Chapter Fifteen

Lingyun turned to look at Yichen, who sat slumped on the boat like all the life had been sucked out of him.

"What should I tell the others when we return?"

Yichen looked up, his eyes hooded, "whatever you want," he sighed, hands resting on his lap dejectedly, "it doesn't matter anymore."

"When we get back, get yourself a shower and change of clothes, I'll heat up some noodles for you." Lingyun couldn't cook, but nothing beat his favorite instant noodles.

"Thanks," Yichen laughed bitterly, then closed his eyes to rest.

After obeying Lingyuns orders, Yichen returned to the wheelhouse clean, and warmly dressed, but still with an empty stomach. Shortly after the meal had settled, it ended up down the toilet.

"I've spoken to Young Master Zhao," Lingyun nervously scratched the back of his neck, "I hope you don't think I overstepped."

"No, no," Yichen shook his head, then sat down to light one of Bai Cheng's favorite cigars. "Do you want one?"

Lingyun didn't smoke, so he shook his head. Now was not the time to gain a new addiction. His father's lung cancer was the whole reason he ended up indebted to the Triad after his death.

Yichen took a long drag, then turned to look at the map on the table.

"Tomorrow, I want everybody capable without a minor to care for, to join us to gather supplies, I locked up Old Wang's so if nobody has broken in, we should be able to clear his shop."

Lingyun nodded in agreement. Right now they were only getting more people, but not the means to feed and weaponize them.

The next morning, dressed and smelling appropriate, the large group made their way to the North side of the City.

On the pier, they dealt with a few wandering zombies, then Yichen spoke up.

"You all have your allocated tasks and radio, if you encounter any trouble contact those closest to you to assist. Remember the rules for those infected, secure them in a room with a weapon, and notify me of their location. Once we've completed our tasks in the oriental district, we'll rescue them if they survive."

Frowning, the others nodded their heads. Nobody wanted to be the one who was bitten, but it was bound to happen. They were just regular people, not soldiers.

They were going in opposite directions, so they couldn't rely on the guards to protect them.

Those with family here had a reason to be brave, but most of those from the South City were rather disgruntled to be tasked to gather food and medicine from nearby.

Yichen and his guards were tasked to clear out Old Wang's first.

The ground was still damp from last night's rain, but the sky was clear and the winter sun bright.

Instead of avoiding the zombies gathering, the men all used their machetes to clear them, an unfortunately messy job.

Despite the gore, they all knew it was something they had to get used to.

Their young master had told them in a briefing before they left, that the zombies would evolve, but so would those who survived infection. Then proceeded to show them him floating their machetes from their waists to hover above them.

After that show, they decided to obediently follow whatever the young master said next. If he said the sky was green, it was green. If the grass was blue, it was blue.

Yichen sighed in relief to see Old Wang's still intact. Those who would be venturing out of their homes now were mainly doing so for food. The exception to the rule would be those who targeted more well-known hunting or gun stores. Nobody would expect the little treasure trove of weapons in Old Wang's basement.

Ignoring the confused expression on the three guard's faces, Yichen did not go into the store, but to the basement door.

The basement was musty and cluttered, but there was a clear path to the row of bookcases and a worn sofa.

Yichen outstretched his hand and with a flick of his wrist, a bookcase opened toward them, exposing a metal door that opened inward to a cold metal room.

Yicehn's eyes lit up as his phone's torchlight exposed the array of Asian weapons.

Old Wang's hunting and fishing store was merely a front, this sly old man was one of the main suppliers of weaponry to the Jinlong triad.

Yichen finally paused in front of a dragon short sword, pitch black except for the golden dragon inlaid on the hilt.

The four men were like children in a candy store, making sure to pick their chosen weapon first, before beginning to pack the rest to bring back to the group.

After attaching himself with throwing knives and shurikens, an ebony katana caught his eye. On the hilt was a pattern of silver moon phases.

The brief memory of him and Faye in an observatory flashed to his mind. That night they'd only briefly looked at the moon and he had to kiss her to shut up her lecture on it. Only after one kiss he got greedy, and by the end of the night, their little babe was conceived.

Sure, Faye had no idea how to use a katana, or any blade, only trained to use a side arm and basic self-defense that most elite children go through, he himself was put through long, torturous training from his family's martial arts.

The blade was what he was most comfortable with. His affinity for metal was not because of his use of guns like Bai Cheng. If it were legal, he'd have happily traded his Glock for a blade.

He would just have to train his little wife hard...

Using Old Wang's Jeep, they loaded everything from both instore and under it to the point only two people could fit in.

Yichen sent Jack and Sean back to the yacht to help their wives protect it. Then he and Lingyun moved to the next location, the apartment block the guards near the hotel used.

Since it was just the two of them, they sprayed themselves heavily in aftershave and casually blended in, avoiding any wandering dead.

Huifen's girlfriend lived a few streets away, so they aimed to clear here first, besides Lingyun was overly anxious for his uncle.

As expected, Lingyun raced up the stairs ahead to the top floor where all the guard's family had gathered in Bai Cheng's penthouse.

Frantically, Lingyun knocked on the door, "Uncle Li, Uncle Li, it's me Lingyun."

Hurried footsteps sounded behind the wooden door, then it opened wide to show an elderly man. The two men embraced warmly.

Yichen squeezed past them into the familiar apartment, ignoring the crowd of people in the large living room, Yichen turned to the stairs and straight for Bai Cheng's room.

Slumping onto the queen-sized bed, in the ostentatiously designed bedroom, Yichen let out a weird laugh. The laughter soon turned to tears, then all his sanity collapsed as he curled up to hug his best friend's pillow.

Unsure of when or for how long he slept, Yichen woke struggling to open his raw eyes. He'd even wept in his sleep.

"Young Master," Lingyun entered the room with a tray of tea and snacks.

"What time is it?" Yichen glanced at the bare wrist that usually sported a watch on it.

"It's evening, we've cleared out the whole apartment and searched for Huifeng's girlfriend, Amy, but, well she had turned."

Yichen frowned, struggling to adjust to the time he had lost in his craze.

"Who is alive here?"

"Seven, only Rei's grandmother turned."

"How?" Last Yichen checked the survivors were told to wait in Bai Cheng's apartment for rescue and to not let anyone in.

"She apparently went to check on a neighbor she was concerned about, a young single mother, but was bitten."

Yichen frowned, kindness really killed in this new reality.

The him in the dream wasn't wrong. The him now was in the wrong. If he hadn't, if he hadn't made that 'heroic' change, then Bai Cheng would still be alive right now. He would be able to look Uncle Bai in the face with pride and joy, not pitiful guilt.

"Have Jack come in the jeep to pick up the supplies and kids, the rest of us will travel back on foot, and get some exercise."

"Sure thing," Lingyun nodded, slightly anxious over his young master's definition of exercise.

That night, Yichen spent it going over every single thing in Bai Cheng's room and settled on four momentos and some photos. For his own momento, he picked the antique mechanical watch he had custom-made for Bai Cheng's eighteenth birthday.

One of Bai Cheng's little hobbies, which he thought he had kept hidden well, was antique clocks and watches, this was the true reason he had such an affinity for metal, alongside his mechanical and chemical know-how to create gadgets (bombs) from his father.

In the dream, that had become a stable part of their force. A force that would now never be made... How could he do it without his right hand? How could he endure this horrific future without him? How?

Surprisingly, only three were bitten during their tasks. Unfortunately, not one of them survived.

Despite losing three people, they'd gained over twenty, twelve of which were from the staff.

Too tired to care about anything, Yichen simply instructed them to rest up as they go home.

***

"Did you finish speaking with your grandparents?" Claire asked as Faye entered the children's 'entertainment lounge'. The pair were really spoiled heavily by these grandparents.

The teens alongside Faye's friends, Claire, Poppy, and David, decided to stay in her villa. With most of Yichen's guards occupying the villas left, right, and opposite, it was only Teddy's two original guards, Miles and Lixin living with them alongside their friends.

Luckily the villa had an annex for the staff over the garage that the guards used and there were plenty of guest rooms for the others to figure out who to bunk with.

Leaving their grandparents' room empty, they gave Lixin their parents' room; knowing full well it would never be used again any time soon.

Looking around the room, Faye wouldn't think that it was the end of the world as they knew it. Archie and Jaxon were drinking a beer and playing pool. David was teaching baby Milo how to make cocktails. Poppy and Claire were then drinking those cocktails.

Teddy followed in behind her, having also finished his call. They had a set time to call their grandparents every night.

"Why are we celebrating?" He asked, taking a beer offered by David.

Faye glared at David, who only winked in response, "we're celebrating being alive for another shitty day," he proclaimed, "want me to make you Skittles?"

Succumbing to the crowd's insanity, Faye slunk onto the bar stool beside Poppy and leaned sideways on the granite bar. Her auburn hair was a sharp contrast to the inky black.

After a few drinks, Claire began to pester, "So what's the deal with you and Yichen, has he gotten into your pants yet?"

Poppy spluttered out her drink between them.

Faye raised a napkin to dry Poppy's lips.

"Oh come on, we're all girls here," Claire leaned awkwardly in front of Poppy to raise her brows at Faye.

"Yeah, we're all girls," David leaned his elbows on the bar, looking just as eagerly at her. Milo had thankfully gone to play a board game with the other teens. Board games were a passion of their grandpa, so there was a plethora to choose from to enjoy in the candlelight.

"Not all of us jump into bed at first sight," Faye scoffed, then took a long drink.

"Yeah," Poppy stuck out her tongue playfully at the pair.

"I simply don't wanna die with no regrets," Claire dreamily sighed, "who knows if the one you turn down turns out to be the best lay of your life?"

David playfully ruffled Claire's hair messy, "And they say Poppy is the airhead, look at you, all full of air."

"Hey," Poppy squeaked, shooting David a glare.

Faye sighed, slowly sipping her drink as the three squabbled. Despite this happy moment between her loved ones, she couldn't shake the bitter ache in her heart that she couldn't explain.

She was rather drunk when it reached her usual bedtime, ignoring her friend's pleas, she shooed the teenagers to bed and tucked herself into sleep. Her hand rested over her heart trying to soothe the growing ache.

***

"Ge ge, you're back," Lixin jumped from his office chair and rushed to engulf his cousin in his arms.

"Yes, I'm back," Yichen gripped his Lixin uncharacteristically tight, then inhaled his little brother's familiar scent.

"Cheng ge, what did you, what did you do with him?" Lixin asked as he pulled apart from his unusually long family hug. From the bags under Yichen's eyes, he could tell his big brother was barely holding on.

"We took him to his favorite spot on the beach, built him a pyre..."

"What about that bastard, did you really let him go?" Lixin's hands gripped the desk he was leaning against.

Yichen bitterly chuckled and ran his hand through his hair, "Would you believe me if I told you I let him go?"

Lixin looked him in the eyes, then feeling a shiver, glanced away, "No."

"Any word from Father?" Yichen swiftly changed the subject.

"Go call him yourself, Tracey's in charge of the satellite phone."

Yichen simply nodded his head and left for the annex to find Tracey.

She looked pleased when she opened the door to him. "Come in, the new Chief has been wanting to speak to you."

Yichen was surprised, not that there was a new chief, but what would he want with him?

"Can I speak to my father first, privately?" Yichen asked as he sat on the sofa.

Tracey brought him the phone, "Sure, I'll patch you through."

"Ah Chen?" His father's hoarse voice called out through the speaker. Yichen's eyes followed Tracey out of the room before speaking.

"Bai Cheng is dead."

There was no skirting around it, his father hated people like that, and he could only spit it out as quickly as he could.

"Say that again?" Father Wu's voice wavered, "Dead? Are you sure?"

"Yes, murdered, but tell Uncle Bai I've avenged him," Yichen's jaw clenched, trying to hold back his guilt-ridden tears.

"A-avenged him?" Father Wu was forced to sit down, the realization of his son's words hitting him hard. All his life, he had done his best to keep his family's lifestyle away from these boys. Not once had they ever taken a life, not even in self-defense, that's what all the damn guards were for.

Everything he had worked so hard to protect his sons from, he had failed, he had failed as a father. His wife was right to leave him, she should have taken Yichen too.

"Father, I'm okay," Yichen sensed his father's emotional turmoil through his breathing. "I took Cheng ge to that spot on the beach he liked and burned him on a pyre. After, after I went to collect some momentos for you, Uncle Bai, xiao xin, and me."

"Momentos? What did you get me?" Father Wu tried to keep his tone light for his son's sake.

"It's a surprise, you'll have to wait 'til I bring it to you," Yichen teased.

"You brat, at least give me a hint I can tell old Bai."

"Each thing I picked was something we gifted him," Yichen smirked, they had given Bai Cheng a lot of gifts, the old man would be too busy wracking his brain on which it was to let the grief sink in just yet. Let him save some time to return to his room.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted the old man's ramblings, "Just a second Ah Chen someone's coming in."

After a brief pause, another voice appeared through the radio.

"Is this young master Wu?"

"Yes, who is speaking?" Yichen frowned, anticipating the man Tracey mentioned had grown impatient.

"I am Lewis Blake, the new Chief of the Defense Force, who is currently in charge of this base and the survivor camp nearby."

"Pleasure to speak with you, Chief Blake," Yichen feigned civility, "I guess it is you I have to thank for looking after my relatives and the Fraizers."

"It's no bother, your relatives have been instrumental in the development of the survivor's base. And the Fraizers are big guys around here, we'd be idiots not to care for them... I hear you have their grandkids under your care?"

"Yes, Faye and Teddy are here in the villa with their friends."

"Great, while I like your plan to come here, I just have a few small favors to ask of you whilst you're still on the West Coast..."

Yichen gritted his teeth and buried his head in his hand, "go on."