Jealousy
There were still some activity areas in the base that were restricted. Anyone whose identifier showed they were healthy was not allowed to enter the restricted zones, because most of the people inside the restricted zones were sick or elderly, facing death at any moment. Before the female lead’s elixir was developed, those people had to be locked inside, with ability users entering to take care of them.
The compensation given by the base was also quite substantial, so even with the danger, ability users wanted to do this work.
Children were looked after in another, safer restricted zone, also watched over by ability users and guards, though the compensation was relatively lower.
“Even in the apocalypse, the base places considerable importance on the education of children.” Aoge looked at Su Wenwen, smiling with ill intent as he said, “I see you’re so delicate, not very suitable for moving bricks1 on the periphery. If you’re willing, I can introduce you to a job as a teacher.”
These words sounded like concern, but Su Wenwen heard another layer of meaning. As an ordinary person, the difficulty for her to earn crystal cores would certainly be very high, so Luo Xi would definitely be covering the bulk of her daily expenses. No matter how she heard it, it sounded like a sarcastic insinuation that Su Wenwen needed to rely on others to survive.
If it were someone else, anyone with a bit of self-respect would have agreed immediately, and under no circumstances would they shamelessly stay by Luo Xi’s side to eat and drink for free. However, Su Wenwen was different. She had contributed to the crystal cores in the spatial backpack, so she felt perfectly justified in using them.
Thus, not only did she smile apologetically and refuse Aoge’s kind offer, but she also moved closer to Luo Xi, with an appearance of someone who was determined to cling to her and not leave.
Seeing this, Aoge’s face indeed darkened, his handsome features almost wrinkling into a ball. In his heart, it was like a clear mirror2; those words just now were actually deliberately said by him for Luo Xi to hear. With her intelligence and pride, she would not allow others to freeload under her name. In her world, there were only useless people and useful people.
But not only did Luo Xi not react, she even smiled and waited for Su Wenwen to feed her. Watching the two be so affectionate, he was so jealous that his eyes were spitting fire, yet he could only wear a smile and say, “It’s alright.”
After finishing the meal, Aoge left with the guards, still smiling. Watching his retreating back, Su Wenwen felt that this person would find another chance to corner Luo Xi. Although she knew Luo Xi wouldn’t give him the time of day, she still couldn’t feel at ease, and so she nervously pulled Luo Xi back to their residence.
Luo Xi just chuckled softly and obediently followed her back. However, as soon as Su Wenwen entered the house, she tensed her little face and said nothing, who knows what random thoughts were running through her head. Luo Xi could only reach out and pinch her cheek, “What are you thinking about?”
Su Wenwen did not answer. She turned and went into the room, took out all the crystal cores from the spatial backpack, put them in a bag, and handed it to Luo Xi.
“All the crystal cores are for you, so other people won’t think I’m a lazy, good-for-nothing parasite.”
Luo Xi did not take the crystal cores. Her pair of bright eyes seemed to have seen something interesting, staring sparklingly at Su Wenwen. “You’re jealous?”
Her thoughts being exposed, Su Wenwen embarrassedly stuffed the crystal cores into Luo Xi’s hands. “No, I’m not. I just think we’ll be using a lot of crystal cores in the future, so I’m taking them out to use in advance.”
“Oh.” Luo Xi lowered her gaze, her eyes downcast. The beauty mark in the corner of her eye made her look aggrieved, as if she were about to cry.
When Su Wenwen saw such a tearful beauty, her heart shook. She almost wanted to shout out that she was indeed jealous, and even wanted to say the shameful words that she wanted to tuck Luo Xi into her pocket and not let anyone else see her. However, her personality was ultimately not that uninhibited; she was too shy to say such things. But she also couldn’t bear to see Luo Xi feel wronged. Finally, she tugged on the hem of Luo Xi’s clothes and said conflictedly, “I’m just a little bit jealous.”
Can jealousy be just “a little bit”?
Luo Xi’s gaze was fixed on Su Wenwen. Seeing her tense little face as she spoke compromising, ambiguous words of love, her heartstrings were inexplicably plucked. Let us ask, what could be more moving than one’s beloved changing their original habits for one’s own sake?
The answer was self-evident.
Luo Xi took Su Wenwen’s hand, a gentle smile rippling with a trace of flirtatiousness at the corners of her mouth. She spoke like a temptress, saying bewitching words, “I made you jealous. So how should I coax you?”
Without waiting for Su Wenwen to answer, Luo Xi lowered her head and lightly pressed a kiss on her lips. She rested her forehead against hers, her breath slightly panting, and then continued, “Are you still jealous like this?”
Su Wenwen had never seen Luo Xi look so seductive. That gaze seemed to have a magical power that captured her heart and soul3. How could she still remember being jealous? She was completely drowned in the beautiful sight.
Perhaps because she didn’t get an answer, Luo Xi kissed her again, hooking her left hand around the nape of Su Wenwen’s neck, causing the light kiss to gradually deepen. On their lips, one could clearly feel the long, lingering affection contained within this kiss, making it impossible to stop, rising and falling with the teasing of tongues.
Her violently beating heart felt like it would leap out of her throat. Even when it was suffocatingly hard to breathe, Su Wenwen was unwilling to push her away. She met the kiss, tilting her head up, her throat moved, wishing she could swallow everything into her belly.
Luo Xi pulled back slightly. Seeing Su Wenwen’s flushed cheeks, she licked her lips with some difficulty and asked again in a husky voice, “Still jealous?”
Su Wenwen touched her scalding face, buried her head in Luo Xi’s shoulder, and said in a muffled voice, “Not jealous anymore.”
Luo Xi smiled, gently stroking the back of Su Wenwen’s head, slowly soothing her emotions. Su Wenwen hugged Luo Xi just like that, holding on for a good while before she calmed down.
The two sat on the sofa, sharing a tender moment for a while before Su Wenwen remembered to ask Luo Xi, “What are your plans next?”
“I need to investigate the butler, so I might be leaving early and coming back late these next few days. You can walk around the base more, and find out more about the base’s ecosystem,” Luo Xi said gently. “If you run into anyone who doesn’t have eyes and bullies you, don’t hold back and don’t have any reservations. Just beat them up as you should. I’ll have your back no matter what.”
Su Wenwen leaned against Luo Xi. Hearing these words, her heart was also filled with sweetness. “Then you have to be careful yourself. If the butler was really involved in the matter of your father’s death, then the power of the mastermind behind the scenes might be immense.”
“If it were in peacetime, that would be fine. As long as we find evidence, we can bring them to justice. But this is the apocalypse. I’m afraid that if they find out you’re investigating, they will use extreme measures to deal with you.”
“Okay, I’ll be careful.”
The next morning, Su Wenwen got up to prepare breakfast for Luo Xi. Luo Xi was not in a hurry to investigate the butler yet, so she ate unhurriedly, and then handed back the crystal cores Su Wenwen had given her yesterday.
“If you see anything you like in the base, just buy it. We’ll probably be living here for a long time. Don’t worry about not having enough crystal cores, I will earn them back.”
Su Wenwen didn’t refuse, and stuffed the crystal cores back into her pocket. She looked at Luo Xi’s serene expression and suddenly had the feeling that she had been living with her for a very long time. All the sharp edges had been smoothed away, leaving only long-lasting, warm companionship.
After Luo Xi left, Su Wenwen tidied up the house before going out for a stroll. Some of the shops were empty, so naturally, she couldn’t buy what she wanted. Although there were daily necessities in her spatial backpack, she didn’t have things like bowls, chopsticks, or dish soap. She walked around for a long time without seeing anyone selling these things. However, she thought of yesterday’s restaurant and went directly there to ask the owner.
The owner recognized Su Wenwen from her visit yesterday and said very enthusiastically, “Dish soap, bowls, and chopsticks can all be bought in the periphery area. There are many small shops in the periphery. Although the things in the shops have been collected by the guards, there are always some things missed. If you are willing to spend crystal cores, go to the trading area to exchange for them. If you can’t bear to spend crystal cores, go to the periphery to try your luck.”
“If you want to earn crystal cores, you can go farm or be a teacher. Otherwise, there is peripheral work like civil engineering. If your skills are good, you can also go to the registration office to register as an Annihilator.”
An Annihilator had to go out to a certain place to clean up zombies. The crystal cores obtained would be split fifty-fifty with the base, and the base had to provide basic equipment and food. Although it was dangerous, the rate of return was the highest.
After getting this information, Su Wenwen gave the owner one crystal core as payment, then followed the owner’s directions to the trading area to buy dish soap and some bowls and chopsticks, which altogether only cost two crystal cores.
After buying what she wanted, Su Wenwen didn’t go back. Instead, she observed the surrounding terrain. Even standing in the inner ring, she could look up and see the tall walls that had been built, giving it the feeling of a fantasy world.
Walking along, Su Wenwen arrived at the registration office. There was only one man sitting at the desk, and there was no one else around. The man was yawning out of boredom, as if the tension of the apocalypse had not affected him in the slightest.
Su Wenwen walked over. When the man saw someone approach, he immediately perked up, took out a pen and paper, and asked, “Are you here to register as an Annihilator?”
Su Wenwen did not answer directly, “I’d like to ask, if I register as an Annihilator, does that mean I must accept the missions assigned by the base and go out to annihilate zombies?”
“If you don’t want to go out, the base won’t force you. It’s just that after registering your identity, it’s convenient for the base to notify you to carry out annihilation missions,” the man said with a smile. “May I ask what your ability is?”
Su Wenwen was a little embarrassed as she raised the identifier in her hand. “What if I’m not an ability user, can I still register?”
The man was stunned for a moment, then he sized up Su Wenwen and said softly, “Hey, you can, but I don’t recommend it. If an ordinary person goes outside the high walls, it’s basically very difficult to survive, and the base may not necessarily assign missions to you.”
“Little sister, this brother sees that you have clear eyes and fine features, you should have some knowledge. Being a teacher or farming is better than leaving the base.”
“It’s alright, please trouble Big Brother to help me register.” If Su Wenwen were truly just an ordinary person, she naturally wouldn’t swell her own face to pose as a fat person4; staying in the base would indeed be the best choice. But she wasn’t, so she couldn’t be complacent with the status quo. She had to become stronger to cope with unknown emergencies in the future.
Seeing that she wouldn’t listen to his advice, the man had no choice but to register her. He also gave her a phone. This phone was entirely black, with a crossed-out bullet logo carved on the back. The base used this phone to contact the Annihilators.
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