Chapter 188: Zombies and outing.
Yan Cijin nodded. "Okay."
That simple answer made Bai Li’s chest feel oddly light for a second. She did not know why. Maybe it was because Yan Cijin had been so naturally dependable lately. Maybe it was because the tone in her voice was so calm that it made Bai Li want to trust her a little more without thinking about it. Bai Li looked back down and moved forward.
The next zombie was dealt with quickly. Bai Li stepped in, slashed cleanly, and kept moving. She did not waste time admiring the result, though a very small smile still appeared at the corner of her mouth. The sword really was getting easier to handle. Her strength had improved enough that she could already feel the difference in each strike. If she kept leveling it up, then one day she might be able to clear an entire floor much faster than this. That thought made her feel more secure.
And the fact that Yan Cijin was following her so closely, completely trusting her pace, also made the whole thing feel a little different from the usual grim routine of survival. It was not like they were on some romantic date or anything that exaggerated. It was just two people going down the stairs to find supplies in the middle of an apocalypse. But even then, little things still stood out. The brief glance Yan Cijin gave her before each turn. The way Bai Li automatically slowed a little when Yan Cijin’s steps got lighter behind her. The way neither of them needed to say much to understand where the other was going. Those kinds of details were small, but they had a way of sticking in the mind.
They paused once on a stair landing where the light from the emergency window fell across the concrete floor in a pale strip. Bai Li briefly shifted the sword in her hand and rolled her wrist to loosen it. Yan Cijin took the chance to check the backpack strap again, then looked up and asked in a low voice, "Does your hand hurt?"
Bai Li glanced at her. "Not much. It’s fine."
Yan Cijin did not seem fully convinced, but she also did not press. Instead, she looked at Bai Li’s fingers for a moment and said, "If it starts hurting, tell me."
That simple sentence landed in Bai Li’s chest in a way she did not expect. It was not because the words were especially special. It was because Yan Cijin said them so naturally, like she had already decided Bai Li was someone she needed to pay attention to. Bai Li looked away first, then nodded. "I know."
Yan Cijin seemed satisfied by that answer, even though she still looked at Bai Li for half a second longer than necessary. Then she stepped aside and let Bai Li pass first. That tiny detail, that almost invisible kind of care, made Bai Li feel a little strange again. Not awkward exactly. Just aware. Very aware.
The stairwell kept echoing their footsteps as they went lower. Every now and then, Bai Li used the tip of her sword to push a body aside or check the next step before moving forward. The zombie blood and the rotten smell were still there, but with the windows open, the air no longer felt quite as suffocating as it had before. That alone already made the whole trip easier. Yan Cijin stayed alert the whole way down, her grip on the kukri steady, her breathing calm and even. Bai Li glanced back once and found her looking serious, focused, and oddly dependable in the middle of all this mess. That view made Bai Li’s heartbeat skip just a little, and she had to quickly turn her head forward again so Yan Cijin would not notice the slight change in her expression.
A few steps later, they heard movement from below again. Bai Li stopped, raised her sword, and listened for a second. Yan Cijin immediately did the same, not making a single extra sound. They waited until the dragging noise became clearer, then Bai Li moved first. The fight ended before it could really begin. One strike, then another half step, then the zombie was no longer a problem. It was almost becoming routine now, but not so routine that Bai Li stopped being careful. In a world like this, people who got too used to danger were usually the first ones to make mistakes.
Yan Cijin watched her from behind and suddenly understood why Bai Li could carry herself so steadily. It was not just skill. It was not just the system or the weapon or the strange power she had. It was the way Bai Li never wasted movement. Every action was clean and exact, and even when she looked relaxed, her whole body stayed ready. Yan Cijin found herself looking at Bai Li’s side profile a little too long before forcing her eyes back toward the stairs.
Bai Li had already noticed, of course. Yan Cijin’s gaze was not subtle enough to hide from someone standing right in front of her. But instead of feeling uncomfortable, Bai Li only felt that odd little warmth again. It was still there, low and steady, like a small ember that would not go out. She did not know what to do with it yet, so she simply kept moving and pretended it was just another normal day of fighting for supplies.
The stairwell was still foul smelling, the walls still stained with dark marks from earlier fights, and the apocalypse outside still waited beyond the building entrance. But right there in the middle of all that, there was at least one clear thing. Bai Li had become stronger, faster, and more stable. Yan Cijin could see that very clearly now. And she could see that Bai Li was not even using the full extent of her strength.
They went down two floors without encountering any more zombies, but that did not make Bai Li relax at all.
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To be continued.
