Chapter 43

Chapter 43

From the moment they got together, Jiang Nian had noticed that this serious-minded man could be a little terrifying when his romantic side took over.

Cheng Jing stared at him for a moment before pinning him down completely.

"Even back then, you had me second-guessing everything. Now that it’s the apocalypse, can’t you play nice and give me a little more security?"

He huffed, then with a dejected expression buried his face in Jiang Nian’s shoulder and rubbed against him.

"Uh... What did I even do? Besides, that hot girl approached you first..."

Jiang Nian felt a bit speechless. He seriously reflected but couldn’t find anything he’d done wrong.

To put it traditionally, he really had been being a proper gentleman!

But Cheng Jing kept pushing:

"But I feel like you’ve been a lot colder to me lately..."

"I haven’t, I’m not, don’t talk nonsense!"

Jiang Nian shot back with the classic triple denial, then noticing that the man seemed to have gotten weirdly moody, softened his tone:

"Brother Jing, if I messed up, just tell me. I’ll change..."

He couldn’t resist his boyfriend’s aggressive puppy-dog act either—of course he had to indulge him. That unfairly gorgeous face of his!

"......"

Cheng Jing stayed silent, just holding him quietly.

This seemed like a real issue. Jiang Nian grew a little anxious and continued coaxing:

"Really, I’ll definitely change!"

At the same time, he wracked his brain wondering—where exactly had he slipped up recently?

"Really?"

Cheng Jing finally spoke, his voice whiny.

Jiang Nian patted his head:

"Really, as true as they come!"

Cheng Jing propped himself up to look at him:

"Then go a couple extra times tonight. You’ve been going out every day lately—we’re not connecting as much. Not only do you put a cap on how often, but you even cut me short. This is relationship sabotage, and you need to fix it!"

Ever since he started running with the group, Jiang Nian had laid down rules.

"......"

Jiang Nian’s serious look shattered. All the worry and anxiety from earlier went up in smoke.

After all that drama, he was playing me this whole time!

Beating around the bush so much, are you trying to kill me?!

Fuming, he raised his hand to pinch the person on top of him, but Cheng Jing caught his wrist and pinned it against the sofa back above his head, continuing his accusations:

"You said you couldn't get enough of me before, but now you're over me already?"

"I..."

Jiang Nian was both annoyed and amused, finally turning his head away:

"Alright, alright, I'll change, happy now?!"

But someone still wasn't satisfied:

"What do you mean 'happy now'? You sound so damn reluctant!"

"I... I'm not!"

Jiang Nian completely lost his temper. If he wanted to play this mushy act, fine by him!

Using the force of his pinned wrist, he propped himself up and leaned in to kiss him:

"Jing Ge, I was wrong, I'll definitely change. From now on, whatever you want~"

If it's about acting cute, I can play that game too!

Sure enough, Cheng Jing released him, his stormy expression brightening as he leaned down to kiss him:

"Good."

"..."

In the end, Jiang Nian was pinned down and brought to their limits before they both got up to eat.

Halfway through the meal, looking at the smug-looking man, Jiang Nian still felt compelled to remind him:

"Jing Ge, in the future, if you have any complaints, just say them directly. There's no need to beat around the bush with me... Sometimes I might not get what you mean when you talk in circles."

Such a cool, collected handsome guy, how did he become such a sap once he started dating?!

And trying to play mind games, acting like a lovestruck teenager, unbelievable!

"Good."

Cheng Jing nodded, placing a braised chicken leg in his bowl:

"Eat more. Get some meat on those bones."

Then he set aside his chopsticks and began peeling shrimp for him.

"Thank you, Jing Ge."

Jiang Nian accepted being pampered without worry, knowing full well he'd make him pay for it tonight.

Tomorrow he'd stay home to rest and take care of Xiao Ya, letting Qian Jie have a day off.

...

Meanwhile, by early February, they'd survived over five months since the apocalypse began.

The Central Satellite Broadcasting had been reporting on zombie situations and extreme cold snap disasters across various regions since the onset of the extreme cold, urging people to take protective measures.

Today, it finally broadcasted updates about the bases.

It stated that most of the bases had been largely completed. Although these bases were initially led by official military forces, many Superpowered individuals had since joined, resulting in varying management systems across different bases.

Some are run by the local government where they were built, some by the military, and others are dominated by Superpowered individuals.

However, regardless of the type, all bases actively welcome and rescue survivors from across the nation.

When conditions permit, base rescue teams will set out from their locations to search for survivors.

Alternatively, capable survivors can navigate to the bases using their coordinates.

After several days of satellite broadcasts, people's spirits lifted as hope returned—after all, having something to look forward to reignites the will to survive.

Jiang Nian told Cheng Jing that in early March, the weather would gradually warm up.

The base rescue teams would likely depart around mid-March, following distress signals from each city to locate survivors.

This meant they only needed to endure one more month before the worst cold would pass.

With news of the rescue bases, everyone was excited. After dinner, Jiang Nian unfolded a map.

Marking the locations of the bases nationwide as announced by the satellite broadcast, they discussed and weighed their options for which base to head to.

They had two modified cars with ample fuel, just right for ten people plus their luggage.

So, as soon as things started warming up, they would seize the opportunity to leave—otherwise, waiting until all the snow melted would make travel difficult with zombies everywhere.

Moreover, the sooner they entered a base, the better, as supplies would run thin for later arrivals—even for Superpowered individuals.

With their team’s strength, entering a base early would allow them to get settled right away.

After all, neither the Qingyun City authorities nor Zhou Li would stand in their way.

Given different situations, not everyone would head to the same base. The authorities had already instructed survivors at the West District shelter to start planning and preparing.

As for which base to choose, the others left it completely up to Cheng Jing and Jiang Nian, treating them like their go-to decision makers.

Excluding those still under construction or pending construction, there were currently only about 300 bases of varying sizes nationwide. Three were relatively close to Qingyun City:

L Base, K Base, and the Southern City Base.

L Base was primarily managed by government officials. Considering current conditions, it would take about a week to reach from Qingyun City if all went well.

K Base was jointly managed by officials and Superpowered individuals. The journey from Qingyun City would normally take ten to fifteen days.

Only four bases nationwide were run entirely by the military, and the Southern City Base was one of them—the other three being the Northern City Base, Western City Base, and Eastern City Base.

Among the three nearby bases, the Southern City Base was the farthest from Qingyun City, which would take about twenty days to reach.

Bases any farther were too far to consider.

The estimated travel times were based on if all went well—if they ran into trouble, there was no telling how long it might take, or if they’d ever arrive at all.