When Luo Ning got up, Lu Xinghe took the initiative to go out and stand in the yard to wait for her.

Although he left his mark on every inch of her body last night, like a wild beast devouring her, and doing it several times, the beast's time ended at dawn, and he had to return to his den.

Luo Ning finished dressing and came out, looking at him and whispering, "Let's go."

"Mm." Lu Xinghe pushed open the courtyard gate, and she followed behind him.

The two walked quietly toward the station. Although there was public transportation connecting the different districts, the intervals were long. They waited for a while before the bus arrived. Passengers rushed on, and the two were separated, one at the front and one at the back of the bus.

Luo Ning was simply too beautiful, especially after last night, her face radiated an irrepressible passion that attracted the attention of men even without makeup.

The men on the bus couldn't help but stare at her, some even whistling. Some experienced men noticed something was off about her eyes and scrutinized her suspiciously.

Sensing the unfriendly gazes around her, she instinctively lowered her head to hide herself. However, the car was crowded, she was surrounded by strangers, and the air was thick with the smell of human flesh. Her emotions became unstable, and her suppressant bracelet emitted a red glow. Just as her tense body trembled slightly, a strong hand pulled her into his arms, gently supporting the back of her head against his chest, preventing anyone from seeing her face.

She smelled Lu Xinghe's familiar scent. He had come to her side at some point, and after feeling his strong heartbeat, her tension and unease gradually subsided.

Lu Xinghe, tall and imposing, completely shielded Luo Ning in his arms. His cold gaze swept over the people in the car, and those men who had originally harbored ill intentions towards Luo Ning all turned their heads away, no longer daring to look.

When a lion appears, all other wild animals submit and retreat.

Luo Ning quietly raised her head to look at him. His face was well-defined, with a straight nose and very red lips, even redder than when she saw him yesterday. This reminded her of the berries that she loved to eat but could not.

As the car passed through a magnolia grove, his amber pupils tinged with pink, like springtime flowing within them.

And his hand gripping the railing tightly. His hand was clean and slender, not like a hand that holds a gun. But this hand not only held a gun but was also incredibly strong. Last night, it almost crushed her. When it held her waist in place, she had no way to break free and could only endure it pitifully.

As she was engrossed in watching, Lu Xinghe suddenly lowered his head, and their eyes met. Her face flushed, and she tried to look away, but his other hand was on the back of her head, leaving her nowhere to hide. She then saw a gentle smile in his beautiful eyes, and his expression was relaxed and carefree, with the innocent and romantic air of a young boy.

Her heart started pounding again, and she couldn't help but wrap her arms around his waist.

But his expression only lasted for a moment, and he quickly returned to his usual cold and handsome appearance, making her think that she had just imagined his smile.

The car was moving slowly forward. Luo Ning leaned against his chest, hoping the car would slow down a little more, and time would slow down a little more, but no matter how slow it was, it would eventually reach its destination.

Back at the alien prison, everyone looked up at them. They hadn't returned for a day and a night, and the adults all knew what was going to happen.

Dai Wanglin smiled at them with satisfaction. Luo Ning hurriedly lowered her head and walked towards her room. Although she was prepared to face these gazes, she still felt uncomfortable when she was actually under them. Thinking that Wen Xi had gone through the same thing, she felt even more sorry for Wen Xi.

The two walked to their respective room doors, and Luo Ning mustered up her courage to look at Lu Xinghe: "I'll go in and rest first."

"Okay." Lu Xinghe nodded. She needed to rest properly; she hadn't slept for more than a few hours.

He watched her departing figure. Last night, he recalled many scenes. Although some were still to be confirmed, there was one thing he was very clear about and certain of: two days before their separation, she told him that if he could return to the base one day, he must work hard to develop a drug that could restore the mutants to human form. She wanted to be human again, she wanted to eat properly and live a normal life, and she did not want to live a life of hunting and wandering alone anymore.

After entering the room, Luo Ning lay on the bed, holding the little rabbit he had bought for her in her arms, her eyes filled with both joy and melancholy.

After last night's intimacy, she also secretly enjoyed what he did to her, enjoyed being warmly held in his arms, enjoyed his passionate possession of her body, and the pleasure that followed the pain, from secret to intense, made her deeply immersed in it as well.

But she could only have him for a short time, and she couldn't even let him know about her secret, otherwise he would definitely hate her, because that's what he asked her last night, he used the word "hate" instead of "like".

Moreover, this liking of mine is also mixed with physical desires. After all, I am a different species, and once those physical instincts are awakened, they can make me lose myself.

As she was lost in thought, there was a knock at the door. It was Wen Xi.

Wen Xi's face was a little pale; she had just had her blood drawn again. Luo Ning held her hand, but couldn't feel any warmth.

She knew that Wenxi was still living in the nightmare of that day, but there was nothing she could do to help; she could only let time heal all wounds.

"You were with Major Lu all night?" Wen Xi asked.

"Mmm," Luo Ning responded softly.

"Why? Is it because you're afraid something might happen to me?" Wen Xi asked again.

"No, it's because we feel this provides an extra layer of protection." Luo Ning didn't want Wen Xi to feel burdened.

Wen Xi looked at her gently: "You shouldn't have gone down this path. I can bear this alone."

Luo Ning smiled and said, "It's too lonely to be alone. Of course, someone as loyal as me would choose to go with my good friend."

Wen Xi still looked at Luo Ning with pity, sincerely praying to heaven that Luo Ning would not follow the same path as her.

Luo Ning slept for a long time, and when she woke up and looked at the sunset, she felt as if time and space had been separated.

Medical personnel came to collect her blood, and from this moment on, her physical data will be meticulously recorded. Perhaps in a week, she will be able to detect the presence of a small hope in her womb, after all, her genetic match with Lu Xinghe is so high, and he left so much last night.

She went to see An Xiaoruo again. An Xiaoruo was still unaware of anything. This was a decision she and Lu Xinghe had made together, as they didn't want An Xiaoruo to have any burden.

An Xiaoruo was asleep, and Song Pei stayed by her side the whole time. The young and handsome boy had bloodshot eyes and stubble on his chin.

"How is Xiaoruo?" she asked softly.

"It's alright, the wound is slowly healing, it's just that I've been sleeping for a bit too long," Song Pei replied.

Luo Ning nodded: "You need to get enough sleep to have energy. You also need to rest so you can protect her properly."

Now, An Xiaoruo and Wen Xi are not only in danger of physical weakness, but also in danger of being attacked by mutants. Once the mutants know of their existence, they will definitely do everything in their power to kill them.

“I know,” Song Pei replied calmly.

Luo Ning looked at the caring look in his eyes as he looked at An Xiaoruo and said, "Xiaoruo likes sunny and funny boys. You can smile more in the future."

Song Pei paused for a moment, then nodded somewhat awkwardly.

Luo Ning sighed. As expected of a student personally taught by Lu Xinghe, even her personality is just like his.

When Lu Xinghe returned from the military headquarters, it was already 10 p.m. Qi Xingwei, who was on duty, looked at the time and smiled, "Major Lu, why are you so late?"

"Just finished a meeting," Lu Xinghe asked.

"The base relocation?"

"Yes, we have detected a beast tide forming. Although it is still far from the base, it is unprecedented in scale. If they really come to the base, they may fill the lava belt and canyon."

Qi Xiaowei nodded: "I know this is important, but Major Lu, please understand that your most important task right now is to help Luo Ning have a child."

When Lu Xinghe was suddenly brought up this matter, his usually calm eyes showed a hint of unease: "Section Chief Qi, I already completed this task yesterday."

"Completed?" Qi Xiaowei was stunned for a moment, then understood: "Major Lu, although you are indeed very excellent, this kind of thing is not something that can be accomplished on the first try. Of all our experimental subjects in the past, only Wen Xi and Zhuang Yu have succeeded. Although they did succeed on their first try, according to our data, it is definitely a low-probability event."

“But my genetic compatibility with Luo Ning is higher than theirs.” Lu Xinghe’s eyes were firm. There was no reason why he couldn’t compare to Zhuang Yu. In all the training sessions, he was the best among all the participants, while Zhuang Yu was only in the middle to upper ranks.

Qi Xiaowei couldn't help but sigh at the competitive spirit of these young men; they even wanted to be number one in this kind of thing.

She had no choice but to explain to him: "That's because Wen Xi is physically weak and her heterosexuality is not strong, so Du Lu, whose genetic compatibility is less than 80%, can still get her pregnant. But Luo Ning is different; you've seen how strong her heterosexuality is."

Lu Xinghe remained silent. He could accept Qi Xiaowei's theory, but Luo Ning didn't seem to like doing this. She had cried several times last night, and the usually lively Luo Ning hadn't spoken much to him today. When he went to look at her in the car, she immediately lowered her head.

He also subtly inquired about He Cheng, who had recently gotten married, today. He Cheng said that he and his wife had a very good relationship and got along very well.

He knew he should love his wife like He Cheng did, but he couldn't control himself when he was with Luo Ning. It was as if he was the one who had lost his mind. Although he regretted it after he came to his senses, he also knew that he would do the same thing again if he had to do it all over again.

Although Luo Ning would tolerate and endure what An Xiaoruo did to her, he still didn't want her to suffer.

"I understand," he said to Qi Wei, then prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute." Qi Xiaowei called out to him, "Please take this form to Luo Ning and have her fill it out every eight hours."

"Okay." Lu Xinghe took the form and left.

When he arrived at Luo Ning's room, he knocked on the door. Luo Ning quickly opened the door and was both surprised and unsurprised to see him standing outside.

"You're back," she said softly.

"Yes, Section Chief Qi asked me to give this to you so you can fill in your temperature every eight hours." Lu Xinghe handed over the form.

"Hmm." Luo Ning took the form. She had just finished showering, her face flushed from the hot water, her lips bright red, and a few strands of loose hair clung to her suspicious neck, giving her an innocent yet alluring look.

Lu Xinghe wasn't unmoved or unexcited. He knew she was sweet from head to toe; she lay there, her skin glistening with moisture, every inch of her soft, supple flesh in his hand. She was a delicate flower, a melt-in-your-mouth candy, and he would want to devour her whole.

But he also knew that this was just his own deep desire, and it was unfair to her.

"Then I'll head over first," he said, preparing to leave.

Luo Ning's soft lips moved; she wanted to say something to him, but he had already turned away.

Qi Xiaowei watched all this from a distance, sighing with a headache. She had created this opportunity precisely because she was afraid Lu Xinghe wouldn't take the initiative, but the kid really remained unmoved. The matchmaker had already put the rope in his hands, but he ended up tying a knot in it.

Just as Luo Ning was about to close the door, Lu Xinghe suddenly turned back and blocked the door with his hand: "I have a question for you."

When Luo Ning saw him return, she mustered her courage and said, "Come...come in and let's talk."

"No need, I'll say it here." Lu Xinghe took out a white stone, the one she had smashed to turn on the robotic arm switch in the laboratory.

“We must have stones like these where we used to live,” he asked.

“Yes, the river is full of them,” Luo Ning replied.

"Did I give you and An Xiaoruo each one?"

“Yes, those two pieces are very beautiful, crystal clear, much more beautiful than the one you have. It’s a pity I didn’t have time to go back and get them when the volcano erupted,” Luo Ning said regretfully.

Lu Xinghe's expression was rather unpleasant. He was gripping a stone tightly; if the stone had a life of its own, it would have been crushed to death by now.

"What's wrong with you?" Luo Ning noticed something was wrong.

Lu Xinghe's eyes darted away, and he barely moved his lips: "It's nothing, I'll go check on Xiao Ruo."

He left, like a whirlwind.

An Xiaoruo, who had been unconscious for a day, finally woke up. Song Pei was not there, and a nurse was feeding her. When she saw Lu Xinghe, she smiled weakly and said, "Uncle, you're still up so late?"

Lu Xinghe touched her forehead: "I came to see you, how are you feeling?"

"It's alright, I have more strength than a few days ago," An Xiaoruo replied. Seeing the stone in his hand, she remembered that she had asked him to give it to Luo Ning, but Luo Ning used it to open the mechanical arm.

"Uncle, you brought the stone back."

"Yeah, I brought it back for you because I was afraid you'd be bored."

Lu Xinghe placed the stone in Xiao Ruo's hand.

An Xiaoruo looked at the stone: "The one you gave me back then, Uncle, was the prettiest. It's a pity I left in such a hurry that I didn't have time to take it with me."

“We can go back when you’re better. The stone will definitely still be there,” Lu Xinghe said gently.

An Xiaoruo looked at him, recalling the past: "Uncle, I'm already married, have you ever thought about getting married?"

Lu Xinghe tucked the blanket around her and said, "Don't worry about my affairs."

An Xiaoruo pretended not to hear: "Why don't you make Xiaoluo's mother my aunt? You like him anyway."

"I...when did I start liking her?" Lu Xinghe feigned composure.

An Xiaoruo smiled and said, "You may not remember, but I remember very clearly. Back then, you secretly kissed Xiaoluo's mother several times while she was unconscious. I saw it all."

She admitted that she had exaggerated a bit. Although she didn't understand back then, it seems that her uncle liked her mother back then, which is why he kissed Luo Ning when they first met in the lab.

Lu Xinghe remembered that it was because he remembered this incident that he felt that at least part of the scenes in those dreams were real. Dreams are not created out of thin air; scientifically speaking, dreams are based on reality.

"Xiao Ruo, don't mention this to Luo Ning," he instructed.

An Xiaoruo gave him a knowing look: "Uncle, don't worry. Aunt always treated you like a younger brother. If she knew you liked her, she would definitely feel uncomfortable."

If even An Xiaoruo could see it, how could he not know?

“So you need to change, to make her realize that you’re not a younger brother but a man,” An Xiaoruo advised him.

Lu Xinghe flicked her forehead: "Take good care of your injury and stop overthinking. I'm leaving now."

An Xiaoruo called out from behind, "Take her to see a movie, a romance or an art film, anything will do. We need to make an effort to spend time together."

Lu Xinghe had already left, but he still took An Xiaoruo's words to heart. Taking the opportunity to spend time together, he hesitated for a moment before calling the psychology department to inquire about the movies showing this week.

Although entertainment activities have long since disappeared in the post-apocalyptic world, many pre-apocalyptic films have been preserved. To enrich the lives and minds of the survivors, the base holds two film screenings per week, mostly emotional films, to boost people's confidence in surviving.

He got the tickets quickly, but he kept them for two days until he knocked on Luo Ning's door an hour before the movie started.

Although Luo Ning saw him every day, he was always busy with work and came and went in a hurry, so she could only give him a brief greeting. Just when she thought he didn't care about her, he brought her movie tickets.

“He Cheng’s family got permission to go to the movies, but they couldn’t go because of something, so they gave me the tickets. Do you want to go?” He gave himself a flawless excuse and was certain that Wen Xi wouldn’t go.

"The base even has a movie theater?" Luo Ning was quite surprised; she thought having a computer was already a good thing.

"Yes, there are four, but their equipment is a bit outdated," Lu Xinghe replied.

Luo Ning pursed her lips: "If I go, will you come with me?"

Lu Xinghe nodded: "I will accompany you if you go, but according to regulations you will still need to wear the wristband inhibitor."

"Okay, I know. Wait for me a moment, I'm going to change my clothes." Luo Ning closed the door and leaned against it, her heart pounding. He had taken the initiative to ask her to go to the movies, although it was very likely that, like last time, he would first make her happy for a day, and then spend the night on "business."

But even though she knew it, she couldn't refuse. She wanted to be with him. Feelings are built over time, and she wanted to fight for the one she liked.

She wanted to wear the blue dress, but the zipper wouldn't open. No wonder the dress hadn't sold for so long; she knew something was wrong. But the shop owner was so enthusiastic and loud that she didn't have time to check.

"Shady businessman," she muttered angrily, then put on the pink dress he had given her for the first time. But the early spring night was still chilly, so she wore a long coat that she usually wore over it.

This time, Lu Xinghe drove. When they arrived at the location, Luo Ning discovered that the so-called movie theater was just a small factory with some ordinary seats inside. However, there were quite a few people there, and it was almost full.

Lu Xinghe and her seats were in the last row. After they found their seats, they found that the entire audience was full of young men and women. The movie hadn't even started yet, but these men and women were already cuddling together in the dim lighting. Some were hugging and kissing, oblivious to everyone else. This made Luo Ning feel that they weren't there to watch a movie at all.

In her world, people wouldn't be so carefree, but in the apocalypse, no one knows if they'll have a chance to live to see tomorrow, so enjoying life while you can becomes a way to survive.

The movie started quickly; it was a heartwarming romance. The pre-apocalyptic scenery slowly flashed before her and Lu Xinghe's eyes. She would never have watched a movie like this before, because it was long and boring.

But ten minutes later, she realized she was wrong. This wasn't some heartwarming romance film; it was practically an adult film. The male and female leads kissed at the fifth minute, slept together at the tenth minute, and now, twenty minutes later, they'd already done it twice. She couldn't help but wonder how this movie had passed censorship before the apocalypse.

She should have realized that with the base so eager to encourage population growth and marriage at fifteen or sixteen, how could they possibly just let young people watch heartwarming romantic movies?

Even Lu Xinghe came with a purpose; having been at the base for so long, he certainly knew what kind of movie this was.

Her face flushed again, her ears felt hot, and the scenes from that night involuntarily resurfaced in her mind.

Lu Xinghe's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. This was the first movie he had ever watched in his life. Before, he had only watched movies during training or on missions. He never expected a movie to be like this. No wonder He Cheng smiled ambiguously when he helped him get the tickets back.

With the atmosphere and music of the movie, the young men and women became even more unrestrained, and a couple next to Luo Ning were already kissing passionately.

Her hand was right next to Lu Xinghe's, she could almost touch his fingers, so close yet so far, but he still sat upright, like a well-behaved student.

She finally touched him quietly, like when she was a child and finally got candy without her parents' knowledge, and secretly licked it, it was so sweet.

Lu Xinghe still didn't react. He stared intently at the screen. Now that the male and female leads had finished their lovemaking, a suspenseful plot had suddenly been inserted, and he seemed to be analyzing it...

Luo Ning dejectedly withdrew her fingers. Was she really not as good as a suspenseful plot?

Suddenly the screen went dark; the movie theater had lost power. Staff members, as was their custom, used a megaphone to announce that everyone should stay put and that the backup power would be activated soon.

No one paid any attention and no one left; it turned out that everyone's real intentions were not what they seemed.

"Do you want to go out?" Lu Xinghe finally spoke to her.

"Okay." She didn't want to stay here either.

The two squeezed through a row of couples who were being affectionate, drawing some discontent.

Once outside the movie theater, the cold wind sobered Luo Ning up a bit. As expected of a romance film, even though she hadn't watched much of it, it had still affected her health.

The moon had already hidden behind the clouds, and the night breeze carried the sweet fragrance of flowers, enveloping the two of them.

"Would you like to sit in the car?" Lu Xinghe asked in a low, husky voice.