Chapter 283: Chapter 271: I Don’t Mind
Yue Mao sat down at the table with Sherman Lynch and Caleb Bloom. His eyes went wide at the feast laid out before him—chicken, goose, eggs, vegetables, seafood, and a huge platter of fragrant white rice. He couldn’t help but swallow hard.
"You must be hungry, young man. Go on and eat," Jade said. "And from now on, don’t just follow Flora around invisibly. You don’t look that old to me."
Yue Mao stared at the mountain of food. He took the bowl and chopsticks Jade offered him and began to wolf it down, his gusto rivaling even that of Cynthia Grant.
His face slightly flushed, Lex Cross downed another glass of liquor before getting to his feet. He looked at Caleb Bloom. "Sir, this is as far as I’ll accompany you tonight. You should get some rest."
Caleb Bloom chugged another glass in response. It was the last thread of his sobriety to snap. "Hic! You... you kid... you’re a true... a true man!"
With that, he tipped backward. If Lex Cross hadn’t been quick enough to catch him, he would have fallen flat on his back and surely cracked his head open.
"Five, Nolan Jennings, take him to his room to rest."
Five and Nolan Jennings stood, took Caleb Bloom from Lex Cross, and headed for the villa. Jade followed to lead the way, muttering to herself, "His tolerance is so low, yet he just had to challenge Young Thorne to a drinking contest. Goodness, if you have to throw up, do it to the side! Chester just finished cleaning this courtyard!"
Ever since being brought under control by Isla Preston, Chester Bell had been doing all sorts of odd jobs for Flora Bloom, from tilling the land and watering plants to sweeping the courtyard. At that moment, Chester Bell was sitting on a high-backed chair in the courtyard, gazing up at the not-quite-full Moon, his eyes dazed and bewildered.
Lex Cross took Flora Bloom’s hand. "I’ve had enough to eat. Let’s go back."
"But I’m not full yet!" Flora Bloom tried to shake off Lex Cross’s hand and return to her seat, but he used her momentum to pull her off balance and sweep her up into his arms. With a single long stride, he was out of the courtyard.
"Hey, I’m really not full! Put me down! Everyone’s watching!"
The stench of alcohol on Lex Cross’s breath washed over Flora Bloom’s face, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust. The churning in her stomach wasn’t severe, but she still felt a wave of nausea.
Her face turned pale, and she looked up at Lex Cross pitifully. She let out a small dry heave and whispered, "That smell... it’s so strong! Put me down, I think I’m going to throw up!"
Lex Cross slowed his pace. A black energy swirled around his body for a moment, and the smell of alcohol vanished completely, leaving Flora Bloom speechless. "You—You’re cheating! When you were drinking with my dad, if you can just use your superpower to burn off the alcohol like that, who could ever outdrink you?"
The corner of Lex Cross’s mouth quirked up. "You’ve got it all wrong. I wouldn’t dare use my superpower to cheat while drinking with my father-in-law!"
"Then what about just now?"
"We’re done drinking. If I didn’t sober up, I’m afraid things might get out of hand in a bit!"
Flora Bloom glared at Lex Cross in exasperation. Most of the people in the courtyard behind them were superpower users with enhanced hearing. Flora glanced back and saw Cynthia Grant and Shauna Wallace covering their mouths, snickering as they watched them leave. Cynthia even cupped her hands around her mouth to shout, as if afraid people wouldn’t hear her.
"Captain Cross, Flora may be past her first trimester, but you still have to be gentle!"
A bolt of lightning struck the ground behind Cynthia Grant, and Lex Cross quickened his pace.
Flora Bloom hadn’t been drinking, but the faint, lingering scent of alcohol on Lex Cross still tickled her nose. The moment they entered the room, he eagerly locked the door and gently placed her on the bed.
"Um, so... I know we’re having a baby and all, but... I feel like there are still some steps we should be taking, you know?"
Lex Cross’s deep eyes locked onto Flora’s, unblinking. "Oh? For instance?"
"Look, for two people to be together, they have to get to know each other, then become close, then one pursues the other, then a confession, and then they’re a couple. And before the apocalypse, after you got together, there was a proposal, then a wedding, and only after the wedding did you... ahem, do that thing. And *then* came pregnancy and children," Flora said, avoiding Lex Cross’s searing gaze.
"So?"
"So, Captain Cross, it seems we’ve skipped quite a few steps. We’re moving too fast, things could go wrong. How about... we start over from the beginning?"
A powerful, possessive urge swirled in Lex Cross’s eyes, but his lips curved into a soft chuckle. "When I drive, I never crash. Flora, what are you hiding from?"
The sound of hurried footsteps approached from outside, stopping right at their door. Flora Bloom was about to speak when Lex Cross sealed her parted lips with his own. Black energy filled the room, cutting them off from the world outside.
A moment ago, Flora Bloom could still hear what was happening outside, but now there was complete silence.
"What did you do?"
"Just making sure no one disturbs us."
Flora Bloom’s eyes widened, then darted around as an idea formed. "Hey, uh, how about I take a shower first? I was outside all day and got so sweaty... Ugh, I think I stink."
As she spoke, Flora Bloom stood and tried to move toward the bathroom, but Lex Cross pulled her back into his arms. His gaze was lowered, his eyes like an abyss threatening to swallow her whole.
"I don’t mind."
"Well, I mind!" ’My plan is perfect,’ Flora thought. ’First, I’ll take a shower. Then I’ll say *he* smells and make him take one too. While he’s busy, I’ll just slip into my pocket dimension. Flawless.’
It was a brilliant plan. Reality, however, proved to be... bizarre.
"Or... I wouldn’t mind joining you..."
Flora Bloom waved her hands frantically, her face instantly flushing a deep, purplish red.
"I-I-I, I mind!"
Seeing the tense look on Flora Bloom’s face as she stared at him, Lex Cross gave a devilish smile. He took her small hand and casually draped it over his shoulder.
"You really don’t want me to?"
Flora Bloom fought the urge to let her hand explore his bulging muscles, squeezed her eyes shut, and dove for the bathroom.
"I’m going to wash up first! And after, you... you should wash up, too!"
Having a water heater was a game-changer. As the hot water continuously filled the tub, the mirror began to fog over. Billowing white steam filled the entire bathroom, making Flora Bloom feel a bit dazed.
’This room, these living conditions... they feel so out of place compared to the apocalypse I remember.’ The warm, enveloping steam opened her pores, and she felt her entire body relax.
’In my past life, at this point in time, forget about taking a bath—even getting a single bite of hot food was an incredible struggle.’
’But now... my family and friends are all alive and well. Polly will be born in less than six months. And the biggest difference of all is that Polly’s father is here with me.’
’If it weren’t for the three-year war of the apocalypse, or the geographical shifts in year five, or the spatial collapse Lex said was coming... if we could just keep living like this, it wouldn’t be so bad.’
’But the war between humans and zombies in year three of the apocalypse had already determined the world’s fate. Even though I died in year ten in my past life, I know Earth’s future was not a bright one.’
’Humanity had lost its living space, barely clinging to existence, unable to ensure the survival of the next generation. The power gap between us and the Zombie Kings and other evolved creatures had become an insurmountable chasm. We could no longer survive on the surface, our ancestral home.’
’And the root cause of it all was the war in year three. Arrogance and pride are both humanity’s greatest talent and its ultimate downfall. If everyone had just united instead of wasting strength on infighting, if we had all focused on leveling up and hunting zombies with a single purpose, would the outcome of that great war in the third year have been different?’
