"I'm not a bad guy, you are!"
"Oh, where am I bad?"
Zhuo Nian pressed him against the door panel, gently pecking at his lips, lingering there.
"Mmm." Zhong Yan pushed her away forcefully, "You're very bad right now. We're not married yet, and you want to get on the bus without a ticket. Be careful, I'll have General Zhen arrest you."
"Arrest me? For what reason?"
"Kidnapping a young and handsome boy."
Zhuo Nian pinched his cheek, "Young and handsome boy?"
"Am I not good-looking?" Zhong Yan pinched her back. "If I'm not good-looking, you still like me? Then how bad is your taste?"
"You mean, because I like you, you must be good-looking, otherwise it's my bad taste."
"Uh-huh."
Zhuo Nian hugged his hips and lifted him up. He was more than a dozen centimeters taller than Zhuo Nian. In this posture, Zhuo Nian looked like she was holding a large plush pillow, appearing somewhat comical.
"Little narcissist, are you complimenting me or yourself?"
Zhong Yan broke free before reaching the edge of the boat and said, "Can't I compliment both? Your taste is good, and I'm good-looking, so we're a match made in heaven."
Zhuo Nian grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the boat, "A match made in heaven? Who was it that just said they wanted General Zhen to arrest me?"
"Aiya, you're so petty."
"Then will you let me kiss you?"
Zhong Yan's face immediately turned rosy. Pressed against her, he could see her affectionate gaze whenever he looked up. Zhong Yan felt that even if she hadn't made a move, he would have been tempted.
So, was it better to be proactive, or...
After kissing for a while, Zhuo Nian lay down to the side.
Zhong Yan asked regretfully, "Why aren't you continuing?"
Zhuo Nian teased him with a double entendre, "Didn't someone say they needed a ticket before getting on the bus? This world is already in such a mess, I doubt I'll ever get a ticket in this lifetime. Sigh, I'll find someone who doesn't need one another day."
Zhong Yan: "You dare!"
He pounced on her fiercely, knocking her onto the boat, and started to nuzzle and bite, but then didn't know what to do when he got aroused.
Before, Zhuo Nian had always helped him.
Now, Zhuo Nian just watched him with a half-smile, showing no intention of helping.
Zhong Yan huffed in exasperation, feeling that she was just teasing him, yet he couldn't resist it, always being the first to break.
Instead of being manipulated like this, why not take the initiative himself?
Zhong Yan tried to kiss her gently, arousing her emotions.
Zhuo Nian remained unmoved, like a monk.
Zhong Yan felt a bit deflated, "You're so annoying, do you want it or not?"
"No more tickets?"
"Hmph, I'm nineteen, it's the same whether I have one or not."
Zhuo Nian chuckled lightly, reached over and turned off the bedside lamp, then climbed on top. That night was exceptionally long.
—
The day after they turned off the lights, the two of them missed their breakfast.
What they had discussed yesterday was now a settled matter. The others were escorted by armed soldiers and ability users to H City. They had already contacted General Zhen, who would send people to meet them in B City.
Then, everyone set off separately.
They, along with over 20 ability users from Central City, set off together. Half of these ability users were from the army, and the other half were led by the man who was the only one among the leaders of the three major ability user organizations not to be seriously injured yesterday.
Although they had clashed yesterday, they were now allies. After mutual introductions, they learned that the man's surname was Zhuang, his name was Zhuang Peng, he was thirty-four years old, and before the apocalypse, he was a fitness coach at a club. He was quite straightforward, at least outwardly. He didn't show any signs of holding a grudge for Zhong Yan embarrassing him yesterday.
Of course, it was probably because he knew he wouldn't get the better of them if he fought back.
The distance from Central City to the capital was about the same as from H City to Central City, over thirteen hundred kilometers. If they encountered no trouble along the way and traveled smoothly, they could make a round trip in at most half a month.
If they encountered problems, it was not impossible for their entire group to be wiped out halfway.
If Zhuang Peng hadn't witnessed the prowess of these two and heard about Zhong Yan's powerful spatial abilities, he wouldn't have wanted to come.
However, the military clearly intended to reclaim their authority. Since the other two leaders were injured and remained in Central City, he, the only one still intact, would definitely become their target.
To avoid suffering too much, he could only show his loyalty by accompanying these two.
Yet, after only half a day out, he regretted it.
The things they encountered along the way were truly terrifying and mutated. Especially when passing by the river and sea, even from hundreds of meters away, those things could jump out and bite them. They were monstrous aquatic creatures, each over ten meters long and strangely shaped, as if they had been irradiated. Compared to them, the slow-moving small zombies were nothing, easily left behind or wiped out in large numbers.
When they stopped to rest in the afternoon, he looked at the map and said, "Miss Zhao, I think we should choose a different route. According to the original plan, we're following the river and sea for most of the way, which is too dangerous."
This was only the first day. If every day was like this, their stamina and abilities wouldn't keep up, and they would die on the road sooner or later.
Zhuo Nian had originally intended to give them a chance to train, but this was indeed not good. She said, "We don't mind. Where do you think we should go?"
"Tomorrow, we'll head north for a stretch, then take the JL Expressway. If the expressway is intact, it should be faster than the national highway, and it won't take too long."
"Okay."
So, the next day, they headed north.
In late autumn, there was a stark temperature difference between north and south. The south had a clear and crisp autumn, while the north had a bleak autumn wind. To save gasoline, they couldn't turn on the air conditioning, and everyone shivered uncontrollably.
Zhong Yan also felt cold, so in full view of everyone, he shamelessly snuggled into Zhuo Nian's arms. From finding their public displays of affection indecent at first, everyone eventually got used to it.
By the time this transition was complete, they were almost there.
Once the economic, political, and cultural center of the nation, an international metropolis, and the capital of six dynasties, it was now in ruins, almost a dead city.
They didn't hear any human activity when they entered the city, as if no one was left.
The once lush street trees were now withered and decaying, standing in the cold wind. Almost no vibrant colors could be seen, as if they had gone back decades. The environment was so quiet and oppressive it was suffocating.
In such an environment, they dared not speak too loudly.
Someone cautiously asked, "Do you think there are still people in this city?"