Chapter 119: I Am Sorry!

"Pant, pant..."

Cao Fusheng was running south, having almost cleared the city center, when a familiar sound finally reached his ears. To be precise, it was the sound of a dog panting. He recognized the familiarity instantly—it was Xiao Ye!

"Whimper... whimper..."

As Cao Fusheng ran a bit further, a four-legged figure leapt up and lunged into his arms. Xiao Ye kept licking his face with its tongue, showing the joy of reuniting with an old friend.

"Good, good, that's a good boy, Xiao Ye. Quickly, take me to them. Something has happened at the Heavenly Pillar; we need to move fast." Cao Fusheng stroked Xiao Ye’s head, his tone slightly hurried.

Xiao Ye understood. It bit his pant leg, shook its head, and took the lead, running in another direction while looking back from time to time to signal him to follow.

A look of relief washed over Cao Fusheng. On his way here, he had been worried about what he would do if he couldn't find Shen Dong and the others. He hadn't expected Xiao Ye to come and fetch him. A dog's nose was indeed even sharper than his own enhanced sense of smell; perhaps Xiao Ye hadn't even picked up a scent, but had come specifically to find him.

...

"Where is Xiao Ye? Why has he disappeared?"

Han Shuqing realized belatedly that the dog, who had been patrolling and guarding their safety, was gone, and she immediately grew anxious.

"Sister Han, you're just worrying yourself over nothing. Xiao Ye is an exotic beast, after all; he won't get into trouble so easily. He probably just caught a scent and went off after it," Chu Wei comforted her.

Among the four people present, she was the only one who could be called calm. Shen Dong was on the verge of death, Gao Yi was clearly not himself, and Han Shuqing was distraught because she couldn't reach Cao Fusheng. Only she remained composed.

Han Shuqing nodded blankly. Her mind was entirely occupied by thoughts of Cao Fusheng. If things went wrong on both ends, how could their small team possibly carry on? They didn't even have a direction. Every plan and arrangement had been made by Cao Fusheng; the thought of losing both him and Shen Dong within a single day was terrifying.

If she really received confirmation that Cao Fusheng had perished, she would fight to the death to make a run for it, even if her driving skills weren't up to maneuvering a tanker truck. Living on was meaningless anyway; it would be better to take thousands of zombies down with her than to live in constant fear during this Waste Era. Leaving aside the horrific predators, the ugliness of human nature she had witnessed in this era was already too much. Life was exhausting, and it was hard to keep going without a goal. At any moment, a split-second lapse in concentration could result in being bitten by a zombie.

"Woof... woof-woof!"

Xiao Ye’s barking came from the distance, carrying a hint of excitement. Hearing the sound, Chu Wei instinctively assumed a predator was chasing the dog and hurried over. She quickly donned the "Krypton" series night-vision goggles that Shen Dong had taken, peering toward the source of the barking. At first, she saw only Xiao Ye, but just as she let out a sigh of relief, a familiar figure appeared behind the dog, approaching rapidly.

"It's Captain Cao! Captain Cao is back!"

"What?" Han Shuqing, distracted, didn't hear clearly—it sounded like Captain Cao was back. "Fusheng!"

Gao Yi immediately perked up. As long as their backbone had returned, they could finally make a decision now that everyone was together. Shen Dong, hearing the commotion, forced his closing eyelids open and struggled to sit up from Gao Yi’s shoulder.

Through his advanced vision, Cao Fusheng caught sight of the figures standing ahead—his teammates—and simultaneously, the long, dragon-like tanker truck came into view.

"This... this is too exaggerated..."

Without time to marvel, he hurried forward. Xiao Ye stood up straight, wagging its tail as if expecting a reward. Cao Fusheng rubbed the dog’s soft fur and said softly, "How is Shen Dong? You mentioned on the radio that he was injured—what happened?"

Gao Yi helped Shen Dong forward. Chu Wei and Han Shuqing had been blocking his view, which was why Cao Fusheng hadn't noticed Shen Dong’s condition earlier.

"I'm fine! Heh, Brother Cao, I'm doing great..." Shen Dong had barely finished speaking when his eyes rolled back and he began to collapse. Gao Yi, who had been inseparable from him, hurriedly grabbed his waist, terrified he would hit his head on the ground.

Cao Fusheng took a long stride, pulled Shen Dong up, and sat him to the side. He gasped as he saw Shen Dong’s face—it was devoid of blood, and black veins had already spread to his cheeks. This was clearly a long-standing infection; it was by no means a fresh injury.

"How could it be like this! What time is it to be acting tough! Does this look like you're 'fine'!" Cao Fusheng roared.

He had always known that Shen Dong liked to act tough, but it was never pretentious, and he knew his limits—what he could and couldn't do. Coupled with his optimistic and cheerful personality, he was well-liked by everyone, especially by the two-meter-tall giant, Gao Yi. Seeing the listless Shen Dong, Cao Fusheng couldn't bring himself to reprimand him further, nor could he bear to let him struggle to speak, so he turned his gaze to Gao Yi.

Gao Yi had been with Shen Dong the whole time; he knew the sequence of events best. Gao Yi recounted what had happened, and Cao Fusheng listened in long silence. He clenched his fists, his breathing growing heavy.

"Do you know? I rarely doubt my decisions, because I don't believe in fate. As long as I am determined to do something, I will succeed. Of course, there are many uncontrollable factors in the process. I feel lost, sad, and have even wondered if it could be finished. But in the end, whether there is a thousand-mile chasm or a hundred-foot abyss ahead, I have always made it across..."

"Even in the most desperate, difficult, and bitter moments, I choose to fight back. I have never sat and waited for death, nor have I ever expected a handout. Everything I possess is attained through my own efforts and the price I pay—that is the only way I can feel at peace, gain a sense of achievement, and take pride in myself..."

"But now, seeing you like this, I regret it... Perhaps I shouldn't have brought you into this mess. This is my story, my mission; I shouldn't have dragged you into it." Cao Fusheng sighed deeply. "I hate it. I hate why I only start to regret and doubt when I am on the verge of losing everything. I once said similar things to Bingran..."

"I hate it! I hate this damn Waste Era! I hate the arrival of this eternal night! I hate this sky that never sees the light! This endless black curtain will, sooner or later, be torn to shreds by someone! That person could be me, it could be you, it could be our descendants, or it could be the thousands of survivors!"

Cao Fusheng slammed his fist against the wall, causing the surrounding ground to tremble slightly. The road surface buckled under the impact, and blood began to drip from his hand.

"Shen Dong... I'm sorry..."

In that moment, this man who had once held up the sky finally choked with sobs. People change; as far as his own people were concerned, he was no longer the cold, solitary wanderer he once was.