Le Huan listened to the sounds downstairs, lying motionless on the bed. Although she had gained some goodwill points, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket compared to what she needed to return home. 1066 had used its energy twice today, leaving both of them weak.
Her stomach was still empty. 1066 told her to eat the compressed biscuit on the bed, but she found it too rough and irritating on her throat. She would rather starve than eat it. 1066 suggested she go downstairs and ask for other food, but she lay there like she was rotting, refusing to move, claiming she was too tired.
【……Even after using energy twice, I shouldn’t be this weak, right?】
The conclusion was simple—she was just lazy.
1066 was on the verge of collapse. It was afraid she might actually starve herself to death. It had never guided such a lazy and delicate Host before—if a pancake were hung around her neck, she probably wouldn’t even turn her head to eat it.
Night fell completely. Thick clouds covered the moon, leaving the room in total darkness. The zombies nearby had been cleared out by Zhao Yan’s team. Le Huan could faintly hear voices downstairs and knew she was safe. Her tense nerves finally relaxed, and drowsiness overtook her. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Someone lightly knocked on the door.
Le Huan was already asleep and didn’t hear it. 1066 stared at the door, trying to see who it was. The person stood there quietly for a while, then, realizing there was no response, pushed the door open. A soft glow illuminated the room.
It was Zhao Yan.
1066 saw the tall man holding a candle in one hand and a bowl in the other. When it saw what was in the bowl, it grew excited—it was chicken soup. Le Huan had been thinking about chicken soup during the day. Even though this one was simple, it was far better than a compressed biscuit.
After clearing out the nearby zombies, Zhao Yan and the others had been about to return when they noticed a large nest on a tree branch not far away. Upon closer inspection, it turned out not to be a bird’s nest, but a chicken coop.
“In times like these, even hens have been forced to climb trees,” Wu You joked. There was a hen and a nest full of eggs.
“Team Leader, let’s bring the chicken back to the base. Maybe these eggs can hatch chicks. We can have Chen Youyu raise them,” Wu You said, already amused at the thought. Chen Youyu was from the base’s Research Institute—imagining him raising chickens almost made Wu You laugh out loud.
Zhao Yan glanced at him. “We’re not bringing it back. There’s no room in the vehicle.”
That was true. They still had to transport supplies and take Le Huan back. More importantly, chickens smelled terrible in a confined space—it would be a disaster.
Zhao Yan knew that the girl was different from them. She couldn’t even eat compressed biscuits. When he wiped her tears earlier, he hadn’t even used much force, yet her skin had reddened. Carrying the chicken, he walked back toward the small building.
The team members were delighted when they saw him bring back the chicken—they hadn’t eaten meat in a long time. Xiong Gang was about to take the chicken from Zhao Yan to prepare it, but Zhao Yan shifted his arm and walked straight past him into the kitchen.
“What’s going on? Team Leader’s cooking for us?” Wu You was excited, because Zhao Yan was a great cook.
“Gangzi, take a break today. Let the brothers enjoy a good meal for once,” someone said.
Xiong Gang lived up to his name—tall and burly, like a bear from afar and a mountain up close. He scratched his head and smiled honestly. “Then I’ll just wait to enjoy Team Leader’s cooking today.”
His own cooking was terrible, but aside from the Team Leader, no one else in the team knew how to cook. They usually didn’t dare let Zhao Yan do it, so the task always fell to Xiong Gang—at least he could make food edible.
……
Zhao Yan placed the candle on the bedside table and looked at the sleeping Le Huan.
Her small face was buried in the pillow, flushed from sleep. Her cherry lips were slightly parted, as if her breathing wasn’t entirely smooth. Her chest rose and fell gently with each breath. His gaze lingered on the pale, warm skin of her neck exposed at her collar, and he caught a faint, comforting fragrance.
1066 watched as the man just stood there without waking her, growing a bit restless. The chicken soup would get cold soon!
Zhao Yan saw her slowly open her eyes. In the candlelight, her eyes were a clear tea-brown, still misted with sleep. She looked at him with confusion and innocence, as if wondering why he was there. Then she sniffed lightly, her gaze shifting to the bowl of chicken soup, then back to him.
“I’m hungry.”
The way she said it was unexpectedly adorable.
Zhao Yan had never interacted with such a delicate and beautiful girl before. The women in the base were mostly tougher than men. Being in a disadvantaged position, they fought with everything they had to survive. The girl before him looked like someone from before the apocalypse—no, even girls from before the apocalypse weren’t as pampered as she was.
Le Huan looked at him with lowered eyes. 1066 had just woken her, saying that this man had been standing there for a while. She listened to its excited voice.
【This man has more goodwill points than the others. If we follow him, we won’t have to worry anymore!】
Zhao Yan spoke, “If you’re hungry, then eat.” After saying that, he turned to leave.
Le Huan let out a soft groan and curled up under the blanket. Her misty eyes looked toward him as she pressed a hand to her chest.
“It hurts so much…”
Zhao Yan immediately crouched down beside her. “Where are you hurt?” As he spoke, he took out his communicator. “Chen Youyu, come upstairs.”