RTIWTLITEOTW Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Then You Replace Him

Ever since Gu Huaishan’s death, the entire camp’s electricity operations had fallen into chaos and difficulty.

Even though Jiang Xianchuan had provided a large number of solar panels, the camp’s electricity supply still often faced the embarrassing situation of being severely insufficient.

Today, the sun was particularly bright. It was the day Bai Su led the team back from their expedition.

Qi Xiaoyao had been waiting at the camp gate since early morning, feeling anxious and uneasy. When Bai Su’s familiar figure finally appeared at the end of the horizon, he couldn’t wait to greet him.

Before Qi Xiaoyao could speak, Bai Su, in high spirits, shouted loudly, “Where’s Brother Huaishan? I have good news to tell you. This trip was very fruitful! I need to find him quickly to report!”

However, facing the beaming Bai Su, Qi Xiaoyao simply responded, “He’s dead.” These three words were like a bolt from the blue, striking heavily into the hearts of everyone present.

“What? Dead? Who… who died? Brother Huaishan? How is that possible!” Yi Yuzhi widened his eyes, staring incredulously in the direction where Gu Huaishan used to live, his voice trembling with extreme shock and grief.

Then, he suddenly turned his head, his gaze locked onto Qi Xiaoyao, as if trying to find a hint of a joke on the other’s face.

Seeing this, Qi Xiaoyao took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, and began to recount everything that had happened in recent times in a heavy but calm tone.

After listening, several people did not respond at all, especially Yi Yuzhi, whose face was pale and his lips were trembling slightly, looking like he did not believe it.

“This… this isn’t true, is it?” Yi Yuzhi stared wide-eyed, looking at Qi Xiaoyao in front of him with disbelief, his voice trembling. Qi Xiaoyao stood there quietly like a sculpture, without saying a word. That deathly silence was like a heavy hammer, hitting Yi Yuzhi’s heart hard, instantly turning his world upside down.

Large teardrops rolled down from Yi Yuzhi’s eyes, first one or two, and then surged out like a flood from a burst dam. Tears blurred his vision, but he seemed completely unaware, just standing there blankly, letting sorrow and despair engulf himself. Then, he seemed to have suddenly been drained of all his strength, his body trembling involuntarily, a low whimper coming from his throat.

However, before long, the whimper turned into a heart-wrenching wail, the sound echoing in the air, making people’s hearts break.

For Yi Yuzhi, Gu Huaishan was not just an ordinary stranger, but also the first ray of warm sunshine he encountered in this crisis-ridden and desperate apocalypse.

At that time, he had completely lost contact with the outside world, unable to know the safety of his parents, and the supplies he was carrying were about to run out. Just when he felt extremely helpless, Gu Huaishan appeared before him like a heavenly god, not only saving his life but also taking him back to the safe camp and giving him meticulous care and attention. As the days passed, Yi Yuzhi had long regarded Gu Huaishan as his closest brother.

“I must find him!” Yi Yuzhi suddenly wiped away the tears on his face, his eyes as firm as burning flames. Before he finished speaking, he turned and left without hesitation, his steps faltering but unusually determined.

“Hey, where are you going!” Bai Su, seeing this, hurriedly reached out to stop him, but Yi Yuzhi was now completely immersed in his own thoughts, turning a deaf ear to Bai Su’s shouts, and walked straight ahead.

Soon, Yi Yuzhi arrived at Li Lingyu’s daily training ground. He rushed forward aggressively, grabbed Li Lingyu’s collar tightly, his originally clear eyes now red with anger and grief. He stared at Li Lingyu and questioned him through gritted teeth, “Why did you kill him? Why!”

“He moved thoughts that he shouldn’t have.” Li Lingyu looked at the person in front of him coldly. Yi Yuzhi thought to himself: Yes, what qualifications do I have to question Li Lingyu? After all, it was Gu Huaishan who first had the intention to kill, and what Li Lingyu did was just to prevent accidents and eliminate future troubles.

Thinking of this, Yi Yuzhi slowly loosened his clenched fist, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away, and then turned and left aimlessly, like a soulless walking corpse.

Yi Yuzhi walked blankly, not even knowing where he was going. His steps were heavy and dragging, as if carrying a thousand pounds of weight. Finally, relying on instinct, he numbly returned to his own room.

As soon as he entered the room, he slumped into a chair like a deflated ball, his mind constantly replaying the bits and pieces of what had happened today. Those scenes were repeatedly shown in front of him like movie frames, making him feel exhausted. Recalling the various hardships and difficulties he had experienced since the arrival of the apocalypse, he felt that life had no meaning or hope.

So, he pulled out the sharp dagger that had been with him for many years from his arms with trembling hands, and without hesitation, he slashed a deep cut on his wrist. Blood gushed out instantly, staining the table red, but Yi Yuzhi seemed unaware, just lying quietly on the table, waiting for death to come.

However, fate did not seem to intend to let him go. When Yi Yuzhi opened his eyes again, he found himself in a strange environment, surrounded by concerned faces.

Bai Su was the first to notice that he had woken up, and a undisguised look of excitement appeared on his face. He shouted loudly, “Little Lin Pianyue, he’s awake! Come and take a look!” Before he finished speaking, a woman walked over quickly, Lin Pianyue.

She first carefully lifted Yi Yuzhi’s injured hand and examined it carefully, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, “It’s not a big deal anymore. The wound can heal itself, just be careful not to let it get wet recently.”

“I…” Yi Yuzhi opened his mouth, just about to say something, but was suddenly interrupted by Jiang Xianchuan standing next to him.

Jiang Xianchuan looked solemn and said urgently, “I know what you want to say, but don’t say it yet, listen to me! I know you feel extremely sad and upset about Gu Huaishan’s death, I can completely understand this feeling. Although I may not be qualified to say this, after all, he died because of me. But, you have to know that Gu Huaishan has always been very good to you. When you were captured and trapped, he racked his brains and tried every means to come and rescue you! So, can’t you live well with Gu Huaishan’s expectations? Of course, you can resent me, even resent Li Lingyu. But if you really choose to give up your life because of his death, don’t you think that everything he has done for you in the past will be in vain and wasted?”

After Jiang Xianchuan finished saying these words in one breath, he stared at Yi Yuzhi with a burning gaze, as if trying to see through his eyes and see the most real thoughts in his heart. After listening to these words, Yi Yuzhi seemed to have suddenly lost his mind, and the whole person was stunned in place, speechless for a long time.

To be honest, before this, he had never had even a trace of the idea of ​​living on in place of Gu Huaishan. Now that Jiang Xianchuan mentioned it, he couldn’t help but start thinking about this question.

At this moment, Bai Su, who had been silent, finally spoke. She explained softly, “Oh, it’s like this, Li Lingyu told me that your expression looked particularly wrong when you left. I was really worried, so I hurried to your house to find you.”

Hearing this, Yi Yuzhi slowly raised his head to look at Bai Su, his lips moved slightly, and he uttered two words: “Thank you…”