Qin Yu never did finish that cigarette.
Because the woman in his arms who had just been shouting about a "fight to the death" had now completely melted into a puddle of mush.
Li Ruobing couldn't even lift a finger.
Her long legs, usually full of explosive power and capable of leaping and bounding across the ship, were now trembling uncontrollably.
"Hey."
Qin Yu looked down at her, the corners of his mouth curling into that signature mischievous grin.
"Is this the strength of the number two on the leaderboard?"
"Who was it that said they were going to devour me?"
Li Ruobing managed to roll her eyes with great effort.
She wanted to curse.
But her throat was as hoarse as if she'd swallowed a handful of gravel, only able to let out a few muffled groans.
"Shut... shut up."
"Did you... cheat..."
"No normal person... is like you..."
Right now, she felt as if she'd been chewed up eight hundred times by that Leviathan.
Every joint in her body ached with a sour, throbbing pain.
Especially her waist.
It felt like it didn't even belong to her anymore.
Qin Yu chuckled, reaching out to flick her sweat-drenched nose.
"Just admit I'm not normal."
"In this godforsaken place, normal people die young."
He stood up, stretching his shoulders.
His joints cracked with a series of popping sounds.
That feeling of total physical satisfaction was even better than finishing ten sets of heavy squats.
The restlessness brought on by the SSS-grade heart had finally been thoroughly vented.
"Can you get up?"
Qin Yu extended a hand.
Li Ruobing tried to move.
But the moment she exerted any force, her legs gave way, nearly sending her kneeling onto the oil-stained carpet.
"Fuck..."
She muttered a curse under her breath, her face full of frustration.
"I'm done for."
"Don't call me Li Ruobing anymore."
"Call me Li Soft-legs."
Qin Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
This woman, even now her mouth was still so stubborn.
"Alright, enough with the tough act."
Qin Yu bent down.
One arm slid under her knees, the other wrapped around her back.
With a slight exertion.
He lifted her up completely, holding her horizontally in his arms.
A standard princess carry.
"Ah!"
Li Ruobing gasped in surprise, instinctively tightening her arms around Qin Yu's neck.
"What are you doing!"
"Put me down!"
"I can walk on my own... probably..."
"Shut up."
Qin Yu adjusted her weight in his arms.
Though she looked like a fiery bombshell, she wasn't actually heavy at all.
All lean muscle.
Holding her felt unbelievably good.
"Keep squirming and I'll throw you into the sea to feed the fish."
"Stay still."
Qin Yu kicked open the Engine Room door.
A gust of cold, salty sea air instantly rushed in.
The emergency lights in the corridor were still flickering.
Stretching their shadows long across the floor.
"Don't... don't take the main passageway..."
Li Ruobing buried her face in Qin Yu's chest, her voice as small as a mosquito's hum.
"If Xiaoqian sees..."
"What face will I have left..."
Earlier, she had been caught up in the moment, reckless and uncaring.
But now that the heat had passed, shame had taken over.
She, the dignified Li Ruobing.
Being carried back like a ragdoll.
"Don't worry."
Qin Yu strode forward, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.
"That girl ate too much earlier and is now sleeping like a log."
"Even if Leviathan were singing rock music in her ear, she wouldn't wake up."
Hearing this, Li Ruobing's tense body relaxed slightly.
But she still didn't dare to look up.
The tips of her ears were red as if about to drip blood.
Qin Yu glanced down.
This woman.
Usually so bold and carefree, wearing less than anyone else.
But when it really came down to it, she was as shy as a little bride.
Interesting.
As they bickered, they soon arrived at the living quarters.
Yao Xue was organizing supplies in the kitchen.
Hearing the commotion, she turned around.
Seeing Li Ruobing, exhausted and held in Qin Yu's arms.
The icy first wife adjusted her glasses.
A meaningful smile appeared on her face.
She didn't speak.
Just gave Qin Yu a thumbs-up.
Then pointed toward the inner bedroom.
Meaning: Well done, take her in quickly.
Qin Yu responded with an "OK" gesture.
Li Ruobing simply played dead, burying her face completely.
Only when they entered Qin Yu's private bedroom.
That masculine scent, tinged with tobacco and the sea, instantly enveloped her.
"Bang."
The door closed.
The world was finally quiet.
Qin Yu walked to the wide double bed.
Gently placing Li Ruobing on it.
The mattress was soft.
As soon as Li Ruobing touched the pillow, she let out a comfortable sigh.
"I'm alive again..."
She was truly exhausted.
A fatigue that seeped from the depths of her soul made her not want to move a finger.
"I'll get you some hot water."
"To wipe yourself down."
"Covered in sweat, aren't you disgusted by the smell?"
Qin Yu turned to head to the bathroom.
"Don't..."
Li Ruobing reached out and tugged at the hem of his clothes.
Her gaze was somewhat dazed.
"Just lie here with me for a while..."
"I don't mind your smell..."
Qin Yu smiled, tucking her hand under the blanket.
"Be good."
"If you don't clean up, you might get sick."
"Medicine is precious on this ship."
With that, he ignored Li Ruobing's grumbling and went into the bathroom.
Soon after.
He came out carrying a basin of hot water.
In his hand was a warm towel.
Qin Yu sat by the bed.
Lifting a corner of the blanket.
Li Ruobing was already half-asleep.
She let Qin Yu use the towel to carefully wipe away the sweat stains on her arms and neck.
His movements were gentle.
Nothing like the wolfish Tyrant from earlier.
"Lift your leg."
Qin Yu patted her calf.
Li Ruobing hummed and obediently lifted her leg.
Qin Yu used the towel to slowly wipe away the oil stains on her legs.
Suddenly.
His hand stopped.
His gaze fixed on the inner side of Li Ruobing's thigh.
There.
A glaring red mark.
Stood out starkly against her fair skin.
It wasn't blood from an external injury.
More like...
Qin Yu's pupils contracted sharply.
He glanced again at the coat he had draped over her earlier.
The one he had casually thrown over her in the Engine Room.
The lining of the coat was also stained with a few dried spots of crimson.
Like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow.
Qin Yu froze completely.
The towel in his hand fell into the basin with a "splash."
The sound of splashing water finally roused the nearly asleep Li Ruobing.
"What's wrong?"
Li Ruobing rubbed her eyes, sitting up groggily.
"Is the water too hot?"
She followed Qin Yu's gaze.
Then.
She froze as well.
That patch of red.
In this space occupied by only the two of them, it was like a silent thunderclap.
The atmosphere instantly turned somewhat strange.
Silence.
Deathly silence.
A full five seconds passed.
Only then did Qin Yu slowly raise his head.
His eyes, which usually carried a hint of playful irreverence, were now filled with shock.
And a trace of disbelief.
"You..."
Qin Yu opened his mouth, his voice unexpectedly a bit hoarse.
"Was that your first time?"
"First... what's wrong with it being my first time!"
Seeing there was no way to avoid it, Li Ruobing stiffened her neck and mustered up that defiant attitude of hers.
"Who says dressing provocatively means you're experienced?"
"Who says having an open personality means you've been with countless people?"
"Is it wrong that I learned from watching videos?"
"Is it wrong that I have theoretical experience?"
The louder she spoke, the more it seemed she was trying to mask the panic in her heart.
"My standards are high, you know!"
"Back in school, which of those losers could catch my eye?"
"If it weren't for this apocalypse..."
"If it weren't for the fact that you actually have some skills..."
"Do you think just anyone could get into my bed?"
By the end, her voice had softened again.
Carrying a hint of grievance.
And a trace of barely noticeable pride.
Listening to this rapid-fire string of excuses from her,
the shock in Qin Yu's heart slowly faded.
Replacing it.
Was an unprecedented mix of complex emotions.
Before the apocalypse, although he was a sports student, he had also had girlfriends.
He knew what this meant.
Especially in this world where order had collapsed.
A woman.
And such a beautiful, strong-willed woman at that.
Had preserved her purity until now.
Yet, in that Engine Room just moments ago, filled with the smell of engine oil and without even a proper bed,
she had given him her most precious possession.
Moreover.
During that earlier battle.
He hadn't held back at all!
That intensity...
No wonder she kept crying out in pain.
No wonder she cried so miserably afterward.
"Just now... it must have hurt a lot, right?"
Li Ruobing had been putting on a tough front.
But now, hearing Qin Yu's voice, so gentle it could wring out water,
her psychological defenses instantly crumbled.
Her eyes reddened immediately.
"Of course it did!"
"It hurt like hell!"
"You have no idea how to be gentle with a woman!"
She cursed while burying her head in Qin Yu's chest.
Tears fell one after another.
From the pain.
And from being moved.
At least this man cared.
Qin Yu let her vent in his embrace.
His large hand gently patted her back.
As if comforting a child.
"My fault."
"It's all my fault."
"I'll definitely be more careful next time."
"We'll talk after you've recovered."
Qin Yu took a deep breath.
Holding her a little tighter.
He got up to wash the towel clean.
Then helped her clean up simply.
After that, he turned off the main light.
Leaving only a dim bedside lamp on.
Qin Yu slipped under the covers.
Extending a long arm, he pulled the cocoon-like bundle of her and the blanket into his embrace.
Although Li Ruobing had said she wanted to sleep,
her body honestly snuggled closer into his arms.
Finding a comfortable position.
Within a few minutes.
The sound of even breathing emerged.
She was truly exhausted.
But Qin Yu did not sleep.
Leaning against the headboard, he lit a cigarette.
The glow flickered in the darkness.
Illuminating his sharply defined face.
He looked down at the woman sleeping soundly in his arms.
He looked again at his own hands, brimming with strength.
An SSS-grade weapon.
Two Sea Soul Crystal Mother Fragments.
Three women who were utterly devoted to him.
At this level.
It was no ordinary stroke of luck.
"Ocean Soul Heart..."
"The truth of the world..."
Qin Yu exhaled a smoke ring.
"Sleep well."
He stubbed out the cigarette and gently kissed Li Ruobing on the forehead.
"When you wake up tomorrow."
"Our base."
"Will need to expand another ring."