Bang! Bang!

Noticing Liam’s unease, Jack lowered his head and kissed his cheek, speaking softly.

“Considering how cooperative I’ve been, will you tell me? Trust me, no one else will ever know.”

He wasn’t trying to pressure Liam. He simply wanted to protect him better, and to do that, he needed to understand what Liam was afraid of.

Liam looked up at him.

“I’m afraid you won’t believe me…”

Jack chuckled softly.

“I believed your crazy dream story. What wouldn’t I believe?”

“Sometimes, the truth is even harder to believe than a dream.”

Liam sighed helplessly. After a moment, encouraged by Jack’s patient gaze, he finally spoke.

“Jack, I died once.”

His voice was calm, but Jack’s expression immediately changed.

Before Jack could say anything, Liam continued.

“…Like something out of those unbelievable novels. I died and was reborn. Everything that’s happening now… I’ve already lived through it once in my previous life.”

“…”

Jack looked at him with complete seriousness. This was certainly harder to believe than a dream, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed to explain everything.

Liam took a deep breath to steady himself and shifted into a more comfortable position in Jack’s arms. Starting with his mother’s death, he recounted everything that had happened, from the arrival of the apocalypse to his own tragic end.

Although he had supposedly survived for more than two years in the apocalypse, most of that time had actually been spent in captivity. There wasn’t much to tell beyond the endless days of being treated like a laboratory specimen.

“…”

This time, Liam didn’t cry.

After taking a few deep breaths, he finally finished and looked up at Jack. The corners of Jack’s eyes were red, but Liam smiled at him.

“You told me to come find you, so I did…”

Ever since reuniting with Jack, the painful memories of his previous life had gradually begun to fade. Now that he had been given another chance, there was no reason to let the suffering of his past continue to haunt him.

“…”

Jack held him in silence for a long time, his warm breath brushing against Liam’s neck.

“I should have come looking for you myself. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

He shouldn’t have let his pride get in the way. He had stubbornly refused to give in, ignoring the ache in his heart that had urged him to find Liam.

Fighting back his own tears, Liam intertwined their fingers.

“It’s not your fault, Jack. It was my choice. Look, after making a mess of things in my previous life, I’ve managed to fix them this time. Aren’t things much better now?”

At least he had learned his lesson. He wouldn’t become arrogant just because he had returned to the past with knowledge of the future.

“Mm.”

Jack’s voice was muffled. He refused to lift his head, holding Liam tightly against his chest while his broad hand repeatedly stroked the back of Liam’s neck.

“Jack, let’s work hard together and survive this apocalypse.”

Liam suspected that he might be crying, but knowing how much men valued their pride, he said nothing. He simply let Jack hold him and continued gently stroking his hair, soothing him like someone comforting a frightened cat.

“We’ll definitely be okay.”

Jack’s voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

“Yeah.”

After finally revealing the truth, Liam felt an enormous weight lift from his shoulders. Keeping the secret had made him hesitate over almost everything he wanted to do or say. He had constantly needed to come up with flimsy excuses to explain himself.

Now that they had laid their hearts bare, Liam became even more shameless. He no longer hesitated to act spoiled or demand Jack’s attention.

Naturally, their intimate moments became much more frequent.

What could Jack do about it?

Of course, he indulged him without a single complaint.

…

With Liam’s knowledge of the future and their advantage as Superpowered individuals in the early stages of the apocalypse, Jack led his team on a rapid supply gathering operation. They took the safest routes available and quickly stocked their teammates’ safe houses.

After all, the others hadn’t prepared nearly as well as they had. It was better to save their own reserves for emergencies rather than use them up unnecessarily.

At the same time, following Liam’s advice, they taught their teammates how to kill zombies.

Aim for the head.

It was the most effective method.

Their team reacted quickly. By the time other survivors began venturing outside, whether alone or in groups, Jack’s squad had already secured enough supplies to last them for a considerable time.

Of course, the largest organised efforts came from the authorities.

However, the toxic rainstorm had caused devastating losses among frontline workers. Many had been caught working or training in the rain, standing at the forefront when the chaos began. Some departments had suffered casualties so severe that they had practically ceased to exist.

By then, the remaining official personnel in Melbourne had been combined into a single rescue force. Firefighters, police officers and local military personnel who had survived were brought together, leaving the organisation with only about half its original manpower.

They were collectively known as the Rescue Police, and the city government building had become their central command centre.

As reports of Superpowered individuals began emerging from different regions, the command centre called on them to form teams and help gather and distribute supplies to civilians.

Until the military could arrive and establish proper control, everyone had to do whatever they could to survive.

After securing their own supplies and safety, Jack led his team in assisting the official operations. He also voluntarily reported that he had awakened a Superpower.

Since his squad had already worked in security, and their captain was now Superpowered, the entire team was issued firearms. They were assigned to carry out rescue missions alongside the Rescue Police.

Liam wanted to join them, but Jack insisted that he stay behind and focus on training his own Superpower.

Half a month later, on September 16, water and electricity outages began spreading across Melbourne’s districts.

Within just two days, the entire city had lost power, with the command centre being the only exception. Mobile networks also went down.

Only satellite phones and radios remained operational, and ordinary civilians had no access to them.

The weather was still unbearably hot. As the chaos continued, people died every day, and zombies roamed the streets in growing numbers. Mangled bodies and dark bloodstains littered the roads. Supplies were running low, and panic spread through the city alongside the stench of decay.

Liam had to draw the curtains before he dared to switch on a light and cook indoors.

Their neighbourhood was relatively quiet, and Jack had secretly cleared out the zombies nearby whenever he had the chance. Even so, the occasional growls echoing through the pitch black of night were enough to make Liam’s skin crawl.

The security guards and property management staff had either been eaten or turned into zombies. With nobody left to guard the area, wandering zombies were free to follow the scent of living humans into the neighbourhood.

Today, Jack’s squad was on duty. They had joined other rescue personnel in distributing supplies to residents in the newer districts and wouldn’t be home until very late.

Their work followed a one day on, one day off schedule, and they were paid in supplies. After all, money had become practically worthless in the apocalypse.

Fortunately, someone within the official organisation had awakened a spatial Superpower with a storage capacity spanning dozens of acres. This made transporting and distributing supplies considerably easier.

Although Jack and Liam weren’t short of necessities, Jack still brought home a portion of the supplies whenever too many people were watching. One could never be sure whom to trust. In an apocalypse, keeping a low profile was especially important when it came to personal wealth.

At 10:30 p.m., Liam switched on the battery powered fan, opened a bag of crisps and some spicy chicken feet, and began munching while messaging Jack.

The phone was a satellite phone Jack had given him. It looked like an old fashioned mobile phone, black, heavy and sturdy, with waterproof buttons. Under normal use, its battery could last six months, although it could only call certain numbers and send text messages.

After every mission, Jack would contact him to let him know how things were going.

Jack:

“Probably another hour before I get home. If you’re tired, go to sleep first.”

Still crunching on his crisps, Liam quickly typed his reply.

Liam:

“No, I’ll wait for you.”

Jack:

“Mm.”

Their conversations had been like this lately. The messages were always short and a little childish, perhaps, but neither of them ever grew tired of the routine.

Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, the reinforced steel door at the entrance shook violently under a series of pounding blows.

The noise rang through the silent night, startlingly loud.