Bing Shi stood before an undaunted man who appeared before her tent. They exchanged silent nods, communicating their mutual understanding without words. She motioned for him to step aside, which he obliged, "..."

Changing her mind, she went inside to grab a bag. "Let's go for a walk," saying, she wrote on her notice board that she'd be alone with Ren Han for around fifteen minutes.

"..." Ziek read the notice. Was it necessary to tell everyone that she was going to meet a man alone? Outside of the base, he asked, "Is seducing Yi Zen your mission?"

"If only it were that easy," Bing Shi looked up at the sky, "I'd be far gone by now."

"So confident?" he grinned, happy she wasn't forced to seduce men.

"No," Bing Shi sighed teasingly, her tone teasing, "But I could seduce you without even trying. Isn't that enough of a proof?"

Ziek choked on his saliva. He couldn't even argue. That's how right she was.

"Aren't you affected by Yi Zen as a man?" he asked.

"Yes," Bing Shi stopped at her steps abruptly, "I feel tainted. For a mission, I allowed him to kiss me." She pointed at her hoodie, "Here, right here."

"He gave you what?!?!?" Ziek stared bloody blades at her hoodie, "Why don't I help you and burn your hoodie?" Flickering his fingers, a little flame appeared above his fingertip.

"This is not the one," Bing Shi took out a hoodie from the bag and handed it to him, "This one."

"..." Ziek was taken aback, realizing she took his jest seriously. With a flick of his fingers, the hoodie transformed into ash, "Did you do the same to the clothing I touched?"

"No," Bing Shi reassured him, shaking her head. "I buried them underground."

"You are so extreme," Ziek's laughter was helpless, laced with a tint of affection. That lucky bastard better be him, or else he'd...ah, whatever, he liked this part of her. Just for a little bit, he wanted to experience his life with her as Ziek Leoners, with an illusion that somewhere in the past, she belonged to him.

"I know, and it's getting worse and worse. Let's hurry back before my guilt eats me up," Bing Shi suggested as they resumed walking. "I know that you like me. But please, don't turn into an obsessive stalker, who watches their targets during the night."

Ziek rolled his eyes, not addressing the fact that she had just acknowledged that she knew he liked her, "I'm too busy during the nights to waste my time on a woman who wears a thug dog sleeping mask." Such irony, because he did waste his time on a woman like that.

"Well, I've had my fair share of those." Bing Shi wouldn't have mentioned it if she hadn't dealt with a few stalkers herself, "I wear a thug cat mask now."

Excluding the one who lived across her apartment during her university days, there was also Victor who had visited her bedroom a few times. Were it not for Kuro warning her, she wouldn't be able to hide in Grace's bedroom in time.

Ziek noticed her mood deteriorating as soon as she mentioned the stalkers, "Don't worry, Grandma. Just give me the names of those creeps, and I'll make damn sure they regret the day they even thought about bothering you."

As Ziek's harsh words rang in the air, Bing Shi caught a glimpse of something beneath the bravado in his eyes, "Grandson, wouldn't it be better if you never returned?" she asked, "Do you like to be tortured that much?"

In that instant, she felt a surge of pity for him, a genuine desire for his well-being. She wanted him to find happiness, not carry the weight of unrequited feelings.

"Are you worried about me?" he asked when they appeared back at the base.

"No, I know you are strong. I was just curious how men think," Bing Shi pointed at the flying men above the ship, "Why does it look like there's a war going on?"

"..." Ziek lifted his gaze in the direction she was pointing at.

As Ren Han's subordinates caught sight of their BOSS walking alongside Bing Shi, they swiftly arranged themselves in a neat formation before them. The excitement in their ranks was palpable – it was Bing Shi, the real deal!

Their journey took them through a few cities, each more astonishing than the last. They marveled at the serenity and cleanliness that prevailed in these places. It was as though the apocalypse had never cast its dark shadow over them. The citizens appeared to be mostly easygoing — the opposite of what was happening outside the borders.

Even though they held their BOSS in high regard, witnessing Bing Shi's remarkable accomplishments left them truly astounded. 

· · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

As night descended, a festive air enveloped the base. With Yi Zen's blessing, a warm welcome party was organized for Ren Han and his entourage. The high amount of alcohol was finally going to be of use! Hurray! Soldiers were more than happy! It has been a long time since they got wasted!

A colossal flame surged upwards, its fiery tendrils licking the wooden pyramids upon which it was built.  Carrying aimlessly by a chilly evening wind, the warm light from the bonfire glided silently from the smoke onto the crowd of excited soldiers.

They eagerly consumed bottle after bottle of hard liquor, their excitement palpable in the air. As the potatoes cooked over the fire, they playfully tinkered with musical instruments and belted out songs with their intoxicated voices, creating an exuberant and celebratory ambiance.

╔════ Author's note ═════╗

Don't you find it funny how Ziek is the only male lead who was able to gain the original female lead's hatred? Fu Lian despises him so much. ꉂ ('∀｀)ʱªʱªʱª

Admit it. Who of you thought I'd write an apocalypse ARC with a zombie emperor as a male lead?

∠( ᐛ 」∠)_ I thought about it too. Zombie emperors sound cool; they are powerful and...powerful...and yes more powerful. When I imagined how boring the plot would be, I threw that idea away.

Did you like Ziek's comeback? He doesn't need a Zombie's Emperor title to be cool, right? (✯ᴗ✯)

Do you mind all the cursing in this ARC? It's a part of everyone's character as soldiers. But I wonder if it turns you down.

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