Chapter Sixty: Talkative Robert

Just as Li Dan Niu stood atop the fighter jet, searching for the cockpit door switch, he heard the roar of a car engine. Heaven hasn't forsaken me, he sighed, raising his head to see a red sports car executing a beautiful drift, coming to a stop at a dock he hadn't noticed before.

The car door opened, and a Black man stepped out, cradling a gun unfamiliar to Li Dan Niu.

"Hey—"

Li Dan Niu greeted him excitedly. His excitement wasn't due to meeting Will Smith, but because Will Smith's character, Robert, in this film was researching the cure that could heal Li Dan Niu.

Robert was startled by Li Dan Niu's call, professionally pressed his back against the car, raised his gun, and scanned the surroundings through the scope.

"Don't shoot! I'm a friend!" Li Dan Niu saw that Robert had his gun trained on him and couldn't help but utter a classic line, raising his hands to show he was unarmed.

Yet, Li Dan Niu wasn't nervous about being targeted. Not only was he confident he could dodge behind the fighter jet if Robert fired at this distance, but he also knew from the movie that Robert desperately longed to meet a living person.

Humans are social creatures; few can endure solitude for long. Robert hadn't seen a living soul for nearly three years. Every day he sent radio broadcasts, searching for survivors—not to kill them on sight.

Robert instantly raised his gun at the shout, a reflexive reaction. Now, seeing through the scope a man raising his hands and shouting, he realized this was someone uninfected—a living human, something he hadn't seen in ages.

"Oh, God, what am I seeing?" Robert lowered his weapon and spoke to his longtime companion, a dog named Sam. "Sam, did you see that? There's a living person. We have a new companion."

Sam barked twice, then ran along the dock toward Li Dan Niu.

Robert followed close behind, sprinting and shouting, "Hey, buddy, what are you doing on top of that fighter jet? That thing can't run anymore!"

Can I admit I just wanted to sit in the cockpit for the experience?

Li Dan Niu gave an awkward smile, leaped off the jet, and climbed down the ladder attached to the warship.

Though jumping straight from the warship wouldn't have been difficult, Li Dan Niu didn't want to show any extraordinary abilities in a world without superpowers. Anyone with decent fitness could jump from the fighter jet, but the deck of this warship stood more than ten meters above the ground. If he leapt from there, Robert might immediately want to study him closely.

Li Dan Niu reached the ground, and before he had gone far, Sam the dog was already at his side, barking furiously.

"Don't be nervous, I'm a good guy," Li Dan Niu crouched down slowly, reaching out to pat Sam's head twice.

After being patted, Sam stopped barking but remained wary, stepping back several paces to avoid Li Dan Niu's hand.

Damn, even the dog ignores me. Li Dan Niu wanted to ask the dog lovers: wasn't it supposed to be that a head pat would remove a dog's hostility?

"Hey, it's alright, Sam. He's normal, just like me, not infected," Robert finally caught up and soothed Sam, then turned to Li Dan Niu. "Buddy, don't worry. Sam's a good dog, he won't bite."

Good dog? Is that sarcasm about me just claiming to be a good person?

Li Dan Niu shrugged helplessly and feigned ignorance of Robert, asking, "Are you the Robert who broadcasts on the radio?"

"Yes, I'm Robert." Robert asked excitedly, "Did you hear my broadcast? Where are you from? How long have you been waiting? How are you not infected? Do you have companions? What's your name—"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Li Dan Niu cut off Robert's barrage of questions, saying, "Are you a chatterbox? With so many questions, which one should I answer?"

Robert laughed awkwardly. "Buddy, forgive me. You know, I thought I was the last person on Earth. It's been three years—three years without seeing a living soul, only Sam for company. Sam, that's this dog. You know? In these three years, he grew from so small I could lift him with one hand, to now when I can't carry him with both. He hates vegetables, but not eating them is bad for his health. Every mealtime I lecture him, sometimes punishing him to sit in the living room without moving. But at night, I can't resist holding him to sleep, because the world is just too terrifying. At night, the Darkseekers come out to hunt—"

"Stop!" Li Dan Niu, his head throbbing, interrupted Robert again. He hadn't expected Robert to be such a talker; the film hadn't conveyed this at all. But it's understandable—three years with only a dog to talk to or endlessly replaying TV footage would turn anyone into this.

If Robert had been alone for three years, did that mean he was close to discovering the cure? Li Dan Niu silently applauded the system's choice of crossing at this moment.

"Settle down, Robert. I won't suddenly disappear."

"Disappear—oh, no, how could you say such a cruel word? I haven't spoken to anyone in so long. Doing everything alone—you know how dull it is to watch TV alone? Especially the same shows hundreds of times. I can now recite Shrek's lines verbatim. Do you like Shrek? I love Shrek, even though he's green all over—"

"Will you listen to me?" Li Dan Niu interrupted Robert for the third time, then said, "We have plenty of time. Let me introduce myself first. I'm Tarek, from Hudson, I—"

"Hudson? That's not far. But in times like these, your journey must've been tough. There's no Darkseekers by day, but the roads are blocked everywhere. Where did you spend last night? Remember, after dark you mustn't go out, or you'll attract Darkseekers. I always travel by day, and rub alcohol on my trail when I return home to erase my scent. Otherwise, I wouldn't be alive today—"

"You realize you'll never make friends like this?" Li Dan Niu hadn't expected that, after crossing into this movie world, his second major challenge would be Robert's endless talking. No wonder Sun Wukong wanted to strangle Tang Monk with his own intestines; if it were like this every day, Li Dan Niu would rather be deaf.

"Friends? Tarek, would you like to be my friend? That's wonderful, I—"

"Stop!" Li Dan Niu sighed. "I haven't eaten all day, can you help me with some food before we continue?"

Actually, before crossing over, Li Dan Niu had eaten, fearing he'd end up in another ancient world with poor food and drink. He wasn't hungry at all, but he used this as an excuse to shut Robert up.

"My apologies, I forgot about that. You came such a long way. But don't worry, I've got plenty of food stored—more than enough for you. Come to my house, let me prepare a sumptuous dinner for you. I've even saved some bacon, never had the heart to eat it. Today I'll serve it to you. Do you like bacon, Tarek?"

Robert led Li Dan Niu toward his car, chattering all the way. Li Dan Niu responded intermittently while pondering how to persuade Robert to inject him with the vaccine.

Just as they reached the sports car, Robert suddenly stopped and slapped his forehead.

"Tarek, I know there's a herd of wild deer in the city. I could never catch one alone, but now with your help, we can try. It's been ages since I've had fresh meat. I'm sure you feel the same."

Hunt deer? Li Dan Niu remembered the film's deer-hunting scene; it was during this hunt that Robert encountered a group of Darkseekers.

"I'm fine with it."

"How's your shooting? I've got plenty of good guns here, pick one—" Robert resumed his chatterbox routine.

"Once, deer were protected animals, hunting them was illegal. But now, nobody cares. I had venison once, and it was delicious—"