"Correct."
The moment Shen Wu's rare affirmation fell, Jiang Nuan's taut nerves suddenly loosened, and everything before her eyes warped and twisted out of shape.
She tried to brace herself against the wall, but her body lost control first, pitching forward in a dead faint.
"Watch out!"
A large hand caught her arm in a flash, yanking her falling body backward. The next second, she collided with a solid, burning-hot chest.
It was Jiang Ce.
He didn't even give her time to react. His arm tightened, and in one fluid motion, he bent down and lifted her horizontally into his arms.
The world spun.
"Put me down! I can walk by myself!" Jiang Nuan gasped, her hands instinctively clutching the combat suit across his chest.
Jiang Ce held her, his strides long and steady, completely ignoring her struggles as he marched straight toward the medical bay.
"Stop being stubborn," Shen Wu said, walking alongside them. His gaze swept over the unnatural flush on her face, his tone laced with mockery.
"She told Wen Xu'an earlier that she had a cold."
"I thought she was just making up an excuse to cover her condition."
"Turns out she wasn't lying—and she's gone and caught one for real."
Jiang Nuan didn't even have the strength to roll her eyes. She could only let Jiang Ce carry her into the medical bay with long, determined strides.
The lights in the medical bay were harshly bright. Qi Sui was already standing by the examination table.
A cold instrument pressed against Jiang Nuan's forehead. With a soft beep, a string of red numbers flashed across the screen.
"39.2 degrees Celsius."
Qi Sui swiped his fingers across the screen, pulling up a more detailed chart of her body metrics.
"Physical exhaustion, plus a fever reaction from releasing a large amount of psychic energy for the first time."
Jiang Ce's face darkened instantly. He strode over to Qi Sui in a few quick steps. "When I asked you last night, you said all her indicators were within the safe range!"
He pointed at Jiang Nuan, pale and limp on the bed, his voice laced with clear irritation.
"Is this what you call safe?"
Qi Sui unhurriedly placed the instrument back on its tray and turned to face Jiang Ce, his face still wearing that gentle smile.
"That safety threshold was set based on the average physical condition of ordinary psychics. I even lowered the trigger values to be cautious."
He walked over to the bed, reached out, and touched Jiang Nuan's burning cheek. His tone carried a hint of helplessness.
"Who would have thought our Nuannuan's physique could be this poor."
Jiang Nuan, wrapped in her blanket with only her eyes showing, felt her face grow even hotter.
She wanted to protest—after all, anyone would have been drained under last night's circumstances. But her throat was too parched to squeeze out even half a word.
Shen Wu leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching the curled-up figure on the bed.
"In a refugee zone like Sector C, where even synthetic nutrient rations are limited, what kind of foundation could you expect her to have?"
"The fact that she survived long enough to reach us already shows she's tenacious."
"Alright, all of you, get out," Qi Sui ordered without ceremony. "The patient needs rest."
The medical bay door closed, and the world finally fell quiet.
Qi Sui took two vials of medicine from the cabinet. "I've prepared some medication for you. It'll help bring down the fever and ease the fatigue."
He slowly drew the medicine into a syringe.
Jiang Nuan stared at the needle, and her stomach began to ache faintly again.
She was truly terrified of injections.
Qi Sui held her wrist, his thumb pressing gently but firmly against the pulse point on the inner bone. Beneath his fingertip, the thin vein beat rapidly and erratically.
"Relax. You already know how gentle I am."
His voice was still warm.
The cold liquid entered her body with a slight push.
Jiang Nuan felt a strange warmth spread through her veins, soothing the aching muscles. When the second dose was administered, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
She heard Qi Sui's soft voice beside her ear, carrying a hypnotic charm.
"Sleep. You'll feel better after you sleep."
She wanted to say thank you, but consciousness slipped away before the words could form.
When she woke again, the room's lights had been dimmed to a warm orange.
Jiang Nuan found herself trapped in a warm source, the faint scent of disinfectant and soap lingering around her.
She moved her sore body and realized she was lying on Qi Sui's solid arm.
???
How had she ended up in his arms?
Qi Sui was half-reclining against the headboard, holding a report in his hand. Sensing her movement, he looked down.
"Nuannuan's awake?"
Jiang Nuan tried to push herself up, but as soon as she moved, a warm hand gently pressed against her lower back.
Qi Sui's palm covered her, his fingers slowly curling along the curve of her waist, pulling her back into his embrace with unhurried ease.
"Don't move. Your fever has just gone down a little."
This human heater was wonderfully comfortable to lean on, and she was too lazy to fuss, so she simply lay back down.
With his other hand, Qi Sui set down the report and picked up a cup of water from the warming stand beside him, handing it to her.
She took it and drank in small sips.
Her fever was completely gone, and the aches in her body had mostly faded.
As expected of Qi Sui from Zero Squad.
Qi Sui put the cup back and pulled her closer, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Were you scared when you faced Wen Xu'an today?"
Jiang Nuan nestled into a comfortable position in his arms, first nodding, then shaking her head.
"He doesn't seem very strong in combat."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she laughed at herself, feeling as if she was borrowing a tiger's might.
"You're not wrong," Qi Sui laughed too, the vibration in his chest traveling through the skin where they touched.
"Our squad only cooperated out of respect for the Investigation Department. If we didn't want to, they wouldn't have any real power over us."
"You did very well. Even the captain praised you."
"But that old fox Wen Xu'an won't give up so easily."
"Since he's suspicious of you, he'll definitely find a chance to test you again."
Jiang Nuan bit her lip and deliberately softened her voice, making it clingy. "With you all here, I have nothing to fear."
It wasn't entirely an act, but it wasn't entirely the truth either.
Through her observations and interactions with Qi Sui these pastdays, she had picked up on a pattern—this man responded best to full dependence.
That fragile feeling of "I only have you" worked on him better than any defense.
Sure enough, Qi Sui's voice grew even gentler. His fingertip brushed the corner of her eye, then slowly traced down the contour of her cheek, stopping at the edge of her jaw. His thumb lightly grazed the corner of her lips.
"Don't be afraid. We're here."
"No one touches a member of Zero Squad."
Jiang Nuan's eyelashes trembled.
_A member of Zero Squad_—not a thing belonging to Zero Squad.
She wasn't sure whether she was being treated as someone to protect or as a valuable asset not to be lent out.
Perhaps, in the apocalypse, the line between the two was already blurred.
She didn't dwell on it.
Qi Sui tightened his arm around her waist, fitting her perfectly against his chest.
Jiang Nuan, still uncertain whether she could trust the embrace holding her, drifted into a deep sleep.
