Gu Cheng had never had any shame. If he could move right then, he would have tied himself to Ye Ruan's belt and refused to leave his side.
"Please, baby? I'll listen to everything you say from now on. Once we get back, we'll take down the First Team and Second Team together and stand at the very top of the food chain."
Ye Ruan watched him for a long while, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. Then he suddenly leaned in and kissed Gu Cheng on the lips.
"No. Remember, if you see me again, pretend you don't know me."
Ye Ruan nuzzled into the crook of Gu Cheng's shoulder, just as he always did when acting spoiled.
"Be careful. I'm coming for the First Team's spot. When we meet again in a few days, I won't go easy on you."
Gu Cheng could no longer hide the vicious, unruly air surrounding him as he watched Ye Ruan turn away without mercy.
For the first time, he threatened him in an icy voice:
"Bunny, if you leave me here and run away today, I swear I'll lock you up the next time I catch you."
Ye Ruan left anyway. He gave Gu Cheng one last look without making a sound.
But Gu Cheng could tell from those clear eyes that Ye Ruan loved him too. Loved him so very much.
If he could have gone back with them and stood by their side, Ye Ruan would have wanted to.
When the Biohazard Vehicle's door closed, Gu Cheng was furious, but mostly he felt helpless.
"I guarded against everything except my own wife drugging me."
Yu Jingjing choked out, "That's what you get for showing off your relationship! Look what happened-your wife ran away!"
"Am I the only one whose brain works differently around here?"
Lu Jiayi sniffled. "What are we going to do? We're stuck here paralyzed. What if zombies come over in a bit...?"
Gu Cheng said, "Shut your jinxing mouth. Lou Yu and Song Ting weren't drugged. Besides, Bunny wouldn't use a large dose. We'll be able to move in two hours at most."
Lou Yu had indeed escaped unscathed. When he saw Gu Cheng and the others emerge around midnight and learned what had happened, he couldn't resist mocking them.
"Pathetic. You went down that easily?"
Lou Yu scoffed. "And you call yourselves an all-elite team? Talk about blowing your own trumpet!"
Li Rang couldn't resist snapping back:
"Still better than you lot! Your Second Team members bought burgers on the street during a mission, got the runs, and even clogged the place's toilet. The whole Special Person base knows about it!"
Already irritated, Gu Cheng saw the two of them about to roll up their sleeves and fight, and swore:
"Enough! I'm going after Bunny. Everyone, pack up and move out now!"
Two hours later, Ye Ruan arrived at the defensive line with Li Tuantuan and Ren Fei'er.
The iron wall towered over a dozen meters high in the darkness, like an ancient warrior clad in black armor guarding the lights of countless homes stretching for miles behind it.
As they approached the defensive line, even in the night, they could still see the monsters' mangled limbs and bloody entrails scattered across the ground inside it.
Suddenly, a dazzling beam of light engulfed Ye Ruan.
A group of people in protective suits stood atop a watchtower, looking down with guns in their hands.
Ye Ruan calmly put away his gun and raised both hands.
A moment later, the person in charge turned aside, seemingly giving an order.
After a while, a rope ladder was tossed in from the other side.
Ye Ruan hoisted Ren Fei'er onto his back and climbed over with Li Tuantuan.
"The Third Team's captain?" someone asked.
Ye Ruan nodded. "Yes. I've completed my mission. This is Commander Li's daughter, Li Tuantuan."
"Good. Thank you for your hard work. But according to regulations, you'll need to undergo a full examination."
"Of course. Sorry for the trouble. Please show us the way."
Beyond the defensive line lay Yang City. Special Persons returning from missions in City H passed through here and underwent examinations to screen out anyone who might be infected.
After spending so long in the devastated ruins of City H, Ye Ruan felt a little dazed upon returning to a clean, warm room.
"Big brother..." Ren Fei'er looked deeply nervous.
Ye Ruan took her little hand. "Don't be scared. They just want to check whether we've been bitten."
Li Tuantuan held two lollipops bigger than her face and gave one to Ren Fei'er.
"Fei'er, it's okay! I'm here. They won't bully you!"
It had been so long since Ren Fei'er had eaten such a big lollipop. She hugged it to her chest, her eyes lighting up.
The last time had been a year ago, when her mother was still alive and had bought one for her.
Ye Ruan and the two children changed into white hospital gowns, then followed a soldier into an examination room.
"Dr. Xu, sorry to trouble you with these three."
A tall, thin man in a white coat stood inside the examination room.
He turned around, looking faintly impatient. "My shift's over. I'm going home."
The soldier looked troubled. "But Dr. Xu, we leave for S City tomorrow. Everyone else has already rushed back to pack."
The man clicked his tongue. His gaze stopped on Ye Ruan, and he suddenly looked interested.
"Well, well. Where did this handsome fellow come from?"
Ye Ruan frowned. The man's brazen scrutiny made him uncomfortable.
Sensing something wrong with the atmosphere, the soldier hurriedly said, "This is Ye Ruan, captain of the Third Special Person Team."
Understanding dawned on Xu Chu. "So you're that lop-eared rabbit."
Red eyes, white hair, and remarkably pretty.
"Come on in." Xu Chu beckoned to Ye Ruan, only noticing the two little ones after he entered.
Xu Chu pushed up his glasses in surprise. "Oh? You already have two kids?"
Ye Ruan said, "..."
Xu Chu laughed. "Who's their dad?"
Ye Ruan was confused. Something felt off.
"Come sit down. I'll take some blood, then you can take the little girl behind that curtain and undress so I can check for wounds."
After drawing blood from all three, Xu Chu walked behind the curtain and gave Ye Ruan's upper body a cursory glance.
"All done."
Ye Ruan was a little surprised. "That's it?"
Xu Chu hummed. "What else?"
Ye Ruan nodded without another word. He pulled his shirt on, then crouched to help Li Tuantuan put her pants back on.
The little girl had a round belly and chubby hands and feet. She clutched her enormous lollipop, unwilling to put it down for even a moment.
As Ye Ruan bent over, his loose collar exposed a small patch of collarbone and shoulder.
Xu Chu had already looked away, but his attention was drawn back.
"How... did you hurt your shoulder?"
Ye Ruan froze, remembering that bad wolf.
The drug should have worn off by now. Perhaps Gu Cheng would be furious, or perhaps utterly disappointed?
"A spark from a White Phosphorus Bomb," Ye Ruan said.
Xu Chu raised his eyebrows. "A White Phosphorus Bomb? What idiot threw it? Didn't they know to keep it away from people?"
The black cat, who was busy packing, suddenly let out an earth-shattering sneeze.
Xu Chu picked up his medical kit. "Sit over there. I'll disinfect it and change the dressing. That wound will fester if it isn't cleaned properly."
Ye Ruan looked up at him, a trace of puzzlement flashing through his red eyes.
As the saying went, unsolicited kindness usually hid an ulterior motive.
Ye Ruan hesitated for two seconds, then declined. "No need, thank you."
Xu Chu clicked his tongue. "What, do you think I'm going to take advantage of you?"
With that, he stepped closer.
Ye Ruan truly disliked other people getting too close. His voice cooled. "I said there's no need."
The moment he finished speaking, a palm came whipping toward his face!
Ye Ruan dodged sideways, grabbed the mug on the table, and swung it at Xu Chu's head!
Xu Chu barely dodged. As he retreated to the side, he seized Ye Ruan's sleeve and gave it a vicious tug.
The pull exposed the back of Ye Ruan's neck and half his shoulder.
Several layers of white gauze were wrapped around his shoulder, already stained with blood.
Xu Chu finally saw the nape that had been hidden beneath the gauze.
There was a bruise on the snowy-white skin, with a pinprick-sized scab and a faint ring of tooth marks.
Ye Ruan was livid. His ears popped out before he could stop them, and he drew the dagger strapped to his thigh, stabbing at the man in front of him!
Xu Chu dodged clumsily. "Sorry! Handsome, we're on the same side! Isn't Gu Cheng your man?"
Ye Ruan's movements faltered, and he grew even angrier.
It wasn't wrong, so he couldn't argue.
But why couldn't he say Ye Ruan was Gu Cheng's man instead?
Xu Chu had guessed correctly. Earlier, he had caught Gu Cheng's scent on Ye Ruan and figured their relationship was far from ordinary.
He hadn't expected Gu Cheng to have already bitten him and marked his territory, though.
He chuckled.
"My name's Xu Chu. Gu Cheng and I grew up together. Whenever those pains in the ass on the First Team get sick, I'm the one who treats them."
Only then did Ye Ruan remember that Gu Cheng had mentioned knowing a doctor who was very skilled.
They had even agreed that once they returned, they would take his mother to see him.
But now...
Ye Ruan wilted, his ears drooping.
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