Wang Tao's eyes widened in shock.
There, in front of the older man, stood a pale Chen Xiang, blood pooling out from the gaping hole in his chest. The boy had been the closest to Zhou Jian and reacted quicker than one could imagine, flinging himself infront of the general to take the hit.
Unknown to the two, Chen Xiang had used the system to manipulate the zombie hordes to attack the group which was unprepared. He controlled the zombie to move at a frighteningly fast speed. If Chen Xiang hadn't been the one who planned it, he wouldn't have reached in time.
The transmigrator's last mission was to create an antidote which he had already done by himself using the xytom he secretly owned. This was why he had already planned his death to leave the world. Of course, he couldn't reveal that fact or Zhou Jian wouldn't bring him along, simply taking the xytom he owned as reference.
Coughing up blood, he collapsed and was quickly caught by Zhou Jian. The older man trembled as he tenderly held the dying boy in his arms. Wang Tao quickly headed over and quietly defended the couple from the zombies.
Staring down at his bleeding lover, Zhou Jian felt as if his heart was being dug out. He struggled to breathe as he listened to the dying boy.
"J-Jian Ge…I…I love you. P-please pr…promise me…to save…humanity…"
"...I-I promise Xiang er, I promise so please don't die."
Zhou Jian begged and begged but he couldn't stop it. The man felt his heart shatter as the body in his arms gradually turned cold.
[ No no no. Why? Why did I let it happen again! ]
Conflicting emotions arose along with his grief, piercing through his soul. Zhou Jian held his lover's body close, unwilling to release it, all while wishing he could just die. Despite that, he knew he couldn't.
[ I promised him. I promised to save humanity. ]
Unwillingness bubbled up but he desperately shut it down. Slowly, Zhou Jian stood up while holding the boy in his arms. Raising his hand, he brought down strikes of lightning and killed the few remaining zombies.
Now freed up, the group hurriedly surrounded their general.
Silver eyes looked up from the body to his friend's pale face. Biting his lip, Wang Tao hesitated before reaching out to comfort the man. However, he paused for a moment before retracting his hand.
The other soldiers could only remain quiet, unsure of what to say to appease the unstable general. In the end, they silently moved out to collect as many energy crystals as possible, packed up and hurried back to S base.
- - - - - - - -
It was a bright night as countless twinkling silver stars covered the sky, dancing around the moon. The nocturnal creatures frolicked around and hunted for food. The cold breeze skated across the ocean, leaving waves in its wake.
Wang Tao sat on the windowsill of Zhou Jian's office, basking in the night air. Closing his eyes as he waited for his general to return from his outing. The man didn't mention anything to him when he left but he knew that he went out on a killing spree to let out his frustrations. His general had been doing this daily since the painful loss, leaving little time for the two to talk.
Five years had passed since Chen Xiang's death and Zhou Jian had fallen into an even deeper depression. The older man refused to bury his lover, placing the body in a glass coffin and using his powers to preserve it. He had a special room where the body was kept and would go there for at least four hours every day, two in the morning and two before bed.
When they had returned that day we the the xytom, the scientists had made the antidote and shared it with other bases. Humanity was slowly reverting back to life prior to the apocalypse, forming societies and cities. Zombies were nearing extinction and abilities were integrated into everyone's way of life.
Wang Tao turned his head when he heard the door open and in came Zhou Jian with bloodied clothes. The man shortly greeted his friend before entering his adjoined room to go take a bath.
Ten minutes later, he returned and plopped down on the couch exhausted. The man had a gloomy aura surrounding him and his eyes seemed tired.
Wang Tao simply studied him without speaking, causing the room to fall into silence. Minutes passed by before Zhou Jian spoke,
"I'm tired."
"Then you should sleep."
"Not physically."
"I know but that's the best advice I could give you. I don't know what else to say."
"...Thanks for trying I guess."
"You're welcome."
"..."
"..."
Zhou Jian covered his faced with the back of his hand, letting out a long sigh filled with fatigue.
"I just want to forget for a while, it's painful to think of but I can't stop. Do you get what I mean?"
"Yeah."
Zhou Jian blinked slowly as he realized what his friend was referring to. The man had never mentioned it again but he couldn't forget. Wang Tao loved him and probably still loved him so it was obviously painful for him to see him and Chen Xian together.
Zhou Jian glanced over at the man on the windowsill. Wang Tao seemed to be absentminded as he took in the view of the night sky. The silver eyes were blurry and unfocused.
Zhou Jian had thought over many times about the conversation and always felt guilty with how he rejected Wang Tao.
Even then, he wouldn't take back his words because he didn't want to give his friend false hope. He looked down before asking,
"What race are you that are able to traverse worlds like me?"
"...I'm a Celestial. What about you?"
Zhou Jian's eyes widened slightly in shock. The Celestials were an incredibly powerful race and he never expected to become so close to one. He wondered what Wang Tao's status was but decided not to ask yet.
"I'm a Zion. I'm sure you know of us."
[ Zion… ]
Wang Tao did in fact know them, after all Zions were only second to Celestials in race and power. They were also one of the few races who were in a way unknown to inhabitants of most planets like Celestials. Wang Tao thought of this and wondered,
"Why were you on that planet then?"
"I was just bored and decided to get away from some things. And you?"
"Same thing."
Listening to the reply, Zhou Jian couldn't help but remember when they first met.
[ I guess that adds up. ]
Rubbing his aching head, the Zion shifted to lie down on the couch and soon drifted off to sleep.
.
A month later, Zhou Jian walked up to the Celestial who was eating his breakfast. Sitting in front of his friend, the blue eyes stared at the other for a moment. Wang Tao was dressed in a black hoodie, munching on his bread as he silently waited to see what the other would say.
A minute passed when the Zion cleared his throat and started speaking, his heart filled with guilt.
"I'm really sorry, please forgive me but I really want to see him again. I already dealt with everything so you won't have to. If you'd like, you can follow me to the next world like before but I suggest that you don't."
Before Wang Tao could react, Zhou Jian had vanished into thin air, just like last time.
[ What the f- ]
Shocked to his core, the Celestial processed the information before realizing that Zhou Jian had gone off to commit suicide again. When this hit him, he had actually almost cursed for the first time in his life.
[ I understand that he fulfilled his promise and is unable to wait any longer but could he not just do that. ]
Clenching his fist, Wang Tao held himself together before he brokedown. Jumping up from his seat, he teleported to the man.
Observing his surroundings, he saw that Zhou Jian was surrounded by an enormous horde of zombies which he had most likely lured there. The older man started to glow a faint purple hue as he prepared to self destruct.
The now purple eyes glanced up and widened slightly when spotting the silver hair. Looking at the other in the eyes, the Zion mouthed an apology.
A huge blast sounded, shaking the earth. Wang Tao didn't flinch as he stared at the desolate land. Zhou Jian and the zombies had been blown to smithereens, leaving behind a small crater.
Wang Tao bit his lip as he felt his heart wrench in pain. His hands trembled as he clutched them tightly.
[ After the first world, I never expected to have to see this again. That bastard...I'll beat him up if he doesn't apologize. ]
His mind drifted as his eyes stayed glued to where he had last seen his friend. After a long while, he took in a shaky breath and disappeared from the world.
_________
Wang Tao unsealed his powers as he floated in space, surrounded by planets of different shapes and sizes. Staring at world 078, he recalled everything that occurred. Closing his phoenix-shaped eyes, he located the tracker before traveling towards the next world.