When Luo Ning volunteered, the first three words that popped into everyone's mind, except for Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo, were: breeder.
The various incidents and images about inhumans raising humans made them all watch Luo Ning with tension and vigilance. Even the young security officers were already imagining themselves being raised: belts, shackles, knives...
"Now is not the time to think about these things. There are alien species outside. Let's get out of here alive first." After Lu Xinghe finished speaking, he looked around. This mine was not the one where they had been mining ore in the past few days. He didn't know much about this place, but based on other mines, he deduced that this mine should also have another exit.
The iron gate was still being violently rammed by the mutants outside. Before the mutants knew there was another exit, everyone had to leave before they discovered it.
"Check how many bullets are left, and whether anyone is injured," he asked.
The security officers began to check. There were not many bullets left and no one was injured, which was the luckiest thing. Otherwise, if someone had been injured by the alien attack, they would have been infected and turned into an alien within half an hour at the latest.
After the inspection, Lu Xinghe took the lead and walked forward along the mine tunnel, with Luo Ning and Wen Xi following closely behind him. An Xiaoruo and the other four safety officers walked in the middle, while Du Lu and Song Pei brought up the rear.
There are many branching paths in the mine, making it difficult to determine which one leads to the exit.
“There will definitely be wind blowing in from the exit.” Luo Ning closed her eyes after saying that, but perhaps because the mine was too long, she could not feel the air flowing.
Wen Xi, who was beside her, pointed to a road on the right: "It's windy here."
Luo Ning opened her eyes and looked at Wen Xi: "Are you sure?"
Wen Xi nodded and said seriously, "The wind is quite strong."
Luo Ning: ...
“Let’s take this route,” Luo Ning said to Lu Xinghe.
Although Lu Xinghe had some doubts about Wen Xi's certainty, he couldn't choose the right path at the moment, so he could only give it a try.
After walking for about ten minutes, he indeed felt a breeze blowing in: "The exit is just ahead, everyone quicken your pace."
Luo Ning was once again shocked by Wen Xi's perception ability. Not only was she highly sensitive to the aura of living beings, but she could also accurately perceive natural phenomena such as air currents. This was probably the advantage of the alien species, which were not strong in strength or speed.
Everyone ran at full speed, and soon they saw a faint light. Neither Luo Ning nor Wen Xi sensed any alien aura at the exit, so it seemed that the aliens had not yet discovered this place.
But the sound of the aliens running towards them could be heard from behind; they had already broken through the iron gate and were chasing after them.
Upon reaching the cave entrance, Lu Xinghe placed the few remaining bombs on the cave wall. Just as the aliens approached, he pressed the switch. The mine, already riddled with holes from its underground excavation, immediately collapsed with a tremendous explosion, burying the aliens deep underground.
After the smoke cleared, Luo Ning looked at the large crater in front of her. There were no alien species around. Those mutants and alien species were dead just like that. Humanity's firearms are indeed the most powerful.
The sun was about to set. Although it was springtime, the temperature was still quite low at night. The security officers were only wearing one uniform, which was not enough to keep them warm in the cold.
Lu Xinghe planned to build a temporary shelter with stones, but the surrounding area was barren, and it was not easy to find stones to build a house.
Luo Ning walked to his side and asked, "I remember you all have chips on you, the base should come back to rescue you, right?"
Lu Xinghe's expression was solemn: "The implantation of chips stopped two years ago because there wasn't enough material to produce them. The tracking bracelet I gave you last time was one of the last few."
Luo Ning was stunned for a moment. So he wasn't lying back then. No wonder the young security officer thought they would die here. It turned out the chip was long gone.
"It's okay, there's always a way. Back then, you and Xiaoruo were so far from the base, but you still went back in the end, didn't you?" she said comfortingly.
Lu Xinghe looked into her clear eyes and nodded: "Yes, do you know if there are any houses or anything around here? It's very cold now, we need to find a place to stay."
"Wait a minute." After saying that, Luo Ning called Wen Xi aside: "How about we let them stay at our place? We have some spare rooms. What do you think?"
She and Wenxi cleaned and tidied the house together, so she also needed to ask Wenxi's opinion.
Wenxi cautiously glanced at the security officers not far away: "Will they kill us?"
Luo Ning knew that Wen Xi had concerns about these people: "No, she won't."
"How can you be sure their bullets won't obey us?" Wenxi whispered.
After making her decision, Luo Ning said, "Because there are two security officers among them whom I protected and raised, namely Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo. I lived with them for several years, and it was they who let me leave this time so that I could escape from the base."
Wen Xi looked at Luo Ning in disbelief; she had no idea that Luo Ning had such a past.
"You... raised them?" Wen Xi's first reaction was that it was a relationship of raising them, and she also understood why Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo had given their blood to Luo Ning without hesitation.
Luo Ning gave a wry smile: "It's not a pet relationship, just a close friendship."
“But even if Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo won’t hurt us, what about the others? Aren’t they powerful too?” Wen Xi said nervously.
"Do you think Du Lu will hurt you?" Luo Ning asked her.
Wen Xi paused for a moment, then her fingers instinctively twisted together again: "I...I don't know."
Luo Ning gently took her hand: "So what are you going to do next? Stay here or leave?"
Wen Xi shook her head: "I don't know either."
She was lost and confused. The world was vast, but she didn't know where to go or what to do, just as she didn't know what to do with the baby in her belly.
Although she still can't feel the baby in her belly, her hair is falling out, she has abdominal pain, and she feels weak, all of which are the same symptoms she had before.
Seeing her confused look, Luo Ning said, "If they want to kill us now, they can do so. Or should we stay and try?"
"Hmm." Wen Xi hesitated for a moment before finally nodding gently.
With Wen Xi's consent, Luo Ning led Lu Xinghe to the wooden house by the river. Under the setting sun, the group walked across the meadow full of flowers, waded through the clear river, and finally arrived at their wooden house.
"We're here." Luo Ning pushed open the door. "Come in."
The security officers stood in front of the door, looking at the wooden house. The house was large, made of high-quality materials, and had a great design. It was probably a vacation villa belonging to a wealthy family before the apocalypse. However, after more than seventy years, it had been exposed to the elements and had not been maintained. Many parts of the house were dilapidated.
Several young security officers dared not go in. Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo led the way, followed by Du Lu and Song Pei. Only after they all went in did the young boys follow cautiously.
“Meng Ting, I suddenly remembered, wasn’t this Subject Seventeen supposed to be bred with you?” a young security officer with acne on his face asked in a low voice.
The boy named Meng Ting glanced subconsciously at Luo Ning, who was standing with Lu Xinghe. Although there was still dust on her face and body, it could not hide her delicate beauty. Meng Ting's ears turned red: "Well, I heard that Major Lu refused to be bred back then, and then Minister Dai came to me."
"I see. If she hadn't run away back then, you might already have a child."
"Yao Cheng, don't talk nonsense." After Meng Ting finished speaking, he glanced at Luo Ning again, but saw Luo Ning smile at him, so he immediately turned his head away and refused to look.
Seeing their wary demeanor, Luo Ning didn't say much. Convincing the security officer that the alien species wasn't something that could be achieved overnight.
Lu Xinghe looked at the room. Although it looked rather dilapidated from the outside, it was clean and tidy inside. The original decorations of the house were still there. There was furniture and a fireplace. A set of plates was set on the dining table. A large bouquet of flowers was in a vase with a missing corner, but the flowers had wilted because the owner had been away for the past few days.
Luo Ning led him through the living room: "There are four bedrooms in total. These two are where Wen Xi and I live. The other two have some miscellaneous items stored in them and need to be tidied up before we can move in. You'll have to sleep in the living room tonight."
Lu Xinghe nodded: "The conditions are already very good, thank you."
Luo Ning smiled and said, "We don't need to be so polite between us."
us?
Lu Xinghe was taken aback.
While the two were talking, Wen Xi went into her room and closed the door. Du Lu watched her silently, his expression unreadable.
As the night grew colder, the security officers gathered a pile of wood and lit it in the fireplace. Soon the entire living room was warm and cozy. Although people were no longer cold, they were all hungry, as everyone had expended a great deal of energy that day.
Luo Ning was also powerless. Normally, she could catch some uninfected animals for them to eat, but today the alien tide and the mine explosion scared away all the animals, so she couldn't catch them. The security officers could only be patient for now.
When it was time to sleep, Luo Ning gave her room to An Xiaoruo, and then went to Wen Xi's room to sleep with Wen Xi.
When she entered, Wen Xi was combing her hair. Upon seeing her, she immediately tucked a few stray hairs into her palm, her face still pale.
But Luo Ning had already seen it. She walked over and asked, "Are you feeling unwell again? You don't look well."
"No," Wen Xi immediately denied. "I'm perfectly healthy, there's nothing wrong with me."
Seeing that she was still unwilling to talk, Luo Ning didn't press her: "Okay, if anything happens, you must tell me. Don't bear it alone. We are friends."
Wen Xi nodded, then lay down on the bed, but with her back to Luo Ning, so that Luo Ning wouldn't see her emotions.
Luo Ning watched her retreating figure, and thinking about how Wen Xi and Du Lu hadn't interacted at all today, she couldn't help but sigh softly.
In the living room, Song Pei and Meng Ting were on duty, while the others had gone to sleep. Lu Xinghe was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, but he was not asleep.
As he waded across that river today, he couldn't help but recall images of another river he had once known. The scenery along that river was even more beautiful than here, with incredibly smooth and beautiful stones on its banks. He dived into the water and picked out the two prettiest stones, giving one to Luo Ning and the other to An Xiaoruo...
Wait, An Xiaoruo?
He paused, wondering if he had misremembered. An Xiaoruo wasn't beside him; it was only him and Luo Ning lying in the sea of flowers. She held up a stone, praising its crystal clarity, and then she knelt down beside him, kissing and entwining with him...
The grass by the river was covered in dew, which dampened their bodies. The grass blades and flowers were flattened by their trampling, and her body was stained with flower sap and his scent...
An Xiaoruo wasn't in his dream, but she was in his memories just now.
He opened his eyes with a headache. He was always like this; when he was confused and wanted to continue thinking, his head would always hurt, and then his mind would go blank.
He got up, poured himself a glass of cold water, and drank it. His headache felt a little better, and the restlessness in his body gradually subsided.
Everyone woke up early the next morning. No one had slept well; everyone had been on guard against each other all night.
Lu Xinghe quickly arranged the day's tasks. He, Luo Ning'an, and Xiao Ruo went to the river to catch some fish, while Song Pei and Du Lu were responsible for repairing and cleaning the house. Wen Xi stayed in the bedroom and did not come out.
Upon reaching the riverbank, Lu Xinghe jumped into the river to catch fish, while Luo Ning and An Xiaoruo picked some wild vegetables. The two used to do these things often, so without Luo Ning saying much, An Xiaoruo, who had lost her memory, still skillfully picked a bagful.
"Sister, there are so many wild vegetables here! I'll go back and get something to pack them up," An Xiaoruo said excitedly.
"Okay," Luo Ning replied, then watched An Xiaoru skip and hop back.
With a splash, Lu Xinghe emerged from the water. He was shirtless, with a thin back and narrow waist, his muscles well-proportioned and powerful. Water droplets from his hair dripped down his cheeks, slid down his chest, and down his firm waist and abdomen...
Luo Ning glanced at him and immediately lowered her head. Although they had been together for a month, he had never appeared in front of her shirtless before. This was the first time.
She had seen him like this before, but he was only eighteen years old then, and she always thought of him as her younger brother.
But now, his body clearly tells her that he is an imposing adult male.
"Where's Xiaoruo?" Lu Xinghe wiped the water off his face, squatted down, and took the two fish off the harpoon and placed them next to her.
He was very close to her; she could feel the heat emanating from his body, even though he had just come out of the water.
"She went back first, she'll be back later," she replied softly.
"Oh." Lu Xinghe responded, looking up in the direction of the house. He didn't see An Xiaoru running towards him. Now, only he and she were left by the river.
Luo Ning was picking up some dark green things from the ground with her head down. Lu Xinghe also picked up a piece, feeling that it was fleshy and crunchy, and couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
"Don't you recognize this? It's lichen. It's delicious when stir-fried. You and Xiaoruo used to love eating this, but back then it only grew in the summer. I didn't expect it to be here in the spring," Luo Ning said as she picked some.
Lu Xinghe had no recollection of her. He looked at the river beside him, at the small flowers covering the ground, and at her with her head down. Her hair was lightly tied back with a strip of cloth, revealing her long, snow-white neck. Her earlobes were small and lustrous, just like in his dream, yet somehow different.
As for where things are different, he couldn't figure it out either.
“We used to frequent the riverbank, didn’t we?” He was a little unsteady on his breath as he slowly picked up the pieces of rubble.
Luo Ning nodded, somewhat surprised: "Yes, didn't you ask me before? Haven't you remembered yet?"
"No, I've already remembered, I'm just confirming it again," he replied.
"Oh, we often go to the river, and you're always in charge of catching fish. After all these years, you're still so good at catching fish." Luo Ning praised him as she looked at the two fish.
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