CH 43.2

Chapter 43.2 – Farewell to Gleaning City

Cheng Youwen leaned on his crutches and slammed open a door.

The backstage lights were brightly lit, and he shouted, “Qin Luoluo? Qin Luoluo, are you here?!”

No one answered him.

The sound insulation effect of the theater was good, and the gunfire and screams outside seemed to be separated by a layer of mist.

He limped away, almost tripping over the clothes on the ground, his eyes swept around, and his pupils suddenly narrowed: at the door leading to the stage, there was a dead infected dog with a hideous face, with a butterfly hairpin sticking through its throat.

In addition, there was a large pool of blood.

“Qin Luoluo!” he shouted and slammed the door open.

The stage lights were really on.

Qin Luoluo was wearing a red dress and stood in the center of the stage with her hands down, all the spotlight fell on her.

“Are you crazy?!” Cheng Youwen strode towards her, “Hurry up and go to the army! Hurry up!”

Qin Luoluo lowered her head slightly, revealing a slender swan-like neck.

She said softly, “No, I’m not leaving. The main entrance of the theater is full of monsters, Old Cheng, you can go out through the back door, maybe you can still live and run into the military.”

“Why don’t you go!” Cheng Youwen gasped, his neck flushed.

“I can’t move anymore.” Qin Luoluo’s tone was calm.

The gorgeous red skirt covered up the blood, and she turned slightly sideways, allowing Cheng Youwen to see that her left leg was bitten through by an infected dog, bleeding non-stop. At this time, she actually laughed: “I just said, why did I suddenly want to come to the theater tonight? It turned out to be my last performance.”

Cheng Youwen reached her side with difficulty, and was just about to say something when he heard a “bam!” sound.

At the highest point of the auditorium, the locked door was slammed violently, creating a heart-stopping sound.

The monsters were actually approaching there!

“Go quickly,” Qin Luoluo said, “Otherwise, you won’t even be able to leave.”

“F*ck, you said you can’t walk with a disabled leg, so am I not disabled?” Cheng Youwen burst into foul language directly. “If you can’t leave, then I can escape?! You also think too highly of me, right? Usually, I almost fall when I climb the stairs and I gasp for breath when I walk a few hundred of meters without stopping. How can I run past these monsters and ghosts!”

Qin Luoluo briefly laughed and said, “Well, also ah, it seems we have to die together.”

Cheng Youwen took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. Only now did he hear how close the monsters were, the theater doors, the entrance to the performance hall, the backstage entrance where he had come… Through it all was the roar, through it all was the scraping sound of spreading plants, they were surrounded.

Listening to the gunfire, the army was still far from the theater.

They were just two unarmed and disabled people who really had to die together.

—Realizing this, Cheng Youwen calmed down instead.

Qin Luoluo turned his head and looked at Cheng Youwen: “Why did you come to the theater? You might still be able to live if you stayed at home. Did you forget your script here?”

Cheng Youwen said: “My house is close to the city wall, and I will only die faster there. I… I’m not looking for a script. I saw the theater lights on, and I thought you must be here, so I came here to find you.”

Qin Luoluo seemed puzzled. Cheng Youwen grabbed her shoulder and looked directly at her: “There’s a sentence I’ve been holding for 10 years. I like you, I’ve always liked you very, very much.”

Qin Luoluo: “……”

Cheng Youwen: “I want to know your answer. In all those years in the past, have you ever had a heartbeat for me? Even for a moment?”

Qin Luoluo’s expression moved slightly, as if surprised: “Oh, uh, well, how should I say this? Old Cheng, you are a good person, a very good man, and very talented, but I don’t like you… Well, my heart did not have a beat for you, not once, it’s impossible for us.”

Cheng Youwen’s sadness was directly extinguished, he covered his face and wailed: “Qin Luoluo! I confessed sensationally only when I was about to die! Can’t you give me some good memories before I die? I really don’t want to die with a good person card!”

Qin Luoluo: “Well, that’s right, I like the kind of macho guy with big chest muscles and an upturned butt, preferably the one with bigger breasts than me, you understand?” She considered her words. “The character should also be a little brighter and braver, although you are arrogant in terms of the script, in life you are always… wimpy and weak.”

Cheng Youwen: “Qin Luoluo! Don’t belittle me before you die, even though what you say is true!”

“In short, no,” Qin Luluo concluded, “No means no, don’t like it means don’t like it. I’m not forcing myself.”

After this critical blow, Cheng Youwen was simply heartbroken: “I was right not to confess for so many years. It was so right. There was really no hope.” He rubbed his face hard. “Forget it, forget it, that’s it, let me be a bachelor for the rest of my life.”

The door of the performance hall slammed, the monsters hit the door frame and deformed it, and it couldn’t hold it anymore.

The two were silent for a while.

Probably because they have been together for too many years, even in the face of death, they couldn’t think of any other special words.

There were a few more terrible impacts. Qin Luoluo looked at the huge auditorium and suddenly said, “I want the lights of the world to shine on me. Say, there is only one theater now, does it count as my dream come true? Because what is here is the light of the whole world.”

“I guess it counts,” Cheng Youwen muttered, “According to you, my dream has also come true ah. I want to write the best script in the world, and now I’m the only screenwriter, so it must be the best. Everyone should give me an offering.”

“That’s pretty good.” This time, Qin Luoluo smiled sincerely. “All the dreams have come true.”

Cheng Youwen: “No, not all. You are not with me yet, even if there are just 2 minutes left.”

He thought that Qin Luoluo would still categorically refuse. Unexpectedly, she tilted her head slightly, thought seriously, and then looked at Cheng Youwen, a pair of peach blossom eyes sparkled, and the light was quite moving.

She said: “How about this, where do you want to go on a date tomorrow?”

Cheng Youwen: “…tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Qin Luoluo said, “Where do you want to go tomorrow?”

The door frame was completely deformed, plants and vines stretched in from the gap, spreading wildly and blooming frantically, and they were still discussing tomorrow. Cheng Youwen said, “Ah, why don’t we go for coffee?”

“So old-fashioned.” Qin Luoluo blinked slowly. “But it’s okay, I haven’t had a latte for a long time.” The heavy door was lifted by the plants, and they rolled into the auditorium, smashing a few rows of seats. She tilted her head. “This way, all dreams have come true.”

Bright lights, familiar stage, huge performance hall. They stood on the stage, side by side, watching the brilliant red flowers rushing towards them, just as the audience threw bouquets at them in the past.

It’s the end of everything.

“…no way,” Cheng Youwen said suddenly, “I still don’t think so!”

Qin Luoluo: “What—ah!” Before she finished her words, Cheng Youwen suddenly took her hand.

Qin Luoluo injured her leg, her center of gravity was unstable, and she was suddenly thrown on his back. Cheng Youwen gritted his teeth, his right hand supported the crutches, and his left hand tugged Qin Luoluo to carry her up!

“I still can’t accept it! Really can’t!” Cheng Youwen gritted his teeth. “You have belittled me so much, I have to prove it to you!”

He limped and jumped, carrying Qin Luoluo towards the backstage, walking fast as if he had exploded into a small universe!

Rows of seats were lifted up, and the monster’s voice was deafening. Qin Luoluo shouted: “Put me down! It’s useless!”

“I won’t put you down!” Cheng Youwen slammed open the backstage door and stepped on a pile of debris. “You want big chest muscles, you want upturned butt! I’m no worse than these, why couldn’t I compare?” He almost tripped over the corpse of the infected dog, but fortunately, he stood still in time and continued to the exit. “You, don’t stay idle either, do something!”

“Do what?” Qin Luoluo asked subconsciously, she lost blood to the point where her lips were turning white. She looked around and picked up the baseball bat used for the show.

“That’s right, hit them on the head!” Cheng Youwen shouted. “I’m only responsible for moving forward. Didn’t you say that I’m weak and cowardly? I’ll prove it to you right now! Just watch!”

His crutches moved on the ground, making a harsh rubbing sound. The monsters approached quickly, Qin Luoluo turned her head, and the tip of her nose was full of cold sweat – obviously, they had decided to die calmly half a minute ago, but the situation turned around sharply, and Cheng Youwen’s fight made her nervous too.

‘We cannot be saved!’ Her inner voice was clamoring, ‘there is no point in resisting, we can’t run away!’

But Cheng Youwen was too serious, dragging his disabled leg and carrying the injured her on his back, as if she should be sorry to him if she neglected a little.

Qin Luoluo clasped the baseball bat tightly.

Cheng Youwen carried her backstage and went to the corridor.

Monster sounds were everywhere, and a fist-sized infected bee crawled out of the doorway of the next room. Qin Luoluo closed her eyes and swung her baseball bat hard.

“Bam!”

The bee was knocked away with a solid blow. Then, she knocked away another bat that tried to attack them.

“I’m quite talented in baseball!” she shouted.

Cheng Youwen was panting like a blower and couldn’t answer.

The two miraculously reached the end of the corridor.

Cheng Youwen was almost out of breath: “Go out, we will be able to go out soon. See, with a little bit of bravery and a little bit of effort, we can do it!”

Qin Luoluo clenched his baseball bat.

A trace of misty hope began to burn in her heart. She couldn’t help thinking, can we really escape? We won’t die today?

The fire exit of the corridor was right in front of them. Cheng Youwen staggered, and the two of them bumped into it, which caused both of them to gasp. Cheng Youwen was still in pain and tried to grab the handle, but was held down by Qin Luoluo.

“Listen,” Qin Luoluo said hurriedly, “There are monsters behind the door!”

Behind the door was the sound of flying insects fluttering their wings. Behind them, monsters were gushing out of every room in the corridor, a giant snake with flowers all over its body, spitting out its tongue and swimming around.

They were trapped and had nowhere to escape.

They just stood like this, both with a lame leg, one carrying the other one on his back, and the other one on his back was still holding a baseball bat, which was quite funny and absurd. Insects flew wildly, giant snake hissed, and everything became irreversible. Hope had just popped out of the spark and it was quickly doused by cold facts.

Cheng Youwen said slowly: “Qin Luoluo, am I comparable to those big chest muscles?”

Qin Luoluo said, “Comparable.”

“How about the upturned butt?”

“Also comparable.”

Cheng Youwen said, “Then I shouldn’t be a cowardly and weak chicken, right? Am I considered brave for once?”

Qin Luoluo didn’t answer, bent her fox-like eyes, leaned down, and kissed him on the side of the face.

“It’s worth it,” Cheng Youwen said.

The giant snake approached, flowers were born from every inch of snake scales, and he slowly closed his eyes.…

Qin Luoluo slapped him!

Cheng Youwen: ?？？

Cheng Youwen: “You…!”

“Open the door!” Qin Luoluo shouted at him. “Open the door!”

The noise behind the door disappeared at some point. Cheng Youwen opened the fire exit!

There was no manic swarm of flying insects.

The ground was covered with the phosphorus powder they dropped, but they were escaping.

—They were not the only ones who were escaping. The sea of flowers stopped spreading, while the giant snake’s pupils shrank and suddenly retreated in a panic. In this small space, the violent monsters were running away and retreating.

Before he could see clearly what it was, Cheng Youwen’s bloody hand was held.

This moment came into reality like a script.

But it was not the God of Salvation who came, it was the devil who was enough to make monsters fear, and it was also their god.

“I’ve come for you.” The young man with an evil appearance held his hand, his tone was soft and sincere, “…I’ve come for you, please live on.”

Live on.

Until the day this story really reached its end.

On December 27, 241, Gleaning City fell.

Due to the decision of the Alliance, the residents evacuated early, and the number of casualties was incredibly low, it was like a miracle.

The infected flora blossomed in the city, and the Garcia Grand Theatre was swarmed with flowers and color, like the liveliest show of years ago, like the grand old days the troupe had outlined and depicted time and again. At that time, the show would not end, the men were dressed in suits, the women were delicate and graceful, and the air was fragrant with the scent of xuejia flowers.

The last transport ship took off with the survivors of the Eastern District.

“At least, we are all alive,” the people on the ship said.

“Will there be stage plays in the future?” the child asked with his head held high.

“There will be, someday,” the man replied. “As long as you live, there is hope.”

The transport ship left the sea of flowers and flew to the wasteland and the boundless night.

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**TN

Man, I really want to go back to my old routine. My cough is killing me–not really but it’s annoying. It’s so annoying to death. XD