The air was still thick with the smell of blood and char.
Su Wan stood by the bed, watching Lu Shiyan.
His eyes were closed, but his brows were furrowed, and sweat plastered his hair to his temples.
The battle scene flashed back in her mind: the roar of the Mutants, Lu Shiyan's burst of flames, Xiao Han and A Mo's injuries, and Zhang Ma…
"This is really bad luck," Xiao Han leaned against the wall, his crudely bandaged left arm seeping blood.
"He's never been this crazy before."
"What do you mean?"
"He's always held back his Ability," Xiao Han pursed his chapped lips.
"Today was the first time he's acted like this."
Su Wan lowered her gaze, looking at Lu Shiyan's pale face, a lump in her chest.
Was it for everyone, or was it for… She didn't dare to think deeply.
A Mo knocked and entered, reporting softly, "The surroundings are safe, and the Mutant corpses have been dealt with."
Xiao Han nodded, "Go rest.
Su Wan and I can watch over him."
After A Mo left, the room returned to silence.
Su Wan gently wiped the sweat from Lu Shiyan's forehead with a damp towel.
Suddenly, her wrist was tightly grasped.
Lu Shiyan opened his eyes, a flicker of confusion in them, which quickly coalesced into a sharp gleam.
"Su Wan?" His voice was hoarse.
"You're awake!" Su Wan exclaimed in surprise, instinctively trying to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter.
Lu Shiyan sat up, his gaze sweeping from her swollen eyes over her entire body.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Su Wan's eyes reddened again, and she shook her head, holding back tears.
He sighed in relief, his gaze falling to her abdomen.
"What about the child?"
Su Wan touched her belly, "He's fine, he's very well-behaved."
Lu Shiyan's tense expression finally relaxed.
He released her wrist, but the moment his fingertips left, he frowned and looked at his palm.
In his palm, a faint green light flickered.
"This is…"
Xiao Han's eyes widened, "Holy crap, another one?"
Lu Shiyan gazed at the green light in his palm, gently closing his fingers.
The light swirled with his movement, then transformed into a tiny, tender leaf, hovering in his palm.
"Wood-Type Ability?"
Xiao Han's voice was filled with disbelief, "This is… triggered by an Ability breakthrough?"
Lu Shiyan closed his eyes, and the green sprout in his palm slowly dissipated.
"Probably."
Xiao Han's voice changed pitch, "This is… an Ability breakthrough with a buy-one-get-one-free deal?"
"Shut up," Lu Shiyan said coldly, then turned to Su Wan.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"About three hours."
Lu Shiyan frowned, "We can't stay here much longer."
"So where do we go next?" Su Wan asked.
Lu Shiyan was silent for a moment, "Central Base."
Xiao Han braced himself against the wall and stood up straight, "Staying here isn't an option either; God knows how many more monsters will crawl out.
The base at least has protective measures, and it's the closest base to us right now."
"Over six hundred kilometers," Lu Shiyan had already stood up, his movements slightly stiff, but he was mostly fine.
"We'll leave as soon as it's light tomorrow."
Although Lu Shiyan stood up, the stiffness in his movements did not escape Su Wan's notice.
"Are you really okay?" she pressed, unsure.
A sharp, piercing pain swept through Lu Shiyan's chest, causing him to barely perceptibly furrow his brow.
"I'm fine," his voice was still hoarse.
"It's just that my chest hurts and feels tight, a side effect of over-exhausting my Ability."
As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled two crystal-clear núcleos from his pocket.
Closing his eyes, he began to guide their absorption.
Almost instantly, a warm current surged into his palms, rapidly flowing through his limbs and bones, nourishing his body, which was nearly depleted from the overdraft of his Ability.
In just a few short minutes, Lu Shiyan's previously pale complexion visibly reddened, and his breathing became deep and steady.
He opened his eyes; the núcleos in his palms had turned to dust, sifting down.
"I feel much better after replenishing."
Xiao Han clicked his tongue, holding herbs and bandages, and walked behind him.
"You're a tough one, kid.
Turn around, let me put some medicine on that dog-bitten back of yours."
Lu Shiyan turned as he was told, revealing the hideous wound on his back.
The stinging juice of crushed herbs was applied, and his muscles tensed for a moment, but he didn't make a sound.
"Tsk, thick-skinned," Xiao Han mumbled, but his movements became much lighter.
Su Wan watched, and the stone in her heart finally lifted halfway.
As soon as it was barely light, the group was assembled.
"Is the route confirmed?" Lu Shiyan checked the firearms and ammunition.
Xiao Han pointed at the map, "We'll take this branch road.
The main roads are currently zombie tides and military activity zones."
"Get in the car," Lu Shiyan walked to her side, his voice leaving no room for doubt.
"Lu Shiyan," she couldn't help but ask, "Is the base really safe?"
"Relatively safe," he said concisely, then his gaze softened a little.
"At least better than being out here."
Su Wan nodded and followed him into the car.
The path Lu Shiyan chose was indeed secluded; they only occasionally encountered a few lone zombies, which were easily dealt with.
Nearing noon, they stopped in a clearing in the woods to rest.
Sunlight dappled through the trees.
Su Wan's thoughts stirred, and several insulated lunchboxes appeared out of thin air.
Xiao Han's eyes lit up, "Oh, a magic trick?"
Su Wan ignored him and opened the lids.
The steam from the white rice mingled with the aroma of the dishes, and there was also a portion of stir-fried noodles with a savory sauce.
The scent of food dispelled the desolation of the forest.
"Alright, Su Wan," Xiao Han unceremoniously grabbed the stir-fried noodles.
He glanced at Lu Shiyan, "Hey, what are you looking at, not hungry?"
Lu Shiyan shifted his gaze from Su Wan's face and accepted the bowl and chopsticks she offered.
Su Wan took out a small bottle of pickled radish, "This will whet your appetite."
Xiao Han slurped a mouthful of noodles, mumbling indistinctly, "Not bad, not bad, just a bit short on meat."
"You should be grateful you have anything to eat," Su Wan retorted, pushing a portion of rice and dishes in front of Lu Shiyan.
Lu Shiyan ate quietly, his movements refined, but his speed was not slow.
Su Wan also ate without ceremony.
Lu Shiyan looked up at her, then lowered his gaze and continued eating, his Adam's apple subtly bobbing.
Su Wan noticed his bowl was nearly empty and naturally added more rice for him, casually pushing the plate of sour radish towards him.
Lu Shiyan didn't speak, he just picked up his chopsticks and put a small piece of sour radish into his mouth.
Xiao Han said sourly, "In this wilderness, just escaped from death, and you two are eating like you're on vacation."
Su Wan swallowed the radish in her mouth, then looked up and glanced at him.
"If I cry like you, will the zombies just walk around us?"
Xiao Han slurped his noodles, mumbling indistinctly, "I say, how many bowls have you had already?
Isn't your appetite a bit too good?"
Su Wan?
This dog Xiao Han, why is his mouth so nasty?
She really wanted to hit him, but she couldn't win!
Lu Shiyan's eating movements were methodical.
He reached out and placed a peeled egg into the bowl in front of Su Wan.
Su Wan paused her movements, didn't look up, and continued to eat.
Her appetite had indeed been growing lately, probably because of the little one in her belly.
Besides regular meals, bread and fruit had also become her constant snacks.
After eating her fill, she would use hard-boiled eggs to fill the gaps.
The eggshells in the bowl piled higher and higher.
Xiao Han clicked his tongue twice, saying nothing more, but his gaze was like he was looking at some rare species.
Lu Shiyan watched Su Wan put an entire egg into her mouth.
Her cheeks immediately puffed out, like a hamster with its pouches full of food.
She chewed vigorously, her small chin moving with each bite.
Her lips, stained with a bit of oil from eating, now appeared exceptionally red and full.
It was a somewhat messy way of eating, yet to his eyes, it was strangely not off-putting.
The fourth eggshell cracked open.
Her eating speed wasn't fast; one could even say it was leisurely, but she just… couldn't stop.
She peeled the fifth eggshell.
Her fingertips were stained with a few crumbs of egg yolk.
Suddenly, the roar of an engine, from far to near, broke the tranquility of the forest.