He'd caught her again.
His broad, firm chest pressed against her back as he easily wrapped one arm around her waist, lifting her up like a chick. Yun Ying vaguely thought Yu Yao was going to strangle her.
The old Yu Yao wasn't the type to do something so classless—even when she'd infuriated him half to death, he'd only snapped back a few words, never laying a hand on her.
But this was the Yu Yao who'd lost his memory. His memories were gone—what if the few principles he had left were gone too?
…He wasn't going to hit her, was he?
Yun Ying kicked hard at his leg. "Let me go!"
"Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Yu Yao bore the handprint on his face without any sense of humiliation from being slapped. Her hand was so soft that it barely hurt when it landed on his cheek—just a tingling, numbing sensation.
The nameless anger burning in his chest came from the sleep-talking he'd just overheard.
She'd been calling out for a brother.
In a soft, gentle voice, calling for a brother.
Good thing only he had heard it.
Which damn man was she calling for?
Yun Ying couldn't outmuscle him, so she scrambled for any excuse: "You're hurting me—I can't breathe!"
But the moment the words left her mouth, the dog's long-dead conscience stirred slightly. Yu Yao loosened his grip, not bothering to fight her, and set her down steadily.
Yun Ying quickly retreated from his embrace. Turning her head, she caught sight of the handprint on Yu Yao's face and his cold, frosty gaze—it startled her so much she stammered, "S-sorry, I really didn't mean it."
"Who were you calling for?" Yu Yao stepped forward, his eyes fixed intently on her.
Yun Ying had no idea why his brain worked so strangely—he didn't care about being slapped, but was pressing her about the words she'd muttered in her sleep?
"I… I…" Yun Ying stumbled over her words. Seeing Yu Yao narrow his eyes, her mind raced. "My biological brother! I got separated from him after the apocalypse. I'm looking for him."
"Your biological brother?" Yu Yao let out a cold laugh. "Seems you two have a close relationship—you're calling for him even in your dreams."
Several teammates had already snapped out of their shock at seeing Yu Yao slapped. Noticing the young girl backing away in fear, they were surprised their captain would pressure a girl like this, but the base's truck was almost here, and they couldn't just stand by.
Lu Yao stepped forward, inserting herself between the two just as Yu Yao was about to corner Yun Ying against the vehicle.
"Captain, the base's truck is here. People from inside the base are coming out too."
After the base's truck had burst through the zombie horde, it had slowed down to protect the anti-inflammatory medicine—driving slower meant fewer broken vials. Yu Yao's car had arrived twenty minutes ahead of them.
People from Jiangcheng Base came out, some pulling carts, others holding detection scanners. Survivors getting off the trucks had to stand aside in the designated quarantine zone, undergo decontamination checks, and only after confirming they'd passed the zombie virus incubation period with no wounds on their bodies could they enter the base.
Yu Yao looked up and saw several Ability Users from Jiangcheng Base walking toward them.
Yun Ying seized the opportunity and bolted, not even stopping to return the windbreaker she was wearing, afraid that if she hesitated even a second, the bandit would snatch her away.
Cheng Zainan walked over, chin slightly raised. "She's gone. Not going after her?"
Yu Yao stared at her retreating figure—her small, thin frame swimming in his windbreaker, the hem reaching down to her thighs. She must not have been heavy before the apocalypse, and she was even thinner now.
Run?
The base was only so big. Let's see where she could run to.
Yun Ying dodged Yu Yao like she would dodge a zombie, moving so fast she practically squeezed her way into the line of survivors waiting for inspection.
As she stood there, she could clearly feel people watching her—quite a few of them, actually. Yun Ying knew why.
When the zombie horde had erupted, Yu Yao had only pulled one person from the vehicle. That person was her.
Yun Ying knew this would invite gossip and strange looks, especially in the base, where she and Song Huai were pretending to be a couple, yet she had been carried off by another man.
But on this matter, she couldn't blame Yu Yao. If he hadn't taken her, Yun Ying probably wouldn't have made it onto that escape truck—she would have died in the zombie horde.
She passed the base's security check, entered the quarantine tent, received a piece of bread and a small bottle of water, and sat in the corner chewing on the dry bread as if she didn't notice the stares.
Someone sat down beside her. Song Huai settled in silently next to her, and Yun Ying immediately felt the onlookers' gazes grow even more intense—everyone was waiting for the drama.
They probably wanted to see how this "fickle" woman would answer when confronted by her so-called boyfriend.
Yun Ying frowned, but her mind was already turning over whether she should end this fake relationship with Song Huai.
"Aying…"
"Senior, I'm a bit tired."
The moment Song Huai opened his mouth, Yun Ying cut him off in a low voice.
Hearing that she didn't want to talk in front of so many people, Song Huai fell silent for a moment, but he didn't let it go. Instead, he pressed on: "Do you know that Ability User? What's your relationship?"
Yun Ying immediately felt the stares grow even hotter, and she could even hear their whispered murmurs.
Yun Ying frowned at Song Huai, not understanding why he would ask this at a time like this. Couldn't he see that everyone was just waiting for the drama?
Song Huai knew exactly what those people were thinking—they assumed he was a cuckolded man who couldn't protect his girlfriend, and now that a powerful Ability User had taken an interest in her, it was only natural for her to kick him to the curb.
In the apocalypse, such things were all too common. When survival itself became a problem, love and principles were far too insignificant.
But staring at the beautiful face before him, the unease in Song Huai's heart only grew stronger. He disregarded Yun Ying's wishes and asked directly: "Aying, you and him—"
The tent flap was pushed open, and the man at the front ducked inside.
The tent wasn't small, but the moment he entered, it felt as though the space itself had become suffocating.
Yun Ying looked up. Yu Yao was wearing only a loose black T-shirt and cargo pants, with damp strands of hair swept back from his forehead. He must have just washed his face—there were still water droplets on it. His dark eyes locked onto her, and under that sharp gaze, Yun Ying immediately lowered her head.
Yu Yao walked in, with Cheng Zainan and the others following behind him.
The survivors who had been murmuring among themselves fell silent instantly. Song Huai pressed his lips together and, under Yu Yao's cold gaze, forcibly turned his head away.
Yun Ying kept praying inwardly—please, don't let this wicked man come near her, and don't let him speak up for her. With so many people here, she'd never be able to clear her name.
She heard footsteps passing in front of her, and from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a pair of black combat boots. Yun Ying's heart leaped into her throat…
But Yu Yao didn't stop in front of her. He walked past and found a chair on the other side of the tent to sit down.
"Hello." A slightly sweet voice sounded in front of Yun Ying.
She looked up and saw that it was the girl with a bun hairstyle and a small scar on her left forehead. Yun Ying remembered how calm and composed she had been while sucking on a lollipop and mowing down zombies with a machine gun, as if she were playing some kind of Plants vs. Zombies game.
Lin Xizhi crouched in front of her and held out a lollipop. "Here, for you."
In the apocalypse, sugar was an extremely precious commodity.
Yun Ying pointed at herself. "For me?"
Lin Xizhi propped her face on one hand while holding the lollipop with the other. "You're really cute, so I'm willing to give it to you. I wouldn't give one to just anyone."
Yun Ying's face flushed red. She pressed her lips together, gave a shy smile, and reached out with both hands to take it. "Th-thank you."
She quickly glanced at Lin Xizhi and murmured, "You're very pretty too. Really pretty."
It was a kind of healthy, confident beauty. Yun Ying had thought she was beautiful the moment she first saw her.
She smiled.
…Absolutely adorable.
Yu Yao unscrewed a bottle of mineral water with one hand and took a few gulps, but his gaze kept drifting toward her. He'd already drunk more than half the bottle, yet that inexplicable dryness in his throat still hadn't subsided.
Lin Xizhi narrowed her eyes and smiled, cupping her face in both hands as she looked at Yun Ying. "How about you become my adopted little sister and come with me? I'll take you everywhere I go. I won't be like your boyfriend—the moment zombies show up, he ditches you in the middle of the horde and runs off on his own."
The moment those words left her mouth, a stir rippled through the tent. The people who had been staring at Yun Ying all turned in unison toward Song Huai, murmuring among themselves.
"No wonder. When he came running over, he was all alone. I distinctly remember he entered Factory Zone C with his girlfriend."
"They'd been together for so long too. When he was sick before, it was his girlfriend who spent all her Credits to buy him anti-inflammatory medicine. But when disaster struck, he ran faster than anyone."
"They always seemed so close on normal days. Who would've thought he was that kind of person? Abandoning his girlfriend—can't blame others for stepping in."
Song Huai's face went pale. His hand tightened around the mineral water bottle, crushing it until water spilled all over the ground. What a waste. Yun Ying felt a pang of heartache seeing it—water was scarce in the apocalypse too—but she couldn't very well say anything at a moment like this.
Lin Xizhi laughed cheerfully and patted Yun Ying's head. "Think about it, little sister."
She turned and walked away, heading toward Yu Yao. As she approached him, she tilted her head at him, but Yu Yao ignored her.
Lu Yao patted her on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper, "You helped that girl today. Remember to squeeze the captain for a big reward."
Lin Xizhi peeled open a lollipop and popped it into her mouth, cheeks puffing out as she whispered back to Lu Yao, "I didn't do it for the captain. I genuinely think that little sister is adorable. Tsk, Captain Yu really did pick himself a sweet grape."
Her eyes were all watery—even when anger turned them red, all she could do was glare at you. When she went up against that bad dog Yu Yao, all she could manage were a few curses with zero bite, which only served to stir up the dog in him even more.
After the quarantine period ended, Yun Ying finally entered the city in the evening.
Jiangcheng Base was divided into three districts. Because Song Huai was an Ability User, he was allocated a room in the inner district, and Yun Ying, as his "girlfriend," was allowed to live with him.
Security there was much better—safer for a girl on her own like Yun Ying.
Song Huai had someone take care of it and was assigned a one-bedroom, one-living-room apartment in an old residential building, with a partition inside. In the past, he slept in the living room and Yun Ying stayed in the bedroom. Even though Song Huai did not charge her money, Yun Ying still firmly gave him half her Credits every month, just like renting a place.
And Song Huai was simply the landlord.
Yun Ying and he returned home one after the other. By the time Song Huai came back, she had almost finished packing her luggage.
Song Huai stood at the doorway, then hurried over and pressed down on her arm: "Where are you going!"
Yun Ying was startled and pulled her hand out hastily, saying: "Senior, I thought about it. I have enough Credits now to rent a place. I can go rent a place in the outer city. Although living over by East Street is more expensive, the security is better too."
Song Huai's face turned pale: "Are you still blaming me for what happened during the day?"
Yun Ying said helplessly: "I am not. I just feel that… a relationship like ours should end too. I am very grateful for your care, Senior, but I… I may not be very suited to being here anymore."
In the past, Yun Ying could live in the same room with Song Huai because she treated him as a senior, and Song Huai also treated her like a junior he was looking after. But only today did Yun Ying realize that Song Huai had a strange possessiveness toward her, as if he had already marked her as his own property.
His making her lose face in public was nothing more than furious rage and a desperate gamble when his mind was unclear. Facing an Ability User far stronger than himself, he felt as if the girlfriend who belonged to him had been taken a fancy to and snatched away by someone else, which made him feel humiliated and uneasy.
So he put Yun Ying in an awkward position, wanting to direct public opinion toward her side, so that she would be helpless and, as before, have no choice but to rely on him.
Living in the same room with someone who had developed designs on her was a very dangerous thing.
Song Huai looked at her. After washing her face, Yun Ying was actually very beautiful. Even though she had gotten much thinner, her skin was extremely fair, with a round face and almond eyes. When she looked at people, she was always very focused, and anyone could be drawn to her.
Before the apocalypse, she had been a young lady from a wealthy family. Even for travel, she was picked up and dropped off in luxury cars, and even her hair ties were limited editions, worth a month of his wages from working.
Someone like this, before the apocalypse, he would have had no chance to come into contact with at all.
But this was the apocalypse, and there was no one by Yun Ying's side.
Song Huai said in a low voice: "A-Ying, I understand. Let's talk about this again. It is too dark now, and houses in the outer city also have to be applied for in advance. If you go now, you can only live in tents with refugees. It is very dangerous."
Yun Ying forced a smile and said gently: "I, I will go submit the application tomorrow. During these few days while I am staying here temporarily, I will still pay you rent, Senior. Rest assured."
Song Huai stared at her back as she turned around.
"Damn, your base is pretty extravagant."
Cheng Zainan carried his bag and walked in, raising his head to look around this detached small courtyard.
The several of them were all Fifth-rank Ability Users, and Yu Yao alone was Seventh-rank. Jiangcheng Base was like it had picked up a treasure, almost inviting the few of them in, and the place they stayed was also the city center of the inner city.
Before the apocalypse, this had been the only villa district in Jiangcheng.
The person from Jiangcheng Base said: "Yes, you few go in and take a look. If there is anything missing, just say so."
"Thanks, brother." He Fangchen waved his hand.
Watching the few of them go inside, Yu Yao said, "The news that zombies can evolve should be true. High-rank zombies have control over low-rank zombies, just like generals and soldiers. The zombie horde in town has been concentrated in certain places, and the truck tires were deliberately punctured by roadblocks placed in the middle of the road. This proves that high-rank zombie has already evolved intelligence."
"A Zombie Tide has already formed in the town. That zombie may be summoning nearby zombies. You must send people to clean them up, otherwise once a large-scale Zombie Tide forms, Jiangcheng Base will be the first place the Zombie Tide overruns."
The base's Ability User's expression was cold and grim: "Thanks. If it weren't for you reacting so quickly, brother, we probably would have all been done for back there. The city lord has given orders—if you need anything, just say it."
Yu Yao smiled slightly, lifting his eyelids to look at him.
"Funny you should say that. I actually do have something I need your help with."
The Ability User hurriedly said, "Don't be polite, brother. Just say it."
Inside the villa, several people sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window watched the two outside the fence.
Cheng Zainan shook his head: "The captain smiled."
Lu Yao propped his forehead on one bent hand: "Someone's happy, someone's about to be worried."
He Fangchen sighed: "Captain Yu is really shameless. How could he bully a girl?"
Lin Xizhi crunched the candy in her mouth, tossed the stick into the trash can, propped one hand on the table and sat on it, swinging her legs, staring at Yu Yao's face outside the window and sharply commented: "Old dog eats tender grass."
The others stifled laughs, exchanged glances, and shared a tacit understanding.
The little girl is probably going to have to change boyfriends.