The next day.
Heita slowly opened her eyes, her consciousness surfacing from the depths of a deep and dreamless sleep.
In her line of sight, the ceiling was snow-white, not the steamy, mist-filled bathtub.
The air held no scent of blood, only a faint, dry, and reassuring aroma.
Heita blinked, realizing she was lying on a soft, large bed.
The curtains had been drawn open at some point. She looked out the window, gauging the approximate time.
It should be around ten in the morning.
Which meant she had slept for over twelve hours in this apocalyptic world.
Her memories flooded back, the image freezing at the edge of the bathtub: warm water enveloping her body, that long-lost sense of relaxation causing her to completely black out.
Heita lifted the blanket and glanced down.
Bare.
Her skin was dry, clearly having been carefully wiped down before being moved to the bed.
There were only two people here. Who did it was obvious.
Heita's thoughts involuntarily drifted to a rather odd question...
Seeing her completely unclothed, did Mr. Creditor have to endure a lot of hardship?
To him, she in that state probably wasn't much different from a shrimp peeled of its shell and placed on a dining table.
"If you're awake, don't dawdle in bed. I'm not obligated to spoon-feed you."
A familiar voice, tinged with a hint of laziness, came from not far away.
Heita followed the sound with her gaze.
By the table, Qi Zhimu sat with his legs crossed, a steaming self-heating hotpot placed on the table before him.
Sunlight spilled over him, creating an inexplicably harmonious and pleasing picture.
Most striking were his hands.
The arms that had just been stitched together last night now showed not a trace of scarring, only the newly grown skin was slightly paler.
Qi Zhimu was holding utensils, picking up meat and eating heartily.
Hmm... He wasn't putting on a brave front, nor had he lied to her.
Qi Zhimu truly belonged to the Virtual Substance Lifeforms with extremely potent regenerative abilities.
Heita withdrew her gaze, not showing the slightest hint of bashfulness over her nakedness.
Barefoot on the carpet, she picked up the clothes casually placed on the nightstand and dressed quickly, without any attempt to conceal herself.
She completely treated the man in the room who was watching her as thin air.
Since the contract was already established, her body was his reserved food. This level of observation was merely a preview of the inevitable future outcome.
Heita had the resolve to pay the price.
In front of the sink, water was already prepared.
Heita stared at her reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but sigh.
Water, fire, electricity—the three cornerstones of modern human civilization—were, in his hands, merely a matter of thought.
His magic was just too convenient.
A few minutes later, Heita sat down opposite Qi Zhimu.
There was a variety of food, even a cup of warm milk.
Qi Zhimu was still eating, but soon keenly noticed the occasional glances from the girl across from him.
"If you want to say something, just say it. Keeping it bottled up can lead to indigestion."
Before Heita could answer, a hint of mockery appeared at the corner of Qi Zhimu's mouth.
"Want to ask why I didn't wake you last night?"
Heita's hand, holding the spoon, paused.
She wanted to say no, but in the end, she nodded along.
"Heh."
Qi Zhimu chuckled lightly, leaning back in his chair with an air of utter reasonableness.
"It's like a country farmer raising chickens and ducks, or growing vegetables."
He gave Heita a once-over, his gaze as if looking at a scrawny little chick, filled with undisguised disdain.
"Right now, you don't have much meat on your bones, just skin and bones. There aren't many places worth eating."
"This is called scientific farming. Fattening you up, making you plump and tender, so it's more delicious when the time comes to take a bite."
"So, don't flatter yourself thinking I'm taking care of you. I'm just maintaining my Reserve Food."
"I see."
Heita's face remained calm, seemingly accepting this reason. She stopped talking and lowered her head to eat her breakfast.
The sound of the spoon touching the food container had a slight rhythm. She ate at a decent pace, putting down her utensils after just a few minutes.
"Finished."
Heita looked up at Qi Zhimu.
"My condition is now optimal. I suggest we depart immediately for the Hospital to find that CT room."
"Fine."
Qi Zhimu wasted no words either. With a wave of his hand, he blasted a large hole in the window. His Staff rose, hovering.
...
Wind resistance rushed against their faces.
At this moment, Qi Zhimu and Heita were seated on the Staff, riding the wind. They flew about fifty or sixty meters above the ground, skimming over the skyline of Grizzly City.
On the ground below, densely packed zombies swarmed like ants, only able to claw futilely at the sky.
Qi Zhimu sat cross-legged in the middle section of the Staff, one arm wrapped around Heita's waist.
Heita sat on his lap, her back pressed tightly against his broad, solid chest.
Although this posture was intimate, she had grown accustomed to such contact.
Humans don't have eyes in the back of their heads. Only by sitting in front could Qi Zhimu protect her at the first sign of any sudden danger.
She had understood this since the world of Deadly Mirror Shadows.
"Strange."
Unaware of the thoughts in the girl's mind he held, Qi Zhimu's gaze swept over several tall buildings to their side.
"What is it?" Heita looked up from within his embrace.
"In the movie 'disorder,' is there a setting for flying zombies?"
"No."
Heita answered with certainty, her brain rapidly searching through the plot and synopsis she had seen.
"'disorder' is a traditional virus-infection type zombie film. Although the zombies have frenzied characteristics, they still follow human physiological structures. They don't grow wings, and cases of animal infection are rarely mentioned."
"Is that so?"
Qi Zhimu neither agreed nor disagreed, magic power surging at his fingertips.
"Then where did these reckless things come from?"
As he spoke, several dark shadows shrieked and burst out from behind the glass curtain walls of the tall buildings.
Following the commotion, Heita's pupils contracted slightly.
They were birds with wingspans over twenty meters... they seemed to be eagles?
The monstrous birds screeched, their speed astonishingly fast, diving towards the two in an encircling formation.
Qi Zhimu didn't even bat an eyelid. The arm holding Heita remained perfectly still, while his other hand gave a gentle wave.
Centered on the Staff, a shockwave instantly exploded, forming numerous wind blades.
The ferocious bird (ferocious monstrous birds) hadn't even gotten within ten meters before they were effortlessly sliced into a rain of minced meat by the wind blades, pattering down below.
"It seems your Remembrance is flawed. Or perhaps, after the world from the film materialized, it developed changes that align with cosmic evolution, leading to the appearance of things that originally didn't exist?"
"..." Heita began pondering the reason for these changes, a guess quickly surfacing in her mind.
Qi Zhimu showed no fear of these flying zombie creatures. Instead of returning to the ground, he increased their speed even further.
"I'm accelerating."