“Have a safe journey!”
Cheng Yan shook hands with Fu Chen and watched as the members of the Thunder Squad boarded the car. Cheng Rui stood by his side, his handsome face as cold and expressionless as ever.
Bai Tiantian glanced at them and bid them farewell before getting on the car.
The team changed out of their casual clothes and all put on dark uniforms, each of them looking tall, handsome, and imposing.
Liang Zhiyu glanced at Cheng Rui, then turned and boarded the car. Shen Mingxuan followed closely behind, his androgynous and beautiful face showing a lazy expression, as if he hadn’t fully woken up yet, yawning as he got on the car.
Xiao Yang wore a black baseball cap, hiding his handsome face with no visible expression.
Fu Chen was the last one to get on the car. He stood in front of the door for a few seconds, turning sideways to look at Cheng Rui. Bai Qingqing didn’t come to see the team off. Was she still angry?
“Captain, it’s time to go,” came Shen Mingxuan’s voice from the driver’s seat.
Fu Chen pursed his lips, lifted his foot, and got on the car. The car door closed slowly, as if it was separating them from the base and entering another world.
The modified car, cool and wild in appearance, drove into the passage under the watchful eyes of Cheng’s brothers, leaving Yaoyang Base and gradually becoming a small black dot.
Cheng Yan patted Cheng Rui’s shoulder and said, “Let’s go back.”
Cheng Rui clenched his fist and accompanied him back to the high-rise building of the base. There were still many things waiting for them to do.
The desolate and empty wilderness, a long highway cutting through the middle, undulating forests, endless silence, with only occasional black birds scavenging for carrion, no other living creatures in sight.
The modified car sped through the wasteland highway at high speed, driven by Shen Mingxuan, with Fu Chen sitting beside him, both of them silent.
Xiao Yang lay on the sofa, catching up on sleep, while Liang Zhiyu tinkered with electronic devices in his hand. Bai Tiantian held a cookbook, delving into it. Since the incident that happened last time, she understood her current situation.
Speak less, do more, try to lower her presence and not cause trouble for the team.
She felt bitter in her heart, afraid of being abandoned by the team, experiencing what Bai Qingqing, who didn’t have abilities at the time, felt in the team.
Because she had been following the Thunder Squad, she had been living a smooth life since the apocalypse arrived. She had been well protected and barely suffered any injuries. Seeing so little of the dark side, she had always been focused on saving others.
She had been locked in a room, watching recorded footage all day. It wasn’t a movie, but real footage of brutal killings, gruesome and disgusting. Each scene made people want to vomit.
She broke down, crying, begging… until Shen Mingxuan came to rescue her from that room.
Witnessing various disgusting and cruel phenomena, she finally fully understood that this world had undergone extreme changes, and her ability to live well was just due to her luck.
She still owed Qingqing an apology and regretted not being able to ask for Qingqing’s forgiveness. She didn’t know if she would be able to come back alive.
…
Inside the modified car, it was very quiet. Everyone was engrossed in their own activities, and it was no longer as lively as before.
In the past, when Bai Qingqing was in the car, she would occasionally play some soft music or chat with everyone. Sometimes she would play games.
The car kept moving, and in the afternoon, Fu Chen took over driving while Shen Mingxuan, not wanting to see Bai Tiantian’s sad face and be affected, leaned against the passenger seat and fell asleep.
The day quickly passed, and the setting sun stained the horizon blood-red. Liang Zhiyu, seeing the beautiful yet cruel dusk scene, suddenly remembered Bai Qingqing.
She still had a painting unfinished. She had promised to give him a painting related to the dusk.
“There’s still rice in the rice cooker,” Liang Zhiyu called out to Xiao Yang, who was going upstairs.
Everyone gathered together for dinner, and the silence was overwhelming. Xiao Yang, who usually had a big appetite, hastily finished a bowl of rice and went upstairs.
“I’m full.” The figure of the young boy disappeared before everyone’s eyes.
Liang Zhiyu smiled faintly. “Captain Fu, it seems that the kid is still angry, blaming you for not bringing Qingqing along.”
Shen Mingxuan raised an eyebrow slightly. Bringing up Bai Qingqing at this time, it seemed like he was intentionally poking at the captain’s heart. As Bai Qingqing’s brother, Fu Chen was probably the one most hurt by not bringing her along.
Fu Chen’s handsome face darkened, and he gave him a cold look. “Can’t you keep your mouth shut?”
Liang Zhiyu said, “I’m just speaking the truth.”
Xiao Yang had been wearing a gloomy expression ever since leaving Yaoyang Base. He had gone from a handsome and sunny puppy to a grumpy and resentful dog.
Fu Chen stood up, pulled open the curtain, and got off the car. Shen Mingxuan followed and handed him a cigarette. “Captain, want to smoke together?”
He took the cigarette, his eyes narrowed slightly. He brought it to his nose and sniffed, without lighting it with a lighter. He toyed with the cigarette between his slender fingers and got off the car.
…
The space in the modified car was spacious enough. Xiao Yang requested a small separate room, which only had a bed and a desk, making it quite cramped.
After entering the room, he pressed his head against the partition door and listened for any sounds, making sure no one was coming upstairs. He squatted in front of the window and reached out to pull out a large box from under the bed.
With a click, the lock of the large box was opened.
The person curled up inside the box appeared before his eyes—a delicate and weak girl in a white dress, not accustomed to the sudden light. She squinted her eyes, and tears rolled down her right eye.
This eerie and poignant scene satisfied the desires of the human heart.
“Qingqing.” Xiao Yang used his distinctly knuckled hand to touch her delicate face and wipe away her tears.
Bai Qingqing’s mind was completely clear. She opened her clear and innocent eyes, lying in the cramped box, looking at the young boy squatting in front of her.
When she learned that Fu Chen didn’t plan to take her with him, she had the idea of secretly sneaking into the modified car and coming out when they were far away from Yaoyang Base.
It was difficult to do it without being discovered, and she hadn’t even managed to do it when someone did it for her.
She really didn’t expect Xiao Yang, who was as obedient and cute as a younger brother, to silently put her to sleep and secretly bring her onto the car, hiding her in his own room.
“Hush.” The slender fingers of the boy were placed on her dry lips, and he gently said, “Don’t make a sound.”
Xiao Yang carefully lifted the fragile girl out of the box, handling her as if holding some fragile treasure, avoiding her injured left shoulder.
The boy was tall, with strong and muscular arms, effortlessly laying her down on the bed.
Bai Qingqing felt the warmth beneath his muscles and a slight excitement, as if she had obtained a precious treasure that came not easily.
“Qingqing, are you hungry?” Xiao Yang knelt in front of the bed, gently stroking her soft and smooth black hair, his voice soft. “When did you wake up? Have you eaten anything?”
Bai Qingqing swallowed and her throat moistened slightly. Her voice was hoarse as she replied, “Just now.”
Indeed, she woke up from the darkness when Xiao Yang opened the box and quickly understood her situation.
Xiao Yang was really bold. He dared to defy Fu Chen’s orders and secretly bring her out. Wasn’t he afraid of being punished by Fu Chen?
“Do you want to eat something now?” Xiao Yang stared at her face. “I don’t have anything here, but I know you have plenty of food in your space. Take out whatever you want to eat and fill your stomach first.”
He showed a slightly troubled expression and said, “If you want something hot, I’ll find an excuse to have Liang-ge prepare some late-night snacks later.”
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a soft knock on the door from outside.
“Xiao Yang.” Liang Zhiyu’s voice came through.
Both of them couldn’t help but hold their breath, looking slightly cautious towards the door, afraid that Liang Zhiyu would barge in and see the scene in front of them.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Yang responded.
Liang Zhiyu, through the door, spoke to him, “You ate a bit less tonight. Do you still want to go down and eat something?”
“No need.” Xiao Yang pretended to be a little tired and declined, “I want to rest.”
Liang Zhiyu glanced at the closed door and thought to himself that this kid still hadn’t grown up. He was still having a conflict with Fu Chen. He turned around and went downstairs.
As Liang Zhiyu’s footsteps receded, the tense bodies of the two in the room relaxed.
Bai Qingqing sat up against the bed and took out a small cake. She opened it and took a bite. She had been hungry all day while unconscious and needed to eat something to replenish her energy.
Xiao Yang watched her eat in front of the bed, his eyes filled with joy. She didn’t resist or get frightened. Maybe she wasn’t angry with him.
Bai Qingqing lowered her eyelashes and slowly chewed on the cake, thinking about what to do next.
“Qingqing,” Xiao Yang grabbed her hand, looking pitiful, and said, “I know you don’t want to stay with Cheng Rui, so I took the liberty of bringing you away. You’re not mad at me, right?”
Bai Qingqing raised her gaze, her eyes calm as she said, “No.”
She had to thank him for his impulsive act of taking her onto the car suddenly, preventing her from being left at Yaoyang Base.
Xiao Yang smiled and said, “That’s good.”
He held her hand and caressed his own face, acting cute like a small animal. “Qingqing, I really like you.”
Bai Qingqing was slightly surprised. This was the first time he had openly expressed his feelings in front of her.
Xiao Yang approached her, his gaze burning. “We have similar interests and many common topics. Will you come back to Jingzhou Base with me?”
“My parents will definitely like you.” He sweetly planned for the future. “Once we’re at the base, you just need to stay at home, and I’ll take care of you.”
Bai Qingqing wanted to laugh in her heart. Indeed, young people loved making empty promises. But she didn’t mind. He was also one of her targets for conquest, so she should respond to him.
Her smile was clear and beautiful. “Okay.”
“You agreed!” Xiao Yang couldn’t contain his joy and almost wanted to lift her up and spin around.
Bai Qingqing pushed the half-eaten cake aside, wiped the corners of her mouth, and took out a bottle of water. Xiao Yang quickly unscrewed it for her and took the half-eaten cake from her, finishing it in a few bites.
Bai Qingqing noticed his behaviour, her eyes shimmered slightly, and she licked her lips moistened by the water.
Unconsciously, Xiao Yang moved closer to her. Faced with the person he liked, how could a young person not have impulsive thoughts? “Qingqing, can I kiss you?”
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