Chapter 67

Chapter 67

When Cheng Jing finished showering and stepped out, he saw Jiang Nian intensely focused on his game controller, dominating the game while his eyes were glued to the tablet, brows furrowed, and blowing a bubblegum bubble.

He was multitasking like a pro.

Noticing his gaze, Jiang Nian chewed his bubblegum and asked,

"Brother Jing, wanna watch some palace drama?"

Before the apocalypse, he had loved disaster films, but now that the apocalypse hit, he’d developed a taste for the kind of cheesy soap operas he used to scoff at.

"No."

Cheng Jing shook his head and turned to walk into the bedroom, followed by the sound of rummaging through drawers—no telling what he was searching for.

Jiang Nian glanced over but didn’t ask, guessing Brother Jing was getting his gear ready for their next outing.

Finally, a chance to show off his skills—he was gonna go all out.

After expanding his ability’s range to a 200-meter diameter, his control had improved significantly, allowing him to maintain his ability cloaking his skin at all times.

If purification worked on the zombie virus, then logically, as long as he was careful, zombies wouldn’t be much of a threat. He needed to test this theory himself.

Just as he was daydreaming about looking cool fighting zombies, Cheng Jing’s voice came from the bedroom doorway:

"Nian Nian, where’s that box of Okamoto condoms I left in the bedside drawer?"

"Huh?"

Jiang Nian’s breath hitched, and the bubble he’d been blowing burst with a *pop*, splattering across half his face. He peeled it off while asking,

"Why do you need it?"

"You."

Cheng Jing barely held back a laugh, amused by how clueless he could be sometimes.

"Eh?"

Jiang Nian finally scrubbed the gum off his face and tossed it into the trash.

Only when he met his boyfriend’s smirk did he process the shameless implication of their exchange, turning bright red instantly.

"Brother Jing, you’ve changed!"

Internally, he was screaming—when did Brother Jing turn into this?!

Cheng Jing repeated,

"Hm? Where is it?"

"I put it in the storage room box. We used up two lime-flavored boxes, got tired of it, wanted something new."

Jiang Nian couldn’t look at him as he spoke, diverting his attention to the soap opera on the tablet.

Cheng Jing smirked.

"Guess I didn’t notice. So, what flavor do you wanna try next?"

Jiang Nian flushed down to his neck, still answering,

"Strawberry flavor."

"Alright."

Without hesitation, Cheng Jing walked into the storage room.

A moment later, Jiang Nian saw him emerge with a whole pile of boxes—various brands, styles, and flavors.

These 'special stock' were all prepared by Brother Jing. There was a box in the storage room and another in his ring space, enough to last them years at their current rate.

He strongly suspected that Brother Jing had cleared out an adult shop's entire stock back then—and probably not just one!

The visual impact was overwhelming. Jiang Nian wanted to pretend he hadn’t seen anything, but his boyfriend was way too bold, walking right up to him with a pile of colorful boxes and casually saying,

"Let’s go."

—

Jiang Nian wished the ground would swallow him!

Go where? What did he mean, *go*?

With that expression and tone, anyone would think Cheng Jing was inviting him for a drink! God, give me a break!

—

Seeing Jiang Nian’s face burning so red it could melt, Cheng Jing bit back a laugh and carried the items back to the room first. Once done, he leaned against the doorframe and called out,

"Nian, come here."

"You—wait a bit, let me finish this episode—"

Jiang Nian didn't even look up from the screen, refusing in a small voice.

Cheng Jing crossed his arms and kept needling him,

"You expect me to *wait* for this? I always agree to your requests right away."

Jiang Nian: "—"

Was he keeping score now?

"Tch…"

Watching him red-faced and speechless, Cheng Jing finally burst out laughing.

—

Gritting his teeth, Jiang Nian slammed his tablet and game console shut, marched over, snagged Cheng Jing's collar, and dragged him into the room. With a kick, he slammed the door shut and flung him onto the bed.

"Throwing a tantrum now?"

Looking up at the man straddling him, Cheng Jing was grinning like a wolf.

Jiang Nian dug his fingers into his shoulders, gritting his teeth.

"When did you get so petty and such a damn tease?"

Ugh! Had his cold and distant heartthrob really vanished for good?

"Do you even have to ask?" Cheng Jing held back a chuckle, reaching up to tuck away the stray strands on his forehead affectionately.

"Of course, it's because I love you."

In the past, he could never bring himself to say mushy stuff like that—it was always Jiang Nian who chased after him, babbled on and on.

After their breakup, he reflected and realized that emotions should be expressed openly. Otherwise, no matter how deep, it'd just end in regret.

So now, he wanted every living—and undead—thing to know he loved Jiang Nian!

"..."

The out-of-nowhere cheesy line left Jiang Nian defenseless. He buried his face in Cheng Jing's neck, his voice softened.

"Got it."

Cheng Jing flipped him over, trapping him in a heated mess.

...

On the day of the zombie cleanup op around the base, at 5 a.m., everyone gathered at the various exit gates, waiting.

After a quick check-in, they set off.

The team had no special formation—just the base’s rescue squad leading the way while others followed behind.

They spread out from the base, sweeping the area, pushing as far as their abilities allowed.

They had to return before sunset. If you didn't make it back, tough luck—the base’s protective gates would close at 8:30 p.m.

Jiang Nian, Cheng Jing, Liao Yu, and Zhao Lei rode in one car at the front, while Huang Qian and the others followed in another.

After leaving the base, the large group gradually dispersed, with people forming smaller teams to hunt zombies and scavenge supplies.

Most zombies carried cores now, so weaker squads played it safe with regular zombies within their capabilities.

In areas beyond ordinary people’s abilities, Superpowered individuals and the base’s rescue teams stepped in.

Liao Yu was driving, Zhao Lei sat in the passenger seat, while Jiang Nian and Cheng Jing pored over a local map in the back.

They headed east, aiming for an industrial park on the city’s outskirts.

Of course, they weren't the only ones headed there.

Jiang Nian stared at the industrial park map, eyes lit up with anticipation.

Seeing this, Cheng Jing couldn’t help but remind him again:

"Remember, once we reach the park, no going off alone. And stick to my orders—no wild stunts..."

"Yes, *Dad*. How many times are you gonna repeat that?"

Jiang Nian picked at his ear, annoyed, cutting him off. Then, noticing Cheng Jing’s darkening expression, he softened his tone.

"East, west, wherever—just say the word. I know what I can handle."

"Pff..."

"Tsk..."

Liao Yu and Zhao Lei in the front seats almost burst out laughing, sneaking glances at them through the rearview mirror.

Honestly, Cheng was always acting like a mother hen in front of his wife, while his attitude toward them was more along the lines of "Stay sharp if you don’t want to die."

Cheng Jing shot a glare at them through the rearview mirror, his expression darkened, then turned to look at the man who was both impatient with him and playing innocent.

If not for the presence of others, he would’ve pinned him down to bite him right then and there!

Jiang Nian knew him well. He took off his glove and placed his hand in Cheng’s palm.

"Squeeze my hand."

A little squeeze would calm him down. Brother Jing loved his hands, especially in certain situations, saying his palms were warm and soft—just holding them was incredibly soothing.

It wasn’t due to being pampered, either. His hands were naturally soft and smooth, with faint palm lines.