From Apocalypse To Entertainment Circle (BL)
Chapter 103: the Reunion

Chapter 103: the Reunion

"Boss, our team raided another lab located on the outskirts of City D, but we couldn’t locate the targets or capture the scientists. They all escaped the moment we stormed the facility," reported a man in black clothes, his build strong and imposing. Had Sian and the others who had once been trapped in the forest by "terrorists" been present, they would have immediately recognized the man’s face—it was the same subordinate who had once been beaten and injured by Sian himself.

He continued, his tone filled with regret, "We still haven’t found any trace of the Prime Minister or his daughter. Our team swept through the entire area, even the villa where the entertainment program is being filmed, but there was nothing—no clues as if they vanished into thin air."

"Hmm," the silver-masked man replied softly, as if uninterested. They had been investigating the lab and its operations for four whole months, yet they still hadn’t succeeded in eliminating those insane scientists or acquiring the information they so desperately needed. As for the Prime Minister’s disappearance—they had only recently discovered it, and reliable sources confirmed that the organization they were chasing was deeply involved.

Karmel glanced at his Boss, who was staring intently at his phone. He assumed his master was researching new strategies to deal with those despicable bastards.

As expected of his powerful Boss—he had an unshakable sense of responsibility.

If only the poor subordinate knew that his boss was currently watching a live stream of the entertainment show, obsessively following some idol... he might have suffered a heart attack right at the moment.

But Karmel didn’t have time to inspect his Boss’s screen, as the man suddenly shot up and rushed outside like a madman, leaving behind only one command:

"Prepare the helicopter. We’re heading to the villa on the outskirts. Now."

Before Karmel could even process the words, the man in the silver mask had vanished without a trace.

Karmel was stunned. Was the boss seriously flying there by helicopter? A military helicopter? Had he gone completely insane?

But due to his undying loyalty to his master, Carmel quickly reconsidered. His eyes suddenly lit up as if he’d found the answer—his master must’ve discovered a lead. That was the only explanation for his urgency.

While the loyal subordinate’s faith in his Boss grew stronger, the heart of the man behind the silver mask was pounding uncontrollably.

He had left.

He had left that person because he wanted him to have a good, peaceful life—free of the misery and pain they had endured in that world. He hadn’t wanted to drag Sian into the horrifying depths of this world, into the bloody battles for power. All he wanted was to see Sian smile freely—without burden, without fear.

But he had been wrong.

So terribly wrong to leave his Gege behind like that.

They all knew how sensitive Sian was.

His strength and appearance were deceiving.

Sian’s heart was fragile—so fragile that the last time one of their companions died, Sian had spiraled into a month-long breakdown. In a shattered world where even food was scarce, surviving that illness had been a miracle.

He had been young back then, but he still remembered how the boy’s once bright, laughing eyes had turned blank, hollow... unaware.

The same as they are now.

He had felt it the moment Sian opened his eyes—something was wrong with his Gege. And he had to get there.

He regretted it; his heart screamed that he shouldn’t have left Sian alone last time.

Aian needed him.

Needed someone from his world.

Someone who had lived the same pain and could understand him.

Someone who shared his heart.

Aian, who now found himself in a completely different world, surrounded by unfamiliar people, felt utterly unsafe.

And he—he was the only one who could give him that sense of security and emotional stability.

---

"Don’t be afraid, Gege. I’ll hide you. If you hide in your brother’s arms, no harm will ever reach you."

The man whispered softly, his deep golden eyes—far too unreal to belong to a human—gazing into Sian’s dazed expression as his awareness slowly returned. Sian stared at the man in the silver mask, bewildered not by his appearance, but by his words.

He remembered.

He remembered a moment like this years ago when there was a trembling child in torn clothes. Hold him tightly, and his eyes were full of fear.

Back then Sian wrapped the smaller boy in his cloak, completely shielding him from the outside world. Then, carrying him on his back, he had whispered:

"Don’t worry. Your big brother is here. I’ll hide you in my coat. This way, nothing will hurt you. You’ll be fine."

Sian recalled that distant memory and looked hard at the man standing before him.

[That silly little kid has grown up well.]

Sian wasn’t foolish—his memory was sharper than anyone’s. He remembered the masked man that asked for a song in the forest,...remembered everything...

A genuine joy lit up in Sian’s eyes, bright enough to drown out all the fear and pain.

At that moment, he stepped forward and threw his arms around the man without hesitation.

He didn’t ask questions.

He didn’t speak.

He just clung to that warmth—to the overwhelming relief of this beautiful, unexpected reunion.

---

And then...

Sian collapsed unconscious in the man’s arms.

---

Lan Qisheng had jumped from his seat the moment he noticed Sian’s unusual state, recognizing the signs of one of his panic attacks. But then... he froze.

Why?

Because someone else had gotten to him first.

Lan Qisheng stared at the man in plain black clothing, with a powerful build equal to his own and radiant golden hair.

But he didn’t notice—he didn’t care about those trivial details.

Details he had, ironically, seen cause of the big screen on the stage thanks to the camera capturing Sian’s figure and the man that barged into the stage.

What caught Lan Qisheng’s attention... was the way the man held Sian.

How those arms wrapped tightly around him, holding him to his chest with such strength, such protection.

For the first time in his life, Lan Qisheng felt a burning fury—an overwhelming desire to break the law. To commit a crime.

He was on the verge of acting according to his desire...

Then he saw how the man leaned close and whispered something into Sian’s ear.

And somehow, somehow... Sian’s eyes regained clarity.

Just for a moment.

Then the boy broke into tears again, this time burying himself even deeper into the man’s embrace.

Lan Qisheng...

Burned.

He wanted to burn the whole damn world with him.