A Stormy Night

In the common lounge of Group A's dormitory, a ceiling fan sent out waves of cool air, and the water dispenser held freshly boiled water. There was a sofa, a coffee table, a bar counter, a bathroom and a shower-everything one could need.

On the round table was the dinner Group A had brought Song Zhi from the cafeteria: a pan-fried steak, a small serving of vegetable salad, a bowl of cream of mushroom soup, and a few vitamin candies. It was a nutritionally balanced meal that could have been bid up to two gold bars amid the ruins of the apocalypse.

An after-dinner dessert would have made it even better. An apocalyptic Pizza Hut deluxe meal!

There was no dessert, only a cup of milky Italian coffee that Kelante had made for her. He sat across from Song Zhi as the sweet scent of milk mingled with the roasted aroma of coffee beside her hand.

The strong aroma stirred Song Zhi's memories of the shopping street outside her university. Its clean, bright windows displayed all kinds of bread and pastries, and the rich aroma of coffee drifted out from the drink shops. It all seemed so distant, yet it overlapped with the scene before her.

"Thank you," Song Zhi said softly.

She focused on the food on her plate. The steak was tender, soaked through with sauce, and tasted wonderful. The vegetable salad was fresh. Only the vitamin candies were a little sour, though that did not diminish their sweetness.

After what was a lavish dinner by her standards, she was overcome by exhaustion. She no longer wanted to talk; all she wanted was to find a place to sleep soundly.

Kelante pointed to a closed door and said kindly, "You can go rest first. I'll clean up here. The weather will be nice tomorrow, so you can go to the beach. Hill will go with you."

"Thank you."

Song Zhi thanked him again, then limped into the room. She did not know whose bedroom it was, but logically it should have been Lai'en's, since he was the one responsible for her today.

Lai'en had left after bringing her back to the dormitory, and Kelante had become temporarily responsible for her.

The room was clean and tidy. There was a single bed made up with white sheets, and a desk beside the window, its surface piled with instruments and equipment she could not make sense of.

She took off her shoes and lay down on the bed, soon drifting off to sleep. The sea breeze beat against the window. It was pleasant, a feeling of ease she had never experienced since the nuclear explosion.

The night by the sea was quiet. In her daze, she only felt an immense weight pressing down on the single bed. She lost her balance and rolled into a hard, broad, burning-hot embrace. She tried to lift her heavy eyelids, but could not see who it was because the light overhead was swaying violently.

No, it was not the light that was swaying, but the person... The world spun around her.

Her hand slipped quietly outward, only to be caught by an overly large hand. Their fingers intertwined and were pinned against the white sheet.

"Lieutenant..."

Meeting the person's deep blue eyes, Song Zhi recognized him.

Song Zhi, who had been single all her life for more than twenty years, lost every instinct to resist for the first time.

She was inexperienced and ignorant, and every reaction told the person before her that her earlier lewd behavior had been a childish performance, an attempt to wrap herself up like a hedgehog.

The hedgehog was a fake. She had no sharp spines to raise and inflict harm with, only fur that was far too soft.

Someone smoothed her fur and rubbed it over and over. A palm covered in thick calluses parted her final defenses. Unaccustomed to the intensity of the sensation, she could only whimper softly.

"Don't be afraid... Before you, Group A never took in any other target..."

He had said Group A. He meant all of them...

Song Zhi could not make sense of it, nor did she have time to understand. Her initial embarrassment and bewilderment were replaced by something indescribable.

A downpour began outside, the curtain of rain washing over the windowpanes. The storm swept through, and she sank into darkness with overwhelming exhaustion and senses in utter disarray.

When she opened her eyes again, the room was quiet and untidy. Dazzling sunlight streamed through the translucent curtains. A new day had begun.

A brand-new set of training fatigues and toiletries lay at the head of the bed. She dressed and washed up before opening the door, still feeling as though a heavy truck had run her over.

The common lounge was quiet. Only Hill sat on the sofa with his tablet, seemingly waiting for someone.

Only then did Song Zhi remember that Hill was responsible for her today.

Hill said nothing. He put down his tablet, went to the microwave by the bar, and took out a light meal: a completely handmade steak burger, a few slices of pickle and bell pepper, and a glass of milk.

The vitamin candies were indispensable.

"Eat. Your medical report says you're deficient in several vitamins and calcium, and you're anemic. You also have menstrual cramps, nearsightedness, and astigmatism... You need to reach at least a good level of health within half a month. Eat more; it's good for you."

It was the first time Song Zhi had heard Hill say so much. Though it sounded very official, like he was delivering a work report, it laid out all her vital signs a little too bluntly.

Under Hill's watch, Song Zhi ate every last bit of the food, though she found the last few strips of raw bell pepper hard to swallow.

Song Zhi was not allowed to move around until half an hour after the meal, because exercising immediately after eating could cause gastric ptosis. Hill only let her sit where she was and wait for the food to digest slowly.

But as Song Zhi remembered it, a hundred steps after a meal would let you live to ninety-nine.

Sure enough, Chinese and Western cultures still could not agree. One taught through experience, the other spoke with data. The two contradicted each other, with no common ground at all.

"Where do you want to go? You can take a walk if your physical condition permits. It's a day off today, and everyone's on vacation." Hill assessed Song Zhi's condition and made the suggestion.

"Can we go to the beach?" Song Zhi remembered the scenic beach Kelante had mentioned the day before.

"Yes."

This was Andaman Bay, like a blue gemstone set into the soft sand. The sea breeze was gentle, lifting Song Zhi's uneven short hair.

She walked slowly, limping, while Hill followed beside her with his tablet, neither too close nor too far away.

When she reached the beach, she sat down on the soft sand with one knee slightly bent and the other leg stretched out freely. Bracing her hands behind her, she leaned back a little.

Warm sunlight fell on her face, and the sea breeze stirred her hair. It was pleasant, like being on vacation.

"You really like the seaside?" Hill's voice sounded beside her. He finally put down his tablet and sat down with Song Zhi.

"It's a lifelong dream for people from inland. Sunshine, beaches, seawater, sea breezes..."

"There's a golden beach in my hometown too. It's beautiful there as well..." Hill remembered the coconut grove near his home, the setting sun, and the people playing on the beach.

"The Golden West Coast?"

"Lu said that too."

The sea breeze grew stronger, and Hill got up and urged Song Zhi to head back. On the way, they ran into Lai'en.

Lai'en's gaze moved lightly from Hill to Song Zhi, finally settling on her foot. The usual coldness was gone from his deep blue eyes. "Go back and rest. The evacuation date has been postponed."

Having received his orders, Hill hurried back, motioning for Song Zhi to keep up.

But Lai'en called Song Zhi to a stop.

"Sri Lanka is only a temporary base. You'll receive training and education there, and your assignment will be determined by the results of your various assessments. There are different kinds of assignments. Good luck."

Lai'en was simply relaying work-related information and offered no explanation. Or perhaps no explanation was needed; that had been the deal all along!

After speaking, he strode away on his long legs. When he saw that Song Zhi had not followed, he stopped and turned slightly, frowning at her. It was an expression urging her to hurry.