Chapter 5

Mira and Xu decided to set out for the mall early in the morning.

Outside, only a few zombies wandered. They immediately noticed the two's presence, but they didn't even get a chance to run to their direction before their heads were blown up directly.

No guns and bullets were used. Everything was so sudden, as if the heads exploded after a simple thought.

Xu stared at Mira in amazement. He realized that if Mira so wanted, she could've done just that to him earlier on.

With a disturbed mind, Xu followed Mira into an off-road vehicle that she brought out and drove to the direction of the companions he was previously separated with.

It didn't take long for Mira to fall asleep completely.

Glancing at Mira's unguarded sleeping figure on the passenger seat, Xu once again remembered the scene of how she so effortlessly blew up the heads of zombies from a one-kilometer radius. Seeing such an innocent-looking girl being able to do such a thing without even blinking made him dumbfounded.

She looked so weak and delicate while sleeping... but if you underestimate her, you wouldn't even know how you died.

Xu pursed his lips and glanced back at the road.

They were headed to the largest mall in the city. A week ago, their team got news that there was a large warehouse near the mall, which most likely contained thousands of bottled water, canned goods, rice, and most importantly, seeds.

The warehouse was said to be very advanced and secure, which guaranteed the safety of the things inside, but at the same time, made it difficult for anyone to manage to get inside. This warehouse was exactly Xu and the others' mission target.

When they arrived at the location, however, what they didn't expect was that they would be ambushed by three level 5 zombies. Even if they still have enough strength to deal with these, there were dozens of other zombies around that suddenly encircled them.

Although they managed to kill two of the level 5 zombies, the other one was still uninjured, while their team members were gradually being forced to a disadvantage. With the mentality of sacrificing for the team, Xu took the initiative to separate from the others and lead the remaining level 5 zombie away. He managed to kill the said zombie, but was severely injured in the process.

Knowing that his wounds might attract nearby zombies, Xu went to the tallest building in the area, which was the same hotel that Mira appeared at. Zombies also have heightened senses, but they can only sense the presence of humans at a certain distance, therefore, Xu struggled to reach the fourteenth floor, before passing out due to blood loss.

It was because of this that he met Mira, and although she did threaten him before, he still hadn't forgotten her life-saving grace.

Hence, despite the lingering urge to attack her, Xu held back and patiently drove all the way to to the mall's location.

Although... even if he did try to harm her, he probably wouldn't have been able to touch a strand of her hair.

°°°

When they finally arrived in front of the mall, Mira was still asleep.

Looking at her peaceful and lovely posture, Xu couldn't bear to wake her up.

He quietly watched her, tracing her soft features with his eyes. Xu never thought of himself as a superficial person who cared for people's appearances, but he didn't know why at that moment, he couldn't stop himself from admiring Mira's beauty. It was almost as if he was addicted.

Almost half an hour later, Mira finally moved.

Xu was surprised-not just about the sudden movement, but also about the fact that he had actually been staring at a sleeping person for so long. He suddenly felt that he was a huge pervert, and his cheeks heated up in embarrassment.

He quietly moved back, trying not to disturb Mira, but after that small movement, it seemed like she was already about to wake up.

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Mira's lashes fluttered and her brows furrowed. A while later, her eyes opened, blinking slowly to adjust to an 'awake' state.

Xu's heartbeat sped up unknowingly, especially when Mira's emerald eyes locked on to his figure.

"...You're awake," he decided to speak first, "We're here."

Mira blinked, as if trying to process his words. It was only a few moments later that she snapped away from her confused state and understood the situation.

Her eyes soon became more focused, "Oh," she yawned, "So fast?"

"It's already been more than an hour since we left the hotel," he replied.

"Oh," Mira nodded blankly, "You go out."

Xu opened the car door obediently, then came to Mira's side to open the door for her.

Mira squinted her eyes and covered them with her hand, annoyed by the bright sunlight that made her eyes water.

She frowned and immediately issued another command to Xu, "You carry me. I'm still sleepy, I don't want to walk."

Xu heard her soft and sweet voice and suddenly felt a bit flustered.

Her tone was obviously arrogant and domineering, but her soft voice only made her sound adorably coquettish.

Xu had the urge to pick her up directly, but still felt that her request was a bit too unrestrained.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "You mean..."

Mira didn't let him finish. She stretched her arms forward impatiently and complained, "I said, carry me, can't you hear properly?"

Xu's face once again warmed up. He clumsily placed an arm below her knees and waist, lifting her up with little effort. Xu was surprised by how light Mira was. He couldn't help but look down at her, but upon seeing her stunning face, his face became even hotter.

He forced himself to look away and act as nonchalant as possible.

"Should we go in...?" Xu asked tentatively.

Mira hummed in agreement.

Xu carefully held her in his arms and stepped forward, while Mira shifted comfortably, her arms circling his neck.

Xu noticed Mira burying her face in his shoulder, and his movements immediately stiffened.

Xu had never so much contact with someone before. He tried to maintain his calm and continued to walk.

At this moment, Mira suddenly chuckled. She raised her neck, her lips brushing against his ears.

"Xu, you're so cute."

Xu's face was so hot that he felt like he was about to explode.

He stopped walking and looked down at Mira with a helpless and flustered expression.

"Please... Please stop teasing me..."

Mira raised her brows and moved her hand to trace Xu's blush-stained ear.

"Why? Are you feeling shy?"

Xu's lashes fluttered. He looked away and admitted in a low voice, "Yes... It's making me feel embarrassed."

Mira fiddled with the tip of his ear for a while, watching as it got redder and redder, before finally retracting her hand and settling back to her original position.

"Okay," she smiled, "I'll stop- for now."

Xu sighed in relief. He sneaked another glance at Mira, who had already closed her eyes to avoid the bright rays of the sun, before continuing to move forward.

There were a few zombies around, while some were just fallen corpses that were previously killed by Xu's team the day before.

Mira easily located Xu's companions using her soul power. With her around, no zombies dared to come near them.

"Go to the fourth floor," Mira murmured.

Xu glanced down at her, "You know where they are?"

"Mhm," Mira hummed.

Xu didn't doubt her and did as she said.

Previously, he thought that they would have to go through all of the floors to find the rest of the group, but it seemed that it was no longer necessary.

Xu walked all the way to the fourth floor with no obstructions. He found that this was the smoothest walk he has taken outside the base ever since the apocalypse broke out.

On the fourth floor, there was a large supermarket. This was where Xu's group was located. Xu followed Mira's instructions and arrived in front of the supermarket entrance.

It was extremely quiet, and there were no signs of people inside, but Xu knew that there must be someone standing on guard.

"Jin?" he called out.

He only made a guess, so Xu was surprised to see Jin appearing from behind a row of shelves, with a heavy-looking rifle slung across his chest, and a desert eagle on each hand.

"You're alive," Jin spoke, both surprised and relieved at the same time, but his gaze soon shifted to the person in Xu's arms.

Mira was naturally aware of what was happening around her. She twisted in Xu's arms and deliberately spoke in a coy tone, "Let me down~"

Xu was embarrassed, but he was already somewhat familiar with Mira's antics, so he only bent down silently and placed Mira back on her feet, looking completely calm and composed as he did so.

Mira patted the imaginary dust on her sweatpants before shamelessly clinging onto Xu's arm.

She blinked up at him and asked, "Is he your friend?"

Her voice was as soft and glutinous as usual, but this time, it carried a hint of timidity that was a bit unfamiliar. Xu looked down at Mira, only to find that there was also obvious reliance and vulnerability in her expression.

A blush quickly creeped up Xu's neck.

He remembered the second condition that they agreed on before leaving, and he nervously raised his hand to tuck a few strands of hair on Mira's face behind her ear, trying to soften his features and make his expression look more affectionate.

Mira was actually surprised by Xu's initiative. She smiled in satisfaction and reached out to grab his outstretched hand, rubbing her soft face against it a few times.

Xu blushed harder and almost stammered while speaking, "Yeah... He's my friend."

"Who is she?" Jin stepped forward and interrupted, breaking their atmosphere.

Mira stopped clinging to Xu's arm, and intwined their fingers together instead. Xu was distracted by her movements, and he felt his face heating up.

Even if they practiced this dozens of times back at the hotel, being so intimate in front of others was still a different matter.

Xu pursed his lips, trying to maintain a cold expression, "Let's go inside first. I'll tell everyone together."

Jin glanced at Mira with some doubt, but still nodded in agreement.

He led them to the rest of the group. When they discovered that it was actually Xu, they almost couldn't wait to jump up happily, but when they saw Mira and the hand that was linked with Xu's, they all fell into a weird silence.

×××

Xu: I was ooc again :'D