An irregular ice cube was held in Tang Nai's mouth, carefully gripped between her teeth, gradually descending until it hovered above Jin Xiao's lips.
He lay with his eyes closed, unaware of everything before him, only sensing a slight chill that caused his brow to twitch.
Tang Nai leaned forward slightly, careful not to touch any other part of him, inching closer to his lips until their breaths nearly mingled. The small ice cube pressed against her lips, quickly numbing them. She cautiously touched it with the tip of her tongue, using that bit of warmth to melt the cold.
The heat was swiftly absorbed, dissolving the surface layer of coolness.
Water mixed with a sweet fragrance trickled down the ice.
One drop fell onto Jin Xiao's lips.
Tang Nai furrowed her brows, supporting herself with both hands as she leaned even closer.
A second drop finally slipped into the seam of Jin Xiao's lips.
It slid along his parched lips, moistening all the dryness as it flowed into his mouth. In his haze, Jin Xiao seemed to sense something and swallowed.
With the second drop, the ice began to melt faster. The third and fourth drops pattered into the seam of his lips, gradually moistening his cracked mouth.
Jin Xiao rarely fell ill. In the apocalyptic world, injuries were commonplace, so ordinary inflammations hardly concerned him. But this time, perhaps due to emotional turmoil, he developed a fever and quickly sank into delirium. In his dream, he trudged across parched earth littered with zombie remains—bloody, charred, as if heavenly fire had scorched everything.
He struggled onward until he heard a soft drip. A sweet, soothing nectar fell directly onto his lips, alleviating the burning. Unconsciously, he swallowed, savoring the sweetness, only to stir a greater hunger in his stomach—like a beast in the sand, churning and straining for more of that fragrant sweetness.
He breathed deeply, trying to break free from the illusion.
Tang Nai's lips grew numb. To speed up the melting, she had to move her tongue slightly. She lowered her gaze, long eyelashes trembling. Despite holding ice, beads of sweat formed on the tip of her nose.
Yet, to her surprise, as most of the ice had melted into water, Jin Xiao's chest began to rise and fall more rapidly. Just as she was about to pull back to check on him, Jin Xiao suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze still hazy but fixed on her face.
Tang Nai's breath caught, and she tried to retreat. As the sweet fragrance withdrew, Jin Xiao frowned in displeasure and abruptly reached out, pressing his hand against the back of her neck.
The distance between them closed abruptly, their noses bumping. Tang Nai instinctively gasped, and the ice cube slipped from her mouth, falling directly into Jin Xiao's.
The last bit of ice was now entirely in his mouth, the sudden chill jolting him fully awake. Seeing her lips so close, he gasped and sat up abruptly.
Tang Nai quickly retreated to the edge of the counter.
Jin Xiao moved his tongue, and the last of the ice melted completely into water, as if the sweet nectar from his dream had materialized in reality—even clearer now. It was like morning dew blending with the purest honey, dissolving on his tongue, the sweetness gradually filling his mouth and spreading to his chest.
He instantly looked up at Tang Nai. "You…"
Tang Nai hugged her knees, not daring to meet his gaze. Though her intention had been to give him water, she had also made him consume her… her saliva. Such a rude act—not only had she done it secretly, but she had also been caught. It was truly awful…
"I was wrong, I won't dare again."
Jin Xiao frowned, looking at the crown of her head. The sweet fragrance in his mouth seemed to instantly turn into a turbulent current stirring in his chest. No wonder his dreams were filled with sweetness—it was hers… This woman was too bold. He had just wanted to rub his temples when he noticed the ice cubes scattered on the floor. After a moment of surprise, he realized she had been melting ice to give him water. He paused, all the turmoil in his chest instantly turning into a complex aftertaste. His voice was slightly hoarse:
"…Were you helping me cool down?"
Tang Nai was taken aback. He wasn’t blaming her? She peeked through the gap between her knees:
"You had a fever. I only found some ice and some medicine…"
Jin Xiao saw the opened boxes behind him, got up to examine them, and couldn’t help but narrow his eyes. He glanced back at Tang Nai, who met his gaze with confusion. Only then did he realize she had been rummaging through the boxes not for cosmetics but for medicine.
For a moment, the sweet taste between his lips and teeth seemed to flow more clearly toward his throat. He whispered, "Thank you."
Tang Nai shook her head.
The two fell silent. Finally, Jin Xiao spoke: "While I was unconscious, did any zombies try to come in?"
Tang Nai replied, "No."
Then she closed her mouth and said nothing more. Jin Xiao gritted his teeth, stood up, and searched through the boxes. "These boxes were probably left behind by another superpower user squad."
What Jin Xiao said matched the system’s explanation. That superpower user squad had hidden the medicine here, never expecting Tang Nai to find it.
But Jin Xiao touched the ice again, his brow twitching. "I know who it was."
This kind of ice special ability, along with the habit of hiding supplies in the cosmetics section—it could only be that person from the base. Seeing Tang Nai look up, he added, "You wouldn’t know them. They’re someone from the old base." After saying this, he gathered all the boxes together, glanced at the light outside, and said, "It’s almost dawn."
The sounds outside gradually faded away. Jin Xiao moved his arm, tearing off a piece of decorative cloth to tightly bind it again. This was the time when zombies were at their slowest. If he took this opportunity to go out, he could drive the car inside.
"Wait here. I’m going out to get the car."
Tang Nai instinctively wanted to follow but hesitated. Her character was that of a burden, but what if they both couldn’t run fast enough? While she hesitated, Jin Xiao noticed her gaze fixed intently on him. He paused and, for once, added, "I’ll drive the car inside. It won’t take more than three minutes."
After Jin Xiao left, Tang Nai heard the sounds of thunder strikes and zombie roars outside. She bit her knuckle. Moments later, the door was suddenly slammed open. Jin Xiao opened the car door and tilted his head toward her: "Get in."
The modified car sped toward the outskirts of the city.
The trunk was filled with the newly found medicine. Jin Xiao’s arm had stopped bleeding, but it still affected his driving. He held the steering wheel steadily, running over zombies as he accelerated continuously.
The two remained silent as usual.
Before, they had sat in the back seat without a word. Now, one was in the driver’s seat, the other in the passenger seat, and their eyes could accidentally meet at any moment. Tang Nai had no choice but to keep her eyes downcast, focusing on nothing but her own thoughts.
As they neared the edge of the city, the surrounding stench of decay finally began to fade, and the sweet fragrance inside the car grew more intense. Tang Nai, sitting in the front, carried a warmth that seemed baked by the morning light, a scent that drifted to the nose without any effort to inhale. Jin Xiao stared ahead, his throat suddenly growing dry and scratchy. He took a sip of water left on the console, the cool liquid entering his mouth. He thought it would wash everything away, but instead, it flushed out the lingering sweetness, echoing persistently in his throat.
He paused, his Adam’s apple moving slowly.
Tang Nai, hearing no sound, looked up and saw him frozen. Thinking he was feverish again, she was about to speak when Jin Xiao suddenly choked on a cough. He raised a hand to stop her from coming closer.
“I’m fine.”
“Oh.”
Tang Nai knew he disliked the perfume scent on her. After a moment’s thought, she cracked the window open. “I can move to the back.”
Jin Xiao paused, his gaze drifting subtly toward her cheek, his brow furrowing slightly. “It’s fine. Anyway, you haven’t… sprayed perfume.”
Huh?
Tang Nai was taken aback. She… she had never sprayed any. Could it be that her natural scent had faded? She discreetly sniffed her own arm.
The tight line of Jin Xiao’s lips relaxed slightly as he slowed the car. “Once we’re back, you can’t leave the convoy without permission, waste food, or break the rules again. Otherwise…”
His brow tightened. Otherwise what? Throw her out?
“Otherwise, I won’t show any more leniency for old times’ sake.”
Yet even the “old times”… their time together in university had grown hazy, leaving only a vague impression of someone “spoiled” and “willful.”
He pressed his brow, dismissing it all as his own imagination.
Tang Nai nodded. “I understand.”
The morning light streamed through the car window, spilling over her like creamy nectar flowing slowly. Her voice was even quieter, more obedient, blurring the line between sincerity and pretense.
Jin Xiao took out a cigarette but didn’t light it. Again. Recklessly making mistakes, then obediently awaiting punishment, only to repeat them even worse next time.
Wasting water, wasting food, running off without listening—time and again, it was both irritating and disarming.
He wanted to warn her once more, but a distant car horn suddenly sounded. Looking up, he saw the convoy speeding toward them.
At the same time, the walkie-talkie in the car crackled to life. “Boss! You’re finally back! We knew you’d be fine!”
Jin Xiao paused, tossing the cigarette aside. In an instant, all emotion was stripped away, leaving nothing behind.
The journey was over. Now, he was no longer a burdened savior but a leader carrying the trust of everyone. All other confusion and hesitation were to be left in the car.
The four vehicles met, and Hong Zhengyuan and Chi Jing led the others as they jumped out one after another. These people were accustomed to life-and-death situations and had seen Jin Xiao take on solo missions before. But this time was different—facing a zombie tide with an ordinary person in tow, it would have been lucky if even one of them survived.
Seeing Jin Xiao step out of the car unscathed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Chi Jing’s gaze drifted subtly toward the passenger seat as he grinned. “Told you he’d be fine. Yuanzi kept insisting on staying in the city, and as soon as we left, his face fell like he was ready to mourn you any second.”
"Hey, don't make me sound so stupid," Hong Zhengyuan punched Chi Jing, pretending to scratch his head as he glanced sideways at the car. "I was just worried something might happen. Boss, are you… all okay?"
"We're fine."
Jin Xiao's gaze fell on the back of the car as Gu Qing slowly stepped out and nodded to him.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"We're fine too," Chi Jing adjusted his glasses. "Thanks to Gu Qing helping us find the best route along the way, otherwise we would have been surrounded last night too. This morning, it was also Gu Qing who chose the fastest route to avoid the zombies and let us come here to pick you up."
Jin Xiao said, "Thank you."
Gu Qing replied, "No need to be polite, Captain Jin. Let Meng Siyao get out of the car. After being surrounded by so many zombies, she must have been injured. The two of us girls can help check on her."
Hong Zhengyuan immediately said, "What, is she too scared to get out again? After causing such a mess, she should hurry up and get out to apologize!"
Jin Xiao glanced at the car as Tang Nai opened the door and stepped out. At that moment, it seemed to overlap with the day she first arrived—she carefully jumped down, but then felt warmth behind her.
Turning around, she saw Gu Qing catching her from behind. Gu Qing paused for a moment upon seeing her face, her eyebrows slowly rising.
Seeing Gu Qing's unusual expression, Hong Zhengyuan's face instantly changed. "Gu Qing, what's wrong? Was she bitten?"
Gu Qing pulled Tang Nai out from behind the car door and said, "It's nothing, just a minor injury."
Injured? Didn't Jin Xiao say everything was fine?
Chi Jing also adjusted his glasses, his brows tightly furrowed. Everyone gathered around, and the moment they saw Tang Nai, their pupils contracted. They instinctively turned to look at Jin Xiao.
So the "injury" was on her lips.
At night, everyone gathered around the campfire to rest.
Despite the warm glow of the fire, everyone's faces looked gloomy.
Since they had scavenged some supplies earlier, everyone had noodles for dinner. However, even though they finally had noodles, the meal was eerily silent, as if what was simmering in the pot wasn't noodles but shoelaces. Before Jin Xiao returned, these people had discussed how to punish Tang Nai—some suggested keeping an eye on her to prevent her from leaving, others said they should monitor her eating from now on. But after Jin Xiao returned, they all fell silent, as if they had become mute.
Because Tang Nai had found several boxes of medicine. Penicillin was akin to a lifesaver in the apocalyptic world, and finding treasures hidden by other squads meant that even if she wanted cosmetics and clothes, or even an entire building, it would be fine. Thus, they lost the opportunity to punish her.
Among them, Hong Zhengyuan, who harbored the deepest resentment toward Meng Siyao, wore the gloomiest expression, clinking his bowl loudly with his chopsticks. Jin Xiao and Chi Jing remained expressionless.
Now, as everyone sat around the campfire, their gazes subtly drifted toward Tang Nai's face.
Gu Qing served her a bowl of noodles. The moment Tang Nai took a bite, she hissed in pain. Gu Qing asked, "What's wrong?"
Tang Nai covered her mouth and mumbled, "My mouth hurts."
Everyone's eyes flickered. Hong Zhengyuan's expression changed, and he snorted coldly, immediately putting down his bowl. "I'm full, I'm done eating!"
Chi Jing turned to look at him. "Wasting food means punishment!"
Hong Zhengyuan gritted his teeth, poured the food into his mouth, and left without looking back.
Chi Jing also slowly put down his chopsticks. "I'm done eating too. Everyone, rest early."
Jin Xiao changed to a fresh bandage, his features seemingly tinged with the coolness of night in the firelight. "Although Meng Siyao found the medicine, as the team leader, I won't tolerate her next act of willfulness. From now on, I'll keep a strict watch over her—tonight she'll sleep right next to me."
For a moment, everyone's breath hitched, and from afar came Hong Zhengyuan's even louder snort of disapproval.
Tang Nai obediently nodded, while Gu Qing said, "Then I'll sleep on her left side." He then smiled at Chi Jing. "It'll be more convenient for me to look after her."
Chi Jing adjusted his glasses, the firelight flickering on the lenses, and returned a stiff smile.
Before bedtime, Gu Qing had already laid out Tang Nai's sleeping bag. Everyone settled down. With the female protagonist on her left and Jin Xiao on her right, she felt somewhat dazed.
Gu Qing patted the sleeping bag, signaling her to lie down. Exhausted from the day's events, she was also feeling drowsy. As soon as she closed her eyes after lying down, she heard the sounds of restless tossing and turning around her.
The wind in the wilderness was particularly loud, yet she could still hear everyone's chaotic breathing. Unable to sleep, she shifted her gaze to the right and saw Jin Xiao lying with his back to her, a dagger still strapped to his waist even in sleep. As if sensing her gaze, his shoulder twitched slightly, as though he were about to turn over.
Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder. She turned, and a rich, sweet piece of chocolate was pressed against her lips. Before she could speak, it was slipped into her mouth.
Mmm, chocolate!
Gu Qing gave her a sly smile, "Shh—"