Liya and her group gathered together, probably checking for wounds and discussing my offer, while I sat to the side, looking at all the cores collected in my inventory.
"Why do you keep looking at her?"
Since Yifei returned, she reverted to how she acted around Qinglan; she was probably jealous of Liya.
However, I didn’t show any interest that might trigger that. It seemed Yifei couldn’t help but worry about that kind of thing.
"Well she’s pretty and has a great body, but most of all isn’t her hair colour rare?"
"...Hmph, it’s just red."
"Damn." I leaned back, clutching my ribs, "I’m gonna feel this tomorrow."
Yifei exhaled beside me and twirled her glaive once before slinging it over her back. She didn’t look tired, but I could see the tension in her face and shoulders. The thrill of the fight still clung to her.
So," she said, brushing ash from her sleeve with forced casualness, "is she your next one?"
"Y-Yeah..." Her voice became light and sweet. "She looked comfortable taking your orders and fighting beside you... I thought that might be your type." Yifei kicked her legs and puffed out her cheeks.
"You jealous?" I grinned.
She scoffed. "Hah?! Jealous? Of a dusty mercenary with no skincare routine and a dead look in her eyes?"
"Honestly, my type is strange..."
Before the scared little cat could pull back and run away, I gripped her shoulders, "Well... there’s this cute blonde girl who just happens to be my type right here." The way her shoulders quivered as she looked up at me with glistening eyes.
I moved closer, enjoying the slightly deep scent of her body after fighting; it wasn’t unpleasant, I liked it.
"Oh? A dusty mercenary with shit skincare?" A voice came from behind, Liya’s twisted smirk aimed at Yifei as she leaned against a broken pillar.
Yifei flinched out of my grasp. "Tch—who said I was talking about you!?"
Liya didn’t respond; instead, she sat beside me, laying her halberd against the wall.
She hadn’t recovered much. Sweat trailed down her cheek and dripped into her cleavage. The battle probably exhausted her, and despite her acting like iron, I could tell her legs were one bad step from giving out.
"You alright?" I asked.
"Well... thanks to you, we’ll live." She grabbed a cloth from her pocket and wiped her face. "You took most of the pressure, why are you acting so calm?"
"If I start panicking then won’t the others collapse and die?"
"No kidding..." Liya smiled, looking at her team members sitting a short distance from me. I wondered if they were nervous or still doubtful of me.
Yifei glanced at her, then back at me. "So... are we done here?"
I looked around—the ruins of the street, the collapsed cocoon, the blood soaking the concrete. Our little evening date was over—no need to linger. "Yeah, we should probably head back soon. The train station’s not far. The others are probably waiting."
Yifei brightened a little at that.
"Does your offer still stand...? We are a little tired of wandering alone." Liya stood slowly and adjusted her grip on the halberd. "I’ll come too. My team’s already at their limits and cannot reach the next military checkpoint, and I’ve got questions."
Yifei’s face turned pale, her arms spread out as she looked at me with tearful eyes.
I didn’t bother to argue and nodded.
"Well, you should . I just hope you don’t cause any trouble."
"Of course, why would we do that?"
Liya’s group followed behind us as I walked out of the ruins. The sound of broken glass crunching under our boots echoed through the street. Yifei leaned a little closer as we walked. "You know... next time you want to ’cheer me up,’ maybe just try kissing me or getting me a gift instead of bringing another thieving cat home!"
I laughed. "You had fun though right?"
The train station was quieter than usual.
The barricades at the front were still intact, reinforced with scrap steel and sandbags. A few exhausted people hovered near the perimeter while guarding.
As we stepped onto the platform, I first saw Tang Wei. She stood before a large map table, arms crossed, talking to Jiang Roulan, who sat on a crate half-covered in thermal blankets. They both looked up as we approached.
Tang Wei narrowed her eyes. "You’re late."
"John... we were so worried!" Jiang Roulan jumped into my chest, her soft breasts squished against my chest as she kissed my lips.
The moment she hit me, I lost my breath, and I had to wrap my arm around her to steady myself. I wanted to speak, but Roulan’s tongue was inside my mouth before I could say a word, and her hands clung tightly.
"I was so worried," She whispered before kissing me again. This time, I saw Tang Wei and Yifei looking with shocked expressions, but neither moved.
Eventually, Jiang Roulan pulled back, blushing, trembling, "Ahh—sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were real."
"Liar, you just wanted to take advantage and enjoy his tongue..." Yifei huffed before dragging Roulan back, pushing her down on the crate, and stepping between them.
"Well, this is awkward."
It was Liya who stepped forward from the darkness. She looked at Jiang Roulan, then back at me with a wry smile, then winked. "I didn’t expect to see a familiar face here, Wei-Wei. You’re still alive and fighting, huh?"
[Li Ya’s Affection has increased significantly]
"I could say the same for you, Yaya! I thought you all died... Even Bruce... and Momo!? But I knew you would live on your own somehow." Tang Wei’s voice was cold but had some emotion, unlike her usual tone.
"Do you know them?" I asked her, honestly, this was quite exciting, and I thought I had saved friends of Tang Wei.
"I knew them in the past, we were in the same regiment for quite some time."
She put her hand on Tang Roulan’s shoulder, who had been staring at Liya in awe. "That is Li Ya. She’s an amazing fighter and part of the 49th long-range scouting battalion and is one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen, and this is..." Tang Wei started to speak about the members who were all B-Grade, and Liya was S-Grade.
Sometimes I thought the System only gave the S-Grade to women I would be tempted to fuck...
[John, don’t be so vulgar... It’s just that you have exquisite taste, maybe?]
’Why do you seem doubtful?’
"I see... Well, since they are close to you, take good care of them, there’s enough rations left, right? If not, let me know."
They stood at attention at my words and nodded before Tang Wei guided them in.
"I think we should head to your room now..." Yifei said as she stared at the floor.
"Why do you want to finish what we started in the shower?" I thought she might act bashful and avoid the subject...
"Yeah... can we?" The shy response, her slightly red cheeks and the doubtful look from Jiang Roulan spurred me on as I reached out, took Shen Yifei’s hand, and walked towards the room Mu Qinglan was probably sleeping in.
There were only a few hours of darkness left until we would need to wake up, so Yifei seemed to be in a bit of a rush.
The old place wasn’t pleasant because of the foul smell of oil and rust.
A few survivors drank coffee while eating small meals, and they nodded to me.
Thankfully, they all seemed to have grown to trust me, not a single person beneath Loyalty+ in the camp, apart from Liya’s group, of course, but that couldn’t be fixed easily.
The atmosphere was calm, but heavy.
Yifei still held my hand, fingers interlocked.
Despite her earlier confidence in asking me to join her in the shower, we didn’t speak after leaving the campsite where Jiang Roulan sat alone with a pot of coffee.
Soon, I would help her, and after fulfilling her request, I would taste her.
Fei-Fei didn’t seem jealous anymore, at least looking at her blushed cheeks, holding my hands seemed to help her cope with the situation.
Tang Wei gave a slight nod before peeling off toward the side entrance. Liya and her team followed quietly, their eyes sharp but their bodies running on fumes. That fight had taken more out of them than they’d probably admit.
We reached the familiar door.
The one that smelled like Mu Qinglan’s hair oil and Yifei’s shampoo.
"Phew, she’s still sleeping~ good." Yifei celebrated, and hopped over to her bed, removing her jacket, and the padded parts of her belt and pants... when she stripped down to an oversized t-shirt and her fiery red thong... I couldn’t help but swallow. Hard.
"Hey Yifei... let’s have that shower."
So I called out to her and dragged her into the shower room.