This Woman Always Talks Dirty with a Straight Face

[37]37: This woman always says flirtatious things with a perfectly straight face.

The ranks of the group instantly fell into chaos. Most people carry an innate fear of snakes, and now, a massive swarm was gliding in from beneath the water. The murky current obscured their shapes, making it impossible to tell where exactly they were. This kind of unknown terror was even more spine-tingling than seeing them with your own eyes. "Run, get to shore first." Fu Yunsheng kicked Ning Meng. Ning Meng stumbled from the kick, snapped back to herself, and led the group forward in a breakout. Everyone followed Ning Meng as they ran, water splashing everywhere, footsteps tangled into a mess. The water was too deep. The muddy path beneath their feet had been soaked soft and rotten by the floodwater—lifting a foot was laborious, setting one down made you slip. The more they tried to go fast, the faster they couldn't. The startled snake swarm suddenly accelerated and burst from the water's surface. Deep-black, slender bodies launched from the murky water like arrows, shooting toward the group. One, two, countless—on all sides, dense and packed. "So thick!" Lan Ran shouted, slamming her fist into a black snake as thick as an arm. The snake's head was knocked askew by her blow, but the snake's body had already coiled around her arm. From the other side, a small snake only as thick as a finger flew straight toward Lan Ran's open mouth. Xie Li's blade came down, slicing the small snake in two. "Everyone be careful, close your mouths, don't let the small snakes wriggle inside." Jin Zhaoye shouted at the top of her lungs. Everyone who heard it got a jolt and instinctively closed their mouths. Just imagining a small snake wriggling into your mouth was enough to raise goosebumps all over. Xie Li ran in the middle of the group, her left hand protecting the backpack carrying Xiaobao, her right hand gripping a blade. The blade-light flashed in the downpour, and every slash she threw split a black snake in two. The foul-smelling snake blood mixed with rainwater splashed across her face and body. It wasn't that Xie Li's bladework was good—it was that there were simply too many snakes. Black snakes had already coiled around her wrist and neck. The snake on her neck had its head raised high, level with her jaw, its forked tongue nearly licking her tightly pressed lips. "Tilt your head back!" Jin Zhaoye shouted. Xie Li immediately threw her head back, catching a glimpse of snow-white blade-light flashing past in her peripheral vision. Jin Zhaoye's blade edge skimmed past her chin, and that disgusting snake head flew away. Only the slick, cold snake body remained coiled around her neck, spasming and tightening. Without bothering to tear off the cold, slick snake body from her neck, Xie Li swung her blade in turn, helping Jiang Nanxu behind her cut off the snake on her neck. Everyone helped each other as they fled. Fortunately, yesterday Xie Li had taken out those entrenching tools, so everyone had weapons in hand. You helped me chop with a shovel, I helped you pull one off. Even so, the snakes clinging to everyone's bodies kept growing more numerous, the group's pace slowed drastically, and casualties were only a matter of time. Not long after, a scream came from the very back of the group. Xie Li whipped her head around, only catching sight of a hand breaking the water's surface, five fingers spread wide, desperately reaching upward as if trying to grasp a life-saving straw. The water was murky, the scene chaotic—no one knew who had been dragged under. Everyone felt a deep sense of helplessness. They wanted to throw a rope to pull the person out, but they truly couldn't spare a hand. Snakes were everywhere. The moment your hands paused for even a second, you might follow in that person's footsteps. Fu Yunsheng stood at the very front of the group, watching the scene before her, a flicker of hesitation crossing her eyes. She didn't want to reveal her abnormality in front of people, but years of military life made it impossible for her to watch these people die with her own eyes. A soldier's nature ultimately outweighed the small selfishness in her heart. Fu Yunsheng handed Bai Jingning to Ning Meng: "Ning Meng, carry her!" "Major General?" Ning Meng caught the person and turned to look at Fu Yunsheng. Fu Yunsheng stopped her with a look, turned back, and shouted at everyone: "Everyone drop your backpacks, the luggage in the wardrobe too—leave it." Before anyone could think about what that command meant, they saw black scales emerging on Fu Yunsheng's body. Those black scales spread like a tide, quickly wrapping every inch of her exposed skin. The black scales gleamed with an eerie light through the rain curtain, like a black suit of armor custom-made for her. Her pupils had turned into eerie green vertical slits, like some ancient creature from the deep sea, carrying a cold aura belonging to a top-tier predator. Xie Li watched her transform, and only one thought filled her mind—Fu Yunsheng truly was the female lead, this golden finger was way too cool. After this transformation, she looked like a war god. The surrounding snake swarm seemed to sense something and attacked the group even more frantically. In the chaos, Xie Li noticed that the snake swarm seemed to be avoiding Fu Yunsheng. Last time at the train station, those zombies hadn't attacked Big Orange Cat either. Could it be that these people or animals who had already embarked on the path of evolution were seen as the same kind by mutated creatures, and so were spared? Or was it that, because their level of life was higher, the snake swarm instinctively avoided lives that outranked them? Before Xie Li could figure it out, Fu Yunsheng, standing at the very front, took a deep breath and plunged headfirst into the water. The instant she disappeared beneath the surface, everyone felt a tremendous pulling force from below, as if a great wave were pushing against everyone's lower back from behind, carrying them forward as they ran. "Drop your stuff, drop it now!" Lan Ran tore the backpack off her body and threw it into the water. Everyone followed suit, discarding their luggage one after another. The wardrobe already crawling with black snakes was shoved aside by the group; it spun a few times on the water's surface and drifted away with the current. Freed from their burdens, everyone surged forward with that force, gliding across the water's surface at extreme speed, like surfing on water. The snake swarm was scattered by the group's rapid gliding, and the black snakes coiled around everyone's bodies were pulled off one by one. The railway tracks soon appeared ahead. Fu Yunsheng burst out from beneath the water, like a sleek orca breaking the surface, leaping into the air, carrying over a dozen people up with her. Xie Li felt her body leave the water's surface, the resistance beneath her feet vanish, and only the howling of wind and rain mixed together in her ears. She hugged Xiaobao tight against her chest, adjusted her posture, and used her back to meet the impending fall. A series of dull thuds and pained grunts rang out. Before the group could catch their breath after landing, a dense rustling sound came from behind. The snake swarm surged out from the water, their slender bodies slithering rapidly through the grass, like a black carpet spreading upward from the water's edge. "Run, everyone get up, keep running." Jin Zhaoye scrambled to her feet and shouted. Everyone bounced up from the ground, scrambling forward on hands and knees. The railway tracks ahead were twisted and deformed, the grass uneven, full of pits and gravel everywhere. One step down and the mud could sink to your ankles; pulling your foot out took tremendous effort. Everyone ran with deep steps and shallow steps. When someone fell, the person beside them would help pull them up, and they would get up and keep running. No one dared stop—stopping meant death. Jin Zhaoye ran two body-lengths ahead of Xie Li, pulling a girl with each hand, bringing along the exhausted ones as they ran. Seeing this, Xie Li turned and grabbed Jiang Nanxu and Luo Peishan's hands, calling out softly: "Stay close to me." The moment Jiang Nanxu and Luo Peishan were grasped by Xie Li, they both exhaled in relief at the same time. They had been entirely sustained by willpower before—their legs had gone numb, only instinct was left to take steps. The crowd ran forward numbly. The cold and exhaustion had stripped away their sense of time. Maybe half an hour, maybe just over ten minutes—Xie Li didn't notice, but she detected that the rustling sound of pursuit behind them seemed to have vanished. She didn't stop, and no one else dared either. The group ran for another stretch before slowly coming to a halt. Xie Li let go, and the two girls she'd been dragging instantly collapsed to the ground, sprawled on the grass gasping for breath. The people around them dropped one after another. Some lay on the ground vomiting terribly, sour water mixed with rainwater streaming down. Jin Zhaoye stood in the crowd, hands braced on her knees, bent over gasping for a while before slowly straightening up. She turned her head and looked toward Xie Li. Xie Li was looking at her too. Their gazes met through the rain curtain, separated by a dozen meters, confirming each other was still safe, and they both relaxed at the same time. Lan Ran walked over to Xie Li, panting heavily: "Gift, check on Xiaobao, how's Xiaobao?" Xie Li lowered her head. The backpack was tied very tight, and despite all that violent running along the way, it hadn't shaken much. She pulled open a corner of the zipper, and she and Lan Ran leaned in together to take a look. Xiaobao was gnawing on a candy stick, curled up in the backpack sleeping soundly. Xie Li and Lan Ran stared at that tiny, peaceful face, and the corners of their mouths curved up at the same time. "Ungrateful little thing, her sisters' legs are about to break from running, and she's sleeping this soundly?" Lan Ran muttered softly. Xie Li zipped the backpack back up, leaving only a tiny gap for air. "Being alive is already wonderful. Being alive is better than anything." That was said about Xiaobao, and about everyone present. Before they could rest for long, Fu Yunsheng urged them on: "Everyone perk up, we need to leave here as soon as possible and find somewhere to shelter from the rain." "Major General Fu, can we rest for five more minutes?" someone in the crowd pleaded. Fu Yunsheng refused directly: "Every five minutes you rest means five more minutes of stamina wasted in the storm. Get up, we keep moving." She wouldn't be like Jin Zhaoye and Bai Jingning, asking everyone's opinion. She led the group with only commands. Those willing to obey, followed along. Those unwilling—in her book, there was no such option as unwilling. Everyone helped each other to their feet. Having just witnessed her miraculous feat, they naturally had absolute faith in her. A person who could save everyone from a desperate situation was worth following. Xie Li tightened the cloth straps on her backpack and stepped forward to follow the group. Jin Zhaoye slowed her pace. When Xie Li caught up, she tilted her head and asked: "Tired? Want me to carry her for a while?" Xie Li shook her head very slightly: "I'm fine. How much could a little girl weigh? I can carry her." "Alright, tell me when you can't carry her anymore." Jin Zhaoye reminded her, then stopped trying to persuade her. Nobody had eaten breakfast. Last night they'd only managed a bowl of mush each. They'd started this life-or-death race early in the morning, soaked through in the storm, their stamina draining rapidly. Talking at this point would waste energy—truly unwise. After walking along the railway tracks for over an hour, blurred outlines of buildings appeared in the rain curtain ahead. One small house after another emerged hazily before everyone's eyes. Fu Yunsheng, walking at the very front, turned back and called out to the group: "Get off the tracks, there's a village ahead." Everyone followed her pace down off the tracks, along the hillside, toward the village built against the mountain. This village sat at a much higher elevation than the red-brick building they'd previously stayed in. The earth beneath their feet, though slippery, had no standing water—the ground was solid when stepped on. As they drew closer, everyone saw that most of the houses in the village had already collapsed in the Earthquake, with broken walls and fallen beams scattered about. Only a few still looked relatively intact. No zombie figures were seen in the village—whether because no one had lived there to begin with, or because someone had cleared them out. Xie Li surveyed the surroundings, her gaze landing on a four-story little building standing in the center of the village—a small Western-style house, nicely decorated on the outside, the prettiest house in the village. Fu Yunsheng had also fixed her eyes on that building. She waved her hand without speaking, and everyone automatically moved with her toward that little Western-style house. Just as they reached the door, the courtyard gate was pulled open from the inside. A short-haired woman wearing a sky-blue police uniform shirt walked out. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing well-defined forearms. Her gaze swept warily over the group, and the handgun in her hand pointed straight at Fu Yunsheng, who stood at the very front. Fu Yunsheng frowned at her, her gaze lingering on that police uniform for a moment before shifting to the short-haired woman's coldly beautiful face. Xie Li only heard her snort lightly. Her palm reached out—a flip, a grip, a twist—moving so fast it was almost impossible to see, and that police sister's gun was in her hand. "As a people's police officer, pointing a gun at us at a time like this—is that appropriate?" Fu Yunsheng questioned coldly, her tone like she was reprimanding an insubordinate subordinate. The policewoman's expression instantly darkened—whether because her gun had been disarmed, or because she'd been disarmed without any resistance and then publicly reprimanded. But after Fu Yunsheng swept her loose hair back behind her head to reveal her face, all that displeasure instantly turned into something taken for granted. She stood at attention and gave Fu Yunsheng a standard salute: "Hello, Major General Fu!" Fu Yunsheng tilted her chin down, hooked her index finger around the handgun to spin it around, and handed it back to the policewoman. Her tone softened somewhat compared to before: "Hello, I'm Fu Yunsheng. I'm very sorry, but may we borrow your place to rest for a bit? My people are on the verge of hypothermia." The policewoman took the gun, slid it back into the holster at her waist, and stepped aside to clear the doorway: "Come in." Xie Li followed everyone inside. As she crossed the threshold, her gaze lingered a moment longer on that crisp, dashing policewoman. Short hair, uniform, long legs, cold-faced beauty—well, well, another female lead has appeared. What's going on? How does Fu Yunsheng run into a wife everywhere she goes, and each one this pretty, this cool, this fierce? This girl's luck with romance is way too good, isn't it? Jin Zhaoye walked beside Xie Li, casting her several subtle glances. Seeing her keep tilting her head to look at the policewoman behind them, she couldn't help reaching out and pinching Xie Li's waist. Xie Li felt the pain and turned her head with a blank expression: "Hmm?" Jin Zhaoye withdrew her hand, lifted her chin slightly, and nodded toward the steps ahead: "Watch the path, careful of the steps." Xie Li understood and explained in a low voice: "I wasn't looking at the pretty sister." "Pretty sister?" Xie Li immediately corrected herself: "The police sister." "Sister?" "Police." Jin Zhaoye said nothing more, stepped past her, and went into the house. Xie Li jogged to catch up. The policewoman closed the courtyard gate and returned to the living room. Glancing at the drowned rats filling the house, she introduced herself: "I'm Shen Huajin, you can call me Officer Shen. There are bathrooms on the first through third floors—you can shower. There are some clothes here, everyone can make do and change." "Thank you, Officer Shen." Fu Yunsheng expressed her thanks, then turned to the group and said, "Everyone split up, go shower. Ning Meng, find a set of dry clothes for Bai Jingning, her wounds need re-bandaging too." "Understood, Major General." Ning Meng answered loudly, carrying Bai Jingning toward a room. The crowd dispersed, each finding a room to shower and change. Xie Li finished showering and changed into dry clothes—a gray cotton T-shirt on top, the collar a bit loose, revealing thin, sharp collarbones; black athletic pants on the bottom. The fabric was thin and soft, didn't protect against bites, and felt very insecure. The clothes were from Officer Shen. She only had the backpack carrying Xiaobao on her body—she couldn't just conjure clothes out of thin air, that would be hard to explain later. Jin Zhaoye had also showered. She'd changed into a white shirt paired with light blue fitted jeans, sleeves rolled up, helping out in the kitchen. Honestly, fitted jeans had never been Xie Li's aesthetic sweet spot, but seeing Jin Zhaoye wear them, she thought—there's no such thing as unflattering pants, only different people wearing them. Xie Li sniffed. A faint sweet aroma of rice drifted through the air. She ambled into the kitchen, stood beside Jin Zhaoye, and asked: "Cooking? Anything else I can help with?" Jin Zhaoye turned at the sound: "No need, Officer Shen's already got it mostly ready, just needs the dishes stir-fried. Go out and rest for a bit." "Then I'll stand at the doorway." Xie Li stepped back and walked to the kitchen entrance to watch them work. There really wasn't much left to help with. Xie Li stood at the doorway watching them stir-fry some potatoes, cut up some pickled vegetables, and the meal was done. The crowd, freshly showered and changed, returned to the living room. Catching the aroma in the air, everyone was swallowing frantically. The food was simple—just plain rice with stir-fried potatoes and a few plates of homemade pickled vegetables—but everyone ate it with particular relish. While everyone was eating, a soft, sticky "jiejie" came from the foot of the stairs. Everyone paused their rice-shoveling and turned to look at the foot of the stairs. A tiny figure stood on the staircase. The little girl wore an oversized T-shirt as pajamas, her hair a fluffy mess, sleep-creased red marks still on her cheeks, her eyes half-open, half-closed, a plush toy clutched in her arms—she looked absolutely adorable. Shen Huajin set down her bowl, walked over quickly, crouched down, and gathered the little girl into her arms, soothing her softly: "Niannian's awake? Hungry? Jiejie will get you a bowl of rice?" The little girl nestled into Shen Huajin's shoulder, shyly poking out half her head, looking at all the unfamiliar faces in the room, curious and a little scared. But when she saw Xiaobao in Lan Ran's arms, the tension in her eyes turned to joy: "Jiejie, so many people, and a little sister too." "Mm, her name's Xiaobao. After Niannian finishes eating, you can play with her." Shen Huajin carried the little girl to the dining table, set her on a stool, picked up a bowl, and placed a small half-bowl of rice in front of her. Niannian was very well-behaved, grabbing her chopsticks herself and slowly eating. After the meal, Shen Huajin and Fu Yunsheng exchanged the information they had. Shen Huajin had fled from a nearby county town, picking up Niannian on the road out of the city. The two of them had traveled together, and by the time they reached this village, there were no living people left in it. Fu Yunsheng also told her about the snake swarm attack they'd experienced, and invited Shen Huajin to travel with them to the Base. Shen Huajin agreed without hesitation. If Fu Yunsheng's group could encounter a snake swarm attack, then this village, not far away, was very likely to encounter one too. She was traveling with a five-year-old girl. If the day came when they were surrounded, traveling alone would definitely not get them far. Joining a reliable group was the best option. After discussing the arrangements to come, everyone dispersed to find places to rest. Niannian and Xiaobao went upstairs hand in hand. Xiaobao wasn't very steady climbing stairs, so Niannian held her hand, taking it one step at a time. Xie Li and Lan Ran followed the two little girls up the stairs, keeping them company. After about an hour or so, Jin Zhaoye came upstairs too. When she pushed the door open, Xie Li and Lan Ran were playing with blocks with the two children. Jin Zhaoye walked into the room, sat down at the edge of the carpet, and said casually, as if making small talk: "They've decided to wait until the rain stops before setting out. This time can be used to let everyone recover from their injuries." "Mm, got it. Want to play?" Xie Li replied offhandedly. With food in hand, Xie Li wasn't panicked at all. Staying here waiting for the rain to stop was fine—even living here for a year wouldn't be a problem. "You keep them company. I'm a bit sleepy, going to find a place to sleep." Jin Zhaoye stood up and walked out, as if she'd come all this way just to deliver that message to Xie Li. Xie Li watched her back moving a little slowly, stuffed the blocks in her hands into Lan Ran's: "Lan Ran, you play with them." "Huh?" Lan Ran held a handful of blocks, watched Xie Li's retreating back as she hurried off, and sighed softly. Single dog, life is hard. Babysitting, double hard. Babysitting two kids, triple hard. Xie Li hurried to catch up with Jin Zhaoye and found an empty room upstairs to keep her company. The room wasn't big. A double bed sat against the wall, dressed in pale blue four-piece bedding, the sheets very smooth—it looked like no one had lived there in a long time. On the other side sat a small two-seater sofa, gray-blue fabric, the curtains half-drawn, letting in some light from outside. Jin Zhaoye walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and turned to look at Xie Li standing in the doorway: "Not going to keep them company?" Xie Li shook her head: "I didn't really want to play with blocks in the first place. There's just nothing else to do for entertainment right now." Jin Zhaoye looked at her for two seconds, the corner of her mouth curving slightly: "So you've decided to come watch me sleep?" Xie Li closed the door, locked it, walked to the sofa, sat down, and let her body relax as she lay back: "No. You mentioned sleeping, and only then did I realize I was tired too." "Then sleep together." Jin Zhaoye pulled back the covers and lay down. She really was tired. She'd caught a slight cold from getting rained on yesterday, and today she'd been rained on again for a long time. She'd had little appetite during the meal earlier. Now, freshly showered and lying in a dry, warm bed, she fell asleep within a few breaths. Listening to the gradually even breathing in the room, Xie Li turned her head, opened her eyes, and looked at the woman sleeping with closed eyes on the bed. Jin Zhaoye was sleeping deeply. Xie Li didn't know how long she stared, long enough that her own eyes grew sore, before she finally closed them to rest. The room quickly fell quiet—not just this room, but the entire little Western-style house. There was no more talking in the living room downstairs. The survivors had each gone to sleep. Even Lan Ran, who had been playing with the two children, had fallen asleep on the carpet. ...... When Xie Li woke again, the light in the room had dimmed. It wasn't fully dark yet—it was that ambiguous blue moment between dusk and night. Xie Li sat up, rubbing her sore neck. The sofa back wasn't very comfortable; her muscles had gone stiff from sleeping. She glanced sideways at the bed. Jin Zhaoye was still sleeping. Her pitch-black long hair spread across the pillow, the blanket loosely draped over her lower abdomen. One button on her shirt had somehow come undone at some point, the collar loosely open, revealing a stretch of collarbone and the full, rounded curve beneath. Xie Li's gaze lingered there for a moment. She stood up, walked over, and pulled the blanket up higher for her, covering up the sudden flash of spring. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window. The rain was still falling, lighter than during the day. "What's outside the window?" Jin Zhaoye's voice carried a hoarseness of just-woken sleep, landing in Xie Li's ears like it had little hooks on it. Xie Li withdrew her gaze. Jin Zhaoye was already awake, her face buried sideways in the pillow, the collar crooked, revealing one shoulder. Her cheeks carried a flush from sleep, not as coolly aloof as usual, her gaze a little soft and hazy. Xie Li reached out and felt her forehead: "Do you have a fever?" "I don't know." Jin Zhaoye's voice was still hoarse, the tail of her words dipping slightly, sounding a bit weaker: "Maybe getting rained on these past two days, caught a cold." Xie Li's palm moved, intending to pull her hand back. Jin Zhaoye's hand came over and pressed down on the back of her hand. "I can't tell the temperature by touch. Let me get a thermometer to take your temperature." Jin Zhaoye didn't let go, looking at her lazily, her eyelids slightly drooping, her voice softening, as if acting coy: "Probably a low fever, no need to measure." It was the first time Xie Li had seen her this soft and clingy—like the proud, tsundere cat at home finally taking pity and bestowing her paw, allowing you to kiss her pink little pads. Her heart couldn't help but soften. She coaxed softly: "How about eating something first, then taking medicine after? Let me find you something tasty. What do you want to eat?" Jin Zhaoye closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then said: "I want iced lemon sparkling water." Xie Li looked at her helplessly, reasonably suspecting that Jin Zhaoye was saying flirtatious things again. This woman always says flirtatious things with a perfectly straight face.