To the Start of a New World

2.12

Yu Qiu looked dazed under Lu Hao's gaze. "W—where do you want me to start?"

"Go from when you entered the area to when you and Hong Sheng hid in the freezer."

Fidgeting with her ponytail, the young girl nodded and recounted how she and her family found themselves trapped in the fog.

They were refugees from the neighboring county trying to make it to F City. Knowing that the SG was nearby, they tried to travel near the base as there would be less zombies in the area. As they crossed through the forest near the abandoned rural town, the heavy fog set in, and they found themselves in a nest of zombies.

Yu Qiu's uncle had made her run and hide while he and some of the other refugees fought. She crouched in the forest, waiting for her uncle to find her. After a long while, no one came—and then she heard the sound of explosions. She investigated and rescued Hong Sheng from the road.

"Hong ge said he wanted to look for you, so we went back. I fell in a hole with Hong ge and we landed in a cave. There were zombies chasing us so we ran to the end, but there was no way out, so I thought we were gonna die. But then Hong ge did something and got us into the secret base." After reaching this point, she bit her lip and mumbled. "And then, um... the zombies came after us, and we had to hide."

No doubt she was hiding something from him. "How did you and Hong Sheng get into the base?"

"U-um, Hong ge acted like he saw the door that lead to the room, but I didn't see anything. I thought he must have used an ability or maybe someone with the ability let him in, especially after—I mean... but Hong ge just dragged me through the door and we ended up inside."

"Hong Sheng closed the door behind you. After you went inside the base, what was it like?"

"Yeah, we went to the other room and it was this, like, office lobby. I, I sat down and then we fixed our wounds. And then the zombies got inside..."

"But the door was closed," Lu Hao said, voice smooth and casual. "The zombies couldn't have gotten in. Unless there someone else in there with you?"

Yu Qiu froze up. He was right. When Lu Hao had arrived, the door to the hidden underground base had been wide open without any signs of force. That meant someone had left it open for the zombies to get in. But Hong Sheng wasn't careless enough to escape and not lock the doors behind him. Either the girl Yu Qiu had sabotaged them, or someone else had been in the base, and that person had left them to die. The girl seemed harmless, and Hong Sheng wouldn't have stuck with her if not. Moreover, Hong Sheng had purposefully left a signal for Lu Hao at the front door. He knew that something was going to happen. So all that was left was uncovering just who was it that they had met.

"Well? Who was in there with you?"

"I-I... that is, um..."

It was then that Hong Sheng stirred in the bed.

Both Yu Qiu and Lu Hao stopped and looked over at him. Hong Sheng's eyes were dark and gloomy. His face was paler than ever, the heavy bags under his eyes bluer and darker in stark contrast. His arm was connected to an IV; the doctors had called in a water ability user to set up a warm fluid transfusion. His entire person looked sickly and unwell laying there in bed, making Lu Hao feel distressed. Hong Sheng's eyebrows knit together as he looked at Yu Qiu and Lu Hao standing close together.

"Hong Sheng." Lu Hao hurried to his bedside and held out a hand, but stopped before he could touch Hong Sheng's head. He didn't know if his body heat would be harmful while Hong Sheng was still recovering. He dropped his hand, not realizing Hong Sheng's eyes traced its motion. "How are you feeling?"