The Lost City operation did not drag on for much longer.
Every remaining zombie in the city was eliminated, then dragged out into the wilderness by hazmat crews and burned in mass pyres.
There were still some fatalities when zombified beasts and other infected animals launched surprise attacks, but overall losses remained light.
Li Yun’s team encountered their share of such creatures too: lizards, dogs, cats, and all manner of bizarre things.
You could never imagine what bored people might decide to keep as pets—or how much of a pain in the ass those pets could become after infection and mutation.
Fortunately, the operation was ultimately completed without further major problems, and Headquarters proved generous.
Front-line service?
Pay them.
Pay them more.
The coalition governments certainly were not short of money.
A portion of the funding originally earmarked for later stages of the super-soldier program was simply redirected into bonuses for the combat teams.
Li Yun received an especially large payout.
He had distinguished himself at Rex’s facility and then again led from the front during the Lost City cleanup.
He had practically run out of room for medals, and the money was deposited directly into his account whether he wanted it or not.
Once the mission ended, everyone returned to the European branch.
After arriving, however, Keith, Blair, and Fernando all said they needed to leave for a few days, mainly to pack up their belongings and have them shipped over.
They would probably be living here for a long time from now on, and each of them had plenty of things back home they were unwilling to throw away.
After Li Yun and Natasha rested for several days, the two finally went shopping together as they had agreed.
Li Yun was never someone who cared much about dressing up.
It was not as though he had the kind of conventionally handsome face that demanded attention either.
What did add to his appeal was the hard edge several years of work had given him.
People instinctively got the impression that he was tough, disciplined, and stubbornly determined once he set his mind on something.
He waited patiently by the entrance for Natasha.
A woman needed time to do her makeup; he did not mind waiting.
Besides, Natasha was hardly the type to spend an entire hour on it.
That would have been ridiculous.
When Natasha finally appeared, Li Yun smiled without thinking.
Once she traded her uniform and combat gear for casual clothes, she really was impossible not to notice.
A red scarf, a green top under a denim jacket, black shorts with thigh-high stockings, and a pair of modest heels.
Put her on a city street dressed like that and the casualty rate would be catastrophic.
She gently tucked her hair behind one ear.
Li Yun smiled and extended a hand.
Natasha took it without the slightest hesitation and pulled him outside.
Shopping around the area had been her idea in the first place.
Naturally, she would take the lead.
Li Yun’s job was simply to pay.
The two headed onto the street, drawing plenty of looks from the people around them.
They were an undeniably eye-catching pair: his rugged Eastern bearing and her striking Western presence complemented each other remarkably well.
“Two coffees.” Li Yun ordered at a drink shop.
From time to time, Li Yun stole a glance at Natasha, who now had one arm looped through his.
Whenever she smiled like this, she really was damn cute.
Then Natasha took him into a gun store, and Li Yun stopped dead.
Huh?
Their first stop while shopping was a gun store?
Natasha led him to one wall covered entirely in sniper rifles.
The moment she entered, her attention went straight to the rifle mounted at the very top.
Li Yun laughed.
Well, well.
So this was what she had really come here for.
“A Barrett might be a little too heavy for you.” Now that Li Yun understood, he knew exactly what to say.
Spending money was hardly a serious concern for him anymore.
“It is.
Not as good as my TRG-42.” Natasha followed his lead naturally.
She had a special attachment to that rifle.
Li Yun nodded.
“I know.
That sniper rifle belonged to your brother.
Carrying it with you makes it feel as if he’s still by your side.”
“That isn’t in my file.
Who did you ask?” Natasha turned toward him.
Apparently he really had gone out of his way to learn everything he could.
Li Yun looked back at her.
“General Victor.
If he was the one who brought you over, then he had to know more about your past than I did.
Fortunately, on that subject he told me everything I asked.”
As he spoke, Li Yun turned his attention back to the rifle on the highest rack—a CheyTac M200.
In CSO, it bore a suitably dramatic nickname: the Reaper.
“But the way I see it, you’re still you.
I want what comes next to be a new stage of your life—and I’d like us to enter that stage together.”
With that, Li Yun called over the store manager and told him to take down the M200 and pack it up.
After checking Li Yun’s credentials and confirming he was authorized to buy it, the owner cheerfully fetched a ladder, climbed up, and brought down the rifle known as the Reaper.
As for payment, Li Yun had already swiped his card at the register and entered the PIN.
“Could you send it over to our branch for us?
We still have more shopping to do, and carrying this thing around isn’t exactly convenient.” Li Yun had barely finished when Natasha shook her head.
“We’ll take it ourselves.
Li Yun chuckled softly, then told the owner not to bother with ordinary packaging.
A hard carrying case would do.
Paying extra was trivial.
The owner became even more enthusiastic.
Right in front of them, he personally cut the foam insert to fit the rifle perfectly, then carefully settled the M200 into the case.
Li Yun lifted the case.
It had some weight to it, but only some.
Natasha slipped her arm through his again, and the two left the gun store together.
“We’re a strange couple.
Other men take women on dates and give them roses or wine.
You give me a sniper rifle.”
Natasha said it aloud, but there was nothing but happiness in her voice.
A gift itself was only a gesture.
What mattered was that Li Yun had unmistakably made his choice.
“Wine and roses are boring.
Roses make you happy, and wine gets you drunk.
I don’t need either of those.
For you, this is the better gift.”
Li Yun gave the case in his hand a little swing.
As far as he was concerned, it beat flowers or alcohol by a mile.
Then Li Yun suddenly stopped.
Natasha was about to ask why when he spoke first.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you blush.
That’s kind of a shame.
Maybe I should’ve bought you wine after all.”
Natasha shot him a devastatingly feminine glare.
She did not blush, but getting to see that expression alone made today’s outing more than worth it.
They continued shopping for a while, then went into the pizza place Natasha liked.
There, Natasha once again witnessed just how bottomless Li Yun’s stomach truly was.
Pizza and pasta went to their deaths one plate after another.
Drinks existed mainly to wet his throat between bites.
“You’ve eaten like this your whole life?” Natasha rested her head on one hand.
His table manners were not even particularly crude, yet he still ate at a speed unlike anything she had ever seen.
“Always.
Even Andrey thought I ate too much when I was younger and took me to a hospital for tests.
They never found anything wrong.” Li Yun calmly swallowed the final slice of pizza and answered her.
Natasha thought about it for a moment.
Maybe, after they were married someday, Li Yun would be the one doing the cooking?