The next day, Shen Jiaxue noticed that the two of them had indeed grown closer.
Even closer than when she had first met them.
Pei Yufeng even started to take on the air of an official boyfriend.
Whenever Zhang Jili came near, Pei Yufeng would look impatient and tell him to get lost, speaking with absolute righteous conviction.
However, Pei Yufeng's exact words weren't quite that impolite; his exact words were:
"Please get lost."
When Ji Zhaoxi and Pei Yufeng brought up Yan Jiasui again, Shen Jiaxue suddenly chimed into their conversation.
"Is the Yan Jiasui you're talking about a wood-element ability user?"
Ji Zhaoxi paused for a moment and nodded. "Do you know Sister Jiasui too?"
Shen Jiaxue smiled and nodded. "I probably met her right around the time the apocalypse began."
Ji Zhaoxi was incredibly surprised. "Then you've known Sister Jiasui even longer than I have.
"Did you guys accidentally get separated?"
Shen Jiaxue fell silent for a moment, her eyes curving in a smile. "You could say that."
"Well, we are going to look for Sister Jiasui right now, so you can reunite with her, Jiaxue," Ji Zhaoxi said, looking rather pleased.
Shen Jiaxue just smiled but didn't say anything more.
She definitely couldn't stay here any longer; having lost so many ability users, staying here would only put her in greater danger.
Originally, she had genuinely wanted to follow Ji Zhaoxi's group, but hearing that they were going to look for Yan Jiasui, she figured she might have to part ways halfway and find another path.
Yan Jiasui certainly wouldn't blame her; she was just that kind of person. As long as someone shed a few tears in front of her, she would forgive them, but Shen Jiaxue didn't have the face to do that.
Zhang Jili was especially excited after finding out he could follow Ji Zhaoxi and the others.
"Sister Zhaoxi, let me go release those refugees in the basement first, and then we can leave together."
"Sure."
Shen Jiaxue followed Zhang Jili down to the basement.
The ordinary people in the basement had all been raised to be human shields, and the wounds on their bodies were too numerous to count.
As soon as the basement door opened, the people squatting on the ground immediately stood up and stared intently at them.
"Everyone can leave now, you are free," Zhang Jili said with a smile.
The people inside remained motionless, just looking at them, seemingly not understanding what they were saying.
Zhang Jili patiently explained, "Brother Ping and Rat are dead. No one is controlling you anymore, you can go."
The basement plunged into a deathly silence. These emaciated refugees raised their heads, their eyes filled only with extreme panic.
"Rat is dead, what are we going to do?" a man suddenly screamed.
"Who will protect us now!"
"Who exactly killed Rat! I'll kill them!"
The swaying kerosene lamp flickered, casting dozens of twisted shadows that writhed madly on the wall. Some even picked up things from the ground and threw them at Zhang Jili.
Zhang Jili was stunned. He frantically explained, "What's wrong with everyone? This is a good thing! Isn't it good that you don't have to be human shields anymore?"
The refugees ignored Zhang Jili. Extremely suppressed whimpers spread through the air. Zhang Jili watched this scene helplessly; this was completely different from what he had imagined.
Shen Jiaxue looked at Zhang Jili, sighed, and pulled him a bit. "Let's go, don't keep them waiting too long."
Zhang Jili hesitated. "What about them?"
Shen Jiaxue said impatiently, "Who cares about them."
She frowned at Zhang Jili. "Are you coming or not? If you're not, I'm leaving."
Zhang Jili lowered his eyes and followed her without a word.
In the dark passage, Shen Jiaxue suddenly let out a laugh. "I have to say, your personality really is suited to following them."
Zhang Jili looked at her in confusion. "Who?"
Shen Jiaxue said lazily, "Yan Jiasui."
"Oh, the captain Sister Zhaoxi mentioned. Are you close with her?"
"Not close. And once you get there, you are not allowed to mention my name, you hear me?"
"I didn't hear anything..."
The sun completely set, and the temperature in the desert gradually dropped. A truck was parked behind a wind-eroded rock, with two tents wedged in the corner between the vehicle and the rock.
The fierce wind outside constantly whistled. Pei Yufeng draped his overcoat over Ji Zhaoxi and held her tightly in his arms, leaving no gaps between them.
Ji Zhaoxi was a little thirsty. She propped herself up to look for water in her backpack. Pei Yufeng made room for her by propping up his arm. They were so close that his breath practically fanned right against her ear.
Ji Zhaoxi's hands groped blindly in the dark. Suddenly, her hand accidentally bumped into a soft texture.
The atmosphere instantly went quiet.
The sensation of that patch of skin was very clear. Ji Zhaoxi's mind went blank, and she panicked, trying to pull her hand back, but a large hand clamped around her wrist.
Their heavy breathing intertwined. Ji Zhaoxi couldn't see Pei Yufeng's expression, but Pei Yufeng could see her perfectly clearly.
He didn't speak; he just used his slightly calloused fingertips to slide between her fingers, and then rubbed them extremely slowly. Her palms gradually broke out in a fine, nervous sweat.
The tip of his nose was almost touching hers. His every breath felt like it was forcefully plundering the air on her side.
The sound of someone tossing and turning suddenly came from the next tent, and Ji Zhaoxi's body stiffened.
Ji Zhaoxi felt her face burning so hot it could smoke, and she could barely breathe. She pushed him a little, but his arm tightly encircled her waist, pressing her into his embrace.
Although she couldn't see Pei Yufeng's face clearly, she could feel his gaze resting constantly on her lips, and she tried to shift away in a panic.
His heavy breaths continuously fanned across her face. He gently rubbed his nose against hers, then against her cheek, and then her chin, but he just didn't dare to approach the place he wanted to get close to the most.
The wind outside howled relentlessly. Pei Yufeng's voice carried an almost humble, breathy whisper: "Could you... kiss me..."
Ji Zhaoxi's fingers gripped his clothes tightly. The two of them remained locked in a stalemate for a good while before Ji Zhaoxi finally planted a fleetingly quick kiss on his lips.
It was gone in a flash.
But the moment she tried to pull away, Pei Yufeng's hand suddenly cupped the back of her head.
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Pei Yufeng meticulously ground against her lips. The friction between their lips and teeth made both of their scalps tingle. He kissed her deeply and fiercely, yet with a trace of careful tenderness.
Without realizing it, Ji Zhaoxi's hands bunched his clothes into fistfuls of wrinkles.
Pei Yufeng knew she was nervous, so he continuously and gently caressed her hand to soothe her. But even as he comforted her, the kiss deepened.
He methodically plundered all the warmth in her mouth. Ji Zhaoxi felt as if she was about to drown in his embrace, forced to endure this slow-paced, consuming kiss.
The sound of their intertwined lips and tongues seemed exceptionally conspicuous in the quiet tent.
