But to Yan Cijin, the way those words came out didn’t feel cold at all. It felt soft, like someone trying to act tough but actually worried underneath. Like she was afraid something might happen if she let her guard down even for a second. That thought made Yan Cijin smile a little inside, though nothing showed on her face as she simply nodded obediently.

They moved out from behind the desk and continued forward, their footsteps light but quick. The corridor on the first floor was surprisingly quiet compared to before, with only a few scattered noises echoing from far away. It felt like most of the zombies had already been drawn elsewhere, probably toward the rooftop where the interdimensional market would appear. Still, Bai Li didn’t relax even a little. Her grip on the weapon stayed firm, her eyes constantly shifting from one corner to another, checking every blind spot.

They were just about to reach the side door when.....

Movement.

Sudden.

Sharp.

Two zombies darted out from the side of the corridor without any warning, their bodies jerking forward unnaturally fast as they lunged straight toward them. The distance was too close, the timing too sudden for a normal person to react.

But Bai Li wasn’t a normal person.

Her body moved almost instantly, like it had already predicted this. She stepped sharply to the left, heading toward the bathroom sink area in a smooth motion, completely avoiding the direct path of the zombies. At the same time, without even pausing to think, she reached out and pulled Yan Cijin with her, wrapping an arm around her and dragging her into her own space in one clean movement.

The whole action happened so fast that Yan Cijin barely had time to process it.

One moment she was standing there, the next she was already pulled into Bai Li’s arms, her body pressed close as they shifted out of danger. Even though she had expected something like this to happen, even though she had already seen it play out in her mind before it even occurred, her heart still jumped slightly at the sudden closeness.

For a brief second, she could clearly feel Bai Li’s steady breathing, the firmness in her hold, the warmth that contrasted so strangely with the cold, blood filled environment around them.

Her heart... actually pounded.

Not from fear.

But from something else she didn’t immediately name.

And for that one short moment, even someone like her... felt slightly shaken.

She really thought Bai Li wouldn’t care about her. That was what Yan Cijin had always believed, not just now but from the very beginning when she first noticed this woman. Someone like Bai Li, someone who clearly had her own plans, her own strength, her own way of surviving, why would she bother with someone else unless it was necessary? And yet right now, she was standing here, having just been pulled into her arms without hesitation, protected without being asked, without any visible reluctance. Yan Cijin lifted her head slightly and looked at Bai Li, her eyes carrying a complicated emotion that even she didn’t fully sort out yet. In all her long lives, she had always been the one protecting others, always the one standing in front, shielding her teammates, her family, everyone she cared about. No one had ever stood in front of her like this. No one had ever treated her as someone to be protected instead of someone who protects. And the strangest part was... she didn’t dislike it at all.

Bai Li, on the other hand, had no idea what kind of thoughts were running through the mind of the woman she had just held. She was already focused again, her senses sharp, her ears picking up even the faintest sound ahead. She stayed still for a moment, listening carefully, her breathing controlled, her eyes narrowing slightly as she checked every possible direction. When she confirmed that there were no more zombies immediately around them, she finally let out a small breath of relief, her shoulders easing just a little. Only then did she release her arms from Yan Cijin’s waist, stepping slightly forward again while still keeping herself between Yan Cijin and the corridor ahead.

Yan Cijin had just opened her mouth slightly, about to say something, maybe a simple thanks, maybe something else, but before any words could come out, the curtain to the men’s restroom suddenly jerked aside.

A shadow burst out.

A figure lunged forward violently.

A male zombie dressed in a nurse’s uniform sprang straight at them. One of its arms was completely missing, torn off at the shoulder, and its face was a mess of bite marks and torn flesh, like it had been attacked repeatedly before turning. Its eyes were cloudy, its mouth wide open as it rushed forward without any hesitation.

Bai Li’s expression instantly darkened, her irritation rising again. It felt like these things just kept appearing out of nowhere, one after another, like some never ending nightmare.

"Seriously... how many of you are there?" she muttered under her breath, clearly annoyed.

Without wasting even a second, she pulled Yan Cijin behind her, stepping forward at the same time as she grabbed her kukri tightly. Her movements were sharp now, a bit more aggressive than before, her patience already running thin. The zombie leaped toward her, but before it could even complete its motion, Bai Li’s blade had already come down. The timing was perfect. The zombie practically threw itself onto the blade, its neck splitting open halfway with a wet, tearing sound.

But she didn’t stop there.

With a quick step forward, she drove her foot straight into its chest, sending it crashing backward onto the ground. The zombie twitched, still not fully dead, its body struggling weakly as it tried to move again.

Bai Li looked down at it, then turned her head toward Yan Cijin.

She wanted to sound harsh. Strict. Like before.

But when her eyes met those calm, quiet phoenix eyes again, her tone softened without her even realizing it.

"...Come. Finish it," she said.

She wanted Yan Cijin to understand this world properly. This wasn’t the same world as before. There was no room for hesitation anymore. You kill, or you get killed. That was it. And she fully expected hesitation. Fear. Maybe even refusal. After all, for someone who had never killed before, especially something that used to be human, it wasn’t easy.

But what she saw next completely went against her expectations.

Yan Cijin stepped forward without saying a word. She gripped the kukri tightly, deliberately making it look like she was forcing herself to hold it steady. Her movements looked a bit stiff on purpose, like someone who was trying to gather courage. She raised the blade and brought it down toward the other side of the zombie’s neck.

The angle was perfect.

Too perfect.

The blade cut deep into the right spot, something that came naturally to her as a doctor. She didn’t stop there. Even though she could have ended it in one clean strike, she didn’t. She kept going, slashing again and again, letting the blood splatter onto her hands, her face, even her clothes. Each strike looked like effort, like struggle, but in reality, she was controlling every bit of it.

After the fourth strike, the neck finally gave way completely.

The zombie stopped moving.

Silence followed.

Yan Cijin straightened up slowly, turned around, and walked back toward Bai Li. A faint smile rested on her lips as she looked directly into her eyes.

"Did I do it right?"

Bai Li blinked.

For a second, she didn’t even know how to respond.

"...Ah... yeah. Yes. Very good."

She answered almost subconsciously, still processing what she had just seen. The decisiveness. The calmness. The way Yan Cijin didn’t hesitate at all, even with blood splattering everywhere. That image stayed in her mind, clear and sharp.

And then—

Their eyes met again.

Those phoenix eyes.

Calm.

Deep.

Almost like they were pulling her in.

Bai Li felt her thoughts pause for just a moment, like she got caught in something she couldn’t explain. She quickly snapped out of it, slightly shaken, and shifted her attention away, only then noticing the blood on Yan Cijin’s face.

Without thinking too much, she reached into her backpack, pulled out some tissues, and gently held Yan Cijin’s wrist before guiding her to the side.

"...May I?" she asked, her voice softer than before.

Yan Cijin nodded.

Bai Li stepped closer and began wiping the blood from her face carefully. And as she did, she finally saw her clearly, up close, without distractions.

Yan Cijin’s skin was smooth and pale, almost flawless even under the harsh lighting of the corridor, carrying a natural softness that made her stand out sharply against the dirty, blood stained environment around them. Her features were delicate but not fragile, her face shaped with quiet elegance, her nose straight, her lips soft and naturally tinted, neither too full nor too thin, just enough to draw attention without trying. But what truly stood out were her eyes. Those phoenix eyes were long and slightly upturned at the corners, giving them a graceful shape, but what made them unforgettable was the depth inside them. They were calm, too calm, like a still lake that hid something much deeper underneath. There was no fear, no panic, not even a trace of hesitation. Just quiet composure and something unreadable.

Even with faint blood stains still lingering near her cheek, she looked... beautiful.

Not in a fragile way.

But in a way that felt steady, unshakable.

Bai Li froze for just a brief second as she realized this.

Her fingers paused slightly mid motion.

Yan Cijin noticed.

Of course she did.

That small reaction, that slight pause, that moment of being caught off guard, it didn’t escape her at all.

A faint, almost teasing amusement flickered deep within her eyes.

Bai Li quickly finished wiping the remaining blood, clearing her throat lightly as she stepped back, trying to act like nothing happened, but that brief moment had already left its mark.

And Yan Cijin knew it.

"Remember what you felt just now," Bai Li said as she spoke in a low but steady voice, her tone returning to that calm, controlled state as if the fight from just a moment ago hadn’t happened at all. "These zombies aren’t something you need to be scared of. As long as you don’t get surrounded by a large group, you can handle them. You just need to stay calm and move properly." Her words sounded simple, but there was a kind of certainty behind them that made them feel heavier than they looked. As she spoke, she moved quietly toward the wall near the exit, leaning just enough to peek outside without exposing herself too much, her eyes scanning left and right, checking every corner, every shadow, making sure nothing was waiting for them the moment they stepped out.

After confirming that there wasn’t anything immediately dangerous outside, she pulled her head back and gave a short gesture with her hand. "Let’s go." There was no hesitation in her movement as she reached for the door, opening it just enough to slip through, her body moving first while keeping herself slightly ahead of Yan Cijin like a natural shield. Yan Cijin followed closely behind, her steps light but steady, her grip still firm on the kukri.

The moment they stepped outside, the difference in atmosphere was obvious. The space felt wider, the air slightly fresher compared to the suffocating smell inside, but it didn’t mean it was safe. There were indeed fewer zombies than before, but that didn’t matter much. The ones that were still around reacted almost instantly the moment they sensed them. Heads turned. Low growls spread. And then, one after another, they started moving toward them, their pace picking up as if they had just found something they had been starving for.

.

.

.

To be continued.