The movement of Shen Yi getting up made a sound, causing Cheng Jun to open her eyes.
"What's wrong, Shen Yi?"
"Shh..."
Shen Yi gestured for Cheng Jun to be quiet as he slowly moved toward the car.
His right hand hung naturally, ready to summon his gun at any moment, while trying not to make too much noise.
Cheng Jun was no longer her former self, and the two worked in perfect sync.
After receiving Shen Yi's signal, she sat silently in place, even her breathing becoming lighter.
As Shen Yi rounded the side of the pickup truck, his footsteps halted.
The creature before him turned out to be a rat.
However, this rat had mutated in size, at least as long as his forearm, with fur that appeared purple-black in the sunlight.
Most peculiar was the small black flower growing from its forehead.
The flower had four petals, with roots like whiskers embedded in the rat's head, making it impossible to distinguish between fur and tentacles.
It was currently nibbling on a small piece of dried meat, its bean-sized eyes glancing around.
Slowly, its eyes turned and met Shen Yi's gaze.
Without panic or movement, it remained in place, continuing to eat.
Shen Yi cautiously stepped back to maintain distance.
The dried meat was what they had accidentally dropped during lunch, which the rat had apparently picked up.
Cheng Jun, whose view was blocked by the car and worried by the prolonged silence, slowly stood up and moved closer.
Not daring to make a sound, she gradually made her way behind Shen Yi.
Upon seeing the sleek-furred rat, Cheng Jun quickly covered her mouth to suppress a gasp.
This was the same dark shadow she had encountered on the first day!
Having finished the small piece of dried meat, the rat suddenly stood upright on its hind legs, the small flower on its head gently swaying.
The surrounding weeds, flowers, and plants seemed to lean slightly toward it.
"Squeak..."
Its bean-sized eyes looked at the two of them, seeming to reveal human-like emotions.
Then it crouched down and disappeared in a flash with incredible speed.
Shen Yi maintained his guard throughout, staying alert in place.
Though this strange creature appeared rat-like, Shen Yi couldn't possibly treat it as a normal rat, nor could he guarantee it was harmless.
Moreover, its speed was extraordinary - fortunately, it had no intention to harm them, or Shen Yi might not have been able to defend against it.
At once, both lost their desire for an afternoon rest and packed up their things to return to the car.
"Did you notice?" Cheng Jun suddenly asked.
"What?"
"That thing seemed to have consciousness. It looked at me before leaving."
"I know, it was staring at me earlier too."
"This is the only living thing we've encountered besides ourselves. It must hide some secret."
"We still need to be careful. It was just attracted by the dried meat, but small size doesn't mean harmless."
"Mm-hmm."
Cheng Jun recalled the strange-looking rat, its alert eyes making her shiver. She hugged herself, trying to find some warmth.
Shen Yi drove steadily, looking ahead as he reassured her,
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Though the words were light, they carried weight. After supporting each other for so long, no more needed to be said.
It started raining on their way back.
The rain was heavy.
The curtain of rain stretched from sky to earth, like a celestial river pouring down.
The white car moved through it like a small boat in water.
The villa stood quietly as they passed through the water curtain to return home.
As the downpour continued, Cheng Jun couldn't settle her heart and came to the window with a cup of hot tea.
Holding the cup with both hands as she sipped, the warm liquid couldn't reach her heart.
The world seemed to have turned upside down, everything before her becoming unfamiliar.
The steam from the hot tea swirled against the glass window, the moisture blurring her vision.
An overwhelming sense of loneliness engulfed her.
Suddenly, a blanket was draped over her shoulders.
"You just got rained on, keep warm."
Shen Yi stood beside her, stretching casually as if no one was there. Rainy days made people lethargic - perfect weather for sleeping.
His presence made Cheng Jun's dim eyes light up again.
Shen Yi watched the rain while Cheng Jun watched him.
Yes, only him, this feeling of security.
Holding his hand tightly, Cheng Jun felt that even if it were the end of the world, there was nothing to fear as long as he was by her side.
In her eyes, nothing was too difficult for Shen Yi.
He was sometimes energetic, sometimes spirited, neither pessimistic when trapped nor giving up in the face of apocalypse.
In comparison, she was lost, afraid, discouraged, and tormented.
In this environment, Shen Yi was like a steady light source that she couldn't help but want to chase and stay close to.
...
The strange rat incident left them uneasy, but life had to go on, they had to look forward.
After spending several peaceful days at home, they went out again.
By the artificial lake, Shen Yi set up his fishing rod, hoping to see if there were any fish in the deep waters.
The seeds they had planted earlier were almost ready for harvest.
A patch of lush green vegetables grew vigorously, a sight that brought peace to the mind.
Perhaps due to the fertile soil, they hardly needed to fertilize or water the plants.
Shen Yi's mouth watered; he wasn't craving meat now, just these green leafy vegetables.
While Cheng Jun was checking the field, Shen Yi quietly approached her from behind with a package.
"Ta-da, guess what this is?"
Cheng Jun took it from him, asking:
"A gift for me? What nice thing is it?"
"You'll see when you look."
Shen Yi's smile didn't fade, confident she would be pleased.
Curiosity piqued, Cheng Jun quickly opened the bag and her eyes immediately widened with joy.
"This is... where did you find these?"
The bag contained a complete set of watercolor paints, along with several brushes and a palette.
"Haha, you like it, right? The easel is in the car. I knew you would."
"I found these in a small shop off the main street. I don't know much about painting, so let me know if anything's missing and I'll find it for you next time."
Shen Yi wasn't sure which school of painting Cheng Jun followed, so he tried to get as complete a set of tools as possible.
Cheng Jun was touched that he had remembered just a casual mention in conversation and kept it in mind until now.
"I love it, this is the best gift I've ever received, thank you."
She held the paints, seemingly reminded of something as her eyes began to redden.
Shen Yi patted her shoulder, deliberately interrupting her emotional moment:
"I'll go get your easel, then we can admire your masterpiece."
Cheng Jun suddenly pulled away from her memories, giving him a side-eye as she retorted,
"Psh, I'm not going to paint, what masterpiece."
However, despite her words, she hadn't touched a brush in so long that now, with the tools at hand, her fingers were itching to paint.
Turning to see Shen Yi already setting up the easel, though she protested verbally, her feet were already moving in his direction.
"Hey, that's not how you set up an easel, I haven't even stretched the canvas yet."
"See? And you said you didn't like painting."
Shen Yi teased as he handed over the easel.
Cheng Jun's heart lightened, and she let out a coquettish snort, ignoring Shen Yi.
And so they stayed, one fishing, one painting.
The apocalypse seemed sealed away outside, creating a perfect pastoral scene.
However, at that moment—
"BOOM!"
The ground shook slightly, as if a dragon were turning in its sleep beneath the earth.