No one notified me in advance. Everyone in the end times is crazy.

"Taylor Grant, can't you act like this?" Irina braced herself on the table, feeling like she was about to leap out of the screen and beat up Taylor, who was wrapped in a bath towel, with two women on either side of him waiting to be fed.

Taylor swirled her wine glass, looking nonchalant: "You only live once, don't be so reserved~"

"Well, you should consider the occasion!"

"You called without making an appointment two days in advance."

"I need an appointment? Who gave you that kind of face?"

Fedor waved his hand, trying to calm things down: "Alright, let's not start arguing as soon as we meet."

Irina successfully redirected her pent-up anger towards Fedordo: "Didn't I say he wasn't talking about you? What's with that face paint?! All you do is drink and have fun, you don't look like a commander at all."

Fedor: "I... just finished a blessing ceremony with the gods."

Irina: "God? If there really were, we wouldn't have so many disasters."

Taylor: "Okay, stop disparaging other people's cultures. There are more than just the three of us here."

He Gui: "You guys continue, don't call on me."

Taylor: "You little brat..."

Irina: "What's wrong with him! He's the most presentable one here."

Taylor: "Look, they're doing maintenance again."

Fedor: "She's saying it as if it were true."

Taylor: "Okay, okay, okay."

Taylor: "You're spinning like a top, constantly on the go at the base. Aren't you tired, Xiao He?"

He Gui: "Not bad."

Taylor: "You're really sparing with words!"

He Gui: “…”

Irina: "Alright, let's get down to business. I mainly came to see you this time, He Gui."

Taylor: "Why did you ask him to drag the two of us into this? He's ruining things."

Fedor: "I'd like to ask that too."

Irina: "Stop talking nonsense and listen carefully! Learn from He Gui."

He Gui: "If you have something to say, say it."

"Haha~ Sorry, we got off topic." After the lighthearted chat, Irina's expression suddenly turned serious. She stared intently at He Gui and said in a heavy tone, enunciating each word clearly, "The bear's corpse has come back to life."

The scene suddenly fell silent. They all knew what this meant. There were countless wild animals outside the city. If they could all be resurrected after death, then they would have to guard against more than just ghosts and monsters.

Taylor: "Is this news true?"

Irina: "I also hoped that this was just a fabrication, but unfortunately it wasn't. I saw the bear carcass' fur deflect bullets with my own eyes. It was more agile than when it was alive, and its claws were so sharp that they tore my armored vehicle apart."

Irina: "Fortunately, it still has the characteristic of being afraid of fire like other zombies, so killing it didn't take too much effort."

Taylor: "For something this important, you only talked to He Gui. That's blatant favoritism."

Fedor: "Since you're in such a hurry to find He Gui, I guess this bear carcass was found along the border between the north and east?"

Irina: "Yes."

Taylor: "Oh ho~ This is interesting. Why hasn't Xiao He said anything for so long? Is something on her mind? Hahaha~"

He Gui: “…”

He Gui: "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

Taylor: "Hey~ don't be so cold~"

Irina: "That's all. Keep an eye on things over there and let me know if there are any developments."

"Okay." He Gui said and left the chat room.

There's a serious staff shortage right now, and neither the West nor the South seems to care much about it; they're just a bunch of people who only care about their own enjoyment.

He Gui rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He didn't call Luo Shiyu, but Nan Xing instead.

"Boss, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, there's something really troubling me."

"Do you need painkillers? Or perhaps General Luo could come and comfort you?"

"No need. Who's in charge of vetting the new recruits this time?"

"My cousin, Nan Wan, should I call her to see you?"

"No need for all that trouble, just tell me the fastest they can get out of the city."

"About a week."

"Three days."

"What? Are you serious? It's simply impossible for two unfamiliar teams to work together seamlessly in three days."

"There's still time to work things out after we leave the city. Extend the mission timeline and focus the main exploration area on the border between the east and north. Once you've compiled the specific locations and mission details, send them to Nan Wan so she can distribute the missions."

"I see."

He Gui probably never dreamed that the boomerang he threw out would one day pierce his own body.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Just add the stir-fried ingredients to the cookies and you're done, nougat cookies."

Oh, that's so simple.

Luo Shiyu imitated Wang Rui and made cookies for her friends in a very professional manner.

They then divided the brewed fruit tea and the fruit that Wang Rui had cut into portions and finally put them into the picnic basket.

"Alright, thank you for your hard work, our Little Red Riding Hood. Are you ready to cross the forest and deliver food to your friends?"

[Pfft! Hahaha~ What kind of tone is that when you're coaxing a child!]

Suppressing her smile, Luo Shiyu shook her head and declined Wang Rui's invitation.

"what happened?"

"I skipped training; going now would be a clear message that I'm slacking off."

Wang Rui paused for a moment, then smiled and ruffled Luo Shiyu's hair, praising, "My little brother is getting smarter and smarter."

【Oh dear~ that childish tone again.】

Luo Shiyu felt shy, but also enjoyed it.

"I'm leaving now. I've left some food for you on the table. Your brother will be back soon."

Luo Shiyu nodded obediently and watched Wang Rui leave.

Two portions of food were left on the table, the other portion clearly intended for Yuwen Baiyuan.

[That's strange, why didn't my brother bring the food to my brother-in-law on his way to the training room?]

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Training room.

Sun Zhigang would occasionally glance out the floor-to-ceiling window at the corridor, his thoughts almost written all over his face.

Mo Zhuo saw through his thoughts and teased, "Captain, you're practically turning into a waiting-for-husband stone."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Super~~~~ obvious."

"Ok."

"Look at you, I have good news for you, the person has arrived."

"Really?"

"I lied to you. I'm a dog."

"Let everyone rest for a bit, I'll be right back."

After saying this, Sun Zhigang went outside to wait, and when he saw Wang Rui, he pretended to be very surprised.

"coincidence."

Wang Rui directly called him out, saying, "Weren't you waiting for me?"

Sun Zhigang blushed and admitted, "Yes."

Wang Rui changed the subject and handed the basket in his hand to Sun Zhigang.

"There's some food in here. Take it in and share it with everyone. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. Xiao Bao is waiting for me."

"Wait a minute!" In his haste, Sun Zhigang grabbed Wang Rui's forearm, losing control of his strength.

Wang Rui hissed and instinctively pulled his hand back.

Sun Zhigang quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"fine."

"Let me see. It wouldn't be good if I hurt Arui, who has such delicate skin."

"No, I'm fine."

During the scuffle, Sun Zhigang grabbed Wang Rui's hand and, ignoring any attempts to stop him, rolled up his sleeve.

What came into view were many marks left by bondage. (We had too much fun last night.)

Wang Rui closed his eyes, feeling utterly humiliated.

Sun Zhigang was trembling with anger, gritting his teeth as he said, "Yuwen Baiyuan abused you?"

Wang Rui's face showed undisguised disbelief.

“Arui, don’t be afraid, I will protect you. If Yuwen Baiyuan has any leverage over you, you can tell me about all the things you’ve done against your will.”

For a moment, Wang Rui didn't know how to respond. Sun Zhigang assumed he had agreed and spoke with even more confidence: "Rui, divorce Yuwen Baiyuan! I'll walk with you through the future."

Yuwen Baiyuan, who could vaguely see Wang Rui's figure through the training room window, opened the door and came out, just as Sun Zhigang's words reached his ears.