Chapter 82: Tomorrow I’ll Cheer You Up!

As night fell, the smell of burnt corpses filled the air above the safe zone.

Due to the high number of zombie corpses in the southeast corner, after Fu Jingmo came out of the monitoring hall, he ordered all the zombies to be transported there for incineration.

The ground in the southeast corner had been blown up with several craters during last night’s battle. Ability users, who had recovered their strength, helped expand the craters. Each one was about the length and width of two shipping containers, and five to six meters deep.

Meanwhile, ordinary people transported all the zombies from outside the safe zone to be burned.

Dozens of craters were filled with grotesque zombies—some with half a head left, others with their guts spilling out, missing limbs, stacked haphazardly at the bottom.

Thick, black smoke billowed into the sky, and everyone gradually became numb to it.

Just two months ago, these zombies had been living, breathing people, just like them.

It’s often said that soldiers returning from the battlefield require psychological intervention and therapy. But now, in this apocalyptic world, there are no specialized psychologists to do that.

Everyone, regardless of what job they had in peaceful times—whether they were elite white-collar workers, CEOs, laborers, farmers, or anything else—had no choice but to accept and process it themselves. There was no other way.

At six o’clock, darkness had fully fallen, and everyone retreated back inside the safe zone to continue tomorrow.

The night was far too dangerous; they couldn’t risk being exposed outside the safe zone.

—

In the small courtyard.

The person on the bed had slept for an entire day. Due to the energy depletion from Xiao Yuan, the wounds were healing slowly, with only a thin layer of scabs forming.

His slender fingers twitched slightly, his long black eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes slowly opened.

After a brief moment of confusion, the usual coldness returned to his gaze.

The pain in his back was no longer as unbearable as it had been in the morning, now reduced to a dull, throbbing ache.

The events of the previous night replayed in his mind: the zombie siege on the safe zone, the young soldiers who died, and being pulled from the pile of zombies by Fu Jingmo.

Lin Mu let out a deep breath and braced himself to sit up. The room was empty, and the sky was almost dark.

As he moved, the camouflage jacket slipped off his waist and onto the floor, exposing a slight chill. Only then did he realize he was completely naked. He lowered his head and sniffed—most of the zombie stench was gone.

…

Did He Ze bathe him? He shook his head. No, it didn’t seem like it…

Yesterday, it was Fu Jingmo who had tended to his wounds.

Looking down at the spot where not even his underwear remained… everything was dry and clean.

Lin Mu’s mind almost went blank. Was it really necessary to clean there too?!

All traces of sleep vanished. He rolled over and got out of bed, the pain in his back making him gasp. He ignored it, and walked to the closet to find some clothes.

He pulled out the largest white t-shirt he could find and put it on. As the fabric brushed against the freshly scabbed wounds, a sharp, searing pain shot up his back, causing sweat to break out on his forehead.

He thought about going outside to let Xiao Yuan absorb some energy and heal his wounds more quickly.

He continued rummaging for underwear and pants.

Suddenly, the door creaked open softly…

…

…

A tall figure with long legs stepped into the room. There were no lights on, only the soft glow of the moonlight filling the space.

Fu Jingmo raised his eyebrow when he didn’t see the person who was supposed to be lying in bed. He turned his head and immediately spotted Lin Mu, standing stiffly by the closet.

Lin Mu’s hand was still resting on the closet door, clutching the corner of a pair of white underwear, as if he had been about to pull it out.

The rising moonlight from outside poured in, casting a soft, cool glow on Lin Mu’s pale neck and highlighting his cold, sharp profile.

The oversized t-shirt hung loosely on him, just barely covering the tops of his thighs. His straight legs were fully visible, and—damn—there was a glimpse of something that shouldn’t be seen.

Damn it, his nose itched again!!

“Smack!”

In an instant, Lin Mu, realizing what was happening, yanked out the underwear from his hand and hurled it fiercely.

Caught off guard and distracted by Lin Mu’s appearance, Fu Jingmo, who had been about to scratch his nose, suddenly found a pair of white underwear thrown right over his head.

“Get out!” Lin Mu shouted angrily with a cold voice.

Still in a daze, Fu Jingmo hurriedly pulled the white underwear off his face.

Well, at least they were clean.

Fu Jingmo walked out, casually shutting the door behind him. Then it hit him—

Why should I leave?!

He turned around and yanked the door open again, and flicked on the light with a sharp click. Lin Mu was already bent over, pulling up his pants.

Fu Jingmo’s face carried an amused, and teasing expression as he slowly approached, clicking his tongue.

“Why leave? It’s not like I haven’t seen it before… or touched it either,” he said with a smirk, and threw the underwear in his hand aside. He stepped up to the closet, looking down at Lin Mu.

“Lin Mu, it’s not my age that makes me the big brother, it’s other things!” 

Fu Jingmo said with a smirk, casting a suggestive glance downward before cheekily whistling. He grabbed some clothes and pants, then turned and headed for the bathroom.

Watching his smug figure disappear, Lin Mu’s originally pale face flushed a faint pink. His hands clenched into fists. What the hell does he mean by ‘other things’ being bigger?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Even the anger he had managed to suppress from yesterday began to flare up again.

That stubborn armored vehicle, making decisions without even telling him!

Fine, Fu Jingmo, yesterday you were even planning to take on that mutated zombie by yourself, not even considering me as your teammate.

Alright then, from now on, we’ll do our own things!

After knowing each other for more than two months, and in the end, you still don’t trust me! You even wanted to go off on a suicide mission alone!

Great, let’s part ways then. We’ll each walk our own path!

Lin Mu’s face grew colder and colder as he stood firmly at the bathroom door, fuming. When you come out and grab your clothes, I swear, I’m out of here.

Inside the bathroom, Fu Jingmo hummed a little tune, enjoying the warm water hitting his body, completely unaware of the countless labels Lin Mu had mentally pinned on him. He was in an excellent mood after just having taken advantage of Lin Mu, feeling rather smug.

After a comfortable shower, he opened the bathroom door only to find Lin Mu standing right there.

“Oh? What’s this? Waiting for me?”

The steamy air rushed out as Fu Jingmo, still radiating heat and moisture from his freshly washed body, carried the faint scent of cheap body wash.

Lin Mu reached out and pushed him aside, and said with a cold voice, “Major Fu, please move.”

Lin Mu sidestepped into the bathroom, retrieving his dirty clothes from the damp floor.

Behind him, Fu Jingmo was mulling over the words Major Fu, finally noticing that something seemed… off. Was Lin Mu angry?

“What’s wrong now? What happened today?”

Fu Jingmo blocked the doorway, his 190cm frame completely filling the small doorframe, towering over the room.

Lin Mu looked up at him, his voice cold as ice, “Move.”

“What if I don’t move?”

Lin Mu’s usually cold eyes were now filled with anger. If Fu Jingmo didn’t move, Lin Mu really didn’t have a way to force him. As he stared at that sharp face, he bit his lip.

Fu Jingmo reached out, ruffling Lin Mu’s hair before stepping aside. “Come on, I was just joking, no need to get so worked up.”

Lin Mu walked past him without a word, opened the door, and headed downstairs, likely to find He Ze to sleep with, leaving behind a completely bewildered Major Fu.

!!!???

Wait, seriously? He’s really mad?

Separate rooms?

Finally realizing the issue, Fu Jingmo dropped his playful attitude. His sharp brows furrowed as he thought back to yesterday’s events, quickly piecing together why Lin Mu was angry.

After shaking his head, Fu Jingmo flopped onto the bed. Fine, tomorrow I’ll go cheer you up.