Chapter 215 - Quarantine
City X.
Ash still drifted in the wind as they drove through the outskirts—fine, gray powder settling onto rooftops. The streets were eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional flicker of movement behind shattered windows or the low crackle of distant fires.
Their clothes were soaked in blood.
Not just Yunfeng’s, but also streaks and splatters from the zombies they had cut through, the friends they had lost, and the chaos they had survived. Muchen’s sleeves were torn, dark with dried blood that had stiffened the fabric against his skin. His knuckles were raw where he had punched, clawed, and held on too tightly.
Jai clung to Kailun’s side, too numb to speak. Even Shao, ever composed, had a tremble in his hands as he adjusted the bike’s throttle.
Then, the sound of engines reached them—steady, organized, unlike the chaos they had just fled.
A convoy of twenty vehicles approached, each armed, armored, and clearly modified. At the front of the line was an old, sand-colored jeep. The man driving it stood tall even as he sat. He wore a faded military jacket, the kind no longer issued, but treasured. His silver beard was neatly trimmed, his eyes alert beneath a scar running down his left brow. He stepped out as they slowed down, raising one hand in greeting.
"Captain Yan Fei," he said, voice gravelly but calm. "Retired 5th Division. We’ve been sweeping the tunnel’s edge for survivors." His gaze scanned them quickly, catching every detail—the slumped form of Yunfeng, the panic in Muchen’s eyes, the blood-soaked clothes, the fear. "Get in. We’ll take you somewhere safe."
No one spoke. They were too tired. Too hollowed out.
They climbed into the convoy. Inside the jeep, Muchen held Yunfeng in his arms, cradling him carefully against his chest. His shirt stuck to Yunfeng’s fevered skin, but he didn’t move. He only whispered soft things into his hair, words Yunfeng was too far gone to hear. Muchen took a wet towel from the emergency bag and gently wiped his lover’s burning forehead.
"Just a bit longer," he murmured, brushing his damp hair back. "You’ll be okay... You have to be okay."