The air was silent, so quiet that a dropped pin could be heard.
Shi Yuxing was the first to snap out of the dial tone. He opened his mouth to say something, but Gu Lingzhou’s phone erupted again with a heart-stopping ring.
“Get to A5 District now.” The voice on the other end was crisp and decisive, then hung up. Gu Lingzhou’s facial muscles tightened, his expression grim. He turned back and grabbed his jacket that had fallen to the floor.
“Who called you?” Shi Yuxing watched his series of movements as he dressed, pressing his lips together. In the air, besides the scent of pheromones, there was only the rustle of fabric. A wave of panic surged through Shi Yuxing like a tide. He stepped forward and grabbed Gu Lingzhou’s hand—just as Gu Lingzhou was tucking his gun into his waistband. “Headquarters. I need to leave immediately.”
“Wait—how are you getting there? Is someone picking you up?” Ordinary starships could only serve as vehicles—if large dangerous creatures kept attacking, they’d be scrapped in no time.
Gu Lingzhou looked down at the pale hand holding his. “It’s fine. I have a gun.”
“A gun isn’t enough either.” Shi Yuxing tightened his grip on his wrist, his voice growing louder. “If you take our starship, it’ll just end up as scrap metal too!”
Gu Lingzhou’s gaze shifted from his warm hand to his reddened eyes. Perhaps because the aftermath of their intimacy hadn’t fully faded, Shi Yuxing’s tea-colored eyes glistened with moisture, quickly taking on a heartbreaking sheen. Shi Yuxing pursed his lips, looking at him with those wet eyes.
The mingled scent of magnolia and fir filled the air. Shi Yuxing pressed down on his hand, furrowing his brows—rarely acting coquettish with him. Omegas were very vulnerable after intimacy, especially marked omegas—they could only feel at ease staying close to the alpha who’d marked them. Gu Lingzhou knew this, but with the situation so urgent, he gritted his teeth and forcefully brushed Shi Yuxing’s hand away. “Be good. Go hide in the basement level two with them. I promise the starship won’t be destroyed—I won’t make you spend money on a new one.”
Those beautiful peach-blossom eyes were momentarily at a loss. Then Shi Yuxing muttered resentfully: “Throwing flirtatious glances at a blind man…” That wasn’t what he meant at all! Gu Lingzhou’s hand landed on his head and rubbed it twice, then he said to the two bright bulbs at the door: “Take good care of him. Update me immediately if anything happens.”
Shi Yuxing’s body jolted. “Wait!” He turned and thundered down the stairs into the kitchen, grabbed two kitchen knives, and rushed back up. Gu Lingzhou had just reached the last step. Seeing him swing the knives toward him, he quickly dodged, finding an angle to steady his hands. “Careful.”
“Take these.” Shi Yuxing, breathless, firmly handed over the two knives. Gu Lingzhou straightened his back, the corner of his mouth lifting. “I’ll try to only use them for cutting vegetables.”
“It’s fine if you don’t cut vegetables—hack those Zerg to death.”
Gu Lingzhou couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, sir.”
The air fell silent again. Shi Yuxing looked down at his hands holding the knives, then muttered: “Come back early.” Gu Lingzhou switched both knives to one hand, freeing the other to pinch his soft cheek. Shi Yuxing didn’t dodge, letting him pinch it twice more. “I promise.” With that, Gu Lingzhou brushed past him.
“If the starship breaks, it breaks—just remember to buy me a new one when you come back.” Shi Yuxing said with his back to him. Gu Lingzhou paused, then replied: “Okay.”
The door opened and closed with a soft click. Shi Yuxing suddenly realized something. He turned, rushed to the entryway, changed his shoes, grabbed an umbrella from the basket by the shoe cabinet, and dashed into the rain.
Gu Lingzhou hadn’t brought an umbrella. His entire body was outlined by the rain, his broad shoulders carrying not only his family but also the future of countless people.
“Splash, splash, splash—” footsteps from behind. “Gu Lingzhou! Wait for me!” Gu Lingzhou thought he was hearing things. He stopped and turned toward the sound. The next second, a shadow fell over him—the heavy raindrops vanished, replaced by Shi Yuxing’s face inches away.
“Are you an idiot? Going out in the rain without an umbrella?” That voice he’d just been missing appeared before him. Shi Yuxing’s face wrinkled up. “I’ll walk you to the basement.”
Rain pounded overhead. Gu Lingzhou said: “You didn’t have to come out—it’s only two more steps.”
Shi Yuxing leaned in, not minding his dampness. Hearing this, he teased: “Oh, oh—so I should leave then?” With that, he moved half a step to the side.
“I was wrong. Walk me to the basement.”
Shi Yuxing moved back. “Baby Doctor forgives you.”
In just a few exchanges, they’d reached the basement. Shi Yuxing closed the umbrella and walked beside him, finally speaking after a long moment: “Do you need any field medics?”
Gu Lingzhou glanced at him, lips curving. “Field medics are much rougher than you.”
At this, Shi Yuxing recalled a joke he’d heard before—ordinary doctors slowly pull you back from death’s door, while field medics kick the door of life wide open and throw the patient in. Ordinary doctors use gauze to stop bleeding; field medics directly apply military-grade glue to seal wounds.
“Have you been treated by a field medic before?” Shi Yuxing asked.
Gu Lingzhou: “Of course. If it weren’t for alphas’ natural healing abilities, I’d probably have died at their hands first.”
“Don’t talk about death—it’s unlucky. Spit it out, spit it out.” Shi Yuxing put on a stern face and scolded him. The two stopped in front of the starship. The windshield reflected Gu Lingzhou’s smiling eyes.
Shi Yuxing was quite superstitious—probably related to his profession. They didn’t eat dragon fruit, mangoes, strawberries, or blueberries (which carried characters for “fire,” “busy,” and “mold”) at the hospital. There was always an apple placed on the nurse’s station phone, and he even had a talisman paper tucked behind his phone case that read “Turn Misfortune into Good Fortune.”
“Spit, spit, spit—all gone.”
“Can I come with you?” Shi Yuxing’s gaze was bright as he looked at Gu Lingzhou’s handsome face. The latter’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but in the end, he shook his head.
The starship started and drove out of the basement.
·
The main road was empty. The next second, a flash of light streaked by.
Gu Lingzhou gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles protruding. After running several red lights in a row, he quickly swiped the screen and made a call: “This is Gu Lingzhou. On the XX section heading to A5 military district, license plate XING2590—green lights all the way.”
“Received.”
He continued calling: “This is Gu Lingzhou. What’s the current situation in A8 district?”
“The stationed troops in A8 district have already departed for support.”
“This is Gu Lingzhou. Has A11 district reached A12 district for support?” Several gunshots came from the other end, but no one responded. Gu Lingzhou repeated: “This is Gu—”
Just then, a loud “BANG” struck the starship violently. Gu Lingzhou’s vision tilted for a moment; the tires immediately left two black skid marks on the road. He quickly straightened the wheel and glanced in the rearview mirror.
A giant wasp flapped its wings, closely tailing him. Its sharp stinger began attacking the rear windshield. Gu Lingzhou frowned and swerved to the other side of the asphalt, flooring the accelerator as the starship shot forward. The wasp gave chase with all its might, but was ultimately left behind by Gu Lingzhou.
His tense nerves relaxed slightly. He called out to A11 district again: “A11 district, A11 district—this is Gu Lingzhou. Respond if you can hear me.”
The A11 district liaison finally answered, but continuous explosions made the voice unclear: “A11… received.”
Gu Lingzhou’s relaxed nerves suddenly tightened again. “Hello? What’s your situation? Are you at A12 yet?”
“…Zzzz…”
“A11? A11, respond!”
Only crackling static answered him—whether due to magnetic interference or poor signal. Gu Lingzhou’s temples throbbed violently. The pressure inside the cockpit was terrifyingly low. Veins bulged on his arms, the pulsing of blood vessels faintly visible.
Nothing was going smoothly. Gu Lingzhou gritted his teeth and let out a curse. After a moment, he calmed down and dialed headquarters.
…
“I’m in the basement with my parents and the other residents of this building. The Zerg have completely surrounded us up above.” The trembling girl on screen wiped away her tears. “We’ll definitely be rescued.”
“Sob sob—is anyone there to save me? I’m hiding in…”
“Fuck! Whatever you do, don’t hide in the basement—those things can dig!”
Shi Yuxing’s fingers paused as he looked at the reinforced walls and floors of their basement level two. “Will we be breached?”
Da Ling lay on the floor. “No. I had it specially reinforced.”
The layout of this ironclad room was like a small rental apartment—bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and plenty of food stored. It was like a safe house from an apocalyptic novel. The only single bed had been given to Shi Yuxing. He curled up under the covers. “Is Xiao Zhou asleep?”
“No.” The person behind Da Ling suddenly opened his eyes. “Wife, what is it?”
Shi Yuxing made a “mm” sound. “Nothing. I’ll keep scrolling on my phone for a bit.”
On the screen, a sofa was torn, a coffee table and TV were knocked over, and glass was shattered everywhere. A Zerg roamed back and forth in the room, then seemed to find no one and crawled back out the window.
In a short time, the video received millions of likes and shares. Comments in the section grew at a rate of hundreds per second.
-Hot Comment 1: Stay safe, Imperial Planet.
-Hot Comment 2: Our planet has already sent support—hang in there, Imperial Planet!!!
-Hot Comment 3: So terrifying. Imperial Planet’s defense system is so comprehensive—how did it get breached? Have the Zerg evolved?!
-Hot Comment 4: With General Gu here, nothing bad will happen!
-Hot Comment 5: I survived the Zerg attack three years ago [photo of a hand missing three fingers]
Shi Yuxing turned off his phone, unable to bear looking any longer. Where there was war, the ones who suffered most were always the ordinary people. They didn’t have reinforced basements like his; all they could do was wait in fear and despair for rescue that might never come.
Time ticked by. Shi Yuxing closed his eyes but couldn’t fall asleep. He prayed for the soldiers like Gu Lingzhou, and also for the civilians trapped in dangerous zones. A fleeting image of Gu Lingzhou bleeding from his forehead flashed through his mind—he shot up in bed with a jolt.
The man sleeping lightly on the floor opened his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Shi Yuxing threw off the covers and stood up, heading toward the stairs without a word. Da Ling saw this and was startled, scrambling up. “What’s wrong, Yuxing?” Xiao Zhou was woken by the noise, rubbing his eyes and mumbling.
Shi Yuxing turned to look at his hem being grabbed. “I’m a doctor. I can’t hide here. They need me.”
Leave a Reply