He clutched at the railing, his body trembling violently as he spat out a large mouthful of blood and fell forward. Polly’s arm trembled as he caught An Zhe’s falling body and held An Zhe in his arms.

“Rum!” He shouted in the direction of the lab, his voice anxious.

An Zhe knew that Polly wanted to cure him or to find the cause of his illness, using measuring his temperature, antibiotics, a defibrillator… those things. He sat out more blood and Polly reached out to wipe it with his sleeve. Blood stained the sleeves of the white shirt. An Zhe looked at Polly and smiled reluctantly.

“There is no need.” He grabbed Polly’s arm slowly with his fingers, gasping a few times before whispering, “…I really don’t need it.”

Polly held him tightly. “Hold on again.”

“I…” An Zhe stared into his eyes and it was like seeing the endless sea and sky.

He was actually okay. He wasn’t at his weakest moment yet. At least he could move and his thoughts were clear.

He would die, whether it was today or tomorrow. He could die like this. Polly was the best eldest in the world, treating him like a beloved child. Polly was so good to him… At the end of his life, he could die with such tender love, something that the rest of the people in this era didn’t dare expect. However, if he died like this, Polly wouldn’t accept his death, the fact that Polly couldn’t find the cause and could do nothing. An Zhe knew that for scientists, an unsolvable problem and the unexplained truth were the most profound depression.

He could also die as a monster—he wasn’t afraid of Polly hating him anymore. Polly had given him enough.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry.” He looked up at Polly. He was relieved making the decision and the pain was nothing. He repeated again, “I’m sorry Polly.”

Polly watched him.

“I…” An Zhe smiled. He coughed a few times and his tears fell down, exactly the same as the temperature of his blood. He gasped hard before managing to tell Polly, “I… lied to you. I’m not a monster infected person, I was a monster originally. I’m not human. I… just ate a human’s genes. I just… look like a human.”

Polly seemed to be stunned for a second. Then the next moment, his grey-blue eyes filled with a gentle sadness. “No matter what you are, hold on, okay?”

An Zhe shook his head.

“I’m not sick. My life span… only so long. Can’t be changed… can’t be saved.”

He finished speaking and Polly hugged him. They watched each other, falling into a sad silence.