Sixteen Years

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Shao Xuefan, seventy-seven years old, graduated from Yanqing University, a renowned professor in the Department of Bioengineering, specializing in genetic engineering. He spent many years teaching at foreign research institutes before returning to the country two years ago. He resided in S City, J Province.

Fu Yan didn’t know much about him, only hearing that he was an extremely stubborn old man. His reputation in the scientific community was mixed; those who agreed with his ideas praised him highly, while those who disagreed called him a “rebel against scientific ethics.” However, Fu Yan didn’t have clear information about this old man until he unintentionally heard some scattered rumors during a meeting at the base when the decision to rescue Shao Xuefan was made.

Compared to his reputation, Shao Xuefan died very abruptly in his previous life, surviving only a week in the chaotic times. Fu Yan remembered this clearly as he happened to be passing by when the rescue team recorded the time of death.

According to the team at the time, when they arrived, Shao Xuefan had already been torn apart by the invading zombies. Most of his limbs were gone, his abdomen was torn open, and his intestines were scattered on the ground. His face was surprisingly intact, sparing them the trouble of identifying the body.

After Shao Xuefan’s death, although the base formed a research team, the lack of an effective leader made research progress on the virus very difficult in the following years.

Starting over again, Fu Yan decided that no matter what, he would keep Shao Xuefan alive this time.

Fearing that Liu Ruosong would become suspicious, Fu Yan decided to use the excuse of accompanying him for work to meet Shao Xuefan. He planned to assess the situation—anyway, with him present, protecting a few people in the chaos shouldn’t be too difficult.

He still remembered the early days of the apocalypse, his responsibility was simply to rescue Shao Xuefan and hand him over to the authorities; the rest would be much easier to handle.

Liu Ruosong quickly accepted his explanation. After all, Fu Yan had always been supportive of his pursuit of a career and interests. He rarely asked Liu Ruosong to give up anything for his sake.

“Then, go ahead.” Liu Ruosong quickly replied to the message from the other side and comforted Fu Yan, “Fortunately, even if we need to leave, it probably won’t be immediately. There’s still time needed for the early preparations of the project.”

Shao Xuefan’s response came quickly. The words were polite, thanking Liu Ruosong for accepting the invitation and then confirming his availability.

After confirming the schedule with Shao Xuefan in just a few words, Liu Ruosong locked his phone and turned to Fu Yan, saying, “Shao Xuefan’s student mentioned that he’s currently in seclusion, seemingly working with a few students on data analysis. He won’t be able to leave the lab until the day after tomorrow. So, we’ll meet him the day after the day after tomorrow.”

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Just as they were talking, the traffic light at the intersection ahead turned red. Fu Yan pressed the brake smoothly and fell into thought.

With only half a month left until the outbreak of the apocalypse, four days shouldn’t make a significant difference. Fu Yan could wait.

So he said, “Alright, I’ll follow your lead.”

Putting his phone in his pocket, Liu Ruosong threw his backpack onto the back seat of the car. Then, as if finally releasing a long-held breath, he turned his head to Fu Yan.

He remained silent for a moment, until the traffic light switched from red to green and the cars in front began to move slowly again. Finally, Liu Ruosong spoke up.

“Fu Yan, is something bothering you?” Liu Ruosong asked.

His voice carried a hint of concern. Although he was asking a question, it was evident that he already had a suspicion in mind.

After growing up together and sharing a bed for so many years, even though Fu Yan had concealed it well, Liu Ruosong still keenly sensed something different about him.

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“Is there something wrong at home?” This was the second time Liu Ruosong asked this question today.

It wasn’t surprising that Liu Ruosong’s mind was wandering aimlessly. In his impression, Fu Yan’s nerves were as tough as steel and concrete, unwavering even in the face of a collapsing sky.

However, today, not only did he uncharacteristically come to pick him up after work, but in just a little over ten minutes, Fu Yan had already been distracted three or four times.

His moments of distraction were brief, mostly happening at traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. Each time, he seemed lost for only a second or two before quickly regaining his focus.

Liu Ruosong couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off, but he had an overall feeling that… Fu Yan seemed to be uncomfortable with the traffic and crowds outside, just like someone unaccustomed to them.

But this guess was too absurd. While Fu Yan had spent much of his time in the military, he wasn’t a loner from the deep mountains. He took vacations and had shifts, not to mention that he had been wandering around the bustling city for the past six months. It didn’t make sense for him to suddenly be “uncomfortable.”

Liu Ruosong looked at him with worry, afraid that something significant had happened. At the same time, he hesitated to reveal his own worries, unsure of how to talk to Fu Yan about them.

Fu Yan wasn’t planning to keep up a pretense in front of Liu Ruosong — to him, even if there was a huge issue between a couple, honesty should come first. While he couldn’t talk about concepts like “apocalypse” or “rebirth,” he couldn’t lie with a clear conscience.

So, while shifting gears, he gently held Liu Ruosong’s hand and gave it a light squeeze, not directly answering his question, but opting for a different approach.

“I’ve run into a bit of a problem,” Fu Yan said in a low voice. “I’ve been thinking, if something, given a known outcome, is interfered with, would it possibly lead to unintended consequences, possibly even more severe ones?”

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Liu Ruosong didn’t delve into the specifics of Fu Yan’s “problem.” He understood him well enough to know that if Fu Yan was hesitating like this, it couldn’t be a minor issue.

He speculated internally, though he couldn’t be sure if it was an issue with Fu Yan’s work or something else entirely. Fu Yan had a unique job, and conflicts of political opinion between superiors were common, something Fu Yan had occasionally mentioned to him. Considering all this, Liu Ruosong chose a gentle phrasing to advise him.

“Is the known outcome very bad?” Liu Ruosong inquired.

“Very bad,” Fu Yan paused and added, “…really bad.”

“What do you think then?” Liu Ruosong’s voice was warm. “What’s your own perspective? Since you’re asking me, you must have some inclination in your heart.”

Fu Yan remained silent for two seconds.

Fu Yan said. “I’m more inclined towards change.”

“A butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane,” Liu Ruosong said. “But which direction the wind blows is a matter of luck. If things are already very bad, it might be worth taking a gamble. Who knows, you might gain a chance for a better outcome. Moreover—”

Liu Ruosong glanced at the relaxed expression on Fu Yan’s face and smiled. “Moreover, I believe in you. If even you feel the need to take a risk, then this matter must be worth the risk.”

Fu Yan didn’t turn to look at him. Instead, he extended his arm, held onto Liu Ruosong’s hand again, and gave it a firm squeeze.

But Fu Yan had foreseen this storm, yet he hadn’t anticipated how unpredictable it would turn out to be, deviating completely from any of his considerations.

Fu Yan had considered the various impacts that Shao Xuefan’s existence might have on the apocalypse, both positive and negative, and even those that were unforeseeable. However, he never expected that even though he had arrived so early in this lifetime, Shao Xuefan would still die.

—And he died inexplicably.

Shao Xuefan led a private life, having returned from abroad without teaching in any public forums. Instead, he formed a private research team with a group of students.

His house wasn’t far from the laboratory, located in the remote outskirts to the north of S City. Within a five-kilometer radius, there were only a few decent buildings, making it easy to locate.

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Liu Ruosong and he had agreed to meet at 10 in the morning. However, when they arrived at Shao Xuefan’s doorstep, they found his courtyard gate tightly shut. Liu Ruosong tried pressing the doorbell, but there was no response.

He considered the possibility that Shao Xuefan might have mistaken the meeting date. He tried calling his students, but no one answered, which was rather strange.

On the other hand, Fu Yan, perhaps due to having experienced Shao Xuefan’s “death” once before in his memories, was extremely sensitive to anomalies like this. As Liu Ruosong attempted to contact the students, Fu Yan had already circled the two-story building in front of them.

When he reached the side of the building, a sound came from within — a crisp, glass-breaking sound.

Fu Yan had a feeling that something was very wrong. He quickly returned, grasped Liu Ruosong’s phone, and said, “Stop calling. Let me take a look inside.”

He stepped back a few paces, then with a running start, he grabbed onto the iron railing of the courtyard gate, easily flipping over it.

Liu Ruosong was momentarily stunned, calling after him.

However, Fu Yan had already reached the ground level of the building. Without hesitation, he scanned the surroundings and found an open side window. Using the windowsill, he propelled himself upwards and smoothly entered through the half-open second-floor window.

Liu Ruosong: “…”

Liu Ruosong didn’t understand why Fu Yan suddenly acted so recklessly, but he knew Fu Yan wouldn’t do something without a reason. Seeing his actions, Liu Ruosong also had a faint premonition. Looking left and right, he gritted his teeth and followed Fu Yan’s lead, flipping over the courtyard gate.

However, just as he reached the bottom of the window, a commotion erupted from inside the building, followed by a heavy thud. As Liu Ruosong had barely climbed onto the windowsill, he heard Fu Yan shout loudly.

“Stop!”

Liu Ruosong frowned and didn’t dare rush inside.

The place where he stood was a storage room. He randomly picked up a heavy iron chain used to lock the courtyard gate from a nearby cabinet and wrapped it around his hand. Carefully, he looked inside through the slightly open door crack.

But with just one glance, Liu Ruosong was left in shock.

In the living room, not far from the storage room’s entrance, an elderly man with white hair lay facing upward on the carpet. Large amounts of blood flowed from his body, staining the pale carpet a deep red.

His eyes were wide open, his body lay splayed on the ground, and his head was slightly raised, his gaze directed toward the storage room.

Liu Ruosong unexpectedly locked eyes with him, and his heart skipped a beat.