Jin Zhaoye Gave Her Flowers — How Is That Different from a Proposal?

Jin Zhaoye voluntarily giving her flowers — how is that different from a proposal?

Xie Li looked at the woman's long lashes, and her soft lips that carried the scent of white tea. Her mind went completely blank, with only one thought echoing: how could this woman be so unfair? She cursed the woman for being a little pervert, yet still kissed her like that? Who could withstand that? Xie Li certainly couldn't. She reached up and wrapped her arms around the woman's slender waist, her palm pressed against the curve of her hip, pulling her closer, and parted her lips in response. Her tongue slipped out, slowly licking the softness of Jin Zhaoye's lips. When Jin Zhaoye couldn't hold back and parted her lips, Xie Li took the chance to slip inside, catching her tongue and tangling together.

This storage room was no stranger to either of them. Their first kiss had also been in the storage room, when Jin Zhaoye was still in heat, burning with fever and half out of her mind. They had held each other like this too, lips and tongues entwined, lost in passion. Both of their pheromones were getting out of control — the green mint and white tea cedar were twining and merging in this storage room.

The rustling outside the door continued; those Mutated Flying Fish hadn't gone far. The two inside grew more entangled. Xie Li's hand had already slipped inside the woman's shirt hem, sliding along the firm waistline, gently caressing.

Jin Zhaoye's hand on the back of Xie Li's neck applied a little force,捏着她退后了几分. Xie Li obeyed and pulled back, lowering her gaze to the woman's reddened lips, kissed somewhat swollen, with a hint of moisture, like ripe cherries. Her gaze lingered there as she swallowed her dry throat. Suddenly she really wanted cherries. She wondered whether cherries were grown from seeds or from saplings — she'd have to figure out how to dig a cherry tree into the Space.

Jin Zhaoye bit her lower lip and shot her a reproving look: "That's enough!" Xie Li pressed her lips together and looked away. Her hand on the woman's waist quietly shifted — she couldn't bear to take it back, continuing to rest there若无其事. Jin Zhaoye warned her with her eyes. Only then did Xie Li obediently retract her hand.

Their bodies remained pressed close, leg against leg, lower belly against lower belly, and the rising and falling rhythm of their breaths. Even without kissing, the atmosphere remained ambiguous. Xie Li raised her head as high as she could, studying the cardboard boxes in front of her, examining the blurry text on them. She didn't dare look down — otherwise, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to resist leaning in to kiss Jin Zhaoye again, and when the other person got angry, she'd get hit.

They stayed in the storage room for over half an hour. The rustling outside gradually faded. Waiting another ten minutes to confirm the Mutated Flying Fish were really gone, Jin Zhaoye lowered her voice: "We should be able to go out now. "Okay." Xie Li leaned against the door, fumbling along the door panel, finding the door handle and turning it open. She stepped back and exited the storage room, separating from Jin Zhaoye.

They had been holding each other for too long. Suddenly separated, this area of her chest felt cool and drafty — she wasn't used to it. Jin Zhaoye stepped out of the storage room and went to the shop entrance. She pressed her ear against the glass door to listen — it was very quiet outside. She turned back and instructed in a low voice: "After going out, lighten your movements and run toward the market exit." Xie Li nodded. Together with Jin Zhaoye, they slipped out of the shop and ran lightly toward the outside.

They got out of the farmer's market gate without incident. At the entrance, they split up — Jin Zhaoye went to the Convenience Store to pick up Lan Ran and Xiaobao. Xie Li went ahead to the pickup truck, took some supplies from the Space and placed them in the truck bed, together with the medications they had collected.

After placing the items, Xie Li stood by the truck waiting. Soon after, Jin Zhaoye came running over carrying Xiaobao, with Lan Ran. Xie Li took the child from Jin Zhaoye's arms. They got in the car and started driving toward the train station.

More than half an hour later, the pickup stopped outside the train station. Getting out of the car, Jin Zhaoye and Xie Li carried the supplies they had brought back. Lan Ran held Xiaobao. They walked toward where the train was stopped.

Xiaobao, who had slept the entire way, finally woke up. She nestled in Lan Ran's arms, rubbing her eyes and looking around: "Ran Ran jiejie, where are we going?" The little girl's voice was soft and sweet, with a nasal tone from just waking up — absolutely adorable. "We're taking Xiaobao to ride the train," Lan Ran answered in a low voice. Hearing this, the little girl's voice couldn't help rising slightly as she excitedly said: "Xiaobao has ridden a train before, with Mama." She spread her two little hands to gesture: "The train was so long, so long, with so many seats, and so much delicious food—"

Lan Ran quickly raised her index finger to the little girl's lips: "Shh, Xiaobao, what did jiejies tell you before we came out? Do you remember?" Xiaobao's two little hands overlapped, covering her own mouth. A muffled voice leaked through her fingers: "I remember, can't talk too loudly, or those ugly monsters will come. Sorry, Xiaobao forgot just now." Xie Li turned back and smiled at the little girl: "It's okay, just remember next time." "En! Xiaobao will remember." The little girl nodded vigorously, her hand still tightly covering her mouth.

Jin Zhaoye found it amusing and said gently: "Xiaobao doesn't need to cover her mouth anymore. There are no ugly monsters here now." "Hehe, the pretty jiejie is the best." "Hey hey hey, why is it pretty jiejie when it's Jin Zhaoye?" Xie Li complained discontentedly. "Because the pretty jiejie is pretty." Xiaobao said innocently.

Xie Li turned back and pinched the little girl's cheek: "You little thing, you're playing favorites?" "Ran Ran jiejie, help..." Lan Ran held her and took a step back, escaping from Xie Li's clutches.

With the little girl adding chatter, the return journey became much lighter.

The sun gradually slanted westward. The setting sun set the horizon ablaze with red, the clouds edged with gold, layer upon layer spreading into the distance. Their shadows were stretched long by the setting sun, slanting投射 onto the endless tracks.

The wild grass by the road swayed in the evening wind. Occasionally, a little girl's clear laughter drifted in the wind.

Without them noticing, the train engine appeared in their line of sight. It sat quietly on the tracks, with some people scattered around the engine. Zhou Yu and Liu Zhaoyang were among them. When they saw the returning group, they quickly reached out to take the supplies, but Jin Zhaoye waved them off. "You're still injured, get some rest." Jin Zhaoye and Xie Li returned to the train and unloaded the supplies from their backs.

Bai Jingning, who was also outside getting some air, heard the commotion and turned around. Seeing the little girl in Lan Ran's arms, her gaze softened: "Dr. Jin, you went out to collect supplies and also brought back a child?"

Before Jin Zhaoye could respond, Xiaobao poked her head out of Lan Ran's arms and, with those black grape-like eyes, stared at Bai Jingning. She奶声奶气地打招呼: "Pretty jiejie, hello." Bai Jingning's heart bloomed at being called pretty jiejie. Her smile became more genuine. She reached out and touched the little girl's cheek: "Hello, what's your name?" "Xiaobao!" The little girl covered her own little mouth, saying loudly yet softly at the same time. "Good girl, jiejie will give you cookies." Bai Jingning took a packet of cookies from her pocket and handed it to Xiaobao. "Thank you jiejie." Xiaobao took the cookies and smiled, her eyes squinting as she thanked her softly.

Bai Jingning waved at her, then looked at the group with concern: "You had a hard time on the trip.正好, dinner should be almost ready. Get on the train and rest, and then we can eat."

......

Soon, an enticing aroma drifted from the makeshift stove beside the train car. The stove was built from broken bricks, with a large iron pot on top. Steam was escaping from the gaps in the pot lid, mixing the salty fragrance of cured pork and the scorched aroma of potato锅巴, making one's mouth water.

Originally, there had been six cafeteria ayis who escaped from the school, but only two remained. Pang Ayi was still among them. After a whole night's rest, the two ayis were now full of energy again, standing by the stove and calling everyone to eat.

Pang Ayi wielded a large spatula in the pot, flipping up the锅巴 from the bottom, mixing the rice and vegetables evenly.

Xie Li joined the queue waiting for food. When it was her turn, Pang Ayi gave her a full bowl, hiding a few extra pieces of cured pork at the bottom: "Eat more, you children are still growing." "Thank you, ayi." Xie Li held the bowl and asked one more question, "Ayi, did we bring the pot when we escaped? I don't have any impression of it." "No, we didn't." Pang Ayi handed the spatula to the sister beside her, put her hands on her hips, and began to narrate vividly. "This afternoon, I went with Bai Zong's people to a nearby village to find this pot. For this pot, Ayi also killed several Zombies. That guy..."

Once Pang Ayi started talking, it was like an endless river. Xie Li reasonably suspected that someone else must have asked before, otherwise Pang Ayi's lines wouldn't flow so smoothly — there was even a beginning, development, climax, and conclusion. She was really a good storyteller.

After finally listening to Pang Ayi finish her story of outsmarting three Zombies and bravely seizing the big iron pot, Xie Li held her bowl and walked dejectedly to sit beside Jin Zhaoye. She buried her head in her rice.

Jin Zhaoye held her bowl, glanced at her sideways, and the corner of her mouth curved: "Why are you suddenly unhappy? Don't you like talking to the ayi?" "No, I like it." Xie Li shook her head with puffed cheeks. "It's just that my rice has been wilted by the ayi's story." "You're more wilted than the rice." Jin Zhaoye teased. "So I have to eat quickly." Xie Li scooped a mouthful of rice into her mouth. "Otherwise the ayi's saliva will mix with my rice."

A full bowl of rice, finished in just a few minutes. Xie Li even scraped the grains at the bottom clean. Jin Zhaoye, seeing her eat so happily, looked down at the rice still remaining in her own bowl — most of it — and passed it over: "I still have some here. Do you want it? Before my saliva mixes into the rice."

Xie Li looked at the bowl she offered. There was quite a bit of rice left, and several pieces of cured pork as well. She swallowed and asked: "Are you full?" "Eat. I'm not very fond of the taste of cured pork, and this rice is too dry. I can't finish it." "Then I'll eat it." Xie Li didn't stand on ceremony, took the bowl, and ate it big mouthfuls.

At this time, wasting food was definitely shameful. So it was perfectly normal for her to help finish Jin Zhaoye's rice. She just didn't know why Jin Zhaoye's bowl seemed a bit more fragrant than her previous one.

After dinner, Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye returned to the train engine as usual. Lan Ran held Xiaobao and waved at the two: "The engine is too crowded. You two go sleep. I'll go to the back carriage with Xiaobao." "Okay, keep an eye on Xiaobao." Xie Li followed with two bottles of water. After the two were settled, she returned alone to the engine.

Jin Zhaoye was sitting in the driver's seat. Xie Li sat beside her.

There was no moon tonight. It seemed to be blocked by clouds, and even the stars were scarce. Only a few fireflies fluttered in the grass.

The carriage had been晒了一整天, both stuffy and hot, plus the ubiquitous mosquitoes. Xie Li was being tormented endlessly. She didn't know if these mosquitoes had also mutated — one bite and a huge swelling would appear, both itchy and painful. Xie Li felt hot and itchy all over.

Just as she was scratching seriously, Jin Zhaoye suddenly spoke: "Bai Zong told me this afternoon that sixteen people died, buried just nearby."

Xie Li's scratching paused. She turned to look at Jin Zhaoye: "Was it from being bitten by the Mutated Flying Fish yesterday?" "En. Those people were too severely injured. They kept running fevers and couldn't survive."

Xie Li didn't know what to say. That's how the Apocalypse was — human lives were too cheap. She thought for a moment and asked: "If you're in a bad mood, do you want to take a bath?"

Jin Zhaoye had her eyes closed and was leaning against the chair, with no intention of responding at all. In this hot weather, after running outside for two days, it would be strange not to want a bath.

Xie Li didn't mind her silence and continued on her own: "I'll get some water for you. Let's both wash up." She reached up and scratched — her hair had clumped together, impossible to untangle. It wasn't just dust, but also some congealed bloodstains. "There's no hairdresser now. Otherwise I'd want to cut my hair short. It's so uncomfortable not being able to wash every day." "Want me to cut it for you?" Jin Zhaoye asked. "It's just that after cutting, the hair clippings falling on your body might be very itchy." "It's fine. I can bathe after cutting. You won't make me look ugly, right?" Xie Li was a bit worried. Fu Yunsheng was quite good-looking — well, actually very good-looking. If she lost her hair and couldn't pry loose the corner anymore, that would be a loss.

Jin Zhaoye said: "Comrade Xie Li is good-looking, so short hair should also look good."

Xie Li hesitated, but still shook her head: "Let's wait until there's a hairdresser among the survivors."

Jin Zhaoye was just speaking casually. Since Xie Li didn't want to, she wouldn't force. "You have a lot of water?" Xie Li nodded: "Anyway, it's enough for you to bathe for a lifetime. Do you want to wash?" "Wash!" Jin Zhaoye answered without hesitation, not a single word of doubt. She had long been unable to stand the sticky feeling on her body. "Cold shower, afraid of the cold?" "No."

Xie Li stood up and fiddled behind the seat. She took out a bathtub from the Space. With her palm facing down toward the bathtub, a continuous stream of clear water flowed from her palm into the bathtub, quickly filling more than half of it.

After filling the water, she very considerately took out a folding rack and placed the shampoo, bath soap, clean bath towel, and change of clothes that Jin Zhaoye would need on the rack. "You wash your hair first. When you're done, I'll change the water for you." "Thanks." "No need to be so polite." Xie Li kept her company, passing her the towel, shampoo, and so on.

After Jin Zhaoye finished washing her hair, Xie Li helped change the water in the bathtub, then turned and walked out of the engine.

The night breeze brushed past, bringing a hint of coolness, well easing the summer night's stuffiness. Although there were still many mosquitoes and bugs, it was much more comfortable than being stuffy in the carriage.

Xie Li closed the car door, put her hands in her pockets, looked up at the sky, then looked at the carriages behind. Not far from that carriage, more than a dozen people were buried. Just a day ago, those more than a dozen people had fled together with them.

If someone had told her before she transmigrated that there were more than a dozen corpses nearby, Xie Li would have been frightened. Now she felt nothing. Corpses — she saw them every day, cut them every day. She had gotten used to it.

The sound of water in the engine came intermittently, passing through the car door into Xie Li's ears.

Xie Li scratched her ear, not sure if she had been bitten by a mosquito — it was hot and swollen, making one feel irritable. She took a piece of chewing gum and put it in her mouth, chewing forcefully until her jaw ached, forcing herself not to listen to the sounds of someone bathing.

After slapping dozens of mosquitoes outside, Jin Zhaoye's voice finally came from the engine. "Xie Li, I'm done."

Xie Li turned around and opened the door to walk in.

The engine was no longer stuffy but occupied by cool, moist air. The damp, cool moisture hit her face, like the fine spring rain of Jiangnan in March. Unlike spring rain, the moisture in the engine also carried the scent of white tea cedar — even nicer.

Xie Li tried not to look sideways as she walked to the bathtub. With a casual wave, the water in the tub disappeared. She reached out again, and new clear water gushed out, filling the bathtub.

Jin Zhaoye was sitting in the driver's seat, holding a towel, drying her wet hair. The tips of her hair dripped water, falling drop by drop onto her shoulder, wetting a small patch of the clean T-shirt she had just changed into.

Watching Xie Li busy herself, she sighed: "It's so convenient for you like this. You can bathe whenever you want."

Xie Li turned back. Her gaze swept quickly over that exposed fair neck, half-joking and half-sincere: "If you want, you can be this convenient too."

Jin Zhaoye didn't take the bait. She stood up holding the towel: "You bathe. I'll go out and guard for you." She finished, pushed the car door, and walked out.

Xie Li looked at the figure背对着她outside the car door. In a few swift moves, she stripped naked and sat in the bathtub, submerging even her head in the water.

After giving herself a good bath, Xie Li climbed out of the bathtub, dried the water stains on her body, got dressed, and with a casual wave, all the messy things in the carriage were collected into the Space.

She pulled open the door and walked out.

Jin Zhaoye had her elbow propped on the railing. Her hair had been dried by the night wind, gently draped over her shoulders, floating lightly with the wind.

Hearing the sound, she turned her head to look.

Xie Li walked to her side, disposed of the used bathwater, raised both hands above her head, and stretched. "So comfortable. Taking a cold shower, then blowing in the night wind — it feels like the soul has ascended. All fatigue is gone." "If we could have some grilled skewers and crayfish with cold beer, it would be even more升华," Jin Zhaoye lightly added.

Xie Li couldn't help teasing: "Dr. Jin, a goddess like you, also loves grilled crayfish?" Jin Zhaoye said seriously: "As long as it's a carbon-based life form, no one can escape eating, drinking, and excretion. Moreover, from ancient times to the present, eating has always been ranked first by people." "Dr. Jin is right. Without food, humans really will starve. But there's no grilled skewers. I can, however, bring two cups of cold beer."

Xie Li mysteriously spread her hand in front of Jin Zhaoye: "Come, this lucky guest, blow a breath onto my palm, and then you can get the thing you want most."

Jin Zhaoye cooperatively leaned down and blew a breath onto her palm. Her breath was somewhat hot, landing on Xie Li's palm that had just soaked in cold water. That warmth was particularly obvious.

Xie Li curled her fingers, cleared her throat, and provided her own accompaniment: "Watch carefully, don't blink. Watch me perform a big beer trick."

Before the words finished, a can of cold beer still frosted appeared in her palm.

Jin Zhaoye's eyebrows curved slightly. She reached out and took it: "If you had performed this magic trick a few days earlier, I might have really been surprised." "Too bad! I actually missed such a good way to seduce women." Xie Li shook her head in mock regret. In her palm appeared another can of beer. She pulled the tab, and the cold beer made a hissing sound. The malt fragrance wafted from the bottle opening.

Jin Zhaoye couldn't be bothered with her nonsense. She pulled the tab and took a big gulp of cold beer. The beer was very cold, with a hint of malt sweetness and chocolate bitterness. One swig went from her throat to her stomach, dispelling the summer heat.

Xie Li held the can and shook it toward her: "You, why are you drinking without toasting?" "Sorry, I'm used to it." Jin Zhaoye held the can and casually clinked it with Xie Li's under the night sky.

Xie Li held her glass, her gaze falling on her. She said solemnly: "May we still be alive tomorrow." "May we still be alive tomorrow."

......

The next day, Xie Li was woken up by knocking not long after dawn. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked toward the door. Jin Zhaoye, who had been sleeping in the main driver's seat, also woke up. She propped against the seat back and stood up, walked to the door, and pulled it open. "Ning Meng, what's wrong?"

Ning Meng didn't answer. She carried her young general on her back, placed him in a chair, lifted the blanket covering Fu Yunsheng, and showed it to Jin Zhaoye. "Dr. Jin, last night at midnight, I noticed that the young general had grown some strange scales. By this morning, there were even more of them."

Xie Li put down her hand that was rubbing her eyes and leaned down to look. Fu Yunsheng was only wearing a black sports bra, with bandages wrapped around her waist. On that exposed skin, black scales were faintly visible. One by one, spreading from her collarbone to her shoulders and neck, glistening in the morning light with a dark sheen. They looked extremely cool, as if she was about to dragonize.

Xie Li was astonished. Was Fu Yunsheng absorbing some gene from the Mutated Flying Fish and starting to evolve? What kind of逆天金手指compensation mechanism was this??? Because the golden finger had been stolen by her, a cannon fodder, so Fu Yunsheng was going to walk ahead of all of humanity and start the path of evolution?

Jin Zhaoye reached out and pressed the scales on Fu Yunsheng's body. The scales were warm, pressed against the skin, as if they had grown directly out of the flesh. Her brow couldn't help furrowing. She looked at Ning Meng: "When did you discover this last night?" "Last night at midnight. I heard the young general moaning and thought she was about to wake up, so I went to take a look," Ning Meng replied.

Jin Zhaoye analyzed: "They look somewhat like fish scales, but not like fish — there's no mucus on the surface. I can't tell the specifics. We'll still need to wait until we return to the Base and have the equipment for a comprehensive examination."

Xie Li spoke beside her in a hollow voice: "I think there's no need for an examination. Young General Fu clearly looks like she's about to evolve or awaken. Wait — she should be waking up soon."

Her words hadn't even finished when Fu Yunsheng, lying on the chair, opened her eyes. Those eyes had become vertical pupils, with a flash of eerie green light, like the fluorescence emitted by deep-sea plankton. They looked extremely enchanting, yet also carried a hint of ancient creature's pressure.

The green light only lingered for a moment before quickly disappearing. Fu Yunsheng's eyes returned to normal human pupils.

Xie Li couldn't help raising her hand and slapping her own mouth. She had called it — a mouth that spoke no good but was accurate for bad things.

Jin Zhaoye shot her a reproving look. Xie Li blinked innocently at her.

"Young general, how do you feel?" Ning Meng carefully asked beside her.

Fu Yunsheng lowered her gaze to look at the scales on her own body, reached out to touch them. The next second, all those scales retreated into her skin and disappeared.

"Is there water?" she asked hoarsely.

Jin Zhaoye dug out a bottle of water from her backpack, opened the cap, and handed it to her. Fu Yunsheng took it and drank it all in one breath. She put down the empty bottle and stood up, propping against the driver's console. With just a light push, she left a palm print on the console.

Both Jin Zhaoye and Ning Meng were surprised. Only Xie Li remained calm. She knew — the protagonist survives death and definitely gets an overpowered ability.

She couldn't be bothered watching Fu Yunshing unlock her overpowered ability in the cramped carriage. She pushed the car door open and walked out.

Today's weather wasn't very good — overcast, looking like it was about to rain. The survivors in the back carriage had also woken up. A few stood by the tracks, and someone was even squatting on the ground brushing teeth and rinsing.

Breakfast was still handled by Pang Ayi. She stood by the big pot, stirring the noodles inside.

Xie Li found an empty spot on the tracks and sat down. She took a small bottle of mouthwash from her pocket, opened it, and took a mouthful. It was mouthwash, but she drank it with a few shades of drowning sorrows.

After gargling a few times and spitting it out, Xie Li wiped the water residue at the corner of her mouth. She cupped her cheeks with both hands, looking at the green grass with dew by her feet, lost in thought.

Soon after, someone else sat down beside her.

Jin Zhaoye touched her shoulder and asked softly: "Why did you run out without a word?" "You were chatting, and it had nothing to do with me." Xie Li's voice was muffled.

She cupped her cheeks with both hands, her cheeks puffed up, her mouth pouting like a grumpy blowfish.

Jin Zhaoye leaned down and picked a small yellow flower from beside the tracks. "Little blowfish, here's a little flower for you. Cheer up?"

Xie Li looked at the little yellow flower in her palm. The petals had some morning dew, sparkling. She reached out and pinched the little flower, twirled it around on her fingertip. A smile couldn't help but appear at the corner of her mouth. "Is this how you cheer people up?" "I have a niece, a year older than Xiaobao. She loves little red flowers the most." Jin Zhaoye propped her cheek, tilted her head looking at her, her tone completely serious. "I think you're about the same age, Comrade Xie. You should also like little flowers." "You're comparing me to a three-year-old? I don't like little flowers at all." Xie Li said she didn't like it, but her body was honest — the little yellow flower had already been quietly put into the Space.

Jin Zhaoye voluntarily giving her flowers — how is that different from a proposal?

Jin Zhaoye looked at the unstoppable smile on Xie Li's face but didn't expose it.

They sat side by side. The wind blew, and their long hair,散开着, was blown together.

Xie Li reached out to grab back her hair strands and asked quietly: "She woke up. Are you going to keep your distance from me again?" "When have I kept my distance from you?" "That time." Xie Li started bringing up old grievances. "At school, you called me that survivor classmate."

Jin Zhaoye was stunned by what she said. She didn't expect Xie Li to remember such a small thing for so long. "They didn't know you at the time. I just said you were a survivor classmate." "Then why didn't you call that one in the military uniform? You only called me survivor classmate." "Are you talking about A Yun or Ning Meng?" "Oh~ A Yun~~" Xie Li mimicked her tone sourly, making Jin Zhaoye glare at her.

She could only change the topic: "You think, in this situation, is the pre-Apocalypse engagement still valid?" "Based on the current situation, no legal provisions have binding force anymore, let alone a verbal engagement."

Xie Li turned to look at her, her eyes bright: "Then your engagement, is it also invalid?" "Alright, Pang Ayi is calling everyone to eat breakfast. Let's go over there." Jin Zhaoye stood up, brushed the dust off her pants, and went toward the stove first.

Xie Li watched the woman's receding figure. She couldn't say she wasn't disappointed, but she wasn't discouraged either. Twenty-plus years of feelings — how could she pry it loose in such a short time? Take it slow!

......

During breakfast, everyone in the team learned that Young General Fu, who had been unconscious for many days, had finally woken up.

Just one hour after waking up, Fu Yunsheng naturally took over command of the team. No one had objections. Those with objections, like Xie Li, didn't have much say.

Jin Zhaoye, Bai Jingning, and Fu Yunsheng entered the engine. Not long after, Ning Meng came to inform everyone to return to the carriage — the team was continuing on to the military Base.

The engine position was理所当然 taken by Fu Yunsheng and the others. Xie Li could only pick up her backpack and return to the back carriage, sitting together with Lan Ran and Xiaobao.

The smell in the carriage wasn't very pleasant. So many people, the smell of sweat and blood mixed together, fermenting in the stuffy carriage, making one feel nauseous.

"You sit by the window. This side can get some air." Lan Ran bumped Xie Li's shoulder with hers, asking her to switch positions.

Xie Li shook her head and refused: "No need. You're still injured. Get more fresh air." "Gift jiejie smells nice, not stinky at all." Xiaobao blinked her big eyes, poking her head out of Lan Ran's arms,奶声奶气地说, "Ran Ran jiejie is stinky."

Lan Ran leaned in and sniffed: "Right, why do you still have the smell of bath products on you? Did you secretly take a bath?" "Shut up." Xie Li pushed her face away lightly. "Sister is naturally beautiful and has natural fragrance. Alright, I'm sleepy. Sleeping."

Lan Ran hesitated, but still leaned in closer and lowered her voice: "You and Dr. Jin — do you two have something going on?" She felt that that night shouldn't have been a dream, but something she really saw.

Xie Li closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. "Actually, if it's you, I would still support you and my goddess blindly. It's just that stealing someone from Young General Fu is a bit difficult."

Xie Li didn't want Lan Ran to get involved — it was too dangerous. Everyone was cannon fodder. Trying to steal someone from the female lead would definitely bring bad luck. It was better for her to handle this kind of thing herself. She lowered her voice and replied: "I know. We don't have anything. Get some rest."

"Alright." Lan Ran closed her mouth and held Xiaobao, leaning against the window, watching the scenery continuously passing by.

The train clattered along the tracks. Most of the passengers in the carriage had fallen into a deep sleep. Just then, the carriage suddenly shook violently, the entire carriage晃动 like it had suddenly switched to roller coaster mode.

All the backpacks on the luggage rack fell down, hitting the seats, hitting everyone's heads. A scream erupted in the carriage.

Many people were thrown out of their seats, rolling like gourds toward the bottom of the carriage, one after another, piled together.

Xie Li, who had been closing her eyes and pretending to nap, reacted extremely quickly. The moment the car shook, she opened her eyes, grabbed the seat armrest with one hand, and reached out with the other, tightly gripping Lan Ran's wrist.

Her arm发力, pulling her back and tucking her into the seat back to secure her. "Hold on."

She turned to look out the window and realized the angle wasn't right. Those fields, trees, and telephone poles were no longer in their original positions.

She lowered her head to look toward the engine direction. Only then did she see something.

The entire carriage was tilted up. They were at the tail of the carriage, sticking high up in the air.

"Gift, what's happening?" Lan Ran was still缩在the seat back, a bit dizzy, not understanding the situation. "The train seems to have flipped. Wait here, I'll go check." Xie Li pushed open the window, climbed out gripping the window frame, and looked at the distance to the ground — about ten meters. She gave up the idea of jumping directly — breaking her leg would be funny.

She climbed down the carriage's outer wall and landed. Only then did she see what had happened ahead.

There was a big hole in the tracks — or rather, a pit had appeared in the ground. The pit's diameter was just slightly wider than the engine. The entire engine had fallen into the pit, and a small part of the back carriage had also fallen in, firmly pressing on the engine.

Xie Li lay at the edge of the pit and looked down. She couldn't see anything.

She shouted toward below: "Jin Zhaoye, Bai Zong, are you okay?"

"Xie Li, we're fine," Jin Zhaoye's response came quickly.

"What's your situation below? Can the engine door be opened? I can't see from above."

"Can't open. It's jammed." This time it was Fu Yunsheng's voice.

Xie Li silently rolled her eyes. She reasonably suspected that the protagonist just had disaster-attracting constitution. Otherwise, nothing happened when Fu Yunsheng didn't wake up, but the moment she woke up, the train could drive into a pit.

She无奈地 shouted toward below again: "Wait. I'll get the people out of the carriage. Everyone will dig the pit to rescue you."

She turned back to the side of the carriage, found the carriage window closest to the ground, climbed in, and reached out to the people piled up inside: "Everyone, crawl toward me. I'll get you out."

The survivors crawled toward Xie Li one by one. Xie Li was like pulling radishes, pulling people out of the carriage one by one.

After everyone was out, they gathered around the pit, all a bit stunned.

"This... this... without tools, how can we dig them out with just our group of injured people?" A mutter came from the crowd.

"Maybe we should just give up." Someone immediately followed. "Anyway, there are only four people in the engine. Most of us are still alive."

Xie Li followed the voice and saw a Middle-Aged Man in a wrinkled western suit standing at the edge of the crowd,缩着脖子 quietly stirring up trouble.

She pointed at the man. "You, that person. If you have any ideas, you can say them loudly. No need to hide behind the crowd."

Everyone immediately turned to look in the direction Xie Li was pointing. Being stared at by so many people, the Middle-Aged Man stood forward calmly, cleared his throat, and said: "I am Wang Shaohui, the market department manager of Jingfeng Group."

He swept his gaze across everyone: "Everyone, you've seen this pit. It's impossible to dig out by hand. Now that food is precious, why waste that energy to save them?"

Once Wang Shaohui said this, the people around him all kept some distance from him. It's fine to mutter such things in one's heart, but saying it out loud made everyone uncomfortable.

"What do you mean? Am I wrong?" Wang Shaohui said urgently. "I think that所谓的 Dr. Jin is a murderer. She led everyone, just to feed us to the Zombies at the critical moment."

"Right. The other day in the company underground parking lot, we all personally saw her pull Lao Chen to feed the Zombies. Such a person doesn't deserve our rescue." Another man's voice came from the crowd.

"So people can't do bad things. This is现世报." Wang Shaohui幸灾乐祸地 said with a twist of his mouth. "Why else are only they buried and we're fine?"

A few days ago, he wouldn't have dared to stir up trouble so openly. Since waking up from that high fever, he found he had strength all over his body. His confidence swelled, and his底气 also increased.

This group of people, after all, were proper Alphas, following two Omegas around — they had long been impatient.

Now was perfect. Those few obstacles were dead. This team should be his to command.

Xie Li swept her gaze across the speakers. These people were all relatively old among the survivors, mostly wearing suit shirts — clearly old hands in the workplace.

Whether it was self-interest or weighing the pros and cons, she thought there was nothing wrong with it. Seeking advantage and avoiding harm was human nature. Xie Li wouldn't stand on a moral high ground to blame anyone. She just didn't like being on the same side as such people.

"Fine." Xie Li nodded calmly. "You can go. Anyone else who doesn't want to help dig can leave with them."

Wang Shaohui was stunned. He probably didn't expect Xie Li to let them go so readily. This wasn't quite the same as the power-grabbing script he wanted.

He had originally waited for the other party to slam the table and glare, so he could顺势把水搅浑, gradually taking command of the team.

One plan failed. Wang Shaohui came up with another. His eyes rolled, looked at the carriage, and made a huge demand: "We also want half the supplies."

After saying this, he hung a smile at the corner of his mouth and waited leisurely for Xie Li's response.

In his eyes, this young person who hadn't even left campus should now get impatient and bargain with him. He had already prepared his rhetoric — how to anger, how to show weakness, how to make everyone willingly side with him.

At this moment, Wang Shaohui's mind had even pictured himself being draped in yellow robes, holding a bunch of beauties, becoming an apocalypse overlord.

"Are you giving me face?"

Xie Li stepped out two paces and came directly in front of the western suit man. Her right fist clenched, a straightforward punch with no flourishes, hitting directly at his chest.

The punch's force was astonishing. Wang Shaohui felt like he had been hit head-on by a mud truck. His entire body left the ground, flew backward several meters, and landed in the weeds beside the tracks.

A muffled sound came from the grass. For a long time, no one saw him get up.

Wang Shaohui lay in the grass pile. For several seconds, he didn't come to his senses — in short, he was被打懵了.

He didn't expect the young person to be so unscrupulous.

Isn't business always like this? I set an outrageous price, you make a reasonable offer. Who would just flip the table without negotiating?

......