PSW – Chapter 24

“Jiejie, I’ve actually been hiding something from you.”

Zheng Yi looked fragile and uneasy, her eyes like those of a frightened little animal, as if she could be abandoned at any moment. Her dark, glistening eyes stared at Yu Yinan without blinking. Steam was still rising from the cup of water. “Jiejie, I might be a dual-ability user. I also have a storage ability, but… it can only hold very, very little.”

Dual-ability? And storage! A water-control ability plus a storage ability-it was practically tailor-made for survival in the apocalypse. Yu Yinan was a little amazed. She had suspected Zheng Yi was hiding something. Everyone had secrets, which was perfectly normal; after all, she had never told Zheng Yi about her own past.

“I’m sorry…”

That slightly trembling apology made Yu Yinan’s heart skip a beat. She looked up and saw a crystal-clear teardrop roll down Zheng Yi’s cheek.

“It’s-it’s okay, I don’t mind. I mean… it’s normal to have secrets. I have things I haven’t told you, too.” Yu Yinan was suddenly flustered. Fearing Zheng Yi might get agitated and spill the hot water on herself, she took the cup and placed it on the low cabinet by the bed, then found some tissues to wipe away her tears.

“The usable storage space is tiny, and I don’t know how to improve this ability,” Zheng Yi said in a low voice. “And it seems like everyone else only has one ability, so-so…”

“You did the right thing. It would have been bad if you had told me everything right after we met.” Yu Yinan knelt on the bed and looked at Zheng Yi earnestly. She softened her voice, coaxing her as gently as possible. “See? Now we’ve built up trust, so you’ve told me your secret, and I’m very happy about that.”

Zheng Yi was sometimes very naive, like a child who had never seen any of the world’s evils, like a blank sheet of paper. Before, Yu Yinan might have found this troubling, but now, she felt there was nothing wrong with Zheng Yi being this way. If she could, she wanted to protect that innocence.

“Jiejie, you’re so good to me.” She heard Zheng Yi say this with a nasal tone, and the words made Yu Yinan feel a pang of shame. A little uncomfortably, she picked up the now-lukewarm water, warmed it slightly in her palm until it was just hot enough to drink, and handed it to Zheng Yi.

“Jiejie, are you really not mad at me?” Zheng Yi still seemed anxious, tugging at the blanket expectantly.

“No,” Yu Yinan replied.

“I’m so cold. Jiejie, can you hold me?”

“…” Yu Yinan’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the empty cup. She steadied herself, put the cup back, placed the down jacket she had just taken off to the side, then lifted the covers and lay down with Zheng Yi, pulling the girl into her arms.

She had almost… never been this close to anyone. Not even another woman.

“So, Jiejie doesn’t have to worry about food,” Zheng Yi murmured, burying herself in Yu Yinan’s embrace and drawing in her warmth. “Let’s set off again when the temperature warms up a little.”

“Okay.” Did she suddenly confess because she was worried I was anxious about being trapped here by the snow and ice? Just as Yu Yinan was thinking this, Zheng Yi snuggled against her and suddenly whispered:

“Jiejie, I wasn’t without a mom and dad from the very beginning.”

Yu Yinan looked down, but with Zheng Yi buried in her chest, she couldn’t see her expression. She lowered her gaze slightly and listened as Zheng Yi softly told the story of her childhood-of her pitiful mother who endured beatings and verbal abuse, and her violent, alcoholic, gambling father.

She spoke of the turning point when she was fourteen, of her mother being locked away in a mental hospital, declared insane, and her father being cremated, turned to ash, declared dead.

No relatives were willing to take her in. Her father’s gambling had left almost no assets, only that small, dilapidated house. Fortunately, with help from the community and the state, Zheng Yi didn’t starve and was able to stay in school.

The casual way she glossed over her work-study jobs and struggles made Yu Yinan unable to resist gently patting her on the back.

It was then that Yu Yinan finally spoke. After a brief silence, she told Zheng Yi about her own past, recounting the first half of a girl’s life born into a family that heavily favored sons over daughters.

If she had never had any expectations, if she had never been loved from the start, perhaps Yu Yinan wouldn’t have cared so much. But before her younger brother was born, she hadn’t been so invisible; she had been able to receive a few scattered bits of affection.

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Outside, the snow continued to fall, and the fierce, gusting wind rattled the windows. A layer of condensation fogged the inside of the glass, blurring the view into a clean, hazy expanse of white.

In this pure world, inside the small, warm house, the two held each other for warmth, quietly recounting their pasts, as if drawing not only heat from each other, but some other kind of strength as well.

Amid this incredibly heartwarming scene, perhaps only Zero One felt genuine pity for Yu Yinan.

[Host… Yu Yinan has had it rough. If you ever decide you don’t want to deceive her anymore, please don’t be so cruel as to kill her.]

‘My dear Zero One, why would you say such a thing? I’m so hurt, so sad. Am I really that terrible of a person?!’ Zheng Yi’s mental tone was exceptionally dramatic, brimming with emotion, as if she had been gravely wronged.

But soon, her voice suddenly flattened. ‘Oh, I guess I am.’

[…] In the silence, Zero One didn’t dare make a sound.

‘Who would turn down a steady, easily-fooled source of monthly Saint Points?’ Zheng Yi’s tone was indifferent. She hugged Yu Yinan’s waist and let out a sigh of contentment from the warmth. ‘Besides, winter… is very convenient.’

[Host, who… were you, exactly, in the past?] Zero One hesitated, but still asked. It still couldn’t figure Zheng Yi out. Beneath her masterful acting, it, as a system, couldn’t even fully discern her true thoughts. For instance, it still didn’t know if her words just now were sincere.

‘Who knows?’ Zheng Yi chuckled softly. ‘In any case, I wasn’t a good person.’

‘So, being a Saint is quite interesting.’

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The heavy snow fell intermittently for three days, covering almost the entire world in a blanket of white. Opening the window revealed nothing but white, as far as the eye could see.

A fire was lit inside the room, enclosed by simple bricks and sheet metal, while a window on the other side was left open for ventilation.

Zheng Yi sat by the fire, carefully using a branch to turn the sweet potatoes roasting by the flames. The floor of the room was tiled, not wood, and since the building was abandoned and they wouldn’t be staying long, they didn’t have to be too careful.

Zheng Yi had never bought sweet potatoes before, but with the fire going in the middle of winter, she had a craving for them. Since Yu Yinan didn’t know what was in her storage space, Zheng Yi simply purchased four plump, premium honey sweet potatoes from the system store for one Saint Point.

Each one probably weighed around two catties. According to the product description, they were guaranteed to ooze caramelized juices and be golden yellow inside.

Once roasted, the honey sweet potatoes were pulled from the fire, steaming hot. The thin skin peeled away with a slight tear, revealing the golden, delicate flesh within. Braving the heat to break it open a little more, sugary juices immediately spilled out. The sweet aroma aggressively filled the entire room.

Zheng Yi used a branch to nudge a sweet potato over to Yu Yinan’s feet before picking up her own. She blew on it impatiently. “Jiejie, it’s ready.”

“Okay. It’s very hot, be careful.” Yu Yinan wasn’t very sensitive to heat anymore. She reached down and picked up the sweet potato. Before she could even peel it, she saw Zheng Yi yelp after taking a bite, blowing on it repeatedly but still trying to eat more. “How about I peel it for you and put it in a bowl? You can eat it with a spoon.”

“No way, Jiejie! Roasted sweet potatoes taste best when you eat them like this!”

Yu Yinan chuckled, lowered her head, and gently peeled her own sweet potato, cautiously taking a bite just as Zheng Yi had.

The snow had stopped falling. They were not far from surviving this first round of extreme cold.

In the quiet, leisurely room, the only sound was the occasional crackle of the firewood. Just as Zheng Yi stood up to wipe her hands, intending to drink some hot water, she suddenly glanced out the window.

However, she quickly retracted her gaze and nonchalantly finished wiping her hands before pouring a cup of hot water and taking two sips.

[What’s wrong?] Zero One had clearly noticed Zheng Yi’s momentary abnormality.

Just then, Yu Yinan also sensed something was wrong. She shot to her feet, and just as she was about to speak, a deafening beastly roar instantly drowned out her voice.

Only then did Zheng Yi show a hint of panic and fear. She looked at Yu Yinan, at a loss. Yu Yinan had already grabbed the fire axe from the table. She was about to tell Zheng Yi to go downstairs first when she heard the roar getting closer. With the sound of shattering glass, a mutated beast burst into her line of sight. In that same instant, she saw Zheng Yi charge forward recklessly, shoving her aside and shielding her with her own body.

“Jiejie, you go downstairs first! This isn’t a good place to fight!” Zheng Yi said urgently. She gripped the fire axe, and though her voice trembled slightly, she stood her ground resolutely in front of the beast.

The mutated beast wasn’t enormous, about the size of a large dog, but its fur had a metallic sheen. Looking closely, its entire body was covered in a layer of iron hide; its fur was completely metallic, and its claws and fangs glinted coldly.

At that moment, it crouched, the muscles in its hind legs tensed. Its beastly eyes were locked on Zheng Yi, its metallic fur standing on end as a low growl rumbled deep in its throat, the threat unmistakable.

How could Yu Yinan possibly let Zheng Yi stay behind alone?

Before Yu Yinan could react, the beast, as if unable to restrain itself, let out a long howl. Its body instantly swelled in size, and its long, metallic tail whipped out, smashing through the wall before it lunged at Zheng Yi.

The abandoned hotel wasn’t very tall, but the collapse of one floor would set off a chain reaction. The moment the wall crumbled and the beast lunged, the corner of Zheng Yi’s mouth curled into a cold smirk.

You insolent creature.

A huge cloud of dust billowed up. Zheng Yi pushed off a toppling wardrobe, and a layer of water condensed above her head. Just as the building was about to collapse, a film of water coated it and instantly froze into solid ice, holding it stable for a split second. In that instant, Zheng Yi grabbed the massive, metallic tail.

The next moment, a grating screech that set one’s teeth on edge echoed as the metal was forcibly twisted by immense strength. The mutated beast howled in pain and instinctively turned to bite Zheng Yi. But before it could bare its fangs, the thick snow on the ground flew up and instantly filled its mouth. Countless snowflakes clung to its metallic fur, freezing into solid ice in a flash, trapping it.

The beast’s huge eyes could still move. It watched, helpless, as Zheng Yi gave it a compassionate smile. “I forgive your offense and absolve you of your sins.” As she spoke these gentle words, a nearly transparent, high-pressure water blade emerged from her hand and mercilessly sliced through the metallic fur, easily severing the tip of its tail.

Encased in ice, not even a drop of blood could splash out.

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