Zhang Xiao Qiang held Yuan Yi as they walked in front, while Shangguan Qiao Yun held Yang Ke'er as they followed. The rest of the men trailed behind, their faces pale, their weapons covered in blood. They all had the same goal in mind, it was that huge door.
He Wen Bin and the rest were waiting beyond it, and when they saw Zhang Xiao Qiang and the rest emerging, they couldn't help but cheer in high spirits. The 3 survivors who had escaped through the hole earlier watched the rest with worry on their faces, unsure of their fates. They did not dare to revolt, instead, choosing to see how things turned out. The 2 monsters had been killed, and although they had suffered heavy losses, those were 2 monsters that had been impervious to guns!
He Wen Bin sat in the driver's seat, his shoulder bandaged once more. When he saw Zhang Xiao Qiang appeared, he came down wobbly from the seat, until Zhang Xiao Qiang and the rest got closer. Zhang Xiao Qiang noticed He Wen Bin welcoming them even with his heavy injury and nodded. He then helped to place Yang Ke'er and Yuan Yi carefully into the vehicle, while the rest got in their respective vehicles. Zhang Xiao Qiang turned to face the granary, which was now a scene right out of h.e.l.l. There were still places still smoking, debris everywhere, and he could make out the hole in the wall which the D2 had smashed through, noticing that there was a lush forest behind. There should be a town beyond the forest.
Seeing the forest, Zhang Xiao Qiang finally understood where the D2 and S2 had come from. They must have been hiding within the forest the entire time and should have been attracted here previously when Brother Long lost 2 men in the 1st expedition. When they arrived, the scent of the blood had disappeared, hence they must have been hiding within, until today, when Brother Long had executed the man from the survivors. The scent of the fresh blood had then been brought to the forest with the winds, attracting the D2 and S2. Apparently, Lady Luck had not been s.h.i.+ning on Brother Long, if he hadn't killed the man, everything would have been fine, and all the subsequent events wouldn't have happened. Zhang Xiao Qiang wouldn't have had to challenge the D2 by himself as well.
He pulled open the car door and sat beside Shangguan Qiao Yun, while Yang Ke'er and Yuan Yi laid down behind. Zhang Xiao Qiang then took off his dirtied and torn clothes, crumpling them into a bunch and stuffing them under the seat. He then stood outside naked, allowing Shangguan Qiao Yun to help him pour the water while he washed clean. The water turned red and black from his various wounds and grime. When he felt refreshed, he pulled out a set of clothing from the backpack and started to get dressed. Even as he stood naked in front of Shangguan Qiao Yun, he wasn't embarra.s.sed, after all, she was his woman. Furthermore, after the ordeal with the D2, his entire demeanor had undergone some form of baptism, not caring about his shame or lack of it. There was no fear as he stood there, after all, was being naked worse than being pummeled by a D2?
The journey back was slow, and Yang Ke'er and Yuan Yi both fell asleep. Zhang Xiao Qiang watched the scenery pa.s.s him by, and his eyelids started to droop. It was past 3, and it had been a h.e.l.l of a day. His stamina and energy had truly run out, and he turned to look at Shangguan Qiao Yun.
Her clothes were still clean, and she sat there quietly, her beautiful looks and charming demeanor, the slightly-exposed neck, Zhang Xiao Qiang found that the quiet Shangguan Qiao Yun was extremely alluring, even more so when she tried to use her charms. It was a strong attraction, but constant and throbbing, like the waves of the seas, cras.h.i.+ng down on the sh.o.r.es. The waves came on strong and washed Zhang Xiao Qiang's heart over and over again. It caused a surge of blood in him, his breathing turning heavy, while his heartbeat became faster. The sensation spread all over his body, and the current beauty and charm that she exuded were the type of tenderness that Zhang Xiao Qiang appreciated greatly. The exhaustion and adrenaline from the fight with the D2 earlier subsided slowly as he continued to admire her beauty. The waves had come and gone quickly, and his emotions started to settle down. The desire in his eyes started to rise, the longer he stared at her.
Shangguan Qiao Yun knew Zhang Xiao Qiang was watching her, and her heart was beating fast as well. She did not know if it was appropriate to express her rejection now. After all, she had decided to become strong, and not a woman who relied on men. Although she did not follow in Su Qian's desertion, she harbored some form of envy and respect for her courage to leave, and she wanted to grasp her own destiny. Of course, she did not dare to leave Zhang Xiao Qiang like Su Qian did.
Shangguan Qiao Yun was thankful to Zhang Xiao Qiang and knew that when she was at her wit's ends and wanted to end her life, he had given her a form of hope. It was precisely of what could be considered his promise, that she knew that this man was not stone-hearted, and not like she had no worth in his eyes. Feeling the change in att.i.tude from him, the little woman side of her cheered inwardly.
She was after all, proud of her charms and her skills in getting men to do anything for her. When she was subjected to the cruel world after the apocalypse set in, she wanted to find a man she could rely on. Until she was rejected by this man in front of her. She then knew that not all men were the same, at the very least, this man didn't want a well-groomed rose, he wanted the plum that could survive regardless of weather. Fine, if he wanted it that way, so be it! Your mother, I, will become the lowest of the low, the most tenacious plum one could ever find! However, why was he looking at her like this then? Could it be, he didn't even want her as a plum now?
As Shangguan Qiao Yun's thoughts were chaos, she did not know how she should deal with Zhang Xiao Qiang. She wasn't willing to be a 'pillow' for the venting of s.e.xual frustration, but could she actually reject his advances? Especially when she saw the t.i.tan-like D2 lying on the ground, which had been done in by Zhang Xiao Qiang and Yuan Yi, her veneration for them had shot through the roof. Women idolized strong men after all, it was something deep within genes, finding a strong mate. This would enable the survival of their bloodline and species. This instinct deep within a woman would be awakened with time, and for Shangguan Qiao Yun, Zhang Xiao Qiang had fully exhibited qualities of a dependable male.
As for Zhang Xiao Qiang, he reigned in his emotions and the exhaustion that he had been trying to keep at bay overwhelmed him. He yawned once, before lying down on Shangguan Qiao Yun's lap, and not long after, he fell into a deep sleep.
