Chapter 34: Underwear

The dull thuds of zombies slamming into the anti-collision beam blended into one continuous sound.

The armored vehicle’s suspension was ridiculously good—outside could be pure chaos, yet inside the cabin only swayed gently.

Ray’s driving style, however, was pure wildness.

In the rear cabin, May sat on the giant pink round bed, bouncing like a bean in a hot wok.

"Ayo—!"

The front end suddenly lifted and slammed back down hard. May was launched half a meter into the air, lost her balance, and toppled sideways.

Thud!

She crashed solidly into a wall of muscle.

Her nose filled instantly with a wave of hot sweat and dense male pheromones. Her mind blanked for a second.

Half her face was buried against Jack’s broad chest. Through the combat uniform she could even feel the violent pulse racing beneath his skin. The heat was scorching.

Jack had gone rigid as stone. He still held the heavy machine gun; both arms hovered uselessly in the air, terrified that the slightest force would crush the soft little thing now pressed against him.

"M-May..."

His throat tightened. The words shook like a sieve. His dark-red face flushed the color of pig liver in an instant, the red climbing all the way to the tips of his ears until it looked ready to drip blood.

May struggled to sit up—exactly when Ray yanked the wheel hard again. The vehicle fishtailed violently. Her footing slipped; the hands that had been braced against Jack’s chest slid down the hard ridges of muscle and ended up clamped tightly around his belt.

Jack sucked in a sharp breath. Every muscle locked into an iron plate. A distorted grunt escaped his throat.

"Boss, ease up. You’re going to snap the steering wheel."

Alex was hanging over the back of the passenger seat, watching zombies blur past the windows. He couldn’t resist twisting the knife a little deeper.

Ray ignored him. His eyes stayed locked on the rearview mirror. ℯℯ𝑙.

In that mirror, he had a perfect view of the scene on the big round bed.

May was half-sprawled across Jack’s lap. The torn flight-attendant uniform shifted with every bounce and covered almost nothing. Two long pale legs lay crossed over Jack’s thighs. His enormous hands hovered in mid-air, wanting to touch yet not daring to—exactly like a foolish monk who had just been entangled by a fox spirit.

Suddenly, the inertia of a hard brake froze the atmosphere inside the cabin for a single heartbeat.

May pushed herself up from that rock-hard chest. Her cheek still carried the red imprint left by the fabric. She retreated into the farthest corner of the pink bed, curled into a tiny ball, and refused to look at anyone.

Fuck. That impact almost flattened my nose against his pecs.

Jack looked like a boiled shrimp—red from face to neck. He clutched his machine gun, shuffled to the corner of the cabin farthest from the bed, and turned his back on everyone, shoulders drawn tight as a bowstring.

Ray swept a glance through the rearview mirror. His expression was darker than the sky outside. He restarted the engine, but the speed dropped noticeably. The vehicle now rolled forward with unnatural steadiness, as if he were determined not to bounce that girl into any other man’s arms again.

The RV was spacious, yet aside from the aggressively pink bed and the lace tassels hanging from the ceiling, the interior was barren. Supplies were pitifully scarce.

May tugged at the flight-attendant uniform that now resembled a fishing net more than clothing, felt the lingering discomfort, and decided the entire situation was unacceptable.

Clothes ruined. Shower never finished.

She secretly opened the system panel and stared at the lonely [0] points remaining. Her heart ached.

[System, any spare underwear?]

[Ding. Intimate apparel exchange zone has been unlocked.]

[Due to physical contact generated by the Host, +100 points awarded.]

Two options popped up.

[Option 1: Victoria’s Secret Angel — Ultra-Sheer Lace Cutout Style (Black). Effect: Charm +10, Defense –5. Price: 100 points.]

[Option 2: Pure-Desire Critical Hit — Kitty Guardian Style (White). Effect: Purity +10, Defense +5. Price: 100 points.]

May stared at the two choices. Her vision went black.

[You call this intimate apparel? This is a damn disaster! One more slutty than the next, and you’re even giving them attack and defense stats? Am I supposed to go hand-to-hand with zombies in these?!]

[If I don’t get jumped by the whole group, you won’t be able to sleep, is that it?!]

[Got anything normal? Plain cotton! The kind grandmas wear!]

[Ding. Host verbal abuse of the system detected. 10 points deducted as punishment. Current points: 90.]

May grunted, utterly frustrated.

Fine. You win.

She clenched her teeth and studied the two options again. One raised charm and lowered defense. The other raised purity and defense.

In the apocalypse, defense was survival.

[Exchange the cat one!]

Points dropped to zero. A neatly folded set of soft white cotton underwear appeared in her palm.

The RV might have been ridiculous, but at least it had a private bathroom—even if the door was frosted glass.

Clutching the clean clothes and the oversized black T-shirt Ray had tossed her earlier, May slipped into the bathroom in a low crouch.

Click.

The soft sound of the lock engaging rang through the quiet cabin like a starting gun.

Every man who had been pretending to stay busy froze in perfect unison.

Shhhhh—

Water began to flow.

On the frosted glass, a graceful, curved silhouette appeared, blurred but unmistakable. The shadow moved, arms rising as if to free long hair. A slender waist twisted with the motion, tracing a line that was pure visual assault.

Mitch had been leaning against the wall, polishing the scope of his sniper rifle. At the sound of water, his hands stopped. His Adam’s apple bobbed once. His gaze drifted toward the door of its own accord, then jerked away in irritation. He muttered under his breath, "Fuck... why is it so hot in here?"

Alex sat cross-legged on the carpet, hands laced behind his head, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the door.

Across from him, Ace idly rolled a steel ball between his fingers. His bright eyes curved with a smile that never quite reached their depths.

Jack kept his back to everyone, head bowed even lower, looking exactly like a child who had just been caught doing something wrong.

Only Theo remained composed. He leaned against the back of the driver’s seat and calmly observed the shifting light and shadow on the glass, as if analyzing the behavioral patterns of some rare species.

The air inside the cabin grew hot and thick from the sound of running water. Every man’s breathing deepened by a fraction.

The water stopped.

Soft rustling followed—fabric sliding against skin.

The silhouette on the glass bent forward, clearly putting something on. The motion was slow; every detail was magnified by the frosted surface, leaving far too much room for imagination.

At last the door handle turned.

May stepped out wearing Ray’s black T-shirt. The oversized shirt only reached mid-thigh, making her two long pale legs look even longer and more eye-catching. She hadn’t found a hairdryer; damp strands still dripped water that slid down the white column of her neck and disappeared into the loose collar of the T-shirt.

She walked toward the pink bed while toweling her hair dry.

Mitch had just twisted open a bottle of water and taken a large gulp. The sight made him choke. The entire mouthful sprayed out in a perfect arc and landed squarely across Alex’s face.

Pfft—

"What the––! Dude, are you a goddamn shower head?!"

Alex wiped the water from his face, ready to explode—then followed Mitch’s line of sight and froze solid as well.