Chapter 22: Completely Exposed

At midnight, Du Yun reached up to rub her aching, exhausted neck, then took the last flatbread from the pan and placed it atop the others in the basin. The stack of flatbreads was piled high, nearly a foot tall, still exuding a delicious aroma. Even though she was already full, Du Yun found herself craving just one more.

Beside her, there were five or six basins, each brimming with flatbreads, a testament to how much work she had done.

"Finally, it’s done!" With a long sigh, Du Yun felt as if her whole body was falling apart, not just sore and weak from fatigue, but also sticky with sweat and oil, making her uncomfortable beyond words.

"Hmm, there’s still quite a lot of cornmeal left... What a waste it would be to throw it away..." Her eyes darted slyly. The eldest had said earlier that they should bake the white flour into flatbreads to take with them, but any leftover rice, cornmeal, or miscellaneous grains they couldn’t carry should just be abandoned.

“If they’re going to leave it behind... well, that works out perfectly for me!” Her eyes glinted with mischief, and she smiled like a little fox. Glancing over, she saw Taozi still fast asleep, so she quietly picked up the bag of cornmeal. With a thought, the bag vanished from her hand and appeared in her storage grid. In an instant, the bag disappeared, replaced by an icon in her storage that looked like an open sack labeled: Cornmeal x1.

"It really feels just like playing Skynet! If only I could take everything home with me!" Delighted, Du Yun clapped her hands and tossed all the remaining grain sacks into her storage grid. The labels changed to: Rice x1, Cornmeal x4, Mixed Grains x2.

She had used three more slots in one go, and with five already occupied, she’d filled more than half of her fifteen-grid storage. Du Yun frowned; the storage grid was so handy, almost as good as having a personal spatial pouch. If only she had more slots.

After storing the grains, Du Yun looked at Taozi, who was sprawled out on the firewood pile fast asleep. Smiling, she decided not to wake her. After so many shocks, being able to sleep was no small feat. With only a tiny flue leading outside, the kitchen was relatively safe, so she let Taozi rest.

After putting away the flatbreads, Du Yun couldn’t stand the greasy feeling on her skin any longer. She eyed the half-pot of hot water left in the pan, feeling restless. Though the village had once been overrun by zombies, they’d all been cleared out, so there was nothing to fear. With everyone else asleep and hot water at hand, why not seize the chance for a good bath? Who knew when she’d get another opportunity?

It had been days since Du Yun had bathed. When she first came to this world, her head was injured and she couldn’t move. Even when she could get up, the bump on her head made her wary of washing. Later, with so many people around, there was never a private moment for bathing.

And after being mysteriously transported to this zombie-ridden world, she’d been on the run for a day and a night, with no time or thought for bathing. Now, with her belly full and her safety temporarily assured, her mind finally returned to such personal comforts.

Quietly, Du Yun began to act on her desire. She filled a large basin with hot water and carried it out of the kitchen. Looking around, she found an empty room, slipped inside, and set the basin on a stool by the heated brick bed. From her storage, she took out a clean set of clothes and gently began to undo her buttons.

In the silvery moonlight, Du Yun slowly removed her coarse clothes, revealing a small, thin frame.

“Sigh, still as flat as a board…” Using her undershirt as a towel, she gently wiped herself. When she reached her chest, she pinched the area that barely even qualified as a steamed bun, and sighed.

This body was already fifteen years old, but years of poor nutrition had stunted her development, and after her injuries, she’d grown even lighter. Sometimes she wondered if a strong wind might just blow her away.

“Still too skinny…” she muttered as she bathed, her naturally sturdy nerves allowing her to relax, even in a world crawling with zombies. She could still fret over the triviality of a flat chest.

Just then, a shadow appeared at the doorway. Hearing movement inside, he raised his weapon, eyes sharp as he carefully observed.

Moonlight poured softly into the room, outlining the graceful silhouette by the bed, skin aglow with a gentle luster. The shadow at the door swallowed hard, unable to help himself.

When he heard Du Yun talking to herself, he raised an eyebrow, then leaned his hoe against the doorframe. Just for a moment, his thin lips curved into a faint smile, and his heart skipped a beat.

Unaware of the figure at the door, Du Yun finished lamenting her flat chest, comforted herself with the thought that she was only fifteen, with plenty of time left to develop, and continued bathing in good spirits, even humming a little tune.

“La la la, time for a bath, la la la, clean and white…” Her singing wasn’t anything special, but the sweet, gentle notes felt precious in the bleakness of the night.

Just as Du Yun finished her bath and was drying off, preparing to dress, she suddenly turned and saw the figure standing in the doorway.

“Ah, who’s there!” She panicked, instinctively clutching her clothes to her chest. Then she realized that if it was a zombie, this gesture would be of no use at all. In a rush, she grabbed the enamel basin and flung a full bath’s worth of water at the dark figure. Not that water would do much to a zombie, anyway.

Once he was sure it was Du Yun inside, the leader relaxed, lost in thought. He was startled by the sudden attack, dodging back a few steps, but still got drenched. As the captain of a special forces unit, he had been kindly keeping watch for the young girl, only to be showered with bathwater for his trouble. His gaze burned as he looked at Du Yun. “Explain yourself!”

“Ah, ah, ah…” Only when she heard his voice did Du Yun realize her mistake, screaming in horror. Good heavens, it wasn’t a zombie but a man! She’d just exposed herself completely—what now, what now!

“Don’t make a sound!” In a flash, the leader was beside her, covering her mouth with his hand. It was late, and everyone was exhausted. If they were woken now, it would be hard to get back to sleep.

“Mmph, mmph…” Du Yun recognized his voice. Her mouth was pressed tightly by a strong hand, and a steel-like arm, hot as fire, pinned her against him. She felt as if all the blood in her body had stopped flowing, her hair stood on end, and she froze, mumbling for him to let her go.

He was a man of flesh and blood, after all. Though Du Yun was young, she was still a woman. Seeing her bathing had already set his heart pounding, and now, with her soft body in his arms, his breath grew heavy.

Still, he slowly released her, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his breathing ragged. He wanted to ask why she’d come to his room, but his gaze accidentally drifted to her soft, bare shoulder, and his body tensed. He quickly withdrew his hand.

Freed at last, Du Yun recoiled like a startled fawn, clutching her chest. She stumbled back, straight into the stool where she’d set the basin, and tripped.

Seeing she was about to collide hard with the edge of the brick bed, the leader lunged forward, catching her just in time and pulling her tightly into his arms. The atmosphere between them grew increasingly charged.

The cool night air brushed against Du Yun’s skin, while the leader’s burning breath prickled her cheeks. Her whole body tingled, her mind growing foggy. As that handsome face, more striking than any movie star’s, moved closer and closer, she found herself, to her shame, filled with a hint of anticipation.

How mortifying, to be so easily swayed by a handsome face! She wanted nothing more than to cover her face and hide…