CHAPTER 262: CHAPTER 262: LET’S GO TO RESIDENTIAL ZONE

When Liora finally emerged from the bathroom, she had mastered the art of feigned nonchalance. Her face was calm. Her steps were steady. Inside, however, her soul was still screaming.

She cleared her throat lightly. "Oh... you’re awake?"

Xu Kai looked up from where he sat on the edge of the bed, lazily tying the straps on his boots. His hair was slightly messy, his shirt still rumpled from sleep—but his eyes, dark and unreadable, were very much awake.

"Mm," he hummed, tilting his head toward her. "Yeah. Woke up a little while ago."

Liora’s heart skipped. She tried to keep her smile casual. "Ah... I see. I thought you were still asleep when I—" She paused. Too much. She cleared her throat again. "When I got up."

He arched a brow. "Mm. I was. For a while."

Her hands fidgeted at her sides. "When exactly did you wake up?" she asked, trying to keep her voice light and innocent. "Like... before or after I... uh... moved?"

He blinked slowly, letting her squirm for a breath longer than necessary. Then he gave a thoughtful nod.

"Oh, hard to say," he said, then casually flexed one shoulder with a wince. "The whole arm feels stiff now. Can’t imagine why..."

Liora’s stomach dropped straight to her feet.

"Oh gods," she muttered, half-turning away. "You do remember; don’t pretend."

He leaned back on his hands. "Kind of hard to forget when someone’s leg is draped over your waist and your elbow’s digging into my ribs. I thought I was being crushed by a very stubborn—"

"Don’t say ’cat again," she snapped, pointing a finger at him. "Or I’ll actually throw you out the window."

Xu Kai grinned, unbothered. "You’re right. That would be unfair to cats. They at least look guilty afterward."

"I didn’t mean to do it!" she burst out. "I was unconscious! I was—my body just moved!"

"Oh, it moved alright," he said, rolling his shoulder again like it still hurt. "I swear, I’ve been through less aggressive Tide attacks."

She made a strangled noise and covered her face with both hands. "I hate you."

"No, you don’t."

"Yes. I do. I hate you so much right now."

He tilted his head, clearly enjoying every second of her embarrassment. "Because I said you snuggled me to death or because you were drooling on my shirt?"

Her eyes widened in horror. "I did not drool!"

He shrugged. "Can’t confirm. I was pinned."

"You—! Argh!" She spun away from him, flustered beyond salvation, and started pacing. "I was hoping you didn’t remember anything! I wanted to pretend that it never happened and you were just... conveniently asleep!"

"Oh, I was very conveniently asleep," Xu Kai said smoothly, watching her pace with amusement. "Right up until the point you made that little sigh and burrowed in closer."

Liora froze mid-step.

He smirked. "Yeah. That one."

Xu Kai only laughed, brushing past her on the way to the door, his shoulder bumping hers lightly. As he passed, he murmured close to her ear, voice low and amused:

"But next time... maybe let me hold you back."

She whirled around, scandalized, but he was already out the door.

After the storm of embarrassment and teasing had passed, both Liora and Xu Kai sat down for a quiet meal; they did not cook anything. They eat ration bars, canned fruit, and a shared thermos of broth that neither of them commented on but both appreciated.

The moment was strangely peaceful. She didn’t bring up the bed incident again, and he didn’t press—though the smirk he occasionally shot her across the table made it clear he hadn’t forgotten.

When the last spoon clinked against the metal container, Liora rose, brushing her hands off.

"We need to move to a new location," she said simply.

Xu Kai leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "Already? This area’s been cleared. Safer to stay."

"Exactly why I’m leaving," she replied, her voice low. "Because I need Horde to kill. If we stay here, it will only waste time."

Xu Kai didn’t argue. He watched her for a moment, then stood. "Alright," he said, stepping closer. "Where to?"

"Northwest," Liora said. "There used to be a residential zone before the second rain hit. If there’s anything left, it’s under the swarm."

"Insects?" he guessed.

She nodded, suppressing a grimace. "Mutated ones."

He sighed and, without another word, reached for her.

His arm slid around her waist in a smooth move, but not forcefully. Liora startled slightly, her eyes flicking up to meet his.

"For stabilization," he said, smirking. "Teleporting mid-air is a bad way to twist an ankle."

Before she could argue, he flicked open the silver ball of his teleportation device and inserted a glowing, high-grade crystal core.

Then came the whoosh of energy, and the world blurred into white.

When it faded, they landed—not gently, but steadily—on solid ground.

Liora opened her eyes to a completely different landscape.

Gone were the broken towers and decaying steel skeletons of the advanced city. Here, the ruins were smaller—rows of collapsed houses, overgrown fences, and rusted mailboxes. Nature had already begun to reclaim the area, but not peacefully.

Because the skies buzzed with voices.

Liora looked up, and a massive fly the size of a cat dove toward her with a sickening whirrrr.

Before she could blink, a dagger flew past her cheek.

Thunk.

The fly dropped dead to the ground, Xu Kai’s blade buried between its bulging compound eyes.

"Ugh," Liora grimaced, taking a step back. "Insects. Ahh! I still feel disgusted whenever I see them."

"They’re easier to kill than zombies," Xu Kai offered casually, already summoning another blade into his hand. "No infection risk. No surprise evolutions."

"They’re disgusting," she muttered, eyes narrowing.

And then, without hesitation, Liora raised her hands—and released her shadows.

Inky tendrils burst from beneath her boots, spiraling outward in every direction. The air chilled. The road darkened. Some of the shadows split off to scout the area, while others clustered protectively around her and Xu Kai.

The next wave of insects didn’t even get close. The moment a mantis-looking creature lunged, one shadow whipped forward and sliced it clean in half.

Another beetle exploded as a shadow pierced its thorax with a sound like popping glass.

Xu Kai gave a low hum. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"You’re already on it," she replied, though there was no bite in her voice.

A minute passed. Then another. The insects didn’t seem to thin.

Liora finally sighed. "Let’s find a place to sit," she muttered, brushing another falling antenna off her shoulder with clear revulsion. "There are too many. This is going to take time."

Xu Kai nodded, spinning one of his daggers idly as he scanned the area. "Hopefully one of these ruined houses still has a couch. Or at least a floor not covered in bug juice."

~~~

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