterly.

Shaking his head, Ye Yang sighed deeply. "You really don't need to blame yourself. I had no idea it was like that."

"Fiends are truly detestable!" An Jing and An Xin waved their small fists in indignation, and Qi Fang chimed in repeatedly.

Chen Yun, however, kept frowning without a word, only asking after a long silence: "Why did he deceive the villagers? Since fiends are so strong, wiping out the villagers directly would have been simpler, right? Ah... I don't mean any harm, I'm just curious."

"I suppose... it was for farming," Ye Yang's voice was filled with anger, his fists clenched tight. Everyone started in surprise, instantly grasping the implication.

"That's right," Sang Shi nodded. "After the apocalyptic war, only over a thousand fiends remain in this world. Most of them are clustered within a few massive factions, rivaling the surviving humans, but there are also those who lack supreme strength and refuse to take orders from others."

"These fiends chose to survive on their own. But because their strength isn't enough to brazenly fight toe-to-toe with Hunters, they hide among humans. Many villages harbor such fiends. They don't slaughter the small settlements outright; instead, they choose seclusion, occasionally killing a few humans and eating them without anyone ever knowing..."

"After all, a massacre only provides one big feast, but... as Ye Zi said, this is like farming. There are quite a number of such fiends distributed all over various places. Teacher and I have run into them several times."

Silence fell over the group once more. Farming humans? Just like when Ye Yang first heard of it, everyone was shocked. Qi Fang was so angry she started smashing things directly, though Ye Yang didn't stop her—letting her vent was probably for the best, and anyway, he could afford to pay for the damage.

After hearing Gao Ting's past, Ye Yang no longer blamed her and even felt a trace of pity for the girl. It seemed her strength had been forged through desperate, agonizing training born of this unforgettable trauma. For a young girl with such ordinary psychic abilities to push herself almost to Level 4 through sheer grit was truly remarkable!

By this point, no one had any mood left to celebrate. Although the waiter, sighing, made an exception to serve two more dishes, no one had the appetite to eat. They drank plenty of wine instead; as the saying goes, joyous occasions call for joyous wine, and sorrowful ones for bitter wine—which perfectly described the present moment.

"Bodyguard Number One, I'm not going back. Tingting is so sad, I'm going to stay with her tonight," Qi Fang said with red eyes. Although her experience differed from Gao Ting's, the result was the same—both had lost their parents and families, which made their bond the deepest.

Ye Yang agreed immediately. The girl wasn't going back? Goodness... could he finally enjoy a peaceful night? In fact, Ye Yang wished Qi Fang would never come back and would just move in with Gao Ting permanently, though of course he wouldn't voice those thoughts aloud.

Sang Shi escorted the girls back to the academy dormitory. Chen Yun didn't go with them; the girl had just received her internship battle bonus today and planned to go home that evening to give it to her parents and share the good news.

"I'll walk you back. I don't have the habit of sleeping so early," Ye Yang smiled. The girl's face flushed instantly, but she nodded in agreement.

The night was already deep, and a chilly wind was blowing. Ye Yang, considering himself a considerate man, immediately took off his coat and draped it over the girl's shoulders, though he couldn't help smiling again.

Chen Yun probably wasn't afraid of the cold anyway, given that her superpower was cryokinesis...

"Thank you," the girl smiled with a blushing face. Ye Yang simply waved his hand. If such a gesture required thanks, he would really have to become Qi Fang's slave to repay her kindness, and Gao Ting would have to bow and burn incense to Ling Fengyan morning and night.

Chen Yun lived quite far away, close to the outer perimeter of the northern capital at this time, but Ye Yang had zero desire to hail a cab or take the subway. He desperately wanted to just walk and stroll along with the girl, and Chen Yun didn't object either.

"Right, you mentioned last time that you have a fiancée? What's the story there?" the girl suddenly brought up the topic. Ye Yang froze, instinctively turning his head to find that Chen Yun's face was already burning red.

With a wry smile, Ye Yang understood why the girl was asking, but he had to answer. Once he told her, he probably wouldn't have any romantic chances left. Although Ye Yang hadn't planned on pursuing the girl right away, he still hoped he might have a sliver of a chance.

"Is her name... Yan Yaxin?" After listening to Ye Yang's story, Chen Yun murmured in a daze before suddenly breaking into a soft smile. "Such a pretty name."

"Yeah... very pretty," Ye Yang nodded.

"Do you still love her? Do you still remember her..."

"Yeah..."

"Then, if she is no longer around..." The girl stopped abruptly mid-sentence, perhaps realizing that phrasing it that way was inappropriate.

With a bitter smile, Ye Yang shook his head. "I don't know..."

"Even if she's still alive, I wouldn't know what to do. Twenty years have passed. She might have married someone by now, or perhaps... she already has children."

"She must be in her forties already, while I remain looking exactly as I did back then. I simply don't know how to face her..."

"Nanjing is gone. Uncle Lin helped me check, and there isn't a single person with the surname Yan in Shanghai. Ha, it was a rare surname to begin with, but... but I just can't forget."

Ye Yang murmured in agony. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps Gao Ting's story had stirred up memories of the past, but his heart ached terribly right now—for his mom and dad, for the dim and uncertain road ahead, and for his Yan Yaxin.

A small hand wrapped around his arm. Ye Yang startled and turned his head, only to see Chen Yun's slightly flushed face filled with encouragement.

"Actually, everyone is troubled by the apocalypse, so I don't know how to comfort you either. But I want to say that if you really miss her, if you want to cry, then..."

Before Chen Yun could finish her sentence, she was pulled tightly into Ye Yang's embrace. The heavy, slightly wine-scented breath brushed against her face, throwing the girl's heart into utter chaos. At the same time, however, she felt Ye Yang's body trembling violently.

"Don't struggle... I'm sorry, just let me hold you for a moment. Actually, I really like you, but I... I'm sorry, just for a little while," Ye Yang said with a trembling voice, holding the girl so tightly that even when she struggled to breathe, he refused to let go.

The pressure on Ye Yang was simply too immense. From the agonizing ordeal in the desert, to the desperate battles against powerful monsters, down to learning that his parents were dead and Xiaoya's fate was unknown... unknown? In truth, Ye Yang already understood that the chances of Yan Yaxin still being alive were practically zero.

What weighed most heavily on Ye Yang was the knowledge that humans like them were being farmed by fiends like dogs; it had almost driven him mad. Add to that the wager bound to his arm—a secret he couldn't share with anyone, forcing him to bear the crushing burden entirely alone, unable to confide even in Qi Fang.

He had kept up a smiling facade, but how many people truly knew the bitterness locked within his heart? Gao Ting could cry, Qi Fang could cry, but what about him? He wanted to cry too, but who could he show those tears to?

He truly needed a deep embrace of warmth for his heart, which had been frozen and pushed to the verge of death by infinite pressure.

Neither of them said anything more, nor did they make any further move. They simply held each other like that, for a very, very long time...