Chapter 40: Can I Trust You?

In the darkness, the two remained silent for a moment. Sensing that his previous tone had been a bit too harsh, Qin Chong softened his voice and said, "Xiaoying, I didn't mean we shouldn't go to Hang Lung Plaza. It's just that we need to return to the shopping mall first to restock our crossbow bolts and steel balls, gather our supplies, and make thorough preparations before heading out. Otherwise, if we encounter risks similar to those at the aquarium again, we will surely die."

"Mm, Brother Qin, I understand!"

Xiao Yingyong raised her head, clear tear tracks visible on her face. Seeing this, Qin Chong felt a pang of sympathy. He reached out to wipe away her tears and gave a wry smile. "What? Crying just because I said a few words? You really are still just a child."

"Not at all!"

Xiao Yingyong pouted, her face flushing slightly. "I just... I just missed my mom..."

Patting Xiao Yingyong on the head, Qin Chong struggled to his feet and steered the conversation away. "Let's see what food we have left. We need to eat something. It should be dawn outside. Once I find the items at the monkey enclosure, we'll head back to the mall, rest for a few days, and then set off for Hang Lung Plaza."

"Okay!"

With a nod, Xiao Yingyong turned around and pulled several packs of vacuum-sealed cooked beef from her backpack. They tore open the packaging and feasted, replenishing their exhausted bodies.

"Oh, right, Brother Qin, when you were passed out, it seemed like a ringtone came from your chest. Was that a cell phone?"

At that moment, remembering something, Xiao Yingyong turned to Qin Chong with a curious look.

"Ah!"

Hearing her words, Qin Chong finally recalled how his phone, hidden inside his chest pocket, had suddenly started ringing while they were in the water last night, almost sending them straight into the jaws of an alligator. He couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

After cheating death last night, the moment he entered the room and confirmed they were safe, he had passed out almost instantly, completely forgetting to return the call.

It seemed Sun Xiaoyan really had something urgent to discuss with him; otherwise, she wouldn't have called repeatedly. Thinking of this, Qin Chong hesitated, glanced at Xiao Yingyong, and asked in a serious tone, "Xiaoying, can I trust you?"

"???"

Qin Chong's solemn tone caught Xiao Yingyong off guard. After a moment, her expression grew much more serious, and she nodded, saying, "Yes!"

"Good!"

Qin Chong smiled with relief and pulled a smartphone from his chest pocket—it was his own phone. The screen was completely dark at the moment, as if it were powered off.

Xiao Yingyong leaned in to take a look, perplexed. "Brother Qin, is this the thing that made the noise earlier? Isn't it turned off?"

"No, what you're seeing is just an illusion!"

Qin Chong shook his head and pressed the power button. The screen instantly lit up, revealing the interface. The wallpaper was a photo of a family of three: an elderly man and woman stood in the foreground, with Qin Chong standing behind them, wearing a bright, beaming smile.

A subtle ache pierced Qin Chong's heart at the sight of the photo. These were his parents. On the day of the disaster, he had tried calling home. Although the call went through, no one answered, until eventually the telecommunications network failed entirely, making it impossible to get through.

It was also at that moment that Qin Chong vaguely suspected his parents were already dead, or perhaps transformed into those man-eating monsters.

Yet, what could one do in the apocalypse? Qin Chong could only bury that agonizing pain deep within his heart.

...

"Brother Qin, how does this phone still have power? I haven't seen you charge it once these past few days!"

Xiao Yingyong's question pulled Qin Chong out of his wandering thoughts. Collecting himself, he smiled and said, "Xiaoying, you and I have been through life and death together. I'll tell you my biggest secret: this phone isn't just an ordinary device. During thunderstorms, it can connect to the real world, and whenever it links up across space, it automatically charges itself..."

"Ever since this phone connected to the real world, even though I've never plugged it in, it has always held a charge, functioning almost like an infinite battery..."

"Ah!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yingyong's eyes widened in astonishment, disbelief written all over her face.

Qin Chong smiled slightly. "Weren't you curious about how I managed to get all those supplies? Actually, I didn't procure them myself; someone on the other side of the real-world connection sent them to me through the phone."

"Huh!"

Qin Chong's succession of startling revelations completely stunned Xiao Yingyong, leaving her struggling to believe her own ears. After all, it sounded completely absurd, like something straight out of a bizarre fantasy.

Seeing the shock on her face, Qin Chong offered a faint smile. Let alone her, even Qin Chong himself still found it hard to believe whenever he thought about it, feeling as though the entire ordeal were nothing more than a dream.

Yet Sun Xiaoyan was real, the crossing of spacetime was real, the phone's ability to transmit items was real, and the infinite battery life of the device was tangible and undeniable.

Perhaps none of this could be explained by science. After all, ever since the apocalyptic disaster began, everything here had taken on a sci-fi surrealism, rendering many things beyond ordinary comprehension.

"Ring, ring, ring!"

Just as Qin Chong was wondering how else to explain, the phone rang again, the screen flashing with the words: "Unknown Caller."

Seeing the phone screen light up and hearing the ringtone, Xiao Yingyong's eyes widened slightly as she pointed at the device. "It can actually connect to a call?"

Without wasting words, Qin Chong tapped the speakerphone button and said, "Xiaoyan, is that you?"

In the real world, hearing that rough voice come through the phone, Sun Xiaoyan let out a long sigh of relief, her tension easing somewhat. Thank goodness, the call had finally gone through!

Earlier, she had tried calling five or six times without a single connection, which had filled her with deep anxiety. She had been terrified that Qin Chong might have run into trouble, or worse...

Though that dangerous thought had surfaced in her mind more than once, she had hurriedly forced it away.

Now that she was finally connected to Qin Chong and hearing his voice once again, the heart that had been hanging in her throat finally settled back into place.

Sun Xiaoyan: "It's me, Qin Chong. Why did it take you so long to answer? Did something happen earlier?"

Hearing the concern in Sun Xiaoyan's voice, Qin Chong gave a wry smile. "It's more than just something happening; I almost died several times..."

"Ah!"

Sun Xiaoyan covered her mouth, worry etched across her face as she pressed, "What did you encounter?"

"It's a long story!"

Sighing, Qin Chong had little desire to relive the events of last night and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere. "Xiaoyan, you called me in such a rush—is something the matter?"

"Yes!"

Sensing that he didn't wish to dwell on his ordeal from the previous night, Sun Xiaoyan didn't press further. "I've already arrived in Shanghai and gone to the wildlife park. I left my ring tucked under a rock on the left side of the monkey enclosure's entrance. You can go check and see if you can find it."

"Oh, you left your ring there? Alright, I'm actually at the wildlife park right now too. I'll go look for it today!"

Qin Chong raised an eyebrow. Just as he had anticipated, Sun Xiaoyan was truly a woman of action, taking the first step so quickly. He simply hadn't expected her to be willing to use her own ring as a token of trust.