Her strike didn’t slow down.

It went straight across his chest.

At the same time, her leg moved, and with a clean and controlled motion, she kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying backward several steps.

A piercing scream filled the room.

"Ouch! It hurts like hell! You... you actually used a knife?!" Xian Moi staggered backward, collapsing a few steps away from her, his hands clutching his chest as blood started pouring out between his fingers. His eyes widened in disbelief, completely unable to process what just happened. He had never imagined that she would actually attack him like this, let alone with such speed and precision.

The pain hit him all at once.

He looked down at the blood soaking his clothes, his breathing becoming uneven, panic taking over instantly. "No... no... Dr. Zhang... you’re a doctor, right? Save me! Please save me! I don’t want to die... I don’t want to..." His voice shook as he tried to speak, but the pain was too much, cutting off his words before he could even finish.

Behind him, Zhang Xiao and Li Sun had completely frozen.

Their faces turned pale.

What they thought would be a simple confrontation had turned into something completely different. This wasn’t a fight. This was one sided. They hadn’t even seen her move properly, and Xian Moi was already on the ground, bleeding heavily.

Fear.

Real fear.

It finally showed on their faces.

Bai Li didn’t even glance at the man on the ground again. To her, he was already dealt with. Instead, her gaze shifted slowly toward the remaining two, her eyes cold and calm as if nothing had happened. "Your turn," she said lightly.

Those two simple words made their hearts drop.

Li Sun was the first to break. His legs trembled slightly as he raised his hands in panic, completely losing the arrogance he had earlier. "Big sister, don’t... don’t be impulsive! Really! Don’t let my red hair fool you, I’m not a gangster, I swear! I was just talking nonsense earlier, I didn’t mean anything! Brother... no, sister... I didn’t know Dr. Yan was your woman. If I knew, I wouldn’t have dared to say anything! Please don’t be angry, I’ll leave, I’ll leave right now!" he blurted out in one breath, his words messy as he tried to save himself.

Zhang Xiao didn’t speak, but his body had already stiffened, his eyes fixed on Bai Li’s sword, fear clearly visible in them.

But Bai Li didn’t move.

She simply raised her sword slightly and pointed it toward them.

"Leave?" she said softly.

"Don’t even think about it."

Before they could react, she moved.

Her figure blurred forward, faster than their eyes could properly follow. Li Sun barely had time to turn before Bai Li was already in front of him. Her blade flashed once.

A clean, smooth cut.

His voice stopped instantly.

For a moment, he didn’t even realize what had happened. Then his body dropped, collapsing to the ground with a dull thud.

Zhang Xiao stumbled backward in panic, his legs giving way as he tried to crawl away. "Wait... wait... don’t... don’t come closer... I..." His voice broke completely, all logic gone from his mind.

But Bai Li didn’t stop.

She stepped forward calmly, her expression unchanged.

One step.

Two steps.

Then her blade came down again.

This time, there was no hesitation at all.

The room fell silent.

Only the faint sound of something hitting the ground remained.

And just like that, it was over.

Bai Li stood there, her sword still in her hand, her breathing steady, as if she had just finished something completely insignificant.

With that, something inside Bai Li finally settled. The tight feeling that had been sitting quietly in her chest since she entered that room slowly eased, like a weight had just been lifted off her without her even realizing how heavy it was before. She didn’t say anything about it, didn’t show it on her face, but she could feel the difference. The anger was gone, the irritation was gone, and what remained was just that usual calm she carried with her. She slowly turned around, her grip on the sword loosening slightly as her gaze fell on Yan Cijin again.

Honestly, she had already prepared herself for a certain kind of reaction. After all, what just happened in front of her wasn’t something ordinary people could accept so easily. Three men... killed just like that, without hesitation, without mercy. Even if they deserved it, even if they were scum, it was still something brutal to witness. Bai Li thought that at the very least, Yan Cijin would show some fear, maybe step back, maybe look at her differently, or even feel a bit shaken.

But none of that happened.

What she saw instead... were the same eyes.

Calm.

Quiet.

Almost... peaceful.

The same eyes she had noticed the very first time she saw her.

For a brief moment, Bai Li was actually a little stunned. It wasn’t obvious, just a small pause in her thoughts, but it was there. It was like she was seeing something that didn’t quite match what she expected. Most people would have reacted by now, but Yan Cijin didn’t. There was no fear, no panic, no judgment. Just that steady gaze looking back at her.

"...Tch."

She quickly snapped out of it, regaining her composure almost instantly, pushing that strange feeling aside without thinking too much about it.

"Will you come with me?" she asked simply, her voice calm as if nothing unusual had happened just moments ago.

Yan Cijin didn’t hesitate. She looked directly into Bai Li’s eyes, her expression unchanged, and answered just as straightforwardly, "Yes. Don’t worry, I won’t be a burden. I’m a doctor. I can help with injuries if needed."

Bai Li gave a small nod after hearing that. "Okay. Let’s go to the rooftop."

That was it. No extra explanation, no unnecessary words.

And surprisingly, Yan Cijin didn’t ask anything either. She didn’t question why the rooftop, didn’t ask what was waiting there, didn’t show any doubt at all. She simply followed.

That alone made Bai Li feel slightly satisfied, even if she didn’t show it. Explaining things was something she really didn’t like doing, especially in a situation like this. It was troublesome, and most of the time, people wouldn’t even understand properly. So having someone just follow without questioning... it made things easier.

But deep down, she knew that wasn’t the real reason she asked her.

The real reason was something else.

It was because of those eyes.

Even after everything that just happened, even after watching her kill three people without blinking, Yan Cijin didn’t show fear. Not even a little. And that... that wasn’t normal.

Bai Li understood people well enough to know that.

And at the same time, it made her curious.

But what confused her more... was herself.

If it had been anyone else in Yan Cijin’s position, she knew exactly what she would have done. She would have killed those men, yes. Without hesitation. Because she hated people like that more than anything. But after that? She wouldn’t care anymore. Whether that person lived or died afterward, whether they survived the apocalypse or got torn apart by zombies... it wouldn’t matter to her.

That was just how she was.

Cold.

Practical.

A soldier who had lived through wars, missions, bloodshed... she had seen too much, done too much. She had taken more lives than she could even remember at this point. Human lives didn’t hold the same weight for her anymore, not unless it was someone she cared about.

And yet...

Right now, she had made a different choice.

She didn’t just save her.

She asked her to come along.

"...Why?"

The question flashed through her mind for a brief second, but she didn’t dwell on it.

She kept thinking about all of this as she walked ahead, her steps steady but her mind not as calm as she would like it to be. Almost without realizing it, she slowed down just a little and stole a quick glance behind her, just to check on Yan Cijin who was following quietly. But the moment she turned her head, her eyes directly met hers. Those same eyes again. Calm, quiet, almost too composed for someone in this kind of situation. It was like Yan Cijin had already been looking at her the whole time and just caught her in the act. Bai Li immediately looked away, a small, almost unnoticeable flinch passing through her body as she straightened her posture. There was even a slight awkwardness in the way she moved after that, like a kid who got caught doing something they shouldn’t and was now trying to pretend nothing happened. She didn’t say anything, but the way she quickly turned her head forward again made it obvious enough.

Behind her, Yan Cijin noticed everything clearly. The little reaction, the quick glance, the way she tried to hide it right after. A faint smile appeared on her lips, soft and amused, though she didn’t say anything about it. She simply continued walking behind Bai Li at a relaxed pace, her steps light, her gaze quietly observing her from time to time. The more she watched, the more she felt that this woman was... interesting. There was something about her that didn’t quite match the image she showed on the surface. She could be cold and decisive one moment, and then show these small, almost childish reactions the next. It was a strange contrast, but somehow it didn’t feel out of place.

As they walked, Yan Cijin’s thoughts shifted back to what Bai Li had said earlier. Rooftop.

The moment she heard that, she had already understood.

There was only one reason someone would go to the rooftop at a time like this.

The interdimensional market.

"...Hmm... interesting," she thought quietly, her eyes narrowing just slightly as her curiosity grew even more. This wasn’t something ordinary people knew about. Even in her past lives, she had only learned about it by chance, and even then, it was something that only a small number of people ever discovered early on. It was a huge opportunity, a turning point for many, a place where one could gain strength, items, even change their fate completely. And yet... Bai Li knew about it already.

Not just the apocalypse.

But also this.

"Just who exactly are you..." Yan Cijin thought, her gaze resting on Bai Li’s back for a moment longer.

Before she could think further, Bai Li suddenly stopped walking. The sudden halt made Yan Cijin pause as well, her attention returning to the present. Bai Li reached into her backpack without saying anything and took out another kukri, turning around and holding it out in front of her.

"Here," she said simply.

Yan Cijin looked at the weapon for a second before taking it from her hand.

"Keep it close. If any zombies get past me, don’t hesitate. Just swing it as hard as you can," Bai Li continued, her tone serious now, her eyes steady. "You need to be able to kill at least one zombie on your own if you want to survive in this world. Otherwise... you won’t last long. That’s just how it is."

There was no sugarcoating in her words.

Just blunt truth.

Yan Cijin nodded obediently, her expression calm as she held the kukri properly, testing its weight for a brief moment. "Okay," she replied softly.

Bai Li watched her for a second longer, carefully observing her reaction. There was no hesitation, no fear, no reluctance in the way she took the weapon. That alone made Bai Li feel a bit more satisfied. At least she wasn’t one of those people who froze at the thought of killing zombies.

Because she had seen too many of those already.

People who still thought these monsters were somehow human.

People who hesitated.

People who couldn’t bring themselves to act.

And in the end, those same people always died the worst deaths.

Bai Li had no patience for that kind of thinking.

.

. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

.

To be continued.