Chapter 120: Goodbye!

“Detecting the vital signs of [Human] Shen Dong…”

“The injury on the back has already become necrotic and purulent… The level of infection has reached its limit… Estimated time until mutation: approximately 5 to 30 minutes…”

Cao Fusheng’s palm turned icy cold. Gripping Shen Dong’s hand tightly, he used the genetic ecological chain to scan his condition, only to find it beyond salvation.

In truth, the moment Shen Dong was infected, his fate had quietly been sealed.

“Brother Cao, don’t say that. No one blames you. When brothers stand united, their strength is unbreakable. We all followed you willingly and with trust, traveling through perilous lands together. Even when faced with millions of the undead, we survived. It’s just my luck isn’t good — maybe my name’s too grand, and this life just couldn’t hold it. Who in their right mind would dare let Shen Dong have a chance?” Though weak, Shen Dong’s face still bore a smile.

He had long since come to terms with it.

“My first half of life looked dazzling—handsome, wealthy, a returning elite with a high degree and special forces background, an extraordinary family… Who could compare to me? But in the end? The Broken Era came, the sun extinguished, my father died… Uncle Huo died… Little Bing passed away… Then I understood—the great forces at play rendered all that meaningless. This is fate; nothing is within our control.”

“Brother Cao, you say you don’t believe in fate. I like that phrase. Many say it, but in the end, after life has worn them down, who doesn’t believe in fate? To me, fate is predestined. Didn’t our ancient ancestors say there is divine will hidden in the unseen? I’m content now, no regrets. My fate… has come…”

Suddenly, Shen Dong coughed violently, spewing dark brown blood. His life force was ebbing away, drying up like a withered leaf.

Tears silently traced down Cao Fusheng’s cheeks. His whole body trembled as he held Shen Dong’s hand, unable to utter a word.

Han Shuqing and Chu Wei couldn’t bear to watch any longer. They turned away quietly, their soft sobs barely audible.

“Captain Cao… you see this through; give this guy his final journey. I’ll go drive and blow those damned undead to hell! Send them to the afterlife!” Gao Yi wiped his nose and tears, ready to leap into the vehicle.

Cao Fusheng, restless, pulled Gao Yi down with a stern voice: “Don’t be reckless!”

“What then? Do we just stand here helpless? Someone has to do this!”

Cao Fusheng rubbed his brow. Truth be told, he didn’t know what to do anymore. Part of him even thought it might be better to wait out the mission countdown and accept destruction, freeing himself from all burdens—no more worries, no more responsibilities. The world would remain as it was, the same people living in it—

Only he, Cao Fusheng, would no longer be a part of it.

“Fine… I’ll go. Only I... am the most suitable.”

Shen Dong stirred weakly, his body temperature soaring to a scorching heat, as if he were a furnace.

Gao Yi wanted to protest, but Shen Dong laughed and scolded, “You damn dog-headed old Gao, what are you trying to do? Steal my ride? Don’t forget, this truck belongs to me. You want to drive my car? No way! Cough, cough…”

“I’m still capable, I can do this…”

Shen Dong’s expression grew fierce. He bit down hard on his own finger, then ripped it off with a sudden jerk. Blood gushed out like a fountain.

He had actually bitten off his own finger!

A muffled groan escaped him. The sharp pain cleared his mind considerably. He endured it silently as cold sweat drenched his body.

“Shen Dong!”

Cao Fusheng looked at the young man with sorrow. Perhaps tasting the fresh blood, Shen Dong’s eyes turned a vivid blue. Though this act sharpened his awareness, it further shortened the time before his mutation.

“Brother Cao, Gao Yi and I are out of cigarettes. Do you have any left… give me a few to smoke on the way.”

Shen Dong chuckled.

Cao Fusheng was about to reach for his pack but suddenly remembered he had given the last half box to Bai Ye in the underground tunnels.

Still, he searched his pockets.

Huh?

His face changed. Pulling out the half pack of cigarettes, he realized it was the same one he had handed to Bai Ye before—how had it returned to him?

But there was no time to ponder. He gently placed a cigarette between Shen Dong’s lips and lit it for him, then stuffed the entire half box into his coat.

“Ah… refreshing… never thought smoking could feel this good. Now I finally understand why they call it ‘cigarette’ and not just ‘smoke.’ Ha!”

Shen Dong settled into the tanker truck, long weakness and infection having darkened the circles under his eyes, his complexion drained of all color.

Black veins crisscrossed his face, making him look terrifying.

“Brother Cao, don’t follow me yet. Get the vehicles ready here and wait. Once the explosion sounds, floor the throttle and rush through. I’ll try to drive deep inside and blast a path straight to Tianzhu!”

Shen Dong held the cigarette between two fingers, shouting.

Cao Fusheng nodded heavily, saluting the fervent young man with a solemn military salute of the Old Era.

Shen Dong’s expression turned grave; he returned the salute before starting the tanker truck.

“Brother Cao, Dog-headed Old Gao, Sister-in-law, and Miss Chu Wei—Old Gao’s secret crush—see you in the next life. If we meet again, please, no more Broken Era! I’ll treat you to all the good food and drink! Let’s go!”

The tanker truck slowly accelerated and pulled away. Moments later, Shen Dong’s voice came again:

“Brother Cao! Actually, I’m still pretty upset with you! You didn’t protect Little Bing well. But it’s okay—I’m going down first to be with her! I can protect her even down there! Haha, this time I won’t hold back! I’ve got the advantage of proximity! Goodbye!”

Cao Fusheng smiled bitterly, shaking his head. When it came to who loved Huo Bingran more, he knew he couldn’t compare to Shen Dong, who had stubbornly nursed a one-sided passion all these years with undiminished zeal.

He thought again of Shen Dong’s words: Is everyone’s fate truly predestined? Those who claim “My destiny is mine, not the heavens’” or “I don’t believe in fate” all eventually accept their fate.

The words of the genetic ecological chain echoed clearly in his mind—something similar about one’s destiny…

Gao Yi stood as if in a trance, staring blankly at the departing figure of Shen Dong, tears glistening in his tiger-like eyes.

He often bickered with Shen Dong; their daily companionship and mutual teasing had long become a source of joy and habit.

“Thwack!”

Cao Fusheng slapped Gao Yi hard on the shoulder and sighed.

“Tianzhu has undergone a sudden change. The interference we detected earlier came from there. We must hurry and not let Shen Dong’s sacrifice be in vain. This is a path carved with a brother’s life for us!”