Arc 1: Mira in a Doomsday World [10]

Jake was considered to be the second-in-command of the group. He was an experienced soldier with good leadership skills, so Xu mostly entrusts their route planning to him. He was also the oldest among the group, being the only 45-year-old among a group of young adults below their 30s.

The group sat on the ground, forming a circle around a map. They listened to Jake's brief explanation of the issue, each with their own thoughts. There was a mixed reaction among them, but all the women certainly didn't want to go through the mountain route.

"We have so many roads. Why are we limited to these three options?" Ling Yu spoke in dissatisfaction.

"The other paths may be more dangerous," Jake had to explain, "Small roads have long been blocked. Besides, among all the routes heading towards the capital, only the people who have taken these three routes managed to get to X City without any casualties. The main road is usually the safest choice, but recently, zombies have grown smarter. As we all saw while heading to this place, they were already able to make organized sneak attacks while lying in ambush on the main road. We could resist it easily before because our team was in perfect condition. But now..."

Jin frowned and protested, "We can still manage to fight with those zombies."

"No. Jia said that you need a good rest," Jake cast a stern gaze at Jin, "The same goes for Lian Hui. You can fight when you're in better condition," Jake paused, "Since Jin and Lian Hui are injured, this takes away two fighters. We only have six other people who can make significant contributions when it comes to fighting. The others are at most able to defend themselves. With just six fighters, taking the main road is simply suicide."

"We can still take the risk," Jin insisted stubbornly, "Compared to the other two, this is obviously the safest choice."

Jake frowned and looked at Xu.

Xu shook his head and sighed, "Alright. We can still take this into consideration. For now, we have to first think of other alternatives."

"...Has City B also fallen?" Amir asked.

Jake pinched his temples and said tiredly, "Considering the size of that zombie tide... Even if they still haven't been breached, it probably won't take long."

All of a sudden, the atmosphere turned solemn.

"That zombie tide," Mira suddenly spoke, "From which direction did it come from?"

"It's mostly zombies near B City, but I believe that majority came from the east," Jake answered, "Why do you ask."

Mira frowned, "If the zombies there come from the east, then doesn't that mean that the areas to the east of City B are more likely to have fewer zombie populations right now?"

"That's right," Jake's eyes suddenly brightened.

They were currently in City N, a fallen city with no survivors. To get to City X—the capital—the fastest way is by taking the main road.

City B, the newly besieged city, was a neighboring city of the capital, located in a relatively remote area that occupied several mountainous roads. East of it was City E, a city that had long since fallen.

"Theoretically speaking, these zombies must have come from City E. The zombie tide appeared less than a week earlier. It will take at least a few weeks before the presence of humans could fade completely and they start to scatter," Jake pointed to a road on the map, "Assuming that most of these zombies indeed came from City E, this road would probably be safer compared to the main road and the other mountain route."

The route that Jake suggested was the road that took a detour to the dead city E, where most of the zombies who rushed to City B came from. It was also a mountain route, but since it was near City E, there were no hidden villages, unlike the other mountain route that they had previously considered.

Xu bowed his head, thinking deeply.

"...I think it's possible," he spoke, "Zombies can't resist the temptation of the flesh. There were a lot of people in City B, and the first to go and try to grab a bite of them would naturally be the stronger ones. Compared to going through the main road, the odds of meeting high-level zombies through this path is much lower."

Jake also nodded, "Then, we can decide as a group. Does anybody have other suggestions?"

Everyone looked at each other, but nobody made a sound.

Jake felt a little embarrassed by the silence. He waited for a few more seconds before asking again, "Well... does anybody have any objections?"

There was still no response.

Jake felt that he was like a teacher standing on a podium, while the rest were students that only looked at him blankly in class.

He sighed and waved his hand in dismissal, "Alright. Since there are no objections, we will officially be taking the route passing through E City. Everyone, let's go. We'll take another break a few miles past this city."

°°°

The group drove for a full three days with some breaks in between, before finally settling down in a town along the path that led to E City. They picked a few houses to spend their night in and took care of the zombies and other mess left behind by the previous riots. By the time they finished cleaning, it was already past eight in the evening.

Mira handed a towel and a bottle of water to Xu, smiling as she did so.

"You've worked hard~"

Xu smiled back and wiped his sweaty face and neck with the towel that Mira handed over, before taking the water bottle and finishing it in a few gulps.

"Want more water?" Mira asked.

Xu saw her mischievous expression and instantly knew that she wanted to play some tricks again. Xu smiled helplessly in his heart and nodded his head in cooperation.

"Okay," Mira took out another bottle of water and grinned, "Say 'please' first..."

Xu shyly glanced at Mira and murmured, "Please?"

Mira raised her brows and crossed her arms in disapproval, "Please what?"

"Please... master," Xu habitually answered.

"Wrong," Mira clucked her tongue, "Try again~"

Xu was suddenly at a loss. He didn't know what else she wanted him to say.

Mira saw his expression and stood on her tippy toes to flick Xu's forehead.

"You dummy," she sighed, "Since you're my hubby, shouldn't you call me 'wife'?"

It took a while for Xu to process her words. His expression quickly changed from confusion, to shock, to delight, then to embarrassment.

After that day at the warehouse, Mira started to refer to him as either 'husband' or 'hubby'. This was the first time that Mira asked him to call her 'wife'. Xu felt like he was floating, and a certain sweetness filled his entire being.

For the past three days, Mira and Xu had stuck together like conjoined twins. Wherever one was, the other would also be there. This behavior previously surprised the rest of the group, but gradually felt natural. Now, nobody doubted their relationship.

Xu also found that it was already almost like second nature to pamper Mira. The more he got along with her, the more he realized that he couldn't ignore his feelings for her. From a small seedling to a budding flower, these emotions took deep root in Xu's heart and grew at a steady pace.

Xu's lashes fluttered as he glanced down at Mira, who was sticking to his chest with her arms around his neck.

How good would it be for them to stay like this forever?

"Well, husband, do you want water?"

Xu felt that his heart was about to escape his chest, and it was as though there were thousands of butterflies trapped in his stomach.

"Yes," he murmured shyly, "...Wife, please give me some water."

Mira laughed. She placed a soft kiss on Xu's left cheek and pressed a cool water bottle against the other.

"Here you go, hubby~"

Xu surprisingly didn't keep quiet this time. He held the water bottle with one hand, wrapped the other around Mira's waist, then bowed his head and looked at Mira with smiles in his eyes, speaking softly, "Thank you, wife."

Mira was surprised. But more than that, she was delighted. This kind of Xu was a hundred times cuter.

He was obviously so embarrassed that his ears looked as if they would bleed with a pinch, but he boldly responded to her, staring at her with those eyes that looked as if she was the only image they contained. If it was anybody else, their minds would've been left empty, drowning in those dark and warm pools, but Mira was the exact opposite. Countless thoughts rushed through her mind—all urging her to possess this man; to keep him hers.

Mira suddenly embraced Xu tightly, burying her face in his neck and exhaling deeply.

Her eyes were dark and erratic, with a hint of twisted joy amidst the gloominess.

All of a sudden, she opened her mouth and bit Xu's neck with great force. Some blood quickly spilled, but Xu only hugged Mira's waist tighter, not making any noise despite the pain.

Mira licked the wound in satisfaction, before kissing it gently.

"Xu, you're mine, okay?"

Her voice was still soft and sweet, with some vulnerability, completely different from her current mood and expression.

Xu smiled sadly. He was a bit disappointed that she still treated him as a possession, but also somehow happy that she treated him as *her* possession. At least, she wanted him.

Deep inside, he longed for more than that, but he also knew that he couldn't force it.

"Okay," he caressed the back of her head as he spoke.

"You're not allowed to like anybody else, okay?"

Xu's heart fluttered, and his voice became much warmer, "Okay."

Mira's mood finally eased. She pulled back and looked up at him with a smile, "Okay, husband, it's time to eat~"

The two slept soundly this night, but inside another house, someone couldn't stop tossing and turning, their mind full of what those two people might be doing behind closed doors.

°°°

Xu woke up a few hours before the sun rose. He stared at the ceiling blankly for a few seconds, then looked at the space beside him with a panicked expression.

It was empty.

He clearly remembered—last night, Mira wanted to sleep on the same bed as him, for the reason that 'they were husband and wife anyway'. Xu no longer restrained himself and immediately agreed. As he watched her curled up in his arms comfortably, he felt as if he was dreaming, and even as he slept, the soft smile never left his lips.

Until... he woke up. There was no Mira by his side, and the place where she should've laid was cold, indicating that she left long ago... or that she hasn't been there at all.

Xu sat up and clenched his hair with his hands. He wasn't sure whether what happened yesterday was simply a dream, or whether he was currently inside a nightmare. He just accepted his feelings for her... he just started to become closer to her... how could it all be gone so soon?

Just as Xu was panicking internally, he suddenly smelled a delicious aroma that came from outside the door. He blinked, regaining some clarity.

He focused on listening to the movements and heard some clanging, making his bleak face instantly regain joy and excitement. He stumbled out of the room and hurriedly ran down to the kitchen.

Xu's heart almost stopped when he saw Mira's busy figure.

He walked towards her and tentatively touched the long black hair that fell on her back. Feeling the silky coldness, a shaky breath escaped his mouth, and he immediately embraced her waist from behind.

"What's wrong with you?" Mira asked casually, her movements not at all stagnating.

"I..." Xu swallowed the lump in his throat, "Wife, I just missed you."

Mira raised her brows, and turn her head to smile at Xu, "So clingy?"

Xu rested his chin over Mira's shoulder and hugged her tighter, "Well... didn't you say that we're husband and wife? Do you really mean it?"

Mira's movements paused, and Xu instinctively held his breath out of both fear and expectation.

"Of course."

Mira's tone was light, as if answering a simple question.

Xu smiled and lowered his head to rub against Mira's neck. Complex emotions flashed in his eyes—sadness, disappointment, anger, unwillingness, mixed with some joy and hope—overwhelming him completely. His thoughts became erratic, and just like what Mira had done the day before, Xu bit Mira's neck without any warning. Imitating Mira's actions, he kissed the wound and spoke softly, "Wife, you're mine, okay?"

Mira chuckled happily. She was liking this side of Xu more and more.

"Okay~"

Xu's eyes shone with ecstasy. He directly bit another part of Mira's neck, licking it softly and kissing it all over right after doing so. Although his actions were gentle and meticulous, his heart was filled with dark emotions.

Ah, what to do? She still doesn't take him seriously...

×××

Today is a bright and sunny Monday morning, but the people in Doomsday High don't seem to be enjoying it...

Jake: Alright class, who can answer the problem written on the board?

Everyone: ...

Jake: Nobody? 

Jake: *unconvinced* Really nobody?

Mira: *raises hand*

Jake: *smiles* Yes, Mira?

Mira: Teacher, I want to go to the bathroom.

Jake: (||| –_–) ...Okay, you may go.

Xu: *raises hand*

Jake: *relieved* Finally! Xu, do you want to solve the problem?

Xu: No. I want to go to the bathroom too.

Jake: ( ༎ຶ ᴗ ༎ຶ )

Outside, Xu, who has upgraded from servant to husband, happily strolled around the school garden with his wife~