Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts-Chapter 612 - 175: A City’s Carnival, A Person’s Loneliness (End of Volume 4)_2
After a while, a faint snore echoed from the office. Perhaps Lin Haifeng was also very tired...
「...」
In a dim underground cell, two sets of footsteps slowly approached from the distance. Following them was an obsequious voice.
"Mister Tang Haofei, your visit to our Black Abyss Prison is truly an honor for us..."
Zhang Shaojie’s successor, the new warden of Black Abyss Prison, had a strong out-of-town accent. He was blatantly and excessively flattering Tang Haofei.
However, Tang Haofei had long grown tired of this bullshit flattery. He waved his hand dismissively and stood before a cell door, pointing inside.
"It’s here, right?"
"Absolutely, Mister Tang Haofei! Your memory is truly impressive! This is the cell where Xie Yan is being held!"
"Hmm, alright. Give me the keys. You can go handle your other business."
"Very good."
The warden, a groveling and sleazy smile on his face, handed over the cell keys. His demeanor was as subservient as a eunuch serving the emperor as he respectfully retreated into the darkness.
Only after the warden had vanished did Tang Haofei insert the key into the lock.
"CLICK."
A crisp click from the lock sounded. He pulled open the alloy iron door, and a foul stench immediately wafted out.
Aside from its extremely high security, Black Abyss Prison certainly didn’t offer much else.
「...」
Inhaling the stench from the cell, Tang Haofei frowned slightly.
It wasn’t that Tang Haofei couldn’t bear the foul smell; rather, he felt that Xie Yan shouldn’t be subjected to such treatment. He should be savoring champagne, fine wines, luxury cars, and beautiful women, sitting in a spacious and bright mansion, enjoying the treatment of a hero, not keeping company with sewage and feces.
「...」
Braving the overwhelming stench, Tang Haofei slowly entered the cell.
From the darkness, a voice spoke.
"You came."
Though the voice was slightly weak, it was remarkably calm, devoid of any sorrow for his impending death.
Yet, it was this very calmness that intensified Tang Haofei’s sense of confusion and pain.
His lips quivered slightly. After a moment, Tang Haofei uttered, his voice trembling, "Thank you."
...
A simple "thank you" could never repay everything Xie Yan had sacrificed.
Tang Haofei knew this, and Xie Yan knew it too.
After a pause, Xie Yan spoke.
"How’s the plan? Was it successful?"
"It succeeded. Very smoothly."
"That’s good."
"I’m sorry."
...
Another "I’m sorry"... "Thank you." "I’m sorry." What good were these words? Perhaps these were just words Tang Haofei used to console himself.
"TSK."
Xie Yan scoffed in the darkness.
"Old Tang, when did you become so sentimental? Did you bring booze? Let me tell you, you need to report this to Lin Haifeng. The food in this damn Black Abyss Prison—not even a pig would eat it!"
"Brought it, brought it! All good stuff!"
Listening to the hearty laughter, Tang Haofei took a deep breath and pulled a large amount of food and drink from his space ring. Ignoring the prison’s filthy environment, he casually sat down in front of Xie Yan.
Fine wine and delicacies, set against the pitch-dark surroundings—the scene was strikingly incongruous.
But neither Tang Haofei nor Xie Yan were fussy men. Especially under the current circumstances, the environment was of little importance.
The two sat facing each other, sharing the fine wine. Tang Haofei was quite the chatterbox, but Xie Yan was no less talkative.
Especially in this situation, Xie Yan did most of the talking.
He spoke of amusing incidents from his time as a soldier before the apocalypse.
He spoke of how highly Lin Haifeng had valued and regarded him before the apocalypse.
He recounted how, under Lin Haifeng’s orders, he had established the Hunters League in the outer city zone of Yanjing Assembly Site after the apocalypse.
He described scenes of carrying out missions with his military colleagues.
He mentioned the several times Tang Haofei had saved his life.
Finally, he said, "My life was given to me by you and Lin Haifeng. I’m the one who should be thanking you. I also need to apologize to the Commander; Xie Yan can no longer serve him."
Tang Haofei fought back the stinging in his nose, his lips quivering. After a moment, he fiercely chugged down a one-jin bottle of baijiu.
"In three days, you will all be executed. You..."
"I know. My last line, right?"
Xie Yan smiled nonchalantly, then said to Tang Haofei in a secretive tone, "I’ll tell you a secret."
"My wife, when she was alive, was part of the military’s cultural troupe. When it comes to acting, I learned a thing or two from being around her."
After saying this, Xie Yan laughed heartily and clapped Tang Haofei on the shoulder.
Tang Haofei felt his eyes grow moist.
After a moment, Tang Haofei spoke softly.
"You won’t die in vain. I won’t let you die in vain."
"One day, after all this is over, I will announce to the whole world that you, Xie Yan, are not a remnant of the Demon Worship Sect, but a hero of humanity!"
Xie Yan fell silent, then his voice trembled...
"My death... it’s worth it, right?"
"It’s worth it!"
"It’s meaningful, right?"
"It’s meaningful!"
"I want to ask you one last thing."
"I’ll definitely do it!"
"After I die, bury me next to the graves of my wife and child, along with my military uniform and badge."
"I hope God is watching! In my next life, I’ll still be a soldier!"
"In your next life, if you’re a soldier, come be my Pro-Soldier!"
