Chapter 96: Apocalypse 11

"Miss Xia Meimei is truly worthy of being General Xia's daughter. I thought you were incredibly beautiful the first time I saw you."

"A healing ability—no one has ever awakened to that before. Miss Xia, you are truly amazing."

"Exactly! Just now, when Miss Xia was helping others, she looked just like an angel from the Bible."

"Pah! An angel? She’s clearly a fairy from mythology."

Hearing the word "fairy" made Le Yixian think of that Mary Sue world, and her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"Why can't she be an angel? Aren't angels adorable?"

"Nonsense. Angels are Western. We are in the East, so of course she has to be a little fairy."

"A little fairy?? Do you think this is a Mary Sue novel??"

The group began to bicker over this childish question.

Ke Yuandao watched the people surrounding Le Yixian, his expression growing darker by the second.

"That's enough. It's getting late; everyone go get some rest," he said, stepping forward with a gloomy face and a deep voice.

When the others saw him, they fell silent and scattered.

Ke Yuandao walked up to Le Yixian and stood there without a word, staring down at her.

Le Yixian looked up and met his gaze. "Is something the matter?"

"You follow me during the day, and stay with Li Qing at night. Don't wander off," Ke Yuandao commanded.

"???"

After giving his instructions, Ke Yuandao looked over at Li Qing, who had been watching the scene like a spectator. The latter nodded quickly. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her."

Having received a firm confirmation, Ke Yuandao nodded, satisfied, and went off to rest. He didn't offer a single word of explanation or anything further to Le Yixian throughout the entire exchange.

"Oh dear, your ability has been exposed. Remember, definitely don't wander off alone," Li Qing sighed.

Le Yixian understood. Human hearts are unpredictable. With such a rare and useful ability, one could never be sure who might harbor malicious intentions.

The next day, when Le Yixian emerged from her room, she saw Ke Yuandao leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He looked bored, chewing on a blade of grass he had picked up from somewhere. When he heard movement, he looked up, and a certain emotion flickered in his eyes when he saw her.

"Follow me," he said to her.

His legs were long, and his entire physique possessed the perfect golden ratio. The original owner's body wasn't exactly short, but it only reached his shoulder; one stride of his was equal to two of hers.

Helpless, Le Yixian had to pick up her pace, nearly breaking into a light jog.

Ke Yuandao glanced at her nonchalantly and noticed the situation immediately, so he slowed his stride.

"Where are you going??" Le Yixian asked.

"Patrol," Ke Yuandao replied. It was his turn for the morning patrol today.

"Can I choose not to go?"

"No. You have to follow me during the day."

Otherwise, those men would pop up again, trying to charm you. Ke Yuandao thought to himself, deciding that from now on, he would stick by her side during the day, whether he had something to do or not.

As the transport convoy moved forward, Ke Yuandao gradually realized that his emotions were becoming erratic. When he first discovered Le Yixian at the research institute, he had also uncovered the inhumane experiments being conducted there, which initially led him to loathe her. He felt that such a woman was too dangerous, fearing that if he weren't careful, he might end up as an experimental subject himself.

However, he found that his gaze would involuntarily fall on Le Yixian lately. Whenever he accidentally met her eyes, his heart would beat a little faster. Occasionally, he would even have strange dreams at night. He couldn't figure it out, and combined with the many men currently fawning over her, he felt increasingly agitated.

That day, Le Yixian fell into a deep sleep in the back seat. Ke Yuandao, in the passenger seat, caught a glimpse of her sleeping face in the rearview mirror, and his heart skipped a beat for no reason.

*Crackle.* A small purple electric orb appeared out of thin air. It wasn't large—about the size of an adult's thumbnail—and unremarkable, but it gave Li Qing, who was driving, a massive fright. "What’s wrong with you??"

One couldn't blame her for reacting so strongly; this little purple orb was different from the usual ones—a single one of these could blow up a whole horde of zombies.

"It's nothing," Ke Yuandao said, taking a breath. With a slight twitch of his index finger, the little orb slowly dissipated into the air.

"..." You don't look like it's "nothing."

"Tell me, what does it mean when a person's heart suddenly beats faster and they feel like they can't breathe?" Ke Yuandao couldn't help but ask.

"???" Li Qing glanced at him through the rearview mirror and asked with a very serious expression: "Are you sure you want to ask me such a simple question?"

"Do you know what it is?"

"Of course I do," Li Qing nodded. "If your heart is suddenly racing and you can't breathe, that's because there's something wrong with your heart."

Ke Yuandao: "Impossible. I have a physical exam every year."

"Have you ever heard of a certain illness??" Li Qing asked.

"What??"

"Lovesickness!!"

A terrifying silence was her only answer. Li Qing had only spoken up because she truly couldn't stand watching anymore. Seeing Ke Yuandao's expressionless face, she continued: "Who is the person you spend the most time with lately? Is it true that you can't take your eyes off her? Does your heart go *thump-thump* when you see her smile? And then you find you can't move your feet, always wanting to stay by her side... oh, and you also want to drive everyone else away from her."

She rattled off a long list, but was met only with Ke Yuandao's deadpan stare. In truth, he was stunned.

Could it be... that he had fallen for Xia Meimei? How could that be possible?

When Le Yixian woke up, she sensed something was off. In the rearview mirror, she caught a pair of intense eyes staring at her, which gave her quite a fright. Upon realizing they were the eyes of her beloved, she let out a sigh of relief, but just as she was about to speak, Ke Yuandao had already averted his gaze.

Over the next few days, Le Yixian clearly felt that Ke Yuandao was avoiding her. She usually followed him during the day, but lately, she had been sticking with Li Qing. She replayed the events of the last few days in her mind and couldn't recall doing anything to upset him.

A man's heart is truly hard to guess. Le Yixian felt exhausted.

Li Qing, however, said with a smile: "Don't worry about it. Just give him a few days."

The group had been driving for nearly half a month and was finally nearing their destination. Ke Yuandao, having spent several days alone to clear his head, finally reached a conclusion. During a break, he walked up to Le Yixian and handed her some raspberries he had picked along the way. "Here."

"Thank you," Le Yixian said, taking them. The raspberries were small, held in a large leaf. They were sweet and tart, and quite delicious.

Ke Yuandao watched her eat, his gaze never wavering. Le Yixian thought for a moment and asked if he wanted to share them.

He shook his head gently, signaling that he didn't want any. "If you like them, eat more."

Li Qing, standing to the side, quietly moved away. Even though these two hadn't officially confirmed their relationship, the air around them was filled with pink bubbles that she, a single soul, found impossible to look at.