ISWTDB Ch154

Chapter 154: The End of the World (7, 8)

Seeing the smile on the young man’s face, Situ Ran felt his heart pounding wildly.

He had no memory of this young man, or rather, he couldn’t remember anything at all.

Without needing to think deeply, he already understood that he most likely had amnesia.

For some reason, Situ Ran accepted the cliché of losing his memory very well.

But just now, what had the young man called him? It seemed like he called him “darling”!

Does that mean they were actually lovers?

Thinking of this, Situ Ran swallowed nervously, unable to take his eyes off Ying Zhao.

Ying Zhao saw Situ Ran staring blankly at him and immediately smiled as he walked over.

He gently asked, “What’s wrong, darling? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Situ Ran stared fixedly at Ying Zhao’s face but noticed that beyond the smile, there was a hint of anxiety and nervousness in his eyes.

He didn’t understand why the young man would have such complicated emotions, but Situ Ran instinctively didn’t want to disappoint him.

So, he quickly smiled at Ying Zhao.

For some reason, he felt that the young man was someone he could trust.

Thus, he didn’t hide anything. With a hint of apology, he said, “Sorry, it seems like I can’t remember anything.”

Unexpectedly, after he said that, the young man across from him seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

The smile on his face became more genuine, and he reassured him, “You were injured before, and I used some medicine to treat you. I didn’t expect it to cause amnesia as a side effect.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you!”

Hearing this, Situ Ran nodded and gratefully said, “Thank you! But I’d still like to know who I am. Can you tell me?”

Ying Zhao smiled and sat beside Situ Ran on the edge of the bed.

Patiently, he explained, “Your name is Situ Ran. I’m Ying Heng, your lover.”

When Situ Ran heard Ying Zhao say he was his lover, a wave of joy welled up from deep within him.

Yes, from the first moment he saw this young man, he couldn’t help but feel his heart race.

That feeling of excitement and affection was so obvious.

If he hadn’t had a past with this young man, even he wouldn’t believe it.

But what exactly had happened to him? Why had he forgotten the most important person in his life?

Situ Ran felt a bit frustrated as he looked at the wonderfully beautiful young man in front of him.

In his heart, he was certain that the time they had spent together must have been filled with happiness and sweetness.

Losing such precious memories was truly regrettable.

But then, he thought of his arms.

The pain from his severed right arm was still there. Although he couldn’t see inside his sleeves, he could feel that it was definitely a new injury.

So, had his arm also been lost in that serious injury?

The young man in front of him was so perfect, yet he had become disabled. How could he possibly deserve such a person?

Thinking of this, Situ Ran felt a wave of sadness wash over him.

Still, he asked Ying Zhao, “So, what happened to my arms?”

Unexpectedly, the young man smiled at him after he asked and said lightly, “You were born without a left arm, and as for your right arm, yes, it was amputated because of certain reasons.”

“But don’t worry! Let me tell you, I’m not just skilled in medicine. I’ve also made great achievements in mechanical engineering and biology. So, helping you regain your arms is absolutely no problem.”

“But I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to wait for a while. The process of making prosthetic arms is quite complicated, and I’ll need some time.”

Situ Ran was hit with overwhelming joy, never expecting that he could have his arms back, even if it would take some time.

Shocked, he said to Ying Zhao, “Really? You can really restore my arms?”

Ying Zhao nodded confidently, his gaze filled with pride.

His proud demeanor made Situ Ran find him incredibly adorable.

Unable to resist, Situ Ran praised him, “So, A-Heng, you’re really that amazing! It seems I truly have an incredible partner!”

Hearing Situ Ran call him affectionately and speak so highly of him, Ying Zhao’s face flushed slightly.

He softly said, “I-I’m glad you like it.”

The young man’s shy expression was especially enticing, making Situ Ran’s heart race even faster.

He trusted him unconditionally. Since A-Heng said he could fix his arms, then he definitely could.

So, when he recovered, he would protect A-Heng just as he had before.

Thinking of the future, where he would always be with this wonderful person, Situ Ran’s heart burned with excitement.

Unable to hold back, he leaned over and kissed Ying Zhao’s cheek.

Seeing the stunned look on his face, Situ Ran gave him a big smile.

Ying Zhao hadn’t expected his man to act so bold right off the bat.

Even though Ying Zhao had told him that he was his lover, this was progressing a bit too fast.

Why did he kiss him without any warning?

But still, he liked it!

Ying Zhao complained in his heart, but his face turned red as he pretended to be shy, almost fainting.

However, his shy reaction only made Situ Ran find him more amusing.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Ying Zhao, no matter how much he looked.

But after a while, the young man suddenly appeared dejected.

He pressed his lips together and said to him, somewhat nervously, “Situ Ran, there’s something I need to confess to you. I hope you won’t blame me.”

Situ Ran, hearing this, noticed the other’s evasive gaze and asked with some confusion, “Why would I blame you?”

Ying Zhao took a deep breath at his words and then, as if steeling himself, began, “You’ve lost your memory, so you naturally don’t remember the past.”

“In fact, the world has already fallen into an apocalypse filled with zombies. Although you were born without your left arm, you relied on your incredible determination to lead everyone to H City in the north, becoming the leader of the northern base.”

“I’m the leader of the northern base?” 

Situ Ran was surprised at his identity, but more than that, he was pleased.

After all, the higher his status, the more worthy he would be of the young man before him.

But then, Ying Zhao continued, “And that’s not all. You are a rare dual-element user with both water and fire abilities. Your remaining right hand can even secrete a spiritual spring.”

“Because I’m the head of the research institute, you’ve always provided me with some of the spiritual spring water for developing an antidote for the zombie virus.”

“But I discovered that although the spring water does have some restraining effects on the zombie virus, producing it consumes your life force.”

“Even if you don’t actively use your water ability, the spring water will still automatically generate. Over time, this will undoubtedly drain your life away!”

“So I’ve been trying to find a way to stop this, but I haven’t had any success.”

Ying Zhao paused here, his nose twitching as his gaze drifted towards the window.

With difficulty, he continued, “Later, you had an accident and were sent to the research institute. At the time, you were gravely injured, but the spring water kept leaking out.”

“This could have been life-threatening for you, so I had no choice but to keep trying various medications on you in hopes of stopping the spring water from consuming your life.”

“But nothing worked. The side effects of the drugs caused you immense suffering.”

“In the end, with no other option, I amputated your arm without your consent.”

“I’m sorry, Situ Ran, please don’t blame me! I really can’t lose you! Don’t hate me!”

Ying Zhao’s eyes reddened as he spoke, his vulnerable appearance making Situ Ran feel deeply pained.

Situ Ran hadn’t expected such a past between them.

But he didn’t blame the young man in front of him at all. He had done it all to save his life.

Moreover, he had a way to give him new arms. How could he possibly blame him or hate him?

Seeing Ying Zhao so upset and sad, Situ Ran desperately wanted to hold him in his arms.

But, unfortunately, he was now a man without arms.

Watching his beloved suffer, he could only lean in as best he could and gently kiss Ying Zhao’s lips, trying to comfort him.

Ying Zhao was stunned by the kiss, but soon blushed and awkwardly kissed him back.

The two shared a sweet moment before finally pulling apart.

It wasn’t until Situ Ran repeatedly assured him that he didn’t blame him that Ying Zhao finally relaxed.

Afterward, Ying Zhao picked up a bowl and fed Situ Ran spoonfuls of porridge.

The porridge had bits of minced meat and finely chopped vegetables, and it smelled delicious.

After eating a large bowl, Situ Ran felt his strength gradually returning.

His stomach felt warm and comfortable, and he realized that despite all the suffering he had endured, being able to live with this person was an incredibly sweet and happy blessing.

However, he hadn’t expected the world to be in an apocalypse. He wondered if he still had any family left.

Thinking of this, Situ Ran asked Ying Zhao, “A-Heng, do I still have any family?”

To his surprise, Ying Zhao’s expression suddenly stiffened.

With a cold snort, he replied, “You do have some family left, but they’re nothing more than a bunch of ungrateful wolves.”

Ying Zhao then explained that Situ Ran had been adopted by the Situ family and had a younger sister named Situ Shuyao.

This family had taken advantage of his status in the base to live comfortably, but they were never grateful.

Instead, they constantly coveted the power of the base. The reason for his severe injury this time was that Situ Shuyao had someone secretly drug his food, and when he was disoriented, they pushed him into a horde of zombies.

Fortunately, his spiritual spring had healing properties, so he wasn’t infected.

But then this family spread rumors, claiming that because he hadn’t been infected in such a dangerous situation, his body must hold the key to developing a cure for the zombie virus.

While he was unconscious, they sent him to the research institute.

Luckily, Ying Heng was in charge of the institute, and very few people knew about their special relationship.

After learning about all this, Ying Heng had taken charge of his care.

Officially, he was conducting research on the zombie virus antidote using Situ Ran, but in truth, he had been secretly treating his injuries the whole time.

Ying Zhao’s expression darkened as he finished his story, looking saddened.

In a distressed voice, he said, “It’s my fault for being too useless. I couldn’t protect you properly. I didn’t see through their plot in time and let you get hurt so badly.”

“All the people in the Situ family are shameless. They don’t even remember the kindness you’ve shown them. They’ve long since cultivated their own forces and are now spreading rumors everywhere, saying you’ve become a vegetable in the research institute.”

“Right now, the Northern Base has already fallen under their control, and they don’t know your body is recovering. So you absolutely must not go out, or it could be very dangerous!”

Upon hearing this, Situ Ran nodded, feeling deeply that his lover had gone through so much for him, even risking himself. It was all thanks to him that he was still alive and had hope of recovery.

One day, he would surely repay each and every one of those who hurt him.

His lover had helped him so much; once he recovered, he would definitely treat him well and compensate him for all the grievances he had suffered.

With this thought, Situ Ran’s gaze softened even more. When he looked at Ying Zhao, his eyes were filled with undisguised affection.

The young man in front of him had delicate features, a tall figure, and soft black hair. Even a stranger would feel their heart skip a beat upon seeing him.

Though he had lost his memory, Situ Ran could imagine the difficulties of living in an apocalypse. To still maintain such cleanliness and grace, and even wear a well-tailored suit, showed just how capable his lover was.

Surely, his lover’s life before the apocalypse must have been extremely refined and splendid, perhaps even more so than now.

How lucky he was to have earned this person’s love.

The atmosphere between the two was pleasant. After feeding Situ Ran his meal, Ying Zhao checked his condition. Only after Situ Ran had taken his medicine did Ying Zhao prepare to leave.

However, just as he stood up, he was called back by the man on the bed. Turning around with some confusion, he saw his lover pursing his lips and saying, “Could you stay? Stay here with me, please?”

Hearing this, Ying Zhao was taken aback for a moment. This was the first time in this small world that his lover had shown such softness toward him.

Even though they had spent some time together since he arrived in this world, before losing his memory, his lover had always treated him with cold indifference.

Now that he had temporarily lost his memories, Situ Ran was acting in his most genuine, unguarded state.

When he looked at Ying Zhao, he expressed his truest feelings.

Situ Ran truly didn’t want this beautiful person to leave his sight. Although his body still hurt and felt tired, just looking at this person seemed to ease it all.

The joy in his heart couldn’t be faked.

Even though he had lost his memory, Situ Ran was sure that he must have loved this young man deeply.

Faced with his lover’s intense gaze, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but feel his heart race, and his face turned slightly red. He nodded, walked back to Situ Ran’s side, and sat on the edge of the bed.

He deliberately lowered his gaze, his eyelashes trembling as he made an effort to show an excited and shy expression, as if overjoyed by being asked to stay.

Situ Ran found it strange that his lover was so moved simply because he asked him to stay. But in his heart, he reasoned that the young man must have really wanted to stay with him, only hesitating out of concern that he might disturb his rest.

Now that he had asked him to stay, it made sense that his lover would be so happy.

Thinking about how much his lover had worried over him, probably losing sleep and appetite, yet still so attentive, Situ Ran felt a pang of guilt.

Ying Zhao, in reality, wasn’t actually worried that his lover would be uncomfortable. He had been caring for him these past days and knew that Situ Ran’s body was recovering well.

An ability user’s physical strength was vastly different from that of ordinary people. Furthermore, Situ Ran’s abilities had already reached level nine before he came to the institute, making him a strong fighter.

Talking for a while, or even staying up all night, wouldn’t be a problem for someone like him.

Thus, the two spent some more time together, enjoying each other’s company. Ying Zhao, seeing that Situ Ran was truly in good spirits, asked him, “If you’re not tired, my dear, would you like to see the arm I’m making for you?”

“Can I?” Situ Ran asked excitedly, nodding eagerly. Naturally, he was curious to see what the arm Ying Zhao was crafting for him looked like.

Plus, after lying down for so long, he was eager to stretch his legs and move around.

Seeing his lover so interested, Ying Zhao smiled and supported his waist, helping him stand up before guiding him for a slow walk.

After leaving the room, Situ Ran realized that they were in a large mansion. The architecture was intricate, and the furnishings were exquisite, though everything seemed a bit old.

Moreover, it appeared that they were the only two people in this spacious mansion. The lighting wasn’t great, and the atmosphere felt a little eerie.

Noticing Situ Ran curiously observing his surroundings, Ying Zhao’s eyes flickered as he smiled and said, “Do you like it? I thought it wouldn’t be safe for you to stay in the research institute forever, so I used the crystal cores I had saved to buy this house.”

“I told them I had some secret research to conduct here, something that couldn’t be interrupted. So, generally, no one comes around here. Don’t worry; you’re very safe here.”

So, the young man had moved here for his sake? 

Situ Ran felt touched upon hearing this and continued to follow Ying Zhao. They walked through a long corridor and stopped in front of a locked door.

Ying Zhao unlocked the door and made a welcoming gesture to Situ Ran.

Without hesitation, Situ Ran stepped inside and found the room to be a well-equipped and refined laboratory. The equipment and instruments inside looked very advanced.

Of course, what caught his attention the most was the half-finished mechanical arm on the table in the center of the room. Though not yet complete, it was clear from the shape and design that it had been made with great care.

On the table beside the mechanical arm were numerous diagrams and calculation drafts, showing just how much effort and energy had been put into its creation.

Ying Zhao stepped forward and demonstrated the arm for Situ Ran. Then, he began explaining the internal structure and how the arm would connect with his nerves.

After hearing the explanation, Situ Ran was deeply impressed. It seemed his lover was truly exceptional. He believed that there might not be another person in this world with such remarkable talent.

While the young man on the other side enthusiastically explained everything, even though it was a field he knew nothing about, Situ Ran found himself captivated by Ying Zhao’s excitement.

It wasn’t until much later that Ying Zhao suddenly stopped, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, I got carried away and talked too much.”

“You must be tired after being out for so long. Let’s go back to the room and rest!”

But Situ Ran shook his head and smiled at him, saying, “It’s fine, I like listening to you. You explained it so well that even someone like me, who knows nothing about this, found it fascinating.”

Hearing this, Ying Zhao’s face showed a bit of surprise, and his blush deepened.

Looking at the young man’s shy expression, Situ Ran couldn’t resist leaning in and planting a kiss on his lips.

The awkward response from the other person made his heart burn with even more intensity. Every reaction from Ying Zhao was so adorable it made Situ Ran’s heart tremble. He wished he could swallow his lover whole just to feel at ease.

After a moment of kissing, the young man’s face grew even redder, clearly overwhelmed by embarrassment. But despite that, he didn’t pull away.

Feeling a surge of tenderness, Situ Ran reluctantly stopped the kiss.

He brushed his lover’s delicate nose, only to be met with a confused look from him.

Ying Zhao nervously asked, “Situ, was it something I did wrong?”

Seeing him so cautious, Situ Ran’s heart melted. Shaking his head, he chuckled softly, “Of course not. I just stopped because I was worried someone might die from embarrassment!”

Ying Zhao froze for a second before lowering his head immediately, burying his face in his hands as if his head might catch fire.

How cute!

Situ Ran felt his entire heart was about to be melted by the other person.

Recalling how Ying Zhao had just addressed him, he playfully teased, “Why are you calling me ‘Situ’ now? Weren’t you calling me ‘darling’ before, hm?”

The playful tone made Ying Zhao’s heart flutter. He nodded faintly but still refused to lift his head.

Seeing this, Situ Ran felt even more mischievous. He continued teasing, “A-Heng, didn’t you always call me ‘darling’? Do we have any other nicknames?”

Ying Zhao, confused, looked up at him and hesitantly called out, “Brother Ran?”

“Just ‘Brother Ran’?” His dazed look made Situ Ran intentionally guide him further.

“Baby, don’t you have any other pet names for me?”

Upon hearing this, Ying Zhao silently cursed his man for being such a rogue. He knew exactly what Situ Ran wanted to hear.

Feigning hesitation for a moment, Ying Zhao lowered his eyes and softly whispered, “Husband.”