The horizon swallowed the last remnants of the sunset.
The once shimmering sea surface was instantly dyed ink-black.
The sweltering heat of the day receded like the tide, replaced by a bone-piercing chill.
In this world of nothing but water, the temperature difference between day and night was terrifyingly vast.
"Hah—"
Qin Yu exhaled a turbid breath and reeled in his fishing rod for the last time.
"Ding!"
*"Obtained [Bluefin Tuna (Juvenile)]1."
Although he hadn't caught another heaven-defying S-grade treasure chest, the afternoon's haul was enough to drive any survivor mad with envy.
One corner of the raft had practically turned into a seafood market.
Five mackerels, three sea bass.
Two crimson giant bread crabs still waving their claws obliviously.
An octopus as large as a washbasin, its tentacles firmly suctioned to the wooden plank, was kicked into a bucket by Qin Yu.
Plus this final thirty-pound tuna.
This was the terror of possessing an SSS-grade fishing rod.
While others were risking their lives for a single bite to eat, Qin Yu was already contemplating a seafood buffet menu.
"Time to call it a day."
Qin Yu stored the fishing rod in his backpack and stretched his aching shoulders.
He turned to look behind him.
There, the two beauties were sitting unceremoniously in a pool of blood.
Fish blood, of course.
The surgical knife in Yao Xue's hand danced with such speed only afterimages were visible.
No shadowless lamp, only the cold moonlight.
No nurse handing her instruments, just the stench of blood on her hands.
Yet her gaze remained as focused as if she were in an operating room.
"Done."
Yao Xue cut the final thin thread unraveled from the hemp rope and tied a perfect knot.
She held up the bulging object in her hand.
It was sewn from tuna skin.
The densely packed stitches at the seams were neater than machine work.
"Ten fish skin bags total, ten swim bladder pouches."
Yao Xue's voice was hoarse from exhaustion.
"All the water produced by the S-grade water purifier is here."
The collection of primitive, wild-looking water bags was neatly arranged on the wooden plank.
Each one filled to the brim.
Altogether, a full 10 liters!
In civilized society, these might even look somewhat disgusting.
But here.
Under the moonlight, the faint glimmer of the liquid inside was more captivating than diamonds.
"Impressive craftsmanship."
Qin Yu didn't hesitate with his praise.
He walked over, picked up a fish skin water bag, and squeezed it.
Not a drop leaked.
This woman's hands were truly heaven-sent.
"Um... Brother Qin Yu."
Yao Qian was huddled to the side, washing bloodstains from her hands with seawater.
She stared at the pile of water bags, her eyes gleaming with miserly delight.
"With this much water, have we struck it rich?"
"This afternoon, one bottle of water could be traded for 10 pieces of lumber."
"Here we have 10 liters, equivalent to 20 bottles of water!"
"If we sold it all, could we expand our raft into an aircraft carrier?"
This girl's imagination ran wild.
Qin Yu glanced at her, a cold smirk curling his lips.
"Sell?"
"Is your brain filled with seawater?"
Yao Qian shrank back at the scolding, muttering aggrievedly:
"Why keep it if we're not selling... We can't possibly drink all this ourselves..."
"And weren't you having a great time selling it earlier?"
Qin Yu picked up the Fish Skin Bag and waved it in front of Yao Qian.
"Look carefully."
"This is water produced by an S-grade Water Purifier."
"It carries special BUFF effects: restoring stamina, alleviating seasickness, and soothing nerves."
"You call this water?"
"This is medicine!"
Qin Yu's voice cut clearly through the night wind.
"The three bottles sold this afternoon were just ordinary mineral water."
"That garbage only quenches thirst."
"But this stuff is our strategic resource."
"Until we find a stable source of medicine, every drop of this is equivalent to a life."
Qin Yu carefully stored the Fish Skin Bag in his system backpack.
The system backpack had preservation functions, so there was no worry about spoilage.
"Remember."
"From now on, we only use ordinary mineral water for external transactions."
"This BUFF Water is only for the three of us to drink."
"Even if it rots in our hands, not a single drop should leave our possession."
While innocence may protect the common man, possessing treasure makes one guilty.
If others learned he possessed miraculous water that could cure seasickness, everyone in the region would likely go mad trying to kill him for it.
In this world where order has collapsed,
being too conspicuous means certain death.
Yao Xue listened nearby, nodding silently.
She looked at Qin Yu's profile, her eyes showing a trace of admiration.
This young man wasn't old,
but his thinking was more profound than the old foxes she'd encountered in hospital politics.
This kind of person was naturally suited for the apocalypse.
"Gurgle..."
An untimely sound broke the serious atmosphere.
It came from Yao Qian's stomach.
The young girl's face instantly flushed red to her ears as she clutched her stomach, looking pitifully at the pile of fish on the ground.
"I'm hungry..."
Between the seasickness and work all afternoon, that little bit of bread had long been digested.
Qin Yu also felt his stomach protesting.
He looked at the seafood feast spread across the ground.
And fell silent.
"Can we eat it as sashimi?"
Yao Qian swallowed saliva, pointing at the skinned tuna meat.
The bright red flesh looked tantalizing.
"No."
Yao Xue immediately switched to doctor mode, her tone stern.
"Sea fish contain many parasites, especially without low-temperature freezing treatment."
"Ever heard of anisakis?"
"If you eat it, it'll burrow into your stomach lining. Dying from the pain would be the merciful outcome."
"In this place without deworming medicine or surgical conditions, parasite infection equals slow suicide."
Yao Xue's words poured cold water on Yao Qian's appetite, extinguishing half her hunger.
"Then... what should we do?"
"Are we supposed to starve while surrounded by all this meat?"
Yao Qian felt despair.
Qin Yu sighed.
"Eat bread."
He pulled the remaining dry bread from his backpack.
"We'll make do with this tonight."
"Tomorrow."
Qin Yu looked at the dark sea surface, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.
"Tomorrow, no matter what I catch, even if I have to trade wood for it, I'm getting a fire starter."
"I've hated cold meals my entire life."
The three sat together in a circle.
Holding hard, dry bread in their hands, accompanied by the precious "BUFF Water."
One bite of bread, one sip of water.
No one spoke.
Only the sound of chewing and the rhythm of waves beating against the raft.
The meal was eaten in depression.
Clearly sitting beside a gold mountain, yet forced to gnaw on tree bark.
This sense of disparity was the most tormenting.
After finishing the last bite of bread, Yao Qian licked the crumbs off her fingers, still craving more.
"Let's sleep," Qin Yu clapped his hands. "Conserve our energy. Tomorrow will be another day of struggling for survival."
As he spoke, he began arranging their sleeping area. This was actually the biggest challenge of the night.
Nine square meters. It didn't sound too small - equivalent to a small bedroom. But now?
The precious water purifier occupied a large space in the middle. Qin Yu refused to put the pile of smelly fish and crabs from the corner into his backpack, claiming they were too dirty, so they took up another area.
The actual space available for lying down was less than two square meters.
"We'll have to squeeze in," Qin Yu said indifferently.
He found a spot near the outer edge, turned his back to the sea breeze, and lay down on his side. The wooden plank beneath him was hard and uncomfortable, but this was already VIP treatment - at least they weren't soaking in water.
"Sis..." Yao Qian watched as Qin Yu settled down, feeling somewhat at a loss. This was too close - three people in two square meters basically meant skin-to-skin contact.
"No other choice," Yao Xue was calmer than her younger sister. As a doctor, she had seen all kinds of human bodies on the operating table. Although... sleeping next to a young, strong stranger was different in nature. But at times like this, being fussy meant courting death.
"Let's sleep," Yao Xue pulled her sister along, carefully avoiding the wooden splinters on the ground as they lay down beside Qin Yu.
She had her younger sister sleep innermost, near the water purifier where it was relatively warmer. She herself took the middle position, while Qin Yu slept outermost to block the wind.
This created a subtle arrangement.
Yao Xue lay with her back to Qin Yu, with less than five centimeters between them. She could even feel the heat radiating from the man behind her - that masculine hormonal warmth, scorching and intense, like a furnace in this cold night.
Yao Xue's body remained tense, not daring to breathe heavily. She still tightly clutched the scalpel in her sleeve - her final line of defense. If this man behind her dared make any inappropriate moves...
However.
One minute passed.
Ten minutes passed.
Even breathing sounds came from behind. Had Qin Yu fallen asleep? Or was he pretending? Regardless, he didn't move, nor did he take advantage of the situation to press closer.
Yao Xue's tense nerves gradually relaxed. What followed was endless exhaustion, and... cold. So cold.
The night sea breeze, carrying moisture, cut through their clothes like knives. Yao Xue's white coat was already thin, and the black silk stockings underneath served no purpose other than looking good, providing no warmth at all.
She couldn't help but curl up, trying to preserve some body heat.
"Sis... I'm cold..." Yao Qian on the inner side turned over shivering. The young girl's teeth were chattering. Wearing a short skirt, her legs in white silk stockings had long turned blue from the cold. She looked like a frightened quail.
"Come here... let me hold you," Yao Xue turned and pulled her sister into her embrace.
Two graceful bodies pressed tightly together, sharing warmth. But this was merely a drop in the bucket - two ice cubes hugging each other remained ice cubes.
Yao Qian buried her face in her sister's chest, her breath visible in white puffs. "Sis... will we freeze to death?" Yao Qian's voice trembled with tears.
This cold penetrated straight to the bone.
I feel like my blood is about to freeze solid.
"It's okay... just hold on a little longer... it'll be better when the sun rises..."
Yao Xue comforted her younger sister, though she herself was trembling uncontrollably.
Her hands and feet had already lost all sensation.
How she wished... how she wished for a source of warmth...
Yao Qian nuzzled closer in her sister's embrace.
Her gaze drifted over her sister's shoulder.
And landed on the man who had his back turned to them.
Qin Yu was wearing athletic wear.
Though it wasn't particularly thick either.
Yet he slept soundly, as if completely unaffected by the cold.
That was the powerful physique cultivated through long-term training.
By the moonlight.
Yao Qian could see the contours of Qin Yu's back rising and falling with each breath.
Broad.
Solid.
Full of strength.
Like a wall blocking the howling sea winds outside.
If only...
A bold thought suddenly emerged in Yao Qian's mind.
If she could hug him...
He must be so warm, right?
That back looked so safe and secure.
Unlike her sister's embrace, which was soft but cold.
Qin Yu's embrace must be scorching hot.
Even... carrying a hint of sweat.
But at this moment, that faint scent of sweat might be more comforting than any perfume.
It was the scent of life.
Yao Qian bit her lip, her eyes becoming somewhat dazed.
After this short day.
From the moment he threw her the water.
From the moment he lifted the large trunk, muscles bulging.
This man's figure had already been driven into her heart like a nail.
Though his words were sharp.
Though he looked intimidating.
He had given her water.
Given her bread.
Even taken the most dangerous, coldest outer position for himself.
"If only..."
Yao Qian secretly thought to herself.
"If only I were his girlfriend."
"Then... I could openly burrow into his embrace."
"Let him hold me while I sleep."
"Using those powerful arms to encircle me..."
As she thought about it.
Yao Qian felt her face growing warm.
But this shy warmth actually helped dispel some of the chill on her body.
She looked at that broad, sturdy back.
In her eyes, there was less of the previous fear.
And more of something that could only grow in this post-apocalyptic world...
A feeling called "dependence."
Even mixed with a hint of a young girl's budding affection.
"Achoo!"
Yao Qian couldn't hold back a small sneeze.
It wasn't loud.
But on the quiet sea, it was particularly piercing.
Qin Yu, who had been "fast asleep," shifted slightly.
But he didn't turn around.
Just rolled onto his back.
Originally facing away from them, he was now lying flat.
One hand casually rested at his side.
Just happening to block in front of Yao Xue.
Like a natural barrier.
Simultaneously radiating more body heat toward the two sisters.
"Move closer."
Qin Yu murmured with his eyes closed, his words slightly slurred.
"Don't fall overboard."
His voice was soft.
Like sleep-talk
ing.
But both Yao Xue and Yao Qian heard him.
Yao Xue froze for a moment.
Looking at that sharply defined face so close to hers.
Was he not asleep?
Or... was it instinct?
Whatever it was.
At this moment.
The icy defensive wall in Yao Xue's heart cracked open a fissure.
She bit her lower lip.
Without any hesitation.
Holding her sister, she shifted closer to Qin Yu.
Until her knee lightly touched Qin Yu's thigh.
A wave of warmth flowed through the point of contact.
It was warmth she hadn't felt in so long.
"Thank you."
Yao Xue silently recited the words in her heart.
She leaned her head a little closer to Qin Yu.