9. Intimacy

The night sky over Blackrock Base was ripped apart by flames shooting up from the main building. Thick smoke billowed up like a ferocious python, completely obscuring the sparse stars and moon. Even before the deafening aftermath of the explosion had fully subsided, the shrill, piercing alarms wailed like the howls of a dying beast, echoing in every corner of the base, stirring the already turbulent night.

More guards, like startled ants, poured out of the barracks and watchtowers. The chaotic, hurried sounds of footsteps, the clash of weapons, and the hoarse shouts of orders intertwined as they converged on the main building, where flames shot skyward. Ordinary residents, like frightened rabbits, huddled tightly in their tattered shacks or crumbling wooden houses, blocking doors and windows with whatever they could find, trembling with bated breath in the darkness, fearing they would be swept up and crushed by the sudden storm.

Amidst this chaos and panic, several shadowy figures, as swift as leopards, scurried along the most remote, filthy, and least noticed paths on the edge of the base. They cleverly exploited blind spots in buildings, piles of waste, and the piercingly cold, thin icy fog created by Mu Lin, effectively shielding them from the first few waves of pursuers who reacted most quickly.

Finally, like trapped beasts with no choice but to rush through a rotten, almost falling apart wooden door, they fell into a dilapidated tool shed located at the outermost edge of the base, which looked like it had been completely forgotten.

With a muffled "bang!", A Yan pressed his broad, strong back against the rickety wooden door, panting heavily, his chest heaving like a bellows. Even in this state of near exhaustion, his arms around Su Lin remained as steady as a rock, holding the person tightly to his chest as if that was all he had left. Sweat and someone else's blood mixed together, dripping from his angular jawline, leaving a small, dark mark on the dusty ground.

The moment Lei Qing entered, he was like a leopard on edge, his sharp eyes darting through the nearly pitch-black darkness. The shed was incredibly cramped, cluttered with rusty, unknown metal parts, broken ropes, and rotting wood. The air was thick with the indissoluble smell of dust, the stench of rust, and a hint of stale, musty air. He quickly confirmed that besides them, there were no other living creatures or threats within the confined space.

Almost immediately after Lei Qing confirmed safety, Mu Lin silently sprang into action. He placed his hands on the inside of the single broken window and door, his fingertips gleaming with a faint blue light. A thin, yet remarkably tough layer of ice quickly formed and spread across the inside of the windows and doors, not to defend against possible attacks, but to isolate any possible sounds from within, as well as... the scent of life. After completing all this, his face, already pale from exhaustion, took on a new, more translucent quality. He swayed slightly before stabilizing himself against a discarded iron cabinet nearby.

In the small, dark, almost airtight space, the only sound for a moment was the heavy, uneven, suppressed breathing of the four people. The faint clamor and sirens from outside seemed to come from another distant world, further highlighting the dead silence here.

"Su Lin? Su Lin? It's okay... We're safe... For now..." Ah Yan's voice trembled with rapid breathing and lingering tension. He carefully lifted Su Lin, whom he had been holding tightly in his arms, and gently placed him on a relatively flat pile of miscellaneous items covered with rags in the corner. A faint ray of moonlight stubbornly squeezed in through the tiny crack above the ice on the window, landing squarely on Su Lin's face, casting a false and fragile halo around him.

In the dim light, A Yan anxiously checked on Su Lin. The young man's consciousness seemed to have emerged somewhat from his deep drugged coma, but something was clearly wrong. Very wrong.

He was scorching hot, and even through his clothes, Ah Yan could feel the astonishing heat. His once pale cheeks were now flushed an unnatural, vibrant red, like the setting sun. Fine beads of sweat oozed from his smooth forehead and nose, gathering into beads and rolling down, wetting the soft black hair on his forehead and making it sticky to his skin. He opened his eyes slightly, his usually clear amber eyes now blurred and hazy, as if covered by a mist, unable to find any focus. His long, thick eyelashes trembled helplessly, like butterfly wings in the wind.

"Hot... so hot... mmm..." He murmured unconsciously, his voice hoarse from thirst and some indescribable torment, yet strangely tinged with a soft, alluring melody. It was a tone they had never heard from Su Lin when he was awake, filled with vulnerability and helplessness... and a subtle allure. He began to shift restlessly, unconsciously pulling open the collar of his shirt, already disheveled from his previous struggles, revealing more of his delicate collarbone and a swathe of fair skin tinged with an alluring pink. His skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, rising and falling slightly with his rapid breathing.

"What's wrong with him?" A Yan was completely panicked. He looked up at Mu Lin, who was the best at observation and analysis in the studio. His golden eyes were full of helplessness and worry. "Is it a high fever caused by the injury? Or... or is there something wrong with that damn drug?" He subconsciously stretched out his hand, which seemed a little cold due to his supernatural powers and nervousness, and wanted to touch Su Lin's hot forehead, trying to bring him a little coolness in this way.

Mu Lin forced himself to squat, straining his exhausted body. He didn't answer immediately, but instead extended his long, bony fingers and gently touched the skin on the side of Su Lin's neck. The unusually scorching heat, coupled with the subtle yet uncontrollable physiological tremor beneath his fingertips, caused Mu Lin's expression to change drastically, his eyes darkening instantly. He wasn't a healing psychic, but his perception of the human body far surpassed that of ordinary people.

"It's not an ordinary drug..." Mu Lin's voice deepened, with a hint of tension and rage that was suppressed but still leaked out. "That bastard Xiao... I'm afraid he mixed something else into that drug..." He paused, almost squeezing out the disgusting guess through his teeth, "It's... an aphrodisiac or something. And I'm afraid the dosage is not light."

The three words "aphrodisiac" were like three cold steel needles that instantly pierced A Yan and Lei Qing's eardrums and went straight to their brains!

Aphrodisiac?! In this place?! At this time?! Xiao's filthy, disgusting intentions were now fully revealed! He not only wanted to capture Su Lin, but also wanted to use this despicable method to completely destroy his will and turn him into...

"Damn it! I'm going back to kill that bastard! Chop him up and feed him to the zombies!!!" Ah Yan's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot. The rage that had just subsided surged again as if doused with gasoline, rushing straight to his head! He stood up abruptly, the air around him twisted with rage, sparks flying, and he was about to rush out to seek revenge regardless of the consequences.

"Ayan!" Lei Qing growled, his voice like muffled thunder exploding in the confined space, carrying with it an undeniable majesty and an equally suppressed, furious rage. He gripped Ayan's shoulder with such force it nearly shattered his bones. "Calm down! Leaving now would be a trap! You'd die!" The veins on his forehead throbbed violently, and his eyes were terrifyingly sinister. But his remaining rationality told him that impulsive action at this moment would solve nothing and would only push everyone deeper into the abyss.

At that moment, as if startled by the intense emotions and sounds between them, or perhaps tormented by the growing heat, emptiness, and indescribable longing within him that felt like millions of ants gnawing at his bones, completely losing his mind, Su Lin let out an unpleasant whimper. Following his body's instinct, he slid softly and without warning towards the nearest source of vibrant heat—Lei Qing, who had just held Ah Yan down, his muscles tense and heated with battle and anger.

The hot cheek with an abnormal red flush was pressed against Lei Qing's forearm, which had veins bulging from his tight grip on the weapon and was also hot but extremely firm.

"Hmm... It hurts... It hurts so much..." He was like a wounded little animal seeking comfort and shelter. He unconsciously rubbed his cheek against the slightly sweaty, powerful skin. His breathing was rapid and hot. His sweet breath sprayed all over Lei Qing's arm, bringing waves of trembling itchiness. "Help me... It's so hot... Ouch..."

Lei Qing's entire body trembled violently, as if pierced by a high-voltage electric current! Su Lin had never been so close to him before, so actively and vulnerable. His voice was so soft and pleading, tinged with tears. His whole body exuded an alluring and decadent aura that was ready to be picked up... It was like a heavy hammer with too much accumulated power, smashing hard against the emotional dam that he had been forcibly blocking and suppressing with reason and responsibility!

His muscles instantly tensed like stone, his breathing uncontrollably becoming heavy and rapid. Every breath he took was filled with Su Lin's unique scent, a blend of the delicate fragrance of soapberry and the arousal of the moment. His deep eyes suddenly darkened in the darkness, like a deep night brewing a violent storm, surging within them with a flame of desire never before revealed to anyone, so fierce it threatened to consume him.

Ah Yan was also stunned. He watched Su Lin lean so naturally and reliantly against Lei Qing, his completely trusting, defenseless, alluring appearance. First, a sharp, sour, stinging pain surged through his heart, like lemon juice dripping into a wound. But then, an even stronger desire and possessiveness, almost bursting through his chest, erupted like magma, burning his internal organs. He wanted that closeness, wanted to touch, wanted to comfort, wanted... more.

"Ooooo..." Unable to receive any response, the emptiness and heat inside his body seemed even more unbearable. Su Lin whimpered in grievance, his body twisting uncomfortably even more violently. One hand began to unconsciously scratch at the collar of his already open shirt, the force even leaving a few light red marks on the delicate pink skin, and it looked like he was about to hurt himself.

"Don't... don't do that..." Mu Lin hurried forward, his cool hand gently yet firmly grasping Su Lin's wrist, which was attempting to injure himself. The moment their skin touched, the startling, scorching heat, and Su Lin's slender fingers, which instinctively grasped at a lifeline, trembling slightly, made Mu Lin's heart skip a beat and his breath hitch. He stared into Su Lin's misty eyes, filled with pain and primal longing, at his drug-induced, completely unguarded, pure and seductive demeanor. His usual pride in his composure and self-possession, now shattered and melted like ice in the sun.

They loved Su Lin deeply. This feeling, woven like a vine through years of fighting side by side, sharing life and death, and through the daily care and protection, had long since taken root, entwined with their very souls. Yet, due to the harsh laws of the apocalypse, the delicate balance they needed to maintain within their team, and Su Lin's own pure, untainted warmth, they each carefully and desperately concealed it, suppressed deep within their hearts, not daring to reveal a single word.

However, at this moment, the drugs that Xiao had prepared mercilessly deprived Su Lin of his sanity, pushing him into the abyss of sexual torment, and forcing the three of them to the brink of moral and emotional choices.

Seeing this person, whom they cherished so dearly and were willing to protect with their lives, enduring such obvious and excruciating pain and suffering...

Should I take advantage of him and do something shameful? Or should I just watch him struggle in agony under the torment of drugs, perhaps even hurting himself?

In the dark, dilapidated shed, the sounds of heavy, suppressed breathing intertwined, becoming increasingly rapid and intense. The air, once filled with the smell of dust and rust, seemed to be replaced by a gradually rising, fermenting scent of blood mixed with a certain alluring yet dangerous ambiguity.

The string of reason, which had long been overwhelmed, let out a wail of impending breakage under the repeated tearing of desire, worry, love and anger.

A Yan gasped for breath, a sound like the final struggle of a worn-out bellows. The struggle and pain in his eyes raged like a storm, but in the end, the overwhelming love, the desire to protect, and a more primitive, more overbearing possessiveness completely overwhelmed everything. His voice was hoarse, dry as sandpaper, and every word seemed forced from the depths of his throat: "I can't... I can't let him suffer like this... I can't stand it..."

Mu Lin slowly closed his eyes, his long lashes casting a deep shadow. When he opened them again, those eyes, always as gentle as jade and as calm as a lake, were now tinged with a deep, unconcealed desire and a desperate determination. He gently pulled Su Lin's body, slightly hunched in discomfort, closer to him, feeling the scorching heat transmit through the thin clothing. He whispered, his voice soft as a whisper, yet carrying undeniable weight: "... Let's... help him together."

Lei Qing remained silent throughout. He simply gazed deeply, almost greedily, at Su Lin's face, now particularly captivating with emotion, with those eyes burning with a dark flame that seemed to absorb the very soul. Then, he reached out his blood-stained and dust-stained, yet still steady and powerful, hand. Gently and with an almost reverent solemnity, he brushed aside Su Lin's sweat-soaked, sticky black hair from his forehead, revealing a pair of hazy, helpless eyes.

The last obstacle, the last hesitation, in this special and extreme situation, under the combined impact of extreme worry about Su Lin's safety, raging anger towards Xiao, and the love and possessiveness that had been buried deep in the heart for a long time and was now completely ignited by drugs and the atmosphere, completely collapsed and was ruthlessly washed away by the surging waves.

The small, dilapidated tool shed, isolated from the chaos of the outside world, seemed to have become the only isolated island in the universe, and the place where all repressed emotions and primitive desires could finally be vented.

Rough, blood-stained, and stained clothing was hurriedly and chaotically removed, the rustling sound remarkably clear in the silence. In the darkness, vision was deprived, but other senses were infinitely magnified. Suppressed gasps from the depths of the throat and uncontrollable, tearful sobs echoed intermittently, occasionally interspersed with heavier groans, uncontrolled growls, and the ambiguous sound of flesh colliding.

Sometimes their movements were eager and almost crazy, with a kind of fear of surviving a disaster and relief of regaining what they had lost, as if they wanted to vent and imprint on each other's bodies and souls all the panic of possibly losing him forever, as well as the love and desire that had accumulated for a long time and almost overwhelmed them; sometimes they became extremely gentle and affectionate, full of pity and care, as if they were treating a fragile, unique and rare treasure, and every touch and every kiss was cherished with great care.

This is not a long-planned intimacy, but a chaotic prelude that finally erupts after a fierce collision of emotion and desire, reason and impulse, catalyzed by desperation and accidents.

Cherish, love, possession, comfort, redemption... and that trace of guilt and self-doubt for "taking advantage of others' misfortune" hidden deep in the heart that cannot be completely erased... All kinds of complex and contradictory emotions, like thick fog, filled this small, dark, but scorching space, tightly wrapped up the four people.

They used the most primitive and direct way to confirm each other's existence, feel each other's fresh vitality, vent the intense throbbing and fear of surviving the disaster, and finally... broke through the boundary that had separated them for a long time, as thin as a cicada's wing but as solid as a rock.

Outside the window, the long and cold night of the apocalypse is still endless, the chaos and noise in the Black Stone Base are still continuing, and the drama of pursuit and escape is still going on.