Arc 4 Prologue

In distant future

A tall, haggard-looking, but still good looking boy was sitting on a single bed inside a small room, reading something from a blue book. Chen Yibo had this book since he moved to Malaysia, given by Chen YiWen just because his little brother, with an uneasy expression, asked what he should do when faced with unexpected situations. For a thirteen-year-old boy, it was natural for him to be afraid of living in a house without his family members and also in a foreign country.

Chen YiWen was patient with his little brother and even personally wrote a book to teach what Chen Yibo could do when facing a similar situation. But the blue book does not write what he should do when the people suddenly started to bite each other.

Even so, Chen Yibo could still improvise and move little steps forward. There was a page written about what he should do when his friend needed his help, and he had followed it. But Wong Xue Guo still died, because she, who was usually indifferent with other people's matters, suddenly reached out her hand to her friends.

After watching her demise, Chen Yibo suddenly discovered that her detached attitude was not unappealing at all if it would keep her alive.

His hand stopped at the page where it advised what he should do when a friend died.

"You can mourn for your friend and remember your fond memories with them in your heart. But do not let the loss of your friend take over your emotions where you could not cope with your daily activity."

He understood the meaning behind it, but it was difficult to implement it. It had been more than a little over the two years since the terrible day in the shopping mall, but his depression was not getting any better.

When there were people around him, he did his best to act like how he usually was, smiling and doing his best to help everyone. But when he was alone in his room, he would be assaulted by his guilt, despair, and regret. His nightmares were always about his classmates dying around him again and again. It does not help when the new friends he made also died gradually, increasing his anguish even more.

Perhaps, what hurt him the most was Mr and Mrs Wong never blamed him for Wong Xue Guo's death. Mrs Wong had even told him that fate could not be defied, and told him to live for those that love him. She also told him to spend more time with his elder brother and he manage to get her meaning across with just that sentence.

His brother's name was also listed. When that day arrives, he would be gone just like Xue Guo does too.

Maybe, if Mrs Wong's eyes were not full of pain when she said those forgiving words, he would have forgiven himself even a tiny bit. If she had scolded him, blamed him, would the pain be easier?

The harsh ringing of the laboratory alarm echoed like a fierce thunder, cracking apart Chen Yibo's reminiscent. Grabbing his gun, he rushed out of his room and saw everyone running around with fear written on their faces.

"The lab is under attack! Leave unnecessary things and make way to the underground level!" Someone repeatedly announced in the corridor as everyone started evacuating.

Chen Yibo went against the crowd and hurried to where his father and brother would be. Along the way, he found out that there were helicopters flying around their base, shooting everything inside the building. Not only that, some researchers chose to betray them and clearly worked for those people that were currently attacking them from outside.

"Father!" Chen Yibo shouted when he finally saw the familiar back of his father, who was busy typing something instead of evacuating. There were no other people inside the room, including his elder brother.

"Yibo," Mr Chen glanced back for a moment before resuming typing away with urgency.

"Father, we need to evacuate now! It's dangerous to remain above ground!" Chen Yibo anxiously tried to get his father to go. His pupil shook fiercely when he finally saw his father's front when he got closer to him. "You are injured!"

Mr Chen finally finished what he needed to do and passed a hard drive to his younger son. "Take this with you to your elder brother."

His father's words told Chen Yibo that he was not planning to leave with him. His father even stopped him when he tried to get him to follow him out.

"I won't last long. The medicine we have won't be able to save me." Mr Chen sighed and sat down on a chair. "Yibo, your elder brother should have evacuated to the underground floors. Go."

"No! If you want me to leave, we will leave together!" The ever obedient Chen Yibo, for the first time, refused to obey his father's words.

When Chen Yibo was going to search for something to stop the bleeding, Mr Chen stopped him. "You must listen to your elder brother. Charles and his wife won't harm you, so follow them."

"Stop... father... Not you. Please, not you." Gripping his father's hand, Chen Yibo sobbed, understanding his father was leaving his last words for him. He had tried to prepare for his elder brother's death day, but never once did he ever think his father would leave him first.

He pushed his father's shirt up and saw he was hit more than once. The bullets had hit his vital points and were bleeding non-stop. It was Mr Chen's great endurance that he had not already passed out from blood loss or pain and was able to converse normally, except for the deadly pale face.

"I have never said it, thinking it will be a good way to toughen you up. I'm proud of you, son, so don't let the dead burden you. Instead, live for them and see the end of the gene mutation outbreak."

By now, Chen Yibo was crying so hard that he was unable to utter words clearly. He wanted to say 'don't leave me' but his words could not leave his mouth and his father must have understood what he wanted to say.

Mr Chen smiled, and it was the gentlest expression Chen Yibo had ever seen in his entire life. "I'm relieved to die as a human."

Unfortunately, no matter how much Chen Yibo wished, his father still left him.