Chapter 113: If We Cannot Be Together, Then Cherish It for a Lifetime

Chapter 113: If We Cannot Stay Together, Then Let It Be Remembered for a Lifetime

“Wake up… wake up…” A young voice whispered near his ear. Summer Zhen felt his body being shaken violently, but his eyelids were unbearably heavy. A chill ran through his heart as realization dawned—he had been drugged. Instantly, with conscious effort, he sent out a strand of his spiritual awareness to scan his body and quickly detected the presence of a sleeping pill in his bloodstream.

“Purify!” Perhaps others would have been powerless, but Summer Zhen was a telepath, and his mental strength possessed exceptional qualities. Swiftly, he evaporated the drug’s components, expelling them from his body.

Opening his eyes, Summer Zhen saw Karl’s anxious face and immediately sat up.

“Thank heavens, you’re finally awake! Hurry, take my sister and get out of here. My parents have called the police—they’ll be here soon to arrest you,” Karl urged nervously.

Summer Zhen had initially suspected that Ellie was the one who drugged him, but then he noticed she was sound asleep beside him. The person who brewed the coffee must have been someone else.

Without hesitation, he lifted Ellie onto his back and moved to the window, opening it to let in the sharp breeze.

With Ellie carried on his back, Summer Zhen placed one foot outside the window. Karl was startled and tried to stop him, but Summer Zhen handed him a card.

“Karl, this is my personal bank card. The money in it means nothing to me now. Keep it. You’re not a bad kid—don’t go down the wrong path. I’ll take care of your sister,” he said firmly.

Then, he placed his other foot outside the window and dropped down. Karl almost cried out but rushed to the window, feeling a gust of wild wind. He quickly stepped back and watched in awe as wings sprouted from Summer Zhen’s back, who then took flight with his sister.

“Wow… that’s so cool…” Karl exclaimed, amazed. His brother-in-law was truly incredible. Being taken down by him was no shame. He slipped the bank card under his shoe, deciding that with this money, he would rent a place outside. He had long grown tired of his home—his parents lived separate lives, and the family would soon fall apart.

Shortly after, police cars arrived. Several riot police, fully armed, accompanied Ellie’s parents to her bedroom. They kicked the door open, only to find a young boy lying on the bed reading a comic book—no sign of their target.

“What is going on?” the lead officer demanded angrily, glaring at Ellie’s parents.

Ellie’s father clutched a teddy bear nervously, stammering that he didn’t know.

Ellie’s mother’s face darkened as she grabbed Karl by the ear, demanding, “Where are your sister and that wild man?”

“They flew away…” Karl answered honestly.

“Lies, you little brat! How dare you lie to your mother?” she snapped, slapping him hard. Karl pushed her away in anger, growled, and fled the house—no need to make excuses now.

The police had no choice but to leave. Ellie’s parents were fined ten thousand yuan for providing false information. The couple wept bitterly, cursing Ellie’s and Benson’s entire families.

They had hoped to get a reward of tens of thousands for reporting their daughter and Summer Zhen but ended up worse off.

Earlier, when she brewed coffee for her daughter, Ellie’s mother had hinted that Ellie should extort one hundred thousand yuan from Summer Zhen to support the family. Ellie was disgusted and said Summer Zhen was unemployed and didn’t have that kind of money.

This upset the couple—they couldn’t accept a poor man courting their daughter—and so they plotted to report him.

Meanwhile, Summer Zhen, carrying Ellie, flew beyond Zone One. Using his mental power, he created a cloud cover to conceal their escape and slipped away unnoticed.

Once in the wilderness, Summer Zhen decided not to return to the city immediately but to hide in the nearby forest. After settling Ellie, he would consider how to advance the situation.

Survival in the wild was nothing new to him. His mental abilities greatly facilitated the process. Within a day, he built a small refuge deep in the forest.

It included a basement and ample supplies of food and fresh water. He had “borrowed” some medicine from the city—common cold remedies, anti-inflammatory drugs, and painkillers.

Ellie had grown accustomed to makeup; although parts of her body still bore the dark bluish hue typical of vampires, Summer Zhen had adjusted her canine teeth to make them less conspicuous. Unless someone looked very closely, others wouldn’t notice.

“Ellie, you’ll stay here for a while. Don’t return to the city for now. The refuge has enough supplies to sustain you for years. Don’t worry—I have some matters to attend to,” Summer Zhen said, uncertain how to face this vampire girl he had met by chance. She retained her humanity, which gave him a more comprehensive understanding of vampires.

Humans infected and transformed into vampires could still keep their humanity. Among the over 20 million people left in Eternal Night City over the past eleven years, there must be many like Ellie—vampires who retained their human nature.

These people should not be violently exterminated. They could coexist with humans, after all, they were once human kin.

“Brother, are you really leaving?” Ellie’s voice was heavy with sorrow. She had lost her parents and family, and now faced losing her only lover and benefactor. The grief was overwhelming.

Summer Zhen could not bear to hide the truth from her and nodded. Their fate was doomed—this was all like a dream that must eventually end.

“Who awakens first from a great dream? I alone know my own life.”

Unable to watch her drown in sadness, a surge of tenderness overwhelmed him. He lifted Ellie into his arms; she clasped his neck, her eyes full of adoration.

The fire in the fireplace radiated warmth as Summer Zhen and Ellie wrapped in thick animal pelts, indulged in passionate intimacy. Since they could not stay together forever, they would leave each other eternal memories. Holding on to love’s memory was far better than a blank void.

After a night of boundless passion, the next morning, Summer Zhen looked at the tear stains and satisfied smile on Ellie’s face, and the faint furrow of discomfort between his own brows. He bid farewell to the refuge he had built for her.

This world was incredibly real—truly a second reality. Here, Summer Zhen reviewed the history of Eternal Night City’s fall and connected with many people involved—some he respected, some saddened by, some he despised, and others he pitied and cherished. Just like real life, or perhaps more profound and unforgettable.

After several hours of travel, Summer Zhen returned to the police station in Zone Seven. Surely the intelligence and evidence he had submitted earlier had yielded results. What would the authorities do with him?

His arrival stirred much attention. But instead of Director Hansen, it was a dignified middle-aged man who came to meet him, accompanied by military personnel.

“Benson, I am Devon White, the new director. Your intelligence and evidence have been highly regarded by the higher-ups. You will now accompany these two officers from the military to the Eternal District Council to give a detailed report to the Eternal Night City Parliament,” the man said, introducing Summer Zhen to two female military officers standing tall and straight like pines.

Summer Zhen nodded without hesitation and followed the two to a special military vehicle outside the police station bound for the Eternal District.