The three vehicles twisted and turned through the mountain roads, veering further off the main path.
Pang Cancan voiced her concern, “Are they planning to take us to some remote mountain valley to kill and silence us?”
“That’s unlikely.”
Su Su was more inclined to believe that Wei Yan and the others knew of another hot spring location.
After another half hour of driving, the car in front finally came to a stop.
Wei Yan personally walked over and knocked on the car window. “From here on, we’ll have to walk. The vehicles can be hidden somewhere nearby.”
Su Su leaned forward to take a look.
Sure enough, to the right of the mountain path ahead was a sheer cliff, while to the left was a steep precipice. The only passable trail was so narrow that only two people could walk side by side.
“…Will there really be a hot spring in such a deep mountain?”
“Of course.” Wei Yan coughed twice before explaining seriously, “This whole area belongs to the same mountain range. Before the apocalypse, Zixuan and I found several natural hot springs, including this one. But it’s in such a remote location, and getting into the mountains is quite troublesome. The investment-to-return ratio wasn’t worth it, so we gave up on this spot.”
“Before the apocalypse, this village had only a few dozen households. I wonder what it’s like now.”
Now that she had a definitive answer, Su Su stopped asking further.
The three vehicles were carefully hidden in the dense roadside forest.
Pang Cancan looked back repeatedly as she walked away. “Are you sure no one will drive them away?”
These off-road vehicles had been with them for over a month, and their importance was on par with a “fifth team member.”
Perhaps sensing her concern, a sudden gust of wind swept through the forest, blowing fiercely in all directions.
Whoosh~
In just a short while, fallen leaves from all around buried the three vehicles. Unless someone walked into the forest for a close inspection, they wouldn’t be discovered.
Guan Zixuan grinned and sought credit, “Feeling more at ease now?”
Pang Cancan looked left and right, then nodded in satisfaction. “Yep, they’re completely hidden!”
Most of the time, human males show off to attract female attention.
Receiving praise from Pang Cancan, Guan Zixuan sneaked a glance at Su Su.
Coincidentally, Zheng Wenxiu, supporting Wei Yan, happened to block his line of sight.
“Hurry up, the wind in these mountains is stinging my face.”
With that, Guan Zixuan took the lead, followed closely by Su Su and the others. The weaker women supported each other as they kept pace, while Zheng Wenxiu and Wei Yan stayed at the rear.
The mountain path was steep, and after several consecutive days of plummeting temperatures, a thin layer of brittle ice had formed on the muddy ground.
“Everyone, be careful. Don’t slip!”
The group’s steps became even more cautious.
Su Su pulled her fluffy scarf up to cover most of her face, but the piercing cold wind still made her brows, nose, and cheekbones ache.
“Hiss~”
A lazy snake’s hiss came from inside her backpack. In the next second, a familiar snake head rested against her shoulder and neck.
“You’re awake?”
The black snake had been in a deep slumber for a long time. Upon waking, it found the surrounding environment completely unfamiliar.
Its icy tongue couldn’t reach the human’s lips, so it stretched its head forward to lick her brows and eyes instead.
“Hiss?”
“Stop messing around.” Su Su pressed down on its head and soothed it in a low voice. “Something unexpected happened. We left that hot spring village and are heading to a new place to settle.”
To the black snake, the destination didn’t matter as long as this human remained by its side.
It lay on Su Su’s shoulder for a long time, its dark green vertical pupils rolling around as it observed its surroundings. Suddenly, most of its body disappeared.
“Ah!”
Su Su’s startled cry instantly drew everyone’s attention.
Guan Zixuan immediately turned around. “What’s wrong?”
Pang Cancan and Le Rui anxiously asked, “Sister Su Su/Sister Su Su?”
Even Wei Yan, who was at the very back, voiced his concern. “What happened?”
Being the focus of so much attention, Su Su’s cheeks instantly turned as red as a tomato.
What could she even say? That Xiao Hei had slithered in from the bottom of her down jacket and was now coiling around her legs, climbing steadily upward?
Fortunately, her down jacket extended all the way to her ankles, fully concealing the thick snake’s body. Her scarf also covered most of her face, and the cold wind was biting enough that her flushed cheeks weren’t too obvious.
“It’s nothing.” Su Su replied nonchalantly. “I just slipped a little.”
The latter half of the mountain path was indeed quite slippery.
Guan Zixuan offered enthusiastically, “Why don’t you walk next to me? I can block the wind for you.”
“No need. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Hearing her refusal, Guan Zixuan turned back several times, clearly still worried. But when he saw that she showed no intention of changing her mind, he finally turned his head forward again, somewhat disappointed.
As soon as his gaze left, Su Su discreetly breathed a sigh of relief.
It was as if the black snake had sensed the quiet outside. Having reached the human’s lower abdomen, it resumed its climb upward—until it was stopped at the tightest, most obstructed “area.”
“Hiss?”
The down jacket clung snugly to the human’s figure, trapping the black snake’s head in a soft embrace. The passage ahead was far too narrow. It hesitated for a few seconds before stubbornly pressing forward once again.
A three-meter-long python throwing a tantrum—its force was practically an unstoppable charge!
The most sensitive spot was struck multiple times. Through the layers of her down jacket, Su Su seized the troublesome python with a firm grip. “Xiao Hei! Stop burrowing around!”
The snake’s body was caught in the human’s grasp.
The black snake’s obedience lasted only a dozen seconds. The moment Su Su let go, its large head forcefully burrowed upward again.
Rip—
The zipper of her down jacket at her chest was burst open by the impact, and the black snake finally emerged from inside, smugly inching closer to the human’s face.
“Hiss!”
Su Su: “……”
She lowered her gaze to stare at her jacket. The once-closed zipper had split open from the middle, and with Xiao Hei’s movements, the opening had widened to over ten centimeters, allowing icy wind to gush inside.
“Xiao Hei!” Su Su rarely gnashed her teeth in frustration as she grabbed its head. “Look at what you’ve done!”
Being so easily restrained, the black snake was displeased and shook its head.
It couldn’t shake her off.
“Hiss!”
Its body continued to wriggle, further widening the gap in the zipper. The cold wind poured in more fiercely.
To keep warm, Su Su had no choice but to cradle the snake’s head and coax it gently. “Xiao Hei, don’t move, okay? If you keep moving, I’ll freeze to death!”
Xiao Hei, who yielded to gentleness but not force, finally lowered its “flag” and obediently nestled in the human’s embrace.
Warm, soft, comfortable… It rubbed against Su Su’s chin, its body occasionally swaying ever so slightly.
Each time this happened, the human’s body would stiffen for a few seconds.
For a cold-blooded creature with a mischievous nature, indulgence meant it could take further liberties. It had already seen through its servant’s “soft-hearted” nature and seized her weakness, playing tricks with ill intent.
Every time she trembled for those few seconds, a peculiar excitement would rise in the black snake’s heart.
“Hiss!”
Its tongue flicked out again, licking the tip of her chin.
Su Su had no idea that Xiao Hei was doing this on purpose. She only felt troubled, even a little embarrassed and frustrated.
Finally, after the nth time Xiao Hei acted up, she could no longer endure it. She tightened her arms and firmly locked it in her embrace.
“Stop moving!”
This thing! It was just like a house cat that, after waking up, immediately started zooming around chaotically!
Just a few days ago, it would fall asleep at the drop of a hat. She would wake up, and it would still be asleep. But now that it had finally woken up, it had started tormenting her instead.
“Sister Cancan.”
Behind her, Le Rui tugged at Pang Cancan’s sleeve.
“What is it?”
Le Rui pointed at Su Su’s back. Beneath her down jacket, a small section of inky black snake tail dangled down, swaying leisurely.
Pang Cancan suddenly understood.
Xiao Hei had climbed onto Su Su again. With twenty to thirty catties of weight hanging from her body, no wonder her steps had become noticeably heavier.
Pang Cancan shook her head sympathetically.
Fortunately, her little ones weren’t that clingy. Otherwise, if dozens of “apples” all burrowed into her at the same time… Ugh, never mind. Just imagining that scene felt weird.
“We’re here!”
After a long trek, the simple village finally came into view. The moment they stepped into this area, they could clearly feel the mountain peaks blocking the cold wind, making the temperature noticeably warmer.
As they got closer, the village’s appearance became clearer.
There were a dozen or so adobe houses, silent and desolate at a glance.
Guan Zixuan carefully inspected each house and shook his head. “There’s no one left.”
Wei Yan made the decision. “We’ll stay here for a while. Once the cold wave passes, we’ll leave.”
The people who had left the hot spring village with them were all diligent. In no time, they had each picked a house to settle in.
In reality, all the houses were equally simple and rundown. Whether they chose or not made no difference.
Su Su casually pushed open a door and found an old wooden bed covered in a thick layer of dust.
Cleaning up would be a huge project.
She sighed silently, then placed Xiao Hei and her backpack on the ground while issuing a stern warning. “The floor is dirty. Do not crawl out.”
Xiao Hei was no longer the messy creature that used to slither around bathroom floors without a care.
It now understood the difference between clean and dirty. At this moment, it obediently stayed inside the backpack, only sticking its head out, its vertical pupils tracking Su Su’s movements as she walked.
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, the door was knocked on, and Wei Yan’s voice came from outside.
“It’s me.”
Why was he looking for her? Could he have figured out her ability?
Before opening the door, Su Su instinctively glanced at Xiao Hei.
It had also heard the voice of another human male. Originally, it wanted to crawl out, but upon seeing the dusty floor, it hesitated two or three times before ultimately staying inside the backpack.
The old wooden door creaked open. Wei Yan stood at the entrance, his towering height of nearly 1.9 meters creating an oppressive sense of presence due to the almost 30-centimeter height difference.
Su Su instinctively took a few steps back and tilted her head up. “What’s the matter?”
Facing this delicate and lovely face directly, Wei Yan suddenly understood the meaning of—an unexpected radiance gracing a humble place.
For a few seconds, he lost himself in thought.
If the apocalypse had never happened, and he had met her under normal circumstances, would his heart have stirred? Would he have taken the initiative to pursue her?
But soon, Wei Yan met Su Su’s gaze.
Inside her eyes, there was only confusion—nothing else.
Even though he believed he wasn’t bad-looking and had received quite a few confessions before, he hadn’t moved her in the slightest.
A wry smile rose in Wei Yan’s heart.
He snapped out of his thoughts and pulled out a Grade 4 crystal from his coat. “This is for you.”
Su Su was surprised. “For me?”
“It’s the crystal from that Tier 4 zombie. Wenxiu picked it up.” Wei Yan’s tone carried unmistakable gratitude. “You saved me, and you saved Wenxiu. Consider this crystal a thank-you gift.”
When she saved him, Su Su hadn’t expected such a generous reward.
She thought of Xiao Hei, who was still stuck at Tier 3, and didn’t hesitate to accept the Grade 4 crystal. “Then I’ll take it.”
The cool tips of her fingers brushed against his palm for just an instant before withdrawing.
That faint, fleeting itch was like a sudden spark, crackling across the surface of his heart.
Wei Yan retracted his right hand and unconsciously rubbed his palm.
My body…
“Hiss!”
Perhaps sensing betrayal, the black snake shot out of the room at lightning speed, abruptly cutting off the rest of Wei Yan’s sentence.
It had detected the scent of a predator on this human male!
Hearing the sound, Su Su turned her head.
The first thing she saw was the pristine track Xiao Hei had left in the dust! The thick layer of dust had been split into two clean halves, and whatever remained had all stuck to its smooth, scale-covered belly!
“Xiao Hei!”
Su Su’s chest heaved with anger. “What did I just tell you?! Before the place is cleaned! No. Crawling. On. The. Floor! And what are you doing right now?!”
The black snake had originally been fixated on Wei Yan with hostility, but the moment its servant shouted at it, it froze in place.
It guiltily lowered its head, its vertical pupils shifting evasively as it stared at the dust on its body.
“…Hiss…”
Wei Yan, momentarily forgotten, fell into silence.
Perhaps because they hadn’t spent much time together, it was only now that he suddenly realized—Su Su treated him and Guan Zixuan with a polite but distant demeanor.
But with this snake, she showed rare genuine emotions.
At this moment, Wei Yan felt an embarrassing revelation—he was jealous of a python.
“Animals have limited understanding,” he said, attempting to smooth things over. “I’m sure it didn’t mean to get so dirty.” He smiled, showing patience. “It’s fine. There’s a hot spring behind the mountain. You can take it there to wash up.”
“Hiss—!”
The black snake did not accept this human male’s goodwill. On the contrary, it bared its fangs and displayed an outright threatening stance.
Wei Yan chuckled good-naturedly. “It must have been with you for a long time. That’s why it’s so attached to you. Even being apart for a moment makes it anxious to come check on you.”
Su Su’s anger suddenly faded.
That’s right. Xiao Hei was the companion who had been with her the longest.
Its presence could be traced back to her previous life… Back then, it had even saved her once.
Unfortunately, in that life, it had likely died long ago, its body ruptured from accidentally swallowing a crystal.
At this thought, the last traces of anger completely dissipated.
Su Su sighed helplessly, pulled out a towel, and grabbed Xiao Hei to give it a rough wipe-down. “I’ll take you for a bath later. Be good, okay?”
Knowing it was in the wrong, the black snake didn’t struggle this time.
After wiping off the dust as best as she could, Su Su once again carried the heavy snake into her arms with some effort.
“Hiss~”
The snake’s head rested comfortably on Su Su’s shoulder, its vertical pupils flashing with unmistakable arrogance and smugness as it shot a glance at the human male.
Wei Yan: “……”
How did he just get looked down upon by a python?
🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for the chapters!