Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

Chapter 363  Hell Can Be Paradise

"So, what's your plan?" asked Liu Yu Zeng as he and Chen Zi Han pulled up to the deserted compound. Well, it wasn't that deserted if you counted all the dead bodies laying around. But Liu Yu Zeng didn't count them unless they transformed into zombies.

"No idea," admitted Chen Zi Han as he walked over to the gates and unchained them. Getting back on his bike, he drove through the compound and to where the fields were located in the back. "But Famine has one."

"Famine?" asked Liu Yu Zeng. He got off Lin and followed his friend to where he was kneeling in front of the first line of crops. He had no idea what was growing, but he also didn't think that it mattered so much. Not if 'Famine' had its say.

"Yup, the voice inside my head," answered Chen Zi Han as he placed his hands into the soil. Liu Yu Zeng's eyebrows raised as he could literally see the crops in front of them withering away to mere shells of what they had been. "There might still be something useable this year, but it will take some time for the nutrients to go back into the soil," he continued. He turned to look at Liu Yu Zeng as he stood up and dusted the dirt off his hands.

"I don't know what is going on in my head," said Chen Zi Han honestly. "But I don't know how I feel about being one of the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse."

"I think you are overthinking things," said Liu Yu Zeng with a carefree smile on his face, his head tilted to the sun. "I love the idea that I am one of the Four Horsemen."

"Why? I mean, the Four Horsemen are supposed to bring about the end of the world and bring Hell on Earth. Doesn't that worry you? Upset you?" pressed Chen Zi Han. For once, Famine was silent inside his mind. Chen Zi Han was a nurturer. He prided himself on being able to look after people. He knew, deep down, that death was a part of life, but he didn't want to bring about more death than was absolutely necessary.

Even his form of revenge was petty and weak. He killed their crops. Yes, it might result in their deaths. But they could go out hunting for supplies to live through the year. At the end of the day, they were still alive.

"I think you are looking at it all wrong," said Liu Yu Zeng with a shrug of his shoulders. "If we are the Four Horsemen destined to bring about the end of the world and bring Hell on Earth, then we are essentially creating our own world in the vision that we want it to be." He turned to look at his friend, who still had a worried look on his face.

"If I can control Disease, then Li Dai Lu will never be sick a day in her life. If you control Famine, then she will never go hungry. And if Wang Chao is War, that leaves Liu Wei as Death. And can you really see him willing to take Li Dai Lu's life? We would be immortal, and Li Dai Lu will never suffer or die. I mean, isn't that worth however many deaths to accomplish?"

Chen Zi Han straightened and stared at Liu Yu Zeng. "Bring about the end of the world, create a new one with Li Dai Lu in the center?"

"Exactly," replied Liu Yu Zeng with a smile on his face. "Now… instead of Hell on Earth, doesn't that sound like paradise?"

Chen Zi Han climbed on Kronos and leaned over the handlebars, a smirk of his own on his face. "You know what? It really does."

"Still conflicted about people dying?" laughed Liu Yu Zeng as he, too, got on Lin.

"Let the bodies hit the floor," answered Chen Zi Han.

"Let the bodies hit the floor," agreed Liu Yu Zeng. The two of them revved their bikes and sped off down the road wanting to get back to their woman as fast as they could.

She kept telling them that it was the end of the world, but in some cases, it seemed like nothing had changed. Now, though, now they would make sure to bring in an apocalypse to end everything.

Hell really could be paradise.

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I raised my head as I heard Kronos and Lin coming down the road. With a wave of my hand, I smiled excitedly. Where there was once a boulder on my chest that appeared as soon as they left, I now felt like I could breathe again.

"Did you boys have fun?" I yelled. They weren't gone for more than thirty minutes, all told. In fact, only about half of the people on the ground had regained consciousness. Unfortunately for me, one of them was Xing Xin Ya. Someone really needed to tell her that the silent treatment was not that big of a deal when they weren't the ones in power.

As far as I was concerned, her not speaking was nothing more than a blessing to my ears. It was kind of like a prisoner that went on a hunger strike. If you don't want to eat, that is fine. The person next to you does. The only one that they were harming was themselves.

"Loads," smiled Liu Yu Zeng as he jumped off Lin and sped up to where I was sitting on his brother's lap. "But I missed you like crazy," he admitted as he gave me a sweet, gentle kiss on my lips.

I hummed in agreement. "I missed you guys too. I really hate it when you aren't all around me. It feels like I have fire ants under my skin that are trying to eat their way out."

"Well, that was unnecessarily graphic," chuckled Chen Zi Han as he came up to me and gave me a kiss. "But I completely agree. I don't think I can ever leave your side anymore."

"But did you do what you needed to do?" I asked, searching his face for an answer. For some reason, he looked a lot calmer and more collected than he had before.

"I did. You can let them go," he promised with a quick kiss to my forehead.