Chapter 111: Lu Jun
They stared at each other for a moment. Lu Jun stood up. “Alright, I’ll trust you for now.”
Li Dong nodded and took the lead.
The door had barely opened when he spotted a group of suspicious men in black closing in from a distance.
He immediately pulled back and shut the door. “It’s dangerous outside. About twenty armed men. We leave from the back.”
“F**k…” Lu Jun swore. He jogged to the rear balcony, planning to slip out. “There are people at the back too. We’re surrounded.”
He spoke as he chambered a round, clearly ready to throw down.
“That’s really just f***ing great.” Li Dong hefted a pistol in each hand, tilted his chin at the male-lead shou in a cool, cocky way. “Let’s go.”
Lu Jun looked at the man before him, feeling his blood rush to his head, his whole body tingling with excitement.
He lunged in and bit the man’s lower lip, then shouldered his gun and burst out the back door. His machine gun raked the three-meter-wide corridor in a fierce sweep.
Li Dong followed close behind. Through the smoke he narrowed his eyes, locked on the black-clad gunmen returning fire, and went for clean headshots, one after another.
They rushed into the row of houses across the way and cut through a corridor that the black-clad men hadn’t reached.
“Is there an exit nearby?” Li Dong caught up without so much as a change in his breathing. He asked while swapping magazines with a steady hand.
“No. We climb the wall.” Lu Jun panted twice, then asked, “Are you hurt?” His heart hammered. If he could, he’d rather kill all their enemies himself.
“What do you think?” Li Dong’s lips tipped up in a smile.
The fresh magazine locked into place. Two bullets would be enough for ten heads.
“F**k that’s hot.” The wind whipped past as Lu Jun clicked his tongue. “How am I supposed to not jump you right now?” His adrenaline was spiking off the charts, and it was this man’s fault.
“Save it till we get out.” As Li Dong hauled himself up the wall, he grunted, “Find somewhere safe and I’ll screw you senseless.”
“Heh.” Lu Jun slung his weapon and climbed with sharp, athletic ease.
He’d thought bringing the other man along would slow them down. He’d been ready to be the one doing the carrying. Now he realized he was the one being outpaced.
Out on the busy street, Li Dong flagged a car at gunpoint.
Lu Jun dove into the passenger seat, muzzle poking out the window, and scythed the trailing black-clad attackers.
Bullets sparked off the sedan. To dodge the fire, Li Dong swerved hard. The tires screamed against the asphalt.
“They’ve got a car on us.” Breathless, Lu Jun slammed in a new magazine, then clambered into the back seat and punched a hole through the rear windshield.
“Be careful.” Li Dong offered the unnecessary warning.
“Eyes on the road.” Lu Jun growled. Wind roared in, shredding his hair.
A hail of bullets, a deadly pursuit.
Li Dong still drove steady, mind quieting to a single thought: reach the destination Yu Jiqing named.
He steered with one hand and fiddled with the navigation with the other.
X City High-Speed Rail Station. Twenty-six kilometers.
They took the elevated highway, surrounded by many vehicles.
Gunshots kept ringing out around them, who knew if the next bullet would hit him.
Li Dong wasn’t worried about himself. “Xiao Jun…” he murmured, forcing his focus to dodge the cars of the relentless pursuers.
With sheer driving skill, he cut off one of the black-clad cars and sent it tumbling off the highway.
Lu Jun whistled. The display of ferocity sent his adrenaline surging again, not just the physical high, but a bright, savage joy in his chest.
Finding someone who matched him like this in this lifetime… well, being hunted forever in the next wouldn’t be so bad.
After all, they were strong. This kind of pursuit was nothing.
A black motorcycle soon roared up alongside them, the dark muzzle aimed straight at the passenger window.
Li Dong slammed the brakes. Cars crashed into their rear. Their white sedan crumpled into scrap.
He’d already braced for the collision.
“Jump!” he shouted, a heartbeat before impact.
Their lane hugged the edge, which gave them the room they needed.
They hit the ground rolling and immediately hunted for the biker. Muzzles lined up on each other in the same instant.
Lu Jun was faster. Instinct and training made every fraction of a second count.
“Go!” The motorcycle tumbled. He spotted a slow-moving tour bus ahead.
They vaulted in through a window and rode out the next ten-plus kilometers in one piece.
It was a tourist bus, headed right for the high-speed rail station.
“I’m starving.” Sweat ran down Lu Jun’s temples. He let his head rest on the man’s shoulder beside him.
“I’ll buy you a rice ball at the station,” Li Dong said, palm brushing over his damp cheek.
The short journey gave Lu Jun only a brief rest before they reached the rail station entrance.
As soon as they entered, a row of black-clad figures stood guard.
“Sh*t…” Li Dong and Lu Jun broke in different directions. Gunfire detonated at once.
Bullets slammed into bystanders. People crumpled like paper.
Panting, the two men glanced toward each other through the chaos.
Lu Jun’s eyes were fierce, bitter, and utterly unafraid.
Li Dong knew everything, and he wasn’t afraid to die. He only regretted not being able to stay with this world’s male lead a little longer.
They rose in eerie sync, raised their guns, and charged in.
Footfalls smacked the glossy wall panels, carving an ugly trail of bullet holes.
Their clothes snapped in the smoke-thick wind, no time to worry about debris in their hair.
Two equally young, handsome faces cut straight through the hail of bullets, fierce beyond words.
When his pistols ran dry, Li Dong tossed them and drew two more from his body, weaving through the crossfire and reaping the black-clad men like wheat.
The hall became a wreckage of overturned bodies and drifting grit.
Back-to-back with the man he loved, Lu Jun emptied faces without a flicker, as if he’d been born for this.
“I’m out,” Li Dong said. He burst from behind a pillar, kicked a rifle out of a black-clad man’s hands, and crashed into close quarters.
Lu Jun threw himself into a slide, swept his left foot to flip up a fallen machine gun, caught it, and fired in both directions, mowing down the nearest attackers.
Hand-to-hand was Li Dong’s home turf. He had the edge in every exchange.
Lu Jun’s eyes snagged on him and he nearly melted from the high. Deadly man. Not only a sharpshooter, his fighting was insane.
Li Dong scooped up two enemy machine guns and dove back into the fray.
The last black-clad man dropped. Silence fell, save for smoke and dust curling through the air.
“Let’s move.” Li Dong ditched one empty gun and scanned the ruins for Gate 3.
“Li Dong?” Lu Jun called behind him.
“What?” The man glanced back. “Quit dawdling and help me find Gate 3.” He was already striding off, long legs a blur.
Ring ring ring.
Lu Jun answered. The voice said again, “Gate 3. Hurry down. The train’s almost here.”
Lu Jun said nothing and sprinted after Li Dong, both of their faces set.
They finally found Gate 3.
“Do you trust him?” Lu Jun asked as they ran.
“We’re in the open,” Li Dong said, hating to admit it but it was true. “From the start, we’ve been in someone else’s palm.”
On the platforms, crowds stood like mannequins, seemingly untouched by the gun battle above.
Shoulder to shoulder with the masses, Li Dong and Lu Jun waited for the next train in a tight coil.
Ring ring ring.
“The train’s coming. Once you’re on, get off at XX Station, then go to the 44th floor of the City Center Tower in X City. Wait for me.”
A train screamed in and stopped before them.
Li Dong and Lu Jun traded a look. Bold as brass, guns in one hand and each other’s fingers locked in the other, they boarded the bullet train.
No one paid them any mind. No one asked for tickets.
They found two seats together and sat with careful alertness.
The moment they eased off, questions swarmed in.
“My rice ball,” Lu Jun grumbled, glaring at the aisle. Who had promised him a rice ball at the station? Liar.
“…,” Li Dong looked innocent. In that mess, who the hell had time to buy snacks? “It’s a little after eleven. Lunch service should roll around soon.”
Sure enough, the attendants came along with a food cart.
Beef noodles and chicken rice.
Beef noodles killed Lu Jun’s appetite on sight. He chose the chicken without a word.
“I’ll have the beef noodles, thanks,” Li Dong said.
“Why are you being polite to them?” Lu Jun flicked a glance at the soulless, mechanical attendants. “I’m hungry and on edge.” He was scared.
“Scared of what.” Li Dong peeled the lid off his chicken. “Eat. If you’re full, you won’t be scared.”
“Don’t lie to me.” Lu Jun’s dark eyes cut over.
Softness stirred in Li Dong’s chest. He leaned in and kissed the corner of the little mad-dog’s mouth. “I can lie to anyone, but not to you.”
“Okay.” The little mad dog ducked his head and wolfed down the food.
Li Dong slurped two bites of noodles and clicked his tongue. “Mine’s not bad either. Want a taste?” He wound some noodles onto the plastic fork and held it to Lu Jun’s lips.
Lu Jun didn’t even think before opening his mouth.
This time Li Dong hadn’t lied. “First time eating on a bullet train.” It wasn’t as good as people claimed, but it wasn’t terrible either.
The kind of taste you’d forget existed the moment you weren’t hungry.
Better than instant noodles, at least.
“Mm, that so.” Li Dong thought about how many times he’d ridden the high-speed rail. Too many to count. Better not to pick at that thread.
“Your name’s really simple. Why Li Dong?” Lu Jun mumbled around his food.
“Because I was born in winter,” Li Dong replied on cue.
Lu Jun grunted twice, swallowed, and said, “I’m an orphan.” Who knew what season he’d been born in.
“You were born in autumn,” Li Dong said.
“Who are my parents?” Lu Jun asked.
“That I don’t know. Your garbage author never mentioned it,” Li Dong said.
“It’s fine. I don’t care,” Lu Jun said. “I’m living pretty damn well.” He had money, and a boyfriend who was drop-dead gorgeous.
Literally a winner at life.
“No kidding.” Li Dong thought of Yu Jiqing’s words and sighed to himself.
When they finished, the attendants came to clear the trays.
They sipped hot drinks and sat back with their eyes closed.
Li Dong checked the time. About half an hour to X City.
“Need a nap?” Lu Jun kept his eyes open. He didn’t dare sleep if the other man might doze. One of them had to stay alert.
“No. You sleep.” Li Dong turned and brushed a kiss on the male lead’s brow.
Any urge to show off died on Lu Jun’s tongue. He leaned into the man at his side and fell asleep without worry.
Half an hour later, the train drew into the station.
Before it stopped, the phone in Lu Jun’s pocket woke him.
“I’ll get it,” Li Dong said, fishing out the phone. “Hello?”
“There’s a black Hummer outside. Take it, turn from East Avenue to the City Center Tower. You may be attacked en route.”
“Got it.”
He waited three seconds for more. Nothing came. He hung up.
“What did he say?” Lu Jun asked.
“It’s fine.” Li Dong kissed Lu Jun’s drowsy eye. “We’re here. Time to get off.”
The train halted.
Li Dong craned for a look through the window, still unsure about the situation outside.
“Let’s go.” Lu Jun snapped awake fast. He eyed the man a few years older than him with a flicker of worry. Could he keep going?
“Find the black Hummer,” Li Dong said at the doors, sharp eyes cutting over the curb.
He spotted it quickly and pulled Lu Jun along.
The keys were in the ignition. Very convenient.
“Did he set this up?” Lu Jun asked.
“Maybe he only nudged us,” Li Dong said. Things in this world shouldn’t be easy to alter.
The City Center Tower was twenty kilometers from the station.
“They’re tailing us.” Lu Jun watched the mirrors and saw a suspicious car. He grabbed his gun, ready to take out whoever was behind them.
Li Dong put the pedal down and bulldozed through downtown.
“F**k!” Black-clad men were flooding every street. Lu Jun ducked back into the car. “We’re boxed in. See if you can shake them.”
“Copy.” Li Dong slid on a pair of sunglasses from the console. “Buckle up. We’re flying.” He glanced in the mirror, then cranked the wheel with one hand and, with the other, yanked the pin from a grenade with his teeth and pitched it out the window.
The blast boomed as the Hummer fishtailed, cut across lanes, and shot into the opposite street.
This city ran along a river. They barreled up the levee road.
A car leapt out in front of them. Li Dong wrenched the wheel and shot up onto a bridge.
“Left at the next turn,” Lu Jun said from the bucking passenger seat, jabbing a paper map.
“I might not have control,” Li Dong said. If a black-clad car blocked the mouth of the road, they’d be… Damn it. Spoke too soon.
“Ram him.” Lu Jun’s laugh was ice-cold.
It was a Hummer. Li Dong gritted his teeth and floored it.
They ducked low. Bullets corkscrewed over their scalps.
The cars smashed head-on. The other vehicle skidded into a barrier and left a gap for them to punch through.
The convoy still chased, riddling the Hummer till it looked like shredded tin.
Li Dong had to dodge bullets and out-think them at the same time.
With no time to plan, brain cells died by the handful.
They rolled up to the City Center Tower. Ring ring ring.
“We’re at the tower.”
“Come to Elevator One.” Yu Jiqing’s voice was calm. “I’m inside.”
They sprinted toward Elevator One. Gunshots cracked behind them. Screams echoed through the lobby as they ducked and weaved.
“Motherf***er!”
Black-clad men were everywhere, and they didn’t have guns in hand.
Behind a pillar, Li Dong patted the few grenades left at his waist. His heart thudded.
“Gimme one…” Lu Jun called from behind a nearby counter, tapping his chest.
Li Dong peered out. The black-clad line was almost on them. He yanked a grenade free, dropped to a crouch, and skimmed it along the floor.
Two explosions overlapped with a burst of gunfire.
Two lean figures bolted through the chaos.
Li Dong spotted Elevator One sliding open. “Xiao Jun, this way!” He grabbed his little mad dog, who’d lost his bearings, and dragged him like a man with nothing to lose.
A black-clad man stepped out from inside, muzzle barking in a harsh sweep.
Only once they dove into the elevator did Li Dong and Lu Jun realize, hearts still slamming, that the man’s back was to them for a reason. F**k. He’s friendly fire, nearly scared us to death!
The black-clad man stepped in, slapped the Close button, and hit 44.
Gunfire hammered the doors until they sealed. Then silence.
The elevator’s light was bright, the steel walls glinting.
Yu Jiqing removed his sunglasses and turned to them.
They were a mess. He gave them a single glance, confirmed they weren’t wounded, then put the shades back on and ignored them.
“You’re Yu Jiqing?” Li Dong asked quietly, leaning against the wall, breath still rough from the firefight.
“Yes.” Just one word.
To Lu Jun, the vibe was pure: what a f***ing poser.
“Why bring us here?” he demanded.
His tone was bad.
“To leave this collapsing world,” Yu Jiqing said. “I have no malice toward you. If I did, neither of you would exist.”
Lu Jun ground his teeth. “Don’t play God with me. I’m not buying it.” He took his stand at Li Dong’s side, lines clearly drawn.
“Xiao Jun.” Li Dong laced their fingers. “Let’s not rush it. See what he does first.”
“Hmph.” With that, Lu Jun looked away instead of glaring at the posturing man in black.
“You told me you’d give me a complete answer. I hope you mean it,” Li Dong said after a beat.
From behind his lenses, Yu Jiqing’s gaze flicked down to their joined hands and back. “I did and I will.” He nodded and fell silent.
On the forty-fourth floor, the doors opened and he stepped out.
Li Dong and Lu Jun followed into the empty level.
“This is the world’s control center,” Yu Jiqing said. “Originally there were two doors, leading to the next world and the previous one.” He used a key on a door. A corridor stretched ahead, with three doors along its sides. “To get out of this world, I created a new third door.”
“The next world?” Li Dong froze.
So the passage he’d used to travel between worlds looked like this. Ordinary, almost plain.
“Yes. The next world is infected too.” Yu Jiqing found the key for the new world, glanced at Li Dong, then slid his eyes to Lu Jun. “The ‘complete answer’ you want is to take him with you.”
“Can I?” Li Dong squeezed Lu Jun’s hand. There was no universe where he would leave Lu Jun at the threshold.
“He’s a virtual character. You know that. Unless you stay in the virtual realm and never leave, you can’t take him out,” Yu Jiqing said.
“The next world is still virtual, at least,” Li Dong shot back without looking away. One way or another, he wouldn’t abandon Lu Jun here.
“Quit dragging it out,” Lu Jun cut in. “If there’s a way, say it. If there isn’t, say that. What’s with the speech?”
“…,” Yu Jiqing curled his lip. Getting mouthed off by a shard of his own personality was a special kind of misery. “Hmph.” He turned and unlocked the door. “Go in.”
Li Dong and Lu Jun looked together and blinked. A room?
“I should warn you,” Yu Jiqing said in a level voice. “I didn’t have time to craft a comfortable new world. This is an old research sandbox of mine. The zombie world.”
“F**k.” Lu Jun cursed the pervert out of habit and hauled Li Dong in with him.
Zombies? Like hell was Lu Jun afraid.
“Are you coming?” Li Dong murmured as he passed the creator of this mess.
“What else would I do?” Yu Jiqing said coolly. “Wait outside to die?”
Li Dong frowned. Was the man picking a fight? “I didn’t mean anything by it. No need to be so prickly.” If there was no malice between them, they could at least act civil.
“What are you chit-chatting for?” Lu Jun tugged Li Dong along. “He’s obviously a high-IQ freak.” He muttered under his breath, “Wouldn’t put it past him to be playing us.”
Right now, they knew nothing and could only chase his story of virtual worlds, collapse, and a virus. He didn’t believe a word.
“Then why’d you come with me?” Li Dong’s eyes softened. Dusty and grimy, he was still stupidly handsome.
“Tsk.” Lu Jun slanted him a lazy look, his little heart pounding. “Running for our lives together with you is the wildest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Hotter than sleeping with me?” Li Dong’s grin turned wicked.
“Hard to pick a winner,” Lu Jun said, palm sliding from the man’s waist to his butt.
A gaze burned from behind, tracking Lu Jun’s hand with jealousy. Listening to these two shameless idiots flirt made the onlooker’s teeth ache.
Two scumbags. Ptui.
Author’s Note:
【We’re close to the end. Pretty please bookmark my author page. Click my penname and you’ll see the “Favorite/Follow” button~】
【About the next book: I want to write a 200k-word modern sweet romance to reset my mood, titled If You Don’t Listen, I’ll Eat You Up, a paper tiger meets a little cutie.】
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