As night fell, the temperature of Marcus, which had been hot enough to roast a person during the day, quickly lost its warmth. The temperature continued to drop, and a dozen people sat around a campfire, leaning against their cars and nibbling on food. Next to them was a windbreak made of a few bed sheets, but no one spoke; the atmosphere seemed somewhat heavy.
As the backbone of this survivor team, Jack's low mood ultimately affected everyone. Fortunately, among the girls, there were still a few cheerful ones. The originally heavy atmosphere was broken by a few jokes from the lively girl, and bottles of red wine were distributed to everyone. The cool body temperature rose with the intake of alcohol, and gradually, the topics of conversation increased, restoring the atmosphere to a semblance of normalcy.
"Come on, have some wine to warm up!" Bai Ru walked over to Jack and handed him a glass of whiskey.
"Thank you!" Jack took the drink and had a sip, not looking up at Bai Ru, just expressionlessly leaning against the tire of the cheetah, lost in thought.
"Let's take the night watch together tonight!" Bai Ru sat down next to Jack and whispered to him.
"Okay!" Jack nodded absently, probably not even hearing what Bai Ru was saying.
"Are you still thinking about Hong Jie?" Bai Ru sat beside Jack, biting her red lip and asking with a complex expression.
"Not anymore!" Jack gently shook his head, raised his glass and took a sip, saying with a hint of melancholy, "Too many people have come and gone in my life, like fleeting passersby. I've gotten used to it!"
"Then what's making you unhappy? Can you tell me?" Bai Ru rested her chin on her hand, tilting her head to look at Jack.
"There's nothing to be unhappy about!" Jack took another sip of his drink and said lightly.
"You're lying! Why do you have no reaction at all?" Bai Ru suddenly glared at Jack, her face full of playful annoyance.
"What reaction?" Jack was taken aback and turned his head to ask in confusion.
"A woman asks a man to drink and even takes the initiative to keep watch with him. Don't you think she's hinting at something? If you were happy, how could you not react?" Bai Ru said loudly, her pretty face slightly flushed.
"Uh... this..." Jack scratched his head awkwardly. He had indeed been lost in thought and didn't know what Bai Ru was talking about. Moreover, he had just watched Thomas die right in front of him, so he really had no thoughts about Bai Ru at that moment!
"Let me tell you a secret!" Bai Ru suddenly leaned in mysteriously, resting on Jack and whispering in his ear, "The night and the cold are two things that can make a woman's psychological defenses very weak. It's quite cold tonight, and if you keep watch with me, who knows..."
"Who knows what?" Jack asked with a smile.
"What do you think?" Bai Ru rolled her eyes and retorted unhappily.
"...Thank you!" Jack smiled gently and looked at Bai Ru seriously.
"Thank me for what?" Bai Ru was taken aback by Jack's words.
"I know you're trying to make me happy, but I'm not as fragile as you think. I'm just thinking about some distant things!" Jack smiled knowingly, his tone lightening a bit.
"As long as you understand!" Bai Ru nodded with a flushed face, straightening up to say to Jack, "You are the backbone of all of us here. If even you are lost, we will truly be in despair. Anyone among us can fall, but you must not!"
"Don't worry, I won't fall!" Jack downed his whiskey in one gulp, then stared blankly at the women chatting and laughing in front of him. He said to Bai Ru, "I've been through too many mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Maybe it's true what they say about feeling nervous when returning home; the closer I get to my hometown, the more I find it hard to control myself. I'm sorry, I really am a bit emotional tonight!"
"Don't say sorry, you haven't done anything wrong to any of us. Instead, we all owe you. The sisters are not fools; having us as your burdens is just a hassle. However, we won't be that selfish. For your sake, even if it's just to make you feel a little better, we are willing to do anything!" Bai Ru looked at Jack meaningfully and playfully winked at him.
"Actually, there's really no need for that. Human hearts are made of flesh; mutual respect is enough. Just like tonight, you wanted to sacrifice your body to please me just to make me happy. There's really no need for that!" Jack said this with a very serious attitude. This was indeed his heartfelt opinion. He knew that besides their bodies, the girls had little to repay him with, but he had never thought about such repayment. Taking care of them and protecting them, although it added a lot of trouble for him, was a responsibility for Jack. It was a responsibility as a human being and even more so as a man.
Humanity has reached a point where it can no longer afford to deplete itself. One person's tomorrow could very well be the tomorrow of all humanity. Jack didn't know whether humanity would ultimately face extinction, but he would definitely do his utmost to protect those he needed to protect, planting a seed of hope in each of their hearts.
Upon hearing Jack say he would dedicate himself, Bai Ru's pretty face turned a bit red, but she still spoke disdainfully, "I... I didn't intend to sacrifice my body. At most, I just wanted to distract you. It's you who are being lewd and thinking too much!"
"Regardless, thank you. I'm feeling much better now. It seems that the allure of beautiful women is indeed great!" Jack smiled as he stared at Bai Ru's chest pressed against his arm, his expression seeming a bit smug.
"Tch~ Just be lewd then!" Bai Ru quickly pushed away, covering her exposed neckline, and ran off in a hurry.
"Sigh~ The thoughts of women!" Jack shook his head helplessly.
...
In the deep of night, the campfire was still burning brightly, but everyone had already gone to sleep. The girls used a few more sheets to hang at both ends of the car, creating two makeshift windbreaks. Then, they crawled into a large sleeping bag two by two, snuggling closely together to sleep. This not only provided warmth but also increased their sense of security.
In the closely-knit cheetah car, Bai Ru and Jack were sharing a blanket and whispering to each other. The woman who had scolded Jack for being lewd just a few hours ago was now tightly hugging Jack's arm, resting her head on his shoulder. Her long legs were draped over his, and Bai Ru didn't care whether her actions would provoke Jack's primal instincts. She was almost entirely nestled in Jack's embrace, yet her words still conveyed a firm attitude.
"Can't you be a bit more honest? What are you thinking about? Are you still keeping watch? You react so strongly just to say something, and that thing is making me feel terrible!"
"Come on, I should be the one feeling uncomfortable. Any man who can sit on you without reacting should go to the hospital for a check-up. Sigh... I mean, can you stop moving around? I'm about to break under you!"
"You deserve to be broken, who told you to have such dirty thoughts? You've taken advantage of me, and you're still not satisfied? If this were in the past, my fans would be so envious of you that they'd go crazy. They'd want to eat you raw like sashimi tomorrow! Hmph, I was the leader of the 'Jade Maiden Sect' back in the day, so enjoy your little secret pleasure!"
"...Oh my God, are you even reasonable? It seems like you climbed on top of me yourself. Besides, aside from being uncontrollably pressed against you, how else am I taking advantage of you? My hands are honestly resting on your waist as you asked!"
"So what if I climbed on top? Who told you the weather is so cold? A beauty is in trouble; shouldn't you show some gentlemanly spirit? Think about Liu Xia Hui, think about Lei Feng, think about what it means to remain unperturbed in a delicate situation!"
"What does Lei Feng have to do with this? He's the one who returns lost money and helps old ladies cross the street, okay? It has nothing to do with remaining unperturbed! If you could bring him here, I guarantee he'd say I'm a good comrade!"
"This is how you test your party spirit... Huh? Why are your eyes turning green? I warn you, Comrade Jack, don't let down the expectations of the party and the people, and do anything that would anger the heavens and the people!"
"I'm not even a Young Pioneer, where does this party spirit come from? I can't take it anymore, I can't hold back!"
"What... what are you going to do? I was just joking with you, don't look at me like that. I'll eventually be yours, but don't force me, okay? There's no happiness in coercion!"
White Ru jumped off Jack like a frightened rabbit, curling up in the corner with her legs hugged tightly. Opposite her was Jack, whose breathing was getting heavier and whose eyes were turning greener.