The Bright and Dark Bases' Thoughts

"It's getting late. We should leave," Mu Xiao said, interrupting An Rongru's daze.

"Mm, okay." An Rongru snapped back to her senses, her cheeks faintly flushed. She knew that from now on, she belonged to this man, yet she did not even know his name. It felt as though she had been far too casual, but given the circumstances, what else could she do? To make herself feel a little better, she cautiously asked in a soft voice, "What is your name?"

"Mu Xiao."

Without looking back, Mu Xiao headed downstairs.

An Rongru hurriedly got to her feet. But she had twisted her ankle when the zombies had chased her earlier. Her emotions had been too turbulent for her to notice before, but as soon as she stood, a needle-like pain shot through it. On top of that, she was hungry and exhausted. After evolving into a new human, her body had already been pushed to its limit. She gritted her teeth and took two steps, only to be overwhelmed by hunger, fatigue, and pain. She collapsed helplessly to the floor again.

"Hm?"

Mu Xiao looked back at her. She appeared frail enough to be toppled by a breeze, yet her expression remained resolute. She had not made a single sound of pain, nor had she asked him for help.

"This woman is pretty strong inside." Mu Xiao's impression of her improved slightly. He turned back, walked over, and crouched before her. "If something happens in the future, just tell me directly. You don't need to tread so carefully around me. I'm not an unreasonable person—but you can't refuse any of my orders."

When An Rongru heard his first sentence, she had thought he might not be as she had imagined. But after his last sentence, she did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Does that count as being reasonable?"

Ignoring whatever An Rongru was thinking, Mu Xiao took out a large amount of nutrient solution and other food from his backpack. "Eat as much as you can."

An Rongru was already starving. Seeing food placed before her, she did not stand on ceremony and began eating. Suddenly, she felt Mu Xiao remove her high heel. She instinctively drew back her foot, only for it to be caught by a large, warm hand. The heat made her entire body go numb in an instant.

"You..." A bashful, springwater softness rippled through An Rongru's eyes. Her pale, delicate face flushed crimson, making her seem even more endlessly alluring.

"Don't move. Your foot is injured. If danger comes, it'll slow everyone down while we're escaping." Mu Xiao held her cool, snowy-white foot. It was smooth and soft, as fine as jade, as though he were holding a piece of exquisite treasure in his palm. The exposed stretch of calf beneath her dress was tender and rosy, tempting one to reach out and caress it properly.

Mu Xiao had strong self-control and did not dwell on anything else. He took out a low-grade blood bead from a small cloth pouch and gently crushed it. A small amount of blood-colored viscous fluid flowed out, which he evenly spread over An Rongru's fair, delicate foot. The warm, soft sensation gradually spreading through her foot was indeed quite pleasant.

"Applying blood beads externally isn't very toxic, but you need to be careful if you ingest them. Remember to wash them thoroughly with clean water and strong liquor to reduce the virus as much as possible. Once your constitution is strengthened to a certain extent, though, the virus will be assimilated and eliminated by your genes automatically." As he explained, Mu Xiao gently kneaded the soft skin of her foot with his large hand, waiting for the blood bead's healing properties to seep into her sprained ankle while enjoying its soft, smooth feel.

Under the caress of his large hand, An Rongru's cheeks reddened as though rouge had been brushed across them. Her small mouth kept letting out soft breaths. How could she possibly focus on what he was saying? All she felt was wave after wave of bone-melting heat flowing through her body, and the tender flesh between her legs, tightly wrapped beneath her dress, unconsciously grew slightly damp.

"Does it feel good?" Mu Xiao suddenly asked without warning.

"Mm!" An Rongru let out a soft cry, fragrant as an orchid, her voice thick with arousal. She quickly realized what was happening to her. Her beautiful face grew even hotter, and her watery eyes met Mu Xiao's faintly teasing gaze before darting away timidly. Her crimson cheeks seemed ready to bleed. She had never imagined that a man she had known for such a short time could stir the dormant desire within her.

When Mu Xiao's hand left An Rongru's foot, she felt a sudden emptiness in her heart. But soon, she saw him raise his hand toward her cheek and gently stroke it.

An Rongru's face was thin, yet still soft and elegant, with fair, smooth skin. Feeling Mu Xiao's intimate gesture, her heart began pounding. Beneath her picturesque brows, her beautiful eyes carried a hidden springtime warmth. The blush on her delicate face spread all the way to her ears. She lowered her slender neck slightly, as though she understood something, then could not help closing her eyes, silently accepting whatever he intended to do next.

She only hoped that after Mu Xiao had his pleasure, he would sincerely treat her well and protect her. Then she would be content.

Yet the intimacy An Rongru imagined never came. Instead, she heard Mu Xiao's calm voice.

"I hit you a little too hard earlier. One blood bead had some extra medicinal effect, so it could help reduce the swelling on your face. It's much better now." As Mu Xiao spoke, he withdrew his hand from her cheek, then picked up some food and began stuffing it into his mouth.

Realizing she had misunderstood, An Rongru's lovely face instantly became covered in blush, as though she had applied a layer of bright rouge. She felt a little disappointed, but even more touched. She suddenly realized that this man was not so difficult to get along with after all. At the very least, he had principles. He had not coveted her body like other men, and her money was useless now, so he certainly could not be after her wealth. If there was anything he valued, it could only be her strength...

"I'd rather become someone capable."

In that instant, An Rongru understood many things. She relaxed, and the food in her mouth seemed to acquire an unusual flavor.

Mu Xiao had nearly finished the food he had taken out. Rising to his feet, he said, "Take off your high heels. I'll find you another pair of shoes, something more suitable for running if we encounter danger."

"Mm." An Rongru obeyed without objection. Then she seemed to recall something and said awkwardly, "Could you wait while I wash up in one of the rooms before you go?"

She had gone berserk while slaughtering zombies earlier and was covered in black blood. It made her feel uncomfortable. She was also afraid Mu Xiao would leave and she would encounter danger alone, which was why she asked him to stay a while.

"It's nearly five now. We have to leave by six. If we're still outside after nightfall, I might not be able to keep you safe," Mu Xiao said seriously.

"My villa is nearby. It only takes five minutes to get there. Even taking into account any trouble we might encounter on the way, we should be able to reach my villa before six. And the road leading there is a private passage for our villa complex. There might not be many monsters wandering around there, so we may be able to get back even faster."

An Rongru regained her composed, dignified manner as she spoke. At the same time, she harbored a private thought: she wanted to return home and see whether her daughter was all right.

"That place is your property?" Mu Xiao suddenly asked.

"Mm." An Rongru nodded. As though she understood what he wanted to know, she continued, "It was only developed recently, and there aren't many residents living there yet. The machinery, facilities, security systems, armed systems, and so on are all the most advanced systems currently available on Earth. Ordinary people can't afford them. I had intended to build a top-tier villa district, but then this disaster happened."

By the end, there was a trace of regret in her voice over her ruined business.

"Oh." Mu Xiao did not care about her business; he had something else in mind. After a brief silence, he asked, "Which direction is your villa? And are you familiar with the owner of this law firm?"

An Rongru did not know why Mu Xiao was asking, but she still told him the direction of the villa and explained that the owner of the law firm happened to be one of the villa complex's property owners. However, she rarely saw the man, even in the villa district.

"So that's how it is." Mu Xiao nodded, realizing that the underground passage beneath the law firm probably led there.

If possible, could he turn An Rongru's villa complex into an open base, while using the law firm as a hidden base? As she had said, the villa complex was a high-end residential area. If all its systems could be restored, its defenses might be quite formidable...

Mu Xiao considered it quietly. But he had far too few people right now. He could not let his little sister do anything dangerous, and An Rongru alone, a "beautiful mature woman soldier," could not accomplish much. For the moment, he could only put this incomplete plan aside.

"Go wash up, but be finished before I return." Seeing the hesitation on An Rongru's face, Mu Xiao understood that she was worried about danger. Pointing toward both ends of the corridor, he said, "I'll set up sensor bombs at the front and rear. If there is an explosion, I'll return immediately. You need to react quickly too."

Mu Xiao handed her the high-vibration electromagnetic combat knife and laser gun. "Use these for self-defense if you run into trouble. I'll be back as soon as possible."

As long as someone had activated the bloodline genes of a new human, they could use energy weapons that had been repaired. Even though An Rongru had only just become a new human, she could still use them. She simply lacked the mechanical ability to repair, modify, and regularly clear the weapons of negative-ion viruses.

New humans possessed an invisible antibody magnetic field that could automatically isolate the negative-ion viruses in the air. Naturally, the weapons they carried would not fear contamination. Fixed machinery, however, had to be repaired regularly and have the accumulated negative-ion viruses on its components cleared away in order to remain usable over the long term.

Of course, if one learned a mechanical-type soul secret art, machines could automatically form antibodies and resist the viruses in the air, eliminating the need to frequently clean the viruses from within them.

But if weapons were placed in the hands of old humans, they would quickly be contaminated by negative-ion viruses. Old humans had no antibodies in their bodies and carried mutated magnetic fields themselves, making the negative-ion viruses even more complex. The weapons would be affected almost immediately and become unusable unless their components were modified. Naturally, that would require a great deal of effort...

An Rongru nodded and accepted the two weapons. Still worried, she instinctively grabbed Mu Xiao's hand. "You really won't abandon me?"

"If it's a danger beyond my capabilities, one that threatens my life, then I might abandon you. After all, neither of us has saved the other's life, and we aren't that familiar." Mu Xiao was brutally straightforward.

"Although that hurts, I don't know why, but hearing you say that actually reassures me." An Rongru smiled gently, delicate and elegant.

"Then can you let go of my hand?" Mu Xiao asked with a faintly teasing smile.

"Ah..." An Rongru's lovely cheeks reddened as she hurriedly released him.

"Go on." Mu Xiao said, then turned to arrange the bombs.

"My shoe size is..."

"I got a rough idea when I touched them earlier, but I don't know your exact measurements..."

Just as An Rongru was about to remind him, Mu Xiao's words came from behind her, leaving her unbearably embarrassed.

An Rongru muttered softly under her breath and hurried into the room beside them like a young girl in love. Her blush, vivid as peach blossoms, could not conceal the deeply seductive charm in her delicate features.

Mu Xiao returned to the underground level. There were several rest rooms there, and they happened to contain some women's belongings, so he should be able to find shoes that suited An Rongru. With one more person, he also needed to bring an extra set of equipment. Although there was no time for repairs now, he could make preparations once they reached a safe place.

There were only nine mechanical inner armors in total. Mu Xiao had taken two for himself, and leaving the rest here would be useless, so he might as well give one to An Rongru to bolster her defenses. After all, she counted as a low-level soldier. If she died by accident, everything they had done before would have been wasted.

Especially since Mu Xiao still did not understand An Rongru's ability and could not assess how useful she would be to him. But he would not underestimate any ability. Whether offensive or supportive, as long as it was used properly, it was a good ability.

Mu Xiao took one more mechanical inner armor, intending to save it for his little sister's protection. He put the other mechanical inner armors back where they had been. Carrying them all would be far too inconvenient if they ran into a fight.

"Looks like I won't make it back to the apartment tonight..." Mu Xiao was somewhat worried about his little sister, but after nightfall, the roads would be full of unknown dangers. Even if he headed back now, there would surely be many obstacles along the way. There simply was not enough time to return before dark.

However, he had already made arrangements before leaving. Mu Xuanyin had probably completed her physical enhancement by now, and there was enough food at the apartment. As long as Mu Xuanyin did not go out, she would basically be in no great danger.

Thinking of this, Mu Xiao finally felt a little more at ease.