Safe Harbor

Song Zhi's growing estrangement from Group A gradually melted away under Kelante's attentive care, which covered everything, no matter how small.

No matter how early Song Zhi got up, a hot breakfast was always waiting on the table. No two meals were ever the same, and her cup was always filled with hot water. An Italian man actually knew that East Asian women drank hot water.

Of course, Lu Yu had listed every one of those detailed instructions. As an East Asian man, he knew everything East Asian women liked.

Five fully armed mercenaries, each carrying several kilograms of ammunition, lay in the desert, frowning over a detailed checklist. This was harder than the SSS-rank mission assigned to them by their superiors.

Hill suggested that he return to Sri Lanka first to look after Song Zhi. However, given that he had once cooked a pot of potatoes and successfully sent a teammate to the hospital, everyone voted against the suggestion.

Hill threw down his headset in a fury. Damn it! He had already learned how to make pizza.

Kelante put away the checklist, and so he was the first to return to Sri Lanka.

In fact, looking after Song Zhi was easy, like raising a kitten. She rarely asked for anything and spent most of her time studying and reading quietly. After dinner, they would walk along the beach and watch the sunset, or go to the library together to study psychology, perhaps another subject, and then drive to the supermarket to buy daily necessities.

Song Zhi filled one notebook after another with densely packed notes, a clear sign of her focus and dedication. Leaning over a desk in the library classroom, she wrote down every key point Kelante mentioned, covering the treatment of traumatic injuries and the measures taught in their medical class.

There was an assessment the following week, specifically on emergency medical care. It was very important to Song Zhi.

A gust of wind suddenly blew in from outside, sending the papers on the desk flying and tousling Song Zhi's hair.

Kelante hurried to his feet and shut the window. Looking at the dark clouds over the sea, he said, "Pack your things. We should go. It's going to rain."

Song Zhi quickly gathered the scattered papers and stuffed them into her backpack, then checked carefully to make sure all her notes were there. Seeing how efficiently she moved, Kelante smiled without realizing it. Once they had packed up, the two walked out of the library side by side.

As soon as they reached the entrance, a fierce wind whipped up, carrying the salty smell of seawater into their faces. The once-blue bay had turned pitch-black, and heavy raindrops came pattering down, splashing against the ground.

Kelante took off his coat, held it over Song Zhi's head, and pulled her toward the parking lot at a run.

The wind along the coast grew fiercer, and the thick black clouds sank lower and lower. Before long, the sky went completely dark.

"The power will go out tonight. This kind of extreme weather is awful. Are you all right?" Kelante asked as he drove, glancing at Song Zhi in the passenger seat.

"I... I'm okay..."

The car sped along, finally pulling up outside the apartment just as the downpour struck the surface of the sea.

Kelante jumped out of the car, opened Song Zhi's door, and helped her out. Sheltering her in the crook of his arm, he rushed into the apartment with her.

The apartment door shut, and the downpour arrived as expected.

The chandelier flickered and finally went dark. The red light beside the ceiling fan went out too.

Song Zhi changed into clean pajamas and curled up on the lounge sofa, listening to the wind howl outside the tightly shut windows. The cushion beside her sank as Kelante sat down next to her.

"Why aren't you going to bed yet?" Kelante opened his arms naturally and wrapped them around Song Zhi.

"Will Sri Lanka always be this peaceful?" Song Zhi listened to the raging wind outside, a faint unease in her heart.

"No. Since the nuclear explosion, there hasn't been anywhere on this planet that's safe all the time... Sri Lanka is safe for now, but it might be attacked some night. Just like us: the whole squad is resting now, but the next moment we could receive mission orders, and there's no knowing where we'll be after daybreak."

Kelante's voice sounded a little tired. His amber eyes slowly closed in the darkness as he let his mind go blank for a moment. Then they snapped open again, and he once more held everything in the palm of his hand.

"If war breaks out here again... where will people evacuate to?" Song Zhi tilted her head up to look at Kelante in the darkness.

"Australia, the Americas, maybe Northern Europe... or perhaps the Mediterranean Sea... It's also possible no one will survive..." Kelante held Song Zhi tighter, casually naming a few places before staring deeply into her eyes. "We won't leave you behind..."

"I'm not worried... mm..." Song Zhi's eyelashes trembled slightly in the darkness, but Kelante caught it.

She was afraid.

Kelante moved his strong hand to Song Zhi's waist and pulled her onto his lap. She sat astride him, and before she could finish speaking, he gently covered her mouth.

"Don't think about it so much. You've survived already, haven't you?"

Kelante kissed her forehead, his warm lips resting gently against it.

Song Zhi had nowhere to hide and could only respond face-to-face, with nowhere to put her hands.

Kelante soon ended the kiss and gently rubbed the top of Song Zhi's head.

"They'll be back soon... I need you to focus and not let other things distract you, okay? Study hard and live well."

"Mm." Song Zhi leaned against Kelante's chest and nodded with a muffled reply.

"Go to bed." Kelante let go of Song Zhi.

Song Zhi slid off Kelante's lap and made her way back to her room in the dark. The door closed, and she returned to bed. Listening to the wind and rain outside, she curled up under the covers, temporarily and relatively safe, like a little wooden boat resting in a sheltered harbor.

And the Group A Special Task Squad was that "sheltered harbor."

After Song Zhi returned to her room, Kelante pulled a cigarette from his pocket. His lighter clicked sharply in the dark, and he lit the cigarette, then sank into the sofa with it between two fingers.

The storm passed overnight, and the next day the sky was clear and blue, blending into the sea at the horizon.

Song Zhi got up late, her head still a little foggy, and walked out in her pajamas. The lounge was quiet. A sandwich and a glass of milk sat on the table, with a sticky note beside the glass.

It was from Kelante: Remember to eat breakfast. I have a mission over the next few days. When it's over, I'll come back and take you to your exam. Study hard.

Song Zhi put the note away and sat down. The milk had gone cold and needed reheating. As she opened the microwave, she heard a door open and someone come out of another room.

Song Zhi turned and saw Hill leaning against the doorframe in loose casual clothes, staring intently at her.

"Hill?"

Song Zhi spoke in surprise, her eyes showing only surprise, not delight.

"Did you sleep until now? Heh... Kelante spoils you too much." Hill looked Song Zhi up and down, his gaze far from friendly.

Song Zhi's thin nightdress offered no barrier against Hill's blatant gaze. It was too fierce! Without even bothering with the milk in the microwave, she clutched her collar and hurried back to her room.

As she passed Hill and his icy gaze, he grabbed her wrist and said sarcastically, "Is that what you're wearing?"

"I thought no one was home. I'll go back to my room and change right now." Song Zhi pried his hand away with all her strength, though Hill wasn't actually holding her tightly.

Free again, Song Zhi hurriedly opened her door and slipped inside. Just as it was closing, a hand in a tactical glove caught the edge of the door and stopped it, its grip astonishingly strong.

"Hey! Tell me what happened last night." Hill's voice came from outside the door, playful and teasing.

Song Zhi leaned her whole body against the door, trying to hold it shut with her slender frame. Her subconscious told her she must not let Hill in.

"Hm?" Hill sounded a little impatient.

"Last night... there was a storm, and then the power went out..." Song Zhi didn't want to anger him, so she answered quietly.

"I mean after the power went out... What did that Italian man do to you? Your ECG readings fluctuated last night."

Hill pushed slightly on the door, opening a wide gap. His voice grew clearer. "Do you need me to help jog your memory?"