The group had already settled down for the night. However, under the dim glow of a camping ntern, the women were still whispering to each other, their voices resembling a pack of mice about to emerge from their burrow. Hu Laoda sat alone at the entrance of the hall, half-leaning against the doorframe, smoking a cigarette. His shotgun, which he had been fiddling with all evening, y within reach at his left side. His gaze occasionally flickered toward the women’s pale arms, and a sly, wicked grin crept onto his face.

  Just as he finished his cigarette, Cao Mei walked in, carrying her rifle. She cast a brief gnce at Hu Laoda and said, "Your turn for the night watch."

  Hu Laoda checked his wristwatch. Indeed, it was time. Without a word, he stood up, tidied himself slightly, and then turned to Li Li, who was sharing a sleeping bag with another woman. "Li Li, can you wash my clothes for me? I’ll hold the fshlight for you."

  "I… I was just about to sleep. Do it yourself," Li Li hesitated, clearly reluctant to leave the warmth of conversation with her companion.

  "How can I keep watch and do undry at the same time? I did all the hard bor today. Washing clothes is something you women should handle, isn’t it? We’ll be living together from now on, and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of times when you’ll need my help." Hu Laoda stepped forward, holding his dirty clothes, his expression darkening. His words carried an undeniable hint of threat.

  "Fine… Just go stand guard first. Leave your clothes there, and I’ll wash them," Li Li reluctantly agreed. Hu Laoda’s reasoning sounded justifiable, even though she had little choice in the matter.

  "Good. Thanks. Just remember, if you ever need anything, you can always come to me." Hu Laoda nodded in satisfaction, tossing his dirty clothes at Li Li’s feet before whistling a tune and heading out.

  After a long moment, Li Li finally crawled out of the sleeping bag, clutching Hu Laoda’s filthy clothes. She lowered her head and dragged herself toward the exit. Her companion, watching her closely, was surprised to see her biting her lower lip so hard that it turned white. Her face alternated between red and pale, as though she were walking to an execution rather than doing undry.

  "Zhang Hong, Li Li doesn’t seem like the kind of person to be a manager at a supermarket’s investment department. Women who reach that position are usually strong-willed. But she’s… too soft," Lin Tao mused as he watched Li Li’s petite figure disappear into the night. Then he gnced down at Zhang Hong, who was nestled against him, an expression of curiosity on his face.

  "What? So she’s weak just because she didn’t refuse to wash his clothes? What kind of logic is that?" Zhang Hong tilted her head, looking at Lin Tao in confusion.

  "Not exactly. Hu Laoda may be a coward, but he still pulls his weight. Helping him with undry isn’t unreasonable. I’m just wondering how someone so timid became a manager," Lin Tao replied, shaking his head.

  Zhang Hong chuckled softly, her fingers tracing the scars on Lin Tao’s body as she expined, "Li Li was actually just an assistant to the investment department manager. When her manager got promoted to headquarters, they didn’t have a repcement ready, so she was left to hold the fort. She had only been acting as manager for two months before everything went to hell."

  Resting against Lin Tao’s chest, Zhang Hong sighed and continued, "Honestly, Li Li is probably the most pitiful of all of us. She had just gotten married when the outbreak happened. Her husband died saving her—right in front of her eyes, devoured by the undead. When we first came together, she was completely broken for months before she slowly recovered. She’s the one among us who fears the undead the most."

  "The more you fear something, the more you need to face it. Running away won’t solve anything." Lin Tao sighed, pinching Zhang Hong’s delicate cheek before fshing a grin. "And you should remember that things are rarely as scary as they seem. Take that first step, and you might just find the world opening up before you."

  "I don’t need the whole world," Zhang Hong murmured, looping her arms around his neck. Her big, expressive eyes shimmered with expectation. "I just need you to protect me, always."

  Lin Tao’s heart trembled at her words. He pulled her closer, feeling the warmth of her body against his. Just as he was about to lower his head toward her—

  "Ahem."

  An untimely cough interrupted them. Cao Mei appeared, dragging her sleeping bag over. She gnced at Zhang Hong in Lin Tao’s embrace but said nothing. Instead, she calmly set up her bedding next to him and y down, her rge, luminous eyes locked onto his.

  "Lin Ye, you should sleep. Hu Laoda will wake you for your shift ter, and your health is more important. Fooling around with certain clueless women will only wear you out," she said ftly.

  Lin Tao forced a wry smile. "Alright, alright. Let’s sleep."

  He sat up, turned off the camping ntern, and the hall was swallowed by darkness, save for the faint flickering of firelight from outside. Soon, the steady breathing of the sleeping women filled the air.

  Then, a stifled voice suddenly broke the silence.

  "No… Stop touching me. I can’t take it anymore…"

  The voice was soft, breathy, and nearly distorted with suppressed gasps, as if the speaker was desperately holding back. If one didn’t listen carefully, it might have been mistaken for the mewling of a cat.

  "Then I’m coming up," a husky male voice responded, thick with excitement.

  "No… you can’t… please, not yet! If you do, I won’t be able to keep quiet. I’ll… I’ll lose control…"

  Rustling sounds followed, mixed with nervous giggles and shushing. The tension in the air was palpable.

  "You really can’t touch me there… oh god… have mercy… fine, I’ll make it up to you tomorrow…"

  The teasing continued, the hushed conversation filled with restrained desire. But they were oblivious to the fact that, in this room full of women who had been starved of intimacy for over a year, every pair of ears was sharply attuned to their exchange. Some eyes were squeezed shut, cheeks flushed in embarrassment, while others were wide open, gleaming in the dark like a cat’s at night.

  Near the source of the sound, Bai Ru’s face was burning, her small fists clenched tightly. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, betraying the storm of emotions within her.

  "You… you’re killing me here. Five more minutes, and if you still can’t finish, I really can’t help you anymore. My jaw is so sore…" the woman’s voice finally whined in frustration.

  "Big Sis, you’re doing it wrong. Five minutes, fifty minutes—it’s not gonna work like that," the man groaned in exasperation.

  "Ugh, don’t call me ‘Big Sis’! I told you, this is my first time doing this. How good do you expect me to be?! Forget it, I tried my best. You can suffer on your own now!"

  "Hong Jie, that’s not how it’s done. Here, let me guide you…" A new voice suddenly joined in, sultry and amused. The entire room seemed to freeze.

  "Cao Mei?! You… you’re still awake?!" Zhang Hong’s voice was a mix of shock and embarrassment.

  "How could I sleep through all this noise?" Cao Mei chuckled. "Lin Ye, don’t move. It’s bad for a man’s health to hold back for too long. You’ve done so much for us—making you comfortable is the least we can do. Come, Hong Jie, lower your hand a little. Hehe… I’ll show you how it’s done…"