"Ma Jie had a connection with one of the higher-ups, and he ordered General Yi Zen to be deployed. General Yi Zen fought in the zombie lure because it was a guaranteed victory," said Qua Tao in exasperation, "General Yi Zen is already dealing with enough problems; let's not burden him further. You should've stayed back in the kitchen."

Ban, seated across from her, added,  "Yes, that's what you're best at...cooking."

All the men joined in agreement.

"..." Fu Lian brushed off their words. She knew her strengths went beyond cooking. "Don't come running to me for help later," she responded coolly.

"Don't run and cry for my help later," mocked Wan Ke in a falsetto tone, flapping his hands like a speaking duck, "Bītch, please."

'If Yi Zen was here, they'd shake in fear.' Fu Lian thought with a hint of mockery, "How courageous of you to act this way behind your general's back." Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity, "Was it Bing Shi who ordered you, or was it Ren Han?"

"Bing Shi?" Qua Tao asked, "Yeah, she told us to persuade you to come back to the kitchen."

"So, it was her?" Fu Lian asked in vengeance.

A soldier, noticing her killing intent, tried to switch the agro to someone else. "Speaking about Ren Han. In his eyes, you are as much as a bad fūck with a pretty face," he taunted with a laugh.

Another laughed with him, "He said our general Yi Zen would never get a blowjob. Is that true?" He knew that Fu Lian hated Ren Han to the core and that Ren Han was not afraid of her.

Fu Lian was repulsed by their words; she saw through their attempts to shield Bing Shi. Unseen by them, her hands trembled as they continued to denounce her fearlessly, letting off the accumulated steam from all the dog food they received.

These soldiers had Bing Shi and Ren Han as their support, and Bing Shi had Yi Zen. If they knew of Fu Lian's traumatic past with men, their tone might have been gentler.

Unable to tolerate their toxic talk any longer, Fu Lian removed her transmitter and discarded it. Gazing down at Kuro, who sought comfort, she shut her eyes, refusing to acknowledge the snake, "Stay away from me. You belong to her."

In Fu Lian's eyes, men would always be men. She would've never thought that Bing Shi was the type of woman who would hide behind an army of men. Her perception of Bing Shi shifted from a strong and resilient woman to that of a fragile and vulnerable one.

  · · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

Inside the military command post tent, Bing Shi and Yi Zen listened to the conversation inside the helicopter.

Yi Zen's icy aura seemed to lower the temperature by several degrees, "They've crossed a line."

Aware of Fu Lian's past, Bing Shi looked down, troubled. "Are you going to intervene? I think she needs you."

Yi Zen gave the headphone to a nearby soldier, walking to his private section, he sat down behind his desk.

"I want her to need me more," he whispered, loud enough for Bing Shi alone to hear.

Seating herself in front of him, Bing Shi crossed her arms in thought, "Fu Lian has endured a lot. I can sense it from her demeanor."

Yi Zen reclined in his chair, sighing softly, "I can see it too. I don't know why I only feel this way towards her."

"Hmm, your emotions are a bit of a mess," Bing Shi crossed her arms in contemplation, "If she discovers you're toying with her heart, she might just kill you."

Yi Zen's gaze lifted. "That's why we need to keep this hidden. You wouldn't want me dead, would you?" He chuckled.

"As a fellow woman, I'm on Fu Lian's side," Bing Shi murmured, her gaze dropping to her hands, "Being the villain isn't the most enjoyable thing in the world. They always die."

"A good villain will always rise from the ashes," Yi Zen got up from his seat, "Time to save my kitten."

"True," Bing Shi waved him off playfully, "Have a nice trip."

Yi Zen halted mid-stride, "You're coming with me."

"Haha, nice try," Bing Shi stood up, "But as a good sister, I'll see you off." As they reached the platform's top, she threw him a question, "Once your research is complete, are you planning to cast Fu Lian aside?"

"I'll take responsibility for her," Yi Zen replied, encasing his legs in ice before soaring toward city D.

'How can I figure out what's changed with Yi Zen when everything is different? Is he even the same Yi Zen as before?'

'At first, I thought that he left Fu Lian because he felt guilty over his soldier's deaths, and didn't deserve to be happy, thus the reason why he distanced himself from her after their kiss.'

'Obviously, it's not the reason, because he didn't fall in love with her in the first place! Where is the famous love at first sight?!'

  · · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

The reason Bing Shi didn't go to the city D was simple. Under the 'burden' tag, she could continue practicing her ability. She practiced with as much determination as others... But it was not enough. She needed to be at least a step ahead of most of them.

As Bing Shi sat there, cross-legged and determined, she channeled her inner superhero vibes. She imagined herself as the protagonist of an epic fantasy novel, ready to take flight like a majestic, albeit slightly awkward, phoenix rising from the ashes of her failed attempts.

And then, it happened. She felt a fluttering sensation, like a moment of weightlessness as she had envisioned herself soaring like a majestic phoenix, but the reality was more akin to a rocket with malfunctioning thrusters.

Whoosh-THUD!

Bing Shi collided with the roof of her tent. Together with the canvas, she gave a surprised groan in response to the unexpected impact.

For a moment, all was still. Then, the tent's fabric rippled as Bing Shi dramatically tumbled back to the ground, arms flailing and hair in disarray.

'That,' she declared as she clutched the ground in pain, 'was definitely not what I had in mind.''

A rush of discomfort radiated from various points of her body, each ache a reminder of the crash with the hard ground. There was a throbbing in her elbow, where the brunt of the impact had been absorbed. Her lower back protested with a dull ache together with her motivation.