MTL - How to Feed an Abyss!-Chapter 20 Xue Jian

"Martyr" has a good reputation, and even in this era, it has become famous.

With fame, there will be audiences. Qin Luoluo counts the money every day, grinning from ear to ear; Cheng Youwen is complacent, advocating how good the script is; Wolfgang keeps silent, and continues the advertisement with Yangyang Shenyou for three months , took advantage of the momentum and rented out another performance hall to make a small profit; Xia Fang still lived a life of doing odd jobs, acting, and meeting men in bars by the way. He still complained about the lack of money, but a generous bonus at the end of the month blocked his mouth.

The liveliest performance, with an audience of hundreds of people, was dark and oppressive.

When Yuan was on the stage, he played normally, but when he got off the stage, his tail got stuck because of the fear of the back.

Humans were still too scary for him.

Shi Yuan originally thought that he had to go home to let Lu Tinghan untie it, but as soon as he followed the crowd out of the theater, he heard someone calling him: "Shi Yuan."

When he turned his head, Lu Tinghan was right behind him, in a docile white shirt and black suit pants. He put one hand in his pocket and rolled up his cuffs casually. He was clearly standing in the crowd, so handsome and tall that people couldn't take their eyes off him.

Shi Yuan's eyes lit up: "I thought you didn't have time!"

This was Lu Tinghan's first time watching a complete performance, and he didn't have time to come before.

"I finished my work early, and you just happened to be on stage when you came." Lu Tinghan said.

Shi Yuan: "Have you been looking at me?"

"Yeah." Lu Tinghan said, "The acting was very good." He touched Shi Yuan's head, and after getting into the car, he helped him untie the tail.

"You are so amazing." Shi Yuan praised his human beings countless times.

Lu Tinghan seemed to chuckle lightly.

The audience gathered in groups of threes and twos on the street not far away, talking about the plot while walking, and their thoughts were still endless. The street lights came on, and the lights and shadows outside the car window flickered and fell on the two of them. It was another good day, Lu Tinghan was rarely at leisure, Shi Yuan's tail was not tangle-free, they were going home, talking about what to eat tonight, just as ordinary and ordinary as everyone else.

On the first day of winter, Tracy fell ill again and was hospitalized in Gleaner No. 1 Hospital. Wolfgang is taking care of her, and members of the troupe will visit her when they are free.

Shi Yuan went to the hospital with Qin Luoluo after get off work on Friday.

Qin Luoluo took a small handful of flowers, wrapped them in paper, and prepared to give them to Tracy.

Shi Yuan didn't know anything about flowers, but when he saw the pink, white and creamy yellow mixed together, it was full of vitality, and he thought it was very beautiful. He asked, "What kind of flower is this?"

"Gypsophila and hyacinth, the flower language is 'caring, longing' and 'happiness' respectively." Qin Luoluo said, "Flowers are already extremely expensive, and the flowering period of these flowers is not winter, and they cost me a lot of money—you see , just such a branch of baby's breath costs 6 yuan, which is still a discounted price."

Shi Yuan looked at the little flower and said, "It's really expensive."

"That's not true, and there is often a price but no market. Rich people want to buy it as a gift for their little lover. Fortunately, I know the flower seller well, so I can still buy a few." Qin Luoluo said again, "Say Speaking of this, after another month, it will be time for 'Xue Jian' to bloom."

Shi Yuan had heard of Xue Jian.

That kind of gorgeous white flower only blooms in winter, the more it is extremely cold and the snow falls more heavily, the more fragrant and vigorous it will be. The alliance designated it as a league flower, which means to carry forward its spirit of fearlessness and danger.

Xue Jian has long been the most popular flower species, without exception.

Qin Luoluo and Shi Yuan got on the bus. She held flowers in one hand and held onto the railing with the other, and said, "I bought a few Xuejian flowers and kept them in the theater. When they bloom, I will give them to Tracy. She likes Xuejian flowers." gone."

When they arrived at the hospital, the two walked through the corridor full of disinfectant smell and went to the fifth floor. As soon as the door of the ward was pushed open, Tracy suddenly raised her head and cheered, "You guys are here!"

There were five patients living in the ward, which was a bit crowded, and someone was coughing loudly. When Qin Luoluo put the flowers on the bedside table, Tracy kept looking at the flowers, her cat ears stood up, very excited.

Her left eye is normal, but her right eye has turned into an animal-like vertical pupil, and the fundus of her eyes is slightly gray, which looks very strange. Shi Yuan felt a very faint fluctuation, it was chaotic and agitated, words could not describe it—it was the breath from the infection, it was the distortion of the same source as him.

The sequelae of infection worsened.

Pain eats at her.

In fact, all the patients in the room were hospitalized due to sequelae, some with hairy skin, some with swollen necks, and some with gorgeous scales. It's like the previous "radiation sickness", but it's much more serious. Their genes have changed, and their appearance and even their preferences have become different.

And all this is irreversible.

Even the best military inhibitors are just "inhibition" and cannot be cured.

Tracy had a ball of yarn beside her bed—it was a feline favorite, and she loved it, too. In addition, there are a few story books, fruit and pills, all enveloped in a light floral fragrance.

Wolfgang went to the corridor to breathe, while Qin Luoluo sat by the bed, reading a storybook with Tracy. Shi Yuan became thirsty after sitting for a while, and when he went out to fetch water, he saw Wolfgang standing at the end of the corridor, facing the narrow window. Wolfgang is diligent in exercising. He can move more than a dozen buckets of water upstairs and downstairs without panting. His body is tall and strong, like a hill.

Shi Yuan walked over with water: "Mr. Wolfgang, what are you looking at?"

Wolfgang, taciturn as usual, didn't answer, smiled at him, and shook his head.

Shi Yuan didn't know what shaking his head meant. He too stood by the window, following Wolfgang's gaze. The window faced the alley behind the hospital. There were no street lights, and it was dark.

Nothing at all.

Shi Yuan didn't ask what Wolfgang was looking at. For him, many human actions were incomprehensible, and he included Wolfgang's gaze in it. But he felt that Wolfgang's heart was heavy.

To be precise, he had been more reticent since Tracy was hospitalized.

Shi Yuan went to get another cup of hot water, handed it to Wolfgang, and stood side by side with him.

Wolfgang took a few sips of water, and after a long time, he said, "...I saw her in the orphanage in Fengyang City."

Fengyang City is another city, far away, Lu Tinghan went there not long ago, Shi Yuan only heard of the name.

The long night is the best time to talk. Wolfgang talked about his own story for the first time, and then said: "At that time, I followed Isabella to Fengyang City to perform and lived there for half a year. One day we happened to go to the orphanage and saw Tracy."

Shi Yuan asked, "Did you adopt her?"

"Yes, the other kids were afraid of her looks and wouldn't play with her. The first time I met her, she was sitting by the window reading a book of fairy tales. She read every line, imitating the tone of the different characters, putting I made myself laugh." Wolfgang said, "The dean said that she often plays like this, and can act out the plot of the whole book."

"Oh—" Shi Yuan suddenly understood, "Like a stage play?"

"Yes, it's like a stage play. Both Isabella and I can see that she is a talented and good actress." Wolfgang still looked out of the dark window.

His gaze seems to have passed through time, passed through the city wall, and went to Fengyang City six years ago.

It was a sunny day at that time, the orphanage was full of sunshine, and the chains of the swings rattled in the wind. Dressed in the children's uniform of pure white, Tracy sat alone by the window, with cat ears up, reading lines from the book aloud.

She said: "I want to defeat you! I want to become a hero of the world!"

She lowered her voice again: "No, I, the great squirrel magician, will turn you and your horse into turtles!"

She was dancing, her braids were hanging in front of her body, and her hair tie with a bow was flapping her wings as she moved. The dean on the side explained that she and her parents had an accident outside the city. The monster attacked their convoy, and the parents died on the spot. Tracy ran far, far away with her little orange cat in her arms.

By the time she found out that the orange cat's hind legs were exposed, it was already too late.

The docile little animal was bitten by the monster, and slowly died and mutated in her arms.

With cloudy eyes, it crushed Tracy's right shoulder blade.

Union troops arrived just in time to save Tracy and inject her with inhibitors. Her infection was suppressed, leaving behind mutated cat ears and tail, messy long hair on her back and legs, and a whole body of pain.

Isabella García, a kind-hearted woman, almost shed tears when she heard this story. But she is not in good health, and the theater troupe is busy, so she really doesn't have the energy to take care of one more child. "Tracey is going to be a good actress, we all know that," she said, wiping away tears.

Unexpectedly, the silent Wolfgang adopted her.

Later, Isabella concentrated on recuperating in Fengyang City, and gave the Garcia Grand Theater to Wolfgang and the Wild Rose Theater Company. Wolfgang and Tracy have been staying in Gleaner City until today.

Shi Yuan listened to Wolfgang finish the whole story.

Except on stage, it was the first time he had heard Wolfgang say so much.

Shi Yuan asked, "Can her illness be cured?"

"There is hope," Wolfgang said. "I spoke to the doctor and he said that in six months an operation could be arranged."

"Does the surgery cost money?" Shi Yuan asked again.

"Well, it takes a lot of money, I have a solution - don't tell Tracy about it, I haven't told her yet." Wolfgang took a sip of hot water, and unconsciously rubbed his calloused fingers Cup wall, "It's not just a matter of money, surgery is also risky... No matter what, Ms. Isabella will bless her."

Money is needed everywhere, Tracy wants money, and Isabella wants money now, both of them are for medical treatment.

When Shi Yuan returned to the ward, Qin Luoluo had just finished reading a story.

Shi Yuan sat by the bed and also read the story of "The Crow Knight" to Tracy, which made her giggle.

Before leaving, he looked at the flowers on the bedside again. It was the first time he had seen such a beautiful flower, completely different from those strange and infected flowers in the wasteland, they were just in full bloom, bright and bright without any impurities.

Maybe he looked at it a few more times, Tracy said: "Shi Yuan, do you want to take some flowers home?"

Shi Yuan said, "This is for you."

"It doesn't matter, you can take it if you like it, just keep two for me." Tracy said, "We are friends."

Qin Luoluo also said: "She said so, you can take it if you want."

There were five hyacinths in total, Shi Yuan took two of them, and a small one full of gypsophila.

Humans value these things very much, and he thinks that Lu Tinghan will also like flowers.

After getting off the bus, he walked across a small square.

He saw the protesters again.

Men and women held up signs, which read: [I implore the alliance to dismiss General Lu Tinghan]

[Oppose the euthanasia plan, and oppose the monitors taking power! 】

【We should never compromise】

【He can think like a monster! Can we really trust him? 】

Shi Yuan stood still and watched them for a while longer.

Rumors of a peak in infections have been swirling in the city since the flocks struck, and many believe the peak is about to return after a 20-year trough. And after two months, there was no large-scale infection tide, and the distortion values ​​of each abyss also stabilized, and this rumor gradually disappeared.

With the rumors gone, life returned to stability, as it had for the past 20 years. The number of protesters and the frequency of marches increased again.

In recent weeks, Shi Yuan saw them from time to time.

Shi Yuan saw the love of human beings in the troupe—Cheng Youwen and the others always had smiles and lights in their eyes when they talked about stage plays; while the faces of the protesters were resentful, when they stood under the cloud, the Union flag behind them fluttered. The protest slogans in their hands were shocking, they frowned tightly, and there seemed to be an unknown fire burning in their eyes, which reminded Shi Yuan of the black crows in the forest, or the jagged rocks on the wasteland. Then, Shi Yuan understood that love is as fierce as hate.

A few passers-by stood watching as the line of protesters marched silently, occupying Long Street.

Shi Yuan didn't like to see this, and was about to leave when suddenly a man shouted hoarsely to passers-by: "Why do you believe him! He has been by the abyss for ten years, a full ten years! The abyss is a devil, it can change minds and corrupt souls !He will one day be on the side of the monster!"

Passers-by saw him agitated, and took half a step back. Unexpectedly, the man would not let go, and chased after him: "It's not like you haven't seen the watchers lose control. They are mentally unstable. You will let a potential lunatic take control of the whole city." Is it life or death?!" He waved his hands, "Anyway, I don't know how, and I will die... ah!"

Shi Yuan stretched out his tail and tripped him.

The man fell on the ground, stunned for two seconds, then looked up and saw Shi Yuan running away, and cursed: "What the **** are you doing! Are you looking for death?!" He threw the placard aside and limped chased after him.

Meanwhile, Shi Yuan was running fast in the alley with the flowers in his arms.

The first time he did something bad, his heart was beating so fast that he was afraid of being caught up. Fortunately, he is very nimble, and he walks through the streets faster than the wind. Buildings pass by him, and the man is crippled, unable to keep up with him.

When he ran back to the gate of the community. The man had long since disappeared.

Shi Yuan returned home, and as soon as he entered the door, he threw himself into Lu Tinghan's arms with the fragrance of flowers.

He said: "Send it to you!"

Lu Tinghan was a little surprised when he looked at the flowers in his arms and Shi Yuan who was smiling. He asked, "Where do these flowers come from?"

"Qin Luoluo gave it to Tracy, and Tracy gave me a few more." Shi Yuan's tail tip swayed in the air, "Now they are yours."

Lu Tinghan took the flowers, with a smile in his eyes: "Why are you so happy?"

"Because I got the flower, and I did something bad." Shi Yuan said, "But I won't tell you what I did!"

"Why not, what's wrong?" Lu Tinghan asked.

"If you can't, you can't," Shi Yuan smiled and rolled his eyes, "This is my secret."

This is a strange thing, Shi Yuan is so happy that he can do bad things.

Lu Tinghan said: "Then I won't ask. I thought the worst thing you could do was to trip someone up with your tail."

"..." Shi Yuan opened his eyes wide, and said in disbelief, "How do you know!"

Lu Tinghan: "..."

He really said it casually, but Shi Yuan already admired him very much, looking at him with dark and bright eyes.

Lu Tinghan found an empty vase, and when Shi Yuan carefully put the flowers in and watered it, he learned the whole process of that "bad thing".

"Don't do that next time," Lu Tinghan said, "You don't have to fight against them, maybe it's still dangerous."

"They scolded you." Shi Yuan said, "I'm not happy anymore."

Lu Tinghan patted his head: "It's okay, there are more people who like me."

For the next few days, Shi Yuan changed the water for the flowers every day, and there was always a faint fragrance of flowers in the living room.

It's a pity that he ran too fast from the square, and several gypsophila were broken, and he died within a few days. After a week, the hyacinths were almost wilted.

For the first time, Shi Yuan saw the whole process of flowers blooming and withering.

They are too fragile. The brightly colored petals gradually droop, wrinkle, and fade in color. No matter how much he changed the water, no matter how much he cared for them, no matter how much he stared at them with wide-eyed eyes, he couldn't make them look beautiful again.

How can I keep them blooming?

On this day, before Lu Tinghan came back, Shi Yuan stood in front of the vase thinking about this question. After all, this is his gift to Lu Tinghan, he wants them to be beautiful for a long time.

He reached out to touch the limp, dying petals when an idea popped up.

—If I infect them, they might survive.

Like the infested plants outside the city, some are gray and sombre, full of gullets and spikes, while others are so brightly colored that anyone would stop by their scent. The aberration has continuously changed their genes and delayed their aging. Most of them can bloom for a long time, at least longer than hyacinths and baby's breath.

"Do you want to be infected by me?" Shi Yuan asked in a low voice, "I have never infected others, but this is the only way for you to survive."

Of course Huahua would not answer him.

Shi Yuan also knew that he shouldn't do this. Humans don't want to be infected, and neither should flowers and plants.

He is slightly sorry.

When Lu Tinghan came back, Shi Yuan was still watching in front of the vase.

He walked behind Shi Yuan, and Shi Yuan said, "They are going to wither."

"The hyacinths will only bloom for a few days, and the baby's breath will be much better." Lu Tinghan said, "The snow will bloom soon, so we will raise a few more."

Shi Yuan: "Oh—" He still looked unhappy.

Lu Tinghan remained calm and reached out to rub Shi Yuan's head violently.

Shi Yuan: "Huluhuhuhuhu." He immediately became elated.

The next day, when Lu Tinghan was about to leave the headquarters, he asked the adjutant, "Are there any flowers recently?"

"Flower?" The adjutant was stunned for a moment, "What species are you talking about?"

"It's okay, as long as it looks good." Lu Tinghan said, "I want to make the children happy."

Since the land general opened his mouth, there was nothing he couldn't get. The next day he came home with a bouquet full of flowers, red, white, yellow and pink, blooming blazingly.

Shi Yuan: "Wow!"

The hyacinths had been lost, and the new flowers were placed with the gypsophila not yet withered. Shi Yuan crouched in front of the bouquet to look at it, and got to know four more flowers: daisies, roses, and carnations, and there was also a bouquet of unopened Xuejian.

He asked: "What is the flower language of daisies?"

Lu Tinghan didn't know - in his life, there was no situation where he needed to know the language of flowers, and no one ever asked him such a question. He looked it up and told Shi Yuan: "The language of flowers is innocent."

Shi Yuan: "Wow."

Shi Yuan asked again: "What about the rose?"

Lu Tinghan replied: "Passionate love, passion, people often send roses to lovers."

Shi Yuan: "Wow."

Shi Yuan: "Where are the carnations?"

Lu Tinghan: "True love and maternal love, a kind of flower suitable for mothers."

Shi Yuan: "Wow." He said again, "But you are going to be disappointed, I may not be able to be your mother..."

Lu Tinghan: "..." He finally couldn't help but say, "Shi Yuan, what are you thinking?"

No one can figure out the brain circuit of an abyss, not even land generals.

Shi Yuan put the flowers into the vase, and after playing with them for a long time, they were still in a mess. There were too many flowers, one turned left and the other crooked, and they didn't listen to him at all. Lu Tinghan stood behind him, and when Shi Yuan gave up with his tail drooping, he stretched out his hand silently, smoothing and tidying the flowers and branches with his slender fingers.

The flowers are scattered and full of vitality.

They put the vase next to the TV, and the living room smells of flowers again.

Lu Tinghan said: "In a few days, Xuejian will open."

Shi Yuan hugged his tail on the sofa: "Everyone seems to be waiting for Xuejian, Tracy and Qin Luoluo are also waiting."

"It is the union flower, and its flower language is 'hope and unyielding love'." Lu Tinghan said, "every time, the whole city is waiting for its flowering period, which means we have survived another year."

"How long will it bloom?"

"It may be three days, it may be five days." Lu Tinghan replied, "There is a common saying in the alliance that'after the flowers bloom, everything will be fine'."

The sickness will be better, the business will be better, the war situation will be better...everything will be safe and smooth, like a snowy snow blooming in frost, strong and beautiful, full of hope.

In the hospital, patients in light blue hospital gowns swallowed bitter medicine, the water in the hanging bottle was dripping, and the room was full of the smell of disinfectant. Wolfgang put a wet towel on Tracy's forehead, and put the bookmark Caught in the 32 pages of the fairy tale book; under the leaden sky in the distance, protesters held up banners demanding that the young admiral should be blamed and dismissed. The line was so long that there was no end in sight. Behind them is the wasteland where the setting sun falls.

On such a day, Shi Yuan and Lu Tinghan stood side by side in the living room.

The curtains were drawn, the light was warm, and they looked at a bouquet of budding flowers head to head.

"Were there many flowers before?" Shi Yuan asked, "I mean, before the abyss appeared?"

Lu Tinghan replied: "Yes, you can see a large sea of ​​flowers, and you can have any flowers you want."

"Is it beautiful?"

"very beautiful."

Shi Yuan said, "I really want to take a look."

"Maybe I'll see it someday."

"Really?"

"Of course," Lu Tinghan pointed to the vase, "but before that, you have to remember to change the water for them."

"Okay, I will remember." Shi Yuan said expectantly, "Then let's wait for the snow to bloom together."

Lu Tinghan: "Well, wait for the flowers to bloom."