"Can you still walk?"
Qin Yu sheathed his dagger and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The cave air was cold, carrying an lingering scent of blood.
Yao Xue tried moving her leg.
"Hiss—"
The moment she exerted force, a tearing pain shot through the wound on her left shoulder, so intense it made cold sweat pour down her face. Her body went limp, sliding downward. Her complexion was paler than that of the dead wolf.
"I can't..."
She bit her lip, her voice weak.
"The wound is too deep. Any movement pulls at the muscles and the bleeding won't stop."
Qin Yu frowned.
He glanced outside the cave.
The sky was already growing dark. The jungle's light was poor to begin with, and by dusk, it became pitch black where you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face.
That eerie birdcall started up again, more frequent and mournful than during the day.
Go back now?
Dragging a severely injured person through that forest full of poisonous insects and strange trees, while constantly guarding against predators hiding who-knew-where?
That would be suicide.
"We're not leaving."
Qin Yu made the decisive call.
"We'll stay here tonight."
"Here?"
Yao Xue was stunned, looking around in panic.
"But this place..."
"A B-grade overlord just died here."
Qin Yu pointed at the Moon Wolf's corpse.
"Animals have strong territorial instincts."
"Its scent hasn't dispersed yet. Few beasts in the area would be bold enough to cause trouble here."
"This place is safer than outside."
Having said that, he wasted no more words.
He turned and walked toward the cave entrance.
Soon, he returned carrying an armful of dry branches and moss that he'd spotted nearby before entering the cave.
"Rustle."
The dry branches were piled in the center of the cave.
Qin Yu pulled out an E-grade windproof lighter from his pocket.
"Click."
A flame sprang up.
The dry moss made excellent tinder, and soon orange-red flames were dancing in the darkness.
Dispelling the chill.
And dispersing that nauseating blood scent.
Qin Yu sat cross-legged by the fire, taking items out of his backpack one by one.
Two bottles of water.
Some seasonings.
And...
That was it.
The expensive automatic grill had been left on the iron raft.
In this primitive cave, everything had to return to the most basic methods.
"System, extract wolf meat."
With a thought from Qin Yu,
a piece of fresh red meat weighing about five jin appeared in his hand.
The meat was firm-textured with clear grain, still bearing silvery-white tendons.
B-grade Moon Wolf meat.
Just holding it, he could feel the astonishing heat contained within.
Qin Yu drew his dagger.
He skillfully cut the meat into palm-sized steaks.
Then he sharpened several sturdy branches and skewered the steaks.
Setting them over the fire to roast.
Without any unnecessary movements.
Just like when he killed the wolf—precise, efficient.
Yao Xue leaned against the rock wall, quietly watching him.
The firelight flickered across Qin Yu's face, bright then dark.
This man...
—Those eyes held a weariness and hardness completely inconsistent with his age.
He was focused.
Whether killing or roasting meat.
Sweat trickled down his sharply defined profile, dripping onto his collarbone.
His clothes were torn, ripped by wolf claws during the earlier struggle.
Beneath them, firm muscles were exposed, along with several shallow wounds still seeping blood.
But he seemed completely unaware of the pain.
"Seen enough?"
Qin Yu suddenly spoke.
He didn't even look up, his hands busy turning the roasting meat.
"..."
Yao Xue's face flushed, and she flusteredly averted her gaze.
"I... I was just thinking..."
"Thinking what?"
"Thinking that if you hadn't come to save me, I might already be inside that wolf's stomach by now."
Qin Yu sprinkled a handful of cumin.
"Overthinking it."
"That wolf doesn't eat dead people. It prefers its prey alive."
"It would've bitten through your throat first, letting you watch as it devoured your organs bite by bite."
"..."
Yao Xue shuddered.
This man truly had no sense of romance.
Even at a time like this, he couldn't utter a single comforting word.
But for some reason,
Hearing such cruel words, she actually felt an immense sense of reassurance.
"Sizzle—"
The roasting meat began to glisten with oil.
Droplets fell into the fire, bursting into tiny sparks.
An intensely rich aroma of meat instantly filled the cave.
Fragrant.
So incredibly fragrant.
This was nothing like wild boar or fish meat.
There was a strange magic in this scent—one whiff made her mouth water, every cell in her body cheering with delight.
"Gurgle..."
Yao Xue's stomach betrayed her with an audible rumble.
In the quiet cave, it sounded especially loud.
Embarrassed, she covered her belly.
As a former chief physician at a top-tier hospital, she had always cared about her image.
But faced with hunger and survival, so-called restraint was worthless.
Qin Yu handed her a skewer of roasted meat.
"Eat."
"While it's hot."
Yao Xue took it.
Ignoring the heat, she took a small bite.
"Mmm!"
Her eyes widened instantly.
The meat was tender and juicy, completely devoid of any gamey taste, instead carrying a faint milky aroma.
It melted in her mouth.
As she swallowed, a warm current exploded from her stomach.
It was energy!
Pure biological energy!
"This meat..."
Yao Xue stared in shock at the skewer in her hand.
"Grade B ingredient."
Qin Yu took a large bite himself, speaking indistinctly.
"This stuff is highly nourishing."
"Speeds up wound healing and strengthens the body."
"Eat more. Don't waste it."
It truly was nourishing.
After just a few bites, Yao Xue felt her icy hands and feet beginning to warm.
The tearing pain in her shoulder seemed to lessen considerably.
She could even feel an itching sensation at her wound—a sign of rapid tissue regeneration.
Neither of them spoke.
Only the sounds of chewing and the crackling fire filled the air.
Qin Yu ate quickly.
Out of five pounds of wolf meat, he finished four pounds himself.
After the last bite, he wiped his mouth and let out a satisfied burp.
"Refreshing."
He felt all the fatigue wash away from his body.
He was even more energized than when he had arrived.
His blood flowed faster, his heart beating powerfully.
That was the side effect of Grade B ingredients.
Excess energy.
"Hot?"
Qin Yu suddenly asked.
He tugged open the collar of his shirt, exposing a large part of his chest.
Yao Xue nodded.
She felt it too.
Not just warmth.
It was a restless heat.
Ever since she ate that meat, this heat had been swirling in her lower abdomen, spreading through her blood vessels to every part of her body.
Her face was flushed like a ripe apple.
Her breathing grew somewhat hurried.
"Perhaps... the fire is too strong..."
She whispered softly.
She wanted to shift aside, to move away from the fire.
But the moment she moved—
"Hiss..."
A sharp pain shot through her wound once more.
"Don't move recklessly."
Qin Yu frowned.
He stood up and walked over.
He crouched down in front of Yao Xue.
The two were very close.
So close that Yao Xue could smell the masculine scent on him—a mix of sweat, tobacco, and roasted meat.
And the wave of heat that washed over her.
"Let me check the wound."
Qin Yu reached out, intending to inspect the bandage.
But the moment his hand touched Yao Xue's shoulder—
Yao Xue shuddered as if electrified.
"Qin Yu..."
Her voice was hoarse.
Her gaze was dazed, veiled with a misty sheen.
In this enclosed cave.
On this night when they had brushed with death.
Something was quietly fermenting.
Qin Yu's hand stilled.
He looked at Yao Xue.
At this icy female doctor who usually stood aloof, issuing commands in her white coat.
Now.
Her clothes were disheveled.
Her Black Silk Stockings were torn in several places, revealing her snow-white skin.
Her face was smeared with blood, yet it couldn't conceal that breathtaking allure.
She was trembling.
Not from pain.
Nor from cold.
But from a certain longing.
"What is it?"
Qin Yu's voice was low, raspy.
Like sandpaper grating against the heart.
"Want to repay me?"
He recalled again what Yao Xue had said on the ship.
The body is the cheapest form of repayment.
Yao Xue lifted her head.
Gazing into Qin Yu's unfathomably deep eyes.
Where flames were burning.
Hotter than this bonfire.
In this moment.
She suddenly understood.
Why she had felt that inexplicable thrill when he killed the wolf.
Why she had completely broken down when he said, "Anyone who touches my people."
Because in this post-apocalyptic world where order had collapsed.
Only this man.
Could make her feel safe.
Only this man could make her feel like a living person, not a walking corpse.
"It's not repayment..."
Yao Xue extended her uninjured right hand.
Trembling.
Gently caressed Qin Yu's cheek.
Her fingertips traced the faint blood mark.
"Qin Yu."
"I like you."
"Not because you gave me meat."
"Nor because you saved me."
"Simply because... you are Qin Yu."
Qin Yu was taken aback for a moment.
Then he laughed.
A somewhat roguish laugh.
He grabbed Yao Xue's hand.
Brought it to his lips, and gently bit her fingertip.
"Director Yao."
"Do you know what it means for a man and a woman to be alone in this wilderness?"
"I know."
Yao Xue's gaze grew resolute.
Even though her face was flushed to the tips of her ears.
"I've said it before."
"The body is cheap."
"But if it's for you..."
"I don't think it's cheap."
The fire in Qin Yu's eyes erupted completely.
It was the primal urge brought on by the B-grade Wolf Meat.
And the instinctive reaction of a normal man faced with such temptation.
He no longer restrained himself.
Wrapping an arm around Yao Xue's waist.
His movements were rough, yet carried a hint of caution as he avoided her left shoulder.
"Then it's not cheap."
Qin Yu lowered his head.
And kissed her.
With aggression.
With dominance.
"Mmm..."
Yao Xue let out a soft moan.
Her hands instinctively encircled Qin Yu's neck.
In this cave filled with the scent of blood and char.
On this isolated island in the apocalypse where death could come at any moment.
Two souls.
Entwined tightly together.
The firelight danced.
Stretching their shadows long, very long, casting them upon the cave wall until they merged into one.
...
The night grew deep.
Outside the cave, the wind howled as if countless vengeful spirits were wailing.
"Does it hurt?"
"No..."
Yao Xue shook her head.
Sweat dampened her temples.
Her eyes shone with an intense light.
"Qin Yu..."
"Hmm?"
"I want to remember... that I'm still alive."
Qin Yu chuckled softly.
"As you wish."
...
That night.
The fire in the cave never went out.
The pile of dry wood burned fiercely.
The energy transformed from that pot of B-grade wolf meat burned just as fiercely.
In this desperate world surrounded by sea.
This was a celebration that belonged only to the two of them.
Only each other's heartbeat and that scorching body temperature.
In this cold world.
Keeping each other warm.