Chapter 670: The Second Earth
"Of course, you can."
They had already eaten a meal in the afternoon, pork and green onion dumplings, and even an energetic Uncle Li had joined them.
Now after wandering outside for a while, the night was gradually deepening.
It was time to have some late-night snacks.
Qin Yuan and Water Python hadn’t returned yet, and unable to sleep, they could only eat.
"Thanks."
Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming looked steadily at Bai Xiqin and softly said thank you.
She knew she was from the future.
He knew she was from the future.
That was enough.
Even if there were too many regrets in the future, at least they had met now.
It turned out there would indeed be a day of reunion, even if it came a little too late.
Yet there remained infinite regret in the heart; after a reunion, all one wanted was to stay together.
Leng Yebai watched Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming looking at Bai Xiqin, his eyes deepening, involuntarily grabbing Bai Xiqin’s fingers as they got on the bus together.
Perhaps heaven really had been good to him.
He shouldn’t have known Xiao Niu, but due to a dream, he met and understood her.
He felt too lucky.
So lucky that it seemed like a dream, and if he didn’t cherish it, it would be lost.
"Brother Zhang, why don’t you come and sit on the bus?"
Bai Yifan patted the Chenghuang on his shoulder, ready to sit on the bus with Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming.
The night was deep, and the sea breeze occasionally blew past. It was hard to see the surroundings, as everything was pitch black, looking quite terrifying.
It seemed as if there were wild beasts all around.
"You go ahead; I’ll just wait here."
Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming shook his head slightly, taking a deep look in the direction of the bus, without taking a step forward.
So near, yet so far.
The filthy blood on his body could never be cleansed.
Even though he floated in sea water for several days, the surface of his body might still harbor an alarming zombie virus.
A little carelessness could turn others into zombies.
If it were a stranger, Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming wouldn’t care at all; whether others turned into zombies meant nothing to him.
But Xiao Niu was different, and Xiao Niu’s family was different.
They couldn’t get tainted by the filthy blood, nor could they live in hell.
"Then I’ll keep you company here!"
Bai Yifan thought for a moment before deciding not to go inside the bus.
The Zhang Yiming before him might be from the future, but to Bai Yifan, he didn’t seem any different, just that this Brother Zhang appeared a bit sharper.
Bai Yifan still thought Brother Zhang was good; at the very least, he would never hurt them.
Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming stood silently, not saying anything, and Bai Yifan couldn’t think of any common topic.
He could only pull Chenghuang off his shoulder and fiddle with it in his hand.
After playing with Chenghuang’s neck for a while, nothing special happened, leaving Bai Yifan somewhat disappointed.
Wasn’t it supposed to enable time travel?
Could it be that this creature had become too fat and lost this ability?
"Perhaps it’s not the time."
Watching Bai Yifan torment Chenghuang, a slight twitch appeared at the corner of Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming’s mouth.
For a moment, Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming thought he was quite kind; at least at first, he gave Chenghuang a swift end.
He didn’t abuse Chenghuang hard like Bai Yifan did.
"Brother Zhang, if Chenghuang keeps following me, won’t I be invincible? If I almost die, I would just time travel, continuously cycling!"
Bai Yifan became rather excited at this thought.
It would mean he potentially had many lives.
"No, after Chenghuang time travels, it will be corrected by the world and quickly return to its time; even those brought back aren’t part of that time, and they’ll be corrected eventually."
Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming looked at the bright moon in the sky, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
If he were to be corrected, would he return to that hellish future?
Or would he return to the future where Xiao Niu was alive? After all, the current Xiao Niu was still well, and past changes would affect the future.
He was just afraid.
Afraid of returning to the past, afraid of returning to that familiar hell.
Even though he had countless zombie minions and no human could threaten his life, he was still scared.
He really didn’t want to return to that world; even if he were to die, he would only want to die in this world.
"Would it really be like that? How come my grandparents weren’t corrected?" Bai Yifan touched his chin, suddenly thinking about his grandparents.
His grandparents had some additional memories, which were actually those of the future grandparents, who had died but merged with the current grandparents.
It was fusion.
In a sense, no one vanished.
Bai Yifan had a guess; if Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming died, would he merge with Zhang Yiming?
"What?"
Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming didn’t understand Bai Yifan’s muttering.
"I mean my grandparents, they became one..."
Bai Yifan spoke with one hand on Chenghuang’s neck, eyes on Chenghuang, his voice growing softer.
Because he felt his hand getting hotter, as if the fat cat in his arms had turned into a fireball.
Instinctively, Bai Yifan gripped Chenghuang’s neck a bit tighter.
"Xiao Fan, throw it away quickly!"
Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming didn’t catch what Bai Yifan said, so he quickly strode over to Bai Yifan, grabbed Chenghuang’s tail, and tried to pull it off Bai Yifan.
In the instant Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming grabbed Chenghuang’s tail, both the moon and Chenghuang seemed to emit a white glow.
The glow enveloped Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming and Bai Yifan, and in an instant, the person and the zombie emperor and the fat cat vanished.
The waves stirred by the sea still crashed onto the beach, washing away the messy footprints of Bai Yifan and Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming until they were clean.
Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming and Bai Yifan only felt a flash of brilliant light before they found themselves unable to move.
Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming could only grasp Chenghuang with one hand and grip Bai Yifan tightly with the other.
He understood that Chenghuang had activated some special energy ripple, and he and Bai Yifan were now transported to who knows where.
Maybe the future of their world, maybe the past, maybe another world.
Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming had only one thought, to ensure Bai Yifan returned no matter what.
With a thud.
Both Bai Yifan and Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming hit the ground hard, as if they had been thrown down suddenly.
"Ah!"
Bai Yifan wailed like a ghost.
When he realized it, he was already lying on the ground.
Underneath him, a chubby white cat was weakly curled up, looking almost done for.
"Xiao Fan, are you okay?"
A cool voice came from above, and before Bai Yifan could respond, he was pulled up by Zombie Emperor Zhang Yiming amidst the dizziness.
"Where... are we?"
Bai Yifan, holding the sleeping white cat, stared dumbfounded at the surroundings.
This was a park, but the plants in the park looked half-dead, lacking the wild vigor after the energy tides erupted.
The sun hung in the sky, not scorching, the heat it emitted just right.
Taking a deep breath, he could still smell the familiar scent of car exhaust.
Bai Yifan remembered they were by the sea just now, and it was nighttime, so why was the sun hanging in the sky now?
"Did we time travel back to the past?"
Bai Yifan’s hands trembled slightly as he held the white cat, his face showing some terror.