Guo Weixiang’s tone was very serious, and it sounded like in this lifetime, he respected only his grandfather and Zhou Rong. “Brother Rong says that we special forces soldiers can’t be depressed, that the people’s hope rests on us. With just one glance from us, their hearts start to waver. If we constantly talk about crises and the apocalypse, the people won’t be able to bear it and might commit suicide.” Guo Weixiang still couldn’t help but lower his voice and let out a long sigh: “But I can’t help wondering why it had to be our generation? Why are we so unlucky?” Comrade Guo Weixiang’s eyes were vacant, his limbs spread out, neck stretched. Si Nan seemed lost in thought. After a moment, he leaned forward, picked up his backpack, pulled out a can of Red Bull, and silently handed it to him. “Ah?” Guo Weixiang was surprised, then a bit touched: “No no, thank you, I’m not thirsty. Thank you, you keep it for yourself.” He didn’t look like his low mood was due to physical exhaustion. Si Nan thought for a moment and asked: “Do you need Zhou Rong?” Guo Weixiang made a bitter face: “Well, how do I put it. Although Brother Rong’s nagging habit makes me want to punch him, sometimes his chatter is quite missed, especially now…” Si Nan slowly sat back in his seat, seemingly pondering something, and after a while, softly muttered from between his lips: “I miss him too.”
” ”Right—the independent cold autumn he recites, Xiangjiang flowing north, Orange Island… All living things in the frost sky compete for freedom… how does the rest go?” Si Nan coldly said: “I mean Zhou Rong, not his chatter.” Guo Weixiang didn’t react at first, but after a few seconds, he suddenly sat up, staring at Si Nan’s cold face with a mix of shock and emotion. Si Nan remained unmoved, as if he had forgotten his surprising statement. Then he closed his eyes and began to mumble. Guo Weixiang perked up his ears and listened carefully, feeling that the gibberish had a rhythmic cadence and was somehow familiar. He couldn’t help but humbly ask: “What are you reciting?” ”July 4, 1776, Pennsylvania, the Declaration of Independence,” Si Nan answered. “I can’t recite poetry, so you’ll have to make do.”
However, the driver’s memory disappointed everyone’s hopes – after circling around for more than ten minutes, they found a Tongrentang pharmacy a few blocks away, but the sign read: Store located on the basement level 2 of the shopping mall. In the cold winter, near dusk, most zombies hide in the underground of large buildings to keep warm. Si Nan looked down the underground passage with a gun on his back, shook his head: “Can’t go in, forget it.” Dr. Zheng reminded: “Captain Zhou and the others should have already succeeded. We need to quickly find a rendezvous point nearby.” “
What do you say, Xiao Ren?” Everyone’s eyes turned to him, and Xiao Ren’s face turned red, stammering without speaking. Si Nan glanced at Guo Weixiang, who shrugged. ”You,” Si Nan pressed on Ren Junyang’s shoulder, leaving no room for refusal: “Come with me.” He pulled Ren Junyang to the back corner of the bus, and with a sweep of his long eye corners, the original occupant of this seat immediately stood up, hastily making way and smiling, inviting him to sit freely. Si Nan pushed Xiao Ren in, made him sit down, and sat down himself, crossing his arms and sizing up Xiao O’s timid face: “What are you going to do?” Tears immediately welled up in Ren Junyang’s big eyes, ready to start whimpering. Si Nan raised an eyebrow. ”…” Ren Junyang’s about-to-be whimper was scared back. ”If you’re about to die, special forces will try their best to rescue you out of responsibility. But if you need to exchange your life for a heat suppressant, no one owes you anything.” Si Nan’s voice naturally had a slightly hoarse texture, whispering intimately and touching heartstrings, but when his tone was flat, it felt quite cold and scary: ”Make your own decision. If you don’t want them to randomly pair you with an Alpha, tell me who you like, and I’ll make them respect your opinion. Otherwise, it’ll add difficulty to our escape. Cooperate.”
“Xiao Ren’s face turned pale, staring blankly at Si Nan, seemingly scared by the phrase ‘make your own decision.’ Si Nan tapped the watch face: ‘My patience is thirty seconds.’ Xiao Ren seemed unable to believe he could be so harsh to an Omega like himself, and after a long while, tremblingly squeezed out: ‘…I, I know nothing, I have no opinion…’
‘You have no opinion?’ Xiao Ren lowered his head, rubbing his clothes corner. ‘Randomly pairing you, you have no opinion? Zhou Rong, Yan Hao, Chun Cao, Ding Shi, and Guo Weixiang, you’re fine with any of them?’ Xiao Ren’s face turned so red it might bleed, and he softly hummed in agreement.
Si Nan suddenly couldn’t say a word. Adding fuel to the fire, Xiao Ren then deeply lowered his head, mumbling like a mosquito: ‘As long as… as long as he takes responsibility for me…’
‘Even if it’s a partner you choose, once he accepts you, you both have the obligation to take responsibility for each other. What kind of problem is this?’ Xiao Ren went silent, slightly twisting his body, looking afraid to speak yet wanting to. After a while, he finally squeezed out: ‘I… I’m just an Omega.’
Si Nan carefully observed his expression, suddenly seeming to understand something. He had never put himself in the position of a weak person – not physically, but psychologically.”
But if he tried to think from that perspective, Ren Junyang’s performance actually clearly explained his inner thoughts: he wanted to be dominated. He hoped Zhou Rong and the others would make decisions for him, so that later, no matter good or bad, he would have someone to be grateful to, blame, or depend on. He hoped to be chosen by an Alpha, to be dedicated like a private possession, completely handed over to the other’s protection and ownership. This way, he could avoid all risks brought by self-choice, like a dodder flower wrapped around a tree, joyfully accepting the other’s total responsibility. This was actually a thought many Omegas more or less had.
“Si Nan!” Guo Weixiang called from the front of the car, “Come over, there’s a platform here!”
“Got it,” Si Nan replied briefly, no longer looking at Ren Junyang, and stood up to leave his seat.
He carried a Uzi submachine gun, his black riot police uniform making his figure look tall and flexible.
But with the trouser legs tucked into high-top black leather short boots, it wasn’t noticeable, only making people feel his legs were unreasonably long, walking with quick and firm steps, as if others would need to jog to keep up.
“Maternity hospital,” Guo Weixiang pointed to a three-story building at the end of the street, indicating for Si Nan to look at the roof: “Solid flat top, visually no fixed obstacles, general hospital roofs meet helicopter landing standards. The first wave of infected during the virus outbreak were basically sent to public hospitals and police stations, the maternity department should be safe. Want to try?”
Si Nan thought for seconds, slightly nodded.
“Alright!” the driver uncle shouted, suddenly stepping on the gas, the tour bus roaring onto the sidewalk, all passengers shaking simultaneously!
With a few loud bangs, the bus crashed into several zombies before stopping in front of the building.
Guo Weixiang and Si Nan jumped out of the car, back to back, shooting down the zombies rushing in from the sidewalk and the white-clothed zombies pouring out of the hospital building, with bullet casings scattered on the ground.
Dr. Zheng and the driver quickly helped the survivors get off the bus, spontaneously forming a line and charging into the hospital under Si Nan’s lead.
