Um, you're not trying to bite me, are you?

[3]3: "Um, you're not planning to bite me, right?"

"Okay."

Jin Zhaoye answered, pushed herself up from the floor, and walked slowly toward the back of the shelves.

Xie Li saw she could move freely, so she didn't fuss. The woman could blow a zombie's head off with one hand—she wasn't about to worry over her.

She climbed back into the storage room, pulled on the blue work uniform she'd found earlier. The fabric was thick, a little rough against her skin.

The cuffs were a bit long, so Xie Li rolled them up once, grabbed a magazine, rolled it into a tube, pressed it against her wrist, and secured it with tape.

Once both wrists were protected, she flexed her hands. A little tight, but it wouldn't restrict movement. Just right.

She picked up two more magazines, lifted the hem of her work uniform, and tucked them against her chest.

The cold coated paper pressed against her skin, uncomfortable and lumpy. Xie Li adjusted the position, then started wrapping herself in tape from the waist down, binding herself up completely.

Finished, she hopped in place twice, unsure whether any of this would actually stop a bite.

On TV, the protagonists always did it this way, and she counted as a protagonist, right? Either way, it was better than nothing.

Xie Li slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed the Baseball Bat, and stepped out of the storage room.

Jin Zhaoye had already packed up, standing at the door with her bag on her back, ramrod straight—an aura of a true expert rolling off her.

Xie Li walked over, pointed at her own wrists, and asked, "Do you want to put some protection on too?"

Jin Zhaoye's gaze dropped from her face to her wrists, the corner of her lips curving slightly. "No need."

Her tone was flat. Xie Li had the inexplicable feeling she'd just been mocked.

Fine, fine. The world of experts was different from ordinary people like her.

Still, she glanced down at the expert's high heels and reminded her, "What about your shoes? Want to switch them out? There are new ones in the storage room—I checked, all sizes. What's your size? I'll go grab them for you."

Jin Zhaoye followed her gaze down to her own feet. She was used to wearing heels and, in the rush, hadn't thought to change.

Didn't expect this little Alpha to be so thoughtful.

She lifted her head, her gaze lingering on Xie Li's face for a moment, then nodded. "Size thirty-seven. Thanks for the trouble."

"No problem, no problem—we're all in this together!"

Xie Li waved a hand, tucked both arms in, and waddled back into the storage room like a penguin.

After rummaging through the cardboard boxes, she emerged with a brand-new pair of black Dr. Martens in one hand and a pack of socks in the other.

"Here." She handed them over. "I grabbed new socks too. Change into them while you're at it."

Jin Zhaoye slumped against the shelves, too drained to sit up properly, took the shoes and socks, and bent down to take off her heels.

Her movements were slow, every one of them looking like an effort.

Xie Li stood watching as that pale, slender arch of foot was freed from the high heel, the heel itself faintly pink—probably rubbed raw from running in heels.

The scent in the air thickened a little. She reached up and touched the back of her neck. Burning again.

Looking back at the expert, her cheeks had flushed a deep pink, beads of sweat at her temples, her fingers trembling as she pulled on the socks.

Something thudded in Xie Li's chest. This woman's condition was clearly getting worse.

Damn. Her thigh was about to give out on her.

She cleared her throat tactically and asked with concern, "Are you okay? If you're not feeling well, we can rest a while before we leave."

Jin Zhaoye shook her head with effort, her fingers tightening around the laces of the Dr. Martens, tying a neat bow.

"No need. I've rested enough."

Her bag was still over at the Auditorium. The trunk of the car had a backup high-potency Inhibitor, specially prepared for SS-grade Omegas like her.

Once she got the bag, she just had to hold out until the Parking Lot.

Jin Zhaoye exhaled a few hot breaths, forced herself to stand. The moment she straightened, her legs gave out and she pitched forward uncontrollably.

Xie Li moved fast, lunging to catch her arm. The woman in her arms was burning hot, like holding a little furnace.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Xie Li's voice wavered. One hand steadied the woman's arm, the other hovered at her waist, not daring to actually hold her.

They were both women, sure, but she—well, she wasn't exactly straight. Better not take advantage.

Jin Zhaoye leaned into the support, turning her face to rest against the little Alpha's shoulder.

Xie Li's body went rigid. She stopped breathing.

She could feel the woman's warm breath against her neck, carrying that special Omega scent, tickling her skin like a feather brushing the tip of her heart.

Crap. She was having an episode again, wanting to bite. The back of her neck was burning like it was about to catch fire, the heat searing all the way to her ears.

Xie Li felt like she couldn't hold back anymore. She shifted, trying to pull away, but the woman in her arms wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Don't move. Let me lean on you for a bit." Jin Zhaoye's voice was hoarse, a command.

Her cheek rested against the Alpha's not-particularly-broad shoulder, breathing in the pheromones drifting from the back of her neck.

Crisp green-mint, like an iced lemon soda on a summer day—impossibly thirst-quenching.

Jin Zhaoye took a deep breath. That coolness rushed in through her nose, a wind sweeping across a burning desert, and her foggy head cleared a fraction.

But within moments, the fire inside her burned brighter.

The chill of the mint couldn't douse the flames. Instead, it was oil poured on a fire—burning hotter, more searing, more unbearable.

Jin Zhaoye pressed closer to Xie Li, unconsciously nuzzling, her cheek shifting toward the back of her neck.

That was where the Alpha's gland sat, radiating the scent of green-mint. Intoxicating. She wanted to bite.

Xie Li sensed her movement, her breath catching. She looked down.

Their eyes met.

The woman's gaze was no longer clear like before. Fire seemed to burn at the bottom of her eyes, her breath hot, wrapped in a sweet fragrance that clung tight.

Xie Li forgot to look away. Jin Zhaoye didn't dodge either. The two of them simply stared at each other in silence.

"Um..." Xie Li swallowed against her tight throat, her voice trembling. "You're not planning to bite me, right?"

Jin Zhaoye closed her eyes. When she opened them again, clarity had returned. She raised a hand and pushed Xie Li away. "Let's go. Get out first."

Xie Li felt like she'd been pardoned, immediately stepping back two paces, not forgetting to grab the Baseball Bat leaning against the shelf and hand it to her. "Weapon. Don't forget it."

Jin Zhaoye took the Baseball Bat. The moment her fingertips touched the cold alloy grip, that burning inside seemed to be pressed down a little.

She gripped the bat tight, followed Xie Li's footsteps, and headed for the back door.

They passed several rows of shelves and reached the supermarket's loading bay door at the back.

Xie Li pressed herself against the door, listened carefully. No zombie roars, it seemed.

"Looks clear. I'm opening it, okay?" She looked back for confirmation.

Jin Zhaoye nodded, turning sideways with the bat in hand, signaling she was ready.

Xie Li eased the lock open and pulled the door ajar, a gap half a person wide, and peeked out.

Less than a hundred meters from the door, two supermarket employees in blue work uniforms were sprinting toward them for their lives, a massive horde of zombies in hot pursuit behind them. The sight made her scalp prickle.

The one in front spotted the open back door and immediately screamed at the top of his lungs, "Help! Help! Don't close it! Save us!"

Xie Li yanked her head back lightning-fast, slammed the door shut with a bang, turned around with her back against the door panel, and looked at the woman beside her.

"Heroine..." she started, then stopped.

"Open the door. Save them." Jin Zhaoye didn't hesitate for a second.

The boss spoke. Xie Li could only obey, pulling the closed door open again.

The two men who had already reached the door saw it reopen and sped up, scrambling and tumbling into the supermarket.

Once inside, they ran off without looking back, not bothering at all with the zombies that had caught up to the door.

"Why are you running? Help us shut the door!"

Xie Li cursed them out in fury, but only managed one sentence—the closest zombie had already squeezed into the gap.

She swung the bat and brought it down hard on that ghastly pale head.

"Thud!" A muffled sound. The zombie was knocked sideways, its head wobbling.

The forehead caved in a little, but it didn't seem affected, still bursting with life as it squeezed inside, swiping its blood-soaked claws toward Xie Li's face.

Xie Li had to dodge sideways. Sure enough, she wasn't the expert type—she couldn't crack a skull in one swing.

Jin Zhaoye's bat came in from the side. With a sharp crack, the zombie's head exploded on the spot, black-red liquid spraying out like an overripe watermelon smashed open, the stench hitting them full force.

The headless body collapsed to the ground, wedged right in the middle of the door gap. The door couldn't close anymore.

The zombies behind surged up, snarling, shoving, fingers poking into the gap, prying it wider and wider.

"Push! Block it!" Jin Zhaoye swung her bat at the hands reaching through the door.

Xie Li braced her shoulder against the door panel, using every ounce of strength she had.

But one person alone couldn't hold back the horde crashing against the door outside. The gap widened inch by inch, more and more arms reaching into the room.

"I can't do it. We can't hold it." Xie Li's face flushed red, her voice shaking as she shouted.

"Then don't."

Jin Zhaoye grabbed her arm and hauled her into a sprint back into the supermarket.

They'd only run a few meters when a massive crash came from behind—the back door burst open, and dozens of zombies poured in like a tide, knocking over shelves, snarling as they chased after them.

Xie Li was dragged along by Jin Zhaoye, barely keeping her feet, the roar of collapsing shelves and zombie snarls filling her ears.

They cut through the shelves and made it back to the storage room door.

The storage room door, which had been left open when they left, was now shut tight. Xie Li was so angry she wanted to curse. She knew it—the Apocalypse didn't reward good deeds.

If the heroine hadn't been so kind, she never would have opened the door and let those people in.

"Open it." Jin Zhaoye said coldly to whoever was inside.

Dead silence from within.

Jin Zhaoye's face darkened. She stepped back half a pace, raised her leg, and kicked the door right at the lock.

Bang! The wooden door flew open.

Two screams came from inside. Those two men were huddled in a corner, faces twisted in terror as they looked at them.

"Are you insane?" one of them—a small-eyed man with a buzz cut—shrieked. "You broke the door! Now we're all going to die!"

"We saved you out of the kindness of our hearts, and this is how shameless you are?" Xie Li wanted nothing more than to crack her bat over those two men's heads. "You didn't even help block the door, and you locked the storage room behind us!"

Jin Zhaoye didn't waste words on them. She pulled Xie Li by the hand across the threshold into the storage room, the blood-slick Baseball Bat in her other hand, her gaze sweeping coldly over the two men. "Get out."

The small-eyed buzz-cut man stuck his neck out. "Why should we? This is our supermarket."

"The outside is your supermarket too." Jin Zhaoye's words had barely fallen when the Baseball Bat in her hand came down.

The small-eyed buzz-cut man let out a wail and crumpled to the ground. The other man screamed in terror, dodged the bat, and fled.

Jin Zhaoye, drained, slumped against a stack of cardboard boxes and whispered to Xie Li, "Quick. Throw this one out and block the door."

Xie Li obeyed, hauling the small-eyed buzz-cut man and dumping him outside.

Fresh blood and flesh drew the zombies' attention. Taking advantage of the moment, Xie Li dragged over several crates of drinks and barricaded the wooden door.

Just as she finished blocking it, violent pounding came from outside—the other zombies had caught up to the door. Xie Li could only sit on top of the drink crates, bracing the door with her back, gasping for breath.

She turned to look at the heroine expert, wanting to ask what they should do next.

Instead, she saw the woman bracing both hands on her knees, her whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind, every inch of exposed skin flushed red.

Sweat streamed down from her temples, dripping onto the floor, spreading into a small dark patch.

Xie Li twitched her nose and caught that thick, heady fragrance.

Right now, the heroine smelled like ripe, overripe berries, juice overflowing, releasing an intoxicating sweet scent.