Chapter 83: Can’t Line Up, Can’t Line Up

“Oh my goodness, my goddess… I wonder if my goddess is still alive?”

He Ze was lying on the bed, mumbling to himself while looking at a small photo.

In the picture was a stunning woman with red lips and curly hair, dressed in a black one-piece dress with her ample chest partially exposed. She was indeed very beautiful.

He had worked hard to get this photo from the guy on the other side of the concrete wall. The two of them had spent last night fighting side by side, supporting each other through a fierce battle.

He Ze was engrossed in the picture when the door was abruptly pulled open. Lin Mu walked in, carrying his dirty clothes.

“Ah, Mumu, you’re awake?”

“Yeah,” Lin Mu nodded, tossing his clothes aside and sitting down on the bed.

“???” He Ze, with three figurative question marks over his head, looked him up and down. “What’s up? Did you guys have a fight?”

Lin Mu shot him a glance. “No.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, come on, we’ve known each other for over twenty years. I can tell what you’re thinking just by the way you walk. You can’t fool me.”

He Ze leaned in with a gleeful expression, practically oozing gossip, “Why though? What did you guys fight about? Didn’t Brother Fu carry you back yesterday, and even worry that the ‘slice maniac’ would hurt you, so he personally treated your wounds?”

…

“Leave me alone.”

Lin Mu lay face down on the bed, the wounds on his back both painful and itchy, and his mood seemed to worsen.

“…Hey, couples quarrel at the head of the bed and make up at the foot…”

“To be honest, Brother Fu, although he’s usually a bit arrogant, overbearing, and self-centered…”

Lin Mu frowned and swatted away He Ze, who was lying too close to the pillow, “You’re too noisy.”

“…Hey, hey, I wasn’t finished! But at crucial moments, Brother Fu does care about people.”

Lin Mu took a deep breath and pulled out a pile of snacks, hurling them at He Ze’s face.

“If your mouth has nothing better to do, just eat.”

“Whoa, Mumu, since when did you start doing magic? Pulling stuff out like that.”

“Damn, is this real Oreos?!”

He Ze quickly tore open the package, munching away happily, and squatted off to the side to eat his snacks.

Lin Mu turned his head, facing the wall, and closed his eyes again. Without energy, his body required long periods of sleep to recover.

Arrogant! Overbearing! Ruthless and self-centered!

He Ze wasn’t wrong!

As for caring… well, Fu Jingmo would care about anyone, wouldn’t he? After all, he carried the weight of his mission on his shoulders, always prepared to sacrifice himself.

But…

Why was he so certain he(Lin Mu) couldn’t go with him?

Was it because, in his eyes, he wasn’t worthy of being his teammate?

—

After pushing open the door to the courtyard, Lin Mu slowly walked along the concrete path, his cold and slender figure seeming somewhat frail. In the light morning mist, there was an inexplicable sense of loneliness about him.

Fu Jingmo followed not too far behind, maintaining a steady distance.

He watched as Lin Mu turned a corner, heading toward the southeast corner of the compound. Lin Mu exchanged a few words with a young soldier patrolling below the wall, then climbed up onto the concrete wall and stood there, gazing outwards, unmoving.

At six in the morning, the sky was still dim, the grayish dawn casting a gloomy light over the blood-soaked earth.

Lin Mu bent his legs and sat down on the wall, his pale, slender hands resting on his knees as he gazed out at the landscape beyond.

Since he had been carried straight back to the courtyard after coming out of the armored vehicle, Lin Mu hadn’t had the chance to see what the area outside the safe zone looked like.

Now, as he looked at it for the first time, an indescribable sense of desolation and brutality washed over him.

The enormous craters still held the charred remnants of the battle—burnt zombie corpses, crumbling, abandoned buildings…

Some had been smashed to pieces by giant zombies, while others had been destroyed by incendiary bombs.

The traces of human civilization were gradually disappearing, replaced by cruel, blood-soaked destruction. Lin Mu wasn’t some merciful savior, but as a member of humanity, a bitter ache rose in his heart.

Fu Jingmo leaned against the concrete building for a while, watching as the sun gradually rose, and its light falling on the thin figure of Lin Mu.

Lin Mu had his head slightly turned, as if quietly watching the sunrise or perhaps just lost in thought…

The sunrise cast a soft, warm golden glow over him, and for some reason, it made Fu Jingmo feel a bit unsettled.

He lifted his leg and headed towards the concrete wall. The young soldier below respectfully called out, “Major Fu!”

Fu Jingmo gave a slight nod and gracefully vaulted onto the concrete wall. His heavy military boots landed beside Lin Mu, and he looked down at the unmoving figure seated there.

“What’s wrong, Lin Mumu? Still mad? I was wrong, okay? I’m apologizing, will that do?”

“Major Fu, you’re blocking my sunlight. And also, my name’s not Lin Mumu.”

Lin Mu’s lips parted slightly, and his voice calm and indifferent as he spoke.

…

Fu Jingmo casually shifted to the other side, propping himself up with his wrist, and sat down next to Lin Mu.

In the distance, a few scattered zombies wobbled along, swaying like elderly men doing tai chi in the early morning. Impressive, he thought, starting this early.

He lazily flicked out two black crystals, effortlessly taking care of them.

He turned his head, gazed at the fluffy back of Lin Mu’s head, and suddenly remembered how close they had been in the truck.

“Come on, talk to me. What’s on your mind?”

…

“Ahem…”

When no response came, Fu Jingmo awkwardly cleared his throat and rubbed his nose.

“Alright, how about this? I’ll tell you a joke.”

He wasn’t exactly known for telling jokes—giving orders, sure, but jokes? Not so much. Last night, he’d racked his brain and managed to come up with two.

Whether Lin Mu wanted to hear it or not didn’t matter now. He had thought about it, and there was no way he was going to let it go to waste.

“So, once upon a time…” — a painfully unoriginal start.

“There was a cabbage that went to get a haircut. It sat there for a long time, but the barber didn’t cut its hair. So the cabbage said, ‘Cut my hair, cut it already!’^[1]In Chinese, the joke is about a cabbage (青菜, qīngcài) that goes to get a haircut. However, the barber doesn’t do anything, so the cabbage says, “你理理我呀!” (nǐ lǐ lǐ … Continue reading”

Hearing the pun in the story, the person with his back turned raised his eyebrow, and the corners of his soft lips lifted slightly.

Seeing Lin Mu’s head still unmoving, Fu Jingmo pressed on with renewed effort.

“Not funny, huh? Alright, let’s try another one.”

“So one day, there was a little duck standing in line, but no matter what, it couldn’t line up properly with the duck in front of it. So it kept muttering, ‘Can’t line up, can’t line up!’^[2]In this joke, a little duck is standing in line but can’t line up properly with the duck in front. The duck keeps muttering, “对不齐鸭, 对不齐鸭” (duì bù qí yā), which … Continue reading”

Lin Mu finally couldn’t hold it in and let out a soft chuckle. “Pfft.”

…What a weirdo.

Tsk, Fu Jingmo thought with a hint of pride. I knew it. Cheering up someone like a kid isn’t as simple as it looks.

A faint smile tugged at his usually stern face.

Lin Mu turned around to face him, the laughter fading, replaced by a serious expression.

“Fu Jingmo, this world is too broken. You can’t save everyone, and it’s not something you should shoulder alone.”

Lin Mu’s long eyelashes, dark as if dipped in ink, fluttered softly.

Fu Jingmo curled his lips into a slight smile, unconcerned. “I know. I’m not trying to save everyone, just doing what I can.”

The boy with a cold expression, shook his head.

“No one should be hiding behind you and your team. They all need to fight for their survival. I’m no different. I’m grateful that I have abilities and can fight by your side.”

“If one day this world returns to normal, I hope we’re both still alive to see it.”

“So, let me become the comrade you trust, alright?”

Not just a friend, and not someone to be protected, but a comrade who can stand beside you—just like the fallen soldiers—united in the same goal, trusted by you.

Lin Mu’s soft words were carried by the wind to Fu Jingmo’s ears, calm yet sincere.

Suddenly, his heart started racing wildly, then was flooded with a warm, soft feeling that enveloped him completely.

While suppressing the surge of emotion, Fu Jingmo smiled, and his lips curling up.

“You’ve always been…”