January 18
The five of them all slept well that night.
Well, except for Brent, who was still unconscious. If anything, she'd gotten too much sleep—she'd been out cold since the afternoon.
The first to fall asleep had been Miranda. She wasn't a superhuman. After a day that physically draining, it was only natural that her exhausted body had given out. On top of that, there were the aftereffects of the stimulant Xiangzi had injected her with. So after a simple meal, she'd only managed to wipe off the sticky sweat clinging to her skin before collapsing into sleep.
The next to fall asleep was Takagi Xiangzi.
After changing the dressings and medicine on Brent's gunshot wound, and moving the easy-to-accidentally-injure patient back to Miranda's room, Xiangzi had finally returned to the bedroom she'd been yearning for. The moment she touched the bed, her body had stopped obeying her and simply shut down into sleep.
The bedroom light had gone out, then come back on again a little while later. Huaxiu had returned after cleaning up the kitchen.
She didn't disturb Xiangzi's rest. After closing the door, she turned the light back off. Darkness had only just settled over the room when a softer glow appeared once more—a warm little bedside lamp in Huaxiu's hand.
Moving quietly to the desk by the window, Huaxiu carefully set the lamp down, pulled out an old notebook with its seams already splitting, and found a ballpoint pen that was only half full.
She bent over the desk, leaving three full lines beneath the dense writing already on the page before beginning again.
Her pen moved swiftly over the yellowing paper, leaving behind neat, graceful handwriting.
"Sunday, January 17, 2026. Weather: Heavy Snow.
"This afternoon, Xiangzi took the two new survivors out to explore, leaving me and that somewhat annoying little brat at home.
"First I adjusted the angle of the solar panels on the roof. The steeper tilt kept the snow from staying on them. Then I watered the crops in the greenhouse on the twentieth floor. During that time, Doris was as clumsy as ever. After that, I went to search the rooms in the building that hadn't been fully cleared yet, to see if there were any supplies left...
"As of today, the remaining food should be enough for at least..."
"Wait, what was the daily consumption for one person again?"
At that point Huaxiu had to stop and think for a while. She had kept track of the amount of food and water in storage, but she hadn't yet calculated how much five people would consume.
After doing a bit of math, she resumed writing.
"The food supply is still abundant. Aside from the uncertain materials still scattered in other unsearched rooms, the grain we currently have should be enough to get us through the winter.
"But water is scarce. We only have about two weeks' worth of daily drinking water. Ordinary households don't keep much bottled water on hand. Including the water jugs for the dispenser, that's all we've managed to gather. We've tried melting snow, turning it into steam, and condensing it again, but the efficiency of distillation is too poor. It's safe, but the amount we get each time is too little.
"We aren't short on other supplies for now...
"Xiangzi and the others ran into serious danger outside today. We could hear bursts of gunfire and explosions from home. Thankfully, they all came back in the end. Aside from Miss Brent, who's still unconscious, the other two don't seem badly hurt.
"They didn't tell me what exactly happened out there, but they were so exhausted—why would I need to know right now?
"That little brat Doris really doesn't know how to read the room. If there's something we need to be told, they'll tell us when the time comes. And even if we knew, what could we do to help?
"In the end, I just hope Xiangzi, me, and everyone else can all get through this apocalypse safely.
"Good night,
Yurizono Huaxiu."
After writing down her wishes for everyone and her own good-night greeting, Huaxiu set down her diary and couldn't help feeling both admiration and worry for the overburdened Xiangzi.
The night had grown deep. Outside, the endless noise kept disturbing Huaxiu from her seat near the window.
Leaning back in her chair, she thought about many things.
She might not be like Xiangzi—going out to fight, to kill, to search everywhere for supplies—but that didn't mean she wasn't working hard in her own way.
During the day she managed the stockpile inside the safe zone, organized supplies, tended vegetables and melons, kept watch in all directions, and searched through already-cleared rooms in the building for anything useful that might still be left behind.
In truth, Huaxiu had always been proving through action that she wasn't some parasite living off Xiangzi. Anything she could do within her own ability, she never needed Xiangzi to tell her twice.
She'd never been the athletic, sturdy type of girl to begin with, so naturally, she had to contribute in other ways—by doing whatever helped them survive.
Just then, she seemed to notice something. Still not asleep, Huaxiu picked up the desk lamp and glanced slightly toward Xiangzi's side of the room. That was when she noticed Xiangzi's condition.
The one-meter-seventy girl curled up beneath the blankets, her lovely features twisted by what seemed to be a nightmare, distorting that usually neat and beautiful face into something troubled.
Huaxiu rose and walked to the bed, then pressed a deep kiss to Xiangzi's sweat-damp forehead.
"My dear, I'll face everything with you."
Speaking to the lover she had met less than a month ago, Yurizono Huaxiu's voice was quiet but firm.
After learning what had happened in Tokyo, Huaxiu had come to feel that the chances of ever reuniting with her parents were slim. And if the worst really had happened, then this lover—this girl with whom her feelings had intensified so quickly in the two short weeks after the apocalypse—had become the final emotional anchor of her life.
From that first meeting to the many crises they had gone through together, Huaxiu had come to understand that beneath Xiangzi's bravery and strength, what she really wanted was for this girl, who insisted on carrying everything herself, to be able to lean on someone else's shoulder from time to time.
"Xiangzi, don't worry. With me here, no nightmare is going to hurt us."
As she spoke, she stripped off the clothes that were in the way and gently wiped the sweat from Xiangzi's body. Then she quietly lifted the blanket and slipped in beside her.
Xiangzi seemed to sense the warm body next to her, and the closely beating heart beside her own. The unease on her face gradually faded.
Huaxiu reached out from beneath the covers and switched off the bedside lamp.
The room sank into darkness.
The last to fall asleep was the youngest member of the group—Doris.
After Miranda fell asleep, Doris eventually collapsed onto the soft bed as well.
This little sister-loving girl curled up at Miranda's side once her sister was asleep.
Everything that had happened recently had been a challenge for Doris. Someone who had grown up almost like a decorative flower in a greenhouse, never suffering any real hardship, was now horribly anxious. Her thin, frail body—
Before dawn the next day
Xiangzi was the one who had worked the hardest, but she was also the first to wake up.
After everything they'd been through, it was natural that the others wouldn't recover so quickly. Xiangzi's physical exertion the day before had been far beyond the limit; for an ordinary person, muscle strain would have been unavoidable.
But that overpowered body of hers was simply too ridiculous. With all kinds of traits layered on top of her, Xiangzi functioned like a top-end computer—fast to run, fast to recover.
Compared to her, Miranda had completely collapsed onto the soft bed, aching all over and barely able to move. That was what a normal person looked like.
Feeling the lovely body of her beloved girlfriend beside her—and the way their chests pressed together—Xiangzi began the new day in sweetness.
She slipped quietly out of bed, gave her sleeping girlfriend a brief kiss, and left the bedroom.
The moment the door closed, Huaxiu opened her eyes.
She had already woken up not long after Xiangzi had. The spot Xiangzi had kissed still made her face glow with happiness, her lips curving upward in the unmistakable expression of a girl deeply in love.
She didn't even bother putting on proper sleepwear. Pulling on a pair of slippers in a hurry, she followed Xiangzi out.
"There really isn't that much to do. You've been working so hard lately, Xiangzi-jie. Can't you rest properly for once? I'm honestly worried about your condition."
Standing in the doorway of the bedroom, Huaxiu looked at Xiangzi, who was already tending to equipment again, and voiced her dissatisfaction and concern.
Xiangzi looked at her and simply waved it off.
"It's fine. I know my own body. And besides, don't you know that too?"
"...If you start feeling unwell, go rest right away."
Huaxiu didn't argue back. She only answered softly, telling Xiangzi not to push herself too hard.
"Mm, I will."
After that, each of them went back to their own work. Huaxiu headed to the kitchen, while Xiangzi went to check on Brent.
Xiangzi was in the middle of examining Brent's wound. Brent had had her outer clothing removed, and bandages were wrapped around her body in layers.
"The overall condition is good. Without even stitching it, the wound's actually started healing on its own?"
Removing the blood-stained gauze layer by layer, Xiangzi found that the wound hidden underneath showed no major inflammation. It looked like Brent's recovery during the inflammatory stage had gone surprisingly well.
With the blood vessels expanding and permeability increasing, the local area had become red, swollen, and warm. Brent's damaged body had immediately launched an inflammatory response to prevent infection, and dead tissue and foreign matter clung to the gauze.
Xiangzi set down a tray full of disinfectant beside Brent, along with tweezers and cotton, and began cleaning the wound.
Looking at Brent's condition, Xiangzi figured that in just a few more days she'd probably enter the proliferative phase. Usually that started around the third day and lasted several weeks.
By then, new blood vessels would begin to form, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the wound and promoting repair. Fibroblasts would multiply actively, producing collagen and other extracellular matrix components to form granulation tissue and fill the wound.
At the same time, epithelial cells at the edge of the wound would start migrating and multiplying, covering the surface and promoting re-epithelialization.
Normally the remodeling phase would take weeks or even months, but Brent's recovery would probably finish much earlier than that.
Collagen fibers would gradually realign, the wound's strength would increase, and the scar tissue would mature—its color fading, its texture softening.
Eventually the tensile strength of Brent's wound would return bit by bit, even if it might never reach the full strength of the original tissue.
While Xiangzi was thinking that, Brent's breathing suddenly quickened.
Then her eyes cracked open ever so slightly.
As light entered them and brought her information from the outside world, Brent's mind remained a blur. Her memory was still stuck on the moment she'd been shot and blacked out.
The light here was so bright.
Was this heaven?
And that was... Xiangzi.
So she had been saved.
What about her young lady?
"Miss... Xiangzi... my young lady..."
"No talking!"
The moment Brent tried to open her mouth and ask about Miranda, Xiangzi, who had already realized what she was about to say, cut her off.
She more or less knew Brent's concern already—it was obviously about Miranda's safety.
"Relax. Miranda didn't lose so much as a single hair. You just focus on recovering. I'll get you some water. Your internal organs weren't damaged."
Hearing that, Brent finally let go of her anxiety and sank back into the bed in relief.
After finally finishing with Brent and leaving the sleeping sisters undisturbed—along with food set aside for them—Xiangzi, drenched in sweat, ate breakfast with Huaxiu before both of them returned to their posts.
She spent some time maintaining the weapons they had overused the day before.
Her beloved "little princess" was still in decent condition, but the polymer parts on the G18C had become unreliable.
It took her a ridiculous amount of effort to replace those components.
Then she pulled out the melee weapons they had carried the day before. Every piece of steel was stained with blood, and several edges had chipped.
The protective gear wasn't in good shape either.
The outer layer of Xiangzi's stab-resistant vest had several tears in it, and the steel plates inside had been dented badly. She had no idea which battle had caused that.
After another stretch of work, Xiangzi finally finished maintaining her equipment.
"Next time, I should probably get Miranda a high-powered shotgun."
Now that the flamethrower was gone, Xiangzi decided to outfit Miranda with something that packed more punch. Against enemies charging in wide groups, something loaded with buckshot would be far more effective.
Time to check the system.
With that thought, Xiangzi opened the system panel.
The first thing that popped up was yesterday's income and expenditure summary.
Yesterday's results: Kill points 4873, exploration points 2780, mission points 2000, recovery points 547. Purchase expenses: -4800. Daily system service fee: -250.
Current total remaining: 21322
The numbers looked excellent.
She had gone wild using firearms against the infected the day before. Sure, she had spent a lot—but she had earned even more.
What surprised her was the mission points. Why had she gotten so many? Had she completed the corpse tide mission without noticing?
"System, what were all the mission rewards from yesterday?"
I sent you plenty of reminders yesterday. You just didn't listen. Go look for yourself.
The mission panel that appeared next almost scared Xiangzi half to death.
She had actually completed that many missions.
The rewards were insane.
She was rich now.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter155)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter172)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 158
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 144
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 165
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 140
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 120
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 95
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 80
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 50
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 40
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 50
Still playing traditional Honk 30
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