Summary: Yin Yue wakes up alone in a grimy hospital bathtub with dried blood, one sock, and no clue where or when he is. He stumbles out into a dead hallway, clutching a rusted IV pole. Then System 520 finally kicks in. Loudly. Helpfully. Late. Just in time for a zombie jump scare.
The first thing Yin Yue noticed was that everything smelled like metal, bleach, and old breath.
The second thing was that he was lying in a cracked porcelain bathtub, one leg flopped over the rim like discarded laundry, the other bare except for a mismatched hospital sock. His hospital gown barely covered his thighs.
The third thing was the dried blood on the wall opposite him, smeared in the shape of a handprint.
He sat up.
Instant regret.
His head spun. The overhead fluorescent bulb flickered once, then died completely with a weak buzz. Somewhere outside the room, something groaned.
Not the plumbing.
"Okay," Yin Yue whispered. "This is fine."
It was not fine.
There was shattered glass on the floor. A rusted wheelchair overturned beside the sink. A pair of surgical gloves stuck to the ceiling like a forgotten art project.
He touched his chest. No wounds. No blood. No ID. Just… one sock. And a massive case of where-the-hell-am-I.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🌐 Loading…
🚧 Synchronizing World Parameters…
⏳ Please Wait…
😴 Estimated Delay: 17 minutes
💬 "Whoops."
"Seriously?" Yin Yue muttered. "You drop me into a horror movie without warning?"
He pushed himself out of the tub, wincing as his bare feet hit the cold tile. He grabbed the nearest weapon-like object in reach: a bent IV pole, still smeared with something brown.
A sign on the door hung crooked.
EMERGENCY WARD – C BLOCK
The C was written over in red. It might have once said "CLEAR."
He stepped into the hallway.
The air smelled worse out here mold, death, and something sharp like vinegar. Floor tiles were stained, fluorescent lights flickering at uneven intervals. Somewhere down the corridor, something scraped across linoleum.
Then—
Moaning.
Low. Guttural. Wet.
"Okay," he whispered, tightening his grip on the pole. "This is fine. I'm fine. I'll just find a vending machine and maybe scream into it."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
💥 WORLD TYPE: Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Survival
🧟 TRANSMIGRATION COMPLETE
🔧 Difficulty Level: Medium-to-Lethal
🧼 Personal Hygiene Rating: 2/10
💬 Welcome, Host! Please do not die immediately.
"I hate you so much," Yin Yue hissed.
> 💬 SYSTEM 520:
I love you too. 🥺
Now run.
"What?"
Something sprinted around the corner ahead.
Pale. Limping. Mouth slack, eyes white.
"Oh my god," Yin Yue breathed.
The zombie lunged.
Yin Yue screamed and ran.
Yin Yue's survival strategy was simple: scream, run, and scream while running.
He tore down the hallway, slippers flapping, IV pole gripped like a divine relic. The zombie shrieked behind him, a bit fast for something partially decomposed. Something wet slapped against tile.
"I'm too pretty to die like this!" he shouted. "I'm not even wearing pants!"
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
💬 New Skill Unlocked: Agility – Panic-Fueled
🎯 Objective: Don't trip, don't die, don't stop running
📢 Tip: Screaming is not cardio
Yin Yue rounded the next corner, head down, focused only on not dying and slammed directly into something solid.
He bounced off it with an ungraceful squawk, IV pole clattering to the floor.
Before he could react, a hand grabbed the front of his gown and slammed him back against the peeling wall.
A blade flashed. Cold metal pressed to his throat.
Yin Yue stared up into the eyes of a man in black combat gear. Dirty, bruised, bleeding from a cut above his eyebrow but his grip was iron and his gaze was… somehow feels familiar.
Too familiar.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
💘 ALERT: TARGET IDENTIFIED
🧾 ML IDENTIFICATION: Liang Yu
🧠 Memory: Reset
❤️ Attraction: Still 100%
💬 Estimated Flirt Readiness: None. He has a knife.
"Are you bitten?" Liang Yu asked. Low. Calm. Lethal.
Yin Yue blinked. "Do I look bitten?"
Liang Yu didn't move.
"Okay," Yin Yue said quickly, "emotionally, yes. Chronically. But physically, no."
Another groan echoed down the corridor. Liang Yu didn't flinch. He reached for his second knife because of course he had two and shoved Yin Yue aside with military precision.
Yin Yue stumbled, nearly falling on his face.
Three zombies rounded the corner, arms outstretched.
Liang Yu stepped forward.
And in a blur of motion, slashed one across the jaw, buried a blade in the second's temple, and drop-kicked the third into a supply cart.
It took seven seconds.
Yin Yue stood there, panting.
Then whispered, "Okay but like... that was hot."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
💬 Internal Dialogue Detected. Volume: Inappropriate
📈 ML Affection: ??? (Locked)
🔪 Knife Count: 2
🫶 Rescue Effect: Activated
Liang Yu turned back to him.
Expression blank.
"Can you walk?"
"Can you explain why you just murdered three people like you were ordering takeout?"
"They weren't people."
"Okay, well neither am I when I haven't had breakfast.."
"Quiet," Liang Yu said. "You're coming with me."
"I'm not a stray cat!"
"You're barefoot. Bleeding. Wearing a gown."
"I'm fashionably distressed!"
Liang Yu didn't dignify that with a response. He just turned and started walking.
Yin Yue looked down at his feet, back up at the knife in Liang Yu's hand, and muttered, "This better end with soup and a blanket."
He followed him.
Because what else could he do?
They arrived at the safe house twenty minutes later.
Yin Yue had not stopped talking the entire walk.
"And I'm just saying, if you'd warned me before throwing me against a wall, I could've at least looked dramatic about it. You're lucky I'm naturally symmetrical."
Liang Yu opened a rusted metal door without answering.
They entered a stairwell lit by a single flickering lantern. Someone had scribbled "NOT DEAD YET" on the wall in black marker. Very inspiring.
By the time they reached the third floor, Yin Yue's legs were shaking and his IV pole had been demoted to walking stick.
The makeshift base looked like an abandoned startup office: overturned desks, barricaded windows, camping gear in the corners. Three people sat at a table, cleaning weapons and looking tired.
They all looked up when Liang Yu entered.
The one with a scar across his jaw narrowed his eyes. "Who's that?"
"Picked him up at C Block," Liang Yu said.
Scar-Jaw frowned. "He looks like he screams a lot."
"I do," Yin Yue said helpfully. "But only when provoked."
"Is he bitten?"
"No," Liang Yu said.
"We should check anyway," said a sharp-faced woman holding a pistol and a clipboard. "Protocol's protocol."
"Protocol can suck my..."
"Shirt off," she interrupted, already approaching with gloves.
Yin Yue shrieked and backed behind Liang Yu. "Is this a zombie camp or a very aggressive spa?!"
Liang Yu didn't flinch. "Let them check."
Yin Yue stared at him. "You betrayed me."
"Standard procedure."
"You're just mad I said the zombie fight was hot."
That earned the briefest flicker of a smirk.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
💘 ML Emotion: Amused (0.7 seconds)
👕 Host Shirt Status: Pending
🎯 Bite Check Success Chance: 100% (You're just soft)
Eventually, after much squawking, sarcasm, and a lot of unnecessary touching, Yin Yue was declared clear.
The team looked unconvinced.
Liang Yu said, "He stays."
Scar-Jaw frowned. "With you?"
Liang Yu nodded.
Yin Yue blinked. "Wait, like, in your… room?"
Liang Yu didn't answer.
Just turned and started walking.
Yin Yue scrambled after him. "You really need to start offering verbal context."
The room was small. One bed, a desk and a pile of gear.
Liang Yu dropped his weapons. Started checking ammo.
Yin Yue stood awkwardly by the door, still holding his IV pole.
"So," he said slowly, "do you always invite people home at knifepoint or is this just an apocalypse thing?"
Liang Yu didn't respond.
But he did drop a folded blanket on the floor and gesture for him to sit.
Yin Yue sat.
Quiet.
Then, softly: "Thanks. For not letting them throw me out."
Liang Yu glanced over. "Don't die."
"I'll put it on my calendar."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🧠 ML Affection: +3
💤 Bonding Flag: First Shelter Night Activated
🛏️ Bed Count: 1 (Oh no.)
The room was dark.
Yin Yue lay flat on the floor, wrapped in a too-thin blanket, listening to the wind whistle through a broken window pane. He couldn't sleep. Partly because the floor was made of questionable carpet fibers, but mostly because..
Liang Yu was in the same room. And breathing, soft and steady.
Too steady.
Yin Yue sat up.
The bed was empty.
He stood, crept toward the hallway, and followed faint sounds of movement up the stairwell. The door to the roof was wedged open with a brick.
Liang Yu stood there in the night air, alone.
City skyline stretched in ruins around them rooftops jagged, streetlights dead, the moon cracked between clouds. He leaned against the ledge, rifle strapped to his back, profile lit in silver.
Yin Yue approached quietly.
And then crinkled a wrapper.
Liang Yu turned halfway. "You're loud."
"I brought snacks," Yin Yue offered, holding up half a stale cracker. "It's not chocolate, but it's emotionally meaningful."
Liang Yu stared at it.
Then took it.
Then, somehow, ate it.
Yin Yue blinked. "That's the first time you've accepted food from me in any world."
Liang Yu glanced at him. "Any world?"
Yin Yue froze. "I mean… metaphorically."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🧠 Smooth Save: Failed
💘 ML Suspicion: 2% (But low-key intrigued)
🫱 Cracker Accepted: Yes
🧃 Romance Points: +3
They stood in silence a while.
The wind pulled lightly at Yin Yue's sleeves.
"I didn't think the sky would still be here," he murmured.
Liang Yu said nothing.
But he didn't leave.
"You ever laugh?" Yin Yue asked. "Or did the virus eat that part of your brain?"
Silence.
Then—
A twitch. At the corner of Liang Yu's mouth. Almost a smile.
Yin Yue stared at it like a miracle.
"I saw that," he whispered.
"You didn't."
"I felt it."
"I was breathing."
"You were smirking! That's basically flirting in your dialect."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
😳 HOST FLUSTER LEVEL: 68%
💬 Emotional Moment Detected: Low-Key Tender
🫶 Bond Level: 2/5 (Apocalypse Affection Path)
Yin Yue looked away, suddenly shy.
"Thanks for not letting me get eaten today," he muttered.
Liang Yu didn't answer.
But his hand reached out.
Rested lightly on Yin Yue's arm for half a second.
Then pulled back.
"Go sleep," he said.
Yin Yue nodded.
Then smiled the whole way down the stairs.