Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Soon, they followed Xiao Qi to a large warehouse. Without looking back, Xiao Qi ran straight inside.

Most of the warehouse had collapsed from the back, leaving only the front section with about a hundred square meters of space. The lighting was dim, so everyone turned on their flashlights.

This was clearly where Xiao Qi and its owner had lived together.

In a slightly inner corner of the warehouse, there was a torn and dirty sleeping bag, piles of food wrappers, several bags of dog food, and piles of bottled water with bite and scratch marks all over them.

It was evident that after its owner turned into a zombie, Xiao Qi had been fending for itself.

Moreover, it seemed that even after turning into a zombie, the owner would still return here under Xiao Qi’s guidance.

Nearby, there were also two large wooden shipping crates, square-shaped with sides roughly one and a half meters long.

Xiao Qi skillfully carried the crystal core in its mouth and tossed it into one of the crates, making a soft clinking noise.

"Those crates couldn’t be full of crystal cores, could they…" Jian Cheng, eyes wide with speculation.

Zhao Lei patted him.

"Take out the 'couldn't.' Judging by the sound, it’s definitely crystal cores inside."

After saying that, he quickened his pace and walked over.

Of the two wooden crates, one contained a fair amount of packaged food—ramen, crackers, bread—as well as some opened medicine and syringes, along with the guns Xiao Qi’s owner used to carry, though they were now damaged and out of bullets.

The other crate indeed held crystal cores, filling about a third of the crate, all clean.

"Xiao Qi’s owner must have been collecting crystal cores before losing consciousness, so it kept up the habit," Zhou Rongbin said, kneeling to hug the clever dog. Then he added,

"Xiao Qi, we're gonna take all this with us, including your food."

Xiao Qi looked up at him for a while before it gave two barks, and everyone took it as agreement.

So, right there in front of the dog, Jiang Nian first used his Superpower to Purify everything in the two crates and the dog food, making sure they weren't infected with the zombie virus, before packing them into separate bags.

The crystal cores were let Cheng Jing take charge of for safekeeping, while he took charge of the other items.

Watching the items disappear one by one into the two men’s hands, Xiao Qi looked on confused, occasionally letting out a bark or two in confusion.

Apart from the corner where Xiao Qi and its owner had lived, the group didn't find anything else worth grabbing in the rest of the warehouse.

Not wasting any time, they left before full dark set in.

Zhou Rongbin took out a recorder, and Xiao Qi followed them, looking back every few paces as it listened to its owner’s recording.

The drone circled once more, but there was no sign of movement in the surroundings.

By the time they returned to their parked vehicles and set up a temporary shelter, it was completely dark.

Cheng Jing put Zhou Rongbin in charge of taking care of and watching over Xiao Qi.

Zhou Rongbin was happy to take on caretaker duties, giving it baths, meals, and playtime, with plans to train it later.

It's not easy to make a highly loyal military dog switch loyalties and adjust to a new life.

Jiang Nian used Purify on Xiao Qi several times. He couldn’t promise much else, but he had to make sure the dog was free from the zombie virus.

During mealtime, Zhou Rongbin rewarded Xiao Qi with a chicken leg—from now on, the dog was one of them.

With enough lighting tools, after dinner, the teammates gathered to unpack the remaining unopened packages from the day while going over the day’s events.

From the commercial district to the logistics park, they’d had one hell of a day.

Tomorrow would be their last day before returning to the base. Even without considering tomorrow's potential gains, this trip was already a win.

After dinner, with security measures in place, Lu Ningzhou closed up the camouflage barrier. Xiao Qi was inside as well, but it refused to enter the tent with Zhou Rongbin, just plopped down outside instead.

Liao Yu prepared a bucket of ice for it—compared to the cold, the mutt hated the heat more.

While the rest of the team had returned to their tents, Jiang Nian and Zhou Rongbin were still playing with Xiao Qi.

Zhou Rongbin didn’t think anything of it and even seriously walked him through some commands for interacting with Xiao Qi.

As its previous owner had said, Xiao Qi was indeed lively and affectionate, not some standoffish breed.

But the more cheerful it was, the more heartbreaking it became—such a spirited dog had to watch its owner gradually turn into a zombie, losing normal communication. That must’ve wrecked him.

"..."

"Nian Nian, come help me with something."

Suddenly, Cheng Jing stuck his head out of the tent and called out to Jiang Nian.

Zhou Rongbin jumped in, "What’s wrong, Cheng? Need my help?"

"Nah, need Nian Nian’s ring for something... Just keep an eye on Xiao Qi."

Cheng Jing replied calmly, his eyes lingering on Jiang Nian for a moment before returning to the tent.

"Okay, got it. Be right there."

Jiang Nian grinned back, then patted Xiao Qi’s head and stood up, saying to Zhou Rongbin,

"Getting Xiao Qi comfortable with the crew isn’t a one- or two-day thing. Don’t burn the midnight oil."

With that, he headed toward the tent.

He’d bet money Brother Jing didn’t need help finding shit!

He was going to give him trouble.

Cheng Jing was holding a notebook and Xiao Qi’s owner’s energy core, scribbling notes about the superpower specs on his lap. When Jiang Nian entered, he immediately plopped down right next to him to peek.

A faint scent of freesia drifted over, making Cheng Jing’s breath come easier.

Even though they used the same shower gel and shampoo, Jiang Nian’s scent just hit different.

"What does Brother Jing need me to find?"

Somebody had to cut the tension, and Jiang Nian figured he’d nailed small talk.

"Who's looking for a wife?"

Cheng Jing replied without looking up as he continued writing in his notebook.

Jiang Nian knew he was sulking, so he shamelessly played along with his words:

"You've got a wife and still flirt with me? So irresponsible."

Ugh! Cringe! Hahaha!

"..."

Cheng Jing’s hand jerked, the pen tip poking a small hole in the notebook. He glared up at him, teeth clenched.

Jiang Nian didn’t bat an eye, poking his cheek with a finger:

"C'mon, if I was out of it, you still took it to heart. You could’ve just flipped me back if I rolled away. I like it when you’re assertive, Brother Jing."

Guys get it—simple to read, quick to placate.

*Snap!*

Cheng Jing shut the notebook and put it away. Seeing the other’s fake-innocent look, he couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath:

"Should’ve left you home playing shopkeeper—this trip’s dead boring."

The moment they stepped outside, this brat seemed like a different person—no cuddles, no complaints, just throwing hands like a maniac. In just a few days, Cheng Jing felt their bond had weakened.

Jiang Nian rubbed his face against his shoulder:

"Brother Jing, chill, alright? The environment’s too rough—I’m not into alfresco stuff..."

That was the truth.

"..."

Cheng Jing was exasperated:

"I’ve been a saint! I sleep in my damn clothes every night, and when I try to steal a kiss, you dodge. You—mmph—"

Jiang Nian knew he was in the wrong and didn’t want to argue further. He yanked Cheng’s collar, shutting him up with a kiss.

Once the ribbing was done, actions spoke louder than words for an apology.

Sure enough, Cheng Jing swallowed the rest of his words, taking over, biting into the kiss.

At the same time, he reached out to kill the tent light, even draping a jacket over the small nightlight in the corner.

It wasn’t pitch black—just dark enough to hide their shapes from the outside.