Flower Departure

Cheng Jun stood dumbly in front of the small villa.

Everything had returned to the starting point.

But things were no longer as they used to be.

After merging with the fungal strain, Cheng Jun wasn't sure if she could still be considered human. She no longer felt hunger or fatigue, and even tears wouldn't come.

Her broken body could still be repaired, but who could heal a heart riddled with wounds?

After the fungal sovereign awakened, earthquakes had rocked the area for days, leaving the villa covered in dust and with cracked walls.

Cheng Jun frowned. This place, filled with memories of both of them, couldn't just be buried in ruins.

Her thoughts moved her actions. Vines burst from the ground, wrapping and enveloping the entire villa, protecting it firmly.

Moss and vines instantly spread across the walls, sprouting leaves and blooming flowers, making the surroundings look dreamy and beautiful.

As she strolled inside, every corner was filled with traces of their shared life.

Clothes hung to dry at the door, a cozy arrangement in the living room, and an orderly kitchen...

Although only a day had passed, Cheng Jun felt as if it were a lifetime ago.

She sat down in the living room, where the unfinished game of chess still lay on the table.

Cheng Jun's eyes filled with nostalgia as she picked up a piece and placed it.

"I win."

"See, I don't need you to let me..."

Thinking this, the corners of her thin lips curled into a warm smile.

He often did this, knowing he had already won, but feeling it wasn't quite enough.

So, he would let her taste the joy of victory too.

But now, the person who had endured, indulged, and cared for her was no longer there.

She sat there until dawn, then stood up and walked out.

Without him, this place of sorrow had no reason for her to return.

Turning back for one last glance, Cheng Jun waved her hand and left. The vines surged and grew, isolating and sealing the villa, preserving it as a memory.

From then on, a wandering soul roamed the city.

More than half a year later, the eukaryotic fungal sovereign fully awakened, engulfing most of Huaijing City and constantly seeking to merge with Cheng Jun to complete itself.

Cheng Jun held her ground in Jiangcheng District, barely venturing beyond its borders.

She had no ambition to devour the fungal sovereign, nor any desire to merge with its consciousness. She simply wandered alone, not knowing what to do or what she could do.

As the sun set, its golden rays bathed the sky.

At the very top of the Jiangcheng TV Tower, vines and leaves intertwined, flowers bloomed in clusters, and countless aerial roots hung down from the steel structure.

The vines twisted and spiraled, growing into a towering throne.

Shen Yi's body stood silently behind her, like a loyal guard.

Cheng Jun sat upon the throne.

The setting sun's glow cast a golden hue over her cold expression.

She rested her hand on her forehead and gazed far into the distance, lost in thought.

A year had passed since she arrived in this world, and Shen Yi had been gone for 265 days.

His departure was like the last sliver of sunset swallowed by the descending curtain, leaving only endless longing under the starry sky and the solitude of the night.

Cheng Jun suddenly felt exhausted. For the first time, her seemingly endless energy felt drained.

She didn't resist the urge and slowly closed her eyes.

"It would be nice to sleep forever..."

She was so tired.

As night fell, the sky turned gray, and even the moonlight seemed reluctant to disturb her peaceful slumber.

Her body gradually shrank and then dissipated, leaving only a floral crown on the throne.

Without Cheng Jun's connection, Shen Yi, who had silently guarded, saw his feet turn into roots, his hands spread and grew into a towering tree that blocked the sky.

The tree's shade hung down, its branches gently resting on the crown.

A gentle breeze passed, and the flowers on the crown swayed with the wind.

【This heart understands that people are not like trees, why should people part like flowers leaving.】

The disaster ended.

...

A thousand years passed in a dream, and upon waking, only the passage of time was realized.

Cheng Jun heard a vague call, as if coming from beyond the heavens.

Her consciousness passed through a long tunnel and finally reached an unknown end.

The voice grew clearer, her senses more vivid.

Auntie Zhang, as usual, was cleaning the house. Seeing that it was already late morning and Cheng Jun hadn't woken up, she had to come in and wake her.

"Miss, Miss, Miss Cheng... Wake up, you're going to be late for work."

Cheng Jun usually loved playing games, so Auntie Zhang just thought she had stayed up late and didn't find it strange.

She gently walked to the bed, nudged her arm, and softly called out.

Cheng Jun suddenly opened her eyes and instinctively grabbed the neck of the person in front of her.

Ever since she merged with the fungal strain, no infected being could get close to her without her permission.

She instinctively looked around and suddenly froze.

"This is... my room?"

She wasn't in the apocalypse; was this all a dream?

The warm and bright room, the light blue sheets, the computer still running, Auntie Zhang in her apron.

"Wait, Auntie Zhang?"

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Auntie Zhang, suddenly grabbed by the throat, turned red from coughing.

Fortunately, Cheng Jun's hand was soft and weak; she only felt chest tightness and coughed.

Cheng Jun quickly let go, looking down at her hand. It was slender and delicate, with warm body heat.

She clenched her fingers; no aerial roots fell, no vines broke through the ground, nothing.

"Cough, cough... Miss, what's wrong?"

Auntie Zhang recovered and asked curiously.

She had worked here for a long time and was very familiar with Cheng Jun's temperament. She wasn't angry, just puzzled by her actions.

Cheng Jun subconsciously replied,

"I... I had a nightmare."

"Let me be alone for a while..."

Auntie Zhang nodded understandingly,

"Oh, oh, that scared me. Nightmares are just illusions, don't worry. Take your time."

After saying that, she picked up the broom and left, closing the door behind her.

After Auntie Zhang left, Cheng Jun got out of bed.

Her delicate toes touched the ground, and a chill crept in.

She carefully felt the sensation, the cold touch so real.

A few steps brought her to the dressing mirror, where she looked at herself in the reflection.

Her long hair cascaded down, with a few messy strands sticking out. Her fair face had a faint pink hue.

She ran her hands from head to toe over her soft body.

The nightgown was smooth and fitted, without a crown, leaves, fungal fluid, or branches.

"I... I've returned?"

All the suppressed emotions erupted at once.

In an instant, joy, sorrow, surprise, fear, relief, confusion, and release all mixed together, complex and unclear.

She wanted to cry, only moving her lips; she wanted to laugh, but tears fell silently.

The knocking sound came again, and Auntie Zhang urged:

"Miss, breakfast is ready."

Cheng Jun quickly wiped her eyes and cleared her throat, replying,

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Seated at the dining table, the breakfast was nutritious and delicate.

Cheng Jun picked up a boiled egg and started daydreaming, thinking of someone.

"I'm back, will he return too?"

"Miss, the food will get cold..."

"Oh, thank you, Auntie Zhang. By the way, I'm really sorry earlier; I was just a bit dazed."

Cheng Jun sincerely apologized.

"Oh, it's alright, Auntie Zhang. Everyone has nightmares sometimes."

Auntie Zhang wiped her hands on her apron and smiled.

Cheng Jun returned the smile.

She ate breakfast slowly, savoring it as a rare pleasure.

Stirring the porridge with her spoon, Cheng Jun was lost in thought.