Can I Trust You?

"Mom, it's me! It's Tianyang!"

Nanfei's eyelids twitched. They were so heavy that even the slightest movement took every ounce of her strength.

Still, they opened, even if only a crack, even if her eyes behind that narrow gap held almost no light.

Blurred images filled Nanfei's vision. She could vaguely make out someone before her and tried hard to see who it was, but a hazy morning mist seemed to shroud everything ahead.

It reminded her of a morning long ago, when she had seen him through just such a mist.

He had walked over from the garden, holding freshly picked flowers, their petals still beaded with morning dew.

He had offered them to her. "For you, Nanfei. You're as beautiful as these flowers."

Heh, that smooth-talking rascal.

Her vision seemed to clear a little, and she saw a familiar face filled with anxiety.

He looked so much like him, only younger, with traces of boyhood still lingering in his features.

But what did that matter?

Nanfei struggled to lift her hand and gently cupped that young face. "You're here, Lie... I've waited so long for you. I thought... you'd forgotten."

His lips moved as if he were saying something, but Nanfei couldn't hear him clearly.

Her cracked lips curved slightly into a smile of relief. "What are you saying? I can't hear you. Let me sleep a little first. I'm... tired..."

She closed her eyes again. Her eyelids were too heavy, and she no longer had the strength to hold them open.

With her eyes closed, she felt utterly at peace, as though all her suffering had slipped away. Yes, she could no longer feel the pain in her body.

Then...

She seemed to see Tianyang, her most beloved child. His face was filled with anxiety and fear. He was desperately shouting something, tears spilling from his eyes.

Tianyang, what's wrong?

Why are you crying?

Don't be sad. Mommy's here. I'll protect you.

She wanted to hug the boy, but just then, someone called from behind her, "Nanfei."

She turned around. Behind her was a brilliant expanse of light. Within it stood a man with a blade of grass between his teeth, grinning. "What are you doing? Come with me. I know a fun place. We'll be really happy there."

"Lie..." She glanced back at the weeping boy. "But Tianyang's so sad..."

The man came over and put his arm around her. "Don't worry. He'll get through this. Don't you believe in our child?"

She thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Yes. I believe in him."

The man took her hand, just as he had on that golden beach seventeen years ago, and slowly led her forward. "Come on. From now on, we'll never be apart again."

She glanced back once.

I'm leaving now, my child. Don't cry. Mommy is...

Very happy now.

Warm, golden light enveloped her gently, and the boy's figure gradually faded from sight.

In the workers' dormitory at Mine No. 3, Tianyang stared blankly at his mother in his arms, unable to believe that she was simply gone.

Scalding drops fell one after another onto his mother's grimy face. Her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful, with even the faintest smile still resting on her lips.

As though she had fallen asleep.

But her gradually cooling body told a merciless truth.

She would never wake again.

A sob escaped him.

Tianyang clutched his chest. It felt as if ten thousand knives were carving through his flesh and scraping his bones!

"Aah!" The boy let out a heart-wrenching scream. His reddened eyes turned toward the male overseer beside him, and he grabbed the Assaulter Rifle within reach.

The cold muzzle pointed at the man's head.

Kill him!

Kill him!

Kill him!

His gun hand trembled. The fury filling his chest searched for an outlet. All he had to do was pull the trigger, and the flames within him could pour out.

But just then, Nanfei's stern face flashed through his tear-blurred vision.

And so his raised gun slowly lowered.

Gently laying his mother down, Tianyang stood and looked at the trembling man. "You should thank the woman you were insulting just now. She told me never to let hatred rule me, never to vent my anger on people who weren't responsible. Clearly, you weren't the reason she ended up here. So you get to keep your life."

Only then did the man breathe a sigh of relief, looking at Nanfei's body with a complicated expression.

"But..."

Tianyang's voice held no trace of emotion. "You caused the wounds on her back, didn't you?"

The male overseer shuddered, but dared not deny it. "Y-yes, it was me. Please forgive me, sir! I didn't mean to. I was just... just..."

"Which hand did you use to swing the whip?"

Terrified, the male overseer raised his right hand.

The Assaulter Rifle rose. A beam entered through his palm and burst out through his shoulder, shooting straight through his right arm!

Screams echoed through the corridor as Tianyang turned and walked toward the man in charge.

"You're in charge of the Mine. You should know who threw her in here, shouldn't you?"

Sweat covered Yingqi's forehead. "Listen to me, Second Lieutenant. I only manage the Mine. As for who sends people here, I..."

A beam pierced his shoulder.

Tianyang aimed the muzzle at the man's heart. "What I need is an answer. So next time, think carefully before you speak."

Clutching his shoulder, Yingqi wanted to defend himself, but the Assaulter Rifle's muzzle snuffed out what little courage he had.

Suddenly, Tianyang's communicator rang, and a voice came through. "This is Ling Feng. Listen to me, Tianyang. Put your gun down."

At that moment, in an office far away at the Lighthouse Outpost Base.

Ling Feng held his communicator and watched the Holographic Projection Screen before him. On it was Yingqi's pale face.

Tianyang's voice came through the communicator. "This is my own business, Chief of Staff."

Ling Feng said firmly, "As long as you're one of the Nightwalkers, this isn't just your business!"

Tianyang's voice abruptly grew urgent. "They killed my mom!"

Ling Feng nodded. "I already know. The man in front of you is just a minor player. Even if you kill him, he still won't know who sent your mother to the Mine. Now, put your gun down. If you have no objections, entrust your mother's body to me. I'll have a medical examination performed to determine her cause of death and establish responsibility."

"At the same time, I'll have people investigate. Three days. Within three days, I'll tell you who did this! And I promise you, whoever it was, the Nightwalkers will pursue this to the very end!"

Silence fell on the other end of the communicator.

A few seconds later, the rifle aimed at Yingqi finally lowered on the holographic screen.

"Can I trust you, Chief of Staff Ling?"

Ling Feng lifted his communicator. "You can trust me."

"...All right."

Setting down the communicator, Ling Feng removed his glasses, then suddenly slammed his fist into the desk.

The desk shattered!

He raised his head, his gaze sharp as a sword, and looked at Lin Yang. "Investigate. Find out which bastard did this!"

His adjutant naturally had no objections, and reminded him, "Chief of Staff Ling, should we inform the Commander?"

Ling Feng steadied his breathing. "I'll contact the Commander now. Unless I'm mistaken, only those people sitting in their offices would stoop to something this vile. And I have a pretty good idea who did it, but we need solid evidence."

Lin Yang stood at attention and saluted. "Understood!"

Book recommendation: Apocalypse NPC

Synopsis: In 2045, hundreds of millions of zombies ravaged the world, forcing humanity into one final, desperate battle. With the apocalypse at hand, Liu Xing used the Time Machine to return to before the zombie outbreak.

With a second chance at life, could he change the future?

With humanity steeped in darkness and blood, could light still be found in hell?

Review: Having read some of the chapters, I can say the author shows a fair amount of skill in pacing and depicting human nature. The opening reminded me of the movie X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Overall, it's a pretty good zombie novel. If you're interested in this genre, give it a read.