Silently pus.h.i.+ng his bedroom door open, with the dim glow of the wall lights, Qin Luo spotted the living room's French window partially open. He took note of the set of wet footprints leading all the way to the kitchen. Raising his brows cynically, to encounter a petty thief in such a remote area was unexpected. He wasn't sure if this thief was lucky or unlucky. They had come sniffing on the day where he had just transferred some food from his s.p.a.ce to the kitchen, it's just a pity that it's locked up in the pantry.

Qin Luo conveniently picked up a bra.s.s candelabrum from the table and gave it a few test swings. The weight is just right. He crept closer to the kitchen, but it was too dark inside and he could not clearly discern the situation from his position in the living room.

His hand crept along the wall with the intention to turn on the lights before a voice interrupted him, "I – I will leave soon."

Qin Luo was stunned, his actions were carried out stealthily, yet they were caught by the other party. This person's sense of alertness was extraordinary. It can be noted that he should not be underestimated. This is not a random vagrant or petty thief.

Qin Luo's actions did not stop, his hand flicked the light switch, "It seems that you did not consider the possibility that others would not agree to your short stay."

He had accurately pinpointed the hiding spot of the opposite party from the origin of their voice.

The entire kitchen brightened and a person could be seen curled up next to the refrigerator. From Qin Luo's position, only a pair of sneakers and a pair of jean covered legs were visible.

Just as Qin Luo was about to move closer, the man unexpectedly said, "Don't come over, I – I don't want to hurt you…"

Qin Luo chuckled softly, he had struggled through ten years of the apocalypse. Even though his current physical condition could not compare to that of the one during the apocalypse, it did not mean his condition now was worse than before. His body was not one to be easily injured just on anyone's whim. Besides, the other party's voice carried a sense of frailty and it did not seem to give an impression of one who could make a devastating attack.

Moving a few steps forwards, the entirety of the man's curled up form fell into Qin Luo's sight. He wore an ill fitted red hooded quilt sweater; both his hands were tightly gripping the hood, desperately trying to cover his head and face. The fingers that were exposed were long and pale and it can be noted from just a glance that he had not been in contact with the sun or exposed to any physical labour.

Qin Luo tightened his grip on the bra.s.s candelabrum, staring closely at this very suspicious person, he asks, "Who are you? Why did you break into my house?"

The man's fingers tightened on his hood and he seemed to want to answer Qin Luo but eventually he gave up. He hands slowly slid down to hold onto the refrigerator, "Sor – sorry, I have troubled you, I – I will leave now."

After saying this, he struggled and stood up with the help of the refrigerator. With his wet hair covering half his face, Qin Luo could only see his pale skinny jaw.

Qin Luo watched this mysterious man with his brows furrowed. Although he was tall, he looked very fragile. If he were to chase him out now, he would definitely fall ill, maybe he had already fallen ill. He sighed. He was not sure if it was an effect from being rebirth but a hint of compa.s.sion welled up in his steel heart which he had originally forged during the time of disaster.

“I will let you hide from the rain, but you have to leave once the rain stops.”

The man was dumbfounded. He did not expect Qin Luo to have a change of heart. He fumbled a little, his hands and legs moving awkwardly before he pulled himself back into the spot he had originally hid in.

He saw Qin Luo standing there, with not even the smallest intention of leaving. He slowly said, "Rest a.s.sured, I will not steal anything…"

Qin Luo rolled his eyes, "You're wet, you'll get sick if you continue sitting there in that state. Stand up. I will get you a change of clothes."

He could hardly believe what he heard and looked up at Qin Luo in bewilderment. Since his head tilted back as he did so, his black hair scattered to the sides, exposing his face.

Qin Luo couldn't help but to exclaim aloud when he saw his face. He was much thinner than when he last saw him during the days of the apocalypse and he was less cold and domineering but Qin Luo was not mistaken, the youth in front of him was the leader of the Alliance of Saivours who went by the name Ink. A person known to be able to summon wind and rain* during the apocalypse, one who was omnipotent.

*T/N: It's a Chinese idiom to describe someone who was very powerful/strong, almost like a G.o.d.

Ink was shocked by Qin Luo's exclamation, he quickly bowed his head and shrank inwards. Nevertheless, Qin Luo's sharp eyesight caught a glimpse of a white collar on his neck.

The outline of this collar… Qin Luo was all too familiar with it. At the time, every experimental body from The Inst.i.tute wore this collar. If he was not mistaken, the lighter the colour of the collar, the higher the importance of the experiment. Furthermore, this collar also has another function: tracking and self-destructing.

Although their paths did not cross much during the apocalypse, Qin Luo had received a lot of support from the Alliance of Saviours. Without their help, even if he had spent extra time and effort searching for Qin Ke, it would have been impossible for him to rescue him. Therefore, no matter if it was to return his grat.i.tude or to deal a fatal blow to The Inst.i.tute, Qin Luo must definitely save this person.

Reaching this conclusion, Qin Luo reached his hand out towards Ink who was s.h.i.+rking away, surprising Ink when he tugged on the collar of his top. Ink was about to struggle but Qin Luo smacked him lightly on the head, "Stupid, I'm trying to help you. If the collar isn't removed soon, you'll be found and dragged back."

Ink promptly stopped his struggling, how did he know about the function of the collar on his neck? Right at this moment, Qin Luo's hand brushed Ink's collar and Ink clearly felt the skin tight collar disappear. Not taken off but disappeared.

He stretched out his slender fingers and carefully felt around his neck in disbelieve. Unquestionably, the collar that had given him endless suffering, that ‘irremovable collar', yet it had disappeared.

“You - How did you do that?" Ink asked, starring stupidly at Qin Luo.

Qin Luo did not answer him, instead he pulled him up from the ground. Although Ink's current appearance is very frail, he was still half a head taller than Qin Luo. Just based on his bones alone, one would know that he was not light. Taking that into account along with Qin Luo's current physical strength, dragging him proofed to be a difficult feat.

"First, you should take a bath, I will go find you a set of clothes and erase all the traces of your break in."

“I – I can't – can't stay here…” Ink said in a soft voice.

Qin Luo hurried and smiled. “Don't worry. Nothing will happen to me.”

This novel is translated by – The Sounds of Soothing Rain – Please kindly read it on our site.

Qin Luo brought Ink to the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water before leaving him; letting Ink head into the bath. He then ran over to flip through his brother-in-law's clothes. He remembered that Walter's height and Ink's current height was roughly the same, it was just that Walter's build was slightly broader. The sleeves would probably be loose when Ink wore them.

Ink's body sunk entirely into the warm water. He was still lost in his thoughts, it felt surreal. Initially, he was just drawn to the lights and could not help but to be attracted; seeking for warmth. Though he now realized that the light could not have possibly provided him warmth, but he still could not help but to be enticed, wis.h.i.+ng to be just slightly closer to the light. He knows that this is very dangerous, those people will be on his tail soon. He has to escape further. However, he is already exhausted. He wished to rest in the warm light for just a little while… just a little while…

Ink tried to soften his movements but it still alerted the people in the house. He had sensed the other person from his heartbeat when they had woken up in bed. Nevertheless, he did not feel like escaping and went into the kitchen to hide. He knows that once he was discovered, he would definitely suffer a beating and finally, he would be driven out. After all, he was thrown out this way at the last two places he hid. However, not only did this person not hit him, he also helped remove that 'horrible collar'.

It still felt unbelievable, Ink stretched out his hand, feeling his un.o.bstructed neck. Nothing could be felt around his smooth neck. The things that had been attached to him ever since he could remember have completely vanished.

Rummaging through the boxes, Qin Luo had unexpectedly found two packs of Walter's new underwear. He took out a pair and grabbed a t-s.h.i.+rt along with a pair of casual pants for Ink. Upon reaching the door, he realized that it was currently night. Turning around, he replaced the t-s.h.i.+rt and slacks for a set of home wear.

Although Ink had sunk himself into the bathtub, he was always paying attention to Qin Luo's movements. He hastily emerged from the water when Qin Luo was entering the bathroom. Currently, he is doing his best to act like a human… not a monster who could forgo breathing. Not to mention, he couldn't let this human who was helping him HATE and FEAR him.

Qin Luo placed the clothes on the bathroom shelf, "Hurry and wash-up, then come and have something to eat. I will be cleaning up the evidence you left behind."

Without giving an opportunity for Ink to reply, Qin Luo headed out of the bathroom and into the living room. He then turned on the television, flipping through the channels before randomly settling on a sports channel. He started cleaning the traces of the break in that Ink had left behind. The signal of the collar had disappeared around here and The Inst.i.tute's underlings should be coming here soon. He is very clear of the importance The Inst.i.tute places on advance research subjects and was extremely mindful while dealing with the evidence Ink had left behind in his wake.

The last ten years of living has taught Qin Luo a myriad of things, especially things with regards to The Inst.i.tute. Currently they will have the tracking and reconnaissance equipment hooked up and searching along with various other ways to find the thread and tracks of their escapees. Qin Luo does not know the exact process but it will not be far from what he had learned Before*. Since Qin Luo had previous knowledge of these things, naturally he is confident that he will be able to hide Ink from those crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.

*T/N: Capital B is used here to indicate that it was during the time of his past life.

Ink finished cleaning up and changes into the clean clothes provided, he was then brought to the master bedroom by Qin Luo, who had brought him food and drinks to fill his empty stomach. He also helped him blow dry his hair.

Ink was stunned by the kindness shown towards him by Qin Luo. He was secretly stealing glances at him while eating. Qin Luo was amused, he looked like a large puppy that was afraid of being abandoned by his owner. Especially with his dark big round eyes; they seem to contain some kind of indescribable magic.

Qin Luo put down the hairdryer once Ink's hair was completely dried. Ink, likewise, put down the food in his hand, "I – I think it is still better if I left…"

Qin Luo secretly rolled his eyes at him, this child… if you really wanted to leave then why did you bother changing your clothes and obediently let me blow dry your hair? On a rainy day like this, you will be drenched in five seconds after heading out.

Ink felt awkward, it was as if Qin Luo could see through his mind. He lowered his head and clutched his clothes with his pale fingers. He hates himself, he knew that he might bring danger to this person but still craved this rare warmth. Since this person had managed to remove his collar, he had hope that this person would allow him to escape the grasp of those crazy humans. No one was clearer about their cruelty than he was. He stood up fiercely and walked in the direction of the exit.

Qin Luo was shocked by his sudden actions and hastily grabbed Ink's arm, "Are you crazy?! They may have already surrounded the neighbourhood. They are now doing a ground search, heading out right now would only be suicide!"

Ink bit his lip and muttered, “At least you would not be implicated.”

Qin Luo pulled him back to the bed. “Be obedient and sleep. No matter what happens, you are not allowed to leave the bed. In fact, you are not allowed to leave this room.”

After saying this, Qin Luo closed the door of the room. He moved Ink's leftover food to the living room table, sat himself down on the sofa and watched the program that was currently running. The sofa has yet to warm up and the doorbell rang. The corner of his mouth lifted into a mocking smile, Qin Luo knows that the people from The Inst.i.tute are standing outside his door. The enemies of his past ten years, he did not expect to encounter them in this situation and in advance.

Translator: DC Proofreader: Naito

T/C: Oh my poor baby Ink. I just want to give you lots of cuddles and pats and tell you everything will be alright.