The protagonist who hates losers is so sweet to me.

Song Xinqi reacted quickly as he found himself plummeting downwards. Holding onto Yu Qing, who was tightly clutching him, he noticed the sheer cliff below and a giant bird swooping towards them from above.

With no time to think, he channeled his overwhelming mental power directly into the brain of the giant eagle.

During their fall, Yu Qing felt a powerful hand support his back. Opening his eyes, he saw Song Xinqi awake, and tears instantly welled up in his eyes as he clutched Song Xinqi’s clothes. “Song Xinqi…”

“Whatever it is, we’ll talk later.”

The calm voice shattered his emotional dam, and he replied with a sob, “Okay.”

Song Xinqi glanced at the teary-eyed “crybaby” in his arms. He was almost used to Yu Qing crying at the drop of a hat.

They were still falling. Yu Qing clung closer to Song Xinqi, who tightened his grip on Yu Qing’s back.

A loud howl echoed through the skies as the controlled eagle swooped down faster than them, spreading its wings to catch them.

Standing bewildered on the eagle’s broad back, Yu Qing watched Song Xinqi’s face. The ground below transformed into a roiling volcanic crater. Realizing they were in an illusion, Song Xinqi immediately sent his mental power to the source of the illusion, shattering it instantly. They were still on the eagle’s back.

Song Xinqi controlled the eagle to land. As they touched the ground, the eagle’s wings trembled in resistance, prompting him to send a stronger mental assault.

Simultaneously, the cries of zombies and the eagle filled the air.

When breaking the illusion earlier, he had heard the zombie’s voice, and mutant animals shouldn’t possess abilities.

Considering this, he commanded the eagle to stand, revealing a zombie head beneath its abdomen. The zombie’s seven orifices oozed green liquid, emitting horrifying screams.

With long fingers gripping the zombie’s head tightly, Song Xinqi unblinkingly tore the head from the eagle’s abdomen. Both the eagle and zombie wailed, their cries darkening the sky.

The head came off with a wrenching sound, leaving a gaping hole in the eagle’s abdomen, oozing strange-smelling liquid. The zombie’s head was connected to a human-shaped skeleton, intertwined with the eagle’s blood vessels.

The illusion’s source was the zombie, a fusion of a mutant zombie and an animal. He extracted a crystal core from the zombie’s skull.

The zombie’s head stared wide-eyed as he tossed it aside, rolling near Yu Qing, who kicked it away.

“First, tell me where we are and what happened.”

Song Xinqi’s cold tone halted abruptly when he saw Yu Qing sobbing uncontrollably behind him. “What’s wrong?”

The deep, rich voice gave him an overwhelming sense of safety, unleashing all his pent-up fear and sorrow. He cried, “Song Xinqi, Yu Xiaoxue, waah, what about Yu Xiaoxue?!”

He clung helplessly to Song Xinqi’s arm, his tears scalding as they fell on his quickly cooling skin.

Song Xinqi wiped his tears with a clean hand. “Calm down. What happened to her?”

Yu Qing, eyes wide with trembling voice, said, “Yu Xiaoxue… she fell from the sky trying to save me. I don’t know where she fell. What should we do, Song Xinqi? I can’t find her…”

Seeing him so distraught, Song Xinqi, usually irked by loud cries, felt a sharp pain in his heart instead.

Is it the mental link again?

Listening to Yu Qing’s incoherent explanation, he pieced together what had happened. Blackened with killing intent, he stared at the eagle.

Who knew so much had happened while he was unconscious. Despite the eagle’s brief fight, he could tell it wasn’t an easy opponent. That Yu Qing had managed to survive while taking care of him was surprising.

The eagle, now severely weakened, trembled as Song Xinqi’s mental assault intensified.

As Yu Qing wiped away more tears, Song Xinqi, voice stiff, said, “Don’t cry. We’ll find her.”

Yu Qing nodded through his sobs.

They mounted the eagle again. Under Song Xinqi’s firm mental control, the eagle, on the brink of collapse, took flight.

Peering down at the bushes below, Song Xinqi asked, “Where did it drop Yu Xiaoxue?”

“I don’t know.” Yu Qing scanned the greenery for a glimpse of white. “I was switching between reality and illusion, couldn’t tell where I was.”

Perhaps seeing Yu Qing so pitiful softened Song Xinqi. Maybe it was his good mood after waking up. He had the eagle search every inch of the bush meticulously.

The eagle, bleeding heavily, struggled to fly, forced onwards by Song Xinqi’s mental power.

Glancing at the focused Yu Qing, Song Xinqi saw the numerous injuries on him. Usually, he would be crying about the pain. Now, he was silent.

Irritated, his mental power surged, causing the eagle to shudder mid-flight.

“I think I see her,” Yu Qing said with a nasal tone, pointing.

The eagle descended into the canyon, brushing past low trees. As the view cleared, Yu Qing spotted a white figure amid the green. “It’s Yu Xiaoxue!”

Song Xinqi controlled the eagle to land. Before they fully stopped, Yu Qing stumbled towards the snow leopard. Song Xinqi reflexively reached out to support him but watched as he rushed ahead, stumbling.

“Xiaoxue!” Yu Qing cried, seeing the blood trailing from the snow leopard, tears welling up again.

Hearing the voice, Yu Xiaoxue’s ears twitched. She turned her head with difficulty and called out.

Yu Qing knelt on the bloodstained grass, voice trembling, “Xiaoxue, how did you get hurt like this?”

Yu Xiaoxue licked Yu Qing’s tears, resting her head on his shoulder, unmoving.

Song Xinqi examined the snow leopard’s injuries.

“Mutant animals have strong vitality. As long as she has a breath left, she won’t die. The bushes cushioned her fall, and snow leopards naturally balance well. She landed on her feet, so apart from her legs, there aren’t any major injuries. With proper care, she should recover.”

Yu Qing’s heart settled at Song Xinqi’s calm analysis. “You scared me to death!”

“Meow,” Yu Xiaoxue’s tail wagged, hanging on his arm.

Song Xinqi found some branches, broke off the ends, and used sturdy vines to splint Yu Xiaoxue’s legs.

“It’s up to her to recover now.” He placed the crystal core before the snow leopard, which swallowed it whole.

“Great, Yu Xiaoxue.” Yu Qing plucked the leaves from the snow leopard, his exhaustion finally catching up.

Noticing Yu Qing collapse, Song Xinqi quickly caught him. His head rested on Song Xinqi’s shoulder as he fell into a deep sleep.

Yu Qing was shockingly light, with dark circles under his eyes and an exhausted expression, completely different from his usual carefree self.

Song Xinqi felt conflicted. He had always seen him as a burden. Now, he realized he had underestimated him.

Before he passed out, he had expected to wake up to a weakened, injured self. But he woke up in peak condition, with no discomfort. Yu Qing had taken excellent care of him, despite being covered in injuries himself.

He silently contemplated Yu Qing’s surprisingly resilient form, feeling a shift in his heart.

After capturing a mutant animal, he gathered dry wood to start a fire. Passing by the sleeping Yu Qing, he saw him wake up in a panic, glaring at him until he recognized him. “Oh, it’s you.”

Seeing his practiced vigilance, Song Xinqi had mixed feelings. When did this “crybaby” learn to always be on guard?

It should be a good thing that he had grown. But it left Song Xinqi feeling inexplicably heavy-hearted.

Yu Qing’s eyes lit up as he saw the wood. “You’re going to roast something?”

Song Xinqi nodded. “You rest first. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Yu Qing paused, then lay back down, relieved.

Right, now that Song Xinqi was here, he didn’t need to worry about everything.

Lying down with a sense of peace, he slept properly for the first time in days.

Song Xinqi smiled slightly. Good, he hasn’t changed much. With him around, the “crybaby” wouldn’t face danger alone anymore.

After roasting the meat, he called him.

Yu Qing’s mouth watered at the sight of sizzling meat. “What kind of meat is this? Smells so good.” He sniffed the air and sat beside him. “Don’t tell me, I want to guess.”

He took a bite and winced, covering his mouth. “Ow, it’s hot!” He showed his reddened tongue, fanning his mouth.

Song Xinqi looked at him. “It’s straight off the fire. What did you expect?”

Yu Qing set the meat aside to cool.

Song Xinqi asked, “Tell me what happened these past few days.”

Yu Qing waved a hand. “Forget it. I was just being dumb. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Song Xinqi’s gaze pierced through him. “I want to hear.”

Yu Qing pouted. “You always have to have your way.”

“Start from the beginning. Don’t skip anything.”

After a long sigh, he began, “Alright. A few days ago, after you got knocked out by that zombie…”

From the moment Song Xinqi fainted, Yu Qing had to carry him and hide from pursuing zombies. They found a cave to hide in. He battled the zombies alone, facing near-death experiences. He even encountered other survivors who betrayed him.

Through all this, he clung to Song Xinqi, surviving by sheer willpower, navigating through treacherous terrain, and fighting off the giant eagle.

Song Xinqi listened in silence, his hands clenching tighter with each detail.

Yu Qing, nearly breaking down, confessed, “I thought you’d never wake up. I was so scared.”

Song Xinqi embraced him, for once ignoring his disdain for crying, and said, “I’m awake now.”

Yu Qing buried his face in his shoulder, crying freely.

Song Xinqi stroked his hair, thinking, maybe he wasn’t as useless as he thought.

“I won’t leave you again,” he promised.

Yu Qing, choking on his tears, nodded against him.

For now, they had each other. And that was enough.