Love Code at the End of the World

‘Sunflower’ is such an easy plant to grow. They are pretty basic and they would grow wherever you would throw their seeds. Give them some water and they would give you a beautiful flower in return. When it matures, it would give you a big bunch of seeds too. The reward that it would give you would be far beyond your effort. The worst that could happen is that the sunflower seeds would turn out to be smaller in size, due to the lack of nutrients.

Therefore, the reason it couldn’t grow was most likely because of the soil.

Soil!

I immediately looked at the surrounding crimson soil, and recalled the pungent acidic smell in my mouth from earlier. Can it be… the soil here is severely contaminated?

I ate a mouthful of dirt earlier!

Damn…

I wanted to throw up at the thought of it.

“It’s a pity… sunflower seeds are tasty…” I sighed and tried hard not to recall my mouthful of dirt.

“You’ve eaten it before!?” He Lei and Ah Xing shouted together in shock.

Ah Xing looked at me in surprise, “What is this called? A sunflower seed!?”

I picked up the seed and answered, “Mm, this is a sunflower seed. The flower is called sunflower, and the seed can be eaten.”

He Lei looked astonished, “This can be eaten! Why didn’t granny tell me that?” He scratched his head and there was a regretful expression in his eyes above his scarf. It was as though he was now regretting giving us those seeds.

“That’s great!” Ah Xing looked at the seed in my hand and he appeared thrilled with excitement, “We’ve found another crop that could be eaten!”

“That’s right. Not only could the seed be eaten, but it could also be used for extracting sunflower seed oil. It can be used to fry vegetables, and is very tasty,” I continued to add. He Lei blinked and turned to swallow his saliva.

Suddenly, he turned to Ah Xing and said solemnly, “You have to plant this!”

“Mm!” Ah Xing also nodded.

The two young men’s eyes were sparkling under the moonlight. It was this little sunflower seed that made both of them let go of their deep-rooted prejudices.

I saw them giving each other a present, and looked down at myself. I didn’t bring anything with me. How about my bag? No way. Those things in my bag are meaningless. Suddenly, there was a reflection on my chest. My gaze fixed upon my Youth League badge! It seemed like it was the only decent option.

I immediately took off my Youth League badge and put it before He Lei, “This is my lucky badge, I’d like to…” I looked down as He Lei and Ah Xing looked at me and continued, “I met both of you today and I survived. It’s the luck brought upon me by this badge…” I looked up and Ah Xing and He Lei seemed to share the same feeling as both of them became quiet again.

I leaned forward and Ah Xing immediately held me by my arm. He helped me as I limped before He Lei. He Lei looked at me with a complicated expression. I put the badge on his chest and said, “I hope it will protect you. Thank you, He Lei! Thank you for saving my life!” The so-called lucky charm was only a meaning that one entrusted to it. The Youth League badge representing our Communist Youth League had a flag inscribed on the badge that burned like a flame on it. Just like the fire of a star that brought hope to people.

And… red was recognized as a lucky color in China. If… just in case… I meant just in case, I wasn’t able to return back to my world, I wish I could see He Lei here again.

He Lei looked at the Youth League badge that I put on his chest. It was extremely shiny under the moonlight, just like a star in the night sky. His expression became complicated and when he lifted his face to look at me again, his eyes revealing that he loathed to part ways. It was a feeling that men shared.

He then lifted his hand and rubbed my head, “Take care,” he said. After that, he didn’t say anything else. His hand lingered on my head for a very long time, until he creased his eyebrows as he pulled back his hand and turned to his tribe. That very moment, he also took away the warmth of his hand from my head.

I could feel his concern for me. It was like he didn’t want me to follow Ah Xing because he hated the people from Silver Moon City. However, he had no choice because just as he had explained, he couldn’t heal my wound. Hence, he could only hand me to a person who could help even though he hated him.

“Let us leave as well,” Ah Xing held my arm and I nodded. Then, he let go of my arm. Just as I was getting suspicious, he walked before me and squatted down, “Come up.”

It turned out that he just wanted to carry me piggy-back.

I lay on his back and he carried me. I turned to look at He Lei as he left us. The people who had come out from the warehouse were looking at him, just like me. He was destined to be a leader, catching everyone’s attention. That was his charm. His destiny was bound to be extraordinary.

*Hong Hong!* A long truck drove out from the warehouse. The prisoner cages that we had seen earlier were still attached to it. When the truck stopped, these people returned inside the prisoner cages. Then, He Lei leaped to the front of the truck and the driver moved aside for him.

He took a quick glance at us from afar, and then reined back his gaze and started operating the truck. Suddenly, there were steel plates that rose around the prisoner cages! They were completely enclosed, and even though it looked like the people inside were imprisoned, it was more like they were protected.

“It is an anti-radiation truck,” Ah Xing put me down when we reached the entrance of the spaceship. He seemed to see through my confusion.

I continued to watch in doubt. He got in the spaceship and looked down at me, “You… really don’t remember anything?”

I reined back my gaze and shook my head.

“Then, how do you know about the sunflower seeds?” He stared at my face as the purple light in his eyes flowed. I looked far away, “I don’t know. I just suddenly recalled…” Even though a mathematician lost his memory, he could still solve difficult mathematical equations; even though a scientist lost his memory, he could still perform experiments; and even though a special forces soldier lost his memory, he could still fight. The brain was a mysterious thing. I thought it didn’t need any explanation.

Ah Xing looked at me in silence for a while before he helped me get in the cabin.

The cabin in the spaceship was an oblate. At the most spacious space in the middle, there were two white chairs that looked like an ovum. Ah Xing helped me up and I took a seat. Right then, a blue light on the chair lit up and the safety belt fastened on its own. Ah Xing took the other seat, but he looked distressed and kept quiet. Ah Xing who was solemn, was now a different person from before. He gave people an unapproachable feeling.

The cabin door closed and it felt like the spaceship was taking off. I looked out of the window by the side, and saw He Lei’s truck leaving. The long trail of the truck looked like a centipede that was crawling slowly in the moonlight. As the spaceship took off, the truck became smaller and smaller. It eventually became a small centipede on the crimson land.

I suddenly realized as I was still looking outside the window that there was not even one single plant in sight! There was only the crimson land under the moonlight.

How is this possible!?

I soon found out that the chair could turn, and leaned on the window.. As I turned towards the window, I looked in shock at the scene outside. There was no city, no houses, no fields, no forest, nor were there any mountains and rivers. There was nothing. Nothing but the crimson land!