Gu Cheng's breathing had grown heavy. They were so close that Ye Ruan found it noisy.
Worried that the thing outside would hear, Ye Ruan covered Gu Cheng's mouth and nose, forcing him to quiet his breathing.
Gu Cheng quickly blinked innocently and softened his breaths.
His gaze drifted involuntarily to Ye Ruan's face.
A ray of sunset slipped through the gap in the door, illuminating the fine dust in the air and dancing on the tips of his eyelashes.
Ye Ruan was so fair.
He looked as though he had been carved from mutton-fat jade. A pinch to his cheek would leave a patch of red.
Gu Cheng felt his heart beating faster and faster. Ye Ruan stirred something unusual in him.
With Little Bunny in front of him, his intentions gradually became less innocent.
Ye Ruan didn't notice anything strange about Gu Cheng. Only when he heard the thing outside finally leave did his tense body relax.
"Captain, let's go. The Level Three Zombie's gone."
Ye Ruan pushed Gu Cheng away, opened the door, and kicked down the zombie blocking it, intending to fetch Ren Fei'er and leave.
But Ren Bing had turned.
His corpse had been stained with Ren Fei'er's blood and bitten by a monster.
A grayish-white film now covered Ren Bing's eyes. He staggered along with the other zombies toward Ren Fei'er, the sole survivor whom the group of women had protected.
Ye Ruan couldn't watch her die in front of him.
"Captain."
Gu Cheng started the Biohazard Vehicle, deftly reversed and turned around, then slammed down on the accelerator. A cluster of zombies was crushed beneath the tires!
Gu Cheng braked hard and stopped beside the veranda. "Go."
The space between the Biohazard Vehicle and the bungalow's veranda was already packed with zombies. Rotting hands clawed at the vehicle, and the stench of decay was nauseating.
Ye Ruan ignored it. He opened the vehicle's roof hatch and climbed up, backed up two steps for momentum, then leaped!
His combat boot landed on a zombie's head. Using two heads as stepping stones, Ye Ruan sprang over the horde with astonishing power, rolled as he landed, and rose into a steady stance!
The whole sequence was seamless, clean, and precise.
Ye Ruan scooped up the barely breathing Ren Fei'er, took out a bomb, pulled the safety pin, and hurled it away!
Cradled protectively in Ye Ruan's arms, Ren Fei'er opened her eyes again in a daze. She was already inside the Biohazard Vehicle.
Gu Cheng floored the accelerator, crushing his way through the densely packed undead!
Only after they sped down the hillside where the Farmhouse stood did Gu Cheng have time to glance at Ye Ruan through the rearview mirror.
"Ruanruan, will she live?"
Ye Ruan finished treating Ren Fei'er's wounds and sat on the floor. "I'm not sure. She's lost too much blood, and I don't have any medicine that can save her."
Gu Cheng's gaze softened. "Don't be sad. You did everything you could."
"I'm not sad."
Ye Ruan leaned against a seat, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes.
"I'm used to it."
The first thing any special person sent on a mission to City H had to learn was how to say goodbye.
Gu Cheng looked away. In the rearview mirror, the Farmhouse courtyard where they had stayed for three or four days was gradually disappearing from view.
Perhaps the women who had refused to leave had found release, too.
Unfeeling zombies were little different from humans who were already walking corpses.
Once again, they were on the road out of City H.
The distant sun slowly sank, its lingering glow painting the horizon with the most beautiful colors of the day.
Orange-pink and blue-violet hues spread through the evening clouds, forming a breathtaking, unbroken expanse.
The vehicle swayed gently, lulling Ye Ruan to sleep.
When he opened his eyes again, it was completely dark.
"Awake?" Gu Cheng had an unlit cigarette between his lips.
"Mm."
Ye Ruan first went to check on Ren Fei'er.
The little girl's breathing was steady. Though her face was as white as paper, her life was no longer in danger.
Only then did Ye Ruan get up and walk over to take the cigarette from Gu Cheng's mouth.
"Can we catch up with Jingjing and the others?"
Gu Cheng's expression was grave. "The question now isn't whether we can catch up. I suspect they took the wrong road instead of following the planned route."
Ye Ruan hesitated for two seconds before asking, "Then... is there a chance we're the ones who went the wrong way?"
Gu Cheng froze, then sucked in a breath. "Weren't we supposed to turn at that big stone bridge?"
Ye Ruan had never felt so much disdain for this sly wolf.
"Stupid wolf! You went the wrong way! We were supposed to go straight across the bridge!"
Little Bunny puffed out his cheeks in anger, but with Gu Cheng driving, he couldn't punch him. All he could do was imitate him by holding the cigarette between his lips.
Little Bunny worked his mouth, chewing on the cigarette filter to express his anger.
Gu Cheng turned onto a side road and pulled over.
They were in the middle of nowhere, without a single zombie in sight.
Gu Cheng switched off the engine and drew the little curtains over the windows, leaving only one dim yellow light on inside.
"Don't be angry. I was wrong."
Gu Cheng drew Ye Ruan over to sit down, wiped his hands clean, and pinched Ye Ruan's cheek.
"Come on, spit it out. Cigarettes taste awful. I've got dried apple slices here."
Ye Ruan turned his head and spat out the cigarette. "And you have the nerve to call yourself the most capable captain with the best memory?"
One day, with nothing better to do, Gu Cheng had bragged about how impressive and badass he was.
Like a male peacock fanning its tail, he had constantly shown off in front of Ye Ruan, posturing and trying to look cool.
Yet now, Gu Cheng had managed to misremember a route he had been told no fewer than five times.
Ye Ruan bared his little white teeth in a mocking smile. "Captain, can't get it up anymore?"
Gu Cheng clicked his tongue. "What does getting the route wrong have to do with getting it up?"
Ye Ruan shrugged and turned sideways, trying to slip away.
Gu Cheng held him by the waist, refusing to let him escape. His arms confined Ye Ruan like iron clamps.
He lowered his head and took a deep breath at the crook of Little Bunny's shoulder, as though burying his face in a cat's fur.
Little Bunny loved being clean. He always changed his clothes after killing zombies; otherwise, he felt uncomfortable all over.
Gu Cheng grew indecent again. "Why don't we test it? See who really can't perform."
"No." Ye Ruan dodged his breath, his voice growing quieter:
"You're full of wicked schemes. I'm not making a bet with you."
"No! You're slandering me, and I'm upset!" Gu Cheng mimicked Ye Ruan's tone, deliberately making his voice soft as he whined.
Ye Ruan refused to humor him. "Captain... you're so gross..."
Suddenly, Ye Ruan stiffened and didn't dare move.
Gu Cheng's sharp teeth sank into the pale stretch of skin at the back of Ye Ruan's neck.
Like a beast catching its prey, he held him motionless.
"Gu Cheng..." Ye Ruan's voice trembled.
If he had been a bristling rabbit a moment ago, now he was a boneless one, limp in the big bad wolf's arms.
"Scared?" Gu Cheng released him and pressed a soothing kiss to the tooth marks.
Ye Ruan hunched his neck. The slight pain, mingled with an unfamiliar tingling sensation, traveled down his spine and spread through his entire body.
Little Bunny's breathing was unsteady. "What are you trying to do?"
Instead of answering, Gu Cheng asked, "Do you remember Christmas three years ago?"
The subject changed so abruptly that Ye Ruan blinked. After a moment's thought, he said, "A little."
Seeing that he had relaxed somewhat, Gu Cheng continued:
"That was the first time I could remember all three teams gathering together. Unfortunately, I was having some issues with the head captain then, so I slipped out with Fang Ci and the others."
That jogged Ye Ruan's memory.
"More than a hundred people from all three teams waited for the five of you that night. I was starving!"
Ye Ruan pouted. "But the head captain said we couldn't eat until everyone was there."
Gu Cheng smiled and said gently:
"My fault. If I'd gone, we could've met sooner."
"It's not too late now."
Ye Ruan relaxed and leaned against Gu Cheng.
"If you'd gone that day, I definitely would've hated you."
"We were so hungry that day. We rushed back from our mission, then had to wait for you until midnight."
That had been the first time Ye Ruan had ever resented someone.
He had even secretly cursed him behind his back.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think the head captain would be that unreasonable."
Gu Cheng's eyes were tender as his fingers brushed the reddened rim of Ye Ruan's ear.
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