The moment he entered the water, Zhou Rong had only one feeling—so cold.

The groundwater was bone-chillingly cold. He swam upwards forcefully a couple of times, loosening his limbs. By the light of his helmet lamp, he saw not far below him two huge, ghastly white shadows entangled. It was Zhang Yingjie, thrashing left and right but unable to break free from a Zombie's grasp.

Zhou Rong was afraid of hitting Zhang Yingjie, so he only fired after he felt he had a clear aim on the Zombie. But shooting underwater caused the bullet's trajectory to deflect, and it only hit the Zombie's back!

It was completely useless!

The violent struggle accelerated his oxygen consumption. Zhang Yingjie finally couldn't hold his breath any longer. A string of bubbles was squeezed from his lungs as he sank silently downwards.

Zhou Rong cursed inwardly and decisively dived deeper. One Zombie, bloated from soaking in the water, turned back to grab him, while another chased downwards after Zhang Yingjie.

With a backhand, Zhou Rong smashed the Zombie back hard with his gunstock. The recoil sent his back slamming against the elevator wall, and he bounced off it. The Zombie, its mouth gaping and almost melted from the water, closed in again. Zhou Rong jammed the muzzle against its upper palate and a spray of bullets blew its head to pieces!

Trailing a line of black blood, the Zombie sank quickly. Zhou Rong felt his oxygen was running out, but there was no time for hesitation. He plunged towards the direction where Zhang Yingjie had disappeared.

Of all drowning scenarios, falling into a well is the one where rescue is least likely. The well walls are smooth with no footholds, and it's difficult to struggle upwards in the narrow space. For someone like Zhou Rong, accelerating his descent would cause a sudden spike in water pressure, and his oxygen consumption would instantly hit its limit.

His lungs convulsed violently. Zhou Rong clenched his jaw, holding on to his last bit of oxygen. Suddenly, the water beside him surged violently—the Zombie that had been chasing Zhang Yingjie floated up!

'Fuck!'

That was the last thought in Zhou Rong's mind. A surge of ferocity rose in him, and he threw a vicious punch!

On land, Zhou Rong's right fist could deliver a blow of up to four hundred kilograms, enough to knock out a minor boxing champ in the ring. However, the lack of oxygen and the water's resistance suppressed a significant portion of its force. The Zombie's chest caved in from the blow, but it immediately swayed and lunged at him again.

Black spots danced before Zhou Rong's eyes. He struggled to raise his gun and pulled the trigger!

The several wild bursts of bullets churned the water murky. The Zombie's head and body exploded into countless cotton-like tissues, and it finally drifted away for good.

By now, Zhou Rong could no longer even feel his own limbs. He withdrew his gun and sank mechanically, his hands groping desperately. Finally, at the bottom, he touched a motionless foot.

Hard-soled military boots, a leg, a utility belt, a tactical pack... It was Zhang Yingjie!

It was like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. Zhou Rong gathered his last ounce of strength, propped the man up, and kicked desperately to float upwards.

—Then his feet suddenly sank!

Two cold, stiff hands reached out from the bottom of the elevator shaft and grabbed his ankles.

The water surged upwards diagonally. A nauseatingly soft, waterlogged Zombie rose like a phantom and bit viciously at Zhou Rong's calf through his camouflage pants!

...!!

Zhou Rong kicked frantically, the water churning noisily. But the dizziness from extreme oxygen deprivation made his vision go black, and he couldn't even pull out his pistol. In his struggle, his mouth opened—this tiny, insignificant action almost ended his life—

Because his throat relaxed, the last of the air in his lungs was instantly wrung out, and a large burst of bubbles spewed forth.

'Is this... the end?'

A strong light shone down from above. A figure dived down swiftly, brushing past Zhou Rong in an instant!

Zhou Rong was truly at the end of his rope, his fading vision barely able to make anything out. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the person, a dagger clenched in his teeth, lunging straight for the Zombie. The light from a lamp illuminated his cold, handsome face.

—It was Si Nan.

Zhou Rong closed his eyes and finally lost consciousness completely.

·

“There's still a pulse...”

“Hang on!...”

“He moved! He moved!”

Zhou Rong's eyes flew open. He struggled to sit up, choking out a large mouthful of water.

This fit of coughing was so violent it felt like his lungs were being torn to pieces and squeezed out of his throat. After a long moment, Zhou Rong finally managed to stop his wretched coughing. Gasping heavily, he rasped, “Yingjie, he...”

Chuncao said with pleasant surprise, “Rong-ge is okay!—Hey, Si Xiaonan?!”

Zhou Rong looked up just in time to see Si Nan, who was kneeling beside him, silently slump backwards the moment he heard the words “is okay.”

This gave Zhou Rong a great shock. He hurriedly reached out and caught him, only to see that Si Nan was soaked to the bone and pale-faced, having already passed out.

“He's exhausted,” Chuncao said, her face etched with fatigue. “The two of us took turns giving you two CPR and mouth-to-mouth for over ten minutes.”

Zhou Rong leaned against the corner of the wall, letting Si Nan's head rest on his abdomen as he exhaustedly surveyed his surroundings. They had already reached West B District. This seemed to be some kind of staff office. The concrete walls were spattered with blood, papers and documents were scattered all over the floor, and the alloy door was shut tight. From the hallway outside, the dull, hollow roars of Zombies could be faintly heard.

Zhang Yingjie lay motionless beside him, looking dead at first glance, but a closer look revealed the regular, slight rise and fall of his chest.

Zhou Rong coughed twice before speaking, his throat aching from choking on water. He managed to ask, “What happened?”

“The elevator shaft was too small, Si Xiaonan and I were afraid you two wouldn't have room to maneuver. But after waiting two or three minutes with no activity, we had no choice but to jump down and look for you. We found you tangled up with a Zombie. Si Xiaonan used his dagger to pulp the brain of the Zombie biting you, then I detonated an electronic time bomb, and the rush of water flushed us all out of the elevator shaft...”

“But the force of the explosion was too strong, and both you and Yingjie hit your heads,” Chuncao said, looking worriedly at Zhang Yingjie. “He hasn't been knocked stupid, has he?”

Zhou Rong remembered something and looked down at his calf.

His camouflage pant leg had been bitten to shreds, but thanks to the full-body armor, his skin wasn't injured.

“Was Yingjie... by a Zombie...” Zhou Rong asked in a low voice.

“No. When he was flushed out, he was wearing his gas mask. He must have protected his head and face the moment the Zombie dragged him into the water. But his clothes are completely torn, and he has multiple cuts and bruises all over. We haven't had time to check them all.”

Zhou Rong rolled over and checked Zhang Yingjie's pulse. It was weak but steady, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, he noticed a faint, not-quite-wiped-away trace of blood under Zhang Yingjie's nose. Realizing something, he raised a hand to his own nose and sure enough, found it covered in blood, also forced out by the water pressure. His head immediately started to throb. “What's going on?! Just now, Si Nan—”

Si Nan's cheek was pillowed on Zhou Rong's firm abs, deeply unconscious and oblivious to the world.

“Dad, you got really lucky today,” Chuncao said listlessly. “You didn't see the state Si Xiaonan was in while he was saving you. He was already at his limit, completely delirious. When he was doing chest compressions, I was worried he would break your ribs with his bare hands. I told him to rest and let me take over, but he couldn't even hear me when I shouted in his ear...”

Zhou Rong was stunned.

“Besides,” Chuncao said sincerely, “you two were dancing the close-contact disco with the Zombies for so long, the smell was... quite touching. Speaking of which, it's possible Si Xiaonan was knocked out by the stink from you two...”

Zhou Rong finally, completely relaxed. Leaning his back against the corner, he let out a long breath.

Although Si Nan wasn't consciously aware of the Alpha Pheromone, he was still physiologically affected. He seemed uncomfortable in his deep sleep, restlessly tossing and turning. Zhou Rong held him and shifted him up a little, letting him nestle sideways in his strong arms. He gently patted his back, trying to soothe him.

After a long while, Si Nan finally quieted down a bit. His breathing gradually deepened, but his brow was still unconsciously furrowed.

His face was still very young. Due to his mixed heritage, his features were more defined than an average person's, and his skin, after being soaked in water, had a piercing, cold whiteness.

But there were already premature lines between his brows, as if he were always slightly frowning, looking heavy-hearted.

Zhou Rong fed him some water, wiped away the droplets with the pad of his thumb, leaving a faint red mark by the corner of his lips.

“I was negligent. When I didn't see the elevator car in the shaft, I should have realized,” Zhou Rong said in a low voice. “The moment the power went out during the virus outbreak in the shelter, the elevator car must have plummeted straight to the bottom. Someone inside might not have died from the fall, but their wounds were submerged in the virus-contaminated groundwater, and they got infected and turned into a Zombie, lurking at the bottom of the shaft ever since... Luckily, everyone's alright, otherwise...”

His voice trailed off, and he didn't continue.

“Otherwise what? You'd pay with your life?” Chuncao laughed lazily. “Don't be silly, Rong-ge. Life and death are fated. We all understand that.”

Zhou Rong chuckled and didn't bring up the topic again. Si Nan shivered restlessly in his arms and slowly opened his eyes.

...

Zhou Rong leaned closer and heard him whisper softly, “...You have a scent...”

Zhou Rong paused, then chuckled and patted his face. “We were just soaked in groundwater, were you expecting me to smell like Chanel No. 5? It's normal to have a smell, alright?”

Si Nan closed his eyes, then opened them again a moment later. After repeating this a few times, he finally came to his senses, sat up, and asked, “What time is it?”

Chuncao was leaning against the opposite wall, staring at her 'cheap' dad with a reproachful gaze. Hearing the question, she tapped her luminous watch dial. “Eleven-thirty. It's been five and a half hours since we entered the base.”

“Good, rest time is over, prepare to move out!” Zhou Rong kicked Zhang Yingjie's butt. The latter didn't stir, still sound asleep, and even let out a soft snore.

Helpless, Zhou Rong had no choice but to have Chuncao carry Zhang Yingjie while he shouldered Chuncao's gear, then shakily got to his feet.

“We're now at the entrance to the base's communications office. The emergency satellite communications room is here.” Zhou Rong made a red mark on the map and said, “It's about two hundred meters in a straight line. We need to cross two corridors and one alloy security door. Comrade Xiao Si will be in charge of demolition.”

“After sending the satellite communication, we can expect to move to Area E within two hours. The Biological Research Institute is here... This is a high-risk area, don't get bogged down in fighting. If we determine we can't breach it, we retreat immediately. The retreat route is the one we calculated before: we'll regroup at the light rail station entrance in the central area. If Yan Hao's team hasn't been wiped out, we can ride back in a new armored vehicle.” Zhou Rong waved the tablet. “—Any questions?”

No one raised a hand.

Chuncao was struggling to drag Zhang Yingjie, whose feet just scraped along the ground. Si Nan sat cross-legged, rubbing his eyes until the corners turned red, clearly not fully awake yet.

“Excellent, everyone is full of fighting spirit!” Zhou Rong clapped his hands, full of vigor. “Now, everyone follow me! Let's march towards the dawn of victory!”

Zhou Rong spun around with a snap, but suddenly Si Nan's voice came from behind him: “Rong-ge.”

?

Zhou Rong turned back, and before he could say anything, he was pulled into a tight hug.

Si Nan's face was almost buried in the crook of Zhou Rong's neck. He didn't speak or move. He held this position for a good ten seconds before finally lifting his head and patting Zhou Rong's back—which was tense as a rock, lean and fiery—with a sense of relief.

“Thank god, you're not dead.”

Si Nan took half a step back, looked into Zhou Rong's eyes, and said seriously, “I won't let any of you die.”

Then he bent down, picked up his tactical backpack, walked around Zhou Rong's motionless body, and left on his own.

The air was frozen for a long, long time. Zhou Rong's eyes finally blinked, and it was as if a switch had been flipped, bringing him back to life.

“...Cao'er,” he said, as if he were floating on a cloud, “Dad will give you one last chance... Yan Hao or Dad, whose side are you on?”

But Chuncao only looked at him sympathetically and slowly shook her head:

“I only know that in the future, when he finds out we deceived him, you're definitely going to get screwed over hard, definitely harder than Yan Hao...”