As Ziek rushed out, his actions roused a few men from their tents. With bare chests and groggy expressions, they called out, "Was that Bing Shi?"

Ziek shouted back to them, "I'm going with her to pick up Kuro. You go back to sleep."

Having Ren Han accompanying someone was like having a whole army in one person. Without question, they nodded and went back to sleep. 

Ziek soared out of the base, trailing behind the figure dressed in black. However, his attempt to intercept her was met with an invisible barrier that repelled him, sending him tumbling through the air. In mid-flight, he glared down at the tearful person below him, still running towards a black van.

"Did something happen to Kuro?" he asked.

Bing Shi's pace slowed, and she shook her head. Upon reaching the car, she opened the passenger door and placed the keys on the front seat.

Ziek retrieved the keys and settled into the driver's seat, beginning the journey toward city D. The atmosphere was heavy with silence as the van moved forward.

After a while, Ziek finally broke the silence, "Wouldn't Wan Ke have been a better choice to accompany you?"

'I wanted to take this chance to know you better while doing my mission at the same time.'

"I can't train my power with Wan Ke around," Bing Shi said, her voice filled with a mix of emotions. She removed her gas mask, allowing her tears to flow freely. Hunching over, she buried her face in her knees and drew her legs closer to her chest.

'What if it isn't his soul?'

'His habits and tastes are similar. His persona is like Xuan Mu's inner self, which he would hide deep under his gentlemanly facade.'

'I don't believe in men who are perfect on the outside, so it took me a while to uncover that side of Xuan Mu.'

Meanwhile, Bing Shi quietly whispered, her voice shaky, "Why are you...sniff... doing that to your chest?"

"It's none of your business," Ziek retorted, his own chest still bearing the fresh wounds he couldn't explain.

'This Ziek doesn't hide it. Instead, he is embracing it. Does it have something to do with his life as Ziek Leoners?'

'If I had to compare him to Xuan Mu, I'm like any other person in his life.'

'Except for me, there were two types of people in Xuan Mu's life. First, the ones who are a waste of his time. Second, the ones he can use for his benefits.'

'In Ziek's life, there is no me, I should be a part of the first two.'

'But my mission is my top priority; I can't spend that many thoughts on him.'

'It might be a trap by the HQ to manipulate me into their biddings.'

Bing Shi's voice broke through her thoughts once more,  "If I said...sniff... my boyfriend had the same...sniff...habit as you, would you believe it?" she asked in between her sobs.

Ziek's response was tinged with surprise, though he kept it hidden, "Is that the reason why you cried?"

Bing Shi nodded, her voice still choked with tears, "I couldn't...sniff... help it."

"What was his reason?" Ziek asked, his tone revealing a hint of curiosity mixed with irritation. He didn't want to admit it, but Bing Shi's boyfriend seemed oddly familiar to him, and it was beginning to grate on his nerves that she seemed to understand him better than he understood himself.

"I was the reason," Bing Shi looked up and put a wet tissue over her red eyes, "...A life without me, that's how he described the feeling...sniff...And you?"

Ziek felt a pang of discomfort at the question. He imagined his life without Bing Shi...and nothing happened...he didn't have a need to claw at his chest. But her sorry sight reminded him of his inner turmoil. "I don't know the reason, but I feel...un-whole," he admitted, almost surprised by his own words as they left his mouth, regretting them immediately.

As soon as he spoke, an invisible hand seemed to grip his heart, and a rush of fear flooded his thoughts, pulling him into a vortex of darkness.

"Do you?" Bing Shi's laughter sounded weak and bitter, "I feel the same."

In Ziek's eyes, a flash of fear, of confronting the unknown, appeared briefly. He quickly averted his gaze, focusing on the road instead, and changed the topic, "What about your general?"

"Yi Zen is doing naughty things with Fu Lian in her space and left Kuro alone," Bing Shi took off the tissue and peered at his side profile.

'As someone who doesn't trust Fu Lian, it would be strange if I didn't try to force them out.'

Bing Shi's words revealed her concerns about Kuro and Ziek's response was to continue driving while keeping his eyes forward. He ignored her sobs, not knowing how to offer comfort and not particularly wanting to get involved in her emotional turmoil.

A few moments later...

Bing Shi managed to stop her tears and pulled out a package of chips, offering, "Do you want some onion chips?"

When she saw how a few chips flew toward his mouth, she quickly sealed his mouth with a barrier. 

Ziek struggled for a moment, his eyes narrowing in irritation, before Bing Shi burst into laughter, clearly finding the situation highly amusing.

"Bwahaha," she laughed uncontrollably, watching the chips crash before his blocked lips.

Screech

Ziek slammed on the brake abruptly, causing Bing Shi to lose her balance and fall from her seat. 

She quickly regained her composure, and buckled her seatbelt, "Oh, my dear life!" she looked around, "...Uff...I almost died," she patted her chest, "What happened?" 

In the few moments when her attention was elsewhere, the barrier around Ziek's mouth disappeared. He seized the opportunity to finally eat the chips with a mischievous grin, "Nothing much," he answered with a chipper tone, glad that her crying had subsided.

"Oh," Bing Shi resumed munching on the chips, tossing a few into her mouth without blocking Ziek's lips this time, "Do you miss your past world?"

Ziek munched on the chips thoughtfully, "No."

crunch

crunch

crunch

After they finished the chips, Bing Shi produced a water bottle and some fresh mint bubblegums, offering them to Ziek, "Here, for the bad breath."

They rinsed their mouths with water and started chewing the gums.

"Watch me," Bing Shi then demonstrated her bubble-blowing skills.

Ziek glanced at her with his peripheral vision and saw how she managed to blow a bubble as big as half of her head, "..."

Plop

"Hehe," she chewed with a smug smile.

"...Pfft..." Ziek couldn't hold in the chuckle and created a bubble himself. Her smile...it looked like she had just accomplished the impossible.

Was that crybaby ago just an illusion? It seemed she didn't need others to cheer her up; she was more than capable of doing that on her own. And in the process, she managed to improve his mood as well.