Chapter 5: Late Night Companionship

After leaving Lepaxi’s room, it should be Xisite’s turn next.

Knock knock.

No response.

I checked the time—it was midnight.

If she’d already gone to sleep, that wouldn’t be strange, but Xisite should be doing her prayers right now.

So I sat outside the door, leaning my back against it.

Just another ten minutes or so should be fine.

Staring blankly at the walls painted a blinding white, my consciousness gradually blurred.

Maybe it was because I’d just died once, but I was a bit tired.

I’ll take a nap for now.

(Door opening sound)

Thump!

“Ah! Captain? What’s wrong?”

As soon as Xisite opened the door, she found a person collapsed on her feet.

His eyes were peacefully closed, his mouth slightly open, letting out calm breaths.

Even after falling over, he hadn’t woken up—Xisite’s foot had probably cushioned the fall a bit.

Xisite crouched down, cupped Wuyin’s face in both hands, and gently rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs.

Then she lowered her head, pressing her forehead against his, and said in a soft voice, “You’ve worked hard.”

With that, she scooped up the sleeping Wuyin in her arms and laid him on her own bed.

She then took out a thick scripture, finished her prayers for the night, and quietly gazed at Wuyin’s face.

Looking at Wuyin’s sleeping expression, Xisite couldn’t help recalling the scene when Wuyin first became captain of the Madman Squad.

“Thank you… for being willing to do this for us…”

Before her murmur could finish, Wuyin turned over, face toward Xisite, and stared at her with hazy eyes.

“Captain? Are you awake?”

“Mm…”

Wuyin propped himself up, shook his head, patted his cheeks, and his gaze gradually focused on Xisite.

“Ah! I can’t believe I slept in your bed, Xisite. Sorry, I’ll get off right away.”

Wuyin hurriedly searched for his shoes, then sat on a chair by the round table, keeping a shoulder-width distance from Xisite.

“The captain always does whatever he wants, yet he’s always overly concerned about small things.”

“You mean ‘irresponsible,’ don’t you? You don’t have to be so euphemistic with me. After all, it’s you, Xisite. I won’t mind. But this isn’t a small matter—a single woman shouldn’t let a single man sleep in her bed!”

Seeing Xisite’s smiling expression, Wuyin called out anxiously, “You have to remember this! Protecting yourself is the most important thing!”

***

The bright moonlight passed through the lace-patterned screen window, casting a blossoming flower pattern on the room’s floor.

“Captain, want to look at the moon on the balcony?”

Xisite stood up, opened the floor-to-ceiling window behind the curtain, and waved me over.

A delicate crescent moon.

A beautiful woman bathed in light.

The distant neon lights.

The bustling city.

Looking up at the sky, what should have been an endless expanse of darkness was tinged with a faint green.

The Purification System, symbolizing the hope of people’s lives, operated day and night, isolating the city from the outside world.

Xisite leaned against the balcony railing, gazing absentmindedly at the city’s nightscape.

“Do you like the night view of this city?”

I brewed two cups of hot tea.

The temperature was low at night, and if we stayed outside too long, we’d catch a cold.

Xisite chuckled in thanks and took the cup.

I also leaned against the railing.

The cold night breeze brought the fragrance of the beautiful woman beside me.

Golden eyes.

Drifting brown hair.

A slender figure.

An ordinary person who had lost her way home.

Her heart was covered by the Mad Contagion, to the point where even she couldn’t find where her heart truly lay.

I draped my long coat over Xisite’s shoulders.

She turned her head in surprise and looked at me.

“Don’t catch a cold.”

Xisite blinked adorably and tightened the coat around her.

“Aren’t you going to buy another pair of pajamas? This one is fleece, but isn’t it too short?”

“Really? Actually, it’s fine. After being infected with the Mad Contagion, my body’s resistance to extreme environments increased significantly, so I don’t usually feel too hot or too cold.”

Xisite mischievously lifted her calf, swinging it in front of me.

“I see.”

“Captain? Could you not look so closely?”

“I need to understand the physical condition of every team member.”

“Captain…”

“Just kidding. I’m just glad that even now, when you’re infected with the Mad Contagion and need to frequently go to the battlefield, you still remember to take care of your body.”

Xisite let out a light laugh.

“No matter the circumstances, always maintain your love for yourself.”

“Did you learn that from the scripture?”

Xisite shook her head.

“No. Although the Lord’s guidance has indeed benefited me greatly, the one who truly made me deeply understand this truth…”

Xisite turned to face me, her smile like a budding flower.

“Is you, Captain.”

“I guess so. As expected of me.”

I had to crack a joke to cover up the awkwardness.

Xisite accepted it naturally.

“Alright, it’s about time to head back, don’t you think? Look, the streetlights have already gone dark on a few blocks.”

“It really is late.”

I opened the floor-to-ceiling window and pulled back the curtain.

Suddenly, I heard Xisite speak from behind me, her voice as soft as a whisper.

“Tonight, the moonlight…”

Before I could finish hearing Xisite’s words, my phone rang noisily, alerting me to an incoming call.

I quickly took it out and saw that it was Oumiyou.

Xisite smiled knowingly and nodded.

I gestured as I left Xisite’s room and answered Oumiyou’s call.

“Captain, buy me food.”

After saying that brief sentence, Oumiyou hung up.

I could even hear her screams before the line cut.

Seems like she was in a tight spot.

Reluctantly, I took the elevator downstairs to take a stroll through the night market that was still open.

***

Hope City was one of the most prosperous cities among those that survived the Great Disaster.

Located on a major continental transportation route, countless vehicles flowed through it every day.

Hope City was also the main driving force behind rebuilding the transportation network after the disaster.

Thanks to its uniquely advantageous geographic position, its post-disaster economy had actually soared even higher than before.

Since the railways were destroyed after the disaster, and air travel was vulnerable to attacks from flying Mad Beasts—not to mention the exorbitant cost—most cargo transport now relied on road traffic.

For individual enterprises, light and fast vehicles were usually preferred, with speed not slower than that of an average Mad Beast.

Although this limited the volume of each shipment to a certain extent, it was still the method with the highest survival rate.

Of course, one could also apply for armed convoy protection, but that was expensive.

Moreover, in most cases, without at least five armored vehicles escorting, it was difficult to guarantee the cargo wouldn’t be damaged.

So that method was generally only used by large corporations.

Walking through the lively night market, I once again felt that Hope City truly lived up to its name.

Not a single person here had a trace of gloom on their faces.

The shouting vendors, the young people shopping—everyone was rooted in this city with hope for life.

The vast majority of them had probably never been to any city other than Hope City, but they truly believed that the city they lived in was the happiest.

“Boss, two servings of salt-and-pepper spare ribs.”

“Coming right up!”

The vendor, steaming with heat, was flipping three woks at once with full momentum, attending to customers while continuously cooking.

Full of energy, really.

Even though it was freezing cold, just sitting at the stall made you feel like you’d break out in a sweat from the heat.

“Handsome, your salt-and-pepper spare ribs!”

“Thanks.”

I took the packed spare ribs and headed to the next stall.

“Ma’am, three grilled hot dogs.”

“Oh my, what a handsome young man. Come here, I need to tell you something.”

The proprietress mysteriously pulled me behind the cart and whispered, “Young man, looking at you, you’ve got plenty of experience, right?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Can you give my son a demonstration? Teach him how to approach someone?”

The proprietress pointed to a shy-looking boy sitting on a bench not far away.

He looked under twenty.

“That son of mine is good at everything, but he’s too timid. I’m afraid that even if an opportunity comes knocking, he won’t be able to grab it. So please, just show him in front of him. I’ll waive your bill and throw in two boxes of takoyaki.”

“That’s a bit…”

“Three boxes.”

“Deal.”

I gave the proprietress a thumbs-up, straightened my clothes, and started looking for a girl who’d be a good demonstration target.

If possible, it’d be better to find two girls together.

Since it was already late at night, there weren’t many girls out alone.

Even if one was alone, her guard would be much higher than usual.

I scanned the area and spotted a pair of girls walking together, looking quite close.

I took a detour to get ahead of them, then lowered my head, pretending to play with my phone.

When they were about two steps away, I pretended to look up casually, letting them notice I was looking at them.

“Good evening, ladies. Are you two out together?”

I stood to the side, trying to speak in the friendliest tone possible.

Standing to their side wouldn’t make me seem like I was blocking them directly.

“Ah, yes.”

They exchanged glances, seemingly confirming that I wasn’t the type to take them somewhere shady without reason.

I quickly glanced around and spotted a clothing store right across from me.

I also noticed both girls were dressed fashionably, so I quickly said, “Actually, I’ve been hesitating for a while. I want to buy a gift for my… um, classmate. I heard she likes nice clothes, so I wanted to buy her something. But I’m really troubled because I don’t usually pay attention to these things, so I have no idea what kind of clothes to pick for her.”

After saying that, I secretly watched their reactions.

They were whispering to each other and occasionally glancing at me.

“What do you think? Should we go?”

“Sure, why not? There are plenty of people around here. Besides, he’s pretty handsome. Even if we just add him on social media, it’s no loss.”

They seemed to have reached an agreement and smiled, agreeing to help.

“Thank you so much.”

I walked into the clothing store with them while glancing at the proprietress’s son.

He seemed to be planning to follow me in.

At least he was willing to learn.

“What kind of person is your classmate?”

As we weaved through the dazzling array of clothes, I had to admit—though I knew nothing about brands, the fabric and design of the clothes were indeed of good quality.

“Um… she’s… a lively person. Does whatever she wants, but she’s very warm-hearted.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing my description, both of them frowned.

What’s wrong?

Was my description too vague?

“This classmate of yours… she sounds like the type who subconsciously helps others set things up, then secretly regrets it afterward.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

The girl in the beige coat and skirt suddenly blurted out an unexpected line, making me want to retort.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. It’s just a feeling. I didn’t mean to offend you or your classmate.”

The girl in the beige coat apologized apologetically.

Guess she was just straightforward.

“If that’s the case, how about this?”

While I was still dealing with the beige coat girl, the other girl, wearing a light green coat and pleated skirt, brought over an outfit.

“Isn’t this too short?”

I took it—it was a short sweater and skirt combo.

“Since your classmate sounds like the lively type, even in winter, a long skirt would be inconvenient for her movements, right? And if she’s cold, she can wear a coat over it. For her legs, there are lots of thermal stockings on the market now. They’ll keep her warm.”

“I see.”

I really learned something new.

I had no idea such things existed.

“So is it decided?”

“Yeah, thank you both for helping me out.”

“No problem. But can we get your contact info? We’d like to hang out with you sometime.”

“Of course.”

I took out a slip of paper and wrote down a phone number—but not mine.

It was my boss Yuan Xinghe’s.

After all, for romantic encounters like this, it’s better to leave it to a true player like him.

I thanked the two girls and said goodbye.

Then I saw the proprietress’s son looking eager.

As I was about to find a spot to observe, I found he’d already chosen a target.

Uh… but the person he picked seemed a bit problematic.

“Th-this big sister, would you…”

“Oh wow! What an adorable kid! Are you alone, little brother!?”

“Um, yes…”

“Want to come play with big sister? I’ll take you to a fun place.”

“Um, that…”

“Let’s go!”

With that, the older girl pulled the proprietress’s son into a small alley.

Looked like she was taking a shortcut—she must know the place well.

Sigh.

Whatever.

The job was done.

I reported to the proprietress, happily took the hot dogs and takoyaki, and even bought a set of clothes for Oumiyou on the way—though I wasn’t sure if she’d wear them.