AMBTMS Chapter 167

The word “leave” was like a heavy hammer, striking Lin Xuan’s mind.

Leave…

Lin Xuan was in a daze. “Xiao Shu, where are you planning to go?”

He couldn’t believe that Li Shu would leave the power they built together. Didn’t they agree to support each other and head to the capital? Why all of a sudden…

Not only Lin Xuan but even Gu Lin and Xu Yanqiu were surprised. Tan Chu was equally shocked. None of them expected Li Shu to directly say he wanted to leave. Since the apocalypse began, everyone knew that moving alone meant a higher chance of death. Almost everyone would choose to act with others, and if there were an evolved person among them, that would be even better.

Not to mention, Lin Xuan absolutely fit the criteria of a teammate, and not only that, he far exceeded it. In a short time, he had managed to grow their team and secure a place for themselves among the various forces in the apocalypse. Because of Li Shu, their team had a large number of ordinary people, which should have lowered their strength, but with proper management, their strength hadn’t decreased but instead far exceeded expectations.

“Xiao Shu, this joke isn’t funny at all.” Lin Xuan’s face turned cold. He couldn’t believe Li Shu would leave, leave this place he had poured his heart and soul into. This wasn’t just any place, it was their support, their backbone. If Li Shu stayed, Lin Xuan knew he could win his forgiveness one day and they could start over.

But if Li Shu left, none of what he hoped for would come to pass. If he couldn’t even see him anymore, how could he ask for forgiveness?

He no longer hoped to return to the past. He just wished Li Shu would stay by his side, in a place where he could see him. This time, he wouldn’t let anyone harm him. Under his protection, he would live like a little prince, just like in the past.

But all of this was based on Li Shu staying in the team. He hadn’t panicked before because he thought he still had a chance. As long as Li Shu stayed, he would have plenty of time to make up for his mistakes.

“Xiao Shu, please don’t say things like that anymore. I’ll take it seriously.” He suppressed the bitterness welling up inside him. He was practically begging now, begging the young man not to be so ruthless, not to strip away his last bit of hope.

“I’m serious, Lin Xuan,” Li Shu sighed. “Things have come to this point. I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to be surrounded by painful memories every day. There’s no possibility for us to be together again. Leaving is the best choice for both of us.”

“It’s not like that,” Lin Xuan refuted. “Xiao Shu, I won’t pester you anymore in the future. Just, at the very least, travel with us to the capital. After you contact your parents, if you still don’t want to see me, I promise I will leave your sight.”

Li Shu was just an ordinary person. How could Lin Xuan feel at ease abandoning him like this? He couldn’t think straight anymore. All he could think about was what might happen to Li Shu after he left, like today, when he was surrounded by the infected. The thought made Lin Xuan’s body turn cold.

If Li Shu were to lose his life or get hurt, he would never forgive himself.

One person was determined to leave, and the other was unwilling to let go. Of course, Li Shu could just ignore everything and leave without a care. If Gu Lin weren’t here, he could have told Lin Xuan that traveling alone wouldn’t involve the kind of danger Lin Xuan imagined.

The situation seemed to have reached a stalemate. Now no one was paying attention to Tan Chu, who was still being held by Xu Yanqiu. Tan Chu watched the scene unfold, hatred boiling inside him. Once again, just a few words from Li Shu could stir Lin Xuan’s emotions. Yet no matter what schemes he tried, he could barely get Lin Xuan to look at him.

How unfair it was. He should have realized this long ago. This world was never fair. If something wasn’t yours, no matter how hard you tried, you could never get it.

It was the same for him, and it was no different for Lin Xuan now. Li Shu’s desire to leave was clear. Even someone as powerful as Lin Xuan could only deceive himself and desperately try to hold onto someone who had already decided to leave.

Looking at the cold and indifferent young man, Tan Chu had to admit that he had completely lost.

“Xiao Shu, at least let me send you to the capital. I promised Uncle and Auntie that I would bring you back safely,” Lin Xuan pleaded. Even if he had to resort to underhanded means, he would forcibly keep Li Shu by his side. He would rather have Li Shu hate him than see him lose his life.

As long as Li Shu lived, he could still hold onto a glimmer of hope. If he were gone, only deep regret would remain.

Li Shu didn’t speak. Lin Xuan’s words reminded him of the time before the apocalypse. Back then, the original Li Shu was still a carefree boy, pampered and doted on by his family. He had a brother who was ten years older than him and he was a child born in his parent’s older years. His birth wasn’t easy and his health had always been fragile. The family didn’t place any pressure on him, only hoping he would grow up healthy and happy.

When he fell in love with Lin Xuan, his family initially disapproved. After all, how could they feel at ease when their child, whom they had raised with great care and love, was abducted by a man with an ordinary background? It was only because the original owner was so adamant that they reluctantly agreed and gave Lin Xuan a chance. This trip outside was an opportunity the original owner had fought for. No one had expected that the apocalypse would come so suddenly, forever separating the original owner from his family.

Xu Yanqiu glanced at his boss, who was clearly distressed. Perhaps he himself didn’t realize how soft his expression became when looking at the young man. Reflecting on their conversation, Xu Yanqiu rolled his eyes and said, “If Mr. Lin is worried about Mr. Li traveling alone, there’s no need.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lin Xuan frowned, clearly displeased.

Gu Lin seemed to have thought of something, narrowed his eyes but remained silent.

Seeing that he had everyone’s attention, Xu Yanqiu calmly continued, “We’re also heading to the capital. Mr. Li can come with us. Believe me, my boss will take good care of Mr. Li. That way, Mr. Lin won’t have to worry about his safety, right?”

Indeed, with Gu Lin around, there was no need to worry about Li Shu’s safety. The previous incident had already proven that Gu Lin would never let Li Shu get hurt. But how could Lin Xuan be at ease? It was precisely because it was Gu Lin that he was even more anxious. Gu Lin’s intentions toward Li Shu were obvious, and he hadn’t even tried to hide them. There was no way Lin Xuan could feel comfortable leaving Li Shu in his hands.

However, he couldn’t voice any denial. Those hidden feelings couldn’t be revealed, otherwise, it might truly benefit Gu Lin. He had seen the same thing in this man’s eyes. He knew it well, because that kind of look often appeared in his own eyes. It was love, possession, and a man’s instinctive desire to possess the one he loved.

Xu Yanqiu watched with great interest as Lin Xuan struggled to express his frustration. After enjoying the man’s conflicted expression for a while, he turned his attention to the two men standing side by side. “Is Xiao Li Shu willing to come with us?”

Li Shu had just come of age and still had a youthful figure. It wasn’t surprising for someone like Xu Yanqiu, who was nearly thirty, to call him “Xiao”. He didn’t answer Xu Yanqiu’s question but turned to look at Gu Lin instead. “Mr. Gu, would you be willing to take me with you?”

Of course, he would. It was like a gift falling from the sky. The light in the man’s eyes gradually brightened, like a thousand stars descending. He looked at Li Shu with an unprecedented seriousness. “It would be my honor.”

To protect you and to be by your side is my greatest honor. I thought my life had fallen into desolation, but you brought the light and vitality back. In that small, dark room, you stepped in, carrying the light that illuminated the long road ahead of me.

The matter was settled.vEven if Lin Xuan wanted to object, he had no excuse. With Gu Lin personally promising his protection, Li Shu’s safety was more than assured. Li Shu was determined to leave, and even if Lin Xuan wanted to stop him, he couldn’t. With Gu Lin watching over him like a hawk, there was no way he could forcibly bring him back.

Li Shu left with Gu Lin on the spot. The people in Lin Xuan’s team watched him and Gu Lin leave. They wanted to ask something, but when they noticed Lin Xuan’s gloomy face, they didn’t dare to ask a single word.

Since he had decided to leave, there was no need to hide anything. The next day, Li Shu returned with Gu Lin to retrieve his belongings. At the same time, he announced to everyone that he and Lin Xuan had already broken up. Along with this news, he also exposed the things that Tan Chu had done. He did this to bring justice to the original owner. Even though he was leaving, he wanted to leave in a dignified manner, without any blemishes on his name. The dirty water that had been thrown on him was returned to those who had thrown it.

This was Li Shu’s stage. Gu Lin played the role of a dutiful bodyguard, he didn’t ask a single question about the past. He merely felt pain in his heart and silently vowed to treat Li Shu well from then on.

The original owner didn’t have many possessions, and since Li Shu hadn’t been in this world for long, he didn’t take much with him either. He only took a small part of them, and he didn’t take anything related to Lin Xuan.

After they left, Lin Xuan sat for a long time, holding the things Li Shu had left behind. He knew what kind of person Li Shu was. Judging by the things Li Shu had left behind, he knew that their past had been completely discarded and Li Shu had made up his mind to give up their relationship.

He couldn’t blame Li Shu for anything because it was his fault to begin with. But this time, Li Shu chose not to forgive him.

Gu Lin’s team was composed entirely of evolvers, so when Li Shu, an ordinary person, was brought back, it naturally attracted some curious looks. However, whatever Gu Lin had said to them privately must have worked, because everyone treated Li Shu with utmost respect.

With a clear goal in mind, Gu Lin’s team moved much faster than Lin Xuan’s team. Along the way, Li Shu dutifully played the role of a beautiful vase. With Gu Lin by his side, no infected could get within five meters of him. Even when collecting supplies, Gu Lin always took Li Shu with him, not because he wanted Li Shu to do anything, but because he believed Li Shu was safest when he was by his side.

Compared to his time with Lin Xuan’s team, Li Shu felt much more at ease around Gu Lin.

“Look, boss, in front of us!”

The vehicle suddenly came to a stop, and everyone’s eyes widened in shock. Not far in front of them was an enormous tree, towering into the sky. Its trunk was so large that dozens of people couldn’t encircle it with their arms. It stood in the middle of the road, completely blocking their path.

“Let’s go take a look.”

Gu Lin was the first to get out of the car, and Li Shu followed. As soon as he saw the tree, he knew this was another plot point. The male protagonist would obtain a great opportunity here, but along with the opportunity came a huge crisis.