669: He Has Woken Up!

He Has Woken Up!

Blizzard descended on Capital Planet akin to the roar of a gigantic beast. The whole world was covered in white in a blink of an eye, and the public transportation was forced to stop operating. Nobody wanted to go out in this kind of weather, where one could not even open their eyes and mouth. There was also a possibility of being blown away if they were not careful.1

Inside the temporary lodging given by Dr. Xiao, Lu Yizhou had just come out of the shower, clad only in a black bathrobe that was tied loosely on the waist, revealing an expanse of gorgeously sculpted chest and sharp collarbones. His pale skin gained a healthy flush and his usually penetrating silver eyes looked soft and languid due to the warm mist. Droplets of water still cascaded down the tip of his hair, gently sliding down his neck before disappearing into the bathrobe. 

He stood in front of the window where he could see nothing but a vast expanse of whiteness. The howl of the wind was so ferocious that it made the window frame rattled. However, the inside of the room was warm and comfortable.

Seeing such bad weather, Lu Yizhou fell into a trance.

It seemed like three years ago… when he walked out of the Imperial Palace after the royal assassination, the snow was also falling heavily like this. 

Lu Yizhou rarely let his mind wonder. But perhaps… his life recently was just so peaceful that he could not help but reminisce about the past. 

Leaving behind the Imperial Palace that was filled with nothing but a sea of blood and lifeless bodies, he trudged through the merciless weather, his eyes blank and unfocused. His entire body was splattered in blood, leaving a trail of crimson among the thick snow which was swiftly covered in the next second.

Due to the extremely low temperature, the scarlet liquid on his body quickly solidified, sticking into his body uncomfortably. The snow that landed on him was melted by the body heat and turned into water that clung to his lashes. And when he blinked, they slid down his cheeks, making it seem as if his face was washed with tears.

He had lived his entire life just for the sake of this day. Just to see these people crying and begging for mercy under his feet, before he ruthlessly sent them to the edge of despair bit by bit.

But now that he had exacted his revenge, he felt nothing but… emptiness. He was so hollow inside that he could not even feel the cold. It was as if the chill had seeped into his bones and melded into one with his soul. It was at that moment he realized that he was… lost.

Without revenge, without this enormous hatred to fuel him… what other reason should he continue to live on?

Where should he go from now on?

The entire street was empty, save for his lone figure that was almost drowned by the blizzard. Lu Yizhou's eyes saw nothing but a stretch of white and his ears heard nothing but the wind gale that was awfully similar to the desperate screech of those dying people. At that time, he truly felt as if his existence was fading away bit by bit, and if he closed his eyes, then he would slowly disintegrate together with the snowflakes and vanish from the surface of the planet.

Then, just as he really wanted to let his eyes shut for a moment—

"...miw."

It was so soft, barely discernible, yet Lu Yizhou's ears keenly picked up the faint whimper amidst the gale. A flicker of light appeared in his dull eyes and he stiffly turned his neck to the direction of the sound. A few meters away, on the roadside that had been completely covered in thick snow, a faint cry sounded again, as if knowing that there was another living creature near it. "Miiw…"

—So weak, breathless, as if it was going to be extinguished in the next second.

Lu Yizhou had no idea what was going on in his mind but the next thing he knew, he was already crouching down to brush the snow away with his bare frozen hands. He did not need to dig long before he found the source of the cry. It was a little black kitten, its color so stark against the snow that one could not ignore it even if they wanted to.

The kitten's eyes were shut, its breathing was weak, and its body was shivering violently because it had been buried in the snow since God-knows-when. Lu Yizhou's movements halted and he stared at the small creature blankly. What was he doing?

In the end, it was the kitten whose eyes cracked open to reveal a pair of confused amber eyes. Its slit pupils darted back and forth before slowly focusing on Lu Yizhou, transfixed. The small creature forced itself to stand up with four trembling paws, then nudged itself against Lu Yizhou's still outstretched hand. It did not recoil at the smell of sticky blood on his skin, instead, it stretched its little head out, sniffed him with its wet nose and licked his finger gingerly. Then, as if finally finding a sanctuary to hide in, the kitten huddled inside the space of his palm and curled itself there.

…It was warm.

In this world filled with nothing but frost, only his palm that was touching the kitten was warm. It was as if he was holding a little bundle of sun.

Lu Yizhou finally snapped out of his reverie and closed his fingers around the kitten. He did not even dare to exert strength for fear that he would accidentally choke this little creature to death. It was a life so small and fragile, yet in the end it had innocently entrusted itself in Lu Yizhou's hands — these filthy hands which had killed countless people before.

His chapped lips moved, and his voice came out extremely rough and hoarse, "...Come with me?"

Beep— Beep—

The ringing of his terminal brought Lu Yizhou out of the memory of that year. He shook his head and let out a wry huff. What was he thinking about that spoiled cat of his for? In the end, it had accompanied him for three years and succumbed to illness. Lu Yizhou had even gone out of his way to find a warm and clean burial place for it.

He turned to grab his terminal — it was Dr. Feng's, technically — and saw that there was an incoming call from Dr. Xiao. Lu Yizhou glanced at the clock and saw that it was about time for him to go to the research institute. Yesterday, Dr. Xiao had specially advised him not to come for fear that the snow would get harsher, but Lu Yizhou had only given her a noncommittal hum. He guessed that Dr. Xiao was calling once again to persuade him to stay home. 

Lu Yizhou took off his bathrobe and changed into a sweater, all the while answering the call. "Hello?"

Dr. Xiao's voice came out almost hysterical, tinged with a hint of sob. "L–Lu Yizhou…"

Lu Yizhou's heart instantly dropped to the pit of his stomach. Dr. Xiao would not react like this unless… something had happened to Zeke! He pulled the shirt down to cover his body and asked gravely, "What's wrong?" He had already put on his trousers and was grabbing his coat by the time Dr. Xiao spoke again.

"Lu Yizhou, he…" The former royal doctor cried out. "Zachary has woken up!"

Lu Yizhou's entire body froze in front of the door as his heart was seized by an unknown force. What did he just hear? His lover… had regained consciousness? Lu Yizhou inhaled sharply and forced himself to calm down, albeit the hand that was opening the door trembled imperceptibly. His voice was slightly choked, "I will arrive there soon…"

As he opened the door and stepped out, he heard Dr. Xiao stammer out with undisguised panic and fluster, "He has woken up but… he is completely unresponsive!"

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