Chapter 87: See You Again in the Future

Shancheng, located to the south of Wushi and north of Shaoyang, is bisected by the largest river in Z Country, the Lucang River. The area is characterized by towering mountains, deep valleys, and numerous ravines, shrouded in mist throughout the year.

In ancient times, this was a place of strategic significance, easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even in the modern era, Shancheng remains one of the most uniquely positioned cities in Z Country.

There are people in the Safe Zone who came from Shancheng during the early days of the apocalypse. Yesterday, they were called to the Supervision Hall for questioning.

It seems that Shancheng, unlike Wushi, did not evacuate all of its residents to the Safe Zone. Shancheng has its own factions.

At the beginning, conflicts were constant, but it seems that by now, the various factions have reached a balance, keeping each other in check and stabilizing the situation.

After dinner, Wen Tang had someone deliver the gasoline that Fu Jingmo needed. They weren’t lacking in other supplies—guns and food were in abundance—but gasoline was hard to come by.

Initially, half of the gasoline they collected from the mining area was left behind in the courtyard, while the other half was given to the miners who had come to the Safe Zone with them. The miners wanted to survive here and could use the gasoline to trade for basic supplies.

Taking advantage of the night, Lin Mu stored their own gasoline into the space. The SUV’s tank was full, and with the gasoline Wen Tang had sent over, they now had about fifty to sixty liters.

The distance from Wushi to Shancheng is about 300 kilometers, so barring any unexpected circumstances, the gasoline should be enough.

After loading all the gasoline into the vehicle, everyone returned to their rooms, leaving only Wen Tang and Fu Jingmo in the courtyard.

“Major, the higher-ups hope you can deal with the Bai Ying threat.”

“Heh, and who are these ‘higher-ups’?”

Wen Tang frowned slightly. “General Ye.”

“You know, I don’t take orders from him. I have my own mission. As for the matter with Bai Ying, it’s not within my responsibilities. If it becomes absolutely necessary, I will deal with him. But right now, I’m not willing to put my team at risk.”

The moonlight fell on Fu Jingmo’s stern face, exuding an air of unyielding authority. Unit 113 only followed orders from one person—General Ye had no authority to issue commands to him.

“Major, you’ve changed.”

Wen Tang smiled helplessly and didn’t push further. “I’ll relay your message to General Ye. Don’t worry.”

“Mm.”

Fu Jingmo was indifferent to the comment about him and turned to head back inside the house.

In the living room:

He Ze was holding a pair of scissors and hovering them over Shen Rangchen’s forehead. “Wow, you’ve been bossing me around all day today! Now it’s my turn to experiment on you!”

“Don’t touch my hair. If you want to cut, go cut your own.”

The two bumped elbows as they jostled. Shen Rangchen’s hair, already of medium length, was tied into a small ponytail at the back of his head, so there was no real need for a cut. Meanwhile, He Ze’s hair had grown long and ugly.

Fu Jingmo let out a soft chuckle as he headed upstairs, thinking to himself that his own hair had also grown a bit long.

Pushing open the door, he saw Lin Mu sitting on the bed, reading that notebook. When Lin Mu noticed him entering, he briefly glanced up before lowering his head again.

“Lin Mu, let’s cut our hair too.”

Fu Jingmo, suddenly intrigued, began searching around for a pair of scissors.

“Huh?”

The sudden, out-of-the-blue statement left Lin Mu momentarily confused. “Cut our hair?”

He glanced at Fu Jingmo’s hair, which had indeed grown a bit long.

When they first met, the person in front of him had a buzz cut, about one centimeter long. At that time, Lin Mu had secretly thought that some people could even pull off a buzz cut and still look so handsome.

But now… his hair had grown long enough that stray strands were falling over his forehead. Although Fu Jingmo still looked very handsome, Lin Mu felt that a buzz cut suited him best.

Clean and sharp, just like him—impossible to ignore with that bold presence.

Fu Jingmo found the scissors and tossed them to Lin Mu, pulling a chair over to sit by the bed. “You go first.”

“Uh, I’ve never cut anyone’s hair before. Don’t blame me if it turns out bad.”

“…No matter how it looks, your brother will still be handsome.”

Lin Mu shrugged, grabbed a towel and tucked it around Fu Jingmo’s neck, then leaned in and began cutting his hair.

Lin Mu’s fingers gently threaded through Fu Jingmo’s hair, making his scalp tingle slightly. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Fu Jingmo gave a small shiver.

After cutting the back, Lin Mu took a look and was fairly satisfied—it didn’t look like a dog had chewed it up, at least.

He then moved to the front, bending down slightly. His loose collar revealed his fair skin, and his delicate, small collarbones came into view, immediately catching Fu Jingmo’s eye.

His gaze involuntarily drifted downward, sweeping over quickly…

A faint, woody fragrance lingered in the air around him, and Fu Jingmo’s throat tightened slightly. From above, a cool voice reached his ears.

“Close your eyes, or hair might fall in.”

Reluctantly, Fu Jingmo closed his eyes. In just a few minutes, the haircut was done. Lin Mu stopped and straightened up. “All done.”

Fu Jingmo hurried to the bathroom to take a look. “Not bad, Lin Mu. As expected, your brother is still handsome.”

After Fu Jingmo finished cutting Lin Mu’s hair, the two finally lay down to sleep.

This was their last night in this warm and safe place where they could sleep peacefully and even enjoy a hot shower. Once they left the Safe Zone, the days ahead would be full of uncertainty.

It might take a very long time before they reached Shancheng.

With a slight sense of unease, Lin Mu slowly drifted into sleep.

…

The next day, everyone woke up early.

Most of their belongings had been stored by Lin Mu in his spatial space, with only a few things left in the car to avoid drawing suspicion.

He Ze ran out holding slippers, tissues, and two sets of clothes provided by the room, hurriedly stuffing them into his half-empty bag.

His hair, unevenly cut like it had been chewed by a dog, was patchy—bald in some spots and uneven in others.

“Wow, did you guys even pack the room properly? Don’t you know that when checking out, you need to take everything you can with you?”

Lin Mu glanced at him, amused. “You think this is a hotel or something? Also, your hairstyle… quite something.”

Back when the two of them used to travel together, He Ze was just like this—he would take everything, even down to the disposable toothpaste and the tiny box of matches.

Now, it was clear that he was carrying on that fine tradition from those days.

However, in a way, this worked to their advantage—it made them seem especially… resourceful, further diverting any suspicion that they might have access to spatial storage.

So Lin Mu didn’t stop him.

Mentioning his haircut immediately set He Ze off. Originally, he wanted to practice on Shen Rangchen and then cut his own hair. But it backfired, and that crafty guy slapped a talisman on him, turning him into a fish on the chopping block, letting Shen Rangchen butcher his hair like this.

“Boohoo, Mumu, why do you and Brother Fu have such good haircuts? Next time, you have to cut mine.”

He Ze clung to Lin Mu’s leg, complaining bitterly for a while. In the end, Lin Mu successfully got him off by promising three chicken drumsticks for dinner.

After everything was packed up, the four of them climbed into the SUV, taking one last look at the Safe Zone and the house they had stayed in.

They couldn’t help but feel a sense of reluctance. At least here, they had lived peacefully for a while.

The SUV slowly drove toward the Safe Zone gate, where Yu Hong was standing at the side, watching them with red-rimmed eyes.

Lin Mu stopped the car. They had received a lot of help from Yu Hong while staying here, so it was only right to say goodbye.

“Xiao Yu, we’re heading out.”

Yu Hong jogged over, rubbing his eyes and sniffing as he spoke, “Major, Lin Mu, He Ze, and Daozhang^[1]Daozhang (道长) is a respectful term used to address a Taoist priest or monk, often someone who is learned in Taoism or a practitioner of its spiritual, philosophical, or martial teachings.(Shen Rangchen), you all take care.”

“You too,” Lin Mu replied with a smile.

Fu Jingmo nodded at him. “In the future, see you in Fengcheng.”

Yu Hong stood at attention, saluting sharply. His voice rang out, “Yes, Major. See you in Fengcheng.”

When the world finally stabilizes, and the zombies in every city are completely cleared, most people will still need to relocate to Fengcheng to begin rebuilding their homes from there.

Maybe by then, if they’re lucky enough to still be alive, they’ll have the chance to meet again.

The heavy iron gates were pulled open, and the SUV slowly started up, driving toward the fiery red sunrise as they left Wushi Safe Zone behind.

It wasn’t until the gate was fully closed again that Lin Mu saw Yu Hong slowly lower his saluting arm and bow his head.

In this apocalyptic world, every farewell might very well be the last, a separation between life and death.

That’s why Lin Mu didn’t dare say goodbye.

He glanced at Fu Jingmo beside him. Only this person had the confidence to say, “See you in the future.”