Two streets away, Lin Qi heard the commotion and quickly went upstairs. Zhao Tuantuan, who had been sleeping, was also startled awake. Looking out the window, bright lights were flashing in the distance as armored vehicles sped past along the street.
"What's going on outside?"
Zhao Tuantuan rubbed her eyes, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the bright light outside.
"To require support from so many soldiers, it must be an uncontrollable situation. It seems something unexpected has happened out there."
With such a large number of survivors migrating together, even with the protection of rescue teams and a clear, unobstructed road, it would inevitably attract something.
Is it a Mutated Zombie? Or a Mutant Beast?
"Alright, go back to sleep. We'll leave here first thing tomorrow morning. I remember there are some villas in the east of the city; we'll find an empty one to stay in for now. Once the Federation has completely stabilized the situation, we'll head out again."
At this moment, the commotion outside actually provided a sense of security. Furthermore, the sound of helicopters circling in the sky began to resonate, with searchlights beaming down, scanning for suspicious targets on both sides of the central street.
"Brother Lin, why don't you sleep here? I'm a little scared being alone."
Zhao Tuantuan had already woken up once during the night. After dealing with her embarrassing situation, she had drifted back to sleep without realizing it, but now she didn't have much sleepiness left.
"Alright, the view is better upstairs. If we encounter danger, we can respond in time."
Lin Qi didn't mind. After taking off his coat, he lay directly on the bed.
The light from outside shone into the window from time to time, and in the flickering brightness, he could clearly see her face.
Zhao Tuantuan's collar was slightly loose, revealing her fair neck. It seemed she had dealt with her damp clothes; she had first gone downstairs to use the restroom, and upon returning, she crawled directly under the covers and lay down beside Lin Qi.
She seemed a bit shy, pulling the quilt over her face, her entire demeanor filled with tension.
When she woke up earlier, Zhao Tuantuan had already realized her clothes were soaked. Thinking that Lin Qi must have discovered it, she felt she had no face to face him now.
However, lying beside Lin Qi and feeling this sense of security, she drifted off into a hazy sleep without realizing it.
Lin Qi had originally wanted to chat with Zhao Tuantuan for a while, but upon noticing her calm breathing, he realized she had already fallen asleep, so he lost interest.
Although there was constant light outside and armored vehicles were patrolling back and forth, the more commotion there was, the more it made one feel at ease.
Without realizing it, Lin Qi also slowly drifted off to sleep.
In the early morning, sunlight had been shining into the window for a long time. Lin Qi just wanted to turn over, but felt his arm being pressed down and unable to lift, only then realizing that someone was lying beside him.
As the numbness gradually faded, he felt the warmth and fullness of his right hand, which could barely cover it.
Subconsciously, he gave a gentle squeeze.
Zhao Tuantuan shuddered all over and woke up instantly.
She quickly sat up and pulled Lin Qi's hand out from her chest, her lowered hair covering her face so that not a single expression could be seen.
"My hand always likes to grab something when I sleep. It's an old habit!"
Lin Qi quickly explained. He wasn't even sure when his hand had wandered there; perhaps it was a subconscious craving for fullness.
If anyone was to blame, it was Zhao Tuantuan for not taking precautions while sleeping, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to delve into it so easily.
"Brother Lin, I need to change my clothes. Turn around!"
Zhao Tuantuan wasn't angry, and didn't even chase him away, but Lin Qi sensibly grabbed his equipment and went downstairs.
After pouring two bottles of mineral water to wash up, there was still a lingering fragrance on his hands.
After a long while, Zhao Tuantuan came down from upstairs and handed the white bottle she was holding to Lin Qi.
"Drink this, and I'll forgive you!"
Her face was still flushed, her eyes filled with a hint of shyness, and the hand she reached out with was trembling slightly.
"Fresh?"
Lin Qi took it and sniffed; it was the familiar scent. Without hesitation, he drank it all in one go.
As the bottle of milk entered his stomach, he felt the warmth spread throughout his body again, leaving him feeling all warm and cozy.
"I'm going to wash my face."
Zhao Tuantuan took the bottle back and walked toward the bathroom in the back, her steps feeling much lighter without her realizing it.
"Is she going to wash the milk off?"
Lin Qi couldn't help but mutter to himself, but since there was fresh milk to drink, he couldn't complain after getting the benefit.
There were many high-calorie snacks in the shop. After Lin Qi collected some, he looked at the items on the counter.
He packed a few boxes of cigarettes; these stress-relieving items were even more important than Gold in the Apocalypse. After Zhao Tuantuan came out, the two of them opened some drinks and milk. This time, Zhao Tuantuan didn't say she couldn't drink milk and drank a large bottle directly.
"I'll make you a weapon in a moment, at least enough for self-defense."
After a simple breakfast, Lin Qi began to search the shop. In a drawer, he found a wooden slingshot frame, but the rubber band had aged and snapped at the slightest pull.
However, Lin Qi had a sudden inspiration and found something that could serve as a replacement.
He took a box of Okamoto 001 from the counter, opened it, and poured them all out.
"Brother Lin, what are you doing with those!"
Zhao Tuantuan's face turned red, her mind filled with wild thoughts.
"I'm making you a slingshot. Using these to replace the rubber band, the force is actually quite decent."
After opening them, his hands were covered in lubricant. Lin Qi had to use another bottle of mineral water to wash all the oil off the covers before tying them onto the slingshot.
He tried stretching it; because of the high taper, the stretching effect was very good, and it didn't require much force.
"Try to see if you can pull it back."
Lin Qi handed the slingshot to Zhao Tuantuan. Perhaps this was a toy only men were interested in; even though Zhao Tuantuan tried to mimic Lin Qi's posture, her movements were somewhat awkward.
"Come, let me teach you."
Lin Qi stood behind Zhao Tuantuan again, as if holding her in his arms, correcting her posture hand-by-hand.
After a few tries, she had learned it quite well; all that was missing was a marble to aim and fire.
Zhao Tuantuan couldn't put the slingshot down. Although it didn't seem to have much power, it was at least a means of attack.
Everything was prepared, and Lin Qi pulled the door open. After the events of last night, the nearby zombies had almost all been cleared out. There were many zombie corpses on both sides of the road; some had shattered heads and were lifeless, while others were broken limbs and wreckage, yet still slowly wriggling.
When encountering these disabled zombies, Lin Qi would casually finish them off with an Arrow. His Arrow skill was improving at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Perhaps because of the appearance of Mutant Beasts, Lin Qi was very careful this time. Every time he passed a street, he would look for a safe place with a wide field of vision to observe the surroundings, and only after confirming there was no danger would he continue forward.
"Wait, wait, let me shoot this one!"
Zhao Tuantuan had picked up a handful of stones from somewhere. She eagerly pulled back the slingshot, closed one eye, and aimed at the zombie's head.
With a light vibration of the rubber, the stone flew straight out, but it grazed past the zombie's head.
"Your aim is off. It's only ten meters away. Align the top of the frame with the zombie's head; with such a large target, you could hit it with your eyes closed."
Lin Qi corrected Zhao Tuantuan's posture again, helping her adjust the height of the slingshot. With her rear hand steady and her aim set, he loosened the leather pouch in her hand.
With a muffled pop, the stone hit the zombie's face directly, knocking off a piece of rotting flesh.
At the same time, an illusory light screen appeared before Lin Qi's eyes.
【Activate Slingshot Skill: Basic Slingshot Mastery: Advanced Conditions:
1: Hit a target ten meters away twenty times.】
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