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MTL - How to Feed an Abyss!-Chapter 34 Out of town
After the rush hour was announced, there was a commotion in the city.
The alliance defenders had already deployed control and quickly suppressed the chaos—panic was inevitable, but the more critical it was, the more important order was.
Fortunately, the end of the world has lasted for more than 70 years. Except for young people, everyone has experienced the peak period of infection. They calmed down at an alarming rate and returned indoors one after another, waiting for further arrangements.
Chai Yongning announced that these two days are a buffer period, and the martial law law will be gradually implemented, and the full martial law will begin in five days.
The arrival of the peak period is a gradual process. It is not announced, which means that tomorrow is dangerous-maybe in the next few weeks or even months, life will not change, but the situation is getting worse and worse .
During the buffer period, normal activities and performances can still be performed. This is the troupe's last chance. Fortunately, under the persuasion of Wolfgang and Cheng Youwen, the part-time actor who played the role was willing to cooperate with the last performance.
Shi Yuan thought Xia Fang would be unhappy. To his surprise, Xia Fang didn't say anything, and even helped to persuade other actors.
On May 16, 2014, at 8:30 am, the Garcia Grand Theater opened its doors, and the No. 1 performance hall was brightly lit.
61 tickets were sold and 3 spectators came.
A couple, an aging connoisseur.
Si Yeon dutifully performed "The Martyr". They have performed many times, but this time is their most perfect one: they acted so well that people forget the cold reality. Each character is vivid, bringing stories from another world to the audience.
The audience sees the life of the protagonist Leo.
At first, he was a hooligan who took his life, then he was a hypocrite who killed monsters, and finally he was a martyr who saved the world.
The story has a beginning and an end, and a happy ending.
The actors of the troupe stood in front of the stage, hand in hand, and bowed to the audience together. The three audience members stood up and clapped, screamed and cheered with all their might.
In a gloomy world, in this small corner, there is the last carnival.
Shi Yuan stood in the tide of light and thought, this is like applause and applause from all over the world.
Then the lights dimmed, and the velvet curtain slowly closed, as if closing a door to another world, and the dream ended.
Backstage, Cheng Youwen said: "The performance was good, but it's a pity that Ms. Isabella didn't see it." He smiled, "If you could have performed today before, we would have been famous all over the world. It's a pity."
Then, there was a suffocating silence. Xia Fang leaned on the railing and looked out the window, without speaking, Qin Luoluo turned a ring on the table, distracted, after a long time Wolfgang said: "The day after tomorrow, if you are free, let's have dinner together."
When the general martial law begins, it will not be so easy to meet.
Everyone knows that this is actually a breakup meal.
"Eat it!" Unexpectedly, it was Xia Fang who spoke first, and he slapped his thigh, "I just ordered two bottles of wine from an old man, thinking that I would drink them secretly, and contribute them tomorrow Let's drink together! A bottle of red wine and a bottle of beer are precious, and they are worthy of this meal!"
The atmosphere relaxed a little, Qin Luoluo said with a smile: "I didn't expect you to spend all day long, and there is a time to share good wine."
"Who says I'm not plucking at all?" Xia Fang pointed to Shi Yuan, "Shi Yuan, have I treated you to rice pudding?"
Shi Yuan nodded.
"Look." Xia Fang raised his eyebrows.
In short, the time for the breakup meal is set at four o'clock in the afternoon the day after tomorrow.
In the afternoon, everyone began to organize their personal belongings and prepare to take them away.
Shi Yuan has few things, just a backpack, a few lines and three books. He quickly finished packing and returned home early.
Very late, he had a phone call with Lu Tinghan.
This time the roles were reversed, and the talkative person became Lu Tinghan.
Lu Tinghan said, read the "City Code" several times, close the doors and windows at home, and not go to places with too many people; he said, the army has already started to distribute supplies, and you have seen the wheat fields, and the food supply will not be a problem ; he said he would be back soon.
Shi Yuan agreed one by one, and said: "The performance will be suspended, I will continue to clean up the theater tomorrow, and I will have dinner the day after tomorrow."
Lu Tinghan: "Yes."
"You must be careful, I will wait for you to come back, and no one will touch my head."
Lu Tinghan said: "I will try my best to come back."
The next day, Shi Yuan continued to go backstage to help clean up the accumulated items.
Everyone is in a much better mood, and they can still joke with each other—it’s useless to be sad, people always have to look forward, and from the first day they joined the troupe, they were ready to disband, and now it’s just a reality .
"Old Cheng—" Qin Luoluo called out with a drawn out voice, "Where did you put that gray cosmetic bag for me?"
"It's under the dressing table! In the drawer!" Cheng Youwen uttered a voice on the second floor, and there was a burst of ping-pong-pong noise.
"No—did you miss it for me?"
"Impossible!" Cheng Youwen was so angry that he didn't take anything away, and rushed down with a cane, "How dare you slander people out of thin air, come here and I will find it for you!"
The two of them rummaged through boxes and cabinets together, Shi Yuan had just packed up the costumes and vacuumed them, when he heard the shrill siren.
This time it was a level iv warning, and they only had to hide indoors. Several people went to the basement of the theater, huddled together with a pile of props that had not been used for many years, and the air was full of stale smell.
Qin Luoluo couldn't hide her panic, she sat on the box in the corner, and Cheng Youwen accompanied her to comfort her. On the other side, Tracy flicked her cat ears, her pupils narrowed into a line, and entered a state of excitement, jumping up and down, and Wolfgang ran behind her.
Shi Yuan and Xia Fang are together.
Xia Fang nestled in the corner, muttering something in his mouth. Shi Yuan leaned over to look, and in his hand was a stack of old and yellowed banknotes, which were crumpled, as if they had been kneaded repeatedly by countless people, giving off a greasy light.
This wad of money was not much, but Xia Fang counted it over and over again, almost nervous.
"Xia Fang." Shi Yuan called out.
Xia Fang didn't respond.
Shi Yuan: "Xia Fang!"
Xia Fang trembled all over, looked up at him: "Huh?!"
Shi Yuan asked, "Are you okay?"
"Okay! You gave me a big jump." Xia Fang muttered, "This warning came at a bad time. I had an appointment with someone else at night."
The "others" he was talking about must be the men in the bar again.
Shi Yuan sat beside him, tucking his tail in front of him: "Have you ever liked someone?"
"...Why did you ask this suddenly?" Xia Fang was taken aback, "What's wrong, you are worried about your man, so you come to gossip about my love life to relieve pressure?"
"No," Shi Yuan said, "I just want to hear your story."
"Don't listen, it's boring."
"Okay." Shi Yuan said, continuing to sit beside him, staring at him counting money, and carrying out the daily human observation plan.
Xia Fang was observed for a long time, and finally couldn't take it anymore, and stopped counting the money: "Shi Yuan, what's so interesting about this?"
"I'm just curious." Shi Yuan replied.
Xia Fang stuffed the money back into his wallet: "Fucking is all right, I'd rather gossip with you than be watched by you like this." He took a deep breath, rubbed his face, and the gray marks on his hands suddenly disappeared. It fell on the skin, and he didn't know it, "...how should I put it, I fell in love with a man when I was 17 years old."
Shi Yuan listened attentively.
Xia Fang: "He is in his early 30s, handsome and deep. He works in the Inspectorate. Every Friday, he comes here to drink in smart clothes. I work in that small bar, and the salary is lower than now. I am so poor. What I can see every day is either a hooligan or a fat old man, he stands out from the crowd, like a person from another world, I noticed it at a glance."
Shi Yuan: "And then?"
"Then, we started dating. How can a child hide his thoughts from adults, he can see right through me at a glance." Xia Fang squeezed her slightly thin arms, "I am somewhat pretty, and Fucking/sleeping with him in a week's time."
He continued: "We don't just go to bed. He doesn't talk to me about work. When he's in a good mood, he'll talk to me about other things. Men, to some extent, like guns and military affairs, so he talks about defense lines with me. Talking about the proposal, I was taken aback for a while by the ignorant me. After a few visits, I really like him."
"I can understand," Shi Yuan said, "I also like listening to Lu Tingting tell stories."
Xia Fang smiled wryly: "And then, we dated for three or four years, and he told me suddenly once that we would never see each other again. I chased him and asked why, and he actually told me, because His wife is pregnant! I just found out that this grandson was married long ago! I have been a male mistress for so long, don’t you think it’s ridiculous?!”
He took a deep breath and patted his wallet: "In addition, my mother was seriously ill that year, and since then I have strengthened my heart and only love money, not people. This is my life so far, dog blood is bleak I can't believe it, none of them are perfect, and none of them is my favorite."
Shi Yuan thought for a long time: "...But, you like this place, right?"
"Huh?" Xia Fang turned to look at him.
"I like this place, I like the troupe." Shi Yuan said, "Just like Mr. Cheng and the others like here."
"What are you kidding?" Xia Fang laughed out loud, "How did you see that! Hahahaha, I laughed so hard!"
"I just know." Shi Yuan said.
Xia Fang almost burst into tears from laughter, shook her head and said, "Shi Yuan, you are so cute."
However, Shi Yuan thought, everyone will have something they like.
I like flowers, wheat fields, stage plays, and a newborn lamb. There is always some love that puts aside fame and fortune, which is as hot as the morning sun, just like when he thinks of his human beings, his heart will be warm, and his tail is swaying like a ribbon, which cannot be hidden at all.
It was evening when the alarm ended, and Lu Tinghan's good news came over the radio. It was a big victory, and the infected group was defeated completely.
Everyone was hungry, so they left the basement and went to the food distribution place at the intersection to get bread.
They came out early, and the Long Street was deserted.
The good news of the big victory just came, and it was no different from before the peak period. Everyone's emotions were high, and the depression just now was swept away.
"We can still win!" Tracy jumped up and down, cheering, "The land general is the best! Soon we will be able to act for Ms. Isabella again!"
Qin Luoluo stepped on the coquettish and swaying steps, and Cheng Youwen quarreled with Cheng Youwen about whether her hairstyle was good or not, and said that Shi Yuan would make the final judgment, Tracy danced around, and was dragged back to her side by Wolfgang;
Xia Fang fanned the flames at Qin Luoluo for a while, and teased Tracy for a while. Seeing that the battle situation on both sides had escalated, she laughed very happily.
The young man who had just been talking about the past in the basement was gone, without even realizing it, and he was beaming.
As for Shi Yuan, Tracy took out the snacks at the bottom of her box and gave him a pack of dried sweet potatoes—
Shi Yuan hadn't eaten before, so he concentrated on tasting. When he looked up, he saw the vivid expressions of everyone, whether they were laughing or arrogant, and their eyebrows were raised. Every plant and tree on the street was familiar, and there were theater troupe posters on the wall. , the smell of bread and potato soup wafted from farther away, pedestrians came out, in twos and threes, as if nothing had changed, as if the old days could last forever.
After dinner, he will go home before the curfew like any ordinary person, turn on the bright yellow lights and wait for Lu Tinghan to come back.
Hustle and bustle, sorrow and joy, belonging.
This moment seemed to go back to the time when he first entered the city, Lu Tinghan took him to the bustling pedestrian street and invited him to eat grilled sausage. There were so many people rubbing shoulders and heels, it was so lively that even his eyes were illuminated by the light.
After that, he saw the theater, the narrow sanctuary, the snow and the sea of flowers, and the endless golden wheat fields.
—He came from the wilderness and saw the world.
Now, he is also a part of it.
Late that night, Lu Tinghan pushed the door open to go home, and was surprised to see that the light in the living room was still on.
Shi Yuan fell asleep on the sofa.
On the table was "General History of the Alliance Military". He hadn't finished reading it for several months, and it was still in the first third. The progress was really unsatisfactory.
Lu Tinghan took off his gloves and tie, and sat beside the sofa.
He silently looked at Shi Yuan's side face.
Shi Yuan always sleeps very fast and deeply, which is a characteristic of people who have no worries.
After he fell asleep, he was very quiet, with the fragrance of bath liquid in his hair, his eyebrows stretched, and the tip of his tail curled up a little bit, forming a subtle arc.
... Just looking at it makes people feel wonderfully happy, as if the waves in their hearts have been ironed out submissively.
Lu Tinghan worked hard and seldom let go of his thoughts.
Now he paused.
I usually watch the battle situation and statistics, but now... watching Shiyuan sleep is very interesting.
If Shi Yuan is woken up, Shi Yuan will definitely smile and throw himself into his arms to tell what he has seen and heard all day.
When did it start?
Leaving the battlefield of blood and fire, leaving behind the treacherous wilderness, the streets are so long in the middle of the night, someone is waiting for him to go home.
Lu Tinghan wanted to grab the tip of Shi Yuan's tail, shake him awake, and let him go back to sleep, but he stretched out his hand but stopped, and bent towards his leg instead—
He picked up Shi Yuan and walked towards Shi Yuan's room.
Shi Yuan, half asleep and half awake, grabbed his collar and protested vaguely, he couldn't hear what he was muttering, but he was reluctant anyway.
So Lu Tinghan walked to the bedroom on the second floor, this time, Shi Yuan was at ease.
When Lu Tinghan took a shower, changed his clothes, and returned to the house, Shi Yuan had already woken up, wrapped in a quilt into a fluffy ball, looking at him with dark eyes.
"Woke you up?" Lu Tinghan asked.
"No, I woke up by myself." Shi Yuan said.
In the middle of the night, they share the same bed and perform an important ritual once a day: Lu Shiyuan.
Shi Yuan asked: "Lu Tinghan, do you like this city? Huluhuhuhuhu."
"Why do you ask this?" Lu Tinghan continued to touch Shi Yuan's head.
"I just want to know about Hululu."
In the darkness, Lu Tinghan seemed to be smiling: "Of course I like it."
"...Well." Shi Yuan said, "I like it too."
He seemed to have made up his mind.
A week later, a Level II warning sounded and people fled to shelters.
This time Shi Yuan was not with them.
He dodged a group of patrolling soldiers at the corner, and walked cautiously towards the south gate of the city. Fortunately, the army was busy rushing to the front line, so no one cared about him.
In this way, he came to the gate of the city smoothly.
A metal door tens of meters high stands in front of him, with layers of mechanisms and locks, and the weight of millions of tons cannot be shaken. There were many soldiers on the gates and walls of the city, and the searchlights shone on the wasteland, and even Shi Yuan could feel the heat.
In this case, it is impossible for him to leave the city.
However, he must go.
Shi Yuan lives on the dividing line.
He likes humans and sees monsters as his own kind. In the refuge, he was at a loss for what to do while listening to the weeping and whispering of people and the screams of monsters in the distance. He often thought, if only he was as smart as Lu Tinghan, he would definitely know what to do.
And he made up his mind that night: he was going out of town and killed a monster.
He killed the queen bee of the purple lantern bug. If he finds other siege monsters, kills them, and brings them back to prove Lu Tinghan's abilities, maybe Lu Tinghan can figure out a way to defend the city.
— This is the plan.
But in fact, Shi Yuan was at a loss.
First of all, Shi Yuan didn't know if he could kill other monsters. After all, he had only ever been in contact with the queen bee, and maybe it was a lucky accident.
Secondly, he didn't know how Lu Tinghan, who had killed countless monsters, would react when he discovered his identity—he just imagined that way, and his tail was so tense that it was about to tie a knot; he didn't know, if human beings really What should he do if he is asked to kill all monsters and end the last days? Can he really kill so many of his kind? Should he really do this?
If the monster is gone, does it really mean the end of the last days?
He couldn't get answers to many questions, and he had a hundred reasons to shrink back.
However, he couldn't hide from Lu Tinghan for the rest of his life.
However, he wanted to save this city loved by countless people.
The memory went back to a performance one day, he was tending his cypress costume backstage, and accidentally caught a glimpse of the newspaper.
That's what the New Moon Newspaper said:
[The author believes that the setting of the savior in "Martyr" is quite surprising. He is not only Leo's inner demon, but also has a devilish appearance... However, it is this kind of conflict that makes the whole drama so dramatic The sublimation, people can't help but think: Is that really the savior? If he is a monster, can he really save the world? Or, all of this is just Leo's fantasy, and the savior never existed? 】
After playing so many times as the God of Salvation and saving the world so many times, maybe it's time to really perform.
Even this time, there will be no flowers and applause.
Standing in front of the steel city wall, Shi Yuan took a deep breath, just like the day he performed on stage for the first time—
If you are braver, you may be able to understand human beings better, and understand their love, hate, sorrow and joy.
If you are braver, you may be able to tear out a ray of light on this doomsday curtain that is as desperate as eternal night.
Shi Yuan walked towards the city wall, and every time he took a step, thick black mist gushed out from his body.
…
At the same time, the Gleaner City Command.
The red light flickered on the holographic screen, shining on everyone's face, like a hellish scene.
Xing Yifeng got up in a hurry and walked through the underground corridor.
Passing through layers of guards, Lu Tinghan is in the containment room at the end—he can perceive the thoughts of monsters and capture things that ordinary people cannot touch, which is why he goes to the front line frequently: the closer you get to the monsters, observe their behavior The patterns, from the opening and closing of the mouthparts to the vibrating of the wings, the more accurate his inferences will be.
In the containment room were three mutant wolves transported back from the front line.
When Xing Yifeng came to the containment room, the mutant warrior with first-born antlers was at the door and opened the door for him.
As soon as he entered the door, Xing Yifeng's breathing became stagnant.
Black blood covered the walls, smeared from the feet to the ceiling. The containment cage was opened, and the black wolf fell to the ground. One of them whined, and its throat was cut cleanly.
The table had been overturned, leaving only the solitary chair in the middle of the room. Lu Tinghan was sitting on a chair, holding a saber in his hand, his cuffs rolled up, revealing the distinct lines of his forearms.
Xing Yifeng: "You are..."
"Try their instinctive reactions, especially before they die." Lu Tinghan said lightly, "Some strategies need to be changed." He looked at Xing Yifeng, "What do you want to report?"
Only then did Xing Yifeng come back to his senses: "Admiral, a distortion value exceeding I level has been observed at the south gate of Gleaming City."
He swallowed, his voice was dry, and he continued with some difficulty: "... After comparison, it is confirmed that it is the infection wavelength of Abyss No. 0."
Lu Tinghan didn't answer.
A long half minute.
There was blood splattered all around, but he was the only one who was spotless, as if the broken throat, burst brains, and crushed hind leg bones were not his fault. Lu Tinghan was always well-dressed, and his emotions and anger were not displayed. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, it would be hard for anyone to imagine that he could be called violent with his hands.
He just sat there in silence until the eyes of the last mutant wolf lost their luster, until a drop of black blood dripped from the tip of the knife—
despair! It splashes a flower lightly.
"...Okay," Lu Tinghan nodded, "I see."