The Journey of Resident Evil - Chapter 34 - Waking from the Dream

When Qimeng went into the kitchen, I took the chance to rush to Xueqi’s side and asked, “Xueqi, what’s wrong?” I gently held her, but she shook her head and sipped some hot water.

Ah, I understood now, women!

“I’m not going to ask anymore, take care of yourself!” Seeing Qimeng about to come out, I quickly returned to my spot.

“Hehe! Tian, I want to eat fish!” Xueqi said with a smile.

I shook my head, signaling that she couldn’t eat it. How could she eat fish at a time like this? So, I didn’t give her any. Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei were dozing by the fire.

“It’s my own fault, at a time like this!” Xueqi complained.

“It’s okay, we can go fishing later!” I told Xueqi.

Before long, Qimeng and Shen Wei brought out a bowl of fish soup and went over to Xueqi.

Sun Jing and Fei Fei had gone to the backyard to do laundry.

Xueyang sat beside me and asked, “Tian, where do you think we should go?”

I shook my head, “How should I know? We should just live well here. What else can we do?”

Xiao Bai licked my hand. Xueyang asked, “Why are you so close with Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei?”

The same old question, and I answered her just as I always did, “Because I’m a dog lover, so I naturally like dogs! Plus, Xiao Bai is with me, and of course, Xiao Hei is close too! Xiao Hei is Xiao Bai’s husband!”

“Have some fish!” Liu Feng handed me some fish.

I gave it to Xueyang to eat; she had been waiting for it for a long time.

Seeing her eagerness to eat fish, I let her have it. I could wait to eat later; it wasn’t a big deal.

Soon, Liu Qi grilled three more fish. I got one, Ye Xiang got one, and Qimeng got one. I noticed Xueqi wanted some too.

I went over to Xueqi, “Have a little.” I glanced at Qimeng, and seeing her approval, I gave Xueqi some fish.

“Tian, you’re the best!” Xueqi kissed me on the cheek!

“Be careful while eating! Don’t choke on the bones, okay?” I handed the fish to Xueqi.

I was a bit worried about whether it was okay for a girl to eat this at such a time, but I gave it to her anyway, thinking it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Qimeng approved, and she likely knows more about these things!

It’s normal for girls to understand girls!

Men are just different.

“Liu Yonglin! Where are you going?” Liu Qi asked as he saw Liu Yonglin heading upstairs.

“I’m just going to take a look,” Liu Yonglin replied casually.

“I’ll go with you,” I said, following Liu Yonglin upstairs. We looked around but didn’t see anything, so we came back down. I figured things would be quiet tonight, as Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei have very sharp hearing and would bark if something was up.

Liu Yonglin and I went downstairs and continued eating the fish Liu Qi had grilled. Qian Jing went to the backyard and brought back lots of straw, inadvertently covering Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei.

Those two just barked until the straw was moved, then darted out looking lost.

I offered them some fish bones, but neither took any. Instead, they just watched each other. Liu Feng added another bone, and only then did the two dogs start eating.

I must admit, I’m envious of their relationship!

Why are you two so obedient? Why are you so good to each other?

Are you human too? As sensible as people?

“Tiankuang, look at your Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei, I’m especially envious of those two,” Liu Yin remarked.

“If you’re envious, so am I! They’re so well-behaved!” I said, eyeing Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei jealously.

I turned to Qimeng and said, “Qimeng, Xueqi, look at how great Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei are! I’ll be just as good to you!”

Liu Yonglin and Ye Xiang laughed at my words and said, “You’ve got us covered in goosebumps.”

I rolled my eyes and said, “I don’t care what you think! Hee-hee. I’ll treat Qimeng and Xueqi like that.”

“That’s so cheesy!” Qimeng pinched my arm jokingly.

“Xueqi, do you think it’s cheesy?” I asked, holding Xueqi close.

“Tian! If we keep talking like this, let’s do it in our room. It’s too embarrassing here!” Xueqi replied bashfully.

Am I really that cheesy?

“It’s really cheesy!” a voice echoed in my ear.

Xueqi blushed even more, and Qimeng wasn’t much better off.

“Xueqi, if you don’t want us teasing you, sing a song for us! I’d love to hear your voice,” Ye Xiang said, feigning ignorance in front of Xueqi.

We continued to live our happy lives like this…

Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei grew up, and the six wild boar piglets turned into domestic pigs.

Gradually, I began to love this place and this way of life. Today is my birthday, and Qimeng, Xueqi, Ye Xiang, and Liu Yonglin knew it was my special day.

Given the circumstances, I hadn’t planned anything elaborate to celebrate. I thought I’d let the day pass quietly. But when I woke up this morning, I noticed everyone was acting mysteriously. When I spoke to them, they seemed distant, which was an odd way to treat someone on their birthday!

What puzzled me even more was that the whole day I didn’t see Qimeng, Xueqi, Shen Wei, Ye Ling, Xueyang, Fei Fei, or Sun Jing. It was as if they had vanished.

I asked Liu Yonglin where Qimeng and Xueqi went.

He replied, “You’re asking me where your wives went?”

He had a point. I got up early and found Qimeng and Xueqi were gone, and no one had made breakfast. We had to eat the birds Ye Xiang hunted yesterday, roasting them here!

In a month, Ye Xiang’s marksmanship improved greatly; he could shoot a bird with one shot, big or small.

“Tiankuang, why are you only thinking about Qimeng and Xueqi now?” Ye Xiang handed me some roasted bird meat to eat.

We’ve made some progress. Over the past month, we’ve all learned a lot. I’d like to especially thank Liu Qi, Liu Feng, Qian Jing, and Liu Yin. They’re all great, although sometimes they eat a bit too much.

Sigh, with the women gone and no breakfast cooked, we had to settle for roasted meat. We had been eating it for a month, and it wasn’t as exciting as when we first started. However, under Ye Xiang’s insistence, I ended up eating several pieces of the roasted bird meat.

After filling up, I wandered over to Xiao Bai’s nest to check things out, only to find that it was nowhere to be seen. I called for it for a while before Liu Qi finally told me that Xiao Bai had gone off with the others.

That flirt of a dog! He can’t resist following the ladies, apparently. We’ll have to have a little talk when it gets back.

“So, Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei went off with the girls again?” I asked knowingly.

Even if that’s the case, they shouldn’t be luring my dogs away like that. It’s outrageous.

Suddenly, I felt a nip on my heels from Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei. I jumped, but seeing it was them settled me down.

I scolded Xiao Bai, who just wagged its tail. But I couldn’t let it off that easily, so I picked up a stick and gave it a gentle tap. Xiao Bai squinted its eyes but remained obedient. Xiao Hei, on the other hand, acted as if ready to take me on.

“You little rascal, still daring to chase girls, huh?” I teased Xiao Bai, holding it up to frighten it a bit.

Just as I was playing with Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei, Qimeng and Xueqi returned. They saw us and were about to speak but thought better of it.

I was clueless about the whole situation. I assumed Liu Yonglin knew something since he was laughing his head off. Ye Xiang was the only one treating me decently; the others just ignored me.

I tried talking to Xueqi, but she turned her back on me. Only Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei stayed by my side in the yard.

Fine, if no one wants to pay attention to me, I’ll just take a nap. I napped with Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei, basking in the morning sun.

Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei napped with me the whole morning, and when it was time to eat, Xiao Bai woke me with a lick.

Sun Jing brought me a bowl of food and then everyone left together.

I was puzzled today, wondering if it was…

A secret they can’t tell me. Seriously, it’s maddening! Even on my birthday, they couldn’t just let me enjoy myself. Would it kill them to cheer me up a bit?

Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei wanted to run off, but were enticed by my offer of bones, so they stayed with me. Now, they’re the only ones who are sticking close to me.

I shook my head while watching Sun Jing leave and ate some more. I figured I should follow and see what secret they were hiding from me.

But then I noticed the back door was locked. Were they trying to drive me crazy today? I was really ticked off but then heard laughter coming from the backyard.

Turns out they were all hiding there. What kind of secret were they keeping from me? I wanted to see but couldn’t!

The rooftop, of course! Why didn’t I think of that earlier?

I decided to head to the rooftop with Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei, but I was worried they might not behave, so I left them outside the door. But they became even more restless.

Left with no option, I carried Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei with me, but when I got to the backyard and looked around, there was no one there.

They were avoiding me again. I just shook my head and went back downstairs to sleep. It’s just the way things are.

As the sun was beginning to set and they still hadn’t returned, I saw no sign of anyone and continued my nap.

Suddenly, I heard Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei barking. Annoyed, I picked them up, but their barking grew fiercer!

I glanced at the doorway and jumped up immediately.

Damn, there were so many zombies! I rushed to grab my gun and started shooting at the zombies. These zombies were just like the previous ones-tough to deal with, and headshots weren’t working.

And they stank terribly. Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei wanted to charge at them.

Damn, it was just me with Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei. How could we win? But fortunately, I noticed that the zombies couldn’t get through the door. Feeling relieved, I aimed my gun and practiced my marksmanship, aiming for their eyes.

Let’s see how they spot us now. And since their sense of smell is strong, I aimed for their noses too, but they wouldn’t die.

The zombies started pounding on the iron gate. Damn, this can’t be good! A few hits from these brutes and the gate might break.

I picked up Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei and dashed upstairs. If they got in, we were done for. At least there were bombs upstairs-let’s see how they would deal with that.

I quickly ran up to the third floor. I thought about throwing a bomb but decided against it; what if it didn’t kill the zombies but blew the gate open? That’d be suicide! Using the gun seemed better.

Then I remembered about the gasoline, but where was it? I forgot. All I could think about now was survival.

“Where the hell is everyone?” I shouted, but still, no one responded.

Damn it, the iron gate was about to be breached, so I decided to use the bombs! Which one to use? There were three types here. “Xiao Bai, Xiao Hei, do you know where they are? Go find them! Tell them to come back and save us!” I told Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei, but they just looked at me blankly, clueless.

No time to waste, I threw a hand grenade down. Boom! With the zombies so close, there appeared to be over twenty of them. I threw a mortar bomb too-boom, what power! It hit a few, but didn’t kill them. Damn.

What if they don’t die from this? In moments of survival, you tend to overthink, but strangely, I didn’t feel I was going to die.

There was hope, and I wasn’t afraid of death. I grabbed a box of bombs and tossed it by the iron gate, followed by another hand grenade.

Damn, they missed. I threw another one. What if I blew myself up? I had to rely on instinct.

The explosions scared Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei into hiding. I didn’t know where they went, but there was no time to think about that. None of my throws hit properly-maybe I was being an idiot. I threw a personal hand grenade without pulling the pin. I trusted my shooting skills; the grenade was right next to the bomb. If I hit the grenade, it would trigger the bomb, solving the problem.

The explosives were placed in the middle. They had to kill a few zombies, right? If not, the iron gate would blow open, putting me in danger, but so be it.

Bang! One shot, it hit the grenade, followed by… boom boom sounds continuously pounding. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head-it hurt a lot. I wanted to touch the painful spot, but didn’t have the strength. My vision started to blur as I leaned against the wall and sat down.

I felt blood flowing from my ears, a lot of it. I wanted to stand up, but I couldn’t. I wanted to see how many zombies were still alive and ask why everyone ignored me today.

I had so many questions but no chance to ask them.

I remembered Qimeng’s advice not to go to the mountain and Xueqi’s advice not to go outside to save others.

Also, I hadn’t slaughtered the wild boar piglets; there were still six in the pen!

Where were my parents? And those memories from the dream, and Qimeng and Xueqi-they ignored me today. Was today, my birthday, going to be the day I die?

I was unwilling, so unwilling, as blood from my ears dripped into my hands.

Blood from my forehead seeped into my eyes, blurring my vision of Xiao Bai, who had come over. My ears were useless; I couldn’t hear it barking.

I couldn’t hear anything. I vaguely saw Xiao Bai running into my arms, unaware that its beloved master was dying.

I didn’t know how long had passed. I groggily opened my eyes to find white sheets and a white ceiling. Where was I?

This unfamiliar place-was it a hospital?

It seemed like I had a dream. I dreamt of something unknown, dreamt that I was Zhang Tiankuang. I dreamt of Shen Wei, Ye Ling, Xueyang, Shen Wei, Xueqi, Qimeng, Fei Fei, Sun Jing, Liu Qi, Liu Yin, Liu Feng, Qian Jing, Liu Yonglin, Ye Xiang, Fei Fei, and Xiao Bai.

But what was this place? I tried to recall but felt as if my body was falling apart, unable to move. I noticed someone asleep, leaning on the bed beside me. Who was this person?

Was it Qimeng? Or Xueqi…

Luckily, my ears still worked-I could hear the machines, and my head didn’t hurt anymore, though it was still wrapped in bandages.

Could it all have been unreal?

Why? Was it really just a dream? This dream felt so long, too long. I carefully removed the needle from my hand, gently got out of bed, and walked past the sleeping girl leaning on the bed. I didn’t know who she was and didn’t want to wake her. She was probably by my side this whole time, but I didn’t recognize her. Her long hair, white dress, and a bow tied at the back made her look beautiful-probably a young miss! I wanted to know where Qimeng and the others were!

I walked out of the hospital and saw everyone living their lives normally. There were no zombies, just the bustling city as usual, with cars and bicycles.

It turned out to have been just a dream.

Nothing had happened; everything was perfect!

But if nothing had happened, where were Ye Ling, Xueyang, Shen Wei, Xueqi, Qimeng, Fei Fei, Sun Jing, Liu Qi, Liu Yin, Liu Feng, Qian Jing, Liu Yonglin, and Ye Xiang? And was I really Zhang Tiankuang or not?

And what about Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei? I took off my clothes and found that although I did have scars, they weren’t in the places where they were before.

I sat on the bench and suddenly saw a group of people approaching. From a distance, wasn’t that Ye Ling and the others?

So, this wasn’t a dream-it was real. But how was that possible? Looking at the sign for Tianxiang Hospital, wasn’t this hospital destroyed by zombies? How could it still exist? And everyone seemed perfectly fine!

How could this be? No… no…

Qimeng walked toward me, and I wanted to ask why they were so distant on my birthday. I wanted to ask why they kept things from me that day, why didn’t they come to save me.

So many questions, I didn’t want to lose so many friends.

Qimeng stopped in front of me, looking at me. “Qing Feng, we were just on our way to visit you!”

I was a bit confused. I didn’t understand what Qimeng was saying.

But I heard her call me Qing Feng. Wasn’t I Zhang Tiankuang? Why call me Qing Feng?

I was muddled, my head ached slightly, but I held it together and grabbed Qimeng’s arm, saying, “Qimeng, aren’t I Zhang Tiankuang?”

Qimeng laughed, “What are you talking about? How could you be Zhang Tiankuang? You’re Qing Feng! And I’m not Qimeng; I’m Xixi!”

With Qimeng-or rather, Xixi-confirming this, I was more certain that it was just a dream. It really was a dream!

I wanted to return to that dream, back to the time of zombies, back to my birthday. I wanted to take Xiao Bai and Xiao Heng with me. Yes, Xiao Bai and Xiao Heng-I crouched down to pick them up. Could they be… just a dream, too? Yet the people in front of me were the best friends in that dream.

“Xiao Bai and Xiao Heng,” I said, picking them up and patting their heads.

“It’s not Xiao Bai, and it’s not Xiao Heng! It’s my Ali!” said the girl in front of me-Xixi. I was suspicious, wondering if they were lying to me, like they did that day. Were they tricking me again today?

“I don’t know you!” I said, putting Xiao Bai and Xiao Heng down. “I am Zhang Tiankuang.”

With that, I got up to leave, but Xueqi grabbed my arm…