On the way back, Brent changed her mind.
She sent Doris back to fetch reinforcements while staying behind herself to keep watch on the suddenly appeared survivor.
Who exactly was this person, moving around so close to their base? If they both went back and the stranger slipped away, what then?
So Brent stayed put, dressed in her silver-white outerwear, using the snowbank and the low shrubs as cover. She held the 12.7mm launcher in her arms, lifting it from time to time to check on the figure ahead.
Barely a hundred meters away, the brown-clad silhouette remained fixed in her sight. If the person made the slightest suspicious move, Brent could easily send a fatal round straight through them.
The hunt was on. For now, the prey remained completely unaware, half-kneeling by the hole they had chopped into the ice.
Fishing, maybe? Though in weather like this, could they really catch anything?
Brent studied the stranger's movements. In their hands was a round object, probably a reel for winding fishing line.
"It's getting cold…"
Lying flat against the snowbank, hidden behind the scrub, Brent pulled out a couple of heat packs from her pouch and stuck them against her abdomen and thighs. Warmth gradually seeped through her clothes, making things a little more bearable.
But the person ahead had suddenly stopped moving.
Compared to the freezing world outside, the room inside was pleasantly warm. The fire in the hearth was fed with pine branches they had chopped down earlier that day. The scent of burning pine lingered in the cramped room, while white smoke climbed up the chimney and out into the open air. The faint resinous fragrance gave the whole place a clean, soothing smell.
At that moment, Shoko and Ye Ling were still in the middle of their "intense lesson."
The results of the earlier test had truly surprised Shoko. She had assumed Ye Ling would make a complete mess of it under pressure, but instead it was almost as if she were cheating. Every instruction Shoko gave, Ye Ling understood and executed perfectly.
At this point, Ye Ling could already manage simple conversation with her.
Shoko could not help admiring her. Sitting on the sofa, she looked at Ye Ling with the same gaze she had once reserved for academic prodigies in her previous life and said warmly,
"You really are amazing. So why didn't you learn Japanese earlier?"
"At first it was because my Japanese friend could speak Chinese. She always acted as my translator. But she's not by my side anymore. I really did mean to study it. It's just that I hadn't even been in Japan that long before the virus broke out."
"I see."
No particular expression showed on Shoko's face—other than the stiffness caused by the pain in her body.
So this Miss Ye Ling really had been unlucky. What did it mean, that her friend was "not by her side anymore"? Infected? Lost contact? Shoko did not want to think too deeply about it. There was no need to pry into things that no longer mattered.
"All right, that's enough for today. Come sit down and rest for a bit. Drink some tea, then head downstairs later and see if there's anything outside that needs doing."
Shoko picked up the teapot and filled a cup about seventy percent full, then set it down in front of Ye Ling.
"Thank you for teaching me. Then I'll gladly accept."
The pink-haired fox girl bowed to Shoko and picked up the cup.
"The tea is so sweet and mellow. Miss Takajo, your tea-brewing skills are excellent. You've got the touch."
After finishing the tea, Ye Ling prepared to leave. Weak from blood loss and exhaustion, Shoko had no desire to get up and see her out. She just offered a polite parting remark.
"Take care. And pay attention to anything unusual outside."
The door shut behind Ye Ling.
Now Shoko was alone.
She wanted to change out the used sanitary pad, already soaked through with blood. Lifting the hem of her robe, she revealed the smooth, soft lines of her thighs, still marked with streaks where the blood had run downward. Past that was forbidden territory.
Her hand paused at the top of her thigh.
But just as her fingers brushed the warm, artificial fabric—
hurried footsteps pounded up from downstairs, thudding hard against the wooden floorboards.
What now?
Before she could react, the door flew open.
Doris rushed in.
Sweat clung to Doris's body. Not seeing Miranda downstairs, she had hurried up here to find Shoko instead. She barely had time to catch her breath before blurting everything out.
"Miss Shoko, something's wrong! We found a stranger out by the lake!"
"What? Another survivor?"
Shoko was startled.
Ignoring the pain wracking her body, she hurriedly opened the real-time map, trying to locate the person.
Nothing.
The trees blocked the view too completely.
At once, she pushed herself to her feet. The sanitary pad she had not finished securing dropped straight to the floor, but she paid it no mind. She went straight for the bedroom to change clothes, and in the process bared enough pale, delicate skin to leave Doris blushing furiously.
What kind of woman is she?!
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 142)
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 (Chapter181)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter103)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter192)
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 173
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 166
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 110
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 190
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 165
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 156
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 81
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 102
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 120
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 80
Uma Musume: I Want All 95
I Can Copy Unique Skills 84
Summoning an Evil God, but the 66
Supernatural Multiverse 83
My Harem Is Indescribable 75
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 81
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 75
Still playing traditional Honk 55
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 60
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 55
Checking In in Demon Slayer 60
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 65
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 35
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 35
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 39
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 58
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