The underground waterway was filled with a deathly stillness. Only the sound of dripping water could be heard, echoing softly through the tunnels.
Si Nan turned his head away slightly.
Separating them was distance of over ten metres. Zhou Rong could see the shadows further carving out his sharp features. From his straight nose to his lips, his chin, it was like a paper-cut silhouette.
“You guys go ahead.” He suddenly spoke, “I’ll return to the entrance and drive the old vehicle back.”
Before Zhou Rong could persuade him, he heard the metal door clanged shut, followed closely by the sound of the door locking.
Zhou Rong was furious. He ran up and grabbed the bars of the door. “Si Nan!”
The echoes from shaking the door reverberated through the tunnels. However, Si Nan was already a few metres away, stepping through the water. “What are you doing?”
“It’s too dangerous for you to be alone, go with us!”
“You don’t have to care about me!”
Zhou Rong looked at his blood stained, handsome and cold face, unable to understand what he was thinking.
The Si Nan who would take the initiative mumbling into his ear quietly, the Si Nan who cried aloud immediately when seeing him in the pit, the Si Nan who burst into fury when seeing Zhang Yingjie’s body being stolen, had suddenly turned back into that distant, aloof, on guard Si Nan whom they met for the first time in T City, even staying several metres away from him.
It was as though after experiencing a life and death situation, all his liveliness and intense emotions too vanished along with him, turning him back into that icy, cold, shell.
Si Nan’s unusual defensiveness against Alphas made Zhou Rong think of some extremely unpleasant guesses. However, he was unwilling to think further about it, and only gave a long sigh. “Comrade Xiao-Si, it’ll take at least two hours to get to the entrance from here. You’re all alone, and you don’t have any weapons…”
Si Nan extended his hand. “Give them to me.”
“?”
“A gun, and the car key.”
“You!” Zhou Rong pointed at his nose, furious. “You better not go overboard! You don’t even trust your own teammate?! You…”
“You’re not giving them?” Si Nan spoke coldly, then turned and left.
Zhou Rong immediately removed the Uzi submachine gun from his body, taking out the key to the old armoured vehicle they had used to drive into B City. “Come here!”
Si Nan refused. “Toss them over.”
Time ticked on. Si Nan’s attitude was as immovable as solid ice. Zhou Rong felt conflicted for a moment, and he could not think of anything else to do. As such, he could only toss the uzi and the key through the bars.
Thinking about it, he was still worried, and he advised him. “The sewage system of the base is very complicated. There might also still be zombie gorillas near Zone E. Just wait here, I’ll go up and get a signal flare. If you happen to be in danger you should immediately…”
Before he could finish, Si Nan picked up the car key and the submachine gun before turning and leaving. Zhou Rong choked, “Hey! Where exactly are you going?!”
Si Nan did not even look back, replying calmly, “I’ll see you at the factory.”
Zhou Rong listened to his footsteps getting further away. Finally, he exhaled, giving up.
The distance between people was truly like this. A one-sided endless pursuit would only cause the other side to vigilantly retreat even more quickly — he thought self-mockingly. Turning around, he returned down the same path he took here. Suddenly, Zhou Rong rubbed at his nose, smelling something strange.
The stink that had been brewing over the years in the tunnels was thick. Mixed with the rusty smell from the metal doors, the mold from the walls, it was as though an atomic bomb with strange smells was attacking his nose. However, amidst this indiscriminate combination of smells, where Si Nan stood just now had an indistinct scent of something he could not put into words.
He was unable to describe what it was, but his heart sped up.
However, when he paused for a moment, the scent was again covered up by the pungent smell of the tunnels.
“Rong-
Not far away, Guo Weixiang scratched his ass as he turned around. Mumbling, he seemed to be mentioning something about braised pork.
Si Nan’s brows were knitted tightly. Under the moonlight, his pursed lips reddened slightly, and he stared at Zhou Rong in silence.
Holding their overlapping positions, they did not move. A few seconds later, peace returned to their surroundings.
Zhou Rong studied Si Nan’s amber eyes, a lofty amusement in his own eyes, as his lips quirked up. He then pulled out that packet of candied apples from his pocket, shaking it. Leaning into Si Nan’s ear, he spoke slowly, “You…”
Before he could finish, his hand was empty. The candied fruit had disappeared.
Si Nan pushed him away, huffing as he wrapped the blanket around him. Rushing back to his vehicle, there was no more movement.