Chapter 104: The End 19

Ke Yuandao, who usually never attended such banquets, gave it some thought when he received the invitation and accepted, promising to arrive on time.

The base’s various leaders: "..."

Was this a sign that the sun was going to rise in the west?

Standing to the side, Wang Qiang silently covered his face, thinking to himself that the boss likely wanted to break the news himself before word got around.

After accepting, Ke Yuandao ignored the shocked expressions of the others and turned to General Xia. "General, before the banquet starts this evening, I will come over to pick up Meimei so we can attend together."

General Xia: "..."

He felt quite perplexed.

To him, apart from a slight blood relation, his relationship with Xia Meimei was not close. Moreover, she held information he desperately wanted to obtain, yet after just one trip out, she had somehow become entangled with Ke Yuandao.

He nodded with a smile. "It's good for young people to spend more time together."

"Yes," Ke Yuandao agreed, then dropped a bombshell: "After the banquet, let's pick a date for our engagement."

The leaders who were drinking tea: "Pfft!!!"

Tea sprayed everywhere.

"Captain Ke, what do you mean by that?" General Xia’s brow twitched violently.

A gentle expression replaced the sharp, piercing aura that usually surrounded Ke Yuandao. "Meimei and I are currently seeing each other."

Wang Qiang, standing behind his boss, thought silently: Here it comes, the showing off has begun. I really never expected the boss to be this kind of person.

"You and Meimei..." General Xia’s expression darkened.

"I am the one pursuing her," Ke Yuandao decided, determined to wash away the humiliation of being the one pursued by a girl in front of all the base leaders.

Besides, Xia Meimei had only confessed her feelings to him; she had never actually pursued him.

That said, how does one go about pursuing a woman?

On the way back, Wang Qiang was stunned by his boss’s question.

Seeing the serious look on his boss's face, he thought for a moment and replied, "Give her flowers, give her things she likes, and take her on dates."

Things she likes? Ke Yuandao remembered a certain object.

Back at his residence, he rummaged through his room and found a small box. Inside was the silver ring he had previously purchased at the trading market.

He had something she liked. Now, the next step was...

He stood by the window, his gaze falling on the sunflowers blooming brilliantly in the villa's courtyard. He had heard that these sunflowers were planted by a girl in the squad who loved to snack on sunflower seeds while gossiping.

The sunflowers were beautiful, he thought.

Liu Xiaoai was a wood-element esper. Aside from fighting zombies, her hobbies were gardening and gossiping with other espers, and the group often had lively discussions.

However, she always felt something was missing while gossiping. When she happened to find a bag of sunflower seeds—still viable for planting—while out on a mission, she was overjoyed. She imagined how lovely it would be to crack seeds while chatting away.

Now, she felt as if she were hallucinating. Liu Xiaoai asked the tall, handsome captain before her, "Boss, you want sunflower seeds??"

"Yes," Ke Yuandao nodded. He took out a Level 4 wood-element crystal core and looked at her. "Give me some, and I’ll trade you this crystal core."

"There's no need for that," Liu Xiaoai said, stunned by her boss's generosity. She quickly shook her head and pulled a bag of sunflower seeds from her pocket, handing it over. "It's just worthless snacks. These were just roasted; you take them to crack... no, please, go ahead and eat them."

Ke Yuandao accepted them, estimating that there were enough seeds to grow many sunflowers. Satisfied, he nodded and handed her the crystal core. "Here."

Liu Xiaoai took it gingerly. A Level 4 crystal core was incredibly valuable, and with it, she could finally break through the bottleneck she had been stuck at.

"Thank you, Boss! If you need more in the future, remember to come find me," Liu Xiaoai said happily. "This crystal core can buy a mountain of sunflower seeds."

With that, she hurried off to advance her level.

Ke Yuandao looked at the seeds in his hand, then surveyed the empty space in the courtyard. After walking around a few times, he picked a spot, planning to grow these sunflowers and eventually give them to his beloved.

It was getting late. He went back to his room to shower, scrubbing his face vigorously with a towel.

He suddenly remembered that on the return trip, Xia Meimei hadn't kissed him once; she had spent the whole time sleeping, which left him feeling a bit gloomy.

He secretly resolved that if Xia Meimei didn't kiss him tonight, he would kiss her himself.

Her cheeks looked so soft and fair; the experience should be quite pleasant.

Once the thought surfaced, he couldn't suppress it.

He missed her terribly, even though they hadn't been apart for half a day.

Le Yixian returned to the Xia villa and collapsed onto her bed, falling fast asleep.

She didn't know if it was because of the wound from Yang Zhengqi’s bite, but she had been feeling increasingly sleepy over the last few days.

On the way back, she had spent most of the time sleeping.

When Ke Yuandao had asked, she told him it might be due to overusing her abilities during the healing process, and that she needed to rest to recover.

Upon hearing this, he had glared at her, then helplessly went to find her delicious food to replenish her energy, and even added cushions and blankets to the backseat of the car so she could rest comfortably. She had practically taken over the entire back seat.

Le Yixian’s special treatment naturally drew some envious glares, but most people felt it wasn't excessive; after all, in the apocalypse, no one could guarantee that they or their loved ones wouldn't be bitten by a zombie.

When that time came, they would all need to ask Xia Meimei for help.

In her deep slumber, Le Yixian heard a knock at the door.

She drowsily rolled over and shouted, "I'm not eating, no need to call me."

"Miss, the General wants to see you. He is in the study," said Liu Ma.

Looking for her? Le Yixian stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Why would he want to see her?

In the study, General Xia was listening to a report from an esper—a capable subordinate who had gone along to transport the weapons back.

"Miss Meimei’s awakened ability seems to be healing. If someone is bitten by a zombie, Miss Meimei can heal them, preventing them from turning."

"Are you certain?"

"Certain. Several people were bitten on this trip, and Miss Meimei healed them all." The esper nodded.

Upon hearing this, General Xia’s entire expression shifted.

Healing? To be able to restore someone on the verge of turning into a zombie... it was a power that sounded incredibly enticing.

In the apocalypse, there was nothing more terrifying than being bitten by a zombie.

Once bitten, one loses all reason and becomes a monster.

No one wanted to become a zombie.

Xia Meimei’s ability lacked offensive or defensive power, but in the apocalypse, it was the kind of ability that could drive people to madness.

Just then, a knock sounded at the study door. It was Xia Meimei.

General Xia said to the esper, "Thank you for your hard work, go and get some rest."

"Meimei, sit down," General Xia said with a gentle expression.

Le Yixian sat opposite him and asked, "Did you want to see me?"

"I heard from Captain Ke that you are seeing each other?" General Xia asked with a smile.