Chapter 199 Suppressing the turmoil in my heart

The delicate touch of her skin, the supple curves of her waist, the softness of her lips, and her silent yet alluring breaths…

A nameless irritation and an emotion he couldn't clearly define quietly began to grow.

He quickly averted his gaze from the incongruous intimate scene before him, forcing himself to look elsewhere, trying to suppress the untimely yet real turmoil in his heart.

Returning to the small courtyard where they had rested the previous night, a wave of exhaustion from surviving the ordeal washed over everyone.

The mess in the yard had been cleaned up, but a faint smell of blood still lingered in the air.

Some people opened the windows to let in some fresh air, while others started packing their sleeping bags...

"Shen Han, have you shaken off those people in the black market?" Qiao Xi asked him quietly, turning her head to the side.

"Yes, don't worry, they thought I went in another direction."

Qiao Xi and Lu Yuyang both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Xixi, you guys should get some rest. I'll keep watch for the first half of the night," Lu Yuyang said.

Shen Han fought his way out of the pursuers, and his strength must have been greatly depleted.

As the main force in fighting against that special zombie, Mu Yanzhou had exhausted his light-based abilities and his face was pale, so he urgently needed to recover.

Josie was indeed extremely exhausted, both mentally and physically. She didn't try to be brave and nodded, "Okay, thank you for your hard work during the first half of the night. I woke up early, so I'll relieve you then."

Shen Han squeezed her hand. "No need, I'll do it."

Mu Yanzhou also arranged for two of his men, whose injuries were relatively minor and who were in good condition, to take the night watch together.

In the end times, completely trusting strangers is tantamount to suicide; necessary vigilance is indispensable.

Everyone found a relatively clean and sheltered spot and spread out their sleeping bags.

Josie's sleeping bag was laid out against the wall, and Shen Han lay down beside her very naturally. The two were separated by the sleeping bag, but the distance between them was very close, a silent intimacy and protection.

Lu Yuyang, who was on night duty, sat on a dilapidated wooden box not far away. His gaze swept across the yard, taking in everything.

He could clearly sense the unusual, natural intimacy between Qiao Xi and Shen Han.

When he deliberately hugged Qiao Xi just now, he noticed that Shen Han's jawline tightened instantly and there was a fleeting displeasure in his eyes, but the other party held back and didn't say anything.

Lu Yuyang unconsciously clenched his hands at his sides, his gaze falling on Qiao Xi, who had already closed her eyes and seemed to be falling asleep peacefully next to Shen Han.

Xixi, just how many men have you... seduced?

A bitter feeling and helplessness welled up in his heart.

What's even more tragic is that everyone seems to know perfectly well that she's like a gust of wind that can't be grasped, and she won't stay with anyone forever.

Therefore, no one dared to force her to make a choice, fearing that they would lose even the right to get close to her now. They could only tacitly maintain this dangerous balance, turning a blind eye to one thing and a blind eye to the other.

On the other side, Mu Yanzhou was also wide awake.

He leaned against the wall, his gaze involuntarily shifting between Qiao Xi, Shen Han, and Lu Yuyang, who was on night duty.

The unexpected and out-of-control intimate contact from last night kept replaying in his mind, intertwined with the scene of her being naturally close to another man in front of him, leaving him in a state of utter confusion.

He watched quietly until late at night, when he finally drifted off to sleep in extreme exhaustion.

...

As dawn broke, the morning light dispelled the chill and gloom of the night.

As everyone gradually woke up, they quickly washed up and began preparing breakfast.

The two groups still maintained a certain distance, but after last night's life-or-death battle, the tense sense of wariness had obviously faded a lot.

Lu Yuyang took out the compressed rations and dried meat he had brought and distributed them to everyone.

Meanwhile, Mu Yanzhou had cooked a small pot of steaming rice porridge, its aroma filling the air.

"Have some hot porridge, it'll warm your stomach." Mu Yanzhou ladled out a bowl and naturally handed it to Qiao Xi first.

His movements were open and natural.

Josie paused for a moment, then smiled and accepted it, saying, "Thank you."

Seeing this, Lu Yuyang immediately handed over the peeled, high-energy chocolate he had prepared: "Xixi, have some of this to replenish your energy."

Josie accepted it without hesitation, saying, "Okay."

Shen Han sat silently on the other side of Qiao Xi, handed her the cool, warm water from his kettle, and carefully tore the dried meat into small pieces for her, his movements meticulous.

Josie was being unknowingly "taken care of" by three outstanding men, and she didn't feel anything was wrong, enjoying it with peace of mind.

The fat man and Mu Yanzhou's men looked at each other in bewilderment, their eyes filled with gossip and amazement.

Breakfast ended in a subtle and harmonious atmosphere.

After packing up, Mu Yanzhou and his group prepared to say goodbye and leave.

He looked at Josie, a subtle, almost imperceptible ripple passing through the depths of his gaze—a mixture of gratitude, complexity, and a hint of reluctance that even he himself couldn't quite grasp.

“Wait,” Josie called out to him, her smile bright. “Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?”

After working together last night, Qiao Xi has made up his mind to bring Mu Yanzhou and the Hope Base behind him into his camp.

An ally with powerful healing and purification abilities is invaluable.

Mu Yanzhou's eyes flickered, and he gave a soft "hmm," understanding the unspoken message.

“Come with me for a moment,” Josie said, turning and walking towards a relatively intact bedroom inside.

The cryptic interaction between the two left the others looking at each other in bewilderment, but since Lu Yuyang and Shen Han remained silent and didn't ask any questions, the others naturally didn't dare to say anything either.

Entering the bedroom, Josie took out a small freezer emitting a chill from her unassuming backpack.

“The catalyst you requested is here,” Josie said, opening the box to reveal neatly arranged vials of a pale blue fluorescent solution. “However, there aren’t many available at the moment, only thirty.”

Thirty sticks!

This means that at least twenty or more superhumans can be created!

This is an unimaginable strategic resource for any base.

A flash of surprise crossed Mu Yanzhou's eyes. He immediately took out a small cloth bag from his inner pocket, which contained the high-quality crystal cores he had wanted to give to Qiao Xi last night.

A slightly embarrassed smile appeared on his face: "I originally intended to give you these crystal cores as a thank you gift. But right now... I don't have any other extra crystal cores on me."

He felt a little embarrassed to exchange these things that he originally intended to give away.

Josie didn't stand on ceremony and readily accepted the crystals, weighing them in her hand: "Fair trade. The value of these crystal cores is more than enough to buy these catalysts."

She knew very well that catalysts were priceless treasures for ordinary people who craved power, but for special ability users like Mu Yanzhou, their value lay more in the strategic level than in personal improvement.

For high-level ability users, exchanging a high-level crystal core, obtained through a near-death experience, for a catalyst to transform an ordinary person, with the possibility of failure, is simply not a worthwhile deal.