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墨書 Inktalez
Wang Chao only requested to take one pack of food from the five available, a reasonable request considering that the other four packs were nearly lost to their lives during the retrieval. The group had not reached a desperate situation, so Wang Chao's request was not met with refusal. As night fell and exhaustion set in, Wang Chao decided it was best to set off early the next morning.
In the dead of night, the sounds of zombies echoed like wolves howling at the moon, causing Wang Chao to remember the eerie cries. After a brief two-hour rest, he found himself unable to sleep again, unsure if it was due to overwhelming fatigue or an instinctual alertness that kept him awake.
“Who’s there?” Wang Chao heard a faint rustling behind him. They were on the roof; zombies couldn’t climb up here. Could it be a Zombie Dog? With that thought, he crouched low, arching his back defensively. “Don’t be alarmed, it’s me.” In the moonlight, he recognized a shadow approaching—it was Liu He.
Seeing Liu He relaxed Wang Chao, who plopped down onto the rooftop. Liu He came closer and patted Wang Chao on the back. Wang Chao felt an itch on his face and reached up to scratch it, only to find a cigarette in his hand. Smiling at the sight of it, he asked, “Where did you get this? I haven’t had one in a week.”
Liu He chuckled lightly and sat down beside him, pulling out a lighter to ignite Wang Chao’s cigarette before lighting one for himself.
“I swiped a couple of packs from the supermarket when we were there. Just hadn’t had the chance to enjoy them,” Liu He explained.
Wang Chao remained silent as they both took drags from their cigarettes, two glowing points flickering in the darkness.
After a brief silence, Liu He asked, “Are you really going to leave? It’s still too dangerous out there.”
“Yang Mengying’s parents are still in the hospital; she can’t stop worrying about them. Besides, I’ve never been one to entrust my life to others,” Wang Chao replied after inhaling deeply.
“Exactly. I’ve noticed that too—two tigers can’t share one mountain. You know that as long as I’m here, you can’t be; and if you’re here, I can’t be,” Liu He said. Before Wang Chao could respond, Liu He interrupted him: “You don’t need to argue; you know what you think deep down. The facade you put on for outsiders might fool them, but not me.”
“What am I hiding from you?” Wang Chao said flatly.
“On the way here, you could have pulled that woman back with you. But you didn’t. Just like I could have made an effort to pull Zhang Ruyi up as well; however, I won’t allow myself any risk at all. You’re different—you allow yourself a thirty percent chance of danger. You let yourself act recklessly because you believe you can survive. But when you were holding Yiyi, there was a significant chance of being dragged down with her, so you hesitated.”
Wang Chao suddenly recalled the despair and anger in the woman's eyes during the day. Her expression clearly conveyed a message: You can save me.
"I'm not hesitating; I just paused for a second." In the darkness, Wang Chao's expression was hidden, and Liu He did not turn to look.
Liu He sighed and said, "Actually, you and I are cut from the same cloth. No matter how you pretend, how righteous you act, deep down, you're just as cold-hearted. If Grandma Wang hadn't chosen to stop back then, at the last moment, you would have definitely chosen to abandon her. I just made that decision earlier than you."
"But I didn't expect Grandma Wang to be such a strong-willed woman. So, the villain has to be me while you continue to play the good guy, never abandoning or giving up on anyone. Nonsense! When it comes down to it, you could abandon Yiyi without a second thought!" Liu He continued.
Wang Chao remained silent because Liu He was right. He had indeed paused intentionally. Just like when he held Liu Xiaoxiao in his arms and said he wanted to die with her; however, he still didn't want to die. This contradictory feeling had been haunting Wang Chao. But if that day ever came, would he really abandon Yiyi and Yang Mengying? Wang Chao dared not think further; he just didn't understand how Liu He could see through him.
Wang Chao turned his head and asked, "Why are you telling me all this?"
Liu He took a deep drag from his cigarette and replied, "Because I don't think I'll ever meet someone exactly like me again. But I admire you; despite being timid and weak to the core, you've managed to hold on until the critical moment. For that alone, I'm not as good as you. Back when I was studying, I never understood what it meant to be as treacherous as a loyal person or as false as a true one. Meeting you has finally made me understand."
Wang Chao remained silent, simply gazing at the moon occasionally obscured by clouds.
Liu He appeared somewhat irritated and asked, "I've already admitted that I actively gave up on Zhang Ruyi. I just want to ask you one question: Are you really the kind of person I described?"
Wang Chao took a deep breath, his eyes curving into two bridges as he smiled and said, "Me? I was genuinely startled; I froze for that one second. Otherwise, I would have definitely been able to catch her!"
Another brief silence followed.
Liu He finally finished his cigarette and pointed at Wang Chao, struggling to find words for a long time. Eventually, he said, "In the end, you're still pretending. My curiosity is too strong; I shouldn't have asked you anything. What puzzles me is how someone your age can be so guarded against outsiders. It seems I've reaped all the benefits, but do you know that all those women in that room are nothing but burdens?"
In the end, Liu He almost shouted out loud.
Wang Chao also threw his cigarette butt to the ground and said, "I'm leaving tomorrow. Is this why you came up here to talk to me? You don't have a few auspicious words to wish me well?"
"You brat!" Liu He found Wang Chao's words amusing for a moment, but he couldn't laugh; his expression was a mix of emotions, caught between laughter and tears. Then he said, "Don't worry, people like us tend to live long. I've never doubted that."
"Is that so? Then I thank you for your blessing," Wang Chao replied. "I wish you a long life as well."
"Next time, who knows when we'll meet again," Liu He said.
"May we meet again by fate," Wang Chao jumped off the rooftop and walked toward his room.
"May we meet again!" Liu He's words reached Wang Chao's ears.
At that moment, both of them were filled with the same thought. As Wang Chao returned to his room, he bit down on his teeth and muttered, "I hope we never see each other again." Meanwhile, Liu He, while urinating in the yard, cursed under his breath, "Damn it, I hope we never meet again in this lifetime!"
In the winter, a cold gust of wind swept through, and the two flickering cigarette butts on the rooftop finally extinguished, plunging everything into darkness.
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